Feliz Día de los Ñoquis!

Today is September 29th. A tradition at the end of the month is to eat gnocchi, or ñoquis for dinner. Many of my classmates' families are eating ñoqui for dinner tonight! When I asked my host mother, she explained that it is a silly tradition, inherited from Western European traditions. Usually, people are paid at the beginning of the month, so at the end of the month, money is tight. People eat a lot of potato products to save money. Ñoquis, made of potato, come from this tradition. So we will either eat it tonight or tomorrow night- homemade! But all the restaurants I walked by today also had it on their daily special menus. It's a cute day, like Kid's Day or Grandma's Day. Feliz día!

Buenos Aires "Culture"

Well, culture is a loaded word....but so is this post....

First of all, Jamila, our friend Daniel and I just got back from La Bomba De Tiempo, a huge drum circle/jam at the Ciudad Cultural Konex. It was an incredible open space, with awesome rhythm and energy. It reminded me a little of African Music Ensemble at Mac, with the drums and the enthusiastic audience. We all stood and danced to the beat, which was a lot of fun. It seemed like a mix of tourists (I heard English and German) and faithful regulars who come every Monday night. While smoking was prohibited, the smell of weed permeated our nostrils. Oh well. It was a really cool event, only cost $20pesos, and I would definitely go back there again- with better shoes for standing/dancing! Here's a link to their info- http://www.labombadetiempo.blogspot.com/ (they have the same blog format as this blog!)

Also, the two upper-level Spanish classes are going to see a play this Friday. It is written by Roberto Arlt and entitled "La Isla Desierta." Upon reading the script before class today, I was quite disturbed by a certain aspect. The play wrestles with the monotony of working in an office, suffocatingly and blindingly white. Okay, not so problematic. The attitudes of the workers change when El Mulato (yes, now I have a problem) enters the scene and brings them back to their primitiveness (um....) and the play ends with everyone beating drums. Not only is "El Mulato" essentialized with no characteristics but his racial makeup, but he is described as liminal between two cultures, a bridge between savagery and civilization "tragic mulatto," a common trope in literature and film. Here are some stage directions that were difficult for me: "Es MULATO, simple complicado, exquisito y brutal..." What was even more disturbing was how difficult it was for my Spanish teacher to understand how racist this was. I know I am imposing my North American, intellectual elite gaze onto this, BUT....I also know that this is a racist representation. My teacher could only admit that it was using stereotypes, but "not in a bad way." Jamila and I were talking about this later; the denial of racism in this country is as prevalent as the denial of race. I have heard many times: "We don't have racism because we don't have Black people," or something to that effect. First of all, there IS an Afro-Argentinian population whose legitimacy is constantly being challenged by comments like these, and there is also a population of new immigrants from Western Africa. There is also an ignorance of the sizable Chinese and Korean populations, as well as the Indigenous populations. This is very difficult for me to process, this discomfort with race and talking about race. Clearly there is racism. But nobody I've met seems to think so. As for the play, I want to try to keep an open mind with this interepretation and enjoy a (free) opportunity to see some theater in Buenos Aires. But I will maintain a critical eye and keep people posted!

The final stop, or resting place if you will....

The last stop we made was in Recoleta- the most wealthy neighborhood in Buenos Aires, and perhaps home to the most dead people....  the most powerful and wealthy families in Buenos Aires and Argentina are buried here.  Including arguably the most famous Argentinean, Eva "Evita" Perón.  

The story of how her body even got to this cemetery is long one but here is the brief overview: after Evita passed away at the young age of 33 from stomach cancer, her body was embalmed.  Thousands and thousands of people came to see her body (which you can find online), and she appears perfectly in tact long after her death.  Then, her husband Juan Perón decided that he wanted her body to be buried in an unmarked grave.  For a while she was in some guys closet who said that he would bury her.... but then it was discovered and she was finally buried in Italy and apparently only a handful of people knew exactly where, one of those people being the Pope at the time.

Finally it was decided that she ought to be buried in Buenos Aires, where she was once considered a Saint (depending on who you ask here they might say otherwise).  Eva is related to the Duarte family which has its own mausoleum.  

This place is unlike any cemetery I have seen in my life.  People actually take walks through the cemetery and its free to get in even though it has the appearance of a museum or something from the outside.

During the day it is quite beautiful but I don't know if I would feel the same way about this area at night.

We also made a stop in the famous "La Boca", which literally means mouth as it is located near the mouth of Río de La Plata or silver.  This neighborhood which is known for is brightly colored houses.  Although La Boca is known as a tourist area, blocks from the Tango dancing and artisan shops are "villas miserias" or ghettos.  Anyone who has every been in a developing world may be able to better grasp the idea of a ghetto because they are in far worse condition than any ghetto you would find outside of DC for example.  

