Still, there was lots going on, and I got to spend a lot of time with great people for the normal reasons and while celebrating my birthday and Halloween. I also made a point to really walk around my neighborhood, Palermo Soho, and to explore Palermo as a whole.
Originally, Fe, a classmate from El Pasaje, and I had Sunday plans to go to the cemetary in Recoleta and possibly to a museum and the market nearby, but unfortunately Fe's roommate got sick and they spent the day figuring out the hospital system, although thankfully everything turned out well.
It was a rainy, lazy Sunday, so it seemed like the perfect time to go explore El Ateneo, a famous bookstore in the city, housed in an old theater. It's gorgeous, to say the least. I could wander around a bookstore forever, but when it looks like this, the temptation is even greater.
Anyway, I started my week exploring a new place in the city and looking at books, which for me is fairly close to a perfect day.
I really needed a haircut. I had been told, kindly, at La Fulana, it was looking a little shaggy. While I didn't take the suggestion of having stars buzzed into my hair, I did take the general advice. Monday I walked to a haircut place and talked to the really nice guy who worked there and had an opening to help me out.
I spent the rest of the afternoon at a coffee shop called Libros del Pasaje, which is also a bookstore filled with rolling ladders and wooden shelves. It's a great little place and close to my apartment, so I did some work. I've found in Argentina that the internet is both essential and dangerous. After all, I had a huge list of places to go and addresses but many of them were totally outdated. Still, groups like Gay Geeks operate totally online, so there would have been no way for me to make contact without Facebook, and I'm always grateful to meet new people in whatever way. As India gets closer (I have less than a month, what), I will start to look over the research I did before leaving and try expand, but for now, there's still plenty to find in Argentina.
As part of my mission to explore Palermo more, I went and had dinner at Bio, a veggie/vegan restaurant nearby. There I met Juan a brother and sister who were in Barcelona to visit their childhood friends. We talked for a while and I had some delicious risotto and a glass of wine with a book. It was excellent.
Inside Bio. I went early (8pm is early for dinner here, by the way), so it was not very crowded. As I was leaving, things were picking up.
I continued with my classes this week, working again with Anahi, who was my group teacher and who is so nice and helpful. We start class with conversation but she's also really good at making sure that things are structured and we cover what I want to cover without it being strictly about grammar.
On my birthday, I spent the day wandering through the neighborhood and eating brunch at a really cute local cafe called Voltaire. The food was delicious and I enjoyed reading and being outside in the neighborhood on what was a gorgeous day.
That afternoon, I went to see a movie. It's something that I love to do at home but that I haven't done yet on my trip. I don't really have the time normally, and there's so much to do and see that it doesn't get put on the top of my to-do list. Anyway, I was really excited to go and do something somewhat familiar in a new place. I went to see Gravity in 3D at the local Cinemark which is, funny enough, the theatre closest to my house in Mississippi. The movie was in English with Spanish subtitles. Fun fact, seats are assigned, and when the woman asked me which number I wanted, I just picked one randomly hoping that it wasn't all the way at the back or front. It wasn't. We were all sort of huddled in the middle. I hate to generalize but I will say that this was one of the very few places in Argentina where I arrived and the event started on time. The movie was beautiful, the plotline was meh, but all in all, it was a great way to spend an afternoon. I ate popcorn and sat in a cool theatre and it felt a little like home.
For dinner I went to a Mexican restaurant close to home that got great reviews. The reviews were correct. I ate tacos and guacamole with wine (classy, I know) and had an alfajor (Havanna are debatably the best) for dessert.
Wandered back in the daytime to catch a picture of the restaurant
Not the prettiest picture but really, really good food.
I chose the chocolate for that night. The white chocolate has been my favorite so far. They all have dulce de leche inside.
I had made plans to celebrate with friends on Saturday because it seemed like the weekend would be more convenient but ended up changing them to Tuesday because in Argentina, it's illegal to sell alcohol the day before/of the election, which was that Sunday. I guess with a mandatory vote on a Sunday, drunk voters are a concern. Anyway, I was looking forward to continuing birthday celebrations the next week.
These are all over. Where there might have been concerts advertisements or whatever else, now there are political ads, sometimes with commentary.
