A Sneaky Sudden Sense of Saudade

"Saudade" is one of the most interesting words in the linguistic world.  Linguist and scolars have written blogs and articles about this portuguese word saying that it is unique and untranslatable.  I don't have the time or energy to write a detailed essay on all the marvels of this word but you can certainly google it for yourself and do your research and see what you come up with.  But at a very basic level, "Saudade" might be translated as to yearn for or miss someone or something.  A closer definition of "saudade" means to feel longing for a place, person that you once had but will never return to you again.

If I were to pick one whole word in the world today that sums up my feelings about my relationship with Argentina it would be this very word "saudade", especially being that today is the 1 yr anniversary to which I ended life abroad and landed back in Canada.  Yes indeed, it has already been a year. Jan 15, 2014 my plane touched down in Vancouver International Airport and one chapter of my life closed and another began.

Surf and Rebirth

No matter what culture or language we come from, we all love celebrating new beginnings and rebirth. I wanna begin the new yr off by telling a story of how making friends with someone in Argentina changed their life and caused the hope to become restored. Some of you know that betrayal is unfortunately something deep within Argentine culture. People can give you a charming smile one day and two days later shut you out cold.

When I first started to hang out with some genuine Argentines, they would always say to me "Angelina, we love you.....NEVER CHANGE"  And they kept emphasizing that they hoped I wouldn't change and I would stay the same sweet person. It seemed odd to me for them to keep telling me not to change, until I found out about this part of the culture. I realize I was growing on the girls and they really wanted to trust me and believe I was a good person.

Thats why they kept telling me not to change, they had seen it so many times in their culture when  seemingly nice person flips all of a sudden and you've been voted off the island friendship wise. In reality what they feared would happen was always impossible with me. I'm not Argentine and there is no way I could be super friendly one day and super cold the next day. It would be impossible.

The Walking Dead: Skyfall

In Buenos Aires, american fast food chains aren't the only import from the northern hemisphere that has taken off. Popular american t.v. shows like "The Big Bang Theory" or "The Simpsons" have been a hit with Argentines. One of the shows that the city is crazy for is "The Walking Dead". For those of you who don't know, it is about the story of Rick Grimes, an officer who was shot while on duty and wakes up in a coma 9 mths later to find that the zombie apocalypse has happened. The series follows him and a group of survivors as they attempt to make their way in a world overrun by zombies.

All of us who are preparing for the zombie apocalypse (which means the rest of you all are SCREWED) know that there are two things that get their attention.....noise and the sight or smell of living flesh. The smell of fresh living flesh stirs up a frenzy as a mass swarm of zombies descend on whatever unfortunate living creature happens to be around for their version of "brunch"

But the real phenomenon is that this zombie-like behavior seems to manifest amongst Argentines in certain circumstances. Argentines have certain things that seems to trigger off this zombie-like behavior. One of these has been at the sight of american USD. Argentines have been known to descend on the carrier of american greenbacks accompanied by zombi-sh noises that when properly translated almost sounds like the offer of a trade from the ailing Argentine peso.

A Story for Tomorrow

a story for tomorrow. from gnarly bay productions, Inc. on Vimeo.



Cross-cultural relationships can be without doubt one of the most challenging type of relationships there is. Different languages, different cultures, different worlds.....at times one must wonder why anyone would take on someone who has a completely different language and culture and forsake the ease of going with someone more familiar in your own culture.

The joy of a cross-cultural relationship is that there are actually major benefits and gems to be discovered that you won't have with someone in your own culture. Problems are abound to arise whether you're in a relationship with someone from your own culture or a foreign culture. But where the draw of a cross-cultural relationship is that you won't have the same type of problems that you would have with a member of your own culture. You will have problems but it will be different type of problems.

An Encounter with the Andes

Coming from North American society we are instilled with the idea that faster is better. And in the world of travel, for the most part it is true. If one can cut their travel time in half, then why not?  However there are times when there are hidden gems to be discovered if you are willing to take a slower unconventional path. Like taking a bus from Buenos Aires to Chile instead of flying into Santiago. It may have been a 20 hr ride but that bus ticket gave me a front row seat to see the famed Andes mountain range.

The bus starts from Buenos Aires and then goes to Mendoza Argentina. From Mendoza, the coach takes you directly through the middle of the Andes mountains.   I have heard that the Andes mountains is very diverse but I didn't realize how diverse it was until I sat there glue to the seat my eyes fixated as the sights flashing before my eyes.


The landscape literally changes about every 10 mins. It would go from massive rock formations to seeing snow capped mountains and then to lakes and rivers. The scenery would go from crevices to jagged edges in the blink of an eye.  There is nothing like it in the world.  Seeing the Andes upclose was better than any onboard movie you could ever watch....