On the lighter side, La Boca is also famous for its football or soccer team which fans adamantly support to the dismay of its opposition.  As you can see on the side of the stadium, the Coca Cola signs are painted black and white instead of the tradition red and white.  This is because another team in the league has red and white uniforms and God forbid there be any confusion about the fan's loyalty... so the Coca Cola signs were quickly painted to black and white.  

Virtual Tour continued...

There is a lot of history that has taken place in the Plaza de Mayo, perhaps most famous took place during the dictatorship in the 1970's.  Known in the states as the "Dirty War", 30.000 people are claimed disappeared and most, unfortunately, presumed dead.  Here in Argentina this era is referred to as the "Terrorism of the State" because it was not really a war between two groups but rather the government destroying its own society.

On April 30th, 1977, mother's of the "disaparecidos" or disappeared people began to protest around the Plaza because of its prime location in front of the Casa Rosada.  'Til this day, every Thursday these women march around the Plaza.  Some are still hopeful that the children who were taken will reappear.  But there isn't much hope, except that their bodies were never discovered.   

The image of the white handkerchief  painted on the plaza, is what most of the women wear on their heads as they walk around.  The handkerchiefs originally used was cloth from diapers that would have been used by their missing children.  It's an image that is also used for organizations or support groups for "Madres de la Plaza de Mayo".

Also important to note is the influence of French architecture in some of the buildings around the Plaza.... this is why Buenos Aires has been named the "Paris of South America".

(Virtual) Tour of Buenos Aires

So during the first week of school we went on a little historical tour of Buenos Aires.  Afterwards I felt like I had a much better idea of this big city and how to get around it.  It was also a bit touristy which was a good thing because we got it out of the way.  The whole group went and we even had a history professor accompany us and give us a background to all of the locations we visited.

First few pictures are of the Casa Rosada (Pink house), where the president's offices are.  Although the name is similar to the White House the president does NOT live there.  Emily and I thought it was crazy enough that there was a subway stop right next to the house which seemed like a security risk to say the least.  

The first picture shows a balcony where Eva Perón herself once stood in front of a large crowd of thousands in the famous Plaza de Mayo.  

Weekend in Review

A lot has happened since Wednesday!

On Thursday morning, I went with some classmates to La Alameda, an organization for workers against slave labor. They do a lot of anti-sweatshop activism and provide resources for workers. They have their own library, a comedor, a communal eating hall, classes to inform workers of their rights, classes for workers and their children in ceramics to teach them a skill, and their own little factory making shirts and bags. I learned so much at the visit, and really enjoyed myself. Most interesting for me was our guide's use of the term "victim." La Alameda provides many workers with hidden cameras so that they can document their mistreatment in the sweat shops. I usually do not like using the word victim, as its connotations can rob people of their agency. When I asked her about this, her explanation of some of the horrible working conditions made me realize that these workers are victims in a global system of slave labor. For more information and to see their products: http://www.mundoalameda.com.ar/

On Friday, after a day of Spanish class and our last class of Argentine history (so much information- terrorismo de estado, Menem, the crisis of 2001! in two hours), Jamila and I made a trek to satisfy one of our cravings- spicy burritos. We took a subway to the microcentro to California Burrito Company, a small chain like Chipotle with burritos, tacos, salads. We picked the most spicy sauce, which, unfortunately, was not very spicy at all. However, it was a much needed snack and very delicious. I spent the evening playing with Rocío, my host granddaughter, and went to Club Araoz for reggaeton night. I could only make it to 4:30 am!

Yesterday was more of a lazy day full of wonderful and interesting conversations with my host mother, Elvira. In the evening I went to the house of my friends Michelle and Denise Frenkel for a Rosh Hashana dinner. The apartment was filled with family and so much food! One of their grandparents is of Syrian descent, so they practiced a lot of Sephardic traditions, which were new to me. We ate candied squash, dates, beans, a tortille (omelette) of leek and one of spinach, each having different meanings (I don't exactly remember, but something about having no enemies in the upcoming year, prosperity, etc.) The food was delicious and I had a really nice time.

Today Jamila and I went to San Telmo, a bohemian area famous for its antique fairs on Sundays. It was really cool, with all sorts of things from old seltzer bottles, jewelry, leather, original artwork, old telephones, street signs, buttons, etc. If you are interested in antiques, please let me know if there is something I should try to pick up for you.

Tomorrow we are off to work at a school outside of the city, making crafts in honor of the first day of Spring tomorrow. Should be fun!