La Semana Primera

Hola desde Buenos Aires! Cannot believe I’ve already been here a week- time flies! Life is good. I’ve been obsessively taking pictures but I accidentally brought the wrong camera USB cord. Thankfully, Kelly, another girl in our group has one I can borrow. Pictures to come soon!

I’m living in an apartment on one of the biggest streets in the city, Avendida del Libertador, with Kelsey Ibach, an awesome Strat Comm/Jschool chica. Being in our little two-bedroom apartment is like being on a safari; it’s decorated with a zebra skin rug, giraffe pictures and animal print pillows. Que exótico !

The Mizzou students are split up into four apartments, each with it’s own internet connection. Kelsey and I’s seemed to be working when we got here but was password protected and we couldn’t crack the code. So… we waited all week and finally this morning Marcelo, the technical genius, came to our rescue. He pushed the reset button, unplugged everything, waited 30 seconds, plugged it all back in and voile! Internet.

These first two weeks we have intensive Spanish classes to get us on our feet here. I’m in a class with two others, Amelia and Erik, Wednesday-Friday from 4-7pm. We usually meet up around noon, explore for a while, stop at a café, then head south to the other end of town to Universidad Austral. Our professor is Alejandro, or as we lovingly sing to him, Ale-Alejandro. He is 33 years-old, a Buenos Aires native and probably one of the best Spanish teachers I’ve ever had. I haven’t taken a Spanish class since Universidad de Alicante two years ago, so it's a great review for me.

Next Tuesday is the 200-year anniversary of the Argentine fight for independence from Spain. The fight began on May 25, 1810 and independence wasn’t granted until July 9, 1816, six years later. However the beginning of the fight is enough incentive for Argentineans to fiestar. This weekend is a four-day celebration and next Monday and Tuesday have been declared national holidays, meaning no work or school. This afternoon we are going to go to some of the festivities- parades, street parties, etc. More on that later.

All in all, things are great here. Hope all is well back home. Would love to hear from everyone!

Besos!

BA, One of the World's Biggest Cities

According to WorldAtlas.com, the U.S. Census Bureau and Times Atlas of the World, 10th edition, Buenos Aires is the 10th largest city in the world with almost 12.5 million in its metro area. The list of the largest countries has a couple of curve balls, or maybe it's just me. I didn't realize Mexico City was that big, there are several cities near the top I have never heard of and no city in Europe is in the top 20. Paris comes in at #22, London at #25, with Chicago not far behind at #29. Very interesting.

1. Tokyo, Japan - 28,025,000
2. Mexico City, Mexico - 18,131,000
3. Mumbai, India - 18,042,000
4. Sáo Paulo, Brazil - 17, 711,000
5. New York City, USA - 16,626,000
6. Shanghai, China - 14,173,000
7. Lagos, Nigeria - 13,488,000
8. Los Angeles, USA - 13,129,000
9. Calcutta, India - 12,900,000
10. Buenos Aires, Argentina - 12,431,000

11. Seóul, South Korea - 12,215,000
12. Beijing, China - 12,033,000
13. Karachi, Pakistan - 11,774,000
14. Delhi, India - 11,680,000
15. Dhaka, Bangladesh - 10,979,000
16. Manila, Philippines - 10,818,000
17. Cairo, Egypt - 10,772,000
18. Õsaka, Japan - 10,609,000
19. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 10,556,000
20. Tianjin, China - 10,239,000

21. Jakarta, Indonesia - 9,815,000
22. Paris, France - 9,638,000
23. Istanbul, Turkey - 9,413,000
24. Moscow, Russian Fed. - 9,299,000
25. London, United Kingdom - 7,640,000
26. Lima, Peru - 7,443,000
27. Tehrãn, Iran - 7,380,000
28. Bangkok, Thailand - 7,221,000
29. Chicago, USA - 6,945,000
30. Bogotá, Colombia - 6,834,000

Live and Learn- Immunizations

Over the past weekend some of the other students living in Buenos Aires this summer and I went to brunch to get to know each other and discuss our upcoming plans. There are 10 Mizzou journalism students in all, 7 girls and 3 boys. I'm the only graduate student so I didn't know anyone else before this weekend but we all became quick friends. During the course of conversation, someone mentioned their recent vaccinations...

So procrastination is usually harmless, but this might be an exception. Travel immunizations are recommended 4-8 weeks before departure.

I leave for BA in 5 days.

According to Travel MD the following immunizations are recommended for Buenos Aires:

Hepatitis A	Recommended for all travelers
Typhoid	For travelers who may eat or drink outside major restaurants and hotels
Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)	Two doses recommended for all travelers born after 1956, if not previously given
Tetanus-diphtheria	Revaccination recommended every 10 years

But wait, it's not that simple. Travel MD continues that travelers leaving the Buenos Aires city limits should consider:

Yellow fever	Recommended for all travelers older than nine months who are going to the northern and northeastern forested areas of Argentina, including Iguacu Falls and all areas bordering Paraguay and Brazil
Rabies	For travelers at high risk for animal bites or involved in any activities that might bring them into direct contact with bats
Maleria	Recommended for rural areas of Salta and Jujuy province (along border with Bolivia) and Misiones and Corrientes province (along border with Paraguay). Malaria is present in Iguacu Falls.