Click here to view the full album:


Andes Mountain pics

From One Small Step to One Giant Leap

I've mentioned in previous post the increasing difficulty of living in Buenos Aires due to radical changes that took place after Cristina Fernandez Kirchner was re-elected.  Within the past yr and a half the abuse of political power, inflation, peso devaluation resulted in a large exodus of expats from the country back to their homelands or other places in the world.

Life here is like hanging onto a mechanical bull. The one where you have to cling on to it for dear life as it gets faster and faster until you get flung off involuntarily or you choose to hang your hat and surrender to force of gravity. For many expats, it was a combination of both. They voluntarily left simply because they knew if they were on the verge of being flung off.

Inner Beauty....Outer Beauty and Everything in Between

Luisana Lopilato @ Ele Multiespacio (Photo credit: Bruno Belcastro)

While spending time at the house of my friend on New Years day, an interesting conversation burst forth about weight, clothes, and what beauty means in different cultures.  My friend was born with dark hair, and like me she has a belly, a bust, and a roundish face.  She is the farthest thing from the stereotyped idea of what Argentine women look like.

And she has the same problem as me here in this culture buying clothing is a nightmare for her. Most clothing shops have clothes for sizes 2-6. Recently the gov't passed a law saying that all clothing shops are supposed to carry a variety of sizes. But walking into any one of those clothing shops and you'll realize that the law and its impact is one big joke.  Katie Alley of Seashells and Sunflowers tackles this subject on this article she wrote on her blog:  On Being Fat in Argentina

The Serpentine Saga Continues: Finding Love in A Hopeless Place

At one point in my journey of trying to understand the Argentine Serpentine, I stumbled upon a revelation that would change the course of how I viewed her actions forever. Previously I had been under the presumption that it was just her and she's like that. However as I started delving deeper, reading blogs and articles, having chats with other foreigners it started to appear that many of the experiences I've had with her are typical of what many others have had with Argentines.

Through trial and error, I am discovering that the value system of Argentine society is entirely different that the North American value system. In Argentina people are very friendly and open when you encounter them but whether they are trustworthy is an entirely different story. Whereas in North America people aren't taught to be open to people they don't know and we are a little closed off at first encounter. But once people break into our worlds alot of us are taught to value our relationships.

I kept hearing over and over again the theme that foreigners here were having a hard time making Argentine friends, even having lived here for years some of them have only one person they would say is a friend. In addition to that, I heard it said that even Argentine women have difficulty finding good girlfriends. There is something in the culture that seems to block foreigners from entering into the world of many Argentines as well as making it difficult for Argentines to form genuine life long relationships.

Argenzuela

It was just a couple of years ago where the teaching of "The Secret" was released and part of that movement was all about perspective. Perspective is EVERYTHING especially if you are living in Buenos Aires. This is a country where the prices are going up weekly. If one develops a negative perspective to things, pretty soon all that you'll start to see or take notice of is signs on stores indicating weekly inflation. You'll start to notice in cafés that the price is going up and the quality is going down. Every where you'll walk, that's all you'll start to see.

However in Buenos Aires if you choose to have a positive perspective, it will make all the difference in your stay. You'll start to stumble upon places that offer you a great exchange rate.  Suddenly your eyes will spot signs with prices with special discounts that are lower than anything you've seen. Destiny will happen and you'll find yourself meeting people and coming into their lives just when they needed it or perhaps you needed it.

Choosing my perspective early on was crucial to my survival, especially when I landed in the country for the third time and all of a sudden things changed rapidly and Argentina soon started to become Argenzuela. For those of you who don't understand.......Venezuela is run by a dictatorship. Argentina was more of a democracy but during my third trip things started to spiral out of control and tension filled the air as Argentina started to resemble somewhat of a facist state. Thus the term "Argenzuela" was born....

Háva nagíla (Come Let's Dance)

Being Canadian I grew up being accustomed to there being about 9 public holidays. I always saw public holidays as a treat and an opportunity for refreshment.  Living in Argentina, that number jumped from 9 to 19 public holidays a year that included 7 long weekends. In fact there is a law that states that there has to be one long weekend per month.

What does this mean for all of us?  It means alot less money for those who work (because its unpaid) and alot more brunching and lazing around.  But the ridiculous amount of unpaid public holidays means that there is less money to go brunching and holidaying each public holiday and long weekend.  For example, this week we are gonna have a record number of days off.....6 consecutive days to be exact.

