El Ateneo Grand Splendid

Not Your Average Barnes & Nobels...

If you are visiting Buenos Aires for more than a few days, one of the mini-sites to see is El Ateneo Grand Splendid (Recoleta, Av Santa Fe 1860, cross-street Callao, 4811-6104).  It's in some of the tour books more specific to Buenos Aires you might find more information on this it, but it is a really neat little spot.  Not so little, actually.  El Ateneo Grand Splendid is the biggest book store in South America, that stocks books in many languages (even English!) and really, is a site to see in it's own right.  Built in 1919, this building was originally a movie theater that included a small recording studio in the back.  This studio boasts famous visitors such as Ignacio Corsini and Carlos Gardel (don't worry, I didn't know who they were until we moved here either - both best known for their tango singing).

It is unclear to me as to when it was converted into a book store, but it still has the full feeling of a "Majestic" style move theater, which is really what make it so cool.  Behind the red velvet curtain is a little cafe where you will find people sipping coffee, chatting quietly or just starting their recent purchase.  From a distance, the cafe gives the impression of being a pit orchestra, I had to actually get up close to see that it was a cafe.

My motivation for visiting El Ateneo after all this time living in the city is that I have heard they have a great area for kids on the lower level.  It's true, Ateneo Junior is a sectioned off part of the bookstore where kids can pull books off of the shelves and play without any issue from the staff.  The issue is that there are only two ways to access the downstairs area, and they are either an escalator or stairs, making my stroller dilemma quite complicated.  I was able to leave my stroller at the information booth - but it is dependent on your trust that the information booth guy is actually going to keep his eyes on your stroller, a risky venture to say the least.  We crossed our fingers and left the stroller to spend some time in the kiddo area.

I will admit, this is probably an activity better suited for the slightly older child.  Gretchen LOVED the fact that she could pull the books off of the shelves, just like at home, but wasn't so into actually looking at the books.  She spent most of the afternoon sitting among a pile of books, then getting up and creating a new pile somewhere else.  She was also intrigued by the shelf labeled "Please do not remove cellophane from the book sets", because there is nothing more fun to a one year old than removing cellophane from a book set or two.  Joking aside, I think she had a really run time, and we found a couple new books to add to our home library.  The staff is really nice, completely understanding, and helpful in engaging the kids with books.  What I had hoped for was a "reading corner" where little ones could sit on a bean bag chair and peruse through a book, but this wasn't that kind of book shop.  There are a few little table and chair combinations, and a large, carpeted, island-style bench that Gretchen liked to crawl around on, and we actually sat together and stumbled through a Spanish children's book together.  I will say, the books we purchased are as much for me and Jon as for her, because that is about where my reading level has reached in Spanish.  "En el Parque con Miguel" (one of our purchases) is a great vocabulary book for items that we use at the park every day - though I think it's meant for ages 1+, I'm not ashamed to say that I read it on my own.

As Gretchen grows, I see this as a kind of "treat" excursion where she can pick out a book or two for a rainy day.  As a tourist attraction, it is really worth a look-see, the multi-leveled building of books is unlike anything I've ever seen.

Husband of the Year

This year Jon gave me a gift that I didn't think was possible - my own book, that I wrote, without even knowing I was writing it.

He had this very blog made into a beautiful, hardcover book complete with table of contents, photos, and reader comments and it's one of the most remarkable things I have ever seen.  I remember when I was really little, 4 or 5 years old, my mom opened a diamond necklace from my dad on Christmas Day and it made her cry.  I remember thinking that it looked like a really nice necklace, why would she cry about it?  This was my version of that diamond necklace.

The book was made through a site called SharedBook, who offer lots of create-a-book services including a Blog2Print option.  Jon was able to choose the front and back cover photos, the book color (which is adorned with my favorite color, green) and he even wrote a touching dedication on page 1 (which we'll keep private but know that it was very nice). 

I guess I never really thought of my personal reasons for keeping up with the blog.  It started as something to do, then it developed into a way to keep family and friends connected with us while we live abroad, but the book makes me realize that I've really been keeping a journal of sorts for us to look back at to remember this very memorable part of our lives.  A very public, shared, journal.  I also like to think that it can serve as a reference guide to living in Buenos Aires, and I place it in the Argentina reference book section of our bookshelves.  I love Lonely Planet as much as the next guy, but when you're moving in vs. just stopping by for a visit/vacation, there are certainly topics these other books don't cover. 

 You know how people say that they would not be able to write a book because they don't have enough to write about?  I was one of those people and can say that I respectfully disagree, and now I have an over-200-page-book to prove it.  Now, if anyone is interested in reading that book is another story, but considering you're reading this right now I'm guessing that at least someone wants to read what I write :).  Either way, it was a highlight of Christmas to open this thoughtful, unique gift that certainly warrants the Husband of the Year prize in my eyes.  Kudos, Jon - I absolutely love it!