Friday I had my last day of class at El Pasaje. I was really sad to say goodbye. I loved spending time there and my Spanish has really improved with classes. It was a good place for me to practice language skills but it also provided me with a number of great social connections and with new project information. It has been an excellent surprise that almost everywhere I spend time in Buenos Aires, and in Argentina generally, provides me with some new avenue to explore related to LGBT life. Anyway that Friday I finished my classes with Anahi before heading to La Fulana.
At La Fulana that night, we planned for for pride at the activist meeting. I'll be a guard on the side of the truck with several other people, and we'll get there that morning to set up the tent and decorate everything.
At the group meeting, everyone pulled a piece of paper that had a quesiton on it about pride. "When did you first start to have pride?" "Why are you proud?" "Why is pride important to you?" It was a really interesting discussion and the general conclusion was that Pride the event provided a really important sense of community while pride generally was something that sometimes came at a specific moment and othertimes came gradually, after years of struggling or doubting or dealing with opposition from others. I benefit so much from being able to listen to these conversations and hear the stories of women from different backgrounds.
I also learned that contracts between organizations and companies are prohibited at Buenos Aires Pride. That is to say, nobody will be driving around in an Easy Jet float. This is an attempt to avoid commercialization and keep the parade political, and I'm really interested to see how this impacts the structure of the march, especially because Buenos Aires Pride is so huge.
To me, this seems like a better option. I like the idea of a Pride separate from the corporate world, and I'm really eager to see what that looks like. Even in Memphis, the Horseshoe comes and hands out bags; there's corporate promotion at the event. This isn't all bad as companies can show their support for the community, but it seems problematic that a political protest would be funded by major companies, if only because it then becomes tricky to talk about some of the problems that the community might have with corporate interests and other policies they support.
Anyway, I'm really looking forward to seeing how things are similar and different here, especially now that I know about these rules.
On Saturday, I headed to my usual meetins with Sigla and the Juventud FALGBT. I took some pictures of the journey to get there because it was a gorgeous day.
Plaza de Mayo and Casa Rosada at sunset, as I was walking to catch the subway to Sigla.
At Juventud FALGBT, we planned for the march as well. The Juventud tent will be next to the La Fulana tent, so I'll get to hang out with both groups that day. There will be t-shirts and balloons and all the regular fun pride gear as well.
After the official planning, the group stayed around and discussed politics for a while. I really enjoyed being able to listen and contribute (a tiny bit) to the discussion about the election and who might win and why. It seems strange to me, but the city of Buenos Aires leans to the right. People have told me that this is because of the affluence here; there is a hesitation to vote for parties that have policies that appeal to the poor and working class.
After Juventud, I headed to Sigla to say hello to the youth group and attend the women's group for the first time. The youth group was making t-shirts for the parade.
I got to the women's group late but they were extremely welcoming. The group is a mix of lesbian and bisexual women and trans women, and when I walked in, there was an interesting discussion about trans identity happening. Somewhere in there, I heard someone mention a passive lesbian. This was interesting because the terms active and passive are, for me, more common in conversation with gay men, although really at this point, the need to label in that way is waning and people are much more open about flexibility.
Anyway, I thought it was strange that the terms translated to the lesbian community. I had only really read or thought about it that way in Stone Butch Blues, which, while it raises a number of good questions about identity and community, also seems dated in many ways.
As the conversation continued, the women touched on a number of topics, and I very much enjoyed being able to speak with them.
On the way to the grocery on the way home, I saw the phsyical barrier on the alcohol aisle.
The next day I went and had breakfast at a local cafe and did some work. It was a beautiful day so I strolled around Palermo for a while, checking out the local fair by accident before finding my way home.
Waiting outside the cafe.
Some super cool builidng art on the way home:
That night, I went to Fe's house to have dinner with her, Thais, and Florian, also students at El Pasaje. We ordered in sushi and drank wine and Fe and Thais introduced Florian and me to the Baile Funk, which is a dance that looks something like the nightmare that one of the Sisters at my high school might have had before our homecoming or prom. Very little clothing, lots of gyrating. Anyway they showed us because Florian is going to Brazil for New Year's Eve and he was asking about club life. Fe and Thais jokingly told him to try that out.
On Monday I did some more exploring, walking through the neighborhood to my favorite coffee place to do a little work. I did laundry and got groceries and made food for the week. I don't have a freezer here so the veggies that I don't get fresh I cook immediately and have on hand for the week. As in Poland, I really enjoy cooking here. I like the process and the chance to experiment with new things and I think it's calming.