It works out that thursday and friday are part of semana santa (holy week), where Jesus's arrival into Jerusalem on a donkey is celebrated. Saturday and Sunday of course is the weekend where only a few work. Tuesday April 2nd is a veteran's day holiday to commemorate the war of the Faulkland's Islands War. And the gov't didn't want to interrupt all the reveling and partying so they decided to make April 1st a holiday as well so that we can down bloody marys and cure our hangovers.

The video above is an epic orchestra performance of "Hava Nagila" by Andre Rieu. For those of you aren't jewish, Hava Nagila is a Jewish traditional folksong that came out of eastern Europe. The melody's popularity caught on and it is played at a majority of jewish festivities such as weddings, bar mitzvahs and religious holidays.

Lyrics and meaning of the song translate to this:



HAVA NAGILA (Original Hebrew Lyrics)

Háva nagíla, háva nagíla,
Háva nagíla, venismechá.
Háva nagíla, háva nagíla,
Háva nagíla, venismechá.
Háva neránena, háva neránena,
Háva neránena, venismechá.
Háva neránena, háva neránena,
Háva neránena, venismechá.
Úru, úru, achím,
Úru, achím, belév saméach.
Úru, achím, belév saméach.
Úru, achím, belév saméach.
Úru, achím, belév saméach.
Úru, achím,
Úru, achím, belév saméach.



HAVA NAGILA (Literal English Translation)

Come let’s dance, come let’s dance,
Come let’s dance, and be merry!
Come let’s dance, come let’s dance,
Come let’s dance, and be merry!
Come let’s whirl, come let’s whirl,
Come let’s whirl, and be merry!
Come let’s whirl, come let’s whirl,
Come let’s whirl, and be merry!
Rise, rise, brothers!
Rise, brothers, with a glad heart.
Rise, brothers, with a glad heart.
Rise, brothers, with a glad heart.
Rise, brothers, with a glad heart.
Rise, brothers!
Rise, brothers, with a glad heart.




Whether you are celebrating passover, awaiting the easter bunny or attempting to sit through a drawn out 6 day public holiday, Hava Nagila is a great anthem to carry with you through whatever festivities you may be participating in :D

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Gorging at Ganaché & Pasterleria

One of the greatest joys of travel that is both mysterious and delightful is how a moment can go from mundane to marvelous in the blink of an eye. For us expats, the mundane would be our 3 mth Colonia, Uruguay run that we have to do to renew our passports to be able to stay another 6 mths in Argentina. What used to be a 300 peso ($75 USD) run has now turned into a 600 peso run ($150) for a daytrip to Uruguay.

Going across the waters may sound like fun but to those of us who have done it multiple times know that Colonia, Uruguay loses its spark and magic after your first trip there and you realize that you've seen all there is to see in 3 hrs. But for me, the discovery of a new place there turn what I thought would be a mundane into a marvelous afternoon.

Before going on my little excursion, I checked out tripadvisor to find out if by chance there were any places worth checking out that would make my afternoon in Uruguay more interesting. Ganaché Cafe & Pasteleria came up as the number one recommended spot and after reading a ton of great reviews I decided to give it a go.

Sometimes a place is nothing like what people describe it as, sometimes a place is exactly what peopel describe it as. I would say that the café was BETTER than anything words could have ever described.  It felt like walking into the livingroom of someone's house that had artistic decor.  Soft music constantly flowed throughout the space and there were tables and couches dotted all over the room with an open window to let sunlight stream in.

Perhaps what made the place truly beautiful was the people. They welcomed me warmly and soon I found myself set up with an iced coffee with a touch of baileys and a ganache cake.  The owners encouraged me to just sit and take my time, there was no rush to eat and then pay and take off. It appears that the place is family run and the cafe is actually in the front part of their home.








 At one point while I was eating and chillaxing, a girl brought out a puzzle game and showed me how to play it. It was one of those old puzzle games made of wood that involves thinking and strategy. She told me to play it and when I've figured out the puzzle, let her know. I sat amusing myself with the game and within a few minutes had won the challenge. I called out and let them know I had figured it out. Another lady, one of the owners brought out a free cookie for me and told me this was my prize.

There are places, people, and experiences that leave something to be desired. And then there are places, people, and experiences that leave you with the desire for more of that. This was one of them.  The good food, warmth, hospitality, laughter, chatter made 90 mins in Colonia, Uruguay fly by.  Buenos Aires can be an incredibly cold and inhospitable city to live in at times so the joy of new places and new faces served as a wonderful respite from the city of fury.


