Erica. In. Motion.

This blog is like an abandoned mattress

2010-05-15T15:14:00.000-04:00

"No one loves meeeeee anymore!!!" sobbed the blog.

"No one lovessss meeeeeeeeeee either!!!!" sobbed the old soiled mattress even harder.

Hold tight, peeps. I'll be back.

For now, read this.

Culture Shock/ Things That Make You Go Hmmmm

2010-04-01T14:18:00.006-04:00

I just sat down to what seems like the World's Largest Medium Cappuccino. I'm back in my hometown of Media, PA, mooching off the wi-fi at the Coffee Club, and wondering, "was a medium always so large??" It's the largest cappuccino I've seen in a long time. Actually, it's the first time I've had to specify a size in a long time. And I'm enjoying it here in the café-- in a paper cup?? With a paper sleeve? What planet am I on?!

My hometown, Media, PA (whose motto is "Everbody's Hometown!") is a cute-as-a-button town just outside Philadelphia. I was born and raised here, then fled to boarding school at age 14, Oregon at age 18, and the rest of the world after that... I generally come back about once or twice a year for a visit to my dad and niece and the few friends and family members I have left here, and I always have the same conflicting feelings-- I'm from here, and it's my hometown (ahem, and everybody's) and I love it, but I'm also a stranger here in many ways. I run into people on the street that I haven't seen since middle school, and it's just, well, WEIRD!

Anyway, what a funny place to go through my culture shock. I arrived in Philly yesterday, after an uneventful and surprisingly pleasant 15 hour journey from Buenos Aires. Unlike the trip down to Argentina, when I sat next to an obese Texan who spent a solid 6 hours lopping over his seat into mine and dissing my political opinions (which I never told him but he assumed from my appearance), this time I was seated for the first leg next to a beautiful 65 year old tango dancer from Key West, a fellow aries and firey woman who treated me to a couple bottles of wine while we chatted, and then I had the whole row to myself on the second leg of the journey. I didn't sleep more than a couple hours total the whole time, but at least it was relatively pleasant. Seeing my dad waiting for me at the airport brought a genuine smile to my face, and my reunion with my beautiful, almost-12-year-old niece, Natalia, last night made me realize all over again just how lucky I am. Since that moment I've been happily surprised to feel totally comfortable with my return, totally ready for this change, and totally open to whatever happens next. I'm not, basically, suffering, homesick, or wishing things were different. I'm just happy to be here and enjoying the moment!

But let's go backward a second-- When I finally hit American soil in Miami yesterday at 4:30am, for the first time in 15 months, I ended up spending my first moments (aka my 4 hour layover) sitting at an airport cafe drinking coffee and eating Cuban-style homefries. First things I noticed: salt AND pepper on the table (the Argentines think black pepper is too spicy, because they have wimpy palettes, and you rarely if ever see the stuff on the table), napkins that are absorbent (no more wax-coated napkins! woo hoo!), and even more mind-blowing, the waiter brought me a free glass of iced water, without me even asking! I literally almost sent it back, thinking maybe he'd confused me with someone else. But then it hit me-- no, I'm in the US, a magical land in which tap water at a restaurant is free.

Of course it's always strange and wonderful and scary all at the same time, to come back to the United States after a long time away. The infinite varieties of everything at the average grocery store, for example, are nothing short of mesmerizing, and I keep saying "Hola, que tal?" when I enter a place, and "Chau" when I leave. But my culture shock is minimal this time, because this is the 4th time I have come back to the States after a long time away, and I'm starting to figure out how it works. Plus, I know that this was the right time to come back (I can just feel it) and I'm happy to be here, and that certainly helps.

Life is a-okay: I'm well-rested (slept 12 hours last night), well-loved (the look on Natalia's face when I walked into her house to surprise her almost brought me to my knees), and well-nourished (bagels with cream cheese, chicken noodle soup, soft pretzels with spicy mustard, and dad's cooking!).

