We had this past Thursday and Friday off due to Semana Santa for the Easter holidays. Argentina is a very Catholic country, so Easter is widely recognized. I took advantage of my time off classes by going to the Luján zoo, in a town about 2 hours away from Buenos Aires. Known for being one of the most dangerous zoos in the world, there is minimal caging of animals. It is wild and disorganized, kind of like Argentina. There are ducks and dogs running about and large enclosed areas with goats, horses, birds and ponies all living together. Highlights of my visit.. visiting a sleeping grown lion, petting a gigantic tiger, feeding an elephant, riding a camel, and playing with lion cubs. In regards to the grown lion and tiger, I have an uncomfortable feeling that they were under the influence of some sort of sedative, because I don't know how else they wouldn't immediately exhibit their man-eating instincts as soon as I entered the cage. However, one of the tigers was pacing purposefully when I was inside.. Let's just say I was intimidated. The lion cubs were my favorite part; they were playful and kept trying to eat my pants. I'm not sure whether or not they were given drugs; I am hoping not since they were domesticated with dogs, making them more docile and friendly toward people. They were adorable and I wanted to take one home. I'm not sure if Mumsy and Daddy would appreciate that very much, especially because of Dad's allergy to cats.
I was sitting in my Spanish Literature class the other day and I realized how lucky I am to be here, gaining knowledge and cultural experiences, building relationships, and broadening my world view, all in a different language. So what if I don't understand every word the professor is saying? I am being enriched just by sitting in the class. In my Psychology of the Personality class, I had a group oral presentation. I was so nervous for my speaking part, but it went really well. The professor congratulated me after class for the quality of my Spanish and for my deep analysis of the text. It made me very happy and gave me confidence about my school performance. While passing my mamá on the way to the kitchen, I found out based on our conversation about a certain procedure for the cat that Toto is in fact, a girl. Who knew?
I finally discovered the place I had been looking for.. A gaucho-esque mate bar two blocks from my apartment. It has wooden benches and a cozy atmosphere. There are organized music shows and also sporadic instances of customers casually playing acoustic guitars while eating. Argentines and Paraguayans young and old, all sitting around singing and enjoying each others company until 4 in the morning. They smiled while playing well known tunes and remembering their childhood. They made me want to dive into their culture and never come up for air. I want to learn everything about what Argentina has been through and what all their songs mean to them. At first glance, Buenos Aires just looked like high-end shops and pretty people, but they have a history just like everyone else, and I can't get enough of it. I want to pick up the guitar again and learn all their songs so I can sing and play with them. The food at this place is delicious; I had a Peruvian grain (called Quinoa) with squash, onions, and cheese. Excellent. It is also one of the few places I've found where you can order mate; usually it's just a friend and family tradition in the home. I bought a mate (the gourd from which you drink the tea) the other day, and now I am in the process of "curing" it so I can drink it with friends in my home! In order to cure it, you have to put the hot yerba in the gourd for 2-3 days and then it is ready to be used.
In the 20th century, 95% of the population of Argentina declared themselves Catholic. Currently, only 80% say they are Catholic. Of the remaining percentage, 20% are Protestant or Evangelical, and 10% are Agnostics, Jews, Muslims, Orthodox, Jehova's witness, Mormons, and a few other minor groups. Although there is such a high percentage of Catholics, many of them do not actively practice their religion (you'll find that anywhere). My host family is Atheist so we did not have an Easter celebration, but I went to mass with a few friends to experience an Argentine Easter tradition. We went to a small Catholic church and the service lasted less than an hour. I was slightly disappointed because the speakers did not seem to involve the audience very much in their sermons and readings. In the Methodist church that I grew up in, I always felt like the pastor and other church members did a wonderful job of making the members feel comfortable and close to what they were preaching, but during this service I just felt like they were at a great distance, reading a piece of paper in a monotone voice. Everyone seemed a bit detached. I enjoyed the Spanish hymns and was very excited to take communion before I realized that in Catholic churches, you can only do this if you are also Catholic. After the service, my friends and I went to brunch and I got a delicious waffle covered with so many calories.. Ricotta, dulce de leche, banana, nuts, and chocolate sauce. I had to take a recovery nap before I was hungry enough for dinner 8 hours later.
My Google search engine knows that I'm in Argentina and all the search results show up in Spanish! This is good practice but sometimes the results are more limited and I can't find exactly what I need. This coming week-end I am going to Calafate, a part of Patagonia in the Southern part of Argentina where I will see the glaciers! Time is flying by so fast.. I couldn't believe it when I looked at my calendar this morning and realized it was already the end of April. Now that I am in a routine with classes and traveling, everything is on fast-forward and I can't find the pause button. I have been talking to my friends back home a lot and although sometimes the transcendental part of me wants to expel technology from my life, I have to say, it has been a life-saver this trip. It is so comforting to talk to a good friend, my parents or my brother after a stressful day in Buenos Aires. It's unbelievable how fortunate I am to have such good friends at home, such a beautiful family to depend on, and fantastic new friends here that are going to be impossible to leave. Sometimes I feel so lucky that I want to cry and give a piece of my happiness to everyone in the world. I finally understand the significance of all the difficulties and stress I had to deal with upon entering this country. Now I am on top of the world and I wouldn't be anywhere near this peak of satisfaction if it hadn't been for the struggle. It's not easy now either, but it's beautiful. I'm starting to see the disorganization of Argentina as more of a sense of humor. It's so much easier to accept and cozy up to a culture rather than try to mold it to your own cultural standards. Buenos Aires, let's be friends.
No comments:
Post a Comment