Buenas Ondas

In my third week of living here in Buenos Aires, I'm beginning to understand what the porteños mean by a popular phrase "buenas ondas" (good vibes). In my short time here I've found myself in many situations where I've felt some definite buenas ondas- sunbathing in the parks in Palermo, watching live drum performances, drinking mate with friends, and dancing in the rain all night at a club.
There's a certain dichotomy present here in Buenos Aires. It is, after all, a fast-paced city with lots of traffic, an incredibly confusing (but also very cheap- apparently the cheapest in South America!) public transportation system, and tall, tall buildings. And yet it is one of the less daunting cities I've visited, as the people walk slower and take long lunches, there are parks and public spaces on every block, and (as I've mentioned before) national holidays are frequent. I like that people here are so passionate about politics (dinners with my host mother often consist of her ranting about her dislike of Cristina Fernandez, who is Argentina's president, and public assistance programs) and yet at the same time they don't seem to sweat the small stuff. I get so aggravated when I'm on a crowded, hot bus that keeps stopping to pick up even more sweaty people, but the porteños around me simply shift around to make more room. I need to keep that in mind and chill out, which will guarantee some buenas ondas!
In other news, I'm halfway through my spanish intensive course and just had a midterm. The class is going well and is helping me a lot with my interactions outside of class. I'm continuing to explore the city and have had a lot of great experiences lately. The last two Monday nights I attended a live improv drum performance called La Bomba del Tiempo. It's an incredibly fun dance party where they serve gigantic beers and that will inevitably end in a mosh pit. The rhythms that this group can create are so catchy and lively, and they are so cohesive; it really is amazing.

(Not my photo; I was having too much fun to take any!)

The last two Saturday nights my friends and I have gone to a boliche called Terrazas which is a huge club with indoor and outdoor bars and dance floors right on the river, and both nights I have danced until the sun came up. Watching the sun rise at Terrazas is something I will never forget!
I've also been hitting up the touristy stuff and have visited the MALBA (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano Buenos Aires), which displays art by prominent Latin American artists, the Jardin Botanico (Botanical Garden), and the Jardin Japones (Japanese Garden) in Palermo.

MALBA

Frannie enjoying art at MALBA

Jardin Botanico

Jardin Botanico

Jardin Japones

Two weeks ago our program went on a tour of the Recoleta Cemetery, which is apparently the third best in the world (according to the experts). It is where Buenos Aires' richest and most powerful citizens are kept in huge and extravagant mausoleums after they die. There I got to see where the famous Evita is buried, interestingly enough in her family's modest mausoleum and not her husband Juan Peron's (as he remarried after her death it was thought to be inappropriate to bury them together).

Recoleta Cemetery

Evita's tomb

I've found my favorite bookstore in the world, and it is literally a block away from my apartment! It's called Ateneo, and it's an old theater that has been converted into a bookstore and cafe. I like to go do homework there because it's just so fancy!

That's all for now! I've bought a plane ticket for Patagonia for my Spring Break the first week of March which I'm very excited about. More updates later.