Sonidos de America: Universidad de los Andes presentation

My co-workers were not kidding about getting me out of the office.

We went to a Sounds of America presentation at the Universidad de los Andes. One of my coworker’s son’s friends was playing music. The presentation was a mix of anthropology, history and music. We watched quick videos explaining the connection between sound making devices in Mexico and Argentina. Fascinating musical instruments that looked like three, sometimes four flutes stuck together, water-filed instruments making tea-kettle sounds, a condor‘s feather.

One of the presenters had the most divine Argentine accent, one of my favorite versions of Spanish.It sounds like bees buzzing, a bicycle wheel on wet pavement, filled with the Russian letter Ж. I could listen to someone speaking Argentine Spanish all day, on any topic.

The avocado & rice go in the soup.

After the presentation, we got ajiaco and then dessert, walked around the narrow cobblestone streets of La Candelaria. She pointed out the sex workers, their children, adolescents protesting near the president’s house because of rising tuition rates . (Education protests are happening in Chile as well, though it’s much larger there, with students participating in hunger strikes and receiving international coverage.)

New Russian or undercover biker?

On the way home, I bought a fake leather  jacket, a la Trinity or Michael Jackson or an 80s biker gang. For $15. I have been looking for one for over a year. I wear it almost every day.