Tag Archives: Why on earth

Why on earth did I move to Argentina?

30 Tuesday Apr 2013

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I have to be honest. I am well in my 4th year in Argentina and guess what, I am absolutely not wondering why on earth I moved to this country. I guess my friends and family have given up wondering why, and to anybody else who still does; I now always give the same answer : I am crazy.

I must be, right?

With 100.000 readers, 238 posts and a permanent visa in my hands, I think it is time to move on. Not to another country, I am definitely staying, but away from the initial title ‘why on earth…?’ I don’t want to linger any longer on the why. The longer I am here, the more I integrate, the more everything here seems so obvious, and the less I can put my finger on the Why’s. Argentina isn’t perfect, but I love it anyway. And every time I travel to Belgium I know I have done the right thing by moving here. I have no intention to leave, not yet.

So its time to change the title of this blog, time to change the lay out. Time for something new. I would like to thank my readers, for everyone commenting on my blog. I will be around, and be free to still follow me on my new road. Please hang around and see what it will be like… I hope you will still like it!

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Dia de la Memoria (March 24)

24 Sunday Mar 2013

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Today is Dia de la Memoria, another public holiday. If it weren’t for my school, this day would probably have passed like any other Sunday. Quiet, relaxing. But exactly on this day we were send out by our teacher of ‘fotoreportaje’ (something like photojournalism) to shoot this event.

First of all I did some research. Or let’s say I asked an Argentine friend what this day was about, and she had no clue, she then called her mom who (fortunately) knew. It is the day that the ‘decaparecidos’ are remembered. The word ‘desaparecidos’ does not only mean ‘the disappeared’ in general, but is in fact the name given to all the people that have disappeared during the military dictatorship of Videla (1976-1983) : people that have been arrested and never officially reported dead. The 24th of March 1976 was the day of the Coup d’etat.

On this day, the Avenida de Mayo (between the Congreso and the Plaza de Mayo), as well as many surrounding streets, are the scene of marching people, all divided in different groups and political organizations, all with flags and with drums, many of them singing. I walked from Congreso to the Plaza de Mayo and back, which took me about 3 hours of ‘shooting’ the ongoing mass. I have no idea how many people there were, but I have never seen anything quite like that, people all cheerful, singing, dancing and playing the drum. It was absolutely amazing. Most of the people were young, some very young, but some were (a lot) older. There were supporters of the government, and there were haters. It was a mix of a lot of people. And it was especially a great event to shoot…

Habemus Papam

18 Monday Mar 2013

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AP Photo/Oded Balilty

Ok. This is of course a subject that can’t be missed. We have a new pope. He is Argentine. I am an immigrant in Argentina. So he is kind of ‘my pope’.

Although I really didn’t see it like that at all, quite on the contrary. I was out having lunch with a friend when text messages from Belgium started coming in. Actually ‘started coming in’ is not quite the correct way to put it.   All of a sudden it seemed like my phone was about to explode with incoming messages : I was forced to turn it off in order not to molest my neighbors in the restaurant. I received messages from family, friends and far acquaintances in Belgium, all congratulating me on the new pope. What? Me? Why? What connection do I have with this new pope anyway? It is not like I knew him or that he has become pope because of my doing.

But after a while I got used to the congratulations and accepted them gladly. From Belgians I heard that all they talk about in the news is Argentina… not just the pope but also about his country of origin. That maybe he might bring some Argentine tradition into Europe. So some journalist has also realized that Argentina (the Argentines) are not just different but we Europeans might actually learn something from them? Hmmm. Interesting. (Maybe I am not mad after all, having moved to this country. Hehe)

Since that day, all the papers talked about is this new pope, the leader of 1,2 billion people. Whatever he does is broadcasted live on TV. This quite puts his rival, the president, into the shade, with only 40 million Argentines to rule over. It has been extremely quiet around her, the only way for for her to get back into the spotlight was to fly to Rome and meet the pope personally. It looks like Francis I, from one day into the next,  has become the most famous Argentine. More famous then Maxima and probably more famous then Maradona and Messi. And as if there aren’t yet enough public holidays in this country, last Friday the minister of education thought it was necessary to ad a new one. Tomorrow there is no school so everyone can watch the papal inauguration. I suppose the economy would have been down anyway, as this is probably a unique event for the Argentines.

Whatever can be said about the election of Francis I, one thing is certain :  it has put Argentina on the map. It was a far away and quite exotic country, but now it has come a lot closer, and at least it has become visible. I wonder what the influence will be in the long run. Argentines at least hope that he will bring change in this god forsaken country. And me,  I hope so too. They could use some change around here.