The Help - Kathryn Stockett

My friend Stephanie is known for her great ideas, many of them showcased on her amazing blog, Literally Organized. Back in 2007, in one of her best ideas, she invited me to join her newly created book club. This was the beginning of a beautiful relationship between me, books and some great new girlfriends. One of the benefits of being in a book club (other than the hilarity, friendships, great food, etc.) is the great suggestions for future reads that you receive from other people. This is one of the many things I've been missing since our move. Until....

The first month's read from my new BAIN book club was The Help, and I absolutely loved it. The Help is Kathryn Stockett's first novel, and as mentioned in the afterward, is loosely based on her experience with live-in help while growing up in 1950s Mississippi. The story revolves around a group of 20-something white women who have full-time cleaning and childcare help from seasoned, African-American women. Stockett explores the complicated relationships that develop between the underpaid and under-appreciated maids, the innocent children they look after and the women, who cling desperately an empowering society, that employ them. In an unusual coordination of efforts, the "imaginary" white vs. black lines are crossed when a young, white, aspiring journalist pairs with one of her best friend's maids to write a tell-all book detailing employers secrets and the treatment of the help in their deep-Mississippi town. The story comes to a head when the women of the town begin reading each other's stories and begin to identify the actual names behind the anonymity. I really liked the way that this book looked at the civil rights movement from the eyes of everyday people. The common story, the story I expected, focuses on the fearless protagonist that powers through the discrimination to create a better world. I was pleasantly surprised, the characters were frightened and unsure and many times unclear of their motives - good and bad alike. This novel felt authentic, heartfelt and honest - I was emotionally pulled in all different directions, each character earned their own separate reaction. I thought the Stockett did a great job of staying neutral and presenting the story without any obvious exaggeration. I am interested to see what my new book club compadres have to say about this one, it will be a good barometer to the group. I, for one, am happy to report that the first test of a new book club has been passed - I like the recommendations - score!

Life Sentences - Laura Lippman

Life Sentences is my first Laura Lippman book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The core of Lippman's novel is inspired by the true story of a Baltimore woman who spent seven years in jail after she refused to speak about her infant son's mysterious disappearance. In the book, the main character, Cassandra, is an accomplished author who made a name for herself by writing two tell-all books about her life growing up in the 1960s and the rise and fall of her first marriage. In search of her next topic, Cassandra decides to take a closer look at the life of a former classmate, Calliope Jenkins, the mother who stayed silent regarding the whereabouts of her son. Cassandra and Calliope were not particularly close in school so Cassandra looks to other former schoolmates for help, and encounters a number of complications along the way. I really enjoyed the way this book unfolds, the present day story is told through the eyes of a few of the main characters and Lippman fills in the back stories by using excerpts from Cassandra's novels. The novel explores the complicated relationships that children have with their parents, the strained ties of friendship from childhood friends that grow apart and finds time to weave in the impact of the civil rights movement of the 1960s that tie all of the characters together. Life Sentences is an ode to a little girl's blind belief in her father, a brilliant college professor that expects nothing but perfection from his child, and the effect those beliefs have on her as an adult. I feel like Lippman cleverly inserts a double meaning into the title by having a running dialogue in Cassandra's head describing how her father would correct her writing and also having each character trapped in a situation that results from a decision they made at some point in their lives, their own personal life sentence. I thought the book was interesting, compelling and clever. I will be reading more of Laura Lippman in the future.

Amazon Kindle

My husband, along with virtually his entire family, loves and - more importantly - understands electronics. This is perfect for me because I enjoy having things that make life easier but I have no idea what is out there, much less where to buy it or how to set it up. This is also great for me because it means that I tend to receive amazing, technologically advanced gifts that I never even knew existed. I am quite spoiled in this regard. Although there are quite a few things that I could put in that category (my iPod, laptop and cell phone to name a few...) I need to shed light on one item in particular because I think that expats are really missing out on this delightful piece of technology. The Amazon Kindle.

