Go VEGAN! - The contradictions of BA

I took this picture with one person in mind, followed by a group of other people. This photo is especially for Madeline, but also for all of my vegetarian friends and readers.

I found this graffiti on the side of the zoo walking towards another Jardín Japones. I thought it was neat because it is very contradictory to Argentina's cultural attitude toward vegetarians.

Generally Argentines don't understand Vegetarianism. There are actually a lot of vegetarians in the program and they are finding it difficult to communicate especially to waiters. A lot of of times you'll ask the waiter, "¿Tenés opciones para vegitarianos?" (Do you have vegitarian options?) Then the respond will include some entré that has chicken. Then you say again, "Quiero comida sin carne o pollo o carne de animales," (I want food without meat--aka beef--or chicken, or meat from animals) and then they'll finally give you some options. It's funny. Believe me it is possible to eat very well here as a vegetarian, it's just that you have to make an extra effort to get your point across. However, I think it would be trying to adhere to a vegan diet.

When I saw this graffiti post I just laughed because almost all of the traditional meals here revolve around meat: empanadas, milanesa, bifé de chorizo, raviola espinaca con salsa roja carne, et al. I would argue that graffiti is an art form and, as art, it is a reflection of culture. I've been thinking for over a month how I could interpret this. I guess I just have resolved that it is a social commentary on the large amount of meat (primarily beef and chicken) that Argentines consume.

I was looking for something way more profound, but I couldn't think of anything. There you have it.

Chau!

Finished a Pair of Socks

So I finally finished this pair of socks that was kind of being drug out from before I arrived here. These were knitted with Knitpicks 'Felici' Yarn with the Arugula colorway. It's 75% Merino Wool and 25% Nylon Acrylic. It was really nice to knit with.

I used a toe-up pattern and I did a 4x4 rib. I decided to vary it by ever 2 rows doing 4K, 4P, and then alternating with 4K, 1P, 1K, 1P. I like the effect. This was my first toe up sock. I think I will do more like this because they look a bit more professional to me--only my opinion.

I would encourage anyone making these to look at Cat Bordhi's YouTube Videos for wrapped stitches. They really made it easy to learn this technique. I believe her patterns call for single wrapped stitched, but mine called for double wrapped stitches.

I used the Knitty Pattern pattern for Universal Toe Up Socks, and it was very easy to follow. However I made some changes. I used Judy Becker's magic cast on--Cat Bordhi demonstrates on YouTube--and I multiplied the the circumference number by .85 instead of .9. All this did was made the sock a bit more snug, reducing the final circumference by 15% instead of 10%. I like how it turned out and I will do it again.

So I was really proud to wear this socks because I finished them. I wore them to my meeting yesterday morning with my Independent Study advisor and accidently stepped in a puddle while walking home. You can see how dirty my brand new sock got. Erg...was frustrating.

My host mother wanted these socks. It was too bad they didn't fit her--since they were created for my feet. I will make her a pair before I leave.

Meanwhile...I want more of this yarn...its really cool.

School Starts for me, Spring break for GC

It's March. Usually by this time I'm sick of the semester. This year, however, my calendar has been turned on its side, as I'm only beginning my classes here in Buenos Aires this week. This week I've been afforded the opportunity to hear many stories about Spring Break from my friends. I want to pass this one in particular onto all of you because I think it's something very important.

Two of my friends Morgan and Alli--both future teachers--had the opportunity to go to Wisconsin during Spring Break not for vacation, but to learn. They were learning about the Bernstein Center for Learning model of teaching in the midwest. In fact Alli was featured in this article in the Des Moines Register.

I think what's really fantastic about this is that this model of teaching harnesses student and teacher creativity in a way that assists students to reach their academic goals. The program emphasizes teaching a subject through the arts and humanities. It's an approach more teachers should adopt.

One example might be to create a lesson about the Holocaust through photos--or even poetry--from the Holocaust. Then have the students experiment with taking their own pictures or making their own "history" through the arts. Afterward the teacher would bring them back to reflect on the topic history with the gained experience of the history and the way that a historian reflects images when they write history.

Anyway, hope you'll browse to the web site and the article. It's great information for everyone.

Photos from Bariloche

Hi Folks,

Sorry for the suspense, but I have finally uploaded my pictures from Bariloche. The stories from there will come in a separate post later today.

Pictures of Bariloche


Chau...