Thats what they all do! (cosi fan tutte)

18 Monday Mar 2013

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In other words, this is about Mozart’s famous opera, which is probably my favorite. Although it doesn’t have -in my opinion- the best arias (I love arias), I just love the story of this one and the fact that is funny. Its an opera buffa. Considering it is quite a long one -4 hours in total- you would say it is only for the real opera lover, but I must say that this one, especially this version, doesn’t bore for a second, and is much more accesible than many more serious and heavy ones.

For this one you need to go to the Teatro Avenida, the 19th, 21st and 23th of this month (so hurry up!), and is organized by Buenos Aires Lírica.

The story goes like this, Guglielmo and Ferrando are boasting about their fiancés, saying that they will always be faithful to them, no matter what happens. Don Alfonso says he wants to bet that they will betray their lover, that no woman can be faithful all her life. Both boys agree to test the girls : they tell them they are going to war, but they come back disguised as men from Albania, and each of them tries to seduce the others fiancé. But whether they succeed or no I wont tell…

The 6 voices (I didn’t mention the maid, Desina) fit together perfectly, although my favorite voices were the 2 sisters, who sounded as one.

The costumes are all Louis XV style, but the attributes are 21st centuries. They drink coke, they hold a fire extinguisher to defend themselves, and a lot more. The contrast is interesting and funny. But I shan’t say no more. Just go, and tell me if you agree with me or not.

If you like opera just a little, you will certainly like this one!

driving home

10 Sunday Mar 2013

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But not for Christmas (as in ‘Driving home for Christmas’, by Chris Rea).

Christmas seems so long ago, but it was only at the beginning of the summer holidays (yes we live in the Southern Hemisphere). At that time we were just getting started to relax and enjoy the end of the school year. Now we are about 3 months further and school has started again. Finally all the Argentines have come back from their long trips either abroad or in the country. Life is getting back to normal.skyline

And so I thought driving home from the south, on the famous Ruta Dos, would be a piece of cake. Next to the Panamericana this road is famous for his traffic jams. The Ruta 2 is the road to and from the seaside, during the summer months to be avoided at the beginning of the weekend (go) and at the end (return). But I just love driving home in the late afternoon, and arrive in town just before, or rather during, sunset. This is when the Buenos Aires skyline is at its best.photo-2

We have had lovely weather this weekend, nice and warm without being unbearably hot. A change to the unstable and chilly weather we have had the last few weeks. Or so I am told, as I have been away (as maybe you might have noticed), trying to escape from the Buenos Aires heat. But as it turned out the heat left the city together with me. (hmm. really? Well it surely didn’t join me up north!)

As soon as I arrived in Hudson Peaje (toll), I knew I was in trouble. Here in Argentina they have the most annoying habit to open all the gates when there are too many cars coming through. In Europe they would be delighted to let all those cars pay, and during the season huge traffic jams in front of a toll are quite common. Here some law seems to say that you cant wait more then 2 minutes in front of a toll, so then they open up the gates. That is the moment when -I didnt really count them- about 10 lanes drive through at low speed, and have to get back on 2 lanes again. Imagine. A complete traffic jam after the toll. But Ok, you did save 3,5$ (Pesos Argentinas) so I guess its worth it. (Why don’t they ever open Samborobon which costs $23? Or did I always manage to avoid such a jam?)photo-1

Personally I always pray for the gates to open. But just before me. To only have the good part (not paying) and not the bad part (the congestion). But one cant always be lucky, right? Today it took them horribly long to all get back into 2 lanes. I started to fear there had been some accident. And when traffic was moving again -although very slowly-, for the next 30 km or so, I watched the long lane of cars in front of me, shining in the evening sun, one close to another, and I realized it is absolutely amazing, the amount of cars (and people) driving into town on a sunday evening. I truly wondered if they all fit in. Where do they go to? Where do they live? And where did they go? Where did they stay this weekend? Where do the park there car???

And I cursed. Cursed because I was the one driving. Because my camera was in the trunk. Because I missed an opportunity to capture this. But I could take these with my phone.

