Alfajores

Guess who made some awesome alfajores? That's right. Me.. and my friends Waew from Thailand and Theresa from Germany. Whoa, so many different cultures united to make a typical dessert from another culture foreign to us. Look at us international exchange students go! Anyway, the recipe is below. I don't have any pictures of our personal experience (since my camera died and I lost the recharger :/ )

 Recipe

Ingredients:

-Butter or Margarine 250g
-Sugar 150g
-Eggs 2
-Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon
-Lemon juice 3 teaspoons
-Lemon zest (1 lemon)
-Cornstarch 300g
-Rising Flour 200g
-Dulce de Leche 500g
-Coconut shreds

 Procedure:

 1- Preheat the oven to a medium temperature.
2- Whisk in a bowl the soft butter with the sugar. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and lemon juice.
3- Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until smooth and doughy.
4- Leave it in the fridge to rise for at least 2hrs.
5- Role the dough out in flour and cut with a cookie cutter.
      *You can make them whatever size really but remember that the dough will rise a lot so don't cut them too thick.
6- Place in a buttered or floured pan and cook the for 8min.
7- Leave them to cool. Fill them with dulce de leche and role the sides in the coconut shreds.
8- Most important of all, enjoy!

By the way, this recipe is nothing fancy. Let's just thank Yahoo Answers for one moment.

~From Argentina With Love

Guess who won?

RIVER PLATE

I guess I'm a new River fan now... (don't I sound like such an enthusiastic fan. I've been watching soccer for almost 6 months now, and I still know only the very basics of the game. Oh well, I'm Yankee anyway. Long live basketball; college and NBA)

 

-From Argentina With Love

Football Fanatics

FOOTBALL!!!! and by football I don't mean American football, but SOCCER.

*note* I'll probably say write football instead of soccer... just to clear that up








Fanatic doesn't begin to adequately describe the people's obsession with football. It is a impressive but also scary. Like Ancient-Rome-and-the-spectacle-of-gladiators-battling-in-the-arena impressive but scary. Although in these neo-games the spectators can get more violent than anything in the game itself.

Argentina is a center of football. Maradona was the best soccer-player in the world. He played in four FIFA World Cup tournaments, including the 1986 tournament. In this game he captained Argentina and led them to their victory over West Germany and winning the Golden Ball award as the tournaments best play. In this tournaments quarterfinal round, he entered football history for two different reasons. One, he scored the first infamous goal with an unpenalized handball known as the "Mano de Dios" or "Hand of God". The second he made a 60m dribble past five England players and made the most impressive and impossible goal ever, voted as "The Goal of the Century" by FIFA. Although he is rather a controversial figure in history, the distraction of the World Cup and the win was something Argentina needed during one of their most dangerous times of military dictatorship and instability.

 Then, even now, Argentines pride ourselves in Messi, currently considered the best player. My point however is that soccer is not only a game but has strong historical significance to Argentina.

The country is divided into two teams River Plate and Boca Junior. When I first came, I was part of a family for River, and now I'm in Boca. Today there is a game where both teams play together. In their last encounter River won. Since I still haven't decided which team I am for... if the winner is River, then I will consider myself a red and white River fan. Other-wise, I'll remain independent (I'm not that much of a football fan anyway..).
     I'll blog the results tomorrow ;P


~ From Argentina With Love

School System

The school system... hmmm. I hardly know where to begin...

To start, the seasons (weather and school) are opposite. The school season just follows the pattern of weather. Therefore, when I arrived in Argentina, it was the end of my summer break in the US but the end of the 1st semester here. New country, new language, and the middle of school.

For one, there are two different, umm, shifts: morning and afternoon. I go to school in the afternoon 'shift' from 1:15pm 'til 6:30pm. It's a curse and a blessing in one. On the upside, I can sleep in everyday and can have the pleasant leisure of doing nothing until school. The downside: no one does anything until school so you waste half of your day. Those that who go in the morning, yeah they have to wake up early, but the also have the rest of the afternoon free to do sports, hang out, or anything. ANYWAY...

 There is a week schedule as opposed to a the same classes in a daily routine. Instead, there are 3 main periods of an 1hr 30min and a finally post-hour of 45 minutes in the day. It works as a sort of block schedule.

