Mind in Transit

List: Phenomena in Buenos Aires

Here are some of my observations (some are just plain phenomenons) with the locals here in Buenos Aires:

• Store Front Magnetism: When walking along any of the many Avenidas with storefront windows, I stop to look at the window display and without fail, and within twenty seconds, there is some woman who has also stopped to look at the display.  Immediately after, a second woman stops to look, until eventually a crowd of people are standing in front of the display.  I have tested this phenomenon many times, and it is quite strange.  Some days, this is my activity of choice for the day because I enjoy the feeling of being a store front magnet.
• Lovers Quarrels: On several occasions I have been witness to an obviously private conversation between a twosome in public.  The quarrel will last anywhere between one to one and one half hour.  What usually happens is that the couple is happily cuddling or holding hands, and then it is quite obvious that the male half of the couple is desperately trying to explain something to the female half.  The female half is entirely disgruntled, but not completely disassociated, as she continues to hold his hand or accept his kisses.  By the time they both come around it is as though none of this has taken place.
• Coffee and Grilled Ham and Cheese: I have never been one to complain about either of these items, but I must say that this is one of the most ordered food/drink pairings in this city.  Except, grilled cheese is not called grilled cheese, it is called a tostada, which means toast, but the cheese is somehow implied, as well as ham.  The coffee is not drip coffee, it is espresso, and it is almost always accompanied by an equal portion of soda water in a small, clear glass cup.
• Getting to the Other Side of the Road: As a pedestrian in a city of 3 million people (11 million, if you include all of the various barrios within the actual city of Buenos Aires), you begin to feel that it might be impossible to cross the street.  For example, a street such as 9 de Julio, which requires crossing sixteen car lanes to get to the other side, might seem daunting because it is rare to cross this Avenida with the help of one light.  Add to this the fact that there are at least two or three people who have emerged from behind a large crowd of waiting pedestrians just to come and stand directly (uncomfortably) in front of you.  Often times, it is necessary to actually stand in the road with the oncoming traffic in order to stand any chance of crossing the street in this town.

Uruguayan mathematics and nostalgia

This morning I woke up at 7:30 am in order to catch a ferry that would take me across the Rio Plato at 9.  The trip was a tranquil 3 hours over the water to Colonia, Uruguay, and then another 2 and an half hour bus ride to Montevideo.  When I arrived in this city, I had not a single Uruguayan peso on me.  I quickly went to the currency exchange and changed 100 Argentine pesos for 735 Uruguayan pesos.  Since then, I have been doing some math figures in my head to understand the currency conversion to American dollars.  It seems that the American dollar gets between 23 and 25 Uruguayan pesos.  So, I can either round down and do math thinking that $1 is equal to $20 here, or I can round up to think that $1 is equal to $25 here.  I like the sound of rounding down. 

For dinner I had a pizza and a beer for $87.  Then I bought a $10 package of Rocklets (MnMs).  Then, I went to the pharmacy to purchase some soap and some creme for the new mosquito I have acquired here in this mosquito friendly city for $257.  I have $100 left after paying for my $275 ($10US) bed at my hostel in downtown Montevideo.

Now, you know why my head is spinning. 

Tonight, the Uruguayans celebrate their memories.  Notorious for having a plethora of holidays in the year, this holiday comes one day before the Uruguayan Independence Day.  So, the point is to stay up late in order to recognize their nostalgia of days in the past.  In the meantime, I think it is important to note that the Uruguayans really are into their mate.  Almost everyone here carries around a thermos of hot water and their gourd with yerba mate and bombilla.  I thought the Argentines were into it, but I was wrong. 

I have some photos of the journey over here, but they will have to wait until I have a better connection and more time to myself.

Chau!

Submarinos and Fernando Botero

Cafe Tortoni is listed in every guidebook you will find on Buenos Aires.  I figured that I should give it a shot at the beginning of my third month here in Argentina.  The cafe is located on the Avenida de Mayo near the Casa Rosada and Florida pedestrian mall. 

When I approached the formally dressed doors of the cafe, there was a doorman on the other side of the doorway who promptly held open one of the doors for entry.  Once inside,  I was surprised at the granduer of the oldest cafe in Buenos Aires.  Wood fixtures and seemingly-sophisticated paintings created the antique feeling of the cafe.  I had a strange feeling of being amongst many tourists, as the cafe was nearly seated to capacity.  There were one or two tables with just one person sitting reading a novel, all others were occupied by groups of chattering, smoking, coffee sipping people. 

When I found a table and finally got the moso's (waiter) attention I ordered a submarino.  Steamed milk with a chocolate bar that you mix with the milk yourself... basically hot chocolate.  It looks like this:
and it is fabulous!

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Not wanting to miss the art exhibition of Colombian painter Fernando Botero, I jetted down to the Museo de Belles Artes.  After much confusion as to the price of admission, I finally learned that the entire museum is free, however, the cost of the exhibition ran a steep 9 pesos. (In this town, 9 pesos can buy you a grilled cheese sandwich and cafe con leche.)

Nevertheless, I paid the admission to view what I had thought was going to be the satirical and brightly painted works that Botero is well-known for.  What I learned quite quickly was that the subject matter of this exhibition was the ongoing violence in Colombia.  Botero's rotund stylings dealt with the brutal themes of narcoviolence in a way that, for me, was quite perplexing and disturbing. 

Here were these brightly colored, comical figures in horrid situations.  I decided immediately that this was not a reportage of events in Colombia, and that the juxtoposition of violence with the jubilant colors and exaggerated figures of the paintings were simply confusing.

I didn't know how to respond.  As a Colombian citizen, Botero surely doesn't intend to seem light-hearted in such works entitled, "Masacre en Colombia" (Massacre in Colombia), "Coche Bomba" (Car Bomb), and "Madre Llorando" (Mother Crying).  It is a dark subject matter being dealt with in bright colors. 

On second thought, there were works of Botero in the exhibitions that I found spoke true to the subject matter.  In these works, Botero used less color, less scenery, and allowed more to be left up to the mind of the person viewing the painting. 

A large charcoal drawing of a figure with his hands tied behind his back spoke more loudly to me than the bright painting of five men in a boat whose death is imminent by gunfire.

The title of the exhibition is called, " El dolor de Colombia en los ojos de Botero" (The pain of Colombia in the eyes of Botero).