san telmo, buenos aires
there is an interesting phenomenon in which i engage multiple times per day: the second-language battle. it happens at the newstand, restaurant, meeting, and the birthday party hosted by a local chapter of the trotskyite socialist party (long story). the sequence begins when i am introduced to someone who immediately realizes that i´m a gringo (not entirely difficult to do). what follows is that they speak to me in inglés, while i respond in castellano. the first one to break and result to their native language is the loser.
in business exchanges, the lengua invariably becomes that of the loser to expediently process the transaction in question. as a frequent loser, i offer polite words, pocket my recently purchased phone card, and move off to lose future batallas. in social situations, the battle is fought and then castellano is resorted to as a sort of compensation for having fought. you can picture this as the apollo creed-rocky relationship post-fight: the superior party has the pride of victory and helps the contender prepare for their next challenge.
a common retail batalla is to look dumb during small purchases. the buses only take coins and the 100 peso note is difficult to use. entonces, one offers the small item that they would like to purchase to the cashier/waiter, then fidgets through their pockets and frowns when asked if they have something smaller. eye contact is generally made after this, at which point one party caves in and either accepts the large denomination or ´finds´a heretofor undiscovered coin. with all humility, i am excellent at this game.
after weeks of sidelong glances, i finally mustered the courage to engage in another batalla last week. on the northern edge of parque lezama are a series of chesstables and a few prepared combatants. jorge, with his sixty plus years and wool beret, was very welcoming when i walked over and defeated me in the pair of games we played. the games were close and the first i had played in over six months, so i am holding out hope for future victory. he said that as long as the sun is shining, he´ll be there ready for the next challenge. so to all the jorges, cashiers, and cocktail party acquaintances in buenos aires......en guarde!
Monday, June 30, 2008
la visita
san telmo, buenos aires
the past fin de semana was delightful as i got to see two of my favorite personas: mi madre y mi hermana. they were able to come thanks to the confluence of an open weekend and airline employee privileges. they arrived on friday morning and departed yesterday afternoon, though we were able to cram a lot into such a short stay.
coming at about the one-month point of my stay here, it was nice to get a little spoiled for a change. no longer footing the bill, those collectivos that can require an hour of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with deodorant-less friends were replaced by efficient taxis. lunches consisting of greasy hand-held empanadas were replaced by meals that involved chairs, silverware, and plates. and all those landmarks that i had heard about finally had occasion to be visited.
but definitely the greatest was seeing a little bit of the familiar for a bit. i first really traveled over four years ago and haven´t slowed down too much since. traveling is not like stamp-collecting, golf, or metallurgy: it requires a person to be moving from one place to a different one. it is akin to a disease that makes your mind think of places beyond where you actually are to the detriment of the relationships you already have. still, i have been fortunate to have a family that is supportive of my wanderlust and to have met a great lady who understands and shares my desire to snoop around this little ol´ world we got. i was able to share this new place with two of my ladies for a weekend, and to introduce them to one another. i can only hope that they enjoyed the introduction as much as i enjoyed facilitating it.
entonces, i must extend a gracias to my two ladies who are either sitting in a plane or an airport concourse a good 18 hours after i last saw them. there´s no place like home, but having a little bit of home on the road ought to sustain me for a little bit.
the past fin de semana was delightful as i got to see two of my favorite personas: mi madre y mi hermana. they were able to come thanks to the confluence of an open weekend and airline employee privileges. they arrived on friday morning and departed yesterday afternoon, though we were able to cram a lot into such a short stay.
coming at about the one-month point of my stay here, it was nice to get a little spoiled for a change. no longer footing the bill, those collectivos that can require an hour of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with deodorant-less friends were replaced by efficient taxis. lunches consisting of greasy hand-held empanadas were replaced by meals that involved chairs, silverware, and plates. and all those landmarks that i had heard about finally had occasion to be visited.
but definitely the greatest was seeing a little bit of the familiar for a bit. i first really traveled over four years ago and haven´t slowed down too much since. traveling is not like stamp-collecting, golf, or metallurgy: it requires a person to be moving from one place to a different one. it is akin to a disease that makes your mind think of places beyond where you actually are to the detriment of the relationships you already have. still, i have been fortunate to have a family that is supportive of my wanderlust and to have met a great lady who understands and shares my desire to snoop around this little ol´ world we got. i was able to share this new place with two of my ladies for a weekend, and to introduce them to one another. i can only hope that they enjoyed the introduction as much as i enjoyed facilitating it.
entonces, i must extend a gracias to my two ladies who are either sitting in a plane or an airport concourse a good 18 hours after i last saw them. there´s no place like home, but having a little bit of home on the road ought to sustain me for a little bit.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
los cartoneros
san cristobal, buenos aires
below the enchanting edificios and buzzing neon signs, in fashionable palermo and gritty la boca, can be found the most prominent reminder that this city is not paradise for all. los cartoneros patrol the sidewalks of this city searching for their namesake, cardboard. it is definitely disquieting to be in their presence, which is ubiquitous after the working day is done. however, there is something that separates los cartoneros from similar downtrodden urban collectors, something that was apparent even before our group attended a lecture on the topic last night.
the hyperinflation and economic crisis that the country experienced at the end of 2001 had far-reaching consequences, and the current prevalence of cartoneros is one. the people who used to work in supermercados, construction or other occupations at the lower end of the middle class are now the ones who scour the streets for cardboard. they find it in dumpsters and garbage bags, stack it in rickshaw-sized carts, and take it to one of the local factories that buys it at advertised prices. the wages generally amount to over us$100 per month, which is reasonable by world bank standards, but hardly promising of anything but a precarious existence. while there were cartoneros before the crisis of 2001, there were not so many as exist today. these people have obviously not been able to find work in the past seven years and are becoming ever more pigeonholed into this one occupation. even more disconcerting, many cartoneros can be seen accompanied by their hijos, apprenticing in an unstable trade instead of focusing on school.
the government, recoiling from the shocks of the economic crisis, has been very lenient towards the cartoneros and they are able to enjoy at least some freedom to earn their living. but, like all things in life (or things that right-wingers can influence), there is instability. the current conservative mayor has been quoted as saying that the cartoneros are robbing the trash of the people. not only insensitive, this is also against the spirit of what is happening as these people go so far as to retie garbage bags and clean up the trash when they are done with a pile. so, for now los cartoneros can continue with their trade. all it will take is more distance from the events that caused their hardships and a few more sheltered souls in power to further dehumanize so many hardworking people.
