El subte: the city beneath the city

It's not often that a subway system warrants it's own blog post, but this is an exception. I have found my share of terrors and treasures in this city beneath the city, and it's definitely necessary to share them here. Firstly, the cars themselves are works of art, both inside and out. As the trains speed into the stations, you see only a blur of bright colors...but when it slows, and then stops, you can see the immense murals of graffiti- a seemingly incomprehensible mess of perfectly arranged composition. And some of the train cars are very old (potentially originals) and it shows on the inside of the cars through the detailed woodwork/paneling, velvet seat covers, and little tea lamps hanging from the walls. Aside from the cars themselves, the people are also something to see. People from all walks of life use 'el subte', so it is prime people-watching...you see mothers with children, businessmen, young hipsters, tourists, hobos, and couples (of all ages) kissing and making out (this is actually the norm EVERYWHERE in Bs. As., and it gets kind of annoying.) But anyways, I think the diversity of the subway is best explained by two personal experiences; each story highlighting a very different aspect of this underground city. The first story happened today, when Nakita and I took 'el subte' to go shopping at the San Telmo market. We arrived at the station, disembarked, and began walking up the maze of stairs and hallways towards the exit. We stopped to look at a big poster advertising a human rights film festival, and Nakita pulled out her Blackberry phone to make a memo of the date/location. Suddenly a man came up behind us and grabbed her phone from her hand. He was definitely drunk or drugged up on something (we have since nick-named him 'Crazy Eyes') because his eyes were glazed over and all of his movements were slow/off-balance. After he grabbed the phone he started to run, and of course, being two feisty and rather naive girls- we started to chase him. We yelled and yelled, but the halls were suddenly, terribly, absolutely- deserted. Soon we caught up to him and I grabbed him by the collar and we began to struggle back and forth. I had him by the shoulders and pushed him against the wall, and he tried to push me off by grabbing my throat. After a few moments, he thew the phone down in frustration and took off. All that was left was a (luckily still working) phone with his smudgy fingerprints on it, and a small scratch on my neck. In hindsight it probably wasn't wise to chase and fight him, but in the moment you don't think about it...it's still such a blur. An experience like that really leaves you shaken, and feeling violated and vulnerable. We continued on to the market, but carried a feeling of uneasiness with us.
But not to worry, there are good things about the subway too. Today there was also a jazz festival in the subway- each station featured a different jazz band. We rode to one station and joined in a group of about 200 people singing and dancing to 'the best of Sinatra'. The music itself, as it echoed down the halls, was captivating. And the energy of the crowd- all drawn together by this music- created a powerful feeling of inclusiveness and community. I've also witnessed harp concerts, live theater, impromptu jam sessions, and strangers debating soccer (futbol) on subway rides. It's the idea space...of random people thrown together in a small car flying down the tracks...going together, leaving together...it's a very interesting opportunity for culture and conversation to grow...it's a meeting point and a crossing point...it's a buzzing beehive; a city under a city.

Volunteering...Tough Stuff

Yesterday marked my first day volunteering here in Buenos Aires. For the next 6 weeks I'll be spending approximately 12 hrs./week working at a children's home in the neighborhood of Baccar. The house is home to 15 children, aged 1 to 15. They all come from tough family situations (usually one or both parents are in jail and/or drug/alcohol addicts) or have been removed from abusive homes. It can be really tough to hear about their histories- the baby, who is 18 months old, was abused by his mother since he was 2 months old and is now mentally handicapped, nearly deaf and blind; he also can't yet walk or talk. Nonetheless, he is now a happy little baby. I got to hold him for an hour today; he was kind of fussy and left a ton of spit on my shoulder, but his little blue eyes and small, grasping hands were so adorable...it was a really special time. Aside from that hour of calmness, my time at the home has been pretty chaotic. All the kids are very active and love to run, jump, and yell. We've taken them to the park twice, which is a great way to run off some energy. We play on the swings, see-saw, and slides, bake 'tortas con dulce de leche' (sweet cakes) in the sandbox, and play catch, futbol, or just run around on the grass. Today 3 of the older girls (ages 11-13) decided to 'run away' from the park, so I had to follow them around the block. They were essentially just 'testing the limits' of the new volunteers, which is to be expected. Once they discovered I could out-sprint them a few times, the chase was no longer fun, and they returned with me to the park. I guess that frisbee/track training really is useful outside of sports :) I'm really looking forward to getting to know all the kids more, and also I'm hoping to implement some sort of arts programming, since their time right now is pretty unstructured. Should be fun :)

