getting to know ba

Here I am again at the Spell Cafe, a bar-cafe on the canal in Puerto Madero, a nice quiet area that is easy for me to get to and where I have bushes and the sky as part of my view. I have given up on trying to get the internet on my computer for the time being and have trouble going into the sleazy internet shops.

So yesterday I spent the day with a family friend, Maria. She was an exchange student at Wayzata High School in 1959 and can vividly and fondly recall her time spent in the twin cities, paradise, as she says. It was interesting to hear her speak of a time that seemed so all-American and old-fashioned - a memory that is locked in her mind as it was an intense one and she has very little experience of the changes since then. She picked me up from my apt., gave me a tour of the city, showed me the US Embassy, the very wealthy neighborhoods, the important landmarks, brought me to a neat little coffee shop where we had cafe con leche, and then we went to her sister´s home in the outskirts of town for an asado (barbeque) with some of the family. So much for not eating meat.

On our way to her sister´s, she pointed out slums along the highway that have appeared in the last two years and explained that they are out of control, and there are more slums being built on top of each other everyday. It was quite a contrast going from wealthy neighborhoods to utter poverty. But even in the nicest neighborhoods, statues had been spray-painted with graffiti. She also pointed out the river (here I realized that that was not the ocean I was walking along the other day, but the incredibly wide river) and explained its murky brown color that was caused by all the mud on the bottom. She said she loves the color of the river. I am realizing this from all Argentinians that I´ve spoken to (and so far that hasn´t been many), that they love their country, take pride in what they have, and find beauty everywhere whereas my first impressions were heart-sinking. But to see a bit of the city through Maria´s eyes helped, and it helped moving along in a car - much more condusive for travelling along the expansive 6-lane roads than walking.

We arrived at her sister´s home, an English-style country home that is over 100 years old. They have a huge family, many brothers and sisters that have many children and so forth, and only part of the family was there on this day. I was warmly greeted by everyone and have become quite comfortable with the standard greeting of a kiss on the cheek (I did not know that was the custom before coming here). Everyone gathered around a long table in the backyard that was enclosed with plastic (it has been raining) and a roof which jutted out from Maria´s brother-in-law´s office (detached from the house). The grill was in this space with lots of meat cooking. We had salads and different meats, great red wine (I have not had any Argentinian wine that I have not liked so far) and then for dessert we had amazing cakes and dulce con leche on chocolate - I´d never had this before and found it delicious. They told me that it is typical for families to have a jar of the caramel in their refrigerator and go through it in a week. Everyone was trying out their English and encouraging me to speak Spanish and giving me lots of good advice for my stay. The elders thought I´d probably rather live in a nicer area and perhaps with someone that would cook my meals, wheres the younger family members said they like the neighborhood I´m in.

After the meal, I had a tour of the house. It was a modest-sized home, filled with antiques that sparkled from care. I was shown a little room where they had a rather large crucifix that was hundreds of years old and some other very old religious icons. Another thing I did not know was what a devoutly Catholic country Argentina is. I guess I´m just learning as I go. After the tour we said good-bye and headed to another neighborhood so Maria could drop off some gifts for a friend´s daughter´s wedding. This was the old English neighborhood outside of the city, filled with English mansions and tree-lined streets, but then enclosed with tattered buildings, shops, etc., that have been built in the last 50 years. I met Maria´s friend and thought she was English, red-haired and freckles and a perfect English accent. It turned out her father was English and came over with the meat-packing industry. She also attended the best English school in the country, which was right around the corner.

We left and began to head back to BA. Just around the corner from her friend´s home were train tracks with a commuter train crossing. Maria explained that the English had originally owned the trains but that Peron bought them. Since then they´ve been deteriorating. I saw that the trains had door missing with people hanging out of them and yet again, spray-painted with graffiti. After we crossed the tracks, Maria pointed out the English country club where one could play polo or golf. A beautiful country club that was surrounded by tattered spray-painted buildings. But it seems that this is the way things are here, you see decay and deterioration and then behind the doors is this opulence that is brought on by the people taking care of what they have. This is why where I am staying is fine with me because it doesn´t feel scummy, it is well taken care of, even if it isn´t much. Coming from the land of plenty, I really respect this.

So I am thinking that since my English classes will begin next week, I should take this time to get out of town for a few days and go to Uruguay. Maria was telling me about Colonia, a quaint colonial town that is an hour away by ferry, and Punta del Este, another hour from Colonia, that sound very nice.

More later! Hope all is well!