The Family From the South

Today, I had the opportunity to finally meet the Zvaigs, members of our extended family who live in Buenos Aires.  I had been communicating with them via email since I began planning my trip to Argentina, and Silvia, one of the cousins, did come meet me at the airport last week to help me find my way.  But today we finally had the chance to sit down and talk.  After years of receiving our annual Rosh Hashanah card from South America, I got to meet Adolfo, the patriarch of this part of the family.  He brought pictures of the family and had lots of questions about "los Zweigs del Norte" (the Zweigs of the North).  This week marks Adolfo's sixtieth year as a doctor, and he is also the grandfather of Silvia and Reuben's three children.  

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With Silvia and Adolfo

We had a great lunch together, and then we went on a driving tour of Buenos Aires and the surrounding province.  I got to see the places that are important to my family-- the kids' school, their home, the place with the good Italian ice cream-- and got more context about life in Argentina.  Many people here belong to "clubs," which function like a JCC or YMCA in the United States, with places to play different sports, shower, and socialize.  It also appears that the children and adults have lots of activities in and out of school and work.  

The spelling changes between the names-- Zweig in the United States and Zvaig here--preserves the same pronunciation in both languages.  In Spanish, the "zw" combination is even more confusing than in English.  Adolfo said when the family came from the "old country" (generally agreed upon as Lithuania, but border changes make it difficult to tell), everyone had to figure out how to spell their names in the new languages.  Other members of the family ended up with "Swaig" and other combinations.  Though I'm still a little shaky on exactly how we are related, I think that Adolfo's father was a cousin of my grandfather Elmer's father in the old country.  It is my understanding that Adolf's family couldn't get a visa into the U.S., so they went to Argentina instead.    

For me, it was just nice to know that there is family here in case I need anything.  Building networks of support is an important step in getting acclimated in a new place, and knowing that my family is nearby for whatever I need is incredibly comforting.  One of the reasons I chose to study in Argentina was to get to know the "Zvaigs of the South."   By learning more about our family here, I am able to use the study abroad experience to learn more about my own family history.  

Down By The Railway Station

City life is a big adjustment for me.  Yesterday, I killed my first Argentine cockroach (the experience was just as unpleasant as in the United States), and I've been slowly getting used to taking public transportation.  Buenos Aires is a huge city with over twelve million people, so driving is not really an option for most people.  At home, driving is the only way to get around, so I am working to adjust.

Commuters here have some choices-- subway, bus, taxi, bike, or walk.  The subway is called the Subte (abbreviation of subterráneo, subterranean), and is fifty cents per ride.  Buses are called colectivos, and they cross the city in droves, marked by numbers and colors.  When you take the bus here, you have to tell the driver where you want to get off as you enter the bus; this means you have to have some idea of where you're going before you take the bus.  Cost is thirty cents per ride.  

The taxi situation is different too-- the preferred method is called a "radio taxi," where you call and tell them where you are and where you are going.  The taxi driver will then come to your location to pick you up.  I suspect this keeps taxi drivers from not taking people to their final destinations and creates an accountability system.  Finally, one could theoretically bike here, but I really have no idea where you would ride it.  In some of the smaller, more residential areas, there are bike lanes that have a physical barrier separating them from the rest of the street.  (You can see a photo from Google Images here.)  My hunch is that the barrier is needed to maintain any kind of bike lane at all, since it seems that you can drive and park wherever you want.  On Saturday, I saw a car driving on the sidewalk because traffic on the street had come to a stand-still.  

And, of course, you can walk.  This has been my preferred method so I can get to know the neighborhoods and where things are.  I am not good at directions or getting around, and I have definitely had some challenges here.  On Sunday, I went up on the map from my apartment (North? Maps here don't show the cardinal directions), past the zoo, and then to a small street fair.  After browsing the items, I decided to return home. I got myself to the correct street, but turned left instead of right.  Twenty minutes later, I was very far from home.  Thankfully, I had brought my "Guía T" (Transportation Guide), so I sat for a good fifteen minutes figuring out how to make it back.  I settled on the easiest, but maybe not the fastest route, and took two different subways.  Though my short trip out ended up taking three hours, I was proud of myself for making it home.   

On a regular basis, I'll be commuting to my main school location (45 minute walk, twenty minute subway, 30-35 minute bus trip) and other spots around the city.  Today, we went to see one of the University of Buenos Aires locations, and it took an hour on the subway to get home.  This was after we spent over two hours on a "Scavenger Hunt Remix," which involved a group of fifteen people navigating public transportation to see the city.  While it was nice to see different parts the city, I feel like I spent the entire day riding the subte.  

Meeting Buenos Aires

In Spanish, you use the verb "meet" to describe places you've been.  Instead of saying that you have travelled to or know a city, you say, "Ah, yes, I have met Chicago before."  This gives the city an elevated status-- in Spanish, the city's not a fact you know, it's a person you are discovering over time.  

The past three days in Argentina have been full of meeting-- making new friends on the airplane, in my hotel room with four other girls, and with the streets.  My cousin Silvia met me at the airport, and I was so appreciative to see a friendly face and someone who could help me find my way.  We met all the program staff, but there are so many with so many jobs I cannot possibly remember them all.  We met our host families, our metro cards, our new currency, and our new food.  The amount of meeting and new is almost overwhelming, but I am feel I am adjusting.  

One person I was very excited to meet was my host, Delfina.  She is in her late twenties and works as a teachers' aide and psychologist at an International School.  She also likes music, playing guitar, singing, and astrology.  For a while, she worked as an analyst but didn't enjoy it, so she's taking astrology classes in the hopes of combining it with psychology.  When my command of language is better I will ask her more about that.  Thankfully, she does speak English for when I forget words or how to use the past tense.  Her apartment is on a quiet (by Buenos Aires standards?) street in between some more major streets.  It's very cute, and my room is decorated with maps of places Delfi has visited or that her friends have brought back from their travels.  

Yesterday, Delfi and I went on an adventure to get a metro card and cell phone as well as learn the neighborhood.  The phone was a real challenge-- in Argentina, there are three major phone companies, akin to Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T in the United States.  Again, much like at home, they want you to sign up for a two-year plan with a phone, minutes, and texting.  Since I'm only here until the end of the year, I need to pay as I go which is much more expensive.  Delfi was very helpful in explaining everything to me, as we never covered slimy cell phone company vocabulary in any Spanish class I took.  Basically, as Delfi explained, it boiled down to whose "tentacles" I wanted to be stuck in.  Eventually, we got a phone that will be activated within twenty-four hours, and then I will buy a prepaid card from which I'll charge my calls, texting, and 3G usage.  

Today I plan to go out and walk around to learn the neighborhood better.  Last night, I practiced getting from the subway I take to school back to the house, but I got lost both times I tried to do it.  Someone told me about a feria (literally translated as festival, but from the pictures this looks like an open-air market) going on near me, so I think I might walk over there.  Later tonight we have another meeting with the other students and families from our neighborhood so we know who is nearby.  More meeting and getting to know our surroundings.