In Sickness and In Health

No, I am definitely not married or on the track to getting married.  Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever even had a relationship that lasted long enough for me to consider marriage.  But that's beside the point.  What the title of this post perhaps mockingly refers to is my attachment to Argentina, even with the fear of Swine Flu on the horizon.

Let me make clear to all of you right now that I am in good health and am taking the responsible measures appropriate for the prevention of Swine Flu infection.  I must also inform you that all educational institutions, including the one at which I am visiting, have been closed for at least the next two weeks due to increasing reports of Swine Flu infections.  This may mean a four week break due to the fact that in two weeks students here would normally go on winter vacation.  There have been two deaths from COMPLICATIONS with Swine Flu, neither in areas near Rosario.  The feelings of those I am working with at ARICANA are that the measure of shutting down educational institutions across the board is a drastic one and not a need for great worry.

On the flip side, this means I have nearly a month vacation myself.  I'll have more time to talk with people--perhaps in Spanish even.  The weather is a bit cooler than I expected, but that won't keep me from wandering about.  What I need to find is one of those picturesque little cafes on an interesting street corner where I can look pensively out of the window as I nibble on some overpriced pastry and sip very strong coffee all while becoming chummy with the owner of the place who will regularly overcharge me by a peso or two because he knows I'm a foreigner and don't know the difference between good coffee and dish water.  Ah, the life.  I do love Argentina.

Chau. 

Flag Day

Who knew that in another country there would be a day to celebrate the creation of the country's flag?  A big celebration at that!  On 20 de Junio Argentina celebrates its Flag Day, especially so here in Rosario where the current flag was created and first raised.  It is kind of like an independence holiday, except that Argentines celebrate a couple of other dates for their independence.  I was invited along with my friend Laura to see all the action Saturday morning.  

The celebration was centered right across the street from the Flag Memorial where a large group of covered stands were situated with a military band in front and scores of men and women from the different branches of the military lined up at attention and ready to march in parade.  After the band played several numbers and several politicians gave long speeches (in Spanish, of course), the parade began to the loud music of the band.  My friend's sister marched in the parade with a group of Red Cross doctors/students.  Then, the procession of the longest flag in the world began (seen below).  The story is that several years ago a group of women decided to create the longest flag in the world by piecing together segments of blue and white from Argentines all over the country and the world.  Now it is the longest and very interesting to watch as you can imagine from the different pieces, each uniquely shaped and shaded, how widespread and diverse the Argentinean people are.

We had a great time at the parade and afterward on the steps of the Flag Memorial we drank Mate and watched further performances by the military band.  There were many people watching, eating, drinking and having a great time.  I will try and add a short video clip to this post so you can hear and see a little bit of the excitement for yourselves.

Chau.

Go for the Women, Stay for the Asado

This past weekend I had the fortunate opportunity of attending two traditional Argentine asados.  And asado is similar to a barbecue in the States.  Friends and/or family come over to one's house for a large but simple meal mainly consisting of beef, beef, and more beef.  Of course there are a couple of side dishes like potato salad or a simple lettuce and tomato salad drenched in oil and vinegar; and you have plenty of soda, wine, and beer.  People stay around for hours talking, eating, singing, or whatever, but the main event is the preparation and ingestion of the beef.

The way in which the asado is prepared differs greatly from what I knew as barbecue (and I understand there to be at least three major types of barbecue in the States: Regular Barbecue made with chicken, pork, or beef slathered in an heavy barbecue sauce, North Carolina Barbecue usually of pulled pork drenched in spices and vinegar, and the best Texas Barbecue: a slow cooked beef brisket so tender you don't need a knife).  The asado is cooked in a fire-pit of sorts.  First, wood coals are lit and burned until they are extremely hot but no longer with a flame.  Then the beef that has been simply prepared with a rubbing of coarse salt is placed on a grate over the hot coals and allowed to cook slowly.  The cuts of meat you understand are quite different than what we have in the States: there are ribs but they consist mainly of the meat around not between the bone, there is a cut from the backside of the animal, a kind of sausage, and for the adventurous you can have intestines or blood-sausage.  All of it is extremely delicious, and I recommend trying it all if you have the chance.  I would like to cook asado in the States but I just don't know if all the necessary ingredients could be found: the fire-pit, different cuts of meat, and brave souls to eat my cooking.  We shall see...

Chau.

My First Weekend

My first weekend in Rosario was nicely filled with activities.  Each night I was invited out with friends and had a wonderful time.

