Joint Post #4: Yanqui

Topic: How people treat an American exchange student

Yanqui (n): an American in Argentina, especially one with light skin, hair, and eyes

In other words, I am the definition of a Yanqui. People here use this word to describe me and the two other American exchange students. It used to bother me because I don’t live anywhere near the New York Yankees, but I’ve grown to embrace the title. It sets me apart and reminds me that I’m a little different here.

Everyone I meet is kind and welcoming to the utmost. They come right to me and ask questions about my exchange. The top three are:

“Hasta cuando quedas?” (How long are you staying for?)

“De donde sos?” (Where are you from?)

“No estas aburrido en Daireaux? Es muy chiquito.” (You’re not bored in Daireaux? It’s very small.)

Of course, I answer no to that last question!

In Daireaux, there’s no hiding my foreignness. Like Hood River, everyone knows everyone here. So I definitely stand out, especially since I look and speak differently. I don’t mind it in the least, and I’ve never felt like people are unhappy to have me here.

When I first arrived in Argentina, I avoided talking about America because I thought it would detract from experiencing the culture here. Partly true, and partly not. I’ve learned that there are a lot of times when it’t best to just soak everything up and live in the present, but there are also times when it’s intriguing to converse with people about the differences between the US and Argentina. I’ve figured out that it’s okay to embrace being an “extranjero.”

My classmates here are incredibly kind and I’m so grateful for them. Since the beginning they’ve made me feel welcome and part of this lovely community.

Only nine days left in Argentina, and I’m trying to live it up as much as I can!

Ciao for now,

Grace

 

La Benicia, La Larga, y un caballo

By Grace

Un post en español, para practicar. Disfruta, y perdón si no entiendes mi español, jaja.

Ayer, fui al campo de un amiga de Pato, el presidente del rotary aca. La amiga, que se llama Ana Roca, es un descendiente de Julio Roca, y este hombre era un presidente de Argentina empezando en 1880. El tenia una estancia muy cerca del pueblo Daireaux, y ahora, Ana Roca es la dueña de la estancia.

Fui en auto con Pato, su hija Manuela, y su intercambio de Italia, Greta. Cuando llegamos al campo de Ana, exploramos la casa, y todos los antiguas adentro. Había muchas cuadros de arte como las tres mujeres en sombreros debajo. También, pinturas de la familia Roca. Había monedas antiguas de la era cuando la Republica de Argentina se fundó. Estos me interesan mucho. Son pesadas y hecho de plata o de otras metales caros. En la casa había la montura del Julio Roca para sus batalles. Esto también, hecho de plata.

Después del explorando la casa, comemos un almuerzo con Ana. Comemos pizza. Ahora yo entiendo que la pizza es la comida mas popular del mundo. La gente comen pizza en Argentina, en Italia, y en los Estados Unidos, y nosotros hablamos sobre los diferencias de las pizzas de países diferentes. En Argentina, siempre comemos pizza con aceitunas verdes, y de los sabores diferentes de pizza, unos de lo mas popular son jamón y huevo. Greta dijo que la pizza de Italia es es distinto.

Luego, después de un té de hierbas, ponemos las camperas, gorras, y bufandas, y fuimos afuera para… andar en caballo! Matias, el hijo de Ana, eligió un caballo manso para mi. Era un mujer, no muy alta y con una cara simpática. Lo mas tranquila de todos. Matias puse la montura y los estribos, y finalmente, yo pude montar en caballo. Anduve primer, y Ana, Manuela, y Greta siguieron en un carro detrás de otro caballo, para un vuelta de la propiedad de la familia Roca.

En los campos, no hay sierras para proteger de los vientos, y por eso, hace mucho frío. Mas, siempre hay humedad como una niebla re frío. Pero… me siente nada de eso. Mi caballo era rápida y bien entrenado y por eso me alegro. Pasamos afuera del La Benicia en la calle de tierra en el dirección de La Larga, un pueblito cerca de la propiedad.

Era muy feliz porque tuvo la oportunidad de visitar estos lugares que son parte de la historia de Argentina. Era un experiencia autentica y especial por un intercambio.

La pase muy bien. Era un día que no voy a olvide!

