We started classes this past Monday, and let me just say, this school is incredibly unorganized. First off, we had to register for classes Monday at 8 AM (apparently) and classes started that very same day! Not only that, but none of us were able to register until after 11... and many people weren't able to register on their own at all. Once we got to school, we discovered the "faculty only" couches and elevators. Are you effing kidding me? There's this huge area of couches that are super comfortable and great for lounging before classes, and we were immediately kicked off said couches because they were meant for the faculty. Because it clearly makes sense that the students can't sit on one of the completely empty couches untouched by professors. I digress.
Classes have been pretty good so far. My professors are all really interesting people, but I'm definitely terrified of one of them. My Argentine culture professor is insanely eclectic, and there's only 5 of us in the class, and he's definitely not afraid to get in our faces, literally. I can't decide if I'll stay with the class because frankly, I'm pretty scared.
Last friday we went on an extremely boring bus tour of the city, but we did get to get off the bus in La Boca for about a half hour, and it was beautiful! I definitely need to get back there because it was so colorful. La Boca is a very poor area of the city, but it's marked by its colorful buildings and street performers in some of the more touristy areas. It's extremely dangerous at night, but I get to appreciate the scenery during the day and that's all that matters.
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| Definitely going back to get some artwork there! |
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| The main touristy street |
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| Traditional colorful "La Boca" |
Other than classes, we didn't do much this week. We had planned on celebrating the end of the first week of classes Thursday night (no Friday classes- glorious!), but we actually all just fell asleep instead. We celebrated on Friday night and ended up at some insane club, and that's a story in and of itself. We spent the day on Saturday lounging around and watching the Olympics, but rounded off the night by going to see The Dark Knight Rises... and it was AWESOME. Like, seriously awesome. It was in english with subtitles in castellano, so it didn't make much of a difference in the movie watching experience. I recommend it to everyone.
Today we had a little excursion with our program director into the Recoleta neighborhood of the city. It's one of the oldest and most well-estabilished neighborhoods, and it's home to the craft market on the weekends, as well as the Recoleta cemetery. The cemetery was breath-taking, and hauntingly beautiful. You could spend days going through the little "streets" inside.
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| An example of a "street" |
As you can see, this isn't an ordinary cemetery. Its compromised entirely of intricate and beautiful mausoleums (in no particular order by date), and in a variety of different styles. Many of them are adorned with statues of angels, or with statues and carvings of the individuals entombed inside. Each one is completely unique and has a compelling story to tell. Some of the ones I found to be most beautiful were the oldest... those that were deteriorating but still stood amongst the more modern ones from the 20th century. I heard that it's actually more expensive to be buried in this cemetery than it would be to live your entire life in the city... That's the kind of people who are buried here. It could take days to go through and examine the entire cemetery, through each street and alley, but I absolutely plan to return at some point! I'll add some of my favorite shots from the cemetery below.
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| Many of the various toppers on the mausoleums |
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| My favorite shot of the day, looking down one of the alleys of tombs |
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| A sign of love placed on the steps of a mausoleum |
One of the coolest things about some of the mausoleums in the cemetery is that you can see inside them. Actually, you can see the caskets inside many of them because they are in plain viewing sight. Some of the older mausoleums are falling apart, and the caskets are actually exposed to the outside (not behind glass or bars like many). It's really interesting how it's different everywhere. It's almost reassuring being able to see the caskets. It makes you feel part of their story, and makes the person behind the inscription and statue seems so much more real. Finally, we visited the tomb of Eva Perón. If you don't know who she is, look her up. She's very important (but also EXTREMELY controversial) in Argentine history.
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| Evita's Tomb |
We have a pretty standard week coming up. Classes start back up tomorrow and go until thursday. Then we have an excursion down to Florida Street on Friday, which is mainly shopping! I'm in the market for a leather jacket so I cannot wait to go! I miss everyone at home and I hope you guys are having an awesome summer! (Because it is cooooold here!)
¡Ciao!
- Meagan
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