Today the class started the day taking a tour of the Jewish neighborhoods of Buenos Aires. Although there is only a small population of Jewish Argentines in this very Catholic country, the community is very prominent and active. We started by taking a trip to AMIA. AMIA is the Argentine Jewish cultural center and federation. It also serves as a networking and umbrella organization who strives to help the Jewish community. It is impossible to talk about AMIA and their struggle, without talking about the tragic 1994 bombing which left 86 dead and many more injured. Israeli artist Yaacob Agam created one of the most impressive optical sculptures, I have ever seen. Named the Homenaje y Recordanción a las Victimas del Atentado a la AMIA del 18 de Julio de 1994, it is build upon a platform that forms the Star of David, with seven different images representing destruction, Chanukah, the Star of David, a rainbow, Menorah, Magen David, and finally the symbol of AMIA. This is all created with 9 upright columns that when in different positions change into the different images.

Next the gang took a trip to the largest synagogue in Buenos Aires. This castile like temple is called Synagogue de la Congregación Israelita. This beautiful synagogue is still in use today, holding regular services Saturdays and Sundays. The conservative Jewish congregation also had a Jewish heritage museum. This had many artifacts from the Holocaust and also records of the first Jewish immigrates and settlements in Argentina.

After leaving the “Templo Libertad” we went to the former farmers market and current shopping mall, Abasto. Abasto Shopping mall is very Americanized. You can see many American stores and food but the most excited this in Abasto is McDonald’s! Yes, a weird thing to say, but this is no ordinary McDonald’s. This McDonald is actually the only kosher McDonalds outside of Israel.

After the class took a quick lunch break, we were joined by Professor Lila Caimari. She is a very knowledgeable Argentine political scientist who has taught in Argentina, France and The United States. Professor Caimari covered a big array of our questions from Independence Day, current politics, ethnic makeup, and providence inequality. Where we mostly focused, were Peronism and its lasting legacy. We had an open discussion about why Peronism has been able to survive so long, citing the differences between the different eras and comparing them all to the Peronism we see today in Argentina, Kirchnerism.

To end the day, the group ate at Pasaje Resto, one of Argentina’s most famous kosher restaurants. The menu included many cultural and typical Jewish, Argentine foods. We enjoyed salads, empanadas, pizza, and pasta.

Tuesday May 26th, 2015

Buenos Aires is a city built on immigration from mainly European countries and Jewish people added a lot of diversity to the initial culture of Buenos Aires. We initially started our tour at AMIA which is the Jewish Federation of Argentina. AMIA provides several services to its members including job opportunities, legal issues, and travel to Israel. AMIA was a target of a terrorist attack that killed 85 people and damaged the building extensively. Today, AMIA is under extensive security and a passport is required in most cases for tourists. These were some of the artifacts that survived the blast and are still on display today.

The next stop on the tour was the Abasto. Years ago, the Abasto used to be an old farmers market. Over the years it went out of use and was empty. It was recently renovated and today it is a mall with several American brands such as Wendy’s and Burger King.

There are over 95 synagogues in Buenos Aires and the next stop on the tour was the oldest synagogue in Buenos Aires. The synagogues was first started in 1897 by Russian Jews but it wasn’t completed until 1932. The architecture of this synagogue was just like that of a Catholic Church.

The synagogue also had a museum that included items that immigrants had brought over from their homelands. After we got to the hotel we had a conversation with a Guest Professor that talked with us about about various topics concerning Argentina. The viewpoint from a professor that wasn’t from the United States was interesting to hear and really gave a different feel to the topic rather than the news that I have seen beforehand in America.

To finish the day we had a group dinner at El Pasaje Resto. El Pasaje Resto is a Jewish restaurant and the meal was kosher and predominantly vegetarian. It was interesting to see a different style of dinner because up until now it had been predominantly meat. The meal tied the entire day together and really showed the impact of a specific culture on Buenos Aires.

Welcome to Buenos Aires, a city where you never really know what to expect. The private tour of Malba was definitively a different experience from every other museum we have visited thus far. It was an extremely modern representation of the arts as shown by the photo below.