post scripto. for all the johnistas in the argentina tv market, look for my appearance and pidgin spanish on canal 7 at 2000hrs on an upcoming viernes. i will be butchering your language on a show called recursos ambiente.
below the enchanting edificios and buzzing neon signs, in fashionable palermo and gritty la boca, can be found the most prominent reminder that this city is not paradise for all. los cartoneros patrol the sidewalks of this city searching for their namesake, cardboard. it is definitely disquieting to be in their presence, which is ubiquitous after the working day is done. however, there is something that separates los cartoneros from similar downtrodden urban collectors, something that was apparent even before our group attended a lecture on the topic last night.
the hyperinflation and economic crisis that the country experienced at the end of 2001 had far-reaching consequences, and the current prevalence of cartoneros is one. the people who used to work in supermercados, construction or other occupations at the lower end of the middle class are now the ones who scour the streets for cardboard. they find it in dumpsters and garbage bags, stack it in rickshaw-sized carts, and take it to one of the local factories that buys it at advertised prices. the wages generally amount to over us$100 per month, which is reasonable by world bank standards, but hardly promising of anything but a precarious existence. while there were cartoneros before the crisis of 2001, there were not so many as exist today. these people have obviously not been able to find work in the past seven years and are becoming ever more pigeonholed into this one occupation. even more disconcerting, many cartoneros can be seen accompanied by their hijos, apprenticing in an unstable trade instead of focusing on school.
the government, recoiling from the shocks of the economic crisis, has been very lenient towards the cartoneros and they are able to enjoy at least some freedom to earn their living. but, like all things in life (or things that right-wingers can influence), there is instability. the current conservative mayor has been quoted as saying that the cartoneros are robbing the trash of the people. not only insensitive, this is also against the spirit of what is happening as these people go so far as to retie garbage bags and clean up the trash when they are done with a pile. so, for now los cartoneros can continue with their trade. all it will take is more distance from the events that caused their hardships and a few more sheltered souls in power to further dehumanize so many hardworking people.
post scripto. for all the johnistas in the argentina tv market, look for my appearance and pidgin spanish on canal 7 at 2000hrs on an upcoming viernes. i will be butchering your language on a show called recursos ambiente.
Monday, June 23, 2008
uvas agrias
la boca, buenos aires
put me on a local bus through an african desert with scant legroom and i'll offer little complaint. give me a seat and slow service at an andean restaurant and i'll patiently bide my time before the food arrives. but i become the most bitter-tempered man when inside a bank or any other western-descending (or appearing) institution, no matter which continent i am on. maybe it's the flourescent lighting, the professional dress, or the austere cleanliness of everything that makes me expect efficiency. i tend to experience the opposite and today provided another example.
saturday was going to be my third or fourth withdrawal from a cajero automatico since i arrived and i chose to do it at a bank in the northern neighborhood of belgrano, right after a meeting. the machine took my card, i entered my pin, and then it informed me that the largest denomination was unavailable and that i should choose a smaller sum. i chose a smaller sum and then the machine told me that my tarjeta had been retenido. this was saturday, so i got to wait until this morning for the bank to open in order to retrieve it.
i arrived this morning after an hour bus rideto have the teller tell me that they would be unable to retrieve my card until manana. please? manana. then i asked if she could provide an advance on my credit card. no. so, i flashed those puppy dog eyes, told her that i was going to have to live off 4 pesos (slight lie, i had around 5) for the night, and would she try again for the advance? she whispered to the teller next to her, who kindly retrieved my card from the machine a few minutes later.
so, card in hand, i thought it would be better to not use the same machine that made me supplicate to friends for money over the weekend. that's why i walked a few blocks to the bancopatagonia, where i inserted my card and had to relive the identical process.
put me on a local bus through an african desert with scant legroom and i'll offer little complaint. give me a seat and slow service at an andean restaurant and i'll patiently bide my time before the food arrives. but i become the most bitter-tempered man when inside a bank or any other western-descending (or appearing) institution, no matter which continent i am on. maybe it's the flourescent lighting, the professional dress, or the austere cleanliness of everything that makes me expect efficiency. i tend to experience the opposite and today provided another example.
saturday was going to be my third or fourth withdrawal from a cajero automatico since i arrived and i chose to do it at a bank in the northern neighborhood of belgrano, right after a meeting. the machine took my card, i entered my pin, and then it informed me that the largest denomination was unavailable and that i should choose a smaller sum. i chose a smaller sum and then the machine told me that my tarjeta had been retenido. this was saturday, so i got to wait until this morning for the bank to open in order to retrieve it.
i arrived this morning after an hour bus rideto have the teller tell me that they would be unable to retrieve my card until manana. please? manana. then i asked if she could provide an advance on my credit card. no. so, i flashed those puppy dog eyes, told her that i was going to have to live off 4 pesos (slight lie, i had around 5) for the night, and would she try again for the advance? she whispered to the teller next to her, who kindly retrieved my card from the machine a few minutes later.
so, card in hand, i thought it would be better to not use the same machine that made me supplicate to friends for money over the weekend. that's why i walked a few blocks to the bancopatagonia, where i inserted my card and had to relive the identical process.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
lo que estoy haciendo
san telmo, buenos aires
years back, before beginning my year as a teacher in namibia, culture was explained to me as an iceberg: there is a fair amount that is visible above the surface (food, language, architecture, etc.), but there is a far greater mass below (customs, values, manners of perception, etc.). these unperceived cultural differences make themselves known frequently, especially when someone has the tall task of working with people from another culture. still, i do not think the subsurface cultural matter can quite explain our situation with carlos.
carlos is a sweet man. an adorable man. he is absolutely brilliant. but he inhabits a land that one could not possibly travel to. yesterday, we entered our reunion with him optimistic about the proposal for our remaining weeks. we left scratching our heads.
our proposal for work was to construct a small addition, approximately 4 square meters, complete with several of his brilliant innovations. we were going to have a mini-biogas plant that converts biomatter into energy, fashioned out of discarded barrels. the outside was going to include a solar water cooker made from tetra pak, a small garden, composting area, and a few other potentialities. additionally, we were going to look into securing funding so that people from the villas would learn how to weld and thereafter be able to create mini-biogas plants as a career endeavor. carlos approved our idea as proposed via email, he just had to see our drawings yesterday.
it was about 45 minutes into our reunion before we were able to finally present what we had done, or even to talk for that matter. he used the initial time to draw mountains, talk about bending iron bars, show us a beehive on his deck, and display how people can walk under aquaducts. you don´t need to ask, it didn´t really flow for us either. when it came time for us to show him our plan, he had some constructive criticism and i must say that he clearly knows what he´s talking about. i tried to suppress my frustration that we hadn´t hit the mark and then we had our breakthrough after telling him we weren´t architects.
