It was an ironic twist of fate that my first of many experiences in Buenos Aires was in fact meant to be a last one. Of three generations who had previously been living there, only boxes, bubble wrap, moving carts and an overflow of emotions and historical clutter remained. Over the next few weeks, nearby residents gathered at aparment 14 to help my grandmother pack and move. We would celebrate Christmas and new Year there before handing in the keys to the new owners and making our way back to Brazil.
On this trip I did not do much of any typical sightseeing. Later I would come to learn that I was staying in the oldest neighbourhood of the city: San Telmo. A great starting point if you are visiting for the first time, as many main attractions are of walking distance. When we weren’t packing, my cousin and I would distract ourselves by venturing out to find ”kioskos”. We would buy all the sweets we had never heard of before and take them back to the apartment for experimentation. I’ve never been a very adventurous eater but from the few sweets that I did try, the ones which still stick out to me 11 years later are:
Nugaton, Pico Dulce, Sugus, Mogul Ositos, Pepitos, Jorgitos and Anillos
The popular Vauquita, Mantecol, Tita, Cabsha and Rhodesia I do not like…but as forementioned I am a very fussy eater so I urge everyone with a sweet tooth to have a try.
Besides being a picky eater, I am also a vegetarian. Being a vegetarian in Argentina in 2005, a devoted meat eating country, wasn’t as welcoming as it is now in 2016. Over this period of time, there appears to have been an upsurge of people interested in pursuing healthy vegan lifestyles, therefore, more options of places for me to have lunch! But I will come back to this topic on another day.
Something else we did most days on this trip was walk to Calle Florida or Puerto Madero (both very accessible from San Telmo) Many details from this trip are blurry to me, but since then I have been to many different corners of the city. I am excited to go in-depth and highlight some of the basic knowledge I have gathered as a foreigner in Buenos Aires over the past years.
Christmas came quickly and my grandmother took us to an orthodox romanian church to celebrate. After the ceremony the priest held a bbq in the back yard and I stayed hungry.
Each day that went past I became sadder and sadder that I would inevitably have to leave. The festive decorations at Shopping Pacifico were magical to look at. I remember also on this trip trying Raviolli for the first time ever and buying sheepskin slippers, a wolly jumper and a beautiful flowery bedspread to take back home with me. I buy things not only because I like them but because they help me remember.
It took me three planes to get back home and by that time I was very happy to arrive and be with my mum and dad again. The next day a new semester at school would start and I had no reason to believe that I could visit Buenos Aires again.
Mimus Saturninos 