New semester (SS 2010)

Now, being back in good (c)old Germany, I’m trying to fall back into the old everyday life. But it is definitely not as easy as you always imagine. Culture shock does not happen when you go TO a “foreign” country but when you come back FROM it, into your home country believed to be familiar!

The time flying back seemed to me like passing in a flash. I usually traveled twenty hours in bus the last three months. Therefore the thirteen hours by plane were like peanuts.
Of course Tina and I had problems with baggage over weight.  We had the chance to weight our baggage in front of the airport and could rearrange all stuff. I had about ten kilos too much. At the end I had two cases, my backpack, my laptop bag, and a huge plastic bag with my carnival mask and other stuff I needed on the air plane. But I didn’t have to pay any fee.

Leaving Buenos Aires we had 36°C. Arriving in Hanover I was freezing at 0°C - a shock! The first week at home I had to experience snow after all. I froze my balls off! At least I could enjoy a last Feuerzangenbowle (”Flaming Fire Tongs Bowl“, a hot red wine punch with a sugar cone soaked in rum lit above it) for this winter!

The abrupt change from the Argentinian everyday life to the German way is more difficult as I thought:
First of all, the Argentinian day has 25 hours and you can definitely feel it. There you go out for dinner at 10pm at the earliest, and here in Germany your day “ends” already at 8pm when you have to meet your friends or family yet. In my town there are no buses bringing you home after 11.30pm while in Buenos Aires they circulate all day and night through. And although Argentina is a threshold country you can use WiFi in every café for free - and there are cafés every 50m. In Germany I still have to pull myself together when it comes to traffic. I hate wasting my precious time of life waiting for green - even though there is not a living soul as far as the eye can see! I guess I have to be patient?!

I stayed at my parent’s house for one month till I found a new place to live in my university city. I now got my own nice floor with living, kitchen, bath, sleeping, office, and corridor.

Semester is quite stressful cause I can work twice as much in my old job. I started with the course Portuguese 2 (Portuguese 1 was only offered last semester) but I don’t have any difficulties to keep up in this course.

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Update (middle of May):

I’m still fighting against some of the culture shock - especially the weather! I fear, this is the punishment for trying to “skip” German winter… I want to go back to South America!!!

Xmas in Buenos Aires: Possible or not?

It seems to come closer and closer: Christmas!

Well, we have about 30°C here right now, and NO snow. Every day you want to stay at home or to seek refuge from the heat in any shopping center where air-conditionings save your day.

If you didn’t have someone back home in Europe that reminds you of coming Xmas you would probably miss it. You barely find any Xmas decoration in stores or in streets, never mind in homes. There is the Avenida de Mayo where they installed some chains of lights, so did the Panamericano Hotel. The other day we had some lunch in a restaurant that was the big exception.  The put lots of stickers at the windows, green garlands everywhere in the inside and a Xmas tree with about 15 presents on the stairway. They put just a tiny decorated Xmas treen in the main hall of the buiding where my old shared apartment was. One day at the Carrefour supermarket I heard some hum in my ears going like this: Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way… and I was thinking: well, they’re not jingling loud enough ‘cos the cashier in front of me is almost falling asleep again; it was already getting dark outside! They installed a big Xmas tree on the square next to the obelisco trying to win the world competition in building the worst Xmas tree. It is a cone-shaped metal scaffolding slightly covered with some white garlands. And at night this tree turns into a disco-something blinking cracy from the inside.  

You’ll hardly find any commercial Xmas “junk”. Yesterday I had to rub my eyes ‘cos I couldn’t believe them when I passed a kiosk selling Xmas cards. Well, too late! They won’t get around the world in time anymore! I wonder what’s coming next… maybe Santa riding his donkey on 9 de Julio Avenue causing a traffic jam??

All this bickering shouldn’t bother me at all ‘cos it looks like I’ll “celebrate” Xmas alone this year. I should seize the opportunity with both hands having the kitchen for my own and cook and eat and eat all day and night long!

At least Europe and South America are not that far apart: the freezer just stand on the other side of the kitchen facing the oven!

