After all I came here to improve my Spanish so a few comments on Buenos Aires Spanish differences for aficionados.
Spanish is called castellano here and throughout Latin America,not español.
The key sound difference to normal Spanish is that y & ll are pronounced as zh as in the middle of our word pleasure. So words like yo,llamar,ayer,playa and pollo are pronounced zho,zhamar,azher,plazha and pozho. Even the familiar Maya becomes Mazha as I finally twigged to in a conversation. It takes time to consciously change all these sounds I have found and I usually pronounce a word the normal Spanish way if it´s new to me. I have got used to saying azher for yesterday and zho for I.
Gramatical change. Tu isn´t used anymore and has been replaced by Vos as a singular. The plural you has become Ustedes.
A no. of words have changed meaning. One rude verb to avoid in normal conversation here is cojer. Instead they use tomar un taxi, tomar un cafe etc. Buses are called collectivos. Money is plata.
Other Spanish observations. Sometimes words look familiar but mean something quite different in Spanish. eg. Jubilacion means retirement. Disfrutar means enjoy. Divertir means amuse yourself. Molestar means annoy.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Week 3 Buenos Aires
Football
Argentina, you soon find out, is a country that loves football. This week Argentina played Serbia in the world cup series. As the match played out streets were deserted and people crouched round TV sets whereever they could. Even cafes and shopping malls had them specially installed to keep patrons happy. For those unable to get to a TV there were the shops with giant plasma screens which played their part. Each time a goal was scored cries of delight rang out and praise was heaped on the player who scored. In the end Argentina prevailed by the princely number of 6 goals to nil.
Blue and white Argentine flags fluttered everywhere and people took to the streets with their peculiar Argentine jester hats, waving their own flags and chanting Ar-gen-ti-na, Ar-gen-ti-na. Cars hoinked and chaos ensued. Ticker tape streamed from buildings. In the largest Avenue in the world even the cars came to a stop as a crowd milled round the obelisk.
El Subte (the Tube)
This is a good way to travel but be prepared, like the Japanese, to squash yourself in to a carriage at most times. It is luxury to travel on it on a Public Holiday. It runs very efficiently at a flat rate of US25C per journey. You need to anticipate which side of the train you are exiting as there is a short interval (of 45 sec) at each station and you need to negotiate squeezing past a no. of people by saying permiso repeatedly to exit on time. A horn sounds when the doors are about to shut and if you haven´t got out by this point it´s too late. On board cellphones ring and IPods are played as in any city anywhere.
An odd feature of the Tube is that you need to know which entrance to select at a crossroads when there is more than one of them. Each entrance only allows access to the direction you wish to travel. A kind of economy measure when the system was build.
Argentina, you soon find out, is a country that loves football. This week Argentina played Serbia in the world cup series. As the match played out streets were deserted and people crouched round TV sets whereever they could. Even cafes and shopping malls had them specially installed to keep patrons happy. For those unable to get to a TV there were the shops with giant plasma screens which played their part. Each time a goal was scored cries of delight rang out and praise was heaped on the player who scored. In the end Argentina prevailed by the princely number of 6 goals to nil.
Blue and white Argentine flags fluttered everywhere and people took to the streets with their peculiar Argentine jester hats, waving their own flags and chanting Ar-gen-ti-na, Ar-gen-ti-na. Cars hoinked and chaos ensued. Ticker tape streamed from buildings. In the largest Avenue in the world even the cars came to a stop as a crowd milled round the obelisk.
El Subte (the Tube)
This is a good way to travel but be prepared, like the Japanese, to squash yourself in to a carriage at most times. It is luxury to travel on it on a Public Holiday. It runs very efficiently at a flat rate of US25C per journey. You need to anticipate which side of the train you are exiting as there is a short interval (of 45 sec) at each station and you need to negotiate squeezing past a no. of people by saying permiso repeatedly to exit on time. A horn sounds when the doors are about to shut and if you haven´t got out by this point it´s too late. On board cellphones ring and IPods are played as in any city anywhere.