One aspect of the tour that was interesting to me was the human representations of art. This was something that I have never experienced. It was very uncomfortable at first, but at the end of the tour I came to appreciate the modern approach. The different human representations included humans forever painting a room, humans acting as revolving doors, humans bound to different aspects of society, as well as others. These representations are shown in the photos below.

Today was also their national holiday of independence 25 de Mayo, and the experience lived up to the hype. Plaza de Mayo was packed full of people all day. There were different food stands set up, entertainment, exhibits, and much more. I was shocked by how many people that were out walking the streets, and sitting in the plaza all day. We listened to the President’s speech, and I was very impressed. No hablo espanol muy bien, but the president was a very passionate speaker. It was very interesting to see the crowd react to what she was saying. She seems very well liked by the people, because she entered the plaza like an absolute rock star, with fireworks and music. It was interesting to see the crowd’s passion for politics and their high sense of nationalism throughout the whole event especially during the national anthem. Although we were not able to get very close, but the picture below show what the scene was like in the plaza.

Finally we ended the day at La Nazarenas to experience some authentic aspects of Argentinian cuisine. Some parts were not my favorite, but definitively worth a try. The best part was looking at everyone faces after they realize they just ate kidney. Although I didn’t snap any live action shots they looked similar to the face shown below. All in all another culturally full day.

Every year the people of Argentina celebrate el Dia de la Revolucion de Mayo or the Day of Revolution that falls on May 25. In fact, the whole week – May Week is celebrated to remember the week of May 18-25 in 1810 that lead to the revolution which helped achieve independence from Spanish rule. People throughout the country are celebrating in many ways including: marches, parades and concerts.

Yesterday, some of my classmates and I visited the Plaza de Mayo in the morning when we had some free time to see these marches, parades and concerts in action.

Some of us in Plaza de Mayo

Of course the first thing you notice is the amount of people that are gathered in this single Plaza. It is eleven some in the morning when we arrive and already there are thousands there. Then you notice what these people are wearing, saying, and carrying. This celebration involves a lot of politics – everyone is wearing wardrobe to represent their parties and balloons are up in the air displaying their messages and logos.

Balloons from various parties.

We are told later that only a fraction of the parties in Argentina are represented there even though it feels like very many. If you notice in the picture on the right their is a face. That is none other than their president Cristina Kirchner. Many of the political party posters contain the phrase “con Cristina” meaning they support the Kirchner administration. This is not so surprising since the president was to speak at 6:30pm that afternoon and many of her supporters were waiting to see her.

Kirchner’s face

One party I noticed that was particularly prominent at the Plaza with supporters young and old was Campora. This party is both Peronist and supporters of Kirchner. To provide an idea of the magnitude of Campora’s party size and the idea of how people were celebrating in other parties, I have included the following video:

Taking a slight break from the holiday action, our group visited Malba – a modern art museum. I have actually recently discovered a new appreciation for art and have been painting on canvas myself at home recently. However, this museum showed things I have never seen before in an art museum. On the first floor there was an exhibit of Latin American art from the 20th century, these pieces were interesting, colorful, and used many different mediums including paint, metals, and moving pieces.

A view paintings from the first exhibit

The other exhibit currently showing at Malba is called Infinite Experience. This exhibit had live works; for example, there was a woman who had words drawn on the wall behind her and she was speaking into a microphone. There was a man who had many wires connecting himself to an object suspended in air that moved when he moved. There was a man who walked around with a mask made of glowing lights that completely covered his face. There was a room covered in signatures where you could as yours too. Finally, there was a group of people who acted as a revolving door in a circular room to leave the exhibit into the hallway.

One piece in the exhibit – woman speaking into a microphone

Room with the signatures

As Yonni, Gabby and I walked downstairs to the main section we overheard a lot of noise generating outside of the museum. We left briefly to check it out and to our surprise a sea of red covered the middle of the streets. It turns out that the River Plate fans paraded in the street. Soccer here is no joke and the rivalry between River Plate and La Boca is substantial – bigger than OSU vs the team up north! These fans seemed to be walking by endlessly. After what seemed like 10 minutes of watching them walk by (and still missing some who walked by at the beginning), they had several buses packed like sardines bringing up the rear. Many of the fans had bottles in their hand that looked like coke but suspiciously had their labels removed and were most likely a combination of coke and fernet, their favorite local beverage (which I personally dislike a lot).

