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Jet Set Stories | Our Arrival in Buenos Aires, Argentina part 1

Sep 09, 2008 by Melanie Van Orden 

Beautiful old building on Defensa Avenue, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaOur Jet Set life began when we left our tiny Manhattan apartment in February of this year to head to JFK International Airport for our flight to Argentina.

We’d been planning this day for months, but we couldn’t believe we were leaving our New York life behind to try and learn Spanish and soak up a little porteño culture. (Porteño is another word for residents of Buenos Aires; Argentina’s largest port city.)

We were excited to discover Argentina’s European and Latin America mixture and history. One of the things we most looked forward to was seeing buildings like the one displayed in the snapshot posted at the beginning of this post. Old, beautiful buildings built in colonial, Victorian and/or Edwardian times.

So it was with excitement and a bit of anxiety about the unknown that we boarded the first leg of our international flight to our new home. We would be stopping in Mexico City to make a connection to Buenos Aires.

Jason and I had studied some Spanish on our own in order to be able to talk about basic necessities with locals once we arrived. It helped quite a bit that Jason was already fluent in French. Once you learn one romance language, it’s so much easier to learn another one!

I thought it was fun to hear the announcements on our flight in both Spanish and English and to think that this is the language I would be hearing around me constantly for months.

When asked by the flight attendant serving dinner if I wanted “pollo o carne,” (”chicken or beef” in English) I was so intimidated that I got all mixed up and thought she was asking me what I wanted to drink. This was the first time somebody had asked me something directly in Spanish and I was over thinking things.

I had cleverly picked up on the fact that the work for Coke in Spanish is “Coca” during the flight, so I quickly blurted, “Coca!” The flight attendant then had to repeat her question in English so I could get it. I felt silly and asked for “pollo.”

So, my first attempt at simple Spanish on our trip was a bust, but I knew I couldn’t let it discourage me. I was just going to have to sound like an idiot for a while until I got the hang of things.

In Mexico City, we had to go through a laborious emigration procedure, and then waited for our next flight. It’s a good thing Jason knew enough Spanish to get us where we needed to go, because I could have ended up waiting in the wrong terminal or something.

The shops in the airport ranged from high end luxury boutiques to tiny stores that sold cheap tourist items. Salespeople would stand by the line that all international arrivals had to go through and shout about the various wares they were selling. They were more aggressive than I was used to, but not much. Being a New Yorker, I’ve experienced pretty aggressive people on the street!

Later, when we were boarding our flight for Buenos Aires, I noticed that a bunch of extremely tall men in casual athletic wear were boarding ahead us. Some of them were wearing jackets emblazoned with the name of a basketball team in Spanish.

I was thinking, “Wow! Cool! Argentine basketball players!” I hadn’t heard that basketball was a sport that Argentinians liked. I heard that people only cared about football (which is what we North Americans call soccer) and polo in Argentina.

It was cool to see a part of Argentine culture that I was not likely to be exposed to while we were living in the Buenos Aires. I wouldn’t have even known to look for a basketball game!

When I looked around at the people on this flight, I saw quite a mixture of people. Some very cosmopolitan, some more muted and casual, some with very light skin tones, some very dark.

I knew that Argentina is made up of an assortment of very few native people and very many immigrants from different countries and ethnicities. For example, under 2% of the population are indigenous people, and the remaining 98% of the country come from mostly European ancestry.

Spain and Italy provided the two largest groups that came to Argentina. My brother-in-law is Argentine and he is a full-blooded Italian. Both of his parents grew up in Argentina, as did he, but his parents are from Italian families that emigrated to Argentina.

The Italian cultural influence in Argentina shows up in its food. Delicious pastas, Italian bread and strong coffee are staples here, as well as long, leisurely afternoons in some of the excellent cafés in Buenos Aires.

Here’s a great picture of me at an Argentine restaurant enjoying some of that awesome Italian bread with my brother-in-law’s parents, Dino and Susanna:

Mel with Dino and Susanna in Buenos Aires, Argentina

There is also quite a bit of British influence in the Argentine culture, due to the country having a substantial number of British immigrants in its history as well. The most visible example of this influence is the popularity of the sport of polo in Argentina.

Although polo is a sport for the somewhat financially successful in Argentina due to the costs of owning a horse, it is widely followed there. The most popular players of this sport in Argentina are like rock stars.

So after that cultural lesson, suffice it to say that I found this history in Argentina to match up with the variety of people I observed around me in the airplane during our flight. I was excited to see if the capitol city of Buenos Aires was just as cosmopolitan and European as I had been told.

That’s all for today’s installment of our travel stories. This story will be continued in a post on Thursday, September 11, on this blog. Until then, tell me what you would like to know about our stay in Argentina in the comments below. I want to be sure to include the information that you want to know!

Filed Under Argentina, Misc.

Comments

5 Responses to “Jet Set Stories | Our Arrival in Buenos Aires, Argentina part 1”

  1. Barbara C. Hanks on September 10th, 2008 3:39 pm

    It was cool to read more about your initial experiences in Argentina, Mel. I’m looking forward to more stories!

  2. Jet Set Life on September 11th, 2008 5:56 am

    Hey there,
    Great post! I also have a Jet Set Life and love how your living yours! Your right, if your committed you can do anything you want. We will be in BsAs shooting for Jet Set Life over Thanksgiving. Perhaps we can meet for a cocktail.
    Best
    Rob

  3. Jeannie VanOrden on September 11th, 2008 9:58 am

    I like reading about your struggles to use the language. I think that’s what holds most of us back is not wanting to look stupid. When we were in Mexico, I was the one to step out of my comfort zone and say “Quanto questa?” while my husband let me look uncomfortable because he doesn’t do uncomfortable. After awhile I began to lose my fear of making a mistake and boldly used the few phrases I had mastered. Just look stupid with confidence, I say.

  4. Melanie Van Orden on September 11th, 2008 10:55 am

    Hey guys, thanks so much for the encouragement and kind words.

    @Jet Set Life - It’s great to see your site up and running! Unfortunately, Jason and I are no longer in Buenos Aires. I’ve been writing about our recent experiences there. I guess I should make that more clear!

    If we are ever in the same location, Jason and I would love to meet up with you and your wife, Kim.

  5. Amara Van Orden on September 13th, 2008 1:51 am

    It must have been so overwhelming, but exciting at first! Glad to hear more stories. :D

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