I have been attending an upper level conversation class for the last week and was invited by the class over to one of the students' house for dinner.  We had a good nine or ten blocks walking to get there but finally arrived to a cozy apartment off of Oroño Blvd.  There was pizza, wine, and wonderful new drink to me called Fernet, and singing to the guitar accompaniment of one of the students.  It was a little embarrassing at time to realize how little I know the popular music in my own language when everyone else is singing along.  

Saturday I slept almost half the day and got together with a couple of students from another class and a couple of their friends.  We went to la Casa del Tango to listen to some tango performers.  Although the audience was quite a bit older (as were the performers) we had a good time and enjoyed the music.  Afterwards we went out for dinner on Pellegrini Ave and ended the night relatively early, that is about 12:30 AM.

Regrettably I stayed in for the better part of Sunday.  I should have ventured out a bit more, maybe have gone to one of the parks or the "cinema".  Nevertheless Sunday evening a friend I made last summer visiting Maryville from Rosario stopped by and we went out for coffee.  We had a great conversation and she promised to introduce me to some of her friends she thought would enjoy hanging out (and speaking English) with me.  There was also the suggestion of taking me with her to Buenos Aires next month for a visit.  Let's hope that turns out.

As a side note it's good to remember that these students cover a vast range of ages.  The students I was with Friday evening are from their late twenties to early forties.  Many of them have careers in the science or teaching professions.  Some of the other students are just finishing the equivalent of high school or in their first years at university.  The great mystery of the Argentinos seems to be that the younger look older and the older look younger.  Another reason to think that I may in fact be Argentine!

Chau.

Address Update

I have received the address at which you may send me mail if you wish (even if you don't wish to do so you should).  It is as follows:

William Sconiers

ARICANA

Buenos Aires 934

S2000CEQ Rosario

Pcia. Santa Fe

Argentina

Settling in

I've been here less than a week but still as I walk down the streets I feel rather comfortable and confident.  So far I have not been to many of the city sites.  Mainly I have explored on foot looking for restaurants and simply getting a feel for the city.  This weekend I hope to meet up with some young Argentinos who will show me a bit of where to go and what to do.

Let me give you a glimpse into where I've been staying.  For the most part I am at ARICANA throughout the day.  I go in the mornings around 9, have a break from about 12-3 in which I get lunch walk around and take a short nap, and then visit classes at ARICANA until 9 or 10 PM.  Thus far I have not been out on the town at night.  It is still strange to see so many people, I mean it is packed, at the grocery store on my street at 10 PM.  I've been making dinner in my apartment.

A few words about the apartment and a couple of pictures: it is truly more than I expected.  The spaces is good for a single person, I've figured out how to work the hot water heater (you have to really turn on the hot water for the heater to kick in), and  the view is nice.  There is a single gas heater which works so so but I have plenty of warm blankets for my bed.  See what you think:

Among other happenings, my visits to classes have gone well and the teachers are lining up to have me come to their classes.  The students young and old have lots of questions to ask me about myself and the US.  I'm struggling with my spanish and am wondering if I should try to take some formal classes.  We shall see...

Chau.

My first day in Rosario

What a trip!  After more than 24 hours of travel and a night of sporadic sleep due to excitement, anticipation, and the regular but to me unaccustomed noise of city dwelling, I woke to a new day in a new city living at a different rate and in a different language than I have ever had the fortune in which to be immersed.  I must admit that my first morning was not all roses, waking to my alarm clock at 7:00 meant I was up before the sun (a condition I detest) because here I am in the fall-winter season; I quickly used up the hot water in my tiny hot water heater while trying to adjust the water to a temperature I wanted, ironically not steaming hot but a comfortable warm.  Cold showers, no bueno.

At 8:30 I met with Señor I’smael the General Manager of ARICANA to show me the way from my apartment to the institute.  I am living about six blocks from ARICANA.  On the way we stopped for coffee and a little breakfast, a few croissant-like rolls called medias de lune I believe.  At ARICANA I met with several directors and secretaries and was given a tour of the building.  We also discussed what kind of teaching I will do during my stay and other activities.  I was given a break around 11:30 and asked to return around 4:00 (the institute is closed from 12:00 to 2:00 and from then there are different classes until 10:00).  From 4:30 to 7:00 I met different teachers and administrators including the President of ARICANA and two board members.  They are all very excited to have me here and eager to make my stay enjoyable. 

I feel very confident that my experience at ARICANA will be good and look forward to the coming months.  Though the people may be shy about speaking english they are very courteous and friendly.  Soon I will have an address to which you may send mail if you wish and although I have forgotten the cord to connect my camera to the computer, I will start looking for one so that you may see some of what I have the pleasure of seeing.

Chau.