Engrossed in a Book

The apartment where I currently live is full of books. Most of them are not novels, but works of literature, from famous Latin American authors like Borges or Paublo Nerudo. Collections of short stories and poems line the shelves. I’ve been enchanted by this impressive collection, but haven’t made much progress through the pages. I attempted a book of short stories in Spanish and was convinced the author had written a story about a giant whale that fell from the sky and landed in the middle of Buenos Aires, spewing blood down the streets. Charming, no? Really, I couldn’t understand the book very well, although I finished it. Since I’m here I’ve felt obligated to read in Spanish and so I’ve labored through books and magazines, but haven’t found that quiet respite that a good book brings to it’s reader.

Then a few days ago I was perusing the shelves and an ancient little novel caught my eye. Around the World in 80 Days. I had read it as a teenager, and I quickly grabbed it and hid it away, because not only did it promise a little adventure, but it’s in English. So I’m reading this divine little story and it’s completely enthralled me. I’ve been reading on the bus, on the subte, as I wait for my classes, standing in line waiting in the incomparably slow government offices… I can’t let it go. Because it’s an absolute treat. It’s completely delighted me. I’m almost done now and I can’t help but mourn the end of the book, because I want to keep reading forever. This tiny, old tattered book has returned me to my childhood, when I learned the secret of walking and reading as a teenager because I could never put down my book. The bus driver who took me to middle school would worry I’d fall down the bus steps because my eyes wouldn’t leave the pages. Truly, a good book is a tiny blissful blessing. Loves it!

Hey, I've got some big news!

I’ve been in Argentina for a little over four months now and it’s been an interesting start to my voyage. I feel like I have made a serious effort to establish myself here, but it’s been challenging and teaching English just hasn’t been paying the bills. So I’ve been working on making adjustments to improve my little life!

First, I got a job!!! A “real” job working in an office for a place called Lead to Realty. It’s a US company that matches real estate buyers and sellers with agents. I’ll start out as a customer service representative and the vision is that I will be able to move around in the company if I do well. They are expanding the business right now so it’s a perfect time to join in. For me, the major benefit of this job is stability. I’ll receive a steady paycheck, and I will be able to go to one (air conditioned!) place all day every day! I appreciate a professional atmosphere, so I think it will be nice for me to have a job where I am taken seriously. I’ll also be legal which means medical benefits and paid days off! Pretty luxurious! I start the 25^th so I’m sure I’ll have lots more to say later. Right now I’m trying to get paperwork for my visa… aahhh! Huge hassle, made worse by the fact that I’m gathering US documents from Argentina. It will probably be a couple of months before everything is acquired and processed, but once I accomplish it, my life will be a lot easier: I’ll get paid more and I’ll start receiving my benefits. Whoo! Then I can go to the dentist!

Second, I found a new place to live!! While the boys I live with are lovely people, I’m ready for a girly house. And I found one! I’m moving in with two Argentine girls, both my age, who are in their last year of college. They are very, very nice and the house feels like a nice little home. It’s a bit smaller and has more character than the place I am in now, but it’s SO much quieter, in a more residential neighborhood and it’s cheaper. They also have a sad old cat who is loosing all of her hair. Bonus: they only speak Spanish so I’m going to get a little more practice. I think it’s a much better fit for me than my current living situation, so I’m pretty excited.

Third, I’m going on vacation next weekend. It’s my last “hurrah” before settling in and getting serious with work. Layne and I are going wine tasting in Mendoza. It’s going to be quiet and relaxing. We’re going to eat too much and drink too much and talk about girly things like shoes all weekend long. Completely divine! Expect pictures.

That’s all my news for the moment, wish me luck! Lots of big changes (and challenges, I’m sure) coming up for me. Truly, it’s a step in the right direction. I’m doing the best to pull together all the parts my life to make it something I enjoy living.

A little bit of everything (including muskrats)

Sarah, this is YOUR pet!!!

Let’s start this blog with the ZOO! They’ve got a zoo here in Buenos Aires and it’s pretty awful. They don’t have a hippopotamus and their elephants look like they are about to expire. Actually, most of the animals looked pretty pathetic. However, there is one animal that is alive and thriving: the muskrat. At least that’s what I think those giant rodents were. Not only are the muskrats healthy: they are abundant. Here in Argentina they don’t think rodents the size of dogs should be in a cage. Oh, no, let them run free all over the park. So, everywhere we looked there were giant muskrats sitting on benches, cooling themselves under trees, taking a dip in the lake with the flamingos and eating peanuts out of children’s hands. Lovely!

El Alteneo: making Barne's and Noble look boring.

