January 10, 2007
Chelsea Boska and Vladimir Alexandre
Trip To Ranelagh
This morning it was the first time that it rained for real here in Buenos Aires since we got here. It cooled down for a bit, which was a pleasant change. We were supposed to go for a walking tour in Ranelagh, but instead we went to our tourguide´s house and listened to her lecture on the history of the British neighborhood and British assimilation. Her house was beautiful, and it was interesting to look around at when she talked, because it was a traditional house. Her lecture was very interesting to listen to, because it told about how the British settled in Ranelagh, and how the Argetntinians accepted them into society. What was particulary interesting was how they assimilated, and kept their Britishness, while still being recognized as Argentinians. Though they spoke spanish outside the home, they preserved their Britishness by teaching their children, and retaining english schooling and clubs, etc. Argentina allowed this, because they respected the fact of maintaining identity within groups, and they were a significant group. It was surprising that the support for the British even strengthened after the Malvinas war, because the Argentinians recognized all of their citizens as Argentine, despite where they came from, and supported the British Argentine citizens, seeing they supported Argentina over their roots. The houses were also fascinating in themselves, seeing as they were passed down from generation to generation, and though one would think all of them would be modeled after English architecture, many were actually modeled after Spanish styles.
After the lecture we went to lunch at the golf club, where we ate a full course meal. The food was good, with the traditional breads at the beginning of the meal, and fantas, cokes, and water to drink. People got an egg dish or crepes for an appetizer, and chicken, pasta, or steak for a main course, and most people got icecream or fruit for dessert. It was nice to eat in the club, overlooking the vast golf course, and have further conversation with everyone together.
After that we were supposed to look at some traditional chalets, but instead we headed back to the hotel.Upon getting back to the hotel, some people went swimming at a public pool. This pool was enormous, with actually more than one, with waterslides, and including a children´s park, tennis courts, and a workout center. It was gorgeous, with tons of trees and lawns. For a public pool, it was very clean, with a body inspection required before you could get in the pool. The water was very shallow, which is not like American pools, and it was hard to see lifeguards, if there were any. IT was a good experience to go to in order to compare and contrast to American pools, because it ended up being very different.
At night a group of us went out to pizza down the street from the hotel. Pizza is very different here, with less sauce and a variety of cheeses, and olives on all of them. They are also extremely cheap. We learned what it is like to be American in another countrty when we realized how much louder we are than everyone else. After some people went to get dessert, and some just went back to the hotel.Today was a day of a bunch of different experiences, which taught us about Argentinian culture in the past and in today. It also exposed the difference between our two cultures, and sort of put out there what it is like to be an American in Argentina.
Trip To Ranelagh
This morning it was the first time that it rained for real here in Buenos Aires since we got here. It cooled down for a bit, which was a pleasant change. We were supposed to go for a walking tour in Ranelagh, but instead we went to our tourguide´s house and listened to her lecture on the history of the British neighborhood and British assimilation. Her house was beautiful, and it was interesting to look around at when she talked, because it was a traditional house. Her lecture was very interesting to listen to, because it told about how the British settled in Ranelagh, and how the Argetntinians accepted them into society. What was particulary interesting was how they assimilated, and kept their Britishness, while still being recognized as Argentinians. Though they spoke spanish outside the home, they preserved their Britishness by teaching their children, and retaining english schooling and clubs, etc. Argentina allowed this, because they respected the fact of maintaining identity within groups, and they were a significant group. It was surprising that the support for the British even strengthened after the Malvinas war, because the Argentinians recognized all of their citizens as Argentine, despite where they came from, and supported the British Argentine citizens, seeing they supported Argentina over their roots. The houses were also fascinating in themselves, seeing as they were passed down from generation to generation, and though one would think all of them would be modeled after English architecture, many were actually modeled after Spanish styles.
After the lecture we went to lunch at the golf club, where we ate a full course meal. The food was good, with the traditional breads at the beginning of the meal, and fantas, cokes, and water to drink. People got an egg dish or crepes for an appetizer, and chicken, pasta, or steak for a main course, and most people got icecream or fruit for dessert. It was nice to eat in the club, overlooking the vast golf course, and have further conversation with everyone together.
After that we were supposed to look at some traditional chalets, but instead we headed back to the hotel.Upon getting back to the hotel, some people went swimming at a public pool. This pool was enormous, with actually more than one, with waterslides, and including a children´s park, tennis courts, and a workout center. It was gorgeous, with tons of trees and lawns. For a public pool, it was very clean, with a body inspection required before you could get in the pool. The water was very shallow, which is not like American pools, and it was hard to see lifeguards, if there were any. IT was a good experience to go to in order to compare and contrast to American pools, because it ended up being very different.
At night a group of us went out to pizza down the street from the hotel. Pizza is very different here, with less sauce and a variety of cheeses, and olives on all of them. They are also extremely cheap. We learned what it is like to be American in another countrty when we realized how much louder we are than everyone else. After some people went to get dessert, and some just went back to the hotel.Today was a day of a bunch of different experiences, which taught us about Argentinian culture in the past and in today. It also exposed the difference between our two cultures, and sort of put out there what it is like to be an American in Argentina.
posted by Sandra Jamieson @ 5:24 PM
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