More Pictures from Buenos Aires

I've finally had some time to follow up on posting pictures. Since some of you had troubles seeing the photos on Facebook, I decided to change my service to GooglePublish Post's Picasa.

I hope you enjoy these 3 sneak preview photos. There are many more. Most of the photos are of Puerto Madero, Plaza de Mayo, San Telmo, La Boca, etc.

If I have enough energy tonight I will post my pictures from Bariloche, otherwise that will be tomorrow night.

Click Here for My Google Album

Argentine University System from Bariloche, Patagonia, Argentina

I haven´t had a lot of time lately to post because orientation has been demanding. Finally I´m going to take some time to explain some idiosyncrasies about the Argentine university system, so the next blog posts might make some sense. I´m blogging from Bariloche, Patagonia, Argentina, and I promise you I will be posting photos from this experience in the next two days.

One of the main reasons that I picked the Butler University program (aka COPA) was because it is a very unique program. I found no other program that permited students to take courses in 4 different internationally acclaimed universities. It is certainly something that makes this program unique and (at times) complicated.

With COPA it is possible to take courses at Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Universidad de di Tella (Di Tella), Universidad de Salvator (USAL) and Universidad de Católica (UCA), which are all located in Buenos Aires. While this is an awesome opportunity, it also creates some logistical problems.

First let me speak to these problems. All of the universities in Buenos Aires are at different locations--or one university at multiple locations. This is partly because the concept of a campus is nearly nonexistent in Buenos Aires, rather the schools are loosely held together by a University name and scatterred throughout the city. You might compare Argentine universities to Georgetown or New York City University since they are two universities that don't have a "traditional campus". To compound the problems, multiply the sprawl of 4 universities over one of the world´s largest cities and you will realize how complicated scheduling and getting to class can be--a logistical nightmare.

The good thing is that each university has its own charm. Di Tella is known for its International Relations and strong academics--also a private school. UBA is known as the most prestigious public school in Argentina and has the reputation of being the hardest, too. UCA and USAL are reputable universities in their own rights, but they´re private schools. It´s been neat to visit each school during orientation and seeing their individual character--almost like hunting for college all over again.

To give you a better idea, let me give you an example day: A student could start the day by taking a bus, or colectivo, to Belgrano for a class at Di Tella. Next, take a bus back to Microcentro for a noon class at UCA. Study at a café in a small group after class in Puerto Madero and then take the Subte (subway) to Caballito to take a 5:45PM course at UBA Filosofía de Letras. Go back home for dinner via colectivo, and then head out for a group study session over coffee or a glass of wine...all before sleeping around 11:30PM.

This is only possible due to the generally organized transit system that exists in Buenos Aires, because literally a typical student´s day in COPA covers many kilometers mixed with public transportation and walking. Clearly this is not something you could do in most cities in the US. This makes selecting classes and having a cohesive schedule difficult, but the rewards are definitely going to be worth it.

The other unique thing about this program is that there are very few requirements and lots of flexibility. For example, the only required course within the program is spanish or Castellano class. COPA does provide "Tracks" in multiple areas, such as Gender studies, Human Rights, Film, and Independent Study tracks.

Now for the downside to all of this. Because there are technically 5 university systems, if you include COPA in this, there are a host of different deadlines and credits. Each university has their own rules governing registering for classes and dropping classes, but by and large, it´s possible to register for many courses and select which ones you want to take over a 1 month period.

Going back to my first "day" scenario: Add the pressure of trying upwards of 20 classes out within a two week period and you´ll realize how crazy my life will be for the next 3 weeks. The good thing is that after these three weeks, I don´t think I will have any problems navigating the city at all.

I learned a lot this week about the differences between US classrooms and classrooms in Argentina, but I will save them for experiential anecdotes.

I will share this. In Argentina, the textbooks cost crazy amounts of money. In general the professors select a photocopy place near the university. The professor puts everything from the syllabus to the readings in these places. This adds another task to the to-do list for the first week of classes.

I have much more to share, but not now. I will add more soon. Thanks for all of your emails; I enjoy hearing from all of you.

¡Chau de Patagonia! Dave

Interesting Article on Recoleta Cemetery

I found this article on one of the Argentina travel blogs I follow. I think you might enjoy reading some of the history behind the cemetery I blogged about two weeks ago:
Recoleta Cemetery History

¡Chau!