An odd feature of the Tube is that you need to know which entrance to select at a crossroads when there is more than one of them. Each entrance only allows access to the direction you wish to travel. A kind of economy measure when the system was build.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Tue/Wed 14 &15
Well Wed was not so bad as yesterday when I stayed in bed because of a headachy virus but by the end of today at 7 PM I felt weak. Mild headaches returned and under the weather again. I even ended my Spanish class early by half hour. Afterwards I caught a crammed no. 10 bus from downtown and got off in Recoleta when I thought the bus was near my street. Then like a mole rat in a dark maze I explored streets in wrong directions until finally I found my way home. It annoys me when not all street corners have signs on them as orientation is not one of my fortes.
Mario, our butler, cooked dinner, a spagetti bolognaise with parmasan cheese but no meat. ¿Porque no bife ? I am now the only inmate here in our 5 bedroom mansion. It is winter after all in Buenos Aires
Mario, our butler, cooked dinner, a spagetti bolognaise with parmasan cheese but no meat. ¿Porque no bife ? I am now the only inmate here in our 5 bedroom mansion. It is winter after all in Buenos Aires
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Weekend 1
I went to a lovely park near the big cemetry/old church 1772 to a weekend fair which stretched a long way around the park. The usual leather goods and an array of other handmade objets d´art were on display. Then I watched the world go by from a park bench under a magnificent Morton Bay fig tree, in front of the old church. Lots of ´trickle down´ things going on. A clown played tango melodies on an accordian, mostly milking parents with children. The aptly placed disabled/disenfranchised preyed on the guilt of poshly dressed folk coming and going to church, some in gorgeous furlined coats. A number of police and guards patrolling everywhere and I´d hazard a guess part of the reason they were in force was to do with restricting the number of loiterers. In this area fancy outdoor coffee places cater to the well healed. Surprise, surprise I found my first public toilet nearby the church. No signs and it was underground but I sensed its purpose as folks trundled in and out. In a state of disrepair.
Later I visited a large shopping mall called Abasto on Corrientes Avenue. I finally went to see the Da Vinci Code film there at Hoyts. Yes Hoyts here too. Enjoyed the drama and story. In English with Spanish sub titles. But in French at times so had to cope without English.I did look at subs so I can tell my teacher I was a good boy.
From what I gathered Jesus had a child with Mary Magdelane and Christianity was supposed to have evolved from Mary´s descendants rather than the Bishop of Rome. The orthodox church has, over the centuries, attempted to exterminate this blasphemy. Did I get it right o ye religious ones out there ? One other related point. On one of my tours my attention was directed to a large complex of buildings where Opus Dei live. Apparently the apartment size you are alloted is based on your wealth. No issue with knowing your place in society.
Abasto has 200 shops. I estimated the food hall had around 500 people eating at once under a high ceiling and had the appearance of a large active penguin colony. I noticed a special Kosher Mc Donalds outlet which obviously caters to the potential 200,000 Jewish customers who live here. Abasto is on a grand scale with special kiddy amusement areas. Grilled beef fillet for NZ$9 from Barititos outlet in the food hall which had a raft of other meat choices. Where else would you see this kind of outlet as commonplace I thought. Fact: Argentina is the second largest consumer of beef in the world after US but has 10% of the population of US.
Later I visited a large shopping mall called Abasto on Corrientes Avenue. I finally went to see the Da Vinci Code film there at Hoyts. Yes Hoyts here too. Enjoyed the drama and story. In English with Spanish sub titles. But in French at times so had to cope without English.I did look at subs so I can tell my teacher I was a good boy.
From what I gathered Jesus had a child with Mary Magdelane and Christianity was supposed to have evolved from Mary´s descendants rather than the Bishop of Rome. The orthodox church has, over the centuries, attempted to exterminate this blasphemy. Did I get it right o ye religious ones out there ? One other related point. On one of my tours my attention was directed to a large complex of buildings where Opus Dei live. Apparently the apartment size you are alloted is based on your wealth. No issue with knowing your place in society.
