School´s out.....
We celebrated the end of our two weeks at the language school yesterday by opening a bottle of wine and having an early night! It´s been good. We learnt a lot of new grammar and lots about the history, politics and culture of Argentina, including some reading of Borges and Cortazar and some looking at Xul Solar and other artists, which we have followed up by visits to the Museo Bellas Artes, the Museum of Modern Art and the Xul Solar Museum.
In between we have even managed to go to the opera, do a walking tour of the city and make our first foray into Palermo where we will spend a few days at the end of our time in BA. We found a vegetarian restaurant, La Esquina de Flores, and stocked up on vitamin C which has been sadly lacking from our diet. A lot of coffee has been drunk to keep us awake since 5 hours of classes a day is hard going, and despite being told that the coffee here is not good (Naomi!), we have found it excellent. Just as well-we have needed it! Now all that remains is to put the grammar to some use, although we are speaking a lot of Spanish here-more often than not I think when we are out and about as well as at the school and it is very useful.
Thursday was another dia feriado (the word fiesta seem not to be used except for Christmas and New Year), this time to commemorate the dead in the Falklands or Malvinas. As fate would have it, Raul Alfonsin, the first president of a democratic Argentina after the fall of the Generals in 1983 had died a couple of days before, so the day was also his funeral and there was a massive turn out and show of popular grief. We have been told that although the Malvinas was terrible, it is generally understood in Argentina that this was the price paid for the downfall of the military junta, though it seems a terribly heavy one and one that does the British no credit, especially the sinking of the Belgrano, although we have seen no anti British feeling other than one banner at the football match. Perhaps this also has something to do with the fact that much of the country´s infrastructure, such as railways, electricity and water was built by the British and although the Spanish and Italians are by far and away the biggest group of immigrants. Still, on Thursday, I wished that I had kept my "I didn´t vote for Thatcher" badge which I would have gladly worn.
Speaking of football, the national team lost 6 goals to 0 against Bolivia on Wednesday night, thus adding an extra edge of dolefulness to Thursday. The team are blaming the fact that they had to play at altitude, but perhaps they weren´t very good after all.......
In between we have even managed to go to the opera, do a walking tour of the city and make our first foray into Palermo where we will spend a few days at the end of our time in BA. We found a vegetarian restaurant, La Esquina de Flores, and stocked up on vitamin C which has been sadly lacking from our diet. A lot of coffee has been drunk to keep us awake since 5 hours of classes a day is hard going, and despite being told that the coffee here is not good (Naomi!), we have found it excellent. Just as well-we have needed it! Now all that remains is to put the grammar to some use, although we are speaking a lot of Spanish here-more often than not I think when we are out and about as well as at the school and it is very useful.
Thursday was another dia feriado (the word fiesta seem not to be used except for Christmas and New Year), this time to commemorate the dead in the Falklands or Malvinas. As fate would have it, Raul Alfonsin, the first president of a democratic Argentina after the fall of the Generals in 1983 had died a couple of days before, so the day was also his funeral and there was a massive turn out and show of popular grief. We have been told that although the Malvinas was terrible, it is generally understood in Argentina that this was the price paid for the downfall of the military junta, though it seems a terribly heavy one and one that does the British no credit, especially the sinking of the Belgrano, although we have seen no anti British feeling other than one banner at the football match. Perhaps this also has something to do with the fact that much of the country´s infrastructure, such as railways, electricity and water was built by the British and although the Spanish and Italians are by far and away the biggest group of immigrants. Still, on Thursday, I wished that I had kept my "I didn´t vote for Thatcher" badge which I would have gladly worn.
Speaking of football, the national team lost 6 goals to 0 against Bolivia on Wednesday night, thus adding an extra edge of dolefulness to Thursday. The team are blaming the fact that they had to play at altitude, but perhaps they weren´t very good after all.......
posted by Team Tierney | 11:54 PM
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