On tonight's agenda: eating my dad's shrimp scampi for dinner, followed by a sleepover with Natalia. Tomorrow: gardening with dad, and maybe a night out on the town with old Media friends. My future: unkown. And what could be cooler than that?

Back to the USA!

2010-03-30T11:22:00.007-04:00

I am in my hotel room in Recoleta finishing up the last bit of packing, enjoying my final café doble cortado, and tying up any last loose ends before I head home. My taxi will be here in 4 hours to pick me up and take me to the airport. Unbelievable! I am going home today.

When I thought about this moment before, I always imagined I'd be incredibly stressed out, sad, worried, or filled with a lot of those sorts of emotions. But the funny thing is, although I am sad in a lot of ways that this chapter of my life is ending, I am also ready for this change and excited about it. I'm looking forward to whatever new adventure awaits me. Everyone asks me, "What are you going to do when you get home?" and believe me, I wish I had the answer. But in a way, not knowing is what makes it feel like an adventure, and is what leaves me open for finding something truly rewarding.

So chau and hasta luego, my beloved Buenos Aires and my wonderful, life-long friends I've made here in Argentina. Chau bife de lomo, tostados de jamón y queso, and facturas. Chau Quilmes, café con leche, and Malbec. Chau colectivos and monedas, chau San Telmo feria, chau long walks through Palermo. Chau to lazy Sunday mornings at El Federal, and to late nights at la Puerta Roja and Guebara. Chau all you amazing things that made my experience in Buenos Aires so unforgetable. Me gustaría poder llevarte conmigo, pero yo sé que nos veremos de nuevo algun día.

DALE, LISTO, BUENISIMO, UN BESO, CHAU!

Che, boludo, mirá!

2010-03-16T14:11:00.005-04:00

Have I mentioned that I love Buenos Aires? Or was I always too busy whining about work and other crap? Well just in case-- I love Buenos Aires! I loved the city before, but was always also dwelling on the annoyances that come with living in a new, disorganized place-- lack of money, flaky people, loneliness, blah blah blah. Well now, I have had my proverbial attitude adjustment. And though I'd be genuinely happy to be back in this city and reunited with friends no matter what, the truth is that I can credit a large part of my extreme happiness and carefree attitude to:

1) my glorious (but hopefully temporary) unemployment. I absolutely <3 free time, window shopping, and just generally not having to be anywhere, ever.
2) the fact that I am thinking in dollars. Man, when I'm not making a pathetic Argentine salary in pesos and am back to thinking like a dirty American, this city is SO CHEAP! It's funny how I never even noticed that before. LOVE IT.
3) the fact that these are my last 2 weeks of vacation before I re-enter not only the US, but also reality... and I have every intention of enjoying them!

I'm staying at Claire's house in Palermo for now which has been cozy and perfect , and I will also be crashing with some other friends over the next couple weeks. In fact, there is actually a possibility of getting to stay at my old apartment for a few days, since they appear to have an empty room, so that's kind of exciting too! I miss San Telmo so much. Wow, I missed everything, and I didn't even realize it. The city is beautiful, exciting, and full of things to do! I've already taken a couple long walks, and never seem to run out of places to explore.

I also have started going to the gym with Ali. She's not only a workout superstar (and my deep fried tour of South America needs to stop NOW if I plan on fitting into the airplane seat), but she's also a member of the nicest gym in Buenos Aires, Megatlon, and was able to finagle me a free 5 days pass. I'm on day 2 and loving it. This weekend when it expires, I plan to do some running in the gorgeous parks in Palermo. Man, I love warm weather.