Mosaic on the walk
Courtney!
Love the trees
At La Fulana that night, we planned for for pride at the activist meeting. I'll be a guard on the side of the truck with several other people, and we'll get there that morning to set up the tent and decorate everything.
At the group meeting, everyone pulled a piece of paper that had a quesiton on it about pride. "When did you first start to have pride?" "Why are you proud?" "Why is pride important to you?" It was a really interesting discussion and the general conclusion was that Pride the event provided a really important sense of community while pride generally was something that sometimes came at a specific moment and othertimes came gradually, after years of struggling or doubting or dealing with opposition from others. I benefit so much from being able to listen to these conversations and hear the stories of women from different backgrounds.
I also learned that contracts between organizations and companies are prohibited at Buenos Aires Pride. That is to say, nobody will be driving around in an Easy Jet float. This is an attempt to avoid commercialization and keep the parade political, and I'm really interested to see how this impacts the structure of the march, especially because Buenos Aires Pride is so huge.
To me, this seems like a better option. I like the idea of a Pride separate from the corporate world, and I'm really eager to see what that looks like. Even in Memphis, the Horseshoe comes and hands out bags; there's corporate promotion at the event. This isn't all bad as companies can show their support for the community, but it seems problematic that a political protest would be funded by major companies, if only because it then becomes tricky to talk about some of the problems that the community might have with corporate interests and other policies they support.
Anyway, I'm really looking forward to seeing how things are similar and different here, especially now that I know about these rules.
On Saturday, I headed to my usual meetins with Sigla and the Juventud FALGBT. I took some pictures of the journey to get there because it was a gorgeous day.
Getting off the subway. During the week, this place is packed, but the weekends are much calmer. Everybody works here; nobody lives here.
This is the beautiful old building where Juventud have their meetings and where the La Fulana office will be.
Plaza de Mayo and Casa Rosada at sunset, as I was walking to catch the subway to Sigla.
After the official planning, the group stayed around and discussed politics for a while. I really enjoyed being able to listen and contribute (a tiny bit) to the discussion about the election and who might win and why. It seems strange to me, but the city of Buenos Aires leans to the right. People have told me that this is because of the affluence here; there is a hesitation to vote for parties that have policies that appeal to the poor and working class.
After Juventud, I headed to Sigla to say hello to the youth group and attend the women's group for the first time. The youth group was making t-shirts for the parade.
Anyway, I thought it was strange that the terms translated to the lesbian community. I had only really read or thought about it that way in Stone Butch Blues, which, while it raises a number of good questions about identity and community, also seems dated in many ways.
As the conversation continued, the women touched on a number of topics, and I very much enjoyed being able to speak with them.
On the way to the grocery on the way home, I saw the phsyical barrier on the alcohol aisle.
The next day I went and had breakfast at a local cafe and did some work. It was a beautiful day so I strolled around Palermo for a while, checking out the local fair by accident before finding my way home.
Waiting outside the cafe.
Delicious breakfast
Cute inside of the cafe
The sidewalk outside
In the Palermo Fair
Some super cool builidng art on the way home:
I ran into one of the voting stations in my neighborhood on the way.
That night, I went to Fe's house to have dinner with her, Thais, and Florian, also students at El Pasaje. We ordered in sushi and drank wine and Fe and Thais introduced Florian and me to the Baile Funk, which is a dance that looks something like the nightmare that one of the Sisters at my high school might have had before our homecoming or prom. Very little clothing, lots of gyrating. Anyway they showed us because Florian is going to Brazil for New Year's Eve and he was asking about club life. Fe and Thais jokingly told him to try that out.
On Monday I did some more exploring, walking through the neighborhood to my favorite coffee place to do a little work. I did laundry and got groceries and made food for the week. I don't have a freezer here so the veggies that I don't get fresh I cook immediately and have on hand for the week. As in Poland, I really enjoy cooking here. I like the process and the chance to experiment with new things and I think it's calming.
Mosaic on the walk
Walked back by the cafe at a less busy time
Tuesday night was my birthday party! That day I went and picked up laundry, cleaned, wrote and researched, and took a walk to the grocery for a few things I forgot on Monday. That evening, we met at my house and then walked to Magdalena's Party, a local bar that got really good reviews and has a happy hour from 12-12.
