La Transición y Graffiti Mundo

Hola familia! With only 1 month remaining in this legendary country, I'm in somewhat of a transition period. The majority of my friends down here were in the CEA program (who I met through my buddies from school) and as of last weekend they have all gone back home. They went out in style with a fantastic weekend filled with birthday parties, goodbye dinners, and plenty of dancing. I definitely made some lifelong friends and it was sad to see them go.

Now although it was tough to say bye to the CEA crew, I have a great squad still in town. I've got friends from my program, Vanderbilt, Colorado, Georgetown, Cornell and more (and of course the locals). Combine that with the fact that my buddy Jon, who had a less than desirable homestay situation, just got a new apartment close by to hang out and watch playoff games etc, the last month will be just as fun as the last 3. Last weekend it was one of his new roommates 21st birthday, so I got to meet a whole bunch of new friends.

On Saturday, 8 of us took the "Graffiti Mundo" tour. An absolutely incredible experience, the tour took us all over the city to see the wide variety of graffiti art. Much more than standard tags you see in the States, Buenos Aires graffiti is much more. It started as a form of rebellion that took to the streets, and has soured in popularity as some very talented grafitistas have left their mark all over the city. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, making it one of the best afternoons since I arrived. Here's my best attempt at picking my favorite pictures:

The artist just happened to be walking by!

and gave us an explanation of his work...so legit

our tour guide...her english accent made her sound even more like an expert

hard to say, but I think this is my favorite

ended the tour at "The Post" which had graffiti all over the restaurant

Best of the rest:

-A brief trip to chinatown, which was a very cool place. All the restaurants close down between 4-6, which happened to be the exact time we arrived. Oh well, still fun

-In the classroom, I'm preparing for a big debate in my local university class. This promises to be extremely challenging, as I'm debating against native Argentines. The debate takes place in the 1960's and whether or not advertising should become a concentration at universities. I'm an expert from a U.S. university discussing the benefits and I'm going up against the Hippies who don't want "the man" to brainwash the consumer. Should be interesting to say the least, and a great learning experience.

-The superclásico (big soccer game I've mentioned) wasn't quite the experience I thought it would be, but memorable none the less. Since Jon and I couldn't drop the $200 USD needed to actually go, we decided to head to a local bar to experience the craziness that is Argentine soccer. Our first destination was on the recommendation of Jon's friend, but there was no bar to be seen at the address he gave us. So we walked   another 20 mins to get to a bar that my friends had suggested earlier, but this one was closed! Our next move was to hop in a cab and join some friends at "loco for futbol", but upon arrival we learned they were at capacity...0/3. So we walked into the first cafe with the game on, with a very weak crowd. Just as we sat down, the game was at halftime and all the scoring was done for the game haha. Like I said, forgettable and memorable at the same time.

-My host family had an asado, or BBQ, on Argentine independence day last Wednesday. The food was amazing, and it included a re-enactment of Argentine history haha

1 month left family and I miss you all...I'm expecting big things for the 4th of July! Can't wait to see you