The title means "like a roller coaster".
It has been a strange couple of weeks! I go back and forth
between loving it and wanting to go home so badly. More and more though I think
I am appreciating the experience altogether, even if it isn’t always positive.
Actually it would probably be bad if it were all fun and games all the time.
But as an anthropology major I am constantly people watching and I observe the
weirdest little things that I have become so accustomed to, that I’m going to
miss when I go home! And it’s going to be weird to not see them and do them
every day.
For example, the kiss on the cheek to greet someone. Here,
it’s one cheek touch on the right cheek and a kissing noise with the mouth,
rather than an actual kiss. People of every age from children to retired people
do it. You do it when you see a friend, or when you’re meeting someone new that
is being introduced to you or also when you meet someone for the first time.
Not like when you walk into a random store, but if you go to a party and meet
someone then maybe. You kind of just learn the rules to it and know when to
expect it and to initiate it! It’s also done when you say goodbye to someone. I
think this is really cool and I apologize in advance if I start to do this to
you and then realize what I’m doing awkwardly. Because it’s become such a
habit. But I think it’s so cool how much more physical people are here and how
people aren’t as worried about their personal bubble like they are in the US.
Another small thing that I have noticed that I think is
hilarious is whenever you buy like a bottle of water or soda at a kiosko they
ask you if you want a straw. Like the bottle is bigger than the straw but
people will use them to drink out of the bottle, no matter the drink. I think
this is so interesting and I guess a reason it has remained here is because
people aren’t nearly as environmentally aware as they are in the US. Recycling,
for example, is a new effort, and the only places I’ve seen bins are at my
university and sometimes on the street next to the big trash receptacles.
Also, I just love how chill people are. But also it’s
contradictory, because when it comes to roads people are the opposite of chill.
But, for example, in restaurants, you could sit for 5 hours after you’re
finished eating an the waiter will not clear your plates or bring you the check
until you ask. If someone stays 15 minutes after they’re done at Mellow it
makes me furious, because I’m relying on table turnover to make money. But
here, they make salary and you only tip about 10% or round up, and so I guess
they don’t care if you stay or not. People can sit and talk for HOURS after
lunch or in a café. Around 5-6 pm is merienda (snack time) and so the cafes are
full of people having coffee and medialunas or tostadas and they chill forever.
I like to go and do homework but also people are talking a lot and catching up
with friends so sometimes its pretty loud at those times!
Also, this is a city, but there are so many beautiful huge
parks! And if you go in the afternoon, or any time on Sunday, you will see people
sitting and drinking mate, having a snack, or just reading and hanging out with
friends and family. Yesterday I went to Plaza Francia, right by the Recoleta
Cemetery near my house with my Argentine friend that I met on Conversation
Exchange. We had mate and just sat and enjoyed the flawless weather, and the
green space was completely full with groups of people! There is also a great
feria by the cemetery on the weekend and so that was going on too, and lots of
restaurants with huge patios to sit outside. Everyone was taking advantage of
the beautiful weather and mate is the perfect excuse to get together. If you
wanna hang out with someone and don’t know what to do you just say “tomamos
unos matecitos?" (should we have some mate?) and there ya go. You fill your thermos with the perfect
temperature water, grab your bombilla and mate, and some yerba, and you’re good
to go.
People are also chill in that EVERY Argentine is late. To
everything. I’ve probably mentioned this. But if I meet with someone I’m
usually sitting there for 10-15 minutes. I need to just start arriving late on
purpose. And I have classmates that come in like an hour after class starts.
Granted, they are 3-3.5 hours long, but still! What’s the point at that time, I
don’t get it. And people will just leave after our break or in the middle of
class. I don’t really understand.
Also- LANGUAGE STUFF! The other day I was saying phrases to
myself using the “yuh” noise for ll and y, instead of "sh" like they use here, and it sounded so STRANGE and WRONG
to me. And that’s how I’ve been speaking since I’ve been learning Spanish. It’s
so funny how my ear has changed so much. And yeah everyone is gonna be like
what the hell are you saying in my Spanish classes, and Dr. Arms is going to
make fun of me every single time I speak, but you know what, I really do love the
accent. And I read the other day that if you can understand the Argentine
accent you can understand any. Which is cool to hear since I’m fairly
comfortable with it by now.
Even though I know I’m getting so much better, I am to the
point where I can’t tell the changes and my improvement as much as I did after
spain or in the first couple of weeks here. I need to ask someone if they can
tell. I’m sure I am, but I think at my level I’ve kind of hit a plateau that’s
going to take a long time to get over, which I’m sure happens to a lot of
people! But I get compliments about my Spanish a lot when I have a conversation so that’s cool. And I’m trying to practice as much as possible! I’m
planning on doing a week soon where I only speak and write Spanish in all
circumstances except when I can’t (when the other person doesn’t speak Spanish,
when sending a formal email, ha). I think it’ll be a cool experiment, and I
think I can do it!
Also, an update if you don’t have Facebook, but my phone got
stolen again……
I know I’m like the biggest idiot in the world. But I felt
less bad when I looked on the event page for the party where it happened and
like 30 other people had their stuff stolen. So I wasn’t the only one. It was
at a club, and it was packed, and it was made for international students so
someone took advantage of that for sure.
Well anyway I’m doing better or worse depending on the day,
but now I have my family’s visit in 3 weeks to look forward to!
Besos, chau!
-Anna
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