¿you´re not architects?
no carlos, we´re not architects. this cleared us of the responsibility of designing the apparatus, and i think we´ll still be able to follow through with the rest of our plan. but i have to say, it was pretty fun to pretend to be an architect for a few weeks there. it was fun to design, to take these materials and think of a way to improve lives by constructing something. now we have to return to being idealistic policy wonks.
we have a couple days here to devise the way forward and i´m optimistic that we can offer value to a pretty cool project. in the meantime, we´ll just continue to scratch our heads, think, and just laugh at planeta carlos.
that, and prepare for our national television appearance that he has arranged for us tuesday morning.
years back, before beginning my year as a teacher in namibia, culture was explained to me as an iceberg: there is a fair amount that is visible above the surface (food, language, architecture, etc.), but there is a far greater mass below (customs, values, manners of perception, etc.). these unperceived cultural differences make themselves known frequently, especially when someone has the tall task of working with people from another culture. still, i do not think the subsurface cultural matter can quite explain our situation with carlos.
carlos is a sweet man. an adorable man. he is absolutely brilliant. but he inhabits a land that one could not possibly travel to. yesterday, we entered our reunion with him optimistic about the proposal for our remaining weeks. we left scratching our heads.
our proposal for work was to construct a small addition, approximately 4 square meters, complete with several of his brilliant innovations. we were going to have a mini-biogas plant that converts biomatter into energy, fashioned out of discarded barrels. the outside was going to include a solar water cooker made from tetra pak, a small garden, composting area, and a few other potentialities. additionally, we were going to look into securing funding so that people from the villas would learn how to weld and thereafter be able to create mini-biogas plants as a career endeavor. carlos approved our idea as proposed via email, he just had to see our drawings yesterday.
it was about 45 minutes into our reunion before we were able to finally present what we had done, or even to talk for that matter. he used the initial time to draw mountains, talk about bending iron bars, show us a beehive on his deck, and display how people can walk under aquaducts. you don´t need to ask, it didn´t really flow for us either. when it came time for us to show him our plan, he had some constructive criticism and i must say that he clearly knows what he´s talking about. i tried to suppress my frustration that we hadn´t hit the mark and then we had our breakthrough after telling him we weren´t architects.
¿you´re not architects?
no carlos, we´re not architects. this cleared us of the responsibility of designing the apparatus, and i think we´ll still be able to follow through with the rest of our plan. but i have to say, it was pretty fun to pretend to be an architect for a few weeks there. it was fun to design, to take these materials and think of a way to improve lives by constructing something. now we have to return to being idealistic policy wonks.
we have a couple days here to devise the way forward and i´m optimistic that we can offer value to a pretty cool project. in the meantime, we´ll just continue to scratch our heads, think, and just laugh at planeta carlos.
that, and prepare for our national television appearance that he has arranged for us tuesday morning.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
para llevar
san telmo, buenos aires
among the disappointments i have encountered here must be included el alboroto surrounding the opening of the nation´s first starbucks. lines around the corner, articles in the newspaper, and general chatter among the masses has been bestowed on this agent of globalization and i find myself bothered. sure, the process is inevitable and i enjoy the occasional latte from time to time. but not aca.
this is one of those great places where cafe is everywhere but to-go cups are scarce. you are supposed to enjoy your cafe con crema (espresso served with a dollop of sweet cream). you are allowed to savor your cafe con leche and to eat the little biscuit that is served with it. but to ask for your coffee para llevar would be nothing less than an affront in this culture, and i believe with good reason. there are certain things that are too be enjoyed in life, ¿and why should we not allow ourselves to enjoy our caffeinated syrum in the mañana (or tarde)?
i almost find the american to-go obsession similar to a linguistic barrier i´ve noticed with the spanish language. you can translate that you are looking forward to something, but that would only indicate where your eyes are directed. you can say that you are excited about something, but the literal translation has a more lascivious implication. you can say that you tengo ganas, but that is about the only phrase the spanish use, and at a more modest clip than we yanks.
maybe we should stop looking forward to things, stop being excited about some future event, stop being eager for the next thing. we should wake up and smell the coffee, but take pause to enjoy drinking it as well.
among the disappointments i have encountered here must be included el alboroto surrounding the opening of the nation´s first starbucks. lines around the corner, articles in the newspaper, and general chatter among the masses has been bestowed on this agent of globalization and i find myself bothered. sure, the process is inevitable and i enjoy the occasional latte from time to time. but not aca.
this is one of those great places where cafe is everywhere but to-go cups are scarce. you are supposed to enjoy your cafe con crema (espresso served with a dollop of sweet cream). you are allowed to savor your cafe con leche and to eat the little biscuit that is served with it. but to ask for your coffee para llevar would be nothing less than an affront in this culture, and i believe with good reason. there are certain things that are too be enjoyed in life, ¿and why should we not allow ourselves to enjoy our caffeinated syrum in the mañana (or tarde)?
i almost find the american to-go obsession similar to a linguistic barrier i´ve noticed with the spanish language. you can translate that you are looking forward to something, but that would only indicate where your eyes are directed. you can say that you are excited about something, but the literal translation has a more lascivious implication. you can say that you tengo ganas, but that is about the only phrase the spanish use, and at a more modest clip than we yanks.
maybe we should stop looking forward to things, stop being excited about some future event, stop being eager for the next thing. we should wake up and smell the coffee, but take pause to enjoy drinking it as well.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
la huelga
belgrano, buenos aires
you know that if there is not a strike, or at least serious discussions about a strike, then you are not in latin america. for as much as many argentine´s, or specifically porteños, would like to think they are not, this country is in latin america and the current imbroglio is further evidence.