Abasto has 200 shops. I estimated the food hall had around 500 people eating at once under a high ceiling and had the appearance of a large active penguin colony. I noticed a special Kosher Mc Donalds outlet which obviously caters to the potential 200,000 Jewish customers who live here. Abasto is on a grand scale with special kiddy amusement areas. Grilled beef fillet for NZ$9 from Barititos outlet in the food hall which had a raft of other meat choices. Where else would you see this kind of outlet as commonplace I thought. Fact: Argentina is the second largest consumer of beef in the world after US but has 10% of the population of US.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Fri 9 June
Cooler today. Met up with tour guide and visited Puerto Madero, the docks area. Quite a windswept area as many docks are. Apart from arty painted cows everywhere not much cop (Not real cows of course just well formed statues)This is beef country after all. We had cortados(tiny cups of coffee)in a upmarket place where you could get frightened by waiters with napkins on their arms and lilly white tablecloths. It wasn´t that pricey and as a bonus of sorts we could see the opening of the world football cup on a giant plasma screen. This country is mad about football and streets are deserted when their team plays.
Next we viewed the promenade made by the rich for the rich in 18 something but today frequented by plebs as the rich have gone elsewhere. We proceeded to the ecological gardens rescued from a swamp nearby, but nothing to rave about. All the animals come out at night. Passed by two security guards on the way in as you can be robbed anywhere and riff raff need to be kept out.
Every building in B Aires has a security guard or two or three, even the cafes. There is some logic. It goes like this: every building or business must have a toilet by law. There are zilch public toilets. So these security folk police who comes and goes everywhere to make sure you are a patron if you want to do your business. This law in turn creates work for many many people who usually look bored out of their minds but are part of a large pool of surplus labour. It also means the state does not pay for public toilets. This is my perception. Of course they also provide security etc.
Some unemployed invade the city and bang on metal doors to get attention for their plight.They were in the pedestrian street Florida today accompanied by a bevy of police with some sort of spraying equipment which I didn´t see them use. Like elsewhere these people are despised as layabouts by those that have jobs.
Kissing in public. Everyone male and female,including taxi drivers,greets each other with a peck on the cheek. Other type of kissing: There is no inhibition about kissing your partner passionately whereever you happen to be when the impulse arises,on the footpath, on the bus, in a cafe etc etc. The rest of the world doesn´t exist.
Next we viewed the promenade made by the rich for the rich in 18 something but today frequented by plebs as the rich have gone elsewhere. We proceeded to the ecological gardens rescued from a swamp nearby, but nothing to rave about. All the animals come out at night. Passed by two security guards on the way in as you can be robbed anywhere and riff raff need to be kept out.
Every building in B Aires has a security guard or two or three, even the cafes. There is some logic. It goes like this: every building or business must have a toilet by law. There are zilch public toilets. So these security folk police who comes and goes everywhere to make sure you are a patron if you want to do your business. This law in turn creates work for many many people who usually look bored out of their minds but are part of a large pool of surplus labour. It also means the state does not pay for public toilets. This is my perception. Of course they also provide security etc.
Some unemployed invade the city and bang on metal doors to get attention for their plight.They were in the pedestrian street Florida today accompanied by a bevy of police with some sort of spraying equipment which I didn´t see them use. Like elsewhere these people are despised as layabouts by those that have jobs.
Kissing in public. Everyone male and female,including taxi drivers,greets each other with a peck on the cheek. Other type of kissing: There is no inhibition about kissing your partner passionately whereever you happen to be when the impulse arises,on the footpath, on the bus, in a cafe etc etc. The rest of the world doesn´t exist.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Day 3 Buenos Aires
A long day today. First a tour part bus part walk 10 to 1pm of the ritzy part of the city and parks. Had coffee on the tour outdoors at a Ritz type place. Ome on one due winter and warm today say 20 C. Then 3 to 7 immersion Spanish, but again we strayed off course and I discovered my teacher is a Pentecostal ! (Rare in these parts and brought in from Brazil)
Then from 7 to 9 conversation with 5 others, mostly Yankee Doodle girls. 6 hours of Spanglish was quite tough on my brain.
Lastly back at 10 for dinner, a tortilla and stuffed artichokes ! My home schedule of meals has gone haywire. Estella, (my home stay family of one) says the English habit at 6 or 7 is better for digestion & I´m sure she´s right. Tomorrow I meet up with Pete from Air NZ am or pm unsure yet. and back to classes. On Thur another city tour part bus part walk by the docks
Jetlag nearly gone and last night more or less slept thru. Found a nice cafe to have late lunch called Bonpler in Florida Street, the pedestrian precinct.