River Plate fans in the street

As if we hadn’t seen enough parading and chanting, after a brief stop at the hotel, some of us returned to the Plaza de Mayo. Concerts were going on from 4 until late to celebrate. At this point we are packed in tightly – tighter than in the morning. We had no hope seeing the stage or Cristina when she came out later, but we had a chance to listen and dance with the locals who also sang along. Below is a video of some music played from the stage in the morning. I never got a video from the afternoon, but this gives an idea of how it was setup.

Many would see the 25th of May in Argentina comparable to the 4th of July back in the United States. I had a great time seeing the Plaza in action and getting a better idea of their attitude towards politics. We are lucky to have the timing of this trip when we did so we could experience something integral to the Argentine history, and I only wish I had captured more of the experience to share with you all!

If you like awesome steals, souvenirs for the family, and unique antiques with a good story, San Telmo Flea Market would be your Mecca! Fortunately, on Sunday, May 24th, we had the opportunity to experience this shopping pilgrimage. Every Sunday morning and afternoon, the streets of the historic district of San Telmo are flooded with vendors and shoppers eager to take part in the largest flea market in South America. Vendors set up their booths, selling anything from homemade leather purses to antique silverware sets. While the market is especially attractive to tourists and outsiders, the atmosphere also attacks the everyday Porteños with its live performances and welcoming atmosphere.

The market started off small- originally, it was just an antique market for residents in the center plaza in San Telmo. However, over the years it has grown! Keeping to tradition, the majority of the antique booths remain in the center plaza, while the other homemade goods and food are set up on the surrounding streets. While I did not take part in purchasing any of the antiques, I was able to snag a few souvenirs for the family (and of course a few things for myself!) My purchases include personalized mate cups, homemade leather purses, Argentina magnets, and a leather bracelet.

After the group met back up in the Plaza de Mayo, we grabbed a quick lunch and returned to the hotel to take a much needed siesta. When I woke up, I met up with some friends and we walked back to Plaza de Mayo to partake in day 1 of their Independence Day celebrations. Formally known as 25 de Mayo, this holiday celebrates the signing of the Argentine Declaration of Independence, officially proclaiming their separation from Spain on May 25, 1810. The location of the event is particularly special for this event- at the west side of the plaza is the actual building that the declaration was signed!

During the festivities, Argentinians from all over fled to Plaza de Mayo the night before the actual holiday to listen to live music and eat street meats. We were immersed to famous Argentine singers and ate authentic choripan. While we waited for (what seemed like a century) to get our street meat, the indulgence of grilled sausage, chimichurri, tomatoes, and onions was well worth the wait! We finished our sandwiches and ended the evening feeling like real Porteños.

La Estancia Santa Susana, located roughly an hour outside the city of Buenos Aires, was our break from big city life. After exiting the highway we were greeted by bright pink buildings and sprawling land, an oasis away from the bustling city. While the surrounding area developed, Santa Susana’s nearly 3000 acres remained, a peek into Argentina’s guacho history.

We toured the pink house as well as the chapel, which provided confession to the families. Pictures scattered throughout the house gave a glimpse into the people that used to live and ranch here. There was an abundance of crosses and religious figures, showing the integral role of Catholicism in the daily lives of Argentinians.

After touring the home, we were offered empanadas and wine (yes, at 11:30 in the morning). Beef empanadas for those so inclined and humita (mashed corn) for those not. We devoured our snacks and were ushered towards the horse arena. The pen was filled with stocky polo horses ranging in color and size. Once atop the los caballos (with a jsa sound) we set forth to take a loop around some of the land. Although it was cloudy, windy and a touch chilly the land was flat and vast, not unlike the Midwest. Wagon rides were also offered and provided a faster (and bumpier) tour of some of Santa Susana’s grounds.

