Meine Argentinienreise 2007/2008

My first week in Buenos Aires - English version

The first week of my stay in Argentina is over, and although it passed very quickly it seems to me that I already have been living here for 2 or 3 weeks. There are so many impressions of the city, its atmosphere, its people and their habits – it is too much for an ordinary middle-aged European like me.

First of all – I had a good flight to Argentina. Despite the situation that I did not get a direct flight to Buenos Aires (Bs.As.) – I got a flight from Frankfurt to Bs.As. via Santiago de Chile – it was a relaxed journey. I flew with LAN Chile I can recommend seriously. Very good service.

In Bs.As. I crashed into winter time. Here they have the hardest winter since 90 years I read in the newspapers but when I arrived there were 10-15 degrees at noon and about 5 at night or in the morning. Due to the fact that there are no heating systems in the buildings it could be a little bit colder than it used to be for the people here. I can handle it – it is like in Germany in March or October.

I arrived on Thursday (19 July) and had three days including the weekend to get in touch with the city before I start my Spanish classes on Monday, 23 July. I have an appartment in Caballito which is 20 min away from center (by subte-underground). It is a simple appartment which belongs to an older lady in the 60s but she does not live here. I share this appartment with a student from Peru but have not seen her yet.

My first visit was in San Telmo where we (my girl-friend Eva & I) stayed during our first trip in Argentina in 2003/2004. I wanted to see all the places I know just to get an impression what has changed and what remained. It was like a dejá-vu – it seems that everything was preserved for that moment when I come back. I met Lina from our pension (Lina’s Tango Guesthouse), took a coffee in our favorite bar “Aconcagua”, walked through the antique market in Mercade San Telmo, took another coffee in the bar “La Coruna” where the dog & cat are still living – and it was like coming home after such a long time.

Buenos Aires is a city which reminds me on European cities in the 1920s or 1930s. Despite it is a modern city with skyscrapers and new technology you can always find “old-fashioned” places or things, for example the Subte Linea A. This was the very first underground in South America inaugurated in 1913. Since that time there are the same vehicles in operation which were manufactured in England and Belgium. They bodyshells are made from wood, and the interior is like in a museum train. It is unbelievable that these trains are still in operation but there are running every day, and in the rush-hours they are packed with passengers.

In opposition to these antique metro trains a new tramway has arrived in Bs.As. The French company ALSTOM built a test track in Puerto Madero (ca. 1 km, 4 stations), provided it with two modern low-floor trams type Citadis from Mulhouse/France and wants to demonstrate to the citizens how a modern public tram system could (or should) be. On 14 July there was the official inauguration with the Argentinian President Kirchner, and I wanted to test this tram, too. Unfortunatly, there was no public service the days after the opening. I saw only the two trams and plenty of experts who tried to solve some technical problems.

On Monday (23 July) I started my Spanish classes. I have to pass 4 hours from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm, we are a group of three people (2 Germans and one American), and our tow teachers Lorena and Karina sometimes give us a hard time. The Argentinian Spanish (called Castellano) is a bit different than the Spanish people speak in Spain. And the Castellano people speak in Bs.As is different than the Castellano people speak in other regions in Argentina. But I come into gears step by step. The Language School is only one side of the medal – in my opinion – on the other side you have to practise it on the streets. I am only here for one week now but in my minds Spanish and German words already mix up. In a few weeks I will dream in Castellano.

What is the summary of this week?

+++      street life, food, coffee, shopping opportunities, low prices

++        public transport, internet access in the so-call “locutorios”

+          my apartment

-           weather

--          time difference (minus 5 hrs. which confuses my biological clock)

---         my mobil phone does not work properly with the Argentinian SIM card