Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Dancin' in the Street
The Argentine Tango as seen on Calle Florida. This is the second time I've encountered a midday mini-show in the street. It sure beats that Michael Jackson character on President Clinton Avenue...just sayin'
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
My First (and last) 6pm Subte Ride
Rush hour. I know I'm an Arkansas gal and in Little Rock, rush hour is like a normal Sunday afternoon compared to other capital cities. But I've been to Madrid. I've ridden the metro in Paris. And I've still never seen anything like the B.A. subte* at 6:00 in the afternoon.
People squish in the already small, rectangular train cars with a certain ruthlessness so they are not the one stuck waiting for the next to come. Once the doors close, though, there is this common feeling like...really? Even sardines aren't canned into spaces this compact. And we are doing it to ourselves!
At one point my laptop, though still hanging on my arm, got separated from me by a person shoved in the sphere of my underarm. Two stops later, my laptop and arm were suddenly wrapped around my back while my other hand was wedged between myself and the guy's wallet in front of me. I thought to myself "If I were a thief, this would be the perfect opportunity! Since I'm not, it's just a little bit awkward." Thank goodness the word 'awkward' doesn't exist in Spanish, then we both would have felt it.
I'm glad I had the foresight to buy a bag of assorted caramelos, or chewy caramel and chocolate candies, on the way to the station. Those are my vice just as cigarettes are a smoker's vice. Once I got off, it only took me two blocks to eat through half my stash. Then I was okay. Those candies were expensive, though! They cost almost as much as the bottle of wine I bought last night ;)
Alas, after 2 hours, 3 errands, 7 blocks and a sigh of relief, I'm home! I'm tired, but it's the good kind of tired. The kind that's satisfying because you know you've had a productive day. And this was an experience to check off the list of things I must endure to become a city girl! So from now on, I know I'm not missing anything if I stick with the bus.
*what they call the subway
People squish in the already small, rectangular train cars with a certain ruthlessness so they are not the one stuck waiting for the next to come. Once the doors close, though, there is this common feeling like...really? Even sardines aren't canned into spaces this compact. And we are doing it to ourselves!
At one point my laptop, though still hanging on my arm, got separated from me by a person shoved in the sphere of my underarm. Two stops later, my laptop and arm were suddenly wrapped around my back while my other hand was wedged between myself and the guy's wallet in front of me. I thought to myself "If I were a thief, this would be the perfect opportunity! Since I'm not, it's just a little bit awkward." Thank goodness the word 'awkward' doesn't exist in Spanish, then we both would have felt it.
I'm glad I had the foresight to buy a bag of assorted caramelos, or chewy caramel and chocolate candies, on the way to the station. Those are my vice just as cigarettes are a smoker's vice. Once I got off, it only took me two blocks to eat through half my stash. Then I was okay. Those candies were expensive, though! They cost almost as much as the bottle of wine I bought last night ;)
Alas, after 2 hours, 3 errands, 7 blocks and a sigh of relief, I'm home! I'm tired, but it's the good kind of tired. The kind that's satisfying because you know you've had a productive day. And this was an experience to check off the list of things I must endure to become a city girl! So from now on, I know I'm not missing anything if I stick with the bus.
*what they call the subway
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Two Weeks Later
And I've finally arrived at the honeymoon stage!
I know that usually this phase happens from the very first day in a foreign place. For me, it was different this time, though. I've enjoyed my first two weeks in BA, but ther've been some frustrations and rough times. It all came together, though, today.
Por la mañana - Morning
I got up early to move into my new apartment! Thanks to all of you who offered words of encouragement on my last blog post. Seriously, it really was helpful to have some sort of affirmation about my crazy considerations regarding which apartment to choose. As much fun as it sounded to dabble in an ascetic life for two months with nothing but a mattress and the big city as my living room, I decided that I'm here to work. Without a couch, I would have been much more motivated to spend my days meditating rather than completing an IPSP project. So I decided to save that adventure for another trip, and I waited a few days to see if anything else came up. With a turn of luck, it did! Here's my new little casita:
The living room
The kitchen (fully stocked :)
My new room...spacious and equipped with a fancy persian rug for my tired dogs
The view
Por la tarde - Afternoon
Put in a productive half-day of work today. Well, semi-productive because the internet at the office was going slow. I left a little early to run an errand before meeting up with another of Sr. L's friends, Gaby. (Details about work to come later).
My afternoon tea time with Gaby was great! She is my Mom's age and helps run the incredibly successful family business, which is a chain of high-end leather shops (one of the commodities Argentina is most known for). Going into her shop was like going into a leather version of Coach...it was beautiful! Sr. L put me in touch with Gaby so that I would have some semblance of a family when I was here. She and I talked about all sorts of things, exchanged book titles, and she promised I could invite myself over anytime I wanted or needed to. She speaks English wonderfully and compliments my Spanish, so we get along quite well!
Por la noche - Tonight
I'm celebrating my honeymoon phase with a platillo de fiambre for dinner - basically an assortment of meats and cheeses, usually paired with olives and red wine. I'm not quite ready to cook yet (still getting used to my new kitchen), and I've been craving this all week. I couldn't eat it because I had nowhere to store leftover food.
This, for me, is Spanish comfort food. I needed a little something familiar and foreign, and this was just what the doctor ordered!