Then from 7 to 9 conversation with 5 others, mostly Yankee Doodle girls. 6 hours of Spanglish was quite tough on my brain.
Lastly back at 10 for dinner, a tortilla and stuffed artichokes ! My home schedule of meals has gone haywire. Estella, (my home stay family of one) says the English habit at 6 or 7 is better for digestion & I´m sure she´s right. Tomorrow I meet up with Pete from Air NZ am or pm unsure yet. and back to classes. On Thur another city tour part bus part walk by the docks
Jetlag nearly gone and last night more or less slept thru. Found a nice cafe to have late lunch called Bonpler in Florida Street, the pedestrian precinct.
8 June Buenos Aires
I got drenched last night coming home. Lightning and torrential rain came down. I have my rain jacket here with me but didn´t think I needed to pack it on this ocassion so a lesson learned.
The landlady at my residence is the g´granddaughter of a President of Paraguay. They have a family mauseleum in the cemetry (which I visited yesterday). Her parents still have a grand mansion on Uruguay St.
The world famous cemetry has high walls surrounding it and is quite large, maybe 2 acres or more. I found it kind of interesting to gape in beween the bars of the mauseleums to see the tiny internal rooms´ decor. In some of them you can sit down and be in close contact with your deceased ancestors which I think is rather a nice arrangement. The mauseleums belong in the main to the rich and famous of Argentina, such as Eva Peron whose remains finally rested in the Duarte one. I think there was a body going in to the cemetry as an empty stretcher on wheels hovered at the front gate. Apparently it costs around $NZ500,000 to build a mauseleum, that´s if you can get in the front door of course. There´s not much room left as far as I could see.
I visited an upmarket shopping mall called Galerias Pacifica in Florida Street, downtown. The ceiling was painted like the Sistene Chapel and all of the shops were in the Smith & Caughey plus category with the smell of perfume wafting about on every corner.
Widest street in the world
9 of July Avenue (named in honour of liberation day) is very wide and has 22 lanes for traffic, according to my calculations. It´s the one going to the landmark obelisk which is a large chunk of concrete at the city centre on Corrientes Avenue. The city fathers almost pulled it down at one point last century because of its pointlessness and public distain for it.
FRIDAY forecast not so good -colder after 21 C yesterday.
The landlady at my residence is the g´granddaughter of a President of Paraguay. They have a family mauseleum in the cemetry (which I visited yesterday). Her parents still have a grand mansion on Uruguay St.
The world famous cemetry has high walls surrounding it and is quite large, maybe 2 acres or more. I found it kind of interesting to gape in beween the bars of the mauseleums to see the tiny internal rooms´ decor. In some of them you can sit down and be in close contact with your deceased ancestors which I think is rather a nice arrangement. The mauseleums belong in the main to the rich and famous of Argentina, such as Eva Peron whose remains finally rested in the Duarte one. I think there was a body going in to the cemetry as an empty stretcher on wheels hovered at the front gate. Apparently it costs around $NZ500,000 to build a mauseleum, that´s if you can get in the front door of course. There´s not much room left as far as I could see.
I visited an upmarket shopping mall called Galerias Pacifica in Florida Street, downtown. The ceiling was painted like the Sistene Chapel and all of the shops were in the Smith & Caughey plus category with the smell of perfume wafting about on every corner.
Widest street in the world
9 of July Avenue (named in honour of liberation day) is very wide and has 22 lanes for traffic, according to my calculations. It´s the one going to the landmark obelisk which is a large chunk of concrete at the city centre on Corrientes Avenue. The city fathers almost pulled it down at one point last century because of its pointlessness and public distain for it.
FRIDAY forecast not so good -colder after 21 C yesterday.
Saturday, June 03, 2006
4 June 2006 Auckland
Today's the big day. This afternoon I leave for Buenos Aires. Almost all packing done after a myriad of things to get together. Today I need to focus on any last minute items to include and go thru some kind of checklist.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
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