I'm feeling generally positive, and just happy and excited about everything. Since when am I so darn positive?? I mean, even the idea of leaving and moving home and being broke and unemployed.. I don't know, it's so easy to see the down sides, but I've really been focusing the up sides lately. Instead of viewing my return to MA as a bad thing, I see it as an opportunity to spend some time with my family, eat and live healthier along with my parents, go back to my jewelry making and sewing and other creative projects I haven't done in a while, hopefully find an interesting job, learn some Portuguese (since I'll be living in a very Portuguese community), and developing myself in general. Maybe living outside of a city, filled with temptations and parties and drinking, isn't such a bad thing. Being outside, being with family, reading, cooking, kayaking, writing, being creative, and being relaxed all sound like pretty good substitutes.

Anyway life is good! I am going to enjoy these last 2 weeks in Buenos Aires as much as possible. As sad as I will be to leave, I am thankful to have this time now to have one last hurrah here!!

Travel superlatives

2010-03-10T16:31:00.016-05:00

In the past 100 days I've been traveling around Peru, Colombia, and Brasil, I have had so many incredible experiences, seen a ton of unforgettable places, taken many worthwhile risks, and met endless fascinating characters. I decided to compile these "best of" lists to share with you, because of all the things I've seen and done, these are the ones that stick out the most in my memory. If you're planning to travel to any of these countries, these are not to be missed.

Key: (Peru-P, Colombia-C, Brasil-B)

BEST BEACH:
P: I'm torn between Máncora, a pretty and lively surfing and party town, and Huanchaco, whose beach isn't as pretty, but whose locals are so cool and whose nightly beach bonfires so fun that they make up for it.
C: Hands down, Cabo San Juan, located in Parque Nacional Tayrona. Tan by day, swing in your hammock by night.
B: Despite being overrun by Israelis, the island of Morro de Sao Paulo just might be the most beautiful place I've ever been.

BEST STREET FOOD:
P: Ceviche! Obviously. It's even better than you thought it would be.
C: Oh its a tie between the refreshing fresh juice smoothies (made from maracuya, lulo, or mango) or the delicious arepas, filled with cheese or meat and smothered in butter
B: Acai bowls-- frozen acai berry sorbet, topped with fresh fruit, honey and granola.

BEST LOCAL FOOD TO TRY EVEN THOUGH ITS GROSS:
P: It's not easy to decide, because Peru has a lot of really gross foods, in my opinion. But the top choice is definitely cuy, guinnea pig, the plate of food that smiles at your creepily while you eat it. Runner up is anticucho, grilled beef heart on a stick, with a potato on the end. It actually tastes okay-- I'd choose it over cuy any day, to be fair.
C: Hormigas culonas, aka toasted ants. They are a super popular snack food in Bucaramanga, but I really can't figure out why. Careful, they are believed to be an aphrodisiac!
B: In Salvador de Bahia, try the typical Afro-Brasilian street food acarajé. It's made with a deep fried dough made of black eyed peas, which is then stuffed with unidentifiable vegetable and/or meat goos, and topped off with whole shrimps still with their shells and feet and faces. Maybe you'll love it, but I hated it.

BEST EXCURSION TO SPLURGE ON:
P: The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Everyone says that the alternate trails are just as good, and maybe they are. Buuuut I doubt it. Splurge on the real one if you can! Those were 4 of the most fun, challenging, and rewarding days of my life.
C: Trek to the Ciudad Perdida. You will sweat like a beast, but the scenery is unbeatable, the local culture is so interesting and worth learning about, and arriving at the city itself is a total high.
B: Wellll... I didn't really do any. But if I had it to do over, I would take a boat tour through the Amazonian jungle! I hear the trips are absolutely amazing.

BEST CITY FOR NIGHTLIFE:
P: Cusco!
C: Bogotá!
B: Rio de Janeiro!! Though Sao Paulo is great too... just a tad more expensive.

BEST PLACE TO GO WITH YOUR LOVE:
P: Cusco. It's a magical city. Explore it together.
C: Cartagena! The only city I wished I had a boyfriend in, because it's practically constructed for holding hands and walking around.
B: Rio de Janeiro. Because then your big strong man can hopefully protect you from getting beat up and robbed. (Tasteless joke?)