Sierra de la Ventana

By Grace

Winter vacations are underway, and I started them off with my first quinceanera en Argentina. A girl’s fifteenth birthday is a huge deal here, and similar to other latin American countries, it includes a party that family, friends, and basically the entire town can attend. For those that don’t know the quinceanera very well, the party doesn’t start until around 2 or 3 am. We arrived and danced until 7 am. At that time, of all things, they serve hot dogs (here they’re called panchos). To be honest it took a minute to accept that I was eating a hot dog, on a dance floor, in another country, at the usual time I wake up for school. There are certain things you notice when you’re a foreigner.

At la quince: Me, Sofi, and Anika from the US

We called a cab and got home around 8:30 am, then went right to bed only to wake up two hours later and drive to Puán, a neighboring town. We arrived at the house of Ana, Gustavo’s novia, and then went out to climb el templo Mirador Millennium. It’s a huge Christian temple made of stone, with a ramp spiraling the exterior, and inside is an enormous depiction of Jesus. The 360 view from the top was worth the freezing wind and threatening clouds, but we didn’t stay too long.

View from the top of the temple.

Gustavo and Fanny

The next morning we packed up and drove to Garganta Olvidada, a popular destination in the Sierra de la Ventania mountain range. On the drive, I tried to understand the lyrics of popular Argentinean songs, which I’m getting better at. I love the music here. Something I’ve noticed: music, food, pictures on Facebook, politics etc are great topics to spend time talking about in castellano. The hardest part for me is the random small talk, but if I can draw the conversation in the direction of my understanding, it’s easier to speak up and practice.

I found the landscape on the drive breathtaking, and a little bit similar to the eastern Columbia Gorge. My family kept making fun of me for looking around so much. And the horses…! They’re gorgeous here, and I can’t wait to get the chance to ride.

We arrived at Garganta Olvidada and Franco, Fanny, Sofi, and I hiked to the waterfall. It was pretty busy, and the area is definitely well known by people that live nearby.

On the way up!

My adorable siblings

Top notch scenery.

The falls

After our hike, we ate lunch, climbed another lookout point called Sierra de los Enamoradas, did some shopping in a nearby town, and went home. A pretty solid day overall!

Sierra de los Enamorados

Franco and Vale at the lookout

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I’m not sure what our plans are for the rest of break, but I would love to keep exploring the area, get to know the other exchange students some more, and hopefully get on a horse at some point. And of course… learn more castellano! Thanks for reading this blog, and keep an eye out for more posts to come.

Ciao!

My week in photos

By Grace

Here’s what I’ve been up to lately, brought to you in photos.

Fishing at the canal with Sonia, Javier, Fanny, Sofi, and Valentino. Outside of Daireaux in the country (los campos), there are lots of places to fish and spend time outdoors. Most of the land is owned by people that live within the town limits, and almost everyone owns some cows and horses.

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Trip to Gustavo’s farm to celebrate Argentina’s 200th year of independence. Sofi’s dad raises cattle on his campo, and rents some land to other people to grow crops like wheat and corn.

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Breakfast with the mayor of Daireaux, Alejandro Acerbo. We had an interesting discussion about world politics! Pictured below are all of the exchangers by their country flag.

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Rotary asado cena. An asado is similar to a barbecue in the states, but quite a bit more formal. We ate lechun, an entire small pig.

So that’s what I’ve been up to since my last update. Winter vacations have started, so no school for the next two weeks, and I’m excited to see what this free time brings. Hopefully I’ll explore more of the town and further improve my castellano.

Today marks my third week here in Argentina, and when I think back to my first few days here I realize I’ve definitely came a long way.

Joint Post #3: No English!

Topic: Learning language through immersion

By Grace

The other night at a rotary dinner, Sofi told one of the Argentinian host siblings that she never let’s me speak in English. Never. They were surprised; maybe a little impressed, and it’s true. From the minute I met her at the airport we spoke castellano, all the time. If I slip up and say “okay” instead of “bueno,” she gives me an evil smile and says “Que? No intiendo.” If I don’t know a word, I have to describe it to her in castellano until we figure out what it is. And in school, we resist the urge to have secret English conversations that no one understands, even though that would be like, so fun.

So far, the language barrier has been my primary struggle on my short term exchange. Simple conversations take a lot of brain power, and I’ve realized how much I take for granted communication in general. When I arrived in Argentina, the basic things like buying food and making small talk with people I meet became difficult and at times stressful. Like Kat, the language barrier has taught me to immediately join in conversations, otherwise it’s impossible to follow them. I’m also less afraid to tell people when I don’t understand, and have them repeat things for me or give me a word definition. And if they laugh, I’ve learned to laugh along with them.