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Lunch was next on our agenda and we were directed into a large dining facility. However before entering, we walked through where the meat was being cooked. Later seven variations of this meat was served, but instead for me, I was given a cheese omelette of sorts on a bed of rice. We were treated to live music as well as traditional tango and Northern Argentina dance.

Our final event at la Estancia was a guacho show. The cowboys rode around the ring herding groups of horses and performing tricks like picking up a ring while galloping. They even took us for rides cantering, and in some cases galloping *cough cough Leah* around.

The festivities concluded and we boarded the bus to return to the city. It was a fun day for all and an interesting look into a different aspect of Argentine life. Thus far, it has been my favorite day. Being on the ranch made me realize the similarities between gaucho culture and culture of Western cowboys and that maybe we weren’t so far away from home.

Friday’s adventure was an interesting cultural experience as we explored two of the most prolific art collections I have ever seen. Our first stop was the National Museum of Fine Arts, a collection of 215 permanent works of art housed in one of the most heavily guarded places we’ve been so far. With an art history general education class under my belt, I was able to appreciate some of the Renaissance and Impressionist works displayed in the gallery and other works that were inspired by Carravagio, Van Gogh, and Pueyrredon. My favorite Pueyrredon work was a larger than life sized portrait of Manuelita Rosas, a revered Argentinian political figure and daughter of Juan Manuel de Rosas. I learned that Pueyrredon was a key figure in the design and fabrication of the May Pyramid in Plaza de Mayo, a monument that has been at the center of our adventures in Buenos Aires. In the contemporary collection, I enjoyed that the pieces focused on great detail but when you took a step back the artwork revealed a completely different pictures. My favorite piece from the contemporary collection, for obvious reasons, was a piece entitled “Escuchando a Bruce Springsteen.”

Our second stop was a collection of artwork in the National Museum of Decorative Arts which was housed in a French style mansion that was designed to be the retirement quarters for a wealthy Latin American military family. I thought it was interesting to see the size and intricacy of 19th and early 20th century mansion; the building looked like something from a Disney fairytale yet it was completed in 1916. This place, just as the MNBA, was heavily guarded which I found to be interesting given the minimum security nature of some of the museums and historical sites in the United States. There was somewhat of an artwork overload in this collection which made it difficult for me to able to take everything in.

Overall it was a very interesting day that ended with dinner at the local shopping center Kentucky Fried Chicken. The steak and Italian food has been wonderful, but sometimes you just need that unique taste of home!

I had been looking forward to this event way back before we had even left for Argentina, and the trip did not disappoint! A brief history of gauchos and estancias in Buenos Aires began in the 17th century after cows had been found around the Pampas. These gauchos (not named until later) established estancias (large cattle ranches) there and became well known for being great horsemen. In the next century, the gauchos used the leftover cattle meat to eat and prepared it over fire in a way that is now known as asado.

After a quick breakfast at the hotel, the group hopped in the charter bus and, much to our tour guide Adriana’s dismay, slept for the whole hour and a half ride to the estancia Santa Susana located North of Retiro. However, as soon as we arrive we are awake and luckily greeted with empanadas and either white wine, red wine, or orange juice. (While I was eyeing the wine, I stuck with the OJ and it tasted just like Sunny-D.) We were given a brief tour of the house located on the estancia. The house had colonial style architecture on the outside, but was filled with many pieces of furniture, toys, and pictures from many decades seen around those parts. There was also a church where people living on or near the estancia could be married. The last house we visited was one were servants or slaves stayed, but inside had outfits with matching hats, handbags, and other accessories from throughout the 1800s-present day. I saw a pretty groovy print dress sandwiched between 1950 and 60.

After our tour we walked over to finally check out the horses that of course you expect to find on a gaucho farm. There were a couple dozen for us to ride, and I was eager to jump back on a horse after not getting on for several years. (I used to ride horses at summer camp for a few years growing up.) We patiently waited for our turn because there were a few other groups visiting the farm from all over the globe (China, Chile, Spain, Netherlands, England, Russia, and more). This was not a boring wait because some of us took the opportunity to ride a horse drawn carriage. Others took in the surroundings when funnily enough we noticed an unsaddled horse who appeared to be wearing a tshirt sort of thing and just roaming around. She was very silly and ran around in circles and sprinted at top speed to nowhere purely for our entertainment it seemed. A few of us named her Susan (after the farm).