It is so good to be back! Back at last!

fire flies and milky ways

15 Tuesday Jan 2013

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Isn’t it strange, how tired the heat makes you? On a day so hot that all you can do is spend it in the pool, only to come out to eat and to have a siesta with the fan on maximum speed, I think about my childhood. We used to go to Spain, and my dad used to always get mad at the Spaniards for taking a nap on the hottest part of the day. He hated the -according to him- favorite Spanish expression mañana por la mañana, but today I feel, more then ever, sympathy for those heat-tormented people. Spanish or other. Productivity goes down rapidly in these hot summer  days.

But then the son goes down, and something magical happens. Not in the city of course, but outside. Apart from the mosquitos, the frogs, the grasshoppers, and all the other animals and insects, there is something more fairylike, it are the fire flies.

fireflies

They are the strangest little things, they flash lights while flying and make the grass look like it is full of shiny diamonds. I ventured outside, fascinated and forgetting to put mosquito repellent, taking camera and tripod with me. The more I stood quiet, the more there were and the closer they came -it felt absolutely magical!

But even on a pitch dark night, at new moon, it is never dark in the Argentine country, where light polution is as good as inexistent, and not only is the sky full of stars, here they still have a milky way. That is something that I had imagined forgotten, and something that most teenage kids of today, born and raised in Western Europe have never seen before.

milky ways

We tend to take things like this for granted, but nature at night, can be absolutely stunning…

I couldn’t get enough of it, and when I finally went back to the house, I found it locked. I was locked outside with my camera, and the noise of the buzzing mosquitos was taking over the then lost magical moments I had been enjoying. I knocked  on the door, no answer. It seemed like every one was sound asleep. I then banged on the windows, loud, and finally, just before I started to panic, someone let me in…

The pier of Silence…

10 Thursday Jan 2013

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muelle01Buenos Aires is a great place to live, at least it is to me. It is always full of life, full of traffic, full of people. There is always something to do, a theatre, an exhibition, a museum, whatever. One can never be bored here and never get tired of it.

But that does not seem to count for everyone. Some people hate the noise and the hustle and bustle of this big city. Of any big city. Always. And others need to get out, just once in a while, to enjoy the silence and the tranquility of the country, to charge your batteries and be able to attack city life again. This is one of the contradictions I love so much about Argentina, the city is top, and when you drive an hour, maybe 2 or 3, you are in a completely different world. Different architecture, different people and, complete silence together with emptiness… The further you drive, the more quiet it becomes.

muelle02Summer is probably the best period to drive out into the countryside. All the concrete keeps the city heat captured, day as well as night, and as soon as you leave the city the temperature easily goes down 2 to 5 degrees. In the country the nights are still nice and cool while at the same time people in Capital are boiling in their beds or freezing under the air conditioning.

Of all places, El Muelle del Silencio, in the neighborhood of Chascomús, is one of my favorites. Especially because it is close to town, about an hour and a half drive, so it is easy to just go for a weekend. And that is all I need, just once in a while.

muelle05It is now open for tourism, to stay for a few nights, or just the weekend or even a day. Please check it out and let me know if you like it as much as I do!

info.el.muelle@gmail.com or call Sara +54 911 3668 4425 http://www.elmuelledelsilencio.com Follow them on Facebook or on Twitter @desdeelmuelle

And don’t forget : ENJOY SUMMER!!!!

Old Belgians (Oude Belgen)

09 Wednesday Jan 2013

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Whenever Argentina makes it to the Belgian news, I hear about it. All my friends think about me when they read it and a copy of the article is mailed of tweeted to me. Mostly its about something Kristina has done, but then once in while it is quite interesting news. Like the news of the old train wagons about to be send to the dump. This even made it to the 7 clock evening news on the national Flemish TV! What a pity that is! And how scandalously outrageous that the almost 100 year old Belgian trains will be exchanged for Chinese ones.

800px-Coche_La_Brugeoise_-_Interior_

Linea A is the oldest subway in Latin America, and the 90 trains were build between 1911 and 1919 in Bruges Belgium, by La Brugeoise, Nicaise et Delcuve  (now Bombardier). Some Argentines call the trains ‘Brujas’ (Spanish for Bruges -and Witches -) or Belgas. Today, these trains are the oldest trains in the world that are still in use. Next year, in 2013, they will be 100 years old, but it seems like they will be celebrating their birthday in a museum instead of on the tracks.

In 1926 they were refurbished but La Brugeoise, when the A line was extended  and the trains drove underground only. Up to that moment they had low entrances at the ends for boearding from the streets, and high doors in the middle to board from off a platform.

