Food, music and international party

Holaa :)

It's me again with an update sobre mi vida en Argentina.

I've never really been bored here. In addition to various work assignments for the university and intermediate exams (parciales), I did the following:

My Brazilian (former) roommate invited me to a Brazilian dinner with her and her boyfriend. We cooked Coxhina together, it was re delicioso! Her friend has a cacao farm in Brazil and they gave me chocolate - it was different. We also listened to Brazilian music and Brazil is now on my travel wish list!

On May 25th, Día de la Patria ("Homeland Day") took place. It's an Argentine national holiday where you celebrate the first step towards independence, because after the May Revolution in 1810 there was the first autonomous government in Argentina. Today, some streets also bear the name "25 de Mayo". Celebrations here are a bit different than in Austria... The day before, there was typical Argentinian food in the canteen: locro and empanadas, and there was even a music group playing. Free cocoa was distributed at the university and during class we listened to music from the yard. On National Day we didn't have uni so we went to Plaza Independencia, the main square, where there was music, asado, stalls and dances all afternoon. Everyone sang along to the national anthem and wore little pins with the Argentinian flag on them. Even the water in the fountain shone in the color "celeste". The next day I met some Argentinian friends for a picnic in Parque General San Martín, and some even came dressed in traditional attire, white shirt, scarf around neck and beret (sorry if it's called something else). An Argentinian woman who is also a dance teacher taught us a folk dance and a little bit of tango. And of course Mate couldn't be missing either.

At the end of May I moved out of my house because I no longer felt comfortable in it. Now I live with the same landlords in the center and I like it much better because you are really more in the action. Sometimes there are street musicians or small stalls selling homemade jewelry and clothes. And I can get empanadas in five minutes. Besides, the university is over now anyway, so I don't have to live so close by anymore. My landlords/roommates are from Buenos Aires, so every day I hear the accento rioplatense, the "typical" Argentinean accent, which is immediately recognizable.

Another highlight was the Fiesta Internacional 🌎. I have to say I wasn't that motivated to do it, also because I was a bit ill, but it was quite fun in the end. We were divided into country mixes and I was in a group with Germany, Hungary, Denmark and Tunisia. We basically had to advertise our universities and countries so that Argentine students could go abroad, but in the end it was also a cultural exchange because there were some dancing and singing performances. The Brazilians, Mexicans and one Chilean each danced traditional dances, the French a cancan, and there was also singing. I even went on stage twice, once with the Germans to introduce the Latinos to après-ski culture, and then the rickety wooden stage turned into a dance floor for a Viennese waltz. But in my opinion, our performance couldn't keep up with that of Colombia, because a Colombian student and a student presented real choreography with traditional clothes, with candle and flowers... You could really feel the passion in their dance. The Mexicans also had a piñata. All in all, I thought it was cool, especially because almost all of the exchange students got together again. And there was also Asado. But I have to say, the mood could have been better, because the fiesta took place on a Wednesday between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and it all seemed a bit un-relaxed because there was a tight program... It got funny then cleaning up, because the Brazilians played their music and danced, and then we all danced a bit of salsa.

And for the statistics: There are a total of 125 foreign students at the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, including 35 French (you meet French everywhere here, but I can't complain), 25 Mexicans, 12 Brazilians, 18 Colombians, 4 Germans and 2 Austrians (with me) :P

The next evening I was invited to the Mexicans' taconight. A French woman and I had the task of making the dough while the Argentines took care of the asado (wouldn't trust anyone else with that ;) ). Otherwise everything was homemade, from the guacamole to the salsa. Conclusion: muy rico.

This week I was again at the Parlote, the French regulars' table.

During the week I felt like I was at some musical event every day. First of all at the music evening in the Alliance Française, where some of my fellow students presented their artistic talent. On Friday I went to a classical concert and on Saturday to a choir. And to crown it all, we went to the Bresh - la fiesta más linda del mundo (not exactly, but it was fun). This festival was quite cool because it was in the center and the boliches (discos) are usually quite out of the way, almost half an hour away by Uber. And Reaggeton was played, so I'm satisfied. :P

Finally, a fun fact: In Argentina (and other Spanish-speaking countries) the unlucky day is not Friday the 13th, but Tuesday the 13th (Martes 13).

Nos vemos 🫶