That said, there are times when people are speaking too quickly around me to understand, so I feel alone in the crowd. Few people here in Daireaux speak english, and those that do know only basic level conversation because the classes offered in school are insufficient. However, there are exceptions like Sofi that have been taking english lessons with the Rotary president, Pato Pastore for years.

Part of my challenge with the language here is that it’s distinct from the Spanish taught at my school. One difference is that all the “ll” and “y” sounds are pronounced as “sh”, and this makes word recognition more difficult for me. Also, the “you” verb tense is completely different, using “vos” instead of “tú”, and an alternate sense of verb conjugations. I bought a notebook and have been periodically writing words I don’t know and practicing my verb tenses, which helps a lot. My friends and family here are all every supportive and helpful with my learning, which I’m grateful for.

At the same rotary dinner, I had a long conversation in castellano with one of the French exchange students. She speaks little english and I speak no French, but we both learned a ton about each other’s culture in a short amount of time because of our shared spanish. In this case, there was no language barrier, but a language bridge, and it’s times like this that remind me why I’m on exchange.

Joint Post #2: Futbol and Cumbia

By Grace

Topic: Sports, Music, and TV

By now I’ve started to realize that the United States is the odd-one-out when it comes to  popular culture. Argentina and Denmark share a remarkable amount of similarities in the fields of music, TV, and sports.

Like Denmark, futbol is everything in Argentina. On my first night in Daireaux, Sofi and I went to her friends house to watch Argentina play in the American Cup Finals. When we lost tragically to Chile on penalties, everyone in the room yelled in agony, and the remainder of the night was downright depressing. This is the second year in a row that Argentina has lost the American Cup Finals.

The drama escalated the following day when Lionel Messi announced he would be leaving the Argentinian national team. Messi is known as “the best soccer player in the world” and has scored 55 goals for the country. But he was also one of the team members that missed a penalty kick in the Copa Americana. Argentina, including my host family, was in turmoil when he announced he’d be leaving the team, but there is still hope that he will change his mind and continue playing for the country. It’s been a difficult time for all the futbol fans, but I’m sure we’ll make it through.

#NoTeVayasLio !!!! (Don’t go Lio)

TV is an important part of the Argentinian day and as I write this, we’re watching Disney Channel in Spanish. When my family sits down at the table to watch TV and eat, there are three main options, none of which I fully understand.

The first, Bailando Por Un Sueño, is the Argentinian version of Dancing with the Stars, but with more humor and provocative dancing. It’s also more elaborate than Dancing With the Stars Another popular show is Morfi Telefe. From what I can tell, it’s a combination of a cooking show with a newscast, where guests are invited to a cena to talk about politics. Morfi is a news reporter that investigated the doings of the past presidents of Argentina, so it’s certainly possible that his news is bias. I’ll write about Argentinian politics in a few weeks when I know a little more, because it’s quite complicated. The third show we watch religiously is the novela Los Ricos No Piden Permiso. It’s plot consists of a lot of rich people living in a mansion and doing scandalous things. Until today, I thought it was called “Este Noche” but that just means it’s going to be on tonight.

Finally, I’ll talk about some Argentinian music, since last night I went to my first concert here. The type of music specific to the country is called Cumbia, and there are many different types, including pop and electronic. I don’t fully understand, but I believe that pre existing songs can be turned “cumbia” with a certain beat. Last night we went to the town gymnasium for an Agapornis concert. I can’t lie; the audience was 90 percent pre teen girls, but I had a great time nonetheless.

Agapornis in Daireaux on Friday

We listen to music constantly when hanging out with friends. Some other popular bands are Vas, Rombai, Puerko Fino, Bajan, and Mano Arriba. My favorite song here is called Chica Enamorada by Puerko Fino.

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That’s all for now, and I’ll have an update about the last few days up soon!

 

Daily routine and two radio shows

By Grace

Hello Americans. I wish you a happy day of independence for your country. Here’s an update from Argentina. It’s been an amazing 10 days so far.

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I’ve been going to school with Sofi and attending english classes with the rotary president, Patricia. These classes are very interesting, because they’re mainly a political discussion. We’ve talked about everything from the fall of capitalism, to the corrupt government of Argentina, to Donald Trump. I tried to convert the classmates to Bernie supporters, with some success.In general, people here know a lot about politics and have very separate opinions.