BEST PLACE TO BE SINGLE:
P: Huanchaco. The locals are very friendly beach bums! Too bad Peruvians are so short.
C: Santa Marta. Hang on the beach and you'll be scooped right up. Usually not in a creepy way.
B: Everywhere, especially during Carnaval. All those caipirinhas and all that heat make things quite flirtatious!

BEST WORD TO USE TO SOUND LOCAL AND COOL:
P: Huevón! A funny way to call someone an idiot. It's kind of like Argentina's boludo.
C: Chévere! Or... bacano! (both mean ¨cool¨)
B: Legal! (Pronounced "legau"'-- means ¨cool¨). Also, beleza! (means anything from ¨right on¨ to ¨hello¨)

BEST PLACE TO EXPERIENCE A TOTALLY DIFFERENT CULTURE:
P: Peru is a country full of native people and ancient ruins, and I probably barely scratched the surface. A good starting point, though, is in the outskirts of Cusco. Start by hiking into the surrounding hills for an afternoon, and get lost. Even better, venture by bus to the spiritually-rich Sacred Valley to visit the many old villages and archeological ruins.
C: Learn about the Wayuu culture in La Guajira by venturing off the beaten path into the desert. Head first to the capitalof Riohacha and then to Uribia to see the daily indigenous market. Then find a guide and make your way to Cabo de la Vela, a remote fishing village way out in the desert. (Get one of the gorgeous handwoven mochilas!) If possible, try visiting a rancheria, a traditional Wayuu community.
B: Head to Salvador de Bahia, the center of Afro-Brazilian culture, and experience some of the country's best music, dancing, and food! Just be careful-- this beautiful colonial city is one of the country's poorest and most dangerous. Hold on to your wallet, and go anyway.

BEST VIEW:
P: Other than the obvious Machu Picchu, try heading to Tucume Pyramids in the Lambayeque Valley (outside Chiclayo) and climbing up to the highest viewpoint overlooking the adobe pyramids, built by the Sican people around 1100 AD. If you're lucky, it will just be you, alone with your thoughts... and a few vultures.
C: Take a drive from Manizales to Pereira in the Zona Cafetera, for stunning views of the coffee and banana trees growing in the mountains.
B: Visit Christ the Redeemer, the massive Jesus statue overlooking Rio de Janeiro. Not only is the statue itself impressively massive, but you'll enjoy outstanding views of the entire city, beach, and beyond.

If I think of more, I will add them. And if YOU, dear blog reader, think of a category you'd like me to add, leave it for me in a comment and I will do my best!

Cordoba, and my empanada reunion

2010-03-09T23:36:00.003-05:00

As it turns out, the city of Cordoba is great, and the surrounding mountain towns are even better! It's been a blast exploring with Claire, being together again after so much time, and getting back into the Argentine groove (albeit, with a cordobes accent). I am also thankful for being reunited with (possibly in this order):

1. empanadas de carne (chau, vegetarianism)
2. piropos and the strange tipos that tirar them
3. the word boludo

The 22 hour bus ride from Iguazu to Cordoba actally wasn't so bad, because I splurged on a cama class seat on the bus, which is essentially an enormous leather chair that goes all the way back. Plus, it came with a delicious mystery meat dinner and coffee and a slightly stale medialuna for breakfast... practically perfect! Besides, I was too doped up on dramamine (should I start buying their stock??) to care whether or not I had been sleeping for 5 hours or 22 hours or 100. I slept almost the entire time... basically, I'm Rip Van Winkle with less facial hair.

Sundays in the city of Cordoba, I can assure you, are worth skipping, as the city essentially shuts down. Claire and I were still happy because we had both each other and approximately a million things to catch up on, so the day passed quickly, despite the closed store fronts and quiet streets. We're back now, and looking forward to a day of mid-week city exploration tomorrow, followed by a mate and asado reunion with my cordobes Scout friends I met in Machu Picchu! Can't wait.