With the presence of places like Ganache Café & Pasteleria, taking a one day excursion to Uruguay to renew my passport has never been more enjoyable :)

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"Cacerolazos", Cacophony & Community

Last week I did a blogpost around the theme of the spanish word "Solidaridad" meaning "kinship" or "fellowship" Solidaridad is something that can happen to you spontaneously but when you are abroad there are little things you can do to create a sense of community and rapport.  A few things happened in Buenos Aires that increased the tension of living in the city. The government began putting restrictions on the influx of foreign cash particularly american dollars.

To make a long story short, you can change your foreign cash into pesos but you cannot change your pesos into foreign cash. A desperation for USD began to develop. And it was in that moment that I found out what a "Cacerolazo" was. A "Cacerolazo" is when Argentines take pots and pans from their home and take to the streets banging them in a peaceful protest.  Understand that Argentines aren't the stereotype of what you imagine Latin American countries where they get violent. No, they don't get violent..........they get NOISY.

And My Favorite Word in Spanish is .......SOLIDARIDAD

Todays blog has been brought to you by the letter "S". "S" as in "Solidaridad", my favorite word in the whole spanish language.  There aren't many words in the spanish language that carry a weight or sentiment behind them the way there is in english but this is one of them.  "Solidaridad" would be equivalent to english for "kinship" or "fellowship. And that is exactly what I got a sense of one fine day when two other girls and I took a day trip to the barrio of La Boca.

La Boca is one of those neighbourhoods that you visit once just so you can say you've been there. It is an important part of Buenos Aires history because it is the first place where the early italian immigrants settled in their endeavors to start a new life. They left colorful buildings, beautiful murals, and artwork all over the barrio. However mass marketing soon arrived on the scene and La Boca has become the ultimate tourist trap. My recommendation is to only go there if you have time to kill.

Sexing It Up in the City

In light of Valentines days, todays blog ventures into the mysterious world of sex hotels (telos) in Buenos Aires. For those of you who may be hesitant to read another word, you can take a breather. There is nothing racy about this article in the least. It's more or less informative. In short, I am telling all about telos.

Sex hotels here don't have flashing lights like you would imagine one in Vegas would have.  Here is a picture  of one that is round the corner from where I live. As you can see, it looks like a plain building with a little sign.....blink and you'll miss it.

The business of sex hotels in Argentina is actually really organized. There are different chains of love hotels (like albergues transitorios) and each ones have different features. You have the option to rent a room for 3 hrs or 2 hrs at a time for a flat rate and there are rates if you and that someone special wanna stay the night with breakfast included. And this may give you a laugh but there are promos and online coupons you can get to receive a discount.

These hotels have peak times for business and low times as well. Alot of them offer a special discounted rate if you come during times of less occupancy. Or others may offer a 90 minute room rental for an extra low rate.

Telos are a very real business with staff, security, wifi, catering, theme rooms, vibrating beds and so much more. You can order room service and then food will come to you through a slot in the door so you can continue to maintain privacy and keep the mood you've set (or that you've been trying to set haha)

There is actually a whole world of gastronomy inside the world of sex hotels and some clients of these hotels have high standard and sophistication when it comes to food choices. After you satisfy one type of carnal desire you can pick up the phone and get another type satisfied to replenish you and give you strength so you can attend to your first carnal desire.



Here is a link to a great article in spanish on Planeta Joy about gastronomy in the world of sex hotels.


Eat & Fuck: la moda de comer en el telo

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Bobbing Up and Down on the Bustling Buenos Aires Bus

Image via Wikipedia

The cool breeze running through my hair was like a cold refreshing splash of water on ones face on a hot summer. Never in a million years could I have imagine that climbing aboard the big yellow Buenos Aires Bus would bring relief to my aching body. You must wonder what in the world must I have been doing to have put my body through world war three. Well, it wasn't a ton of activites........more like one BIG one. And that being standing in line for 10 hrs to see the coffin of ex-president Néstor Kirchner.

Getting Picked Up While in a Taxi

Some of you out there may be speculating that there is a grammatical error in the title of this blogpost but it was completely intentional.  Upon  arriving back from one of my trips to and from Colonia, Uruguay for the day, I did the usual and when I landed back in the ferry terminal in BsAs, I stepped out onto the side of the main road to hail a taxi.

Todays blog will incorporate several themes including how to stay safe and get to know strangers while avoiding sending mixed messages that can happen when two cultures colide. The first tip I want to share with anyone travelling to and from Uruguay via ferry from Buenos Aires is when you land in back in Buenos Aires and are in the ferry terminal again, there will be some taxis waiting for you right outside on the grounds of the ferry terminal.