Last Friday, I met up with the other exchange 5 students to give a presentation to the school about our exchange so far. The students asked us questions like why we were doing exchange, what we missed about our home country, and what we liked about Daireaux. Then we went and spoke about rotary exchange on some local radio stations, in varying levels of fluency.

There are two exchange girls from France, a girl from Italy that left today, a girl from Ohio, and a boy from Wilsonville who I’d actually met in the US. The exchangers and their host siblings are great people, and I’m excited to get to know them.

On Friday night we went to a rotary dinner and were presented with our flags for the town of Daireaux. The club here is very active, with a lot of short term exchangers every winter.

Talking on the radio at Sofi’s school.

The internationals at radio estilo.

Receiving my Daireaux rotary flag. Sofi’s not impressed.

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Daily Routine

Here’s a day in the life of Greis the exchanger. That’s how people spell my name here.

6:30 am- Wake up for school. Drink tea or coffee and eat a few table crackers with cheese or jam. They eat close to nothing for breakfast in Argentina, which took some getting used to. Sofi and I then get a ride to school.

7:30 am – Class starts. The schedule varies by day, and we alternate between math, biology, physics, chemistry, literature, and job education. Students get to choose their education track here, and choices include economics, art, communication, and natural sciences.

I sit in the front of the class and try to understand the teacher. It’s easy to participate when the class is taking notes, but I’m 100% lost during the lively class discussions.

12:45 pm – School’s out! We find a ride home and eat lunch. Sofi’s mom, Sonia, or her sister Fanny, cook lunch every day. We’ve eaten gnocchi, various salads, milanesa, vegetable soups, and every type of pizza and pasta.

After lunch we take a siesta. Sofi does homework when we wake up, and I draw, write, or read.

6:00 pm – Most afternoons we go to a friend’s house to drink maté and eat torta, a cake with dulce de leche. Kids here love to make food for each other, and we spend hours sitting at the table eating, drinking, and talking. I tell them about America and try to follow their rapid conversations in Spanish.

9:00 pm- We get a ride home and help cook dinner (la cena). La cena is a crucial part of culture here. It’s where everyone gets together to eat delicious food and talk about our days. We also watch their family’s favorite novela.

1:00 pm- Go to sleep. It’s pretty late I’ll admit.

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Thanks for reading! Joint post number two will be up soon so be sure to check it out.

Primer Dia en Argentina

By Grace

This post is being written while I sit at the dining room table with Sofí sharing some mate. Maté is totally a thing here. It’s a type of tea you drink though a special straw and it’s very very strong with lots of caffeine. I must learn to love it.

Here’s a recap of the first couple of days here in Arg:

The first Argentinian I met was the women sitting next to me on the plane to Buenos Aires. Here name was Virginia, and we became friends before the plane even took off. People are like that in Argentina; you feel like you’ve known them for a long time even if it’s only been a few days. Virginia helped me find my luggage and make it through customs and migrations, then we parted ways so I could find my host family.

Gustavo, Franco, and Sofi Pugnaloni stood waiting for me with a welcome sign. They all gave me hugs, then we went out to their pickup truck. I remember noticing the differences in their Spanish, and that I understood maybe half of what they said. They tried to make jokes and I understood none of them, but I’ve gotten better by now. Also, I definitely had forgotten what winter felt like.

Meeting my new sister.

We drove to Sofi’s Aunt Miriam’s apartment in Buenos Aires. Miriam is a librarian at a school in Buenos Aires, and her home was full of books. We had breakfast, and I tried my first “medialuna,” a famous Argentinian pastry. Think croissant filled with Dulce de Leche. After, Gustavo, Franco, and Sofi took me to explore Buenos Aires. They were all so funny and welcoming, and they immediately felt like family. I did my best to talk with my family and we all discovered that if they speak slow enough and repeat things, I’ll eventually catch on. 

My first observation of BS AS: People in the city have zero regard to driving in their lanes. The cars just weave in an out of each other, as close as physically possible, and it’s terrifying.

The architecture in central Buenos Aires is incredible. I did not expect the amount of huge, ornate buildings that I saw there, especially La Casa Rosada, where the president works, and el Teatro Colón, the most famous theatre in South America. We took photos and walked around, visiting a few small museums near la Casa Rosada. Travelers had told me that Buenos Aires feels like Europe, and it’s true.