We sat around and drank for a little while because several more people came to meet us later, and then we ordered food and chatted for a while over dinner and drinks. I had a burger called the American, and it was delicious. Normally I go for Argentine food but it looked so good.
I really enjoyed the night and am so thankful to my friends who came out to eat and drink and have fun, even though it was a Tuesday.
We sat around and drank for a little while because several more people came to meet us later, and then we ordered food and chatted for a while over dinner and drinks. I had a burger called the American, and it was delicious. Normally I go for Argentine food but it looked so good.
I really enjoyed the night and am so thankful to my friends who came out to eat and drink and have fun, even though it was a Tuesday.
At dinner.
Walking from the restaurant.
Since it was Halloween, I decided to go to a Couchsurfers event here in Palermo. I had heard about it from some friends at El Pasaje, and since Halloween isn't big here in Buenos Aires, I figured I would check out an event with expats. The event page said there would be a costume contest and a raffle and since I love Halloween, I was really excited.
Because I'm traveling light, I don't have a lot of costume options, but I do have all the clothes of a great tourist. So, I dressed up in my hiking shoes, shorts, and shirt, put on my hat (muy gringa, as a friend told me), and added a camera, water bottle, and backpack for good measure. I made a little tag that said tourist just to make clear that it was a costume and then I headed out to the bar to meet the couchsurfers.
I got there about 45 minutes late, because this is Argentina and that's about on time. I knew from the beginning there would be problems. The bouncer at the door knew I was going to the couch event and sent me to ask inside, but the waitresses had no idea what I was talking about and clearly did not understand my costume. They had on cat ears.
I sat down at a table and waited until a group of three two tables over waved to me and asked if I was looking for couchsurfers. I was so excited. I was also the only one in costume, and as more and more people arrived, I continued to be the only one in costume. Worse, nobody knew it was a costume. They thought I arrived at the bar this way, that I normally brought my camera and water bottle out for beer. Several people even thought I wore the name tag on a daily basis. It was one of those ridiculous moments, but I explained to people that it was a costume and normally got a few laughs, thankfully.
I ended up staying out talking to people for most of the night, meeting Callum, who is from South Africa and has connections to the community there, as well as Marielle, who is from DC and also wanted to go see a tango show, something super touristy but essential. I exchanged contact info with both of them and left feeling only slightly ridiculous.
Walking back home in my costume felt like a pretty good metaphor for my life on the Watson. There I am, in the middle of the night, walking down the road with a tourist label on my shirt. I feel out of place and obvious, but I also know where I'm going. I have a home in the neighborhood and friends nearby and it's this strange hybrid of being a part of a place and being totally aware of my difference.
At home, I might have been nervous to walk by myself at night. I would have felt absolutely absurd in my costume. I think here I have learned that I don't really have that option. I can't be intimidated or scared out of doing things, or I won't meet people. I won't go places. There's definitely some compartmentalization going on, but I'm grateful that I have learned to live and think in a different way, at least for this year.
The Tourist
The Madres of Palermo, on the way to the bar that night
On Friday I went to La Fulana but there was a miscommunication about the activist meeting, so I ended up in the wrong place. It was fine. I ended up going to El Gato Negro, a famous cafe in the city that is very close to the La Fulana meeting place, and writing and working for a while before leaving for a friend's birthday.
The club was having a Halloween night, and I was really excited, so I put together a Facebook costume. Unfortunately, I got sick and couldn't go.
At that point, I had a sort of come to Jesus meeting with myself. I was feeling terrible and had been for a while. As I mentioned earlier, I didn't really want to deal with it, so I pretended like it wasn't happening. Not a smart move. As I was standing on the escalator out of the Subway, I almost fell over. Passing out on public transport or in a subway terminal is not one of my life goals, so I texted my Mom and told her what was happening and asked her to contact my specialist at home and ask about things I can do to help. We'll see what happens. Anyway, it was a good few weeks despite the sickness, and I ended Friday night ready to start Pride festivities!
These few weeks, I'm thankful for:
1. The good friends here with whom I can share dinner and beer (or Fernet and Coke)
2. The chance to study at El Pasaje and the helpful people there
3. A group of people who talked to me even when they thought I wore a hat to a club on a really warm night
What is the Mott building?!
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