Unless you cannot walk another step, don't accept an offer from a taxi driver. They are operating at a fixed rate of at least 70 pesos to wherever you want to go in the city. Instead, walk off the ferry grounds, find a main road where a stream of traffic is coming towards you and stand there and wait until a taxi comes along. Those taxis aren't contracted by the ferry terminal company and are just normal taxis so you will get a much lower per minute rate. Making that effort to walk those 5 mins out to the main road and catch a regular taxi is gonna save you 30-40 pesos

But lets get to the interesting part, I picked up a taxi and I ended up nearly getting picked up while in a taxi. It was driven by a handsome young 25 yr old who struck a conversation with me. Although I was tired, I remembered enjoying the conversation. There was a really nice vibe between us and at the end of the ride, he said he would like to continue to get to know me and we could exchange numbers if I wanted. I was OK with it so I gave my number and we decided to be in contact soon

Vitamin E & Me......

Olive! (Photo credit: Bibi)

There have never been any fantasies in my mind about the challenges of living abroad can bring. But one advantage to life in Argentina is that the amount of natural resources this country has. Being one of the greatest wine exporters in the world results in the fact that I can walk into a grocery store and buy an exceptional quality bottle of wine for $8 USD.

As it turns out, I find myself needing to make every possible resource available to me to keep my health in tip top shape. In my hunt for ways to stay on top of things, I found out that not only is Argentina one of the largest wine producers in the world it is also one of the largest producers of olives in the world as well. Olives are important because it is a great source of vitamin E.


As frustrating and scarce it may be feeling like one is scrambling for good ingredients, more and more I began to realize that there are little things I can do and incorporate into my daily routine that will make all the difference. I decided to take advantage of the fact that olives are one of this country's natural resources and began using Extra Virgin Olive Oil in even the little things like cooking chopped onions. Every little chance I got I used it to squeeze Vitamin E rich olives or olive oil into my diet.

When you are living abroad in a country where health products can be scarce, if you wish to survive you have to make every moment count.  It can be challenging especially in BA where around every corner there are snack shops and empanada stands.  It is all too tempting to make it daily habit to fuel up at those places because they are quick, convenient, and plentiful.

Often you here when you travel to try and experience the local culture and do what the locals do. This is the one time I definitely recommend that you DO NOT do as the locals do if you want to live long in another culture with a different language. Instead, raise the bar and find creative ways to eat cheap and healthy. And once you do, you can teach your Argentine friends to do the same. They will love you for it ;)


Today's episode has been brought to you by the letter "E" as in Expat or as in Eat. Or "E" as in  vitamin E.  Expats Eating vitamin E......

Dodging & Fudging the Issue of Death and Dying

Cementerio de la Recoleta - Buenos Aires - Argentina (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

During my stay with a local Argentine couple, there were two occurrences of deaths that happened within the family. The first time, I didn't ask too many questions but assumed that they deal with death the way we do in North America. But the 2nd time around, a brief interaction with the girl that lived in the house led to a startling revelation. The conversation went like this:

"My grandmother passed away yesterday"

"Oh, I'm sorry to here that"   (me)

 "Thanks....yeah we are gonna go bury her today"

I walked away for a few brief minutes and then the conversation sank it and I went back to my housemate and asked her if when someone passes away in Argentine culture, it seems as if the funeral is the next day. She confirmed to me that in their culture, burial is very quick and can even happen on the same day.

Flirting with Fair Prices in a Feria

There is no doubt in my mind that if the government and the people of Argentina had a fb page where they had to set their relationship status, their status would be set to "complicated". It seems as if every single time is ready to throw in the towel and give the "It's not you it's me" speech, the other throws a curve ball to keep them at arms length.

One of the places I hadn't been to on my last few trips was a little park called "Plaza Almagro". Sometimes exploring even the tiniest and most insignificant of places can bring gigantic results and this day was no exception.  It somehow worked out that my first visit would happen on the weekend. Unbeknownst to me there is a large open air market that happens in Plaza Almagro only on the weekends. Prices for food are dirt cheap and as a result lineups are long and getting there early is an absolute if you want first dibs.

Madonnas Sticky & Sweet Tour: Live in Buenos Aires

"I don't know if everybody knows about my history with Buenos Aires and Argentina. It's been 13 yrs since I have been here. I have an incredible relationship with this country.  There is something magical about this place and it's not tangible."     -Madonna




Dec 6th 2008, Madonna returned to Buenos Aires but this time for a performance that was bound to draw alot alot less protest than when she portrayed Eva Péron in Evita. 3 hrs and one day of presale was all it took for 70 000 tickets in River Plate Stadium.  The overwhelming response to Madges return to Buenos Aires prompted them to add another show date the very next day on Dec 7th.