La Casa Rosada

Franco, Sofía, y yo

El Congresso de la Nación

 

We spent a few hours touring the city, then apparently I fell asleep in the back of the truck. I slept for four more hours in Miriam’s apartment until around eight, then we went back out. Buenos Aires never sleeps, and all the shops stay open hours into the night. We walked down Calle Corrientes, a center for theatre in Buenos Aires. Everywhere you look is a sign for a new musical, play or concert, and there are book stores on almost every block as well.

Some famous Argentinian comedians.

We stayed out and explored until two in the morning, and my personal highlight of the evening was the ice cream, which is similar to gelato and less expensive. In Argentina, a typical date is to share ice cream and go to a movie. After exploring, we came home to watch a horror movie and finally went to sleep around five.  It’s normal here for people to stay out late. The next morning we left BS AS to drive to Daireaux, where Sofí lives. I moved into my new room with Sofí and her sister Estefania, and also met some of Sofí friends.

I can feel that my castellano (the type of spanish spoken here) has improved so much in the last few days, but most of the time I still listen in complete confusion. Sofi If I can get people to slow down a lot when they speak to me, it’s much easier. And when I need someone to talk to about the simple things, like toys, food, and cats, I have Sofí’s little brother, Valentino.

Tomorrow is my first day of school with Sofi, since today was a holiday. I’ll also write a post about my family and home in Daireaux.

Ciao, mis amigos!

 

Between goodbye and hello

By Grace

I’m writing this from the Atlanta airport. My ten hour flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina leaves in two hours, and I’ve heard that my host family is already there and ready to pick me up in the morning. I can’t wait to meet the Pugnaloni’s! They have been incredibly welcoming in all of our conversations, and I’m grateful to have been matched with them.

It took a week to say goodbye to everyone in Hood River. For some reason I felt the need to go around and tell everyone how important they are to me, as if I’ll never see them again. I’ll miss them all while I’m gone for the next few months, and I’ll miss my hometown. Leaving made me realize how much I appreciate it, especially the sunny days spent outdoors with family and friends.

In honor of my one week of summer vacation, here are some photos:

But enough about what I’m leaving behind. I’m going to take this chance in the airport to write down the reasons why I’m going on summer exchange, so I can keep track of them once I get there and things get crazy.

1. See a culture from the inside: My experience has always been with traveling through foreign countries, not settling down.
2. Get out of my comfort zone: I know I have a lot of challenges ahead of me and that is cool.
3. Become fluent in Spanish: Even though the Spanish in Argentina supposedly sounds more like Italian, I shall do my best.
4. Gain Independence: This reason has come into affect already. I made it here alive so that’s a good sign.

I’ll end my first blog post of my summer exchange with some advice I received from the guy next to me on the plane to Atlanta. He told me to have fun on my trip and to “Learn as much as you can, and share it with everyone.”

Seems like a pretty good way to live, right?

More updates on the way!

Argentina, plane tickets, and my host family

By Grace

One night, I opened my email to find the words “Potential Host Family Match” in my inbox. And on top of that, it was from the country of my choice, Argentina. At that moment it occurred to me that yes, I would actually be spending my summer abroad. It was going to happen!

My host sister is named Sofí, and we’ve been talking, in both English and Spanish, since we first found eachother on Facebook. It makes me realize how small the world can feel because of technology. It didn’t take long for us to conclude that we would make good host sisters. By now we already feel like friends just from going back and forth about day to day living. I try to learn little facts about her school, what she likes to do, her favorite types of music, and anything else that helps people to understand each other.

Sofi’s town, called Daireaux and pronounced “Deró”, is in the middle of the country. The area is flat, with a lot of farming. It’s also somewhat isolated. Sofi’s father owns and operates his own farm, so I’ll get a taste of the commercial agriculture industry, which I’m looking forward to learning about. She calls Daireaux “a rural city” and says she likes it a lot. The population is similar to Hood River. Not at all a tourist destination, Daireaux will offer me the most authentic exchange experience possible, and I’m grateful for that.

My plane tickets have been purchased, and I’ll be leaving on June 24th and arriving home on August 2oth, giving me a full eight weeks in the country to hopefully become fluent in Spanish. I’m a little nervous to be leaving my hometown for two months, but I know the time will fly by.

Daireaux, Argentina, in the Buenos Aires Province