It’s been so long since I’ve written that I hardly know where to start! First of all, since several people have asked, a work update: I am no longer working with the MEDH. As I mentioned in my last entry, there wasn’t really much for me to do as an intern, and though I was hopeful that I would be able to get more involved with the organization as time went on, they were never able to give me any sort of projects or activities. So my schedule is still very flexible, but I am accumulating more substantive activities in a variety of different places. For example: I spent several days last week putting together materials for a conference the CAREF held on human trafficking, and this week will be going to the office of the Christian Student Movement to help with translation and bookkeeping. I do some individual English tutoring, and once a week I take care of two adorable little girls.

Additionally, this week I went to my first workshop at the Puerta Abierta. Puerta Abierta, or the Open Door, is a day center for women who are homeless and/or involved in prostitution. From 4-8 pm, Monday through Friday, women can come to the center and attend workshops on everything from knitting to Bible studies to music therapy. They can shower and do laundry, and childcare is available during the workshops. The center is run by the Hermanas Oblatas Del Santísimo Redentor, an order of nuns originating from Spain who work specifically with women involved in prostitution. For now, I am attending some of the workshops and getting to know the women, and after the New Year I may begin teaching a workshop once a week. Apparently some of the women have expressed a desire for an English class, which I have experience with, and perhaps a creative writing workshop, which I have no experience teaching but am really excited to try!

I also want to try to give a sense of what it is like here, aside from the photos I’ve already posted, but it’s difficult because so many things here are so different! So here are some of my random observations after my first few months:

The pace of life here is much more relaxed, which is great from a social perspective. Everything takes much longer, but it’s because you have to sit down, chat, drink mate, and convivir whenever people get together. This means you have lots of time to get to know each other, but don’t expect to be able to run five or six errands in one afternoon…

Transportation is an issue, as in any big city. Everyone who drives a motorized vehicle – buses, taxis, cars, motorcycles – is CRAZY. Seriously. Crossing the street is always an adventure, and while pedestrians technically have the right-of-way, I have spent enough time dodging oncoming cars to not want to put that theory to the test. I read somewhere that traffic accidents are the #1 cause of death in Buenos Aires and that doesn’t surprise me – there is always an accident, a construction zone, or a protest or demonstration in the street making traffic that much more complicated.

Another transportation issue is that the colectivos, or city buses, only run on coins. Therefore, no one ever has any coins, because they are all trying to save them for the bus ride home. It turns into a battle every time someone needs to make change in the grocery store. I have learned to lie through my teeth, politely insisting, “No, I’m sorry, I don’t have a cent” whenever a store clerk asks me for correct change. They know I’m lying; they do it too; it’s a matter of who can hold out the longest.

Visually, Buenos Aires is very green, now that winter is over. I am fascinated by the amount of huge green trees that line the streets, even in the most densely populated areas. Is this what American cities looked like before Dutch Elm disease? There are parks and plazas everywhere, as well as – to my delight – carousels! This is a city FULL of carousels – they are almost as common as playgrounds! Someday I’m going to spend an entire day wandering around the city taking pictures of all the carousels I can find.

Earlier this week, a friend of my housemate Mileny was in town, and I did the tourist thing with her all day. We went to the MALBA, or Latin American Art Museum of Buenos Aires, and wandered around Recoleta, one of the fanciest areas of Buenos Aires, taking pictures of everything. We also ate some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had – if you ever have the chance to try Blackberry Malbec with Dulce de Leche gelato, I highly recommend it! Here are some of our photos:





Yes, the ice cream really was that good...

The MALBA, Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires:

Evening in Recoleta: