Halfway....A Review Thus Far

As of November 3rd....my international co-experience was officially halfway over with. 44 Days down, only 44 more to go. So I thought it would be appropriate to do a review of goals right about now to determine exactly how I was doing on them halfway through. Then I will provide you all with some of my personal observations about Buenos Aires and the people who live here. 




For those of you who have been following my blog from the beginning you know that I actually created a list of ten goals for my trip here.....for those of you who haven't been following this AMAZING blog the whole time let me give you a refresher.....


1. Speak Spanish better.
2.Survive on my Own in a Foreign Country
3.Understand the Fundamental Differences between the Argentine and American Health Care Systems
4. Be able to Prepare a Traditional Argentine Meal
5.Visit Someplace outside of Buenos Aires
6. Get and Work at a Second Internship
7.Swim in the Rio de la Plata
8. Take at least 100 pictures of my Trip
9.Watch/Participate in some form of Tango Dancing
10.Have an Evita Moment




So how am I doing.....lets just go down the list shall we.....


1. I definitely speak Castellano much better. As far as Spanish goes eh we'll see. In all honesty, I do speak Spanish much better than I did when I first arrived and I really do understand SOOOOOOOOO much more than I did when I first arrived.


2. I would say that I am surviving quite well. I can navigate the city, I keep my apartment from burning down, and nothing truly terrible has happened so I think this one is right on track.


3. I am actually working on a blog post about this right now. I definitely have an insight into the Argentine Health Care System and it is truly fascinating just wait you'll see.


4. Okay a traditional Argentine meal. I am part way there. I definitely think I could make some empanadas if I tried...I am a maté master at this point (well as much as a gringo could be one I think)....so we shall see when I get home.


5. I have yet to get someplace outside of the city....but I will damn it, I will!


6. I think my last blog post let you know how this goal came along and just overtook my life for a little while so enough said.


7. Not yet, but I was told about this beach and I am in the process of planning a BEACH day!!! So excited!


8. Hmmmmm...I definitely have a 100...this is actually probably a record number of pictures for me for a trip anywhere actually.


9. I've got plans to go to a Tango class and show on Tuesday so long as they don't fall through I'll be able to cross this one off the list soon.


10. An Evita moment....I live by myself, have a balcony, am in Buenos Aires Argentina, and its me....what do you think?


Now for my astute observations about my time here in Buenos Aires....


Let me start by saying I could absolutely positively NEVER live here forever. It would drive me crazy. Now let me also say if I ever have to go on vacation Buenos Aires is definitely a place in the running. The people here are so laid back its not even funny. Its like living in a country with millions of copies of my father. Everyone is completely capable of doing working and getting things done, but they would much rather sit at a table and eat food for four or five hours and then only do some work for an hour or so. I guess its because I take after my mother a little more than my father. Don't get me wrong I LOVE lounging and eating food without a care in the world, but after a while I just want to work non-stop and really get something accomplished quickly. 


Buenos Aires definitely gets a nod for their night life though. Its is ridiculous really. Its as if the ambition we have about a job during the day is completely transferred to going out and staying out until sunrise. You eat dinner around 10 and then its like a marathon from bar to boliche until 6 or 7 the next morning. It makes for a lot of fun, but doing it every day of the week.....yeah right! I guess I am just not up to par with the night life here in Buenos Aires but it has definitely made for some great experiences so far. 


Another observation that I have made is that I see very few drunk people around. Now granted I have seen some drunk people but its not like in the United States....people will go out and drink for HOURS and HOURS and yet never seem outwardly Jersey Shore style drunk. I mean quite honestly the way the night life was I was expecting Boylston St. on a Friday Night at 2:30  and actually ended up seeing more of Newbury St. on a Sunday at like 11 in the morning. I think it probably has something to do with the fact that alcohol really has no social stigma like it does in the US. Alcohol is simply another type of drink. Whether that is because they have been drinking from such a young age or what I really can't but the culture around drinking here is really much different than it is in the US.


Growing up.....So much different here. In the US it is natural at around 18 for kids to begin the growing up process. You get job, go to college, become a "street pharmacist" something so that by the time you are 25 or so you are moving out of your parent's house for good. Well here in Argentina I literally think they just inherit their parents' houses. It is very normal for people well into their 30's to still be living at home with Mom and Dad. I think it goes back to the laid back personalities of the majority of the people here. Nothing is an issue so they never feel the need to move out. A lot of you are probably thinking that is crazy. How could people that age still live at home and it not be awkward? Well here in Argentina they have solved the awkward problem for everyone with these things called telos. Telos are sort of like the cheap motels, only instead of some US Senator banging some old prostitute in them, they are a nicer, sometimes themed, and are used mainly by young people in their 20s and 30s to have rendezvous in instead of returning home with whoever they were friends with that night. They are not advertised but everyone here knows exactly where they are. Its really funny actually. I only found out about them because someone at a party was talking about some alien themed one they went to, and being the dumb American I said, "What's a telo?" and I got quite the answer. 


I guess that't enough of my insights for now, because I know some people get intimidated by too much text and no pictures so 


Chau for Now!