Finally we get to mount the saddles and walk around the estancia’s trail with the gauchos in the lead. My horse did not have a name as far as I know, and he was an old fella. I don’t know if he was grumpy or just did his own thing because at one point I was being lead into a different section of fence and was almost ran into a tree. Luckily I could stop us and a gaucho brought him back on the trail. I really missed riding horses – this was definitely my favorite part of the day.

Michael (Professor Newell’s son), Patrick, and Claudia waiting to ride

My trusty steed

But the day was not over! We were moved into a lovely dining room for lunch and were fed a huge amount of food starting with drinks and salad. Next came the meat where gaucho after gaucho came out to provide us different types. First we tried the chorizo sausage which I found to be fairly tasty, but what followed pretty much scared me completely. BLOOD SAUSAGE. Our lovely Victoria tells us that blood sausage is her favorite and takes two pieces. I opt for one since I had never tried one and… well I’m never having one again. (It was a texture thing.) A few pieces of steak and chicken followed which was all good and finally we ended with dessert – flan.

Dinner is nothing without a show, so following dessert we watched a couple perform different dances with different costumes and live singing! (I have included some videos – I apologize in advance for the poor video shooting.)

Our last experience at the estancia was watching the gauchos show the crowd some tricks. First, they herded horses in groups in an interesting way. Then, three gauchos competed in trying to catch small rings hung in the air using a pen shaped object while galloping straight at them. If you were lucky, they would give you the ring as a gift. Lastly, the girls had a chance to ride on the horses again, but this time accompanied by a gaucho who took you full speed on the horse.

Pictures of the horses getting ready for the show.

I enjoyed myself today very much, I will always remember the time I rode horses in Argentina. Not many people can say they have done that! This trip is amazing and I can’t wait to see what will happen next!

Today the class took a trip to the National Historical Museum in San Telmo, a vibrant, upscale district with many French style buildings and grandiose and colorful churches. Upon arriving we saw the museum’s beautiful yard complete with many full gardens and commemorative and decorative statues celebrating San Martín.

The museum showcased the historical importance of San Martín in Argentine history and revolution. We were able to see reconstructions of San Martín’s living quarters with the actual furniture and floor plan. It was interesting to find out that San Martín, although a Spaniard, actually lived in France, and his granddaughter who donated the furniture lives there as well. We examined the different décor and living styles of this period’s colonial upper-class. Next we looked at San Martín’s clothing, highlighting the differences in poncho meanings and his formal solider uniform. The tour guide directed us to a quote from San Martín describing his views on the cavalry, solders, and roles of blacks and mixed peoples. “El major soldado… que tenemos son los negros y mulatos; los de estas provincias [blancos] no son aptos sino para caballería” (the best solders… we have are the blacks and mixed peoples: those of these provinces [whites] are not fit for the cavalry).

I think this really shows the historical diversity that is in Argentine culture and go against the “No hay negros en Argentina” (There are no blacks in Argentina) myth which is present in modern popular culture. To finish the tour we discussed the Argentine revolutions. First we touched on San Martín’s role and moved into talks about what el 25 de Mayo, one of two days celebrating independence in Argentina, actually represents. May 25^th for Argentina, is not about the beginning or the end of a battle, but rather the beginning of a movement. This was a huge moment for the population of Argentina, in which they came together as one unit to overcome the colonial power, as one, white, black and mixed, Argentina fought.

After leaving the National Historical Museum we headed to La Boca. The streets were filled with many people, with venders on each side. In the streets danced many couples, performing the famous and suave Argentine tango, on the cobble stone streets of the markets with the bright colored houses in the background. The venders sold authentic Argentine foods like empanadas (a type of pastry that has either cheese, meat, vegetables or a combination) and alfajores (dessert with two cookies and dulce de leche in between then dipped in chocolate), cultural treasures like paintings and jewelry, and souvenirs like key chains and maté cups (a cultural tea enjoyed by many Argentines) with Argentina and images of famous Argentine people like Lionel Messi, Eva Perón, and Che Guevara.

