As I mentioned in my last post, porteños (as the people in Buenos Aires are known) live at cafés. There’s one on almost every corner, always filled with people relaxing and catching up with a cup o’ joe. My host mom knows my affinity (and frankly necessity) for coffee so she prepared the French press for my first day of classes and left a little note. “Happy first class in Argentina” she wrote.

At my host university here (Torcuato di Tella), I am taking an Argentine Literature course and a Latin American Cinema class. My last class is on the dictatorships of Chile, Argentina and Uruguay during the 60’s and 70’s. We got the chance to visit El Parque de la Memoria, which opened in 2001 and was completed in 2007. The park and its central monument aim to solidify a place in history for the “desaparecidos” or “disappeared ones” that were kidnapped and killed during the dictatorship of 1976-1983. Located on the Rio Plata (where many bodies disappeared to), there are 30,000 names and counting recognized as victims of the regime.

“To think is a revolutionary act.” This Marie Orensanz sculpture welcomes you into the park and suggests its ultimate purpose. The park is meant to be a place of remembrance and reconciliation. The use of steel, the two divided panels and the elipse at the end contribute to its symbolism. I would tell you more about it but it’s more fun for you to make your own judgements.. and the tour guides spoke in Spanish while a plane flew overhead, so I only got about 50%… Anyway, dope sculpture though.

The other night, one of the most famous Argentine Soccer Clubs and the current defending champion, River Plate beat the Tigres of Mexico during the Copa Sudamericana, 3-0. After each of their three goals, an earthquake of screams erupted through the streets around my apartment and out of every surrounding window. It was, frankly, a bit scary. Fútbol is very important here. This picture was taken in the neighborhood of River Plate’s rival, Boca Juniors. These kids play pick-up soccer games here hoping to, one day, end up on the field of the giant 49,000 seat stadium two streets over.