Steak, Jazz, and Markets

Steak and Jazz: two things I didn't know I liked. Markets: one thing I knew I liked... and now I love even more :) These three things are just a few of the activities of the past few days. (Others include navigating the public transportation system, touring an old shipping yacht, eating ice cream and pastries, meeting new Australian friends, clubbing until 6:30am, exploring the 'central park'...)

But the true highlights have been these three things:

1. Steak- as a former vegetarian, I didn't really think I liked meat...but that was before I tried Argentine 'bife de chorizo'. SO YUMMY. The meat is of course all ranch raised/grass fed and relatively local. Paired with olive oil/balsamic vinaigrette salad, rich malbec wine, and fresh baked bread...it just can't be beat. Plus, it's all so cheap!

2. Jazz- I've known jazz existed, but I've never witnessed it like this before. We found this dark, swanky little club called "The Thelonious Club", where the mojito drinks were cool and the jazz was hot ;) And not only was the jazz itself simply mesmerizing, combined with spanish rap and the crowd swaying back and forth...it was the complete experience.

3. Markets- I've always been keen on shopping, but this brings it to a whole new level. OH MY GOSH- this street market in San Telmo is simply awesome. At many markets you need to wade through lots of cheap/generic stuff to find the real treasures, but here everything is sooooo cool, and so inexpensive! From leather purses and jackets to miniature pot belly stove incense holders to feather earring and silver bracelets...it's all here. This market will be the death of me...or at least of my wallet.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

There are only two ways to really know a place: by it's medical system, and by it's food. I usually make a point to explore both in every place I visit, whether is getting emergency surgery in New Zealand or eating fried ants in Africa...which led to experiencing the Kenyan health care system...sometimes they go hand-in-hand I guess, haha. But anyways, I've only experienced the food of Argentina thus far- no hospital visits...yet. And the food is simply amazing. I guess I've heard about it, read about it, and tried to imagine it ...but absolutely nothing compared to the olive oil/balsamic vinaigrette salad, perfectly seasoned steak, and smooth red wine at Don Julio's Restaurant last night. And I don't even like steak! ...Or at least I didn't until I ate that. Its hard to describe, other than to tell you that I would count it among one of the best meals of my life. Maybe it was the atmosphere of everyone eating dinner at 11:00pm, or maybe it was the wink from our waiter, or the balcony seating...but whatever it was, it made the experience unforgettable.

In general, I feel like a hungry little caterpillar, 'eating my way across the city'. I've snacked on spicy hot empanadas (little meat pies), sipped cafe con leche at sidewalk cafes, enjoyed spinach/cheese/mushroom crepes, sampled the tiramisu ice cream at the nearest heladeria, and stopped by the local postreria for mini-cream puffs and flan. Needless to say, this little caterpillar has a little bit of a stomach ache :P

Getting There...

I used to think I liked traveling. Then I realized I enjoyed the "being there", but actually wasn't so much a fan of the "getting there." See, I made the very unwise decision to stay up all night before traveling for 30 hours...not smart. Everything is one hundred times harder when you are super overtired. Learning that your suitcase is overweight and having to empty and re-pack in the middle of the MSP airport seems deathly embarrassing, when it's actually just comical. Having your luggage lost in Miami goes from being an annoyance to a catastrophe. And when your head gets bumped by the stewardess's beverage cart, it seems more like getting smoked with by a garbage truck then getting bumped by a tin cart. And being told that you won't be allowed into Argentina goes from being a slight bump in the road to an insurmountable mountain...(okay, that part actually was kind of scary.) Who knew you could be denied entrance to a South American country just because you don't have proof of a return ticket??...well, now I know! I also know that if you have 'proof of funds and intention to not overstay your visa', (aka enough credit cards and enough pathetic tears), then you can enter anyways, which is just what I did. .But enough crying and moaning, I am in Argentina for goodness sake! Let 's just say I got to the hostel, slept for 12 hours, and suddenly everything seemed to be infinitely brighter.