Becoming a Porteño

It was such a weird feeling to arrive in Buenos Aires- a huge city that is completely foreign to me, but that I know I will learn well over the next few months. I can already tell that I'm going to absolutely love living here! It has SO much culture. On top of that, there is always something going on. For example, over the past week I have gone to a reggae festival, South African art gallery opening party, and two street fair/markets. I've also gone to countless bars, high tea at a fancy shmancy hotel, and stayed out until 7 am only to stumble home in the daylight. One night we went to this awesome drum show called Bomba de Tiempo:

We also went to the Buenos Aires zoo... I didn't even want to go in the first place but someone told me they have a species that is a mix between a rabbit and a goat so I was intrigued... check it out!

They had a lot of animals, including bears (even a polar bear), bison, rhinos, a pygmy hippopotamus, and panthers. But they all seemed very sad :(

One of the most famous tourist attractions in BA is the Recoleta Cemetery which is is like a housing development. There are thousands of above-ground crypts, with several coffins sitting in rooms which are about 20 feet underground accessed by stairs. You can even see some of the coffins! There are street names for the "avenues," and the coveted spots are bought and sold and traded. It was endless and so cool!




Evita Peron's Grave:

On another note, I am moving into an apartment next week! It is in Palermo which is the trendy part of town with bars, restaurants, clubs, cafes, and local artsy shops. It has trees and parks (unlike the downtown area), some cobblestone streets, and so much cute character! I will be a little sad to leave the hostel because there are always cool people around, but I am excited to have my own room and bathroom and start my life for real in Buenos Aires!