(Here's an actual picture of the asado! Because I'm a late picture poster.)

We spent Monday and Tuesday exploring some of the surrounding areas. First we headed to the adorable Villa General Belgrano, a 1.5 hours bus ride from Cordoba (on a bus called Lep, which I would not stop serenading with "to the lep! to the lep!" because not only am I a Beyonce fan, but I am also my father's daughter and never miss a chance for a terrible joke), and home of Oktoberfest and about 10 microbreweries. Needless to say, it was a tiny little slice of small town paradise, and Claire and I had a perfect afternoon strolling the kitschy-but-still-cute streets, popping into shops, sampling some beers, dipping our toes in the river, and climbing 98 stairs of a tower for a nice city view. I would love to get back there someday for their famous Oktoberfest, which I hear is a great one.

We then took another bus about 20 minutes to the nearby Santa Rosa, where we planned to explore and spend the night. The town is also cute, though without half the character and charm of the first. Though we're sure they receive tourism, the spectacle of two redheads walking down the street with backpacks drew a lot of stares, and made for an interesting walk to the tourist office. Turns out, we really should have booked something in advance, and we ended up in a kind of even-when-its-clean-its-dirty type hotel room with a monster truck parked outside (couldn't make that up if I tried) and the smell of mold wafting lazily through the air. No matter, we had dinner, wandered a bit, and got some sleep. Sadly, in the morning, after putting on our bathing suits and planning to head to the river for a dip, it got really cold and started to rain, so we ended up in a cafe drinking coffee and scheming.

We eventually headed to our final destination, La Cumbrecita, another highly recommended town of dirt roads and a no-cars-allowed policy. The plan was to climb Cerro Wank (Wank Hill), or at least take our picture next to the sign (because the name RULES) but we arrived and it was raining torrentially by that point. We tried exploring, but although the town looked adorable, it was really not a rainy day spot, and we heard it would be raining for a couple days, most likely. We ended up enjoying some lunch and beers and heading back to Cordoba early. Though admitedly it is a total bummer that we didn't get to explore the hiking trails as planned, it honestly but still a great little getaway out of the city for us girls, and was not at all time lost.

Should be in Rosario by Thursday and Buenos Aires by Saturday! Can't wait for some more sweeet reunions.

Iguazu Falls, take 2

2010-03-06T11:10:00.011-05:00

I have been lugging around Lonely Planet´s 18-pound, half-rate guidebook, South America on a Shoestring, for over 3 months now. Though most days I only use it for weight training and/or imaginary target practice (seriously-- invest in Rough Guide or Time Out, but not this poorly-researched and rarely-updated junk), it does have the occasional gem. And even though I hate to do it, I am now willing to admit that this flowery snippet about Iguazu Falls, which I originally squawked at, is downright accurate:

"People who doubt the theory that 'negative ions generated by waterfalls make people happier' mights have to reconsider after visiting the Iguazu Falls. Moods just seem to improve the closer you get, until eventually people degenerate into giggling, shrieking messes...and this is grown men we are talking about."

CORRECT. I, for one, was a giggling, shrieking mess all morning long, as I finished up day two of the "Erica Does Iguazu" extravaganza.

After yesterday´s tour of both the Garganta del Diablo and the Circuito Superior, I decided to spend today visiting the Circuito Inferior and to take a boat ride under the falls. I headed over this morning with a girl I met in my hostel. (Hostel note: My hostel, called Hostel Inn, is easily one of the most attractice hostels I have ever seen, and from the outside it feels like a manicured resort with an enormous pool. But don´t be totally fooled; cheap luxury has its price. Both the food and service suck, and I have yet to find one functioning lightbulb on the entire first floor.) It was nice to finally have some company while wandering around. She hadn´t been to the falls yet, so we planned to spend the morning together and then she´d continue on while I went off to catch my bus. Over breakfast this morning I said to her, ¨I think the parts I did yesterday were probably the best parts, so I hope today is worth it. I mean, I can´t imagine seeing views that are any better than the ones I saw yesterday.¨ And now I am eating my words! Could it be that today´s were better? Or at least equally as good? How can you compare one paradise to another?

