La Plaza de Mayo..y otras cosas

Hola familia y amigos!
Todo bien acá! En realidad..very very good. Today was such a wonderful day and it put me in the best mood. I could probably tackle the world right now..well maybe not the entire world but my little portion of it here in BsAs. I have now learned exactly what it is to "acostumbrarse"..which very simply means to become accustomed to the area or adapt. It is reflexive, which means it reflects back on the subject, like I accommodate myself, or I become myself. I love the verb because it makes me think of putting on a costume and becoming a very real part of the play that is life. I am an actor and I am very literally becoming myself into this city and this culture and this new world. I could not be more grateful for the opportunity to be here and I am so glad that I made it through the first few weeks to find out how amazing Buenos Aires is.

I met some Argentines last week and got to speak with them again today. They are students that attend the same university in the classroom across the hall from me. Incredibly sweet and not very good at english at all. It is wonderful for me to practice so much, although it does require more attention than I've ever given to anything in my life and makes me very mentally drained. BUT! SO worth it.

We also visited La Plaza del Mayo today, which is basically the center of everything: the government, the church, and the bank of Argentina. It is the place where people go to protest because many others are sure to see it there. Every Thursday "las madres del mayo" march around the square to raise awareness and knowledge of los desaparecidos..the disappeared. Long story short, around 1970, the Argentine government decided that it was not going to allow anyone to protest anything or allow the citizens to say a single word against it. They also took between 8,000 and 30,000 people (no one agrees on the number but you know what? even ONE person is too many people) and made them "disappear", later to be found in the nearby river with traces of drugs and evidence of torture. In 2002, a man finally came forward and testified against the government officials, only to "disappear" hours later. This was HUGE. Not only was this evidence that these horrible people continued to stay in power, but also that they were still able and willing to murder innocent citizens. I know this is a HUGE explanation, but it is a very minuscule amount of the history that happened with these people. I hope Argentina never forgets because I know I won't.

While at the plaza, this completely adorable group of children came up to us and started asking us questions in spanish. I could not believe how cute they were. One very brave little girl asked me what is my favorite color. A boy asked me what the colors of the US flag mean..which I couldn't really remember so I made up something about red for blood, white for purity, and the stars for the 50 states. I'm a terrible American! Yet another boy asked me how I was doing and how old I was :)

So it is customary here when you say hello or goodbye to someone, even upon first meeting them, to do kind of a half hug and grab the other person's shoulders, press your cheeks together, and kiss the air. I decided that the girl that asked me about my favorite color definitely deserved an authentic Argentine goodbye from an American (they made me feel like a celebrity) so I gave her a little hug and kiss and said goodbye. I could have put her in my pocket and take her home with me..she smiled so big!

What a GREAT day!!! Now it's around midnight and I probably should finish this blog since it has turned more into a novel now. I just had to tell everyone about this amazing and fantastic place I'm in. I almost don't want to leave...almost ;)

goodnight lovelies!
xoxoxo
Allie