New shared apartment

Yesterday I had to move ‘cos my old shared apartment is getting sold.

Now I’m living in the Almagro district just one block away from the Abasto shopping mall.

It is not in the center anymore but closer to the Milongas. I could dance more tango now

This new apartment is similar to the old one, however it  has a living room and a roof terrace, small but nice, and with a parrilla.

My landlord and flatmate is Argentinian and my second flatmate is from Germany (again ).

The kitchen is fine, too. We have a bunch of grocery stores, bakeries, butcher shops and other home-made -style shops. I went shopping to feel home in the kitchen again. And so I conjured up this delicious beef sandwich, Argentinian style with chimichurri salsa: HHMMM!!!

Long Hike through the north-eastern part of Bs.As.

Last Saturday I decided to explore the ‘La Boca‘ district and, if there was some time left, as well the little harbor Puerto Madero with its shopping area and its cafés. So I took the subte C to Constitución, terminus of that line at around 11am. I hoped to enjoy the Plaza Constitución but that was not the case. It was more likely a battlefield ‘cos they were rebuilding it. Therefore there were no trees, no paths, no green, but a lot of holes and hills.

 I looked around to see what’s close to visit. But there wasn’t very much - just a church. I went to the southwest heading for the Parque Lezama at the end of the district San Telmo. But to get there I had to undercross a freeway. This area was not one of the best! Grey, lonely and forlorn. After a while I got to a shop that sells fresh self-made noodles.

Arriving at the Parque Lezama I saw the first loros. I decided to head for the only building in this park to see what it is. It was the Museo Histórico Nacional. The entrance is free so I went in. At every corner there was security. I came to the first room. I asked the security guard if it was possible to take pictures and he answered it in the affirmative, but only without flash. I wanted to take a picture of a reconstruction of the bedroom of San Martín. He turned up the light that I could take a better picture. He looked over my shoulder and pointed out the sign of the exhibit to me. I told him that I got it in the picture I showed it to him. He was surprised about the quality of my digicam. When I went on he followed me and asked me for the camera model. We talked quite a lot about the camera, what I’m doing in Buenos Aires and about the exhibits. It didn’t take me much time to see everything ‘cos it was a small museum.

After that I enjoyed the awesome weather in the park watching the loros how they were stealing the bred crumbs out of the pigeon’s beaks. There were also some little poor girls roaming around.

After getting some sun and taking some nice pics headed for the stadium bowl of La Boca entering this district for the first time. I could see the soccer stadium only from outside. It is the home of one of the world’s most famous soccer teams: Club Atlético Boca Juniors (CABJ) with its traditional colors blue and yellow. Right at the stadium there were the Museo de Quique and some fan stores, as well in the Boca colors. From now on the traditional La Boca district started with its colorful houses.

And then, finally, I got to the famous Caminito Street and the place where all the fancy souvenir shops and restaurants with their Tango shows are. Now it’s all about Tango and a competition of the most colorful house. I had some beef with some Tango music and show at the La Barrica.

After this bite I wanted to sniff some harbor air. The water was more than dirty. There was some tar or oil swimming in it. No wonder that the turtle I spotted was saving itself on some floating garbage. I wanted to follow the harbor to get to Puerto Madero but a police officer told me not to due to the bad milieu following. Therefore I had to make my way through the whole district.

Half through San Telmo there were some places that were beyond good and evil. Car wrecks at the roadside, holes that almost cave in, and there were two buses passing me: one with some guys hanging out the windows and shouting loudly, and another that looked like coming just out of a Brazilian slum or Bagdad. It was completely empty except for the weird looking bus driver. The bus had some holes in the windows and the bodywork (like from flying stones or bullets) and inside everything was dirty and ragged. Some windows and seats were missing. At one crossroad there were two guys cleaning the windows of the cars waiting at red light to earn some money. I didn’t see, what they did (wrong) but suddenly they ran towards me and passing me followed by two other guys (one with a wooden cudgel) leaving their car. When those two wanted to return to their car the other two guys came back with big stones throwing them at the other two. They were chasing each other for a few minutes while the traffic at this lane had to wait. It was some nice action… and me almost in the focus of it . At the end the bad guys went off. Nobody was hurt. 