from my limited second-language information gathering skills and short tenure en pais:
to make a long story short (and short story long), the country can be summarized by a city that holds 1/3 of the population and an agricultural sector that earns 1/2 of its GDP. the agricultural sector, campo, has predominately been comprised of an oligarchic elite while many of BA´s inhabitants flirt with just about any measure of poverty. entonces, when argentina´s experienced hyperinflation at the beginning of the decade, it was the campo that bailed the country out and ushered in the system from which the present government derives.
within the past months, the gobierno has imposed various levies and taxes on agricultural exports at a time when global commodity prices are soaring and this country has the infrastructure (and hungry asian trading partners) to facilitate a windfall in profits. these tariffs are intended to finance new initiatives throughout the country, but especially within the city, to ameliorate the living standards of those with the least. from my understanding, the proposed taxes doubled to around 43% instead of a more modest proposal. as i see it, the gobierno followed through with great intentions but has badly played their hand. so, the campo has been on strike for months, curtailing production and threatening to withhold food from the city.
the campo feels aggieved by having recently bailed out the country from a financial crisis to now having these steep taxes imposed on them. the gobierno feels a responsibility to leverage the nation´s greatest economic asset to raise the prospects of the urban poor. as usual, in this battle between two giants it is the ground that suffers. large-scale producers and the urban elite are still doing well, while the little- and medium-guy who now has to compete with excess local competition is bearing the brunt. to add insult, campo representatives have poured thousands of litres of milk in the streets and slaughtered cows just to show their disdain for the gobierno.
a piece of urban graffiti best summarizes my sentiment:
you know that if there is not a strike, or at least serious discussions about a strike, then you are not in latin america. for as much as many argentine´s, or specifically porteños, would like to think they are not, this country is in latin america and the current imbroglio is further evidence.
from my limited second-language information gathering skills and short tenure en pais:
to make a long story short (and short story long), the country can be summarized by a city that holds 1/3 of the population and an agricultural sector that earns 1/2 of its GDP. the agricultural sector, campo, has predominately been comprised of an oligarchic elite while many of BA´s inhabitants flirt with just about any measure of poverty. entonces, when argentina´s experienced hyperinflation at the beginning of the decade, it was the campo that bailed the country out and ushered in the system from which the present government derives.
within the past months, the gobierno has imposed various levies and taxes on agricultural exports at a time when global commodity prices are soaring and this country has the infrastructure (and hungry asian trading partners) to facilitate a windfall in profits. these tariffs are intended to finance new initiatives throughout the country, but especially within the city, to ameliorate the living standards of those with the least. from my understanding, the proposed taxes doubled to around 43% instead of a more modest proposal. as i see it, the gobierno followed through with great intentions but has badly played their hand. so, the campo has been on strike for months, curtailing production and threatening to withhold food from the city.
the campo feels aggieved by having recently bailed out the country from a financial crisis to now having these steep taxes imposed on them. the gobierno feels a responsibility to leverage the nation´s greatest economic asset to raise the prospects of the urban poor. as usual, in this battle between two giants it is the ground that suffers. large-scale producers and the urban elite are still doing well, while the little- and medium-guy who now has to compete with excess local competition is bearing the brunt. to add insult, campo representatives have poured thousands of litres of milk in the streets and slaughtered cows just to show their disdain for the gobierno.
a piece of urban graffiti best summarizes my sentiment:
con la comida, no se joda
(don´t fuck with the food)
Saturday, June 14, 2008
mejores aires
cordoba, argentina
nearly two hundred years ago, a man named manuel belgrano designed a flag to inspire his troops before battle. his presence is still felt, through his appearance on the 10 peso bill and the three day weekend that we are now enjoying. along with mark, i boarded an overnight, 10-hour bus ride (bus company: quebus!!) that brought us to cordoba, a charming little town in the middle of the country. not only is the destination delightful, but the bus ride shattered south american transportation stereotypes through its comfortable seats and lack of a jean van damme movie blaring at full volume.
as exciting as bus rides can be, it is back to this charming city that my attention turns. i can´t help but feel as if this were the argentinian version of denver. it is located in the middle of the country, there is a small stream that bisects the main thoroughfare (like speere), and there is a sizable population living in a city that feels so small and easily navigable. if that weren´t enough, there are a fair share of stores selling gaucho gear, though it is as fair to say that there are as many people who ride their horse to work here as their are in denver. the same distrust of the big city and pride in the western way seem to exist, making this a comfortable place to be.
yet alas, our stay here will be but one night. tomorrow we will move on to a small town in the nearby sierras to get a little mountain air and perhaps a hike. buenos aires is such an amazing city, but i´ve found myself clearing my throat a little too much from diesel exhaust and needing a reprieve from hourlong commutes to fadu. so far, so good, and hopefully my panting up the slope of a mountain can do a bit to recharge the batteries. and to think, all it took was a 20-hour round trip west.
nearly two hundred years ago, a man named manuel belgrano designed a flag to inspire his troops before battle. his presence is still felt, through his appearance on the 10 peso bill and the three day weekend that we are now enjoying. along with mark, i boarded an overnight, 10-hour bus ride (bus company: quebus!!) that brought us to cordoba, a charming little town in the middle of the country. not only is the destination delightful, but the bus ride shattered south american transportation stereotypes through its comfortable seats and lack of a jean van damme movie blaring at full volume.
as exciting as bus rides can be, it is back to this charming city that my attention turns. i can´t help but feel as if this were the argentinian version of denver. it is located in the middle of the country, there is a small stream that bisects the main thoroughfare (like speere), and there is a sizable population living in a city that feels so small and easily navigable. if that weren´t enough, there are a fair share of stores selling gaucho gear, though it is as fair to say that there are as many people who ride their horse to work here as their are in denver. the same distrust of the big city and pride in the western way seem to exist, making this a comfortable place to be.
yet alas, our stay here will be but one night. tomorrow we will move on to a small town in the nearby sierras to get a little mountain air and perhaps a hike. buenos aires is such an amazing city, but i´ve found myself clearing my throat a little too much from diesel exhaust and needing a reprieve from hourlong commutes to fadu. so far, so good, and hopefully my panting up the slope of a mountain can do a bit to recharge the batteries. and to think, all it took was a 20-hour round trip west.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
jornadas
la boca, buenos aires
for those of us working with fadu, this first week has included meetings with our new supervisors, sessions about goals and expectations, and attendance at a conference being held in the fourth floor assembly room. the seminarios habitat y pobreza has consisted of 5 days of speakers with various subtopics addressing housing issues for the poor, primarily in buenos aires. el lunes brought a great speaker about the history of urban development, el martes was about land value appreciation, while the topic of titles was reserved for miercoles. though i wish them well, i'm glad that todays speaker was feeling under the weather and had to cancel.
