The sidewalks are made of tile and a lot of the tiles are not very sturdy, so water seeps under them. When you step on the tile wrong you get a lovely splash of dirty water all over your foot. I am not a fan.
Some of the buses here have really interesting horns. They sound like a person whistling.
Surprisingly, a lot of people here don’t speak English. A lot of people can, but not as many as I was anticipating.
On a similar note…It’s pretty obvious that I’m not from here. Even if I do some how blend in with the locals while I’m out and about, as soon as I open my mouth and start speaking Spanish, it’s quite clear that I’m a foreigner. Whenever I talk to a stranger, on the streets asking for directions, in a store, in a restaurant, etc., I always speak in Spanish. However, because my accent is clearly foreign, a lot of people will respond to me in English…even though I continue to talk to them in Spanish. It’s really annoying. I don’t know if they are doing it because they want to practice their English or if they just assume I won’t understand them. This happens a lot, but my most recent encounter was when I went to go buy a lot of medialunas for our Thanksgiving dinner. I walked into the bakery and the lady came up to me and asked me, in Spanish, “Can I help you?” In Spanish I tell her I need to buy 20 medialunas, she then says ok and leaves. Another woman then comes up to me and in English asks me how many do I need. I respond, 20, in Spanish, and then she continues to talk to me in English and I continued to respond to her in Spanish. Everything she was saying to me in English I knew how to say in Spanish. Situations like this frustrate me because I need to practice listening to Spanish just as much as I need to practice speaking it.
I miss spreadable butter.
You know those family member bumper stickers people put on their cars (with a mom, dad, kids, pets, etc.), they have those here too. I thought that that was interesting. I’ve seen them on a good amount of cars.
Before I came down here, I was told that Argentines dress really nicely…more so than we do in America. I don’t know where they got that from because it’s kind of the same here.
In Argentina they do not speak Spanish. They speak Castallano.
If you are ever feeling down in the dumps, and need a self-esteem booster, come down to Buenos Aires and just walk around the city, day or night. If you’re feeling really bummed about your appearance, just go to a club or bar, it’s amazing some of the stuff the guys will say to girls.
They have a September 11th Street and an USA Street.
At restaurants here water costs just as much as a Coke. When you order agua, it comes in a bottle. However, if you want the free tap water you ask for “agua de canilla,” meaning water from the faucet. Ordering tap water is not very common here, and I usually get a funny look from the waiters, but I don’t care, I want free water ha. If the waiters are nice about it and don’t really care, I’ll ask for another water, but normally I don’t ask for a refill and just refill my glass with the water in my water bottle that I carry around in my purse.
There’s not really shaving cream for girls here, only for men. I think most girls use Veet and other various waxing products.
There’s a Barbie store here. It’s across the street from where I have my Spanish class. My Spanish teacher said she thinks it's the only one in the world. If it isn't, she said that it was the first Barbie store in the world. Ha, one of the two, or both.
When they bring bread to the table they charge you for it, it’s not free like it is back home.
Things that are censored on TV back home are not censored here. It’s weird hearing a cuss word said on TV and there is a lot of nakedness.
I love being able to eat peaches in December and to be able to smell gardenias…so great!
The majority of the girls here have super long hair. Like half way down their backs to their butts long. And they all have this really annoying habit of whipping their heads back and forth and you always get hit in the face with their hair. It’s happened a few times to my friends and me, and it’s kind of annoying ha.
Yogurt here tastes weird. And when you get something that is strawberry flavored, like ice cream, it taste weird as well.
I always know when a futbol match is on because people are screaming from their apartments all at the same time. It’s kind of funny.
This next bit really isn’t that unique to Argentina, but since I’m living in a big city I’m walking around, sitting, or standing next to more strangers than I normally do. A good handful of people sing out loud while they are walking, riding their bikes, or are in the subway while listening to their iPods. For the most part, they sound horrible (not that I am the one to judge), but I kind of admire them for not caring who hears them. They are just enjoying their music to the fullest.
Crackers here are also called cookies.
I’ve met a lot of different people from all over the world who can speak English. Something that I have learned is that no one really likes the American accent. Not sure why, but oh well. My country is way better than their countries anyways…ha (just joking).
On that note, I have also noticed that people from other countries don’t really seem to like Americans. They always trash talk us, and then tell me they aren’t talking about me, that I am unique. I understand some of the stuff they are saying, but still, I would never trash talk where someone is from to them. It’s like when people say that French people suck and are snobs. If I met a French person I wouldn’t assume that he/she sucks, I would get to know them. I have met some nice French people too. The whole situation just baffles me. My friend Talia told me that all we can do is represent ourselves, and when people meet us, we’ll show them that we don’t suck like they are assuming.
There’s a lot of camel toe in this city, especially when the ladies wear work out clothes.
Nothing beats riding a hot, crowded subway.
I think the mosquitoes here are different than back home because when I get a mosquito bite, it is not pretty. Sometimes the bite swells to the size of two quarters, but usually the redness just spreads to that size and gets really dark. It looks like I have some kind of skin disease. I even try not to itch them at all, but that doesn’t help much. They stay on my legs and arms for a good long bit too. Not a fan.
Gellies (you know the shoe) are everywhere here. Little girls and adults wear them.
In general, clothes here are pretty expensive, compared to back home. You can still find clothes for a pretty good deal, but for the most part, clothes are cheaper in America. However, food here is cheaper, and I’m really loving that!
Clothing shops and other shops, in general, are pretty small and cluttered.
A lot of people have plants on their balconies. When they water them, the water has nowhere to go but down. While you are walking, sometimes you may think it’s raining, but nope it’s just the plant water. It’s a lovely surprise.
My family and boyfriend get here tomorrow, I'm sooooo excited to see them!!!
Until Next Time,
Liz
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