Saturday, September 28, 2013

Los trabajadores

Last Saturday, we went on a research excursion to a remarkable part of Argentina's diverse cultural landscape. La fábrica Brukman, a suit and textile factory, was (and still is) the site of a revolution indicative of the indomitable spirit of the people. The story begins in the mid to late 90s; a difficult time for Argentina. As our vivacious guide Matilda (an older lady who spoke very rapid Spanish) told us, there began payment disputes that resulted in the workers of the factory ultimately taking over the company. After many tense negotiations, occupations and even arrests, the workers of the company who are all women, Matilda was proud to tell us, have successfully adapted the company from a hierarchical, profit-oriented business into a co-op or "colectiva". This means that all of the dozens of workers earn the same amount, the decisions are made democratically and the processes are notably more transparent. Here you can see Matilda explaining the ups and downs of the lengthy journey.



To hear from someone who has actually accomplished something just how people can affect change was an awesome experience. The company is still in sort of a limbo state at the moment but it has served as a beacon of hope for many other factories who were subjected to the same unfair conditions that started the revolution. I'm glad that I got the opportunity to hear Matilda's story and see something that is undeniably a part of this country. 

Monday, September 23, 2013

Todavia hace frio

It is still frigid. And this makes me very, very sad.

I have noticed, as a creature of the sun, I become despondent and ill-humored whenever the temperature drops below a certain point. And Buenos Aires is proving to be much colder than what I thought it was going to be. Why can't all positive stereotypes be true? I was expecting tropical weather...This saturday, we had an excursion to an open air market to do some observational research for our methodologies class. This is what it looked like:


...terrible. So, instead we ended up going a second market that was located inside. It was actually quite interesting. El Galpon, an organic market, featured a lot of gluten-free, hoidy toidy stuff which was cool to see in Spanish. 


All in all, it was an interesting experience. Much like this entire semester; it would be better if things were warmer! 


Thursday, September 19, 2013

why am I happy?

After recently reading this article about the problems of my generation (the GYSPSYS), I gave pause and reflected upon the assertions made by the author and how they pertain to me. I certainly don't believe myself to be superior to others but, I have often hoped that I'm different, or special, or what have you. At least I try to be.

Then, I happened upon this article and considered the (admittedly defensive and priviledged) response. It highlights some valid points in that it says that not everyone feels "entitled" and that certain rights are inalienable. While I agree on some level, I don't think that some of the points of the former article are invalid...

Of course, both of these articles are really only relevant if I think of myself as UNhappy. Which I'm not! Of course, there are things that I would change about my life (i.e. Im always tired, I have social anxiety and am not sure what I'm doing at any given moment) but I think, in general that I am a satisfied person. Someone referred to me as the "exception that proves the rule" of the first article. Im not entirely sure what that means. I know that I am fortunate, and exceptionally so, to be doing what I am doing. Learning languages and living and working in a foreign country is EXACTLY what I need right now. Not many people can say they are getting that. I must say, I'm quite pleased with how this is turning out.

Friday, September 13, 2013

what a difference

a day makes.
gainful employment makes
warm weather makes.

I went out with a new friend to a museum near Plaza Francia as well as the cemetary where Eva Peron is buried. It was quite beautiful...the only photo I took was this:


from the top of the museum overlooking towards the Law faculty of the Universidad de Buenos Aires. It was quite a nice, warm day. 

I've now entered a period with which I am comfortable: flourishing in a foreign country. I managed to find a well-paying job, to set up my time so that I can do everything I need to and to be able to enjoy things. I'm finally starting to get what I need out of this whole experience. I'm going to use the money that I'm earning to buy delicious food and my ticket to India. This degree is going to happen.

Which isn't to say that everything is perfect. The next wave of classes that I'm taking is rather less than ideal. It seems as though, although the teachers know a lot, they lack the capacity to communicate it in an effective way. I am most disappointed by the offering of the class "Latin american culture and identity". Such promise and yet it is proving to be severely underwhelming. In addition to the huge amount of (mostly unnecessary) reading, I think that the academic aspect of my life is taking a backseat to the largely positive other aspects. Like my roommate, for example. He is proving to be the best shared living experience I've had so far.


Despite all of the difficult stuff in my life, I really DO enjoy it.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Moving

I did that. A few days ago, actually. It was quite the ordeal.

Near the beginning of the month, I decided that the place where I was living wasn't exactly right for me. A bit too loud, not enough Spanish, etc. I told my landlord that I was moving out and everything was fine. I found a place with a nice Argentinian roommate who told me I could move in September 1st. We maintained contact and I got excited to finally get settled into my semi-permanent residence. No problem, right? Wrong! I send him an email about 3 days before I was set to move, asking for the key. He responded with "I need to tell you something...." Long story short; his cousin needed a place to stay leaving me with 3 days to play the "let's not be homeless" game. Too bad for you, Buenos Aires. I'm super good at that game. So i neurosesed-out and emailed literally (figuratively) everyone. And the next day I found a place soooo crisis averted. whew!

In other news, I've been trying to do stuff amidst reading many, many pages for school. Here is a protest I stumbled upon going down one of the main streets of Buenos Aires (conveniently near my new apartment)

It was quite a shock. All of a sudden: noises! and people! and flags, so many flaaaags!!

It's been quite an adventure. Speaking of new things, I also managed to find a new translating gig! It was a funny coincidence. I was looking at Craigslist and saw an ad for someone looking for translating experience and strong Spanish. While my Spanish isn't exactly what you would call "strong" (I'm working on it) I do have a lot of translation experience with German. So, I sent an email explaining that and it turns out  a German to English translator was needed as well! It all went quite fast, the guy who runs the agency was very personable and now I have 8000 words to translate by Tuesday....in addition to all the reading and whatnot. Luckily (?) we just had a test so there isn't anything big to prepare for on the horizon but it's still good to stay on top of things. 

I'll end the post with this picture of the beautiful kinetic sculpture in the heart of Buenos Aires. I had the good fortune to have a new friend of mine show me around the area. We drank mate on the grass nearby. Todo piola :)