Argentine Adventures: Culture Shock, Some Pictures and Other Things about Buenos Aires

As many of my friends who are abroad will also tell you (maybe now, a few weeks from now, or--unlikely--maybe never), culture shock is probably the hardest part of being abroad. It's a roller coaster of emotions ranging from the euphoria I felt as I watched a balding maestro played a variety of Duke Ellington compositions in Notorious (the jazz club down the street), to the gratuitous frustration I felt during a lecture about Peronism that seemed to go on and on, to the anxiety I have about my girlfriend going through this same process and my inability to experience it with her. Within a day, I can feel completely comfortable in the city--riding the Subte, conversing with someone in broken Spanish, dodging traffic in the busy streets--and within a moment I'll start missing my friends, Karina, and my family, feeling like an outsider in this country. Usually this change is triggered by some event that makes me remember my American-ness.

I almost always feel out of place walking down Calle Florida--a street lined with shops and vendors. Because it is impossible to get American dollars in Argentina, this particular street is filled with people who aggressively offer to exchange your money. What seems like hundreds of men (many of which, my friend Skylar has pointed out, are dressed like 1970's gangsters) shout the same cries of cambio, cambio (change, change), and sometimes they can be pretty aggressive--especially if you're a gringo obvio like myself. It really only takes two blocks before this starts to get really irritating. Sometimes I just wish I was completely invisible.

Happy Transition... I really do like it here though! It may seem obvious, but as I write this I'm in a lower point in the culture shock process. Buenos Aires has such a rich history, a resilient population, and the buildings are aesthetically pleasing, to say the least. Their are various styles of architecture here--from neoclassical and gothic buildings in barrios like mine, to the old Spanish colonial buildings of San Telmo, to the newer, glimmering skyscrapers in Puerto Madero. There is a lot of character in this very, very historical city.

It's not just the buildings. There are some very unique places here. An old theatre turned into a bookstore (shown below) and a bar that gives its patrons access to a variety of musical instruments (have not seen this place yet but I definitely will check it out soon) are just two of the countless cool destinations in this city. Here are some pictures I have taken (though if you have Facebook you may have seen these already).