Blog Post Number 11: Spanish, Art & Evita!

March 4

Wednesday…a big day for both of us.

David:
Fortunately for me, my Spanish tutor Diego (who I had a few lessons with last year) was available and I was able to start lessons again. We reviewed what chapters in my text I needed to study in order to be able to start my second semester of Spanish back in the US. Diego has his own method of teaching so we will just have to see what happens.




Barbara:
I had been thinking about taking art lessons, so after hearing about an instructor from a friend went to see him and the studio. I liked what I saw and signed up for oil painting classes, the first of which was today. Classes are on Wednesdays from 3-7 for the next 5 weeks.

It’s a 30 minute walk to the studio and there are 3 other women taking the class. All are accomplished painters, and all made me feel welcome. Lillian is the only one who speaks fluent English, and she’s a willing translator.

The instructor, Gustavo, speaks very limited English, but his demos give me a good sense of what it is I’m there to learn. His goal – get me out of my comfort zone; i.e. use bold colors, bold subjects, bold strokes, big canvases! For those of you who’ve seen my paintings, you know this will be a stretch!

March 5 – 6
Thursday at the Melody Café for breakfast, there’s an American who’s trying to pay with dollars. Gabriella, the waitress, is having difficulty understanding him and asks David to translate. No question about it…his time studying here and his semester studying Spanish at Cape Cod Community College have begun to pay off.

Friday the weather is fabulous so 4 of us take the bus to Palermo Botanico





for lunch at the Evita Museum’s outdoor café (we plan to do the museum another day). Housed in an architecturally stunning building that once served as a women’s shelter run by Eva Peron’s foundation, the umbrellas, black and white tile and greenery provide a serenity that enhances a delicious meal.

























Buenos Aires is not the right destination for anyone who wants to loose weight. Most socializing revolves around long, leisurely meals (though our saving grace is that we almost always walk to and/or from our destination).