if you want an impression of what it is like to be there, i could mention that during yesterday afternoon's discussion one man began snoring while another kicked over his thermos in his nascent sleep. and they speak spanish. what hope do i have with that? the first day i felt like my former dying ipod battery: i could focus and perform for a few seconds, but after that i just took up desk space.
i'm doing well enough understanding people, my own speaking ability is questionable, but i tend to do better in a restaurant, supermercados, or dealing with bus drivers. real estate and architectural trade vocabulary are in a spanish course that i have yet to take. that is not to say that the subjects are boring or inappropriate. if anything, as somebody interested in urban land inequality this is a good way to spend a tuesday. but still, i have been glad to be attending preliminary meetings with carlos and my group rather than attending the jornadas.
tomorrow will be the final charlas of the conference. though work will pick up elsewhere, i'm pretty sure this will open up a window to get a tutor to prepare for the next seminario. then, if i fall asleep in public, it will not be because of lack of language comprehension.
for those of us working with fadu, this first week has included meetings with our new supervisors, sessions about goals and expectations, and attendance at a conference being held in the fourth floor assembly room. the seminarios habitat y pobreza has consisted of 5 days of speakers with various subtopics addressing housing issues for the poor, primarily in buenos aires. el lunes brought a great speaker about the history of urban development, el martes was about land value appreciation, while the topic of titles was reserved for miercoles. though i wish them well, i'm glad that todays speaker was feeling under the weather and had to cancel.
if you want an impression of what it is like to be there, i could mention that during yesterday afternoon's discussion one man began snoring while another kicked over his thermos in his nascent sleep. and they speak spanish. what hope do i have with that? the first day i felt like my former dying ipod battery: i could focus and perform for a few seconds, but after that i just took up desk space.
i'm doing well enough understanding people, my own speaking ability is questionable, but i tend to do better in a restaurant, supermercados, or dealing with bus drivers. real estate and architectural trade vocabulary are in a spanish course that i have yet to take. that is not to say that the subjects are boring or inappropriate. if anything, as somebody interested in urban land inequality this is a good way to spend a tuesday. but still, i have been glad to be attending preliminary meetings with carlos and my group rather than attending the jornadas.
tomorrow will be the final charlas of the conference. though work will pick up elsewhere, i'm pretty sure this will open up a window to get a tutor to prepare for the next seminario. then, if i fall asleep in public, it will not be because of lack of language comprehension.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
carlos
san telmo, buenos aires
yesterday afternoon was our fourth encounter with local architect carlos levinton, the direct supervisor for my group of three. yesterday´s reunion was distinct because it was the first in which we heard specifics about what we may actually do. still, it may not have been completely claro.
we will be working out of estudio levinton, a comfortable space attached to the second floor of his home in the belgrano district of town. the home is what you would think of an architects home: everything is circular, modern, and has a steely comfort. the studio, especially, is what you would imagine to be an architects working space. it is organized chaos. there have to be thousands of free floating papers containing sketches and proposals. these are sometimes stuffed into folders, other times sitting in somewhat neatly stacked piles on one of his desks. the studio has plenty of books as well, though many are haphazardly stacked without spines displayed on high shelves. still, there are large windows and the studio feels modern, but the appearance of the studio bears close resemblance to its occupants mind.
el profesor loco, as he can appropriately be labeled, is exceptionally smart. through glimpses of his work, his models, and his introduction, it is obvious that he is accomplished and deserving. but he´s also a bit crazy. he told us to translate a document while he worked, then proceded to translate it for us in a sort of socratic method. he drew elaborate designs of a sustainable house for pobrezas that we are going to be designing (will fill you in on this later) then somehow we segued into talking about tsunami shelters. we all came away from the meeting with two impressions:
yesterday afternoon was our fourth encounter with local architect carlos levinton, the direct supervisor for my group of three. yesterday´s reunion was distinct because it was the first in which we heard specifics about what we may actually do. still, it may not have been completely claro.
we will be working out of estudio levinton, a comfortable space attached to the second floor of his home in the belgrano district of town. the home is what you would think of an architects home: everything is circular, modern, and has a steely comfort. the studio, especially, is what you would imagine to be an architects working space. it is organized chaos. there have to be thousands of free floating papers containing sketches and proposals. these are sometimes stuffed into folders, other times sitting in somewhat neatly stacked piles on one of his desks. the studio has plenty of books as well, though many are haphazardly stacked without spines displayed on high shelves. still, there are large windows and the studio feels modern, but the appearance of the studio bears close resemblance to its occupants mind.
el profesor loco, as he can appropriately be labeled, is exceptionally smart. through glimpses of his work, his models, and his introduction, it is obvious that he is accomplished and deserving. but he´s also a bit crazy. he told us to translate a document while he worked, then proceded to translate it for us in a sort of socratic method. he drew elaborate designs of a sustainable house for pobrezas that we are going to be designing (will fill you in on this later) then somehow we segued into talking about tsunami shelters. we all came away from the meeting with two impressions:
! and ?
for added effect, he showed us a bit of his home before we left and we saw his son, a slovenly teenager engrossed in some sort of computer deejay simulation. it just seems so appropriate.
for added effect, he showed us a bit of his home before we left and we saw his son, a slovenly teenager engrossed in some sort of computer deejay simulation. it just seems so appropriate.