The biggest difference, is that teachers change classes, not students. You have a set homeroom and always work from it. The downside to this is that there is no choosing classes. You have a set schedule with all the same classes as your friends, as well as your frienemies, arch-enemies and not-so-friends people you dislike.

Uniforms! The uniform is easy with a white shirt and blue pants, but not jeans. Usually sweatpants. It's a gift and a curse too. It's easy to decide what you are going to where each day. (Hmmm, the clean one or the dirty one?) It illuminates creates an environment where everyone is the same. No division of the 'plastics' because of clothing. However, they also illuminate individuality in expression. Even if they are comfortable, they are not the most flattering outfit to be wearing everyday.

What else... P.E! It's a required class. Everyone has it twice a week. I have it in the morning at 8am Mondays and Wednesdays. I guess I lied when I said I get to sleep in everyday.

I have stated the obvious differences. Actually, of everything in Argentina so far, the school system is by far the most different. However, I've also come to realize that the goal of both systems are the same which makes them more similar than different. In the end, everyone covers the same basic subjects: math, science, language, and history.

~ From Argentina with Love

Post Turtle Politics

 My host-family told me an interesting political allegory...

Politics are like a turtle on a post. When you come across this strange spectacle:

1. You are thoroughly bewildered and cannot understand why he is up there.
2. You wonder how he got up there.
3. You inevitably realize that he could not have gotten up there without help.
4. You know he doesn't belong there.
5. You realize he cannot do anything useful while he is up there.

Therefore, the only logical action is to help the poor, dumb thing down.

 

 I can't say that I've every heard anything as outrageous or so sincerely applicable.

 

*Funny side note - Later I read someone's commentary on this analogy on the internet and couldn't help but laugh. It translates as: "and most importantly, the shit goes in the direction of those below".

 

 

~From Argentina with Love

 

 

Black Out Buenos Aires

As Buenos Aires' population continues to grow, inevitably more energy is consumed. Logic, right? However, the technology of the electrical companies remain old and what I refer to as 'Stone Age'. Stone Age is good for it's time but is not adequately equipped for the exponentially greater amount of usage today. Hence, every summer, the Stone Age system is unable to bear the demands of modern times causing annual problems with power outages throughout the province as well as city of Buenos Aires.

The bigger problems arise when more energy is used; for instance, if there is a heat wave... Currently, Argentina and all of South America is going through an unbearable heat wave. Believe me when I say it's HOT. It is impossible to do anything at midday. "Blistering heat" were only words until now. Now I understand significance and deadly profoundness of such words.

Anyway, air conditioning is a must in the 100-110 F sweltering heat. Air conditioning burns electricity faster than you can say "power outage". Hence, some of the district of Buenos Aires (both city and province again) have been without power for over 10 days.

Imagine if your grandparents lived on the 11th floor of an apartment building without a functioning elevator! Or you owned a store and all your food merchandise went to waste. We think that a power outage of a few days is bad, but imagine being in a full blown heat wave in the summer for ten days without air conditioning. Not to mention the issue of every day basic needs such as food and water.

As you can imagine people are furious. The people blame the government and are protesting in the streets. The government blame the companies and are threatening to nationalize. And the companies blame the weather and people for the record high consumptions. No one is directly responsible, however in the end they are without power.

~ From Argentina with Love

Feliz Navidad!

 
I hope you all had a wonderful X-mas. I sure did! Although passing the holidays away from home can be the hardest. It never truly feels like Christmas unless I'm with my family, freezing our butts off together in the winter cold.

 

And the plastic tree... every year my family has one of the biggest Christmas trees ever. I remember once that the tree touched the ceiling of the second floor.

 

I also missed the fireworks. Some of my fondest (and most mischievous) memories are with fireworks.

 

This is my day to miss home, even if I'm at home away from home.

 

 

Christmas in Argentina - Culturally

 

 There are a few things celebrated differently in Argentina. Unlike the US, the Christmas is celebrated mostly on the 24th. Also, instead of waiting until morning to open presents, kids get to stay up late on the Eve of Christmas because presents are opened at midnight.

