Jared and Dad were pretty dazed from their long flight (definitely know how that feels), so my Mom and I dragged them to a coffee shop to give them a caffeine buzz. It was actually my first experience with Argentine coffee and it was delicious. I ordered cafe con leche (coffee with milk), which is very similar to a latte in the U.S., except much stronger and tastier. Jared was still pretty tired, so we put him to bed and the 'rents and I walked to the MALBA (Museo de arte latinoamericano de Buenos Aires). It is full of Hispanic art from the 20th century, and included pieces by Diego Rivera, Rafael Barradas, and David Alfaro Siqueiros. It was about a 15 minute walk from our place and I got in as a student, so I didn't have to pay anything- sweet! Taking my Dad to a museum is kind of like taking a kid to a candy shop- he absolutely loves it. It's fun to go to museums with him, too because he always knows things about some of the artists and is able to explain their work and put their pieces in perspective of when it was created. Anyways, the three of us really enjoyed their collection and afterward, we decided to walk through the Japanese Garden on the way back to the apartment.
The Japanese Garden is a gated garden/park and even has a cultural center, greenhouse (we didn't go inside), cafe, and interesting sculptures. It was really beautiful and here are a few pictures we took there.
After roaming in there for awhile, we stopped for some lunch and went back to our place to see Jared. Jared and I worked out and decided to tan outside for awhile. Coming to Argentina from Minnesota, I am obviously pasty white, so I need to work on that...
Okay, I'll kind of work backwards and talk about what my Mom and had been doing up until the arrival of the Leff men:
My Mom didn't feel well on Sunday, so we both took it easy all day and caught up on emails, looked up things to do for the rest of the week, and watched the Olympics. Also, before I left for Argentina, my family and I recently found out that we have a very distant relative in Buenos Aires, named Graciela. By distant, I mean that we are like fifth cousins removed or something, so it is pretty far down the family tree! Graciela told me to contact her once I made it to BA and when I did, she invited my Mom and me over to her home on Monday. We took a cab there and she and her kids welcomed us into their home. She has three kids, a girl that is 19 (she is studying Math at the university and hopefully I'll be able to hang out with her more!), a 22 year-old daughter in Uruguay, and a 25 year-old son studying Psychology. However, the two kids that were there had plans so it was up to me to put my Spanish skills to the ultimate test (Graciela knew a few phrases in English and my Mom doesn't know any Spanish). At first, I was extremely overwhelmed; I felt like my Spanish and English were dueling in my brain, but after awhile, it went very smoothly. We asked one another basic questions (family, hobbies, work, food, travel, ect.). She teaches Hebrew at a Jewish day school in BA and has been to Israel a dozen times. She also enjoys traveling and she has actually been to Florida before and one of her siblings lives in Paris. It was so neat to connect with a someone here and she was very patient when I didn't fully understand something she said. We both knew I didn't get it when I just smiled and nodded as she waited for an answer. Her husband also joined us later when he returned home from work (he is in business). He speaks fluent English, wh
ich was especially nice for my Mom since she had to rely on me to translate earlier. Anyways, we ended up chatting for a good three hours and we had a lovely time. They were very sweet and told me to call them again. I have been studying Spanish since middle school and it was so rewarding to finally put everything that I have learned thus far and carry a long conversation with a native. It was challenging but I feel like I am starting to get a better ear for the Argentine accent, too! Here is a picture of Graciela!On Tuesday, we booked a private tour with a billeangual guide and took a three hour tour around the city.
Our tour included stops in Recoleta, San Telmo, Plaza de Mayo, Puerto Madero, Retiro, and of course, La Boca. Even though I am going to be here for a couple of months, it was a great way for my Mom to get a taste of the neighborhoods in the city. We had a really great time and our guide was wonderful. We stopped at the Recoleta cemetery and she showed us a few different tombs. We also visited Eva Peron's grave, which we didn't see the previous time we were there because it was raining, so that was cool! Here is a picture of her grave on the left. La Plaza de Mayo was neat and the mothers of los desaparecidos still march there every Thursday at 3:30 p.m. La Boca means "the mouth" in Spanish and it gets this name because this neighborhood is located at the mouth of a river. I always had kind of imagined all of Buenos Aires looking like this neighborhood, very vibrant and colorful. It is actually a very touristy barrio and many recommend that non-natives stay on the main street because it can get dangerous, particularly at night. The street was full of touristy shops, cafes, and small vendors. To top it off, we had perfect weather that day, too! I had studied a little bit about Argentina prior to this trip so it was amazing to put the names and information together and see it in person.La Boca
A few things I have learned:
1. How to hail a taxi (very similar to the U.S. AND not as expensive)
2. Some dirty words in Spanish that I probably should not write on here. Tip: Watch Sex in the City, one of my all time favorite shows, with Spanish subtitles. Trust me, you'll learn more than you would ever want to, especially if there are a lot of Samantha scenes. . .
3. La cuenta=receipt. If you leave a tip (propina), usually leave 10%.
4. If you eat too many empanadas, you may actually turn into one!
5. How to get money at the bank.
Enjoy the pics, now off to grab a drink with the bro!
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