Monday, June 9, 2008
besos y mejillas
la boca, buenos aires
while i was preparing for my trip down here, i had been in contact with a number of people affiliated with fadu and my housing situation through email. these were always done in spanish and i noticed that my counterparts, whom i´d yet to meet, signed off with un beso (a kiss). while i realized upon arrival that this was more than just a salutatory remark, i can now see that a kiss may be just a kiss.
upon seeing a familiar, or even a new face, it is custom to lean in and give them an innocent peck on the cheek. acceptable and possibly more common, is to connect cheeks and peck the air. i could not say how much time between encounters needs to elapse to make a beso a required greeting. definitely a day, but my guess would be that it would be that an absense long enough for both parties to change clothes would be sufficient.
what´s so amusing about this greeting is about how it has permeated within our group of gringos. in the first large group meetings, we would stand awkwardly and kiss one another´s cheeks when we made the rounds that included some of our hosts. now, with or without locals, we give and receive confidently as if we were lifelong porteños.
the final beso adoption, which is coming slowly, is to give this kiss to men as the locals do. adopting the ´when in rome´ mantra, i ventured to peck my supervisor´s cheek a week ago. it was received without protest, but don´t know if that´s attributable to the custom or the fact that a towering 6´6 bearded freak of nature descended onto an unsuspecting architect. still, it´s nice to do as the locals do and try to shed the residual homophobia so ingrained in the american psyche.
maybe it is the atmosphere that lets us drop some of our american pretensions, or to assume those of buenos aires. it is nice to add a little formality when greeting someone, even if you see them every day or happen to be of the same gender. a gentle brush of mejillas and a kind word are welcome in the age of globalization and i wouldn´t mind seeing more of this custom back in the states. still, the mullet´s not making the flight home.
while i was preparing for my trip down here, i had been in contact with a number of people affiliated with fadu and my housing situation through email. these were always done in spanish and i noticed that my counterparts, whom i´d yet to meet, signed off with un beso (a kiss). while i realized upon arrival that this was more than just a salutatory remark, i can now see that a kiss may be just a kiss.
upon seeing a familiar, or even a new face, it is custom to lean in and give them an innocent peck on the cheek. acceptable and possibly more common, is to connect cheeks and peck the air. i could not say how much time between encounters needs to elapse to make a beso a required greeting. definitely a day, but my guess would be that it would be that an absense long enough for both parties to change clothes would be sufficient.
what´s so amusing about this greeting is about how it has permeated within our group of gringos. in the first large group meetings, we would stand awkwardly and kiss one another´s cheeks when we made the rounds that included some of our hosts. now, with or without locals, we give and receive confidently as if we were lifelong porteños.
the final beso adoption, which is coming slowly, is to give this kiss to men as the locals do. adopting the ´when in rome´ mantra, i ventured to peck my supervisor´s cheek a week ago. it was received without protest, but don´t know if that´s attributable to the custom or the fact that a towering 6´6 bearded freak of nature descended onto an unsuspecting architect. still, it´s nice to do as the locals do and try to shed the residual homophobia so ingrained in the american psyche.
maybe it is the atmosphere that lets us drop some of our american pretensions, or to assume those of buenos aires. it is nice to add a little formality when greeting someone, even if you see them every day or happen to be of the same gender. a gentle brush of mejillas and a kind word are welcome in the age of globalization and i wouldn´t mind seeing more of this custom back in the states. still, the mullet´s not making the flight home.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
ama de casa
la boca, buenos aires
rumor has it that nora, our host in la boca, is 64 years old. she has a couple (few?) grown children, at least three tow-headed grandchildren in their terrible 2´s, and continues to support herself as a full-time artist. she also just bid me adios to go out tango dancing for the night.
while home-stays can be iffy propositions, i could not be more pleased with the arrangment we have. in nora´s three-storey home, we gringos occupy consecutive small bedrooms with windows facing the street on the second floor. our space is slightly separated from the rest of the house by beaded curtains and contains two bathrooms with one hot water shower. this floor is the main floor of the house with a spacious living room, small salon, dining table, and a kitchen in back we all share this space, including our provision of refrigerator and pantry shelving and freedom to move about however we please. the first floor serves as an entrance and for storage and the stairs to nora´s space on the third floor possess an aura of mystery, the passageway to forbidden territory.
we all operate according to the golden rule and without obligation. through tacit agreement, we clean our dishes and throw away all our trash just as we can put our feet up on the coffee table and come home in the wee hours of the morning. we greet each other and say goodbye to one another, but there is never the feeling that conversation must be forced. while respectful distances have been maintained, she has also invited us tomorrow to walk about ten feet from our bedrooms to join her family for almuerzo.
it is nice to know that the coming weeks will be comfortable and respectful at a minimum. if invited to more almuerzos, or even to a night of tango dancing with her, i know it will be because she values our, or even, my company and not because of any hostess-tour guide compulsions. until then, i´ll just go on keeping the plates clean and let my bare feet go wherever they please (except the third floor, of course).
post script. have taken a lot of pictures and a handful of videos, but have yet to find a friendly computer to upload. will look forward to providing visuals when the opportunity presents itself.
rumor has it that nora, our host in la boca, is 64 years old. she has a couple (few?) grown children, at least three tow-headed grandchildren in their terrible 2´s, and continues to support herself as a full-time artist. she also just bid me adios to go out tango dancing for the night.
while home-stays can be iffy propositions, i could not be more pleased with the arrangment we have. in nora´s three-storey home, we gringos occupy consecutive small bedrooms with windows facing the street on the second floor. our space is slightly separated from the rest of the house by beaded curtains and contains two bathrooms with one hot water shower. this floor is the main floor of the house with a spacious living room, small salon, dining table, and a kitchen in back we all share this space, including our provision of refrigerator and pantry shelving and freedom to move about however we please. the first floor serves as an entrance and for storage and the stairs to nora´s space on the third floor possess an aura of mystery, the passageway to forbidden territory.
we all operate according to the golden rule and without obligation. through tacit agreement, we clean our dishes and throw away all our trash just as we can put our feet up on the coffee table and come home in the wee hours of the morning. we greet each other and say goodbye to one another, but there is never the feeling that conversation must be forced. while respectful distances have been maintained, she has also invited us tomorrow to walk about ten feet from our bedrooms to join her family for almuerzo.
it is nice to know that the coming weeks will be comfortable and respectful at a minimum. if invited to more almuerzos, or even to a night of tango dancing with her, i know it will be because she values our, or even, my company and not because of any hostess-tour guide compulsions. until then, i´ll just go on keeping the plates clean and let my bare feet go wherever they please (except the third floor, of course).
post script. have taken a lot of pictures and a handful of videos, but have yet to find a friendly computer to upload. will look forward to providing visuals when the opportunity presents itself.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
el precio es correcto
san telmo, buenos aires
for those who believe a dollar can´t buy anything anymore, i present to them buenos aires. well, after they paid for the thousand dollar flight, then i would present it to them. after that, moving around is not only cheap, it´s pretty easy too.
¿got 1 peso (33 cents)? you can take the bus to more or less any destination in the city. intimidating at first, all you need is the pocket sized guia´t´, 192 mini-pages composed of maps/grids/potpourri that shows which buses go where. this is helpful as bus service is available frequently, around-the-clock, and will stop like taxis just by flagging them down.