Spanish chorizo (just like from the home country!), queso sardo (medium-level stinky cheese of some variety), classic Spanish olives with the pepper piece in the center, pate de Jerez (as in sherry, or the city I lived in while in Spain), and whole grain crackers. YUM!
Oh yeah, my dinner was accompanied by a bottom shelf bottle of Argentine Malbec, straight from Mendoza - the wine region. It cost me 10 pesos, which is about US $2.50. Don't let the price fool you...it isn't table wine. It's actually very good!
All in all, not a bad day. I got a lot accomplished and will sleep well tonight! Tomorrow - a full day of work to make up for missed time today. And catch-up blog posts because I still have some fun pictures and videos from the last week to show.
Buenas noches a todos!
I know that usually this phase happens from the very first day in a foreign place. For me, it was different this time, though. I've enjoyed my first two weeks in BA, but ther've been some frustrations and rough times. It all came together, though, today.
Por la mañana - Morning
I got up early to move into my new apartment! Thanks to all of you who offered words of encouragement on my last blog post. Seriously, it really was helpful to have some sort of affirmation about my crazy considerations regarding which apartment to choose. As much fun as it sounded to dabble in an ascetic life for two months with nothing but a mattress and the big city as my living room, I decided that I'm here to work. Without a couch, I would have been much more motivated to spend my days meditating rather than completing an IPSP project. So I decided to save that adventure for another trip, and I waited a few days to see if anything else came up. With a turn of luck, it did! Here's my new little casita:
The kitchen (fully stocked :)
Por la tarde - Afternoon
Put in a productive half-day of work today. Well, semi-productive because the internet at the office was going slow. I left a little early to run an errand before meeting up with another of Sr. L's friends, Gaby. (Details about work to come later).
My afternoon tea time with Gaby was great! She is my Mom's age and helps run the incredibly successful family business, which is a chain of high-end leather shops (one of the commodities Argentina is most known for). Going into her shop was like going into a leather version of Coach...it was beautiful! Sr. L put me in touch with Gaby so that I would have some semblance of a family when I was here. She and I talked about all sorts of things, exchanged book titles, and she promised I could invite myself over anytime I wanted or needed to. She speaks English wonderfully and compliments my Spanish, so we get along quite well!
Por la noche - Tonight
I'm celebrating my honeymoon phase with a platillo de fiambre for dinner - basically an assortment of meats and cheeses, usually paired with olives and red wine. I'm not quite ready to cook yet (still getting used to my new kitchen), and I've been craving this all week. I couldn't eat it because I had nowhere to store leftover food.
This, for me, is Spanish comfort food. I needed a little something familiar and foreign, and this was just what the doctor ordered!
Spanish chorizo (just like from the home country!), queso sardo (medium-level stinky cheese of some variety), classic Spanish olives with the pepper piece in the center, pate de Jerez (as in sherry, or the city I lived in while in Spain), and whole grain crackers. YUM!
Oh yeah, my dinner was accompanied by a bottom shelf bottle of Argentine Malbec, straight from Mendoza - the wine region. It cost me 10 pesos, which is about US $2.50. Don't let the price fool you...it isn't table wine. It's actually very good!
All in all, not a bad day. I got a lot accomplished and will sleep well tonight! Tomorrow - a full day of work to make up for missed time today. And catch-up blog posts because I still have some fun pictures and videos from the last week to show.
Buenas noches a todos!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
The PERFECT apartment....
I found it! It's the perfect apartment!
It's located in Recoleta, the most beautiful part of downtown. There are lots of schools and university buildings around as well. I wanted to be in the center of the city, but all areas close by are either too dangerous or too expensive. This one is neither!
It's got the perfect roommates - two Brazilian med students who speak Spanish perfectly. The one who showed me the apartment was SO nice. I think we would all get along fantastically!
Of course, with every apartment, there is a catch. The one here is that:
There is no furniture in the apartment...yet (besides a mattress in my bedroom).
It does however, have a fully loaded kitchen. That's all a cookin' girl needs, right? A kitchen and a cushy mattress to rest my head at night.
Somebody please tell me that it would be ridiculous to move into an empty apartment for two months! I kid you not...I'm seriously considering taking this one. As much as I like being around my new friends in the hostel (who are in the same precarious position as I), I really want a place where I can unpack my bag. I guess this apartment really wouldn't be the place to do that because I wouldn't have a wardrobe. *Sigh*
It's located in Recoleta, the most beautiful part of downtown. There are lots of schools and university buildings around as well. I wanted to be in the center of the city, but all areas close by are either too dangerous or too expensive. This one is neither!
It's got the perfect roommates - two Brazilian med students who speak Spanish perfectly. The one who showed me the apartment was SO nice. I think we would all get along fantastically!
Of course, with every apartment, there is a catch. The one here is that:
There is no furniture in the apartment...yet (besides a mattress in my bedroom).
It does however, have a fully loaded kitchen. That's all a cookin' girl needs, right? A kitchen and a cushy mattress to rest my head at night.
Somebody please tell me that it would be ridiculous to move into an empty apartment for two months! I kid you not...I'm seriously considering taking this one. As much as I like being around my new friends in the hostel (who are in the same precarious position as I), I really want a place where I can unpack my bag. I guess this apartment really wouldn't be the place to do that because I wouldn't have a wardrobe. *Sigh*
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