ajhaynes.net

(From left to right - Mirjam, A.J., Courtney Conklin, Emre)

Keeping with the trend of bringing more perspectives to the site, I asked my friend Courtney about her experiences in Buenos Aires, Argentina…

Your name, where are you from?

Courtney, New York

1 ) When did you arrive and how long do you plan on staying (in total), or how long were you in Buenos Aires?

February to September 2007, about 7 months in total.

2 ) Why did you come to Bs As? Are you doing what you came here to do?

I came to Argentina on a fellowship through the Rotary Foundation to gain fluency in Spanish (er, Castellano), volunteer, and take classes. While in Buenos Aires, I also began a research project in las viallas miserias (the slums) on property rights and urbanization which was part of my job in the States.

3) Do you like Buenos Aires (why/why not)?

Buenos Aires is a great city to visit and there are many parts that made living here enjoyable (and the dollar to peso exchange made it easier). The people are truly warm and welcoming, the steak is fantastic, the pasta ricisimo(!) and the wine is worth writing home about. The more toursity parts of Buenos Aires are very atheistically pleasing, with a attention paid to detail and design of buildings and restaurants.

4) What do you find to be the most significant differences between life in the States and here in Bs As?

My stomach never adjusted to eating dinner at 10pm nor did my sleep cycle adjust to coming home at 6am. The oddest thing for me was lack of physical diversity in Buenos Aires. Most porteños are of European origin and there are very few indigenous people- strange to see in a big city.

5) For you, what’s the best thing about Buenos Aires?

The Porteño attitude, relaxed, warm, fun-loving and welcoming.

6) And the worst things about Bs As?

The stark contrast between the rich and poor, a lack of water pressure, crazy drivers, and the pollution.

7) Your Bs As favorites

Eat:
Malasaña Costa Rica 4619
La Brigada Recoleta at Peña 2475
Persico and Volta, Both have various location for GREAT ice cream.

Drink:
The aforementioned Wherever Bar and the bistro and library bar at Faena Hotel (El Porteño Building, Puerto Madero Este)

Dance:
Tango with Maxi and Marci at Carlos Copello’s.

Visit:
The museums (MALBA) the street fairs (Feria de San Telmo) La Sociedad Rural (any exhibition is worth visitng), Los Palos Borrachos (In the plazas and Japanese gardens, these are a perfect spot to enjoy the shade of their enormous branches and enjoy an afternoon with a book), Los Bosques Del Plaermo, Argentina’s Central Park, and Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo (dress up to watch the ponies!)

Escape:
Tigre’s Fruit Market (skip the tren de la costa but see San Isidro another time), San Antonio de Areco (for everything Guaucho), Las Estancias (I visited Estancia La Candelaria en Lobos)

For those with a little more time, take a weekend trip to Mendoza, Iguazu, or Cordoba. If you’ve got a month or more in Argentina, visit the Southern Patagonia, Bariloche, Salta or JuyJuy.

Shop:
Papelera Palermo (4945 Honduras) was my favorite actual store in Buenos Aires, but you can’t miss the plazas for jewlery, food, crafts, and clothes.

8 ) Will you return to Buenos Aires?

Absolutely, I would return to Buenos Aires in a heartbeat and I will return to finish up my research project sometime in the next few months.

9) Did you have expectations for what Bs As would be like? Is the city what you expected it to be (why/why not)?

The Porteño accent was harder to adjust to than I’d expected and carrying cash (and not depending on ATMs) took getting used to as well.

I had expected my own experience to be different, more than the city itself. Even though I had done quite a bit of research about the city, the economy, the history etc… I was not prepared to have so many of my own ideas and plans shaken up and questioned. In a good way. I’ve left Buenos Aires with a lot of new friends, new ideas, and plenty of questions that need answers.

10) Assuming you don’t intend to move here for good (at least not now), what will you miss most about the city and your time spent here?

More than anything I will miss the friends that I made (Porteños and extranjeros alike) but the eight pesos malbecs are hard to beat…