So now I am wondering, will I be having direct contact with bats? Hanging out in forested areas? These are difficult questions to answer in advance, so I'm thinking err on the side of caution? Appointment is set for Wednesday morning. Immunizations all around, just hope it's not too late!

Futbol, not football

When I was in Spain two years ago, some friends and I went to a soccer, or futbol if you will, game at Camp Nou in Barcelona, the largest stadium in Europe. The game was Barcelona FC v. Valencia, Alicante's premier club team. Even though we thought of ourselves as Alicantinos, we didn't dare cheer for the Valiencian team since we were surrounded by hundreds of passionate Barca fans. We somehow scored awesome seats - I mean we could see the sweat on the players. Graphic, I know. Barca won and everyone left happy.

The game was like nothing I've ever seen before - the fans and environment just doesn't compare to any other sporting event. Spaniards are CRAZY about futbol.

Well, Messi is the star player for Barca, but he happens to be from Argentina. In fact, he is the primary reason why Argentina is in the running to win the World Cup this June/July. Not to mention the Argentina Olympic gold win in 2008.

The last night I was in Spain, Spain won the Euro Cup 2008. It was perfect timing- the entire final month I was there we watched Spain as they progressed through the entire tournament, eventually winning the championship game. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep that last night. We packed our bags the day before, went out to watch the game, celebrated the victory in the streets and on the beach and went straight to the airport at sunrise. Throughout Alicante, people were shooting off fireworks, passing the sangria and in full-out party mode. It was awesome.

Watching the World Cup with the Argentinians will be interesting, especially to compare and contrast with my experiences Spain. While I'll cheer for the USA (probably quietly to myself) I would love for Argentina to win. Nothing beats happy fans after their team wins the big game.

Project Approved. IRB?

As of approximately 3:25pm CST my project, "Glocalization in Buenos Aires: Cultural Effects on Advertising Practices" was officially approved by my faculty committee. Boom.

Who is my faculty committee you might ask? Great question. It's headed up by Dr. Margaret Duffy, chair of the Strategic Communication Department. Next up, we have Dr. Maria Len-Rios, who specializes in public relations and and cross-cultural communication. Rounding it out is Dr. Fritz Cropp, director of international programs for the School of Journalism.

My committee has been an indispensable asset as I have written my proposal, offering much appreciated guidance and suggestions. They will be in touch with me throughout my research via weekly updates. Once my final paper is completed, I will come back to MU to defend my paper in front of my committee, receive their approval and GRADUATE (in December).

Next Step: Approval from the IRB or Institutional Review Board. Research involving human subjects must have advance IRB approval before any research can begin. This was mandated by the US government to protect the rights, safety and well-being of research subjects. Basically, they need to make sure that I will not cause mental or emotional harm to the people I interview... no pressure. Receiving approval involves writing a detailed application with the approval of your committee. Hopefully I will have this done by the end of the week. It's a work in progress right now.

In other news, I took the Spanish placement test last week. This will help the program director know where we should begin in our intensive Spanish language boot-camp upon arrival. The test wasn't as bad as I was expecting- with the exception of a few compound past tenses I hadn't seen in a while. I haven't had a Spanish class since Spring 2008 when I was in Spain. It's been a while, but it's all comin' back. I was VERY glad I watched Evita last week because the entire test was about her life and political accomplishments. I need to watch it again because last week I had it on in the background as I was working on other homework- multi-tasking aka half-way paying attention.

Last night I downloaded a bunch of Spanish podcasts and walked around Stankowski field for about an hour. Sort of talking to myself- not really, it just helps me to repeat some words here and there. Good thing I'm too old to know too many people in this town- right?

So starts the journal of my Argentine adventure.

I will be spending this summer completing my Professional Project, the final requirement to earn my Master of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri.

My research proposal in a nutshell:

"The purpose of this professional project is to gain a deeper understanding of the role cultural differences play in developing targeted advertising for Hispanics, specifically Argentineans. The researcher will spend three months working at an international advertising agency in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In order to more fully understand the business decision-making process used in large multinational advertising agencies when ‘glocalizing’ or localizing a global brand, the researcher will conduct depth interviews of advertising professionals at eight-to-ten of the largest multinational advertising agencies in Buenos Aires, Argentina."

This blog will include both my research journal and personal thoughts. Come along for the ride.


In 18 short days I need to:

-have my project proposal approved by my faculty committee
-have my research approved by the International Review Board (IRB)
-write a meta analysis for my convergence editing class
-write a annotated bibliography for my digital case studies class
-wrap-up my run as Manager of Operations for Mojo Ad
-pass along my clients at Mizzou Rec
-move out of my apartment in Columbia
-put everything I own in my parents' basement
-practico mi espanol
-pack (what am I going to pack??)
-go to my brother's college graduation (May 15)
-leave town (May 16)

No problem, right?