800px-La_Brugeoise_3

There seems to be a lot of protest against the coming renovations, and I must admit, they do have a romantic side. I only took this train once -Linea A is not on my daily track- and although I was enchanted by its interior, it was dreadfully hot inside, all the windows were open to make heat bearable, but the noise of the train driving with open windows made it completely impossible to have a conversation with your neighbor. Although it might be great on a touristic track, as daily means of transportation I absolutely prefer a modern air conditioned -even it were a Chinese- one…

The trains are in a terrible state, as maintenance has been very low or even inexistent, partly for economic and political reasons, but partly because spare parts are no longer available or have to be custom made. Unfortunately there is no way, or no money, to clean them up and let them ride again.

For everyone wanting to have a last ride, you should hurry, as tomorrow will be their last day!

Here are a few pics taken today -I didn’t venture myself inside with my camera, the subte isn’t exactly known for its safety.train1 train2 train3

It’s over…

07 Monday Jan 2013

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punta05

The holidays are over, the new year has begun. Summer has started. And, Buenos Aires is empty.

How a huge city like this, always so busy and loud, can become so quiet and empty in such a short period has always been a mystery to me. Right now the city is empty. Now you can cross big busy lanes when the light is red, but also, shops are closed, restaurants are on holidays, and all you see is tourists. Many Many tourists.

The heat is too much to do anything, and how the tourists manage to sit on the top floor of the open tourist busses, I don’t know, but I suppose the urge to see and to get to know this wonderful city is really big. Unfortunately now the city is not as is usually is. It is completely different. It is like another world. Maybe it is not quite dead, but it certainly is sleeping.

punta02

But where did all the people go? You would say that most Argentines are in Punta (Punta del Este in Uruguay), for ages this has been the place to be for the well off, although nowadays it is not just the rich that go there, but also the huge middle class.

punta04

I was lucky to be invited to go to Punta in December, that is when everything opens although it is still as good as empty. In restaurants you are received by tens of waiters, literally waiting for a client, and you are treated as a god. The beaches are as good as empty, and you can easily drive around without being stuck in traffic. This is probably when Punta is the nicest…

punta01

I don’t really understand the hype, it is nice, yes, but to me it is a strange and very artificial place, full -realy full- of houses and apartments, and for 3 months a year there are people, lots and lots of people, the other 9 months is it dead and empty. I am told that in winter they even turn off the traffic lights…

Uruguay does have a few pros, and one of them is certainly the delicious fresh fish. We were absolutely delighted with Lo de Charly in Manantiales, where delicious fresh fish is served in an excellent way. Charly might be Argentine, his fish certainly isn’t!

punta03

But when it comes to beaches, to me, nothing can beat Cariló in Argentina… it is a lot quieter, more beautiful, and not so artificial, but if next year we are invited to Punta again, we will definitely not hesitate to accept the invitation. Hehe.

Let the summer begin!

PS pictures taken between Punta Ballena and Jose Ignacio, with in the middle Punta del Este, Uruguay

It’s Christmas eve…

24 Monday Dec 2012

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Its Christmas eve. If you now imagine yourself a dark day, possibly snow outside, cold, the open fire, a huge christmas tree, lights, candles, the whole family  present-including even your mother in law-, and a turkey, then you are mistaken.

Today is probably the hottest day of the year. One website says its 34°C but feels like 48°C. Lets just say its hot. The whole day there was a 80% chance of thunderstorms, but instead we had a steel-blue sky all day. Too hot for turkey, way too sunny for candles and lights, the air conditioning is on and all the windows are closed. And the family? Well they all live at the other side of the world. Its just us. And 2 kids, both with a jet lag. And my brother with his family flying over as we speak, arriving tomorrow, just in time to share Christmas day with us.

A tree doesn’t really fit here, but tell me, where do put the presents when there is no tree? Hmm. Thats a tiny little problem. We all got the Argentine ‘lets-get-our-stuff-last-minute’ germ, my kids left the house at 4pm to buy presents. Why do it in advance if you can do it the same day anyway? I spend the whole day in the kitchen, a supposedly perfect meal is to be served in a few hours.

It is hard to get into a Christmas mood here in the southern hemisphere, but once Christmas is there, there is no way around it.

Buenos Aires is already running empty, in a few days there will be hardly anyone left, except for the many tourists. The extremely loud and busy city is changing into something quite different.  You can easily cross the streets without waiting for the green light, and you get to your destination in no time. Where did all the Porteños go? It is as if they all started a summer sleep, like bears up north do in winter. But thats another topic.

First there is Christmas.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!