I touched down in Houston ten days ago, beginning the much anticipated process of culture shock. Restaurants close really early here. It seems kind of rude. Continue reading
Reflections on Six Months in Argentina
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Tag Archives: cordoba
Oh hey, I’m still here
So just to catch you all up to speed, I’m still in Argentina. I’m going home in two weeks and that’s probably why I’m on here writing this, hoping that some existential rambling will put the past six and a half months in perspective. That or I’m just procrastinating studying for my finals. Whatever. Continue reading
Dollah Dollah Bill Ya’ll — A Treatise on Spending Money in Argentina
I’ve been meaning to write a post about money in Argentina for awhile but things keep getting in the way. And then about a week and a half ago I had an unpleasant experience that wiped everything else from my mind–I remembered that I’m actually in school. I know, I know, I thought I was just here to ride my bike and try to figure out the bus system (which by the way IS a full time job). But no, academics poked up its ugly head and tried to ruin my carefree Argentina existence. But, don’t worry, now that I’ve crammed half of a semester’s worth of work into five days and survived my first set of parciales, I can go back to getting on the wrong busses and writing the occasional blog post. Phew. I know you’re all relieved. Continue reading
El mundo cambia para una familia
This blog post is a few weeks late but as they say, better late than never. And in this case it might actually be better late than on-time because I’ve had some time to reflect on the experience and post something a little more nuanced than I’m really tired.My first week in Cordoba I started volunteering with Un Techo para mi Pais, an organization that builds emergency housing in poor and marginalized barrios (neighborhoods) and then continues to support these communities after the construction by funding daycares, helping kids with school work and investing in local projects. Continue reading
You might be going to school in Argentina if…
***Disclaimer: I love Argentina, and when it comes to college students, more things are similar than are different. Regardless of what continent you are on, everyone goes out of their way to not have class before noon and no one does the reading. However, I’ve catalogued some of the amusing differences between Middlebury and the Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, for your entertainment***
YOU MIGHT BE GOING TO SCHOOL IN ARGENTINA IF… Continue reading
I just want to do my homework, damnit
I finally started classes last week. Well, sort of. Technically half of my classes started the week before but somehow I didn’t realize that. If this sounds like a massive oversight, let me justify myself. The Universidad Nacional de Cordoba does not go out of its way to make what is, in my opinion (and I think you’ll agree), critical information, available. That’s assuming the information exists, which I’m not sure about. As far as I can tell, classes start (or don’t start) at the whim of the professor. Finding reliable information here is a little bit like panning for gold. It’s a lot of work, you get really dirty feet and even if you do turn up something shiny there’s a 75% chance you’re a fool. Continue reading
Espinillas and traffic, riding in Cordoba
Since I got to Cordoba a couple weeks ago, I’ve gone on a few mountain bike rides. These have been learning experiences.
Getting to trails requires about 45 minutes of what my riding buddy Martin calls “medio feo” or “half ugly.” I call it shit-fuck-scary. Argentine drivers don’t pay a lot of attention to lanes or common courtesies like not-merging-on-top-of-you. Red lights are also kind of a joke. Jaja. And then there are the busses, or colectivos, which like to assert their authority by passing you at a hair’s breath and then stopping. I’m slightly less afraid of them now that I’ve realized I can out-accelerate them 90% of the time, but that doesn’t mean I have to like them. Continue reading
Bureaucracy and Roses in Cordoba
My life for the past week has been consumed by bureaucracy. This doesn’t make for very interesting blog posts. It also doesn’t make for a very happy Syd. In the past week, I’ve probably spent 5 hours waiting in line, 15 hours wandering around looking for information that doesn’t exist and several more hours meeting with people who actually don’t know anything. I still haven’t registered for classes, I still don’t have a Visa and I’m still pretty clueless. Welcome to Argentina. Continue reading
I got a haircut in Argentina and lived to tell about it
Two things of note have happened since I got to Cordoba.
First, three days ago, I moved into my new room in an apartment with an older couple in the center of Cordoba. Today, for the first time, I actually recognized my front door when I walked by. Everything in time. Second, I got a haircut. Continue reading