¿got 90 centavos (30 cents)? you can take the subte. it offers a handful of lines radiating from the center, like chicago´s ell, through underground tunnels, like new york´s mta. there are television´s for your wait on the platform, all the tunnels are wired for cellular use, the seats are occasionally velvet, and the smell of urine has yet to be detected.
¿got 4 pesos ($1.33)? get yourself a media luna (croissant) sandwich. with ham and cheese, they are the perfect way to start your day. i felt like i had a breakthrough today when i went to the local panaderia and the lady pointed me directly to them, the universal sign of recognition (and respect, of course).
¿got 5 pesos ($1.66)? get yourself a bottle of vinto tinto. not only will you be surprised by the fact that such a cheap bottle can taste so good, you´ll be amazed that your local supermercado sells bottles that are almost as good for slightly more than half of this price.
¿got 15 pesos ($5) mas o menos? take a taxi. they are everywhere, like new york, and the drivers are some of the nicest people you can meet, unlike new york. there are few better ways to practice your spanish, or to learn coarse local colloquialisms.
but, like life, the best things in this city are free. to walk past children playing soccer, old men playing cards, to ponder local graffiti, admire local balconies, or to walk in and out of various galleries costs nothing. a pair of comfortable zapatos may be your best ticket.
post script: empanaderia wisdom (sign at empanada place)
felices son los que dan sin recordar y reciben sin olvidar
for those who believe a dollar can´t buy anything anymore, i present to them buenos aires. well, after they paid for the thousand dollar flight, then i would present it to them. after that, moving around is not only cheap, it´s pretty easy too.
¿got 1 peso (33 cents)? you can take the bus to more or less any destination in the city. intimidating at first, all you need is the pocket sized guia´t´, 192 mini-pages composed of maps/grids/potpourri that shows which buses go where. this is helpful as bus service is available frequently, around-the-clock, and will stop like taxis just by flagging them down.
¿got 90 centavos (30 cents)? you can take the subte. it offers a handful of lines radiating from the center, like chicago´s ell, through underground tunnels, like new york´s mta. there are television´s for your wait on the platform, all the tunnels are wired for cellular use, the seats are occasionally velvet, and the smell of urine has yet to be detected.
¿got 4 pesos ($1.33)? get yourself a media luna (croissant) sandwich. with ham and cheese, they are the perfect way to start your day. i felt like i had a breakthrough today when i went to the local panaderia and the lady pointed me directly to them, the universal sign of recognition (and respect, of course).
¿got 5 pesos ($1.66)? get yourself a bottle of vinto tinto. not only will you be surprised by the fact that such a cheap bottle can taste so good, you´ll be amazed that your local supermercado sells bottles that are almost as good for slightly more than half of this price.
¿got 15 pesos ($5) mas o menos? take a taxi. they are everywhere, like new york, and the drivers are some of the nicest people you can meet, unlike new york. there are few better ways to practice your spanish, or to learn coarse local colloquialisms.
but, like life, the best things in this city are free. to walk past children playing soccer, old men playing cards, to ponder local graffiti, admire local balconies, or to walk in and out of various galleries costs nothing. a pair of comfortable zapatos may be your best ticket.
post script: empanaderia wisdom (sign at empanada place)
felices son los que dan sin recordar y reciben sin olvidar
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
fadu
san telmo, buenos aires
FADU, or facultad de arquitectura, diseño y urbanismo, will be the host for my experience here and the past couple of days has consisted of introductory meetings. i will be on a team with fellow gringos kristing and shriya, under the supervision of architect carlos levinton, and the exact nature of our work is not completely clear. my parallels to james bond begin there.
yesterday morning, we met carlos at his basement studio and it felt like the seen where bond meets q. rather than introductions to rocket propelled porsches, stun-gun watches, or shoes with lazers, prof. levinton showed us some of the innovations that he has been developing and delivering for the past couple decades (if not more). these include:
FADU, or facultad de arquitectura, diseño y urbanismo, will be the host for my experience here and the past couple of days has consisted of introductory meetings. i will be on a team with fellow gringos kristing and shriya, under the supervision of architect carlos levinton, and the exact nature of our work is not completely clear. my parallels to james bond begin there.
yesterday morning, we met carlos at his basement studio and it felt like the seen where bond meets q. rather than introductions to rocket propelled porsches, stun-gun watches, or shoes with lazers, prof. levinton showed us some of the innovations that he has been developing and delivering for the past couple decades (if not more). these include:
- a paper-machete type mash of newspaper, consolidated into a dense brick the size of an expensive calculator, that can burn and provide fuel for two hours.
- insulation for homes comprised of used orange juice containers, ironed together with a thin blended coat of aluminum.
- a network of the top halves of 2-litre soda bottles used to capture rain water for reuse.
- tying together thin strips of 2-litre bottles to create 30 meters (from 1 bottle) of strong rope.
- paper cartons, with a layer of styrofoam, fused together with a coating of aluminum to serve as a solar panel. the panel is folded into a funnel where a pot can be placed at the center. levinton says that it would take 7 minutes to boil a quart of water.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
almorzar
la boca, buenos aires
take any guy between the ages of 14-75 (old enough for wallet, young enough for teeth), put him in buenos aires for a few days and ask him to provide a few words to summarize his experience. while i will not claim to know every impression, i do know that you will hear the following barring major mental illness:
steak. delicious. cheap.
such was my experience today, although the full analysis is not complete. the deal was that we had a few hours to kill in between workshops and rachel and shriya knew of a place with a set menu with plato, bebida, ensalada o papas fritas, postre o cafe for 18 pesos ($6). great. sounds good.
so, we proceed to order, but the waitress tells us that a few of our choices are not available with this option, but my bistec de chorizo is ordered without a problem. i ordered it jugoso, or juicy, and this had to be the best steak i've had in years: big, thick, tender, and, yes, juicy. it was enough, but since i was getting the special, i had to accept the tiramisu on the postre menu and a cafe for good measure. then came la cuenta.
apparently, the bistec de chorizo was not an option on the menu ejecutivo, even though every procedure for restaurantal tacit agreement had been followed to the letter. therefore, the agua sin gas that i ordered had to be paid for, as did the papas fritas, the tiramisu, and the cafe. my 18 peso lunch, comfortable with my pocket stash of 50, was all of a sudden a 60 peso lunch. though i borrowed 100 from kristin, i had been deceived, tricked, mocked, and, yes, made to feel like a downright tourist.