To wrap up our excursion to La Boca, we went to see La Bombonera, the stadium of the local soccer, or fútbol, team the Boca Juniors. Along the walls we saw many pictures depicting the culture and history of the Boca Juniors. Proud flags hanged everywhere with paintings of fútbol plays and soccer balls. One mural painting pointed out a key part of Boca Junior history: their colors. A Swedish ship crosses a blue ocean as a hand pants a yellow line over the blue background. The uniforms of Boca Juniors were actually pink but after their first game, the colors would change, and the color change would depend on the next ship that came into the port. When the Swedish ship crossed and docked, the official colors of Boca Juniors changed to blue and yellow, the same as the Swedish flag.

On Wednesday, May 20^th, we started off the day with a lecture from Maria Victoria on Argentinean merchants and trade networks and on marriage and racial classifications in pre-independence Argentina. It was really interesting to see the plethora of racial categorizations and the complex racial structure that demarcated certain marriages apart from others. We also looked at a variety of primary source documents, among which was a list containing the entire contents of a wealthy woman’s dowry. Besides fine jewelry, furniture, and other objects from all over South America, Europe, and Asia, her dowry also included a young slave girl. There were myriad controls and restrictions on marriage; however, Professor Newell iterated that women in Spanish America, unlike women in British America, retained certain rights over their property and personhood. We also learned about the importance of the complex trade networks, stretching up to the Lima and beyond, and how the Native Americans of the region played a vital role in securing the success of these networks.

After taking a short break for lunch, the group proceeded to the National Historical Museum. There, we viewed a variety of Argentine relics and learned more about the country’s history. The guide emphasized José de San Martín’s important role in securing independence for Argentina, Chile, and Peru. I was surprised to learn that he had actually spent a great deal of his life in Europe, an ironic fact given that he is widely revered alongside Bolívar as a liberator of South America from colonial rule. She also presented us with a representation of what the general’s room would have looked like. He was short in height, not unlike Napoleon; the spread of disease and the relative inadequacy of nutrition in that time meant that most individuals were not tall by modern standards. The use of chamber pots and their disposal in the streets also accelerated the spread of disease, already unchecked by the sewage-tainted water supply. Surprisingly, San Martín lived to the age of 72, a rare feat uncommon for a time in which most did not make it past fifty. Our guide also described the system of governance of colonial Buenos Aires and emphasized that although those in government were required to be property-owning white men, women, people of color, and working-class individuals were not necessarily deferential to authority and commonly spoke out regarding their hopes and concerns for the future.

San Martin

San Martin’s Room

After our visit to the museum, our group decided to visit the eclectic and culturally-rich neighborhood of La Boca. This barrio, with its strong Italian heritage and colorful houses, is a popular destination for tourists visiting Buenos Aires. Tango shows, clubs, taverns, gift shops, and a diverse array of restaurants dot this vibrant community. It was enjoyable to walk the cobblestone streets among the tango performers and street vendors. As a working-class community, it also has a long history of radical, left-wing politics and demonstrations.

La Boca

Street Art in La Boca

After our visit to the beautiful community of La Boca, we undertook a trip to the nearby soccer stadium. Soccer, or fútbol, is a part of the Argentine national consciousness, and most citizens of this nation display a zeal for the sport largely unmatched throughout the world. Here, people are sometimes even killed at soccer matches that turn violent. I was also surprised to find out how cheap the jerseys are here in comparison to those found in the United States. In some ways, this expands the ability of members of society of all social strata to come together and take part in a shared, collective experience.

Soccer Stadium

I was also pleased to see the beautiful art that adorns the stadium, with each panel representing some historical event or occurrence. In Buenos Aires, art is clearly very important and even the graffiti has a deep cultural meaning.

Soccer Stadium Art

Today was another enjoyable and educational day in Buenos Aires. I look forward to further developing my knowledge of Argentinean history and culture in the days to come.