Other fun adventures for this month include visiting El Alteneo, which is a magnificent cathedral which was converted into a library. It’s one of the most peaceful, gorgeous locations I’ve found in the city. Perfect for hiding in a book! Also, I’ve been enjoying the pretty plazas here in Argentina now that the weather is so nice. Perfect spring afternoons for sitting outside and drinking a glass of champagne!

Lane and I, about to go get some drinks!

Finally, we silly Americans decided to give Halloween a try here in Argentina. It was loads of fun riding the bus wearing devil’s ears. Despite the lack of candy corn, we managed to all look ridiculous and enjoy one another’s company.

Me, wearing my devil's ears that were made from a plastic pasta wrapper, Natalie with her home-made hippie costume and Nina who is... uh... a superhero?

"Worst-Case Scenario" Vacation

You know that little voice inside your head that sometimes whispers to you “self, is this REALLY a good idea?” That voice? It’s always right. So why on earth do we ignore it, huh? I’ve got a fabulous example for you:

Last weekend I went on a disaster vacation. It was a last-minute decision: myself and five other friends threw caution to the wind and booked a trip with some random travel agency. Hey, it was the only place that we could find accommodations two days before Oktoberfest. All the hotels in the tiny city of Villa General Belgrano, outside of Cordoba, were booked up so we figured this was the next-best option. When I talked to the travel agent, it did sound a little “rustic” and I felt slightly worried… but all my friends were going and I figured, “What the hell? It will be fun!"

Sam and I: ignorance is bliss.

It started out just lovely. We left Friday night and slept on a big, comfy bus. They showed stupid movies in English, we drank wine and chatted excitedly. About 9 am the next morning we arrived to the “camp” where we were staying. It was cute! Exactly like summer camp as a child: bunk beds in cabins, a big eating area, little ducks running around and a giant bar-b-q. Aside from the fact that I had to take a cold shower and there was only one bathroom for 20 girls, it wasn’t too bad. The problem, though, was our bus couldn’t get to the campground. It was down a long, bumpy dirt road. Instead, we had to be shuttled down the road in groups, which turned out to be a giant pain. Group one had to load up and be dropped off, then the bus had to come back to get group two. This added about an hour onto any destination. Despite the inconvenient shuttle system, it still seemed like the weekend had lots of potential and we started off in high spirits.

Natalie likes animals (even ugly, molting chickens).

The first day at the campground was spectacularly warm and sunny. Girls were lying out in little bikinis and people were sweating as they drank their beers and played ping pong. We were supposed to leave at 2pm for Oktoberfest, however since this is Argentina and time is simply NOT an issue, we didn’t leave until about 4:30. Then we had to go in groups on the stupid shuttle, so by the time we all got on the bus it was about 5:30 and we were hungry, grumpy and hot. Then the bus had to stop for gas. At last we got on the road for the big event. We had been told that our campground was about an hour from the festival. This was a LIE. It took about 2 hours to get there and by the time we arrived it was about 7:30 and starting to get dark. Not just dark, but cold and drizzly too. Since the day had been so warm, no one had thought to bring jackets. We were dressed in little skirts and t-shirts, happily ignorant of any weather concerns.

The festival was fabulous. We arrived to dancing, singing and overall merriment. Thrilled to finally be there we immediately purchased giant beer mugs and filled them with delicious sweet dark beer. Starving, we ordered polish hot dogs stuffed with cheese, wrapped in ham and topped with mounds of sauerkraut. My friend Layne and I sat down at a table and began devouring our food. It started raining and I looked at her and said, “I am so hungry I don’t even care that it’s raining!” With a little giggle, she agreed “I know! I’m starving! It doesn’t even matter.” But then I noticed my bun was getting soggy, because the rain was becoming more insistent. The drops were getting larger and both my food and I were getting wetter and wetter. I finally caved, “I think we better move!” We got up and just as we began moving towards shelter, the sky started dumping buckets of water on us. The nearest cover was a tacky little plastic table with an inadequate plastic umbrella. We attempted to huddle underneath it, but rain rolled down my back and down Layne’s arms. We watched, horrified, as people ran helter-skelter, holding chairs over their heads and climbing underneath tables. It was a mess. And it didn’t stop. The rain continued all night long. During a brief respite we reunited with the rest of our friends and we all attempted to make the best of the situation, drinking and laughing and trying to have positive attitudes. But reality exists: it was cold, we were wet, and our bus didn’t leave until midnight.