Fortunately I made it to Puerto Madero. There you could find a lot of people with red T-shirts and yellow writing on it. There were just coming from the 10K (10km-run). All the cafés were full of guests enjoying some snack and refreshment at sundown. I went all through Puerto Madero and then back to home. At the end I walked more than ten kilometers in about seven hours. It was a nice and adventurous day! But my feet needed some big vacations now!

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On Monday, I went for the first time to the free Salsa class in Belgrano. The teacher is a small and funny guy from Central America, I guess. There were a lot of old ladies (around 60/70 years) but it was a very amusing group. I was introduced to everybody and they all learned my name really fast. I become integrated into this group immediately. There were only Argentinians. We learned all the different basic steps and a little choreo before he taught us two nice and complex figures. I had the chance to talk a lot of Spanish. The course was a lot of fun!

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btw: when people want to use the ATM and they have to wait until it’s their turn, they do so outside by lining up in front of the bank.

Tanghetto concert

Unfortunately I didn’t make it to the ‘XV Guitar Festival’ this week

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On Thursday, October 15, I prepared my first own mate in Buenos Aires with the mate (cup) from San Telmo. I bought quite strong mate leaves. I used the without sugar of course. There was just a problem with the bombilla. I knew that it’s a crap when I bought the mate but the bombilla came with the mate. It has a spring at the end instead of a filter. It was blocked up very easily. I have to get a better bombilla as soon as possible!

At night, Tina and I watched a movie at her flat and drank a bottle of red wine. On the way back home I saw that they repaired the sidewalk at Córdoba Avenue corner Talcahuano Street. The concret was still fresh. Therefore I thought I could leave my mark for posterity on it and did so. I wrote my name on it that the city of Buenos Aires will always remember me.

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The next day I had Tango class in Belgrano, as every Friday. We learned a new step.

At night I went with my flatmate to the Congo bar to meet other student from the Netherlands, Germany, one from the USA, one from Finland and one from Cyprus. We had a drink or two and then headed for the ‘Asia de Cuba‘ Club at Puerto Madero. We got free entrance and therefore saved $50. It is a exquisite boliche. We ordere two bottles of Wodka with fresh pressed orange juice. It was the first time for me being at Puerto Madero. Next time I have to go there during the day. I stayed there till 5.30am. It was a really great night. We had a lot of fun.

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Yesterday, Tina and I went to the Teatro ND Ateneo at Paraguay Street to see the concert of Tanghetto. It was a great concert. I like the way they mix the Tango Nuevo (created first by Astor Piazzolla) and the ‘electro’ elements. Using in some songs a singer and narrator of some tango stories as well as a tango couple lent variety to the concert and let it seem more authentic. We got free entrance.

The most famous electrotango in Europe and the USA might be ‘Santa María (del Buen Ayre)‘ by Gotan Project which is used in the movie ‘Shall we dance‘.

Gotan Project - Santa María (del Buen Ayres)
(OST: Shall we Dance)

Tanghetto - Inmigrante
(live at Obelisco, Av. 9 de Julio)

After the concert Pedro, Tina and I went to El Palacio de la Pizza around the corner (Corrientes 751). It was a little bit more expensive but it was the second best pizza I have eaten in Bs.As. yet. Later Tina and I went to have some more beers in a café, till 2am.

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Today Tina and I had some breakfast at noon at Plaza Vincente López at Paraná Street in Recoleta. It was a more expensive but very good and substantial breakfast with a very good coffee and selfmade marmalade and jam. The orange juice was fresh pressed and the toasted sandwich had a lot of ham and cheese. It was just perfectly toasted. It was a good way to start the day!, before we headed for some homework…

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Tomorrow I will start with Salsa class in Belgrano. I am already looking forward to it.

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btw: in restaurants they have a table service you usually have to pay.  You get served all the time and you get some snacks (most common are bread with butter or at cafés peanuts, potato chips or olives) while waiting for the dishes.