My 1st generation Kindle

My Kindle was a Christmas gift from my in-laws in 2008 when I was still commuting to work on the train everyday. The Kindle is a product of Amazon (there are others out there by Sony and other companies) that wirelessly downloads books, magazines and newpapers from anywhere in the US in under 60 seconds. The newer versions of the Kindle offer 3G global coverage, making it even more appealing to expats the coverage is good in over 100 countries, and holds a longer charge (up to 1 week of reading on one full charge) than the previous models. This is especially good for those multi-day flights or for the backpacker who won't be near a power source for days on end. There are literally hundreds of thousands of titles to choose from with more titles being added every day. The Kindle also has the ability to connect to your computer using a USB cable for people like me who have the older version and live outside of the country. The device itself is lightweight and easy to use - especially easy on the eyes. The screen reminds me of an Etch-a-Sketch, that matte finish screen that makes the text really easy to read. Oh Kindle, here are the reasons I love thee:

1. For my former commute, I didn't have to carry an enormous book with me on the train.
2. It is small enough to keep in my purse all the time for things like waiting at the doctor's office, taking a lunch break or sitting at a cafe.
3. Before we moved to Buenos Aires, we lived in a relatively small apartment where we barely had enough space for our own things, much less the space to store all of the book that I read.
4. Now that we live in Bs. As. it is hard to find English bookstores that carry the titles I want. Not an issue when you have a Kindle.
5. When I'm out of the loop with regard to current good books, I can go onto the New York Times bestseller list straight from the Kindle. Not only that - but you can download a "sample" of a book before you buy it for no cost!

The downside of the Kindle is that it's not cheap. You pay one price for the device (unless you get it as a gift - thank you Thom and Lornie!) and then pay separately for each book that you download. The book prices vary, but the most expensive I've seen is $9.99 for a new release hardback NYTimes bestseller. Not too bad if you consider that most of those books on the shelf are < $20.00 when they first come out. I have been stopped on the street, on the train and by people in stores to ask if I like the Kindle and my answer is always an overwhelming YES. If you are thinking about getting one for yourself or as a gift for someone else don't think twice. They will love it.

Ice Bound - Dr. Jerri Nielsen

I love to read and generally I read most while I am traveling or on vacation. Since I am on vacation now, I thought it was a perfect time to introduce my first book review to the blog. I have never claimed to be a writer, but here is my humble opinion on a book that I have recently finished.

I read Ice Bound at the recommendation of my mom, who got the book from my brother Chris as a Christmas gift. You may remember from my Return From Antarctica post, Chris worked as a firefighter in Antarctica for 6 months so I can only assume that is what attracted him to this book. Most people that I have talked to have heard the story of the woman who diagnosed her own breast cancer while living at the South Pole, though very few people know much about the details of this ordeal or how the story ends. This book is the full story, as told by Dr. Jerri Neilsen, the doctor herself.

I found Ice Bound to have an interesting insight into the people and world of Antarctica, which is truly a unique culture all its own. Jerri Neilsen realizes that she's due for a life change when her marriage goes bad, her divorce goes even worse, she looses her children and her sanity. She works as an ER doctor that flutters from nameless patient to nameless patient administering the health care that is expected of her as a doctor, but stops short of the compassionate personal touch she craves as a human being. She is fed up with the red tape that she is forced to work through everyday and when she reads an advertisement for a doctor at the South Pole, the opportunity is too good to pass up. The famous story begins while she is the only doctor among the 40+ "winter-over" individuals at the South Pole and she discovers a lump in one of her breasts. This story follows her personal pain as she suspects/realizes that she has breast cancer, the steps her company follows to help her through the process and the devastation of the only doctor in a closed population not being able to function to the level expected.

The author's pain and fear in this situation were enough to grab anyone. She struggles with the responsibility of being the only medical professional in a closed environment and needing skilled medical attention for herself. At times the author gets unrealistically deep into her love for the continent, the people, the job and the isolation, to the point where I feel she may recall her experiences with rose colored glasses as opposed to how things actually were, but that may just be my cynical side.

I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of time she dedicated to the people in Antarctica; the reasons someone chooses to leave their life behind and the connections that you make with people when put in a daily life-or-death situations. I appreciated the authors candor when describing her personal life, and although I don't totally understand her situation, I can sympathize with her feeling of hopelessness both with her broken family and her medical situation. More than anything, this book hit home for me because the many of the qualities that I see in my brother Chris were highlighted in this story. As with most guys, it is difficult to get a full and clear understanding of the people, relationships, trials, hardships and difficulties they encounter, especially when they are sent to an isolated world where email and an occasional phone conversation are the only connection you have. This is one area that Dr. Nielsen spends a significant amount of time. She describes in detail her reasons for leaving, and the reasons she loved her experience despite its complications. In this I can see the similarity in her feelings to the descriptions that Chris gave me about his experience, with a less emotional voice. I feel like I know a little more about my middle brother and his reasons for going to Antarctica, in addition to understanding his reasons for wanting to return at the end of this year.

I was captivated by the remarkable story of a woman and her battle for survival, and know now that I do NOT want my brother to spend a year isolated at the South Pole, but was surprised at the clarity this book brought to my understanding of the reasons someone chooses such an extreme lifestyle. I recommend this book, knowing full well that my level of personal connection may have skewed my opinion. I recommend it to the general population anyway.