When it was finally time to leave we were more than happy to climb aboard the bus and head back to camp. Visions of a warm cabin and dry clothes filled our fuzzy little beer-heads. After the two-hour drive back to the campground the first group crawled onto the little shuttle, freezing and huddling together to try and stay warm. I sat shivering next to my friend Sam as we started down the dirt road. But we didn’t get too far: the bus got stuck! We sat there in despair as the wheels spun in the mud. After a miserable 45 minutes it was obvious that the situation was completely hopeless and we returned to the bus. They put on a movie and told us to just wait tight.

The problem, of course, was there were no hotels because it was Oktoberfest. So after a night of phone calls the trip coordinators finally secured a dump for us to stay at. Of course it wasn’t ready, so we took shelter in a very classy Shell station where we waited for 4 hours drinking coffee and wishing it wasn’t 5am. At last we headed to our dirty, smelly hotel where we continued waiting for another few hours. About 11am myself and my two girlfriends, Natalie and Layne, got a room. Layne bought some soap and we showered and fell into bed, grateful regardless of the pathetic accommodations. When we woke up we were pleased to discover that our things had been recovered from the campground and brought to the hotel. Despite some fear and trepidation we were going to return to Oktoberfest again that night, so we got ready. This time we were prepared! Coats, extra changes of clothing, pillows, blankets and provisions filled our bags!

Oktoberfest the second night was much more fun. We rode a ridiculous ride where you stood in the middle of a giant gyrating circle that threw you onto the floor and gave you bruises. While it was the worst ride I have ever ridden, it made us all collapse in giggles and amazement. That would have been a lawsuit in the US for sure! We listened to the music, chatted, drank and took lots of pictures. I managed to lose my mug and was completely devastated, but overall the night was a success.

Layne and I lovin' it! So sad about the mug...

The next morning they loaded us on the bus. We were hung-over, tired and worn-out from the traumatic weekend, but we were to be compensated by going horseback riding. While that part was fun, the fact that we were stuck in the middle of a camp for 4 hours without food or water was not so entertaining. We returned to the hotel and were greeted with the worst bar-b-q I have ever had in my entire life. Ah, yes: luxury accommodations.

My favorite people: Layne, Daniel, Natalie, Sam and, oh! Me!
(Charles, where are you?)

When it was finally time to go home, I won’t pretend I wasn’t thrilled. While it was good to get away from the bustle of city life for the weekend, it was more of an “experience” than a “vacation.” However, surviving it together created a myriad of stories my friends and I haven’t stopped laughing about since. Oh, and the impromptu dance party on the bus ride home was an extra bonus highlight…

American Politics in Argentina

My friend Teri and I:
I'm sitting on the floor since it's so crowded!

Friday I attended a showing of the Presidential Debates hosted by a “democrats abroad” group here in Buenos Aires. It was so much fun! The place was completely packed and I ended up sitting on the floor but had a great view. It was like watching the Superbowl at a bar: except much more political. People cheered. People booed! We had beer and pizza and scandalously criticized everything that was said.

Strangely enough, I actually think that I am following politics more here in Argentina than I did in the US. When I was single and in college I felt politically interested and aware, but when I lived and worked in the OC I just didn’t care much. I was too wrapped up in my little life. However, being here has re-awakened a curiosity about the world and my own home country. I actually spend a lot of time discussing world affairs with my students. They are all so incredibly intelligent and unique; I can bring up the same topic in a few of my different conversation classes and hear completely different perspectives. I absolutely love this! While I’m never going to be the most politically informed human, I definitely enjoy having it be a part of my little life.

And just in case you are wondering, I support Obama. I’ll be attending the absentee voting party October 8^th to send off my vote!

With just a hint of marvelous...

My sweet friends Natalie and Jessie at Vinos y Bodegas!
See my giant smile? I love wine!
(Please note the amazing tiger-stripe jacket that the woman behind me in the first photo is wearing. Gotta love Argentine fashion!)

I went to the most amazing event this month: Vinos y Bodegas.

I paid $30 pesos ($10 dollars) and received a cup I was able to fill with hundreds of options. There were at least 80 bodegas (vinyards) represented and each had a couple wines available to taste. I tried some amazing Malbecs and the white wine they make here, the Torrontés is also just divine! I felt so spoiled (and more than a little drunk). I now have a long list of things I want to drink again. Fabulous, delicious event!

Photos!

My favorite girlfriends: Natalie and Jessie!
This is the night that we watched Argentina win the Olympic Gold Metal for soccer while listing to a band a drinking lots and lots of ferrnet!

The other day, I was sitting on the couch and Branko, my roomie, yelled "Hey, look! The firemen are going to rescue that cat!" And they did. Go Argentine firemen!

My apartment here in Buenos Aires:
The view from my room, my homemade bedskirt
(I'm rather proud!) and my little corner of jewelry.