 

Argentina like many other Latin American countries, is Catholic. So then, not only is Christmas a family holiday, but is also more religious than the Santa Claus-capitalistic American holiday. Before Christmas the nativity scene or 'pesebre' is placed close to or under the tree. However, Jesus only joins them on Christmas, in accordance to his birth.

 

Argentines are a big meat lovers, so it is no surprise that Christmas is filled with "Asados" and "Parilladas" (check out my 'uncle's asado! below right) together with family and friends. As desserts there are every sort of chocolate, Pan Dulce (above), and a new/strange thing called turrón (below left). It's a sugary tablet with peanuts (I really don't know how to try and explain it). Someone told me it originated in the Middle East.

 

Anyway, just like the US, everyone forgets the ominous word 'diet' during the holidays ;)

 

Happy Holidays!

 

 

 

~ From Argentina With Love



One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish

 

White House - US

and

Rose House - Argentina

      

Is there a Yellow House too? They'd do best if they went Green....

 

 

Recently I traveled to Buenos Aires. What I've decided is that Argentina and the US are really not all that different. Yes,the culture appears strikingly different upon first impression. Just like the color of the White and Rose House. There are many, many differences but more so similarities. In the end, whether the Executive Branch is a White House, Rose House, red fish, blue fish, they are mostly similar. In general, people (myself included) just happen to notice the differences more than anything else.

 

~From Argentina with Love

Chaos in Cordoba

 

So the police in Cordoba went on strike... the looting started December 3rd and there was a moment of 24hr chaos. More than 1,000 shops were looted, ransacked, and stolen from by ordinary civilians as well as organized crime gangs took the advantage of their absence. (click on the pic above for some footage)

Here's the background:

Governor de la Sota and President Cristina Krichner are not friends and have squabbled for years. In the 2001/04 elections, la Sota considered running against Krichner. He is rather open about his opposition to her as president. The consequences: the federal government has systematically delayed delivering federal checks. Short of funds, Cordoba -an important province as well as Cordoba, Argentina's second-largest city- de la Sota has faced continuous social and political unrest plus financial challenges.

The government gives each province a certain amount of funds, which often differ from province to province, consequently affecting the rate of pay to police in different parts of the country. Similarly, the wages have not changed even with the high inflation rates. The conflict was initiated after failure to resolve a wage dispute and they went on strike.

Following Cordoba's example 19 out of the 23 provinces had similar protests and strikes also resulting waves in crime. Federal police were sent to trouble locations to subdue the chaos and protect shops, temporarily serving as a substitute police

The result? Up to 53 percent wage increases. Now Cordoba's police are some of the highest paid in the country.

Personal Experience

While some of my AFS friends were sent to Buenos Aires, Cordoba, or Mendoza; I'm in La Pampa. It is one of the least populated provinces and far from anything. Not so different from my little hometown in Wyoming. Recently, I found out that La Pampa in German is an expression to that means, "the middle of nowhere". La Pampa literally means the middle of nowhere!

 

I was in Buenos Aires on a brief two day visit with my host-family. Watching the news, they were worried about their shop in Santa Rosa. Somehow I figured 1) Santa Rosa, La Pampa will be the last place in Argentina to react and 2) an organic and special foods store will be the last place to be looted.

 

On the way back from Buenos Aires my father, going a whopping 70 kilometers over the limit passed 11 green military trucks of the Federal Police headed to Santa Rosa. Then, when we passed the center and plaza it was like we had walked into a town after a zombie apocalypse. All merchandise was pulled off shelves in the window displays and all the shops were boarded up. I still can't get over the strangeness of seeing the whole display of a sports shoes store empty.

 

For the next couple of days, the police and federal police were posted in all the major streets (not quite as many as the picture). The governor of La Pampa and the president are very good friends from what I here so we had good back-up and support. All precautionary but unnerving non-the-less.

 

Hunger Games anyone? The cities rebel against the capitol... That reminds me: I need to see the Catching Fire.

 

~ From Argentina With Love

 

Sources:

     Argentina News

     Host Family

     Personal Experience

     http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-25230743

     http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/10/argentinian-looting-spreads-police-strikes

 



Photography

I have been attempting a bit of photography... here's a few pictures that I like. Some are caught in the moment while others took forever to get the camera settings right.