This week, we're in Buenos Aires for some work and play. Besides trips back to the US, this is our first trip to another country, and we've been reflecting on the enormous differences we see here and back home.
Of the main differences we've experienced is the sense of safety. Don't get me wrong, I feel safe in Mexico City when taking the necessary precautions, but now I realize that I take A LOT of precautions in Mexico to get through the day safely. Here, we can drink tap water, hail a taxi off the street, walk where we want to go at 2 am, and take the subway without bear-hugging our belongings. I'd gotten pretty accustomed to a vigilante lifestyle in Mexico City, and, whew, it feels freeing to let loose a bit.
Anyway, I could go on and on about the loveliness of Buenos Aires (which, honestly and ironically, has much more pollution than Mexico City), but what I really wanted to inform you of was my run-in with Mafalda. She's only the most cutest and clever little girl in Argentina, and her comics are super, especially if you're a novice at Spanish and needing some motivation. Mafalda's been a great Spanish teacher, and when I saw her on a bench in the San Telmo neighborhood, it seemed like destiny. We sat down for a small chat, I had my picture taken with her, and went on my way. It was a fantastic way to start the trip!
Mafalda lives on a bench on Defensa Street in San Telmo in case you want to hang out with her sometime, too.
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Aaaaahhhh ¡qué envidia!
ReplyDeleteI looove Mafalda. You should read every strip. I have alwasys said that here in México there are 2 kinds of peopls, those who know Mafalda and those who don't.
When I taught highschool I used Mafalda in my exams, the course was pre-economics and the political environment from 1950 to 1990, so it was like a match made in heaven.
That is such a cute picture, and sounds like a great trip. I've never heard of here but looks like something I need to look into if it will help me with my Spanish and culture. ;)
ReplyDeleteFor those who want to know more about Mafalda, she is a comic strip written and drawn by Argentine cartoonist Joaquín Salvador Lavado, better known by his pen name Quino. The strip features a 6-year-old girl named Mafalda, who is deeply concerned about humanity and world peace and rebels against the current state of the world. When I travelled to Argentina, I got an apartment for rent in buenos aires and my roommate told me to go to the National Library and find out more about her. It is pretty interesting!
ReplyDeleteKim