feliz

According to a recent Forbes article, Buenos Aires is (perceived to be) the 10th happiest city in the world. Rio de Janeiro topped off the list at number 1, and all those in between are in Australia, Europe, Brazil again, and only one in the US (take a wild guess which one).

The reason given for BA making the list is rather disappointing:

"Argentina's largest city makes the cut in part for its relative proximity to the first city on this list. "It's a slightly diluted version of Rio," says Anholt. "I suspect people know far less about Buenos Aires than Rio. They may not know it's in Argentina, but they know it's in Latin America.""

I don't doubt that most people don't know too much about Buenos Aires, but I'd like to think it's perceived to be one of the happiest cities for reasons other than just its proximity to Rio! My friends and I can certainly list quite a few :)
Either way, I'm proud that my current home made the list.

9/11 abroad

This is my first time being out of the country on the anniversary of 9/11.

8 years later, my mind is no less further from the stressful memory of that tragic day, when I was a senior in high school watching the smoke rise up from the city while standing next to my classmates in New Jersey.. But this day also usually brings positive thoughts of a nation united, a country who grew closer to each other and became prouder to be Americans. This is proven each year as the anniversary falls upon us, when American flags are waved, when those we lost are honored, when we come together to reflect, when we're maybe a little nicer to strangers because we know their thoughts are also wandering back to that fateful day we can never forget...

The past 7 anniversaries I have been in Washington, DC on the anniversary and have usually made my way to the National Mall for a ceremony. Argentina happens to be a little further removed from the situation so this year it's safe to say I am having a different experience... basically the complete opposite than I would be having in the states, since this day doesn't have as much significance here.

Although there are no American flags waving and I am on a different continent, my thoughts, and the rest of the expats' I'm sure, are with the states, and my mind can't help but drift back to the day that is still so clear in our memories.

nightlife

BA is home to a very relaxed lifestyle, which has its pros (obvious) and cons (people are late, everything is a process, etc). One result of the relaxed attitude is the late nightlife. We drink coffee when people in the states are preparing dinner. We eat dinner when American families are going to bed. And we get to the bar or club when bartenders in the states are calling last call.

By now I am used to taking my time. Why do I need to rush home from work to eat dinner at 6? I can get more done, relax, take my time, and ease into everything. It just makes more sense. I still can't handle the late club nights every time, but since I love dancing the night away, I make it through more often than not.

Here's a better idea of the comparison between a typical Friday night in DC and one in BA:

DC: Finish work at 5 or 6 PM. Have already been planning the night with my friends so I know exactly what I'm wearing and where I have to be at what time.

BA: Finish teaching my last class in the afternoon, have coffee around 5 or 6 PM,
and have probably finished lunch with friends not long before that.

DC: Rush home from work, jump in the shower, make a very quick dinner to eat while getting ready. Must be at X's house at 8:30PM and still have to pick up drinks along the way

BA: Discuss the night's plans with friends. It's decided we'll have the "pre"
(read: pre-game) at X's apartment around 11PM, and we have a club in mind.
In the meantime, I go home and relax.

DC: Make it to X's house late - quarter of 9 - because the metro had delays. We want to make it to the bar around 11PM, so enjoy drinks and company until then, possibly some beer pong.

BA: Cook dinner around 10PM and then get in the shower.
Make my way out of the apartment to catch the bus around 11:30PM.
Get to X's place and I'm the first one.

DC: Get on the metro around 10:30PM and arrive at the bars around 11.
They're starting to fill up and some people are lingering from happy hour.

BA: The rest of my friends start showing up to the apartment shortly after me.
Since we didn't pick up beer along the way, we just have it delivered.
A few rounds of dudo are necessary.

DC: We dance, drink, dance some more, and get kicked out of the bar after last call, around 2 or 2:30AM. Jumbo slice is calling our name, so we get pizza and eat it in the cab on the way home. Asleep by 3:30AM.

BA: At 2AM we leave the apartment to get to the club.
We need to be in by 2:30 to avoid the entrada (cover charge).
On the way we pick up empanadas porque tenemos hambre.

BA: We get to the club at 2:30AM and it's virtually empty. It starts to fill up around 3 or so. We dance, drink, dance some more.
"Que hora es?" someone asks. 4AM, it's early still.

BA: Finally, at 6AM, after our fill of nonstop dancing, we willingly leave the club. It's still packed and will be for awhile longer, but we're tired. We get in cabs and head home, maybe catching the sunrise along the way. Asleep by 7AM.

Some nights I would prefer the night out in DC, but for now... when in Rome!

spanish in argentina

Argentine Spanish is not easy. Even native Spanish speakers from other countries sometimes have trouble understanding the Argentines. Coming here I had to throw out some of what I learned in high school Spanish, such as:

• "You'll never need to use vos, don't even study it." You'll never need to use vos... except in Argentina.
  

• Pollo, me llamo, tortilla... all pronounced with the ll as y, right? wrong. ll = sh.

Add to that some unfamiliar vocabulary (ex: strawberry = frutilla, not fresa), it's no surprise that after 4 months of living here I find it easier to speak with my Colombian roommate of 1 month than anyone on the streets of BA. I have fully adjusted to pronouncing the ll the Argentine way, but understanding it is not always easy, and I'm still using tu instead of vos. Of course, I do learn more and more everyday, and am thankful that I am (almost) fully immersed in the language.

Like a lot of other cities, BA has its own dictionary of slang, but unlike a lot of cities, I think it's thicker than normal. Courtesy of my fellow-DC-friend-who-also-quit-his-job-to-move-abroad, here is a guide to some BA slang.

salida del sol, puesta del sol

The sunrise and sunset are two things I believe a lot of people take for granted. They both happen everyday, are always beautiful (minus a rainy day), and take little time to watch, yet they come and go without people even realizing it. For most, the transition from light to dark (and vice versa) is just that. Light to dark, with no pink/orange/red/purple sky in between. I have to admit, I have often taken these two things for granted, but for some reason, being here makes me appreciate them more.


For a lot of people in BA, it's quite easy to catch the sunrise. No, not because they're waking up early to study or work out, but because they're still up from the night before. With a nightlife that gets started around 3AM, the odds of catching the sun waking up are high. I've certainly seen the sunrise this way once or twice ;)

Unfortunately, during sunset, most people are at work. But if you can make it to your balcony, or a place that isn't blocked by tall buildings, it's a sight to see. One friend here used to have "sunset parties" - mate, friends, and an awesome view of the sunset. There's nothing better than sitting on your balcony in warm weather, drinking a coffee/cerveza/mate, chatting with friends or listening to music, and catching the sun paint the sky as it goes down for the night.

With spring finally upon us, I hope to catch as many sunsets as I can. And by chance I'll probably catch a few more sunrises...