Congreso

I think it's time to talk about my current neighborhood, which could be changing really soon but I don't want to jinx anything yet because my new home is almost at my finger tips!

My hood is called Congreso and as the name says, it is because the congress building is right there. It's a very beautiful building and it's definitely one of the many famous architectures in BsAs. Somehow they don't light it at night and it's pretty much lost in the dark. Otherwise, it'd even look more majestic and I'd be able to find my way home easier at night. On the bright side though, they are saving a lot of energy and taxpayer's money for not doing so.

In front of Congreso is the Congress Plaza and it's where people protest a lot, and I think that is why they have fences up all around the beautiful structures in the plaza. It's quite unfortunate because the fences really obstructed the whole view. Congreso is a very busy area, especially during week days. There is the Congreso subte station, major big streets all around and tons of traffic going by this intersection, so I don't find this plaza an ideal place to sit and chill, not to mention the occasional protesting.

This hood is generally a very safe area, very local and is very close to everything and other barrios. Other than the congress building and the plaza to check out, there is really nothing touristy about it. The downside is really the protesting which could potentially get very ugly, cause inconveniences (as mentioned in my post a few days ago), and a lot of noise (they drum a lot here when they want to get their messages across. Great beat though!) All in all, it's a good spot and it feels kinda special that every morning when you walk out the door, the first thing you see is this gorgeous, very significant landmark of this country.

Demonstration

Today when I took the subte (subway) home, it skipped my stop at Congreso and stopped at 2 stations after. I wasn't aware they have an express train so I got off all confused. Asked the police which direction was Congreso. He pointed me to the right way and he said 'Ojo, mucha gente en Congreso.' (Watch out, there's a lot of people in Congreso.) I have been here for a week now, can't say it's a lot of time but it has been quite peaceful so far being living in the area where the Congress building is, and it has been quite dead at night in my area, so I still didn't clue in.

When I got closer to the block and I knew why the subte skipped my stop, it was all for crowd control. There were barricades on the roads, surrounding the block of the Congress building, police everywhere, police cars and even a huge police truck which looks like it could shoot things out of it. Yikes! They were serious.

The demonstration was in the plaza right across from the Congress building. There were a big screen TV showing a man making a speech and TV cameras all around reporting. Since I still can't understand much yet, I couldn't make out exactly what was going on, but from the signs, it's something about 'airlines are ours'. People were singing, drumming, raising flags, cheering...all in all peaceful. Traffic was a complete chaos at the intersection though, honking and maneuvering.

It was quite a little experience to see that in person and I was totally glad that nothing crazy happened because I needed food so bad and wouldn't want to get stuck in the house starving. As I'm writing this, I'm having dinner and using wifi at this pizzeria that is half a block from my place. Looking out to the plaza, drumming noise in the background and is slowly fading away...

Connected once again

Got in yesterday afternoon. A local friend whom I´ve met last year when I was here came to pick me up with a remis (car service). Lots and lots of thanks to him because it'd be much more difficult for me to get from point A to point B with 4 pieces of luggages and broken spanish with a very exhausted mind. I settled down in my rented room at around 9-ish (expected to be able to move in at around 5-ish pm but this is AGAIN Argentine 'time' so ya, 4 hours later), and it finally hit me that I'm here. I started to freak out a bit and it was really the first time I felt worried and scared about all these. Anyway, with no internet or TV at my new home, I decided to close my eyes and sleep it off.

Sleeping always helps! Got up, energized, got some money and I went to get a SIM card (refer to as el Chip here). 15 minutos later, voila! I´m connected and normal again!! The chip costed me 20 pesos and then just needed to add money to it by buying a card with the PIN at any kiosko. They come in different amounts and I got a 15 pesos one that should last me a while. Texting out costs 0.17 pesos and calling out costs 0.55 pesos , and I believe even receiving calls doesn´t cost me a dime except if someone calls me from a payphone. So sorry if you´re calling me from a payphone...

As you can see, my room really is just a room. Nothing stellar. The most colorful places are el baño (bathroom) and la cocina (kitchen). We use gas stove here and need the flicker (how do you call those?) to get the fire going. At least the owner has one of those, last year when I was at my friend´s place, we used matches. Yes matches! Scared the crap out of me at first but slowly the ´excitement´became an addiction. I´d boil water just so I could show that I could do it.

For the price I´m paying right now for this room and being in Congreso (a very central location), it´s really an absolute steal so I´m not complaining for having a roof over my head. (Please don´t let this scare you away from visiting. There are many super nice places you can rent from that will make your jaw drop. I am just going hippie style over here and watching my wallet.) Nonetheless, I am going to look for a new home very soon since the agreement to this is only for 2 months, and I still really really want to live in my favorite barrio (neighborhood), San Telmo. More on that later.

Top picture: Disclaimer - that Jack Daniel bottle you see on the desk was filled with water. I freaked out but not that freaked out.