but, it was still the most amazing meal i've had in weeks, maybe months, and it was only lunch. deceit never tasted so good. my mild manner afterwards, while arguably attributable to a pleasant food coma, may mean that the charm of this place is still enough to compensate for its other half. still, i'd say its another week before 60 pesos feels less like 20 bucks and more like 60 pesos. that's when heads will roll, jugoso o no.
take any guy between the ages of 14-75 (old enough for wallet, young enough for teeth), put him in buenos aires for a few days and ask him to provide a few words to summarize his experience. while i will not claim to know every impression, i do know that you will hear the following barring major mental illness:
steak. delicious. cheap.
such was my experience today, although the full analysis is not complete. the deal was that we had a few hours to kill in between workshops and rachel and shriya knew of a place with a set menu with plato, bebida, ensalada o papas fritas, postre o cafe for 18 pesos ($6). great. sounds good.
so, we proceed to order, but the waitress tells us that a few of our choices are not available with this option, but my bistec de chorizo is ordered without a problem. i ordered it jugoso, or juicy, and this had to be the best steak i've had in years: big, thick, tender, and, yes, juicy. it was enough, but since i was getting the special, i had to accept the tiramisu on the postre menu and a cafe for good measure. then came la cuenta.
apparently, the bistec de chorizo was not an option on the menu ejecutivo, even though every procedure for restaurantal tacit agreement had been followed to the letter. therefore, the agua sin gas that i ordered had to be paid for, as did the papas fritas, the tiramisu, and the cafe. my 18 peso lunch, comfortable with my pocket stash of 50, was all of a sudden a 60 peso lunch. though i borrowed 100 from kristin, i had been deceived, tricked, mocked, and, yes, made to feel like a downright tourist.
but, it was still the most amazing meal i've had in weeks, maybe months, and it was only lunch. deceit never tasted so good. my mild manner afterwards, while arguably attributable to a pleasant food coma, may mean that the charm of this place is still enough to compensate for its other half. still, i'd say its another week before 60 pesos feels less like 20 bucks and more like 60 pesos. that's when heads will roll, jugoso o no.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
anoche
la boca, buenos aires
certain things require no translation. our evening began with an off-curcuito play, Sucio (dirty), featuring my professors son. true to buenos aires form, the play started shortly after the advertised 11 pm hour and i can claim to have had a complete understanding of the play. before you overestimate my ability in the spanish language, i figure it may be worthwhile to note that the play featured a rendition of whitney houston's 'i will always love you', a portly man wearing a television on his head, and a 3-minute sex scene between a 25-year old man and a 4-foot tall stuffed bunny. it was odd, zany, and to label it as brilliant does not do it enough justice.
after the play was over, it was off to avenida 9 de julio for some drinks before we went to a massive club. we made sure not to get there too early, and were glad the place was half-full when we walked in at 2:30. got a taxi back to la boca around 5, though we would have returned sooner if the headlining deejay would have gone on before 4. while few have labeled me as a club-hopper, the house music was good and definitely enjoyed myself (as did the rest of the gringos).
one thing to note, and to note respectfully, is a certain style that is quite apparent. it didn't take much of a survey to conclude that people care about the way they look: their clothes are quite fashionable, their jewelry and accessories are de moda, and many appear to see the gym quite a bit more than yours truly. that is why it is all the more perplexing to look at the top of many of the young men and see a little something trickly down their necks: the mullet.
that's right, mullets are here and they are plentiful. not quite as aggressive as the appalachian variety, they take many forms including the rat tail, the mohawk mullet, small descending lobster claws, and just full-on mullitude. you can't claim to have seen it all until you've stared at the same head and seen dolce gabbana sunglasses and a mullet. but still, to be fair, if anyone can pull it off, it is the porteno (someone from buenos aires). i anticipate a return to the states with an appreciation for argentine beef, wine, and custom, but you're all free to shoot me if you see me donning the iguazu falls on my dome.
until then, buenas noches y buena suerte
p.s. BA architectural fun fact: not sure exactly when, but recent legislation said that for apartment construction all residency units must be provided with a balcony. me alegra, giving me the impression that this not only makes the city more aesthetically pleasing, but perhaps translates into a more open and outward orientation in the citizenry.
certain things require no translation. our evening began with an off-curcuito play, Sucio (dirty), featuring my professors son. true to buenos aires form, the play started shortly after the advertised 11 pm hour and i can claim to have had a complete understanding of the play. before you overestimate my ability in the spanish language, i figure it may be worthwhile to note that the play featured a rendition of whitney houston's 'i will always love you', a portly man wearing a television on his head, and a 3-minute sex scene between a 25-year old man and a 4-foot tall stuffed bunny. it was odd, zany, and to label it as brilliant does not do it enough justice.
after the play was over, it was off to avenida 9 de julio for some drinks before we went to a massive club. we made sure not to get there too early, and were glad the place was half-full when we walked in at 2:30. got a taxi back to la boca around 5, though we would have returned sooner if the headlining deejay would have gone on before 4. while few have labeled me as a club-hopper, the house music was good and definitely enjoyed myself (as did the rest of the gringos).
one thing to note, and to note respectfully, is a certain style that is quite apparent. it didn't take much of a survey to conclude that people care about the way they look: their clothes are quite fashionable, their jewelry and accessories are de moda, and many appear to see the gym quite a bit more than yours truly. that is why it is all the more perplexing to look at the top of many of the young men and see a little something trickly down their necks: the mullet.
that's right, mullets are here and they are plentiful. not quite as aggressive as the appalachian variety, they take many forms including the rat tail, the mohawk mullet, small descending lobster claws, and just full-on mullitude. you can't claim to have seen it all until you've stared at the same head and seen dolce gabbana sunglasses and a mullet. but still, to be fair, if anyone can pull it off, it is the porteno (someone from buenos aires). i anticipate a return to the states with an appreciation for argentine beef, wine, and custom, but you're all free to shoot me if you see me donning the iguazu falls on my dome.
until then, buenas noches y buena suerte
p.s. BA architectural fun fact: not sure exactly when, but recent legislation said that for apartment construction all residency units must be provided with a balcony. me alegra, giving me the impression that this not only makes the city more aesthetically pleasing, but perhaps translates into a more open and outward orientation in the citizenry.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)