So far, after being here for about 3 weeks, it seems Buenos Aires is a mix of Los Angeles without the strip malls and Italy without quite as good food. So far been getting to know the city, the different barrios, and trying to scrape by on my limited Spanish, though the Spanish (Castellano as they call it) spoken here is the most un-enunciated Italian I have ever heard! It's pretty rough. I find myself among a bunch of porteños laughing my ass off about something I completely don't undestand, but drunk off their laughter, I have no choice but to laugh myself! Going to start Spanish classes soon, and yes, embarrassingly I will try my hand or feet at tango. Shh don't tell anyone.
Highlights thus far: (1) Watching a game at la cancha where there are makeshift plastic seats under the hot hot sun and fan craze that you wouldn't believe--a slew of well-memorized chants learned from a young age that often include "puta" and such profanities. Between that and the lukewarm coke the only thing available to drink, I definitely felt this could only be South America. (2) Making pizzas and steak and chorizo in la parrilla--the cholesterol intake of Argentinians is astounding (3) Listening to a singer wail American oldies to a packed house of drunken middle-aged Argentines in a smoky bar....man American oldies are bad enough but hearing "You Ain't Nuthin' But a Hound Dog" sung in a Spanish accent in all sincerity is plain hilarious. (I'm hoping to find some good Cumbia! por dios!)
Other highlights have included meeting with different organizers and ex-pats about their work their doing: one woman working at a recuperated shoe factory called CUC who explained that they are now building a cultural center and a school for children and adults in the factory and the surrounding community, a Belgian man now named Juan working with SERPAJ and around the remembrance, fact-finding, witness interviews, and against the impunity associated with the Dirty War during Argentina's military dictatorship 1966-1983. Juan is also a local War Resisters International contact and conducts some nonviolence training around the area.
I also met with a Left Turn contributor Marie Trigona who has been living here for 5 years now, and had a lot of good insights into the political landscape of the country. We met at the recuperated BAUEN hotel, a place that has been threatened with evicton but continues to operate at full capacity with a thriving cafe and frequent events both movement-oriented as well as corporate. Marie works with the video collective Grupo Alavío that has produced many short films documenting some of the organizing within the country.
March 24th is going to mark the 32nd anniversary of the dictatorship, so I will hopefully make it out there to experience a full-throttle Argentine march...I'll miss the 19th in D.C., I bet there is something going on here as well...
Beyond that I'm trying to save some money, not get overly excited about the dollar to peso conversion rate, and muscle my way into life here. New York is missed indeed, but more than New York and the US, all of you are missed even more...
besos besos y mas besos,
francesca (or as they Argentines pronounce it: Francheka! Where's the SSSS??)
Some graphics to accompany it all...I haven't taken as much as I should..
That's all for now....To be continu
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