We entered the park around 9:00am this morning and headed down the stairs to the Lower Circuit... and there ahead was a view of the Salto San Miguel portion of the falls, an enormous cascading wonderland in the distance, shrouded with misty rainbows. MORE RAINBOWS! They are everywhere you turn, blooming out of each and every river and fall. I walked along, diligently taking the requisite 5 million photographs, and after a short while realized that each shot just got better and better... until the metal bridge we were walking along finally pointed us to a view more spectacular than any I have ever seen. In the distance was a horseshoe of falls so large I couldn´t believe my eyes. I snapped photos in amazement, still wondering which was better, the exciting day 1, or the equisite day 2. And that´s when it happened. I headed to the end of the path, and it dead-ended into something so fantastic I think I literally let out my first real shriek of the day-- towering above me, DIRECTLY above me, were the enormous Salto Bosseti and Salto Dos Hermanas, two massive waterfalls. The bridge (kudos to the engineers, btw) was built in such a way that you can walk nearly under the falls and get soaking wet. They loom so far above you that it is just unreal. I don´t know if I´ve ever smiled so wide in my life!!! I stood there for a long time enjoying the mist on my face, feeling completely alive.

Officially blissed out, we then headed further down the stairs for an overpriced-but-worth-it boat ride. We put on our fashion-forward life preservers and piled onto the inflatable boat with about 15 others and went jetting forward into the falls. First they bring you close to the falls so you can snap pictures. Then they tell everyone to hide their valuables (they gave each of us a super special waterproof bag for our belongings) and then they steer the boat full speed ahead under the falls, soaking us to the bone! What a rush! I was drenched, could barely open my eyes from all the water pouring down on me, and we all just screamed and laughed and enjoyed the bath. As Lonely Planet alluded, it´s impossible not to be happy with the energy of 10 billion negative ions seeping into your pores.

I look ridiculous here, so enjoy this photo at my expense:

and this one:

I´m back at the hostel, still smiling ear to ear, and planning to jump into the pool before I start my eternal bus ride to Córdoba this afternoon. I am so, so happy I came to Iguazu. I originally didn´t plan to come, as I figured I´d seen enough waterfalls in my life. But this is so much more than just a waterfall. Iguazu deserves a spot on the NEW New 7 wonders of the world list. My opinion matters, because I´ve now seen 4 of the 7 winners! (I know, brag brag.) But seriously, come on, Rio de Janeiro´s massive Jesus statue Christ the Redeemer beat out Iguazu? Yawn. Were the voters drunk?!

Back in the Homeland

2010-03-05T17:43:00.006-05:00

Honestly, if you had told me 3 months ago that I would be this happy to be back in Argentina, I would have laughed in your face. I was so excited to get out and do something different at the time. Now I´ve had this incredible trip, have experienced so many beautiful and different things, and frankly, it feels so good to be back in a country I know. Argentina might be insane and disorganized and have a billion problems, but it´s also a country that is a part of me. I settled here for a long and important part of my life, and it makes me laugh how crossing that border from Brasil back here made me smile, because I really did feel like I´d come home. And I´m not even in Buenos Aires!

No, I´m in Iguazu! And it is as good as I´d hoped. After a 15 hour bus ride from Florianopolis, I arrived on the Brasilian side of Iguazu arund 8:30 this morning. It took me 3.5 hours to get from there to my hostel on the Argentine side, as of course they make everything as complicated and disorganized as possible. First I had to buy a bus ticket for tomorrow to Cordoba, but naturally they only accept cash, and the only 2 banks in the entire town each had lines for their one worknig ATM that had about 40-50 people in them, so I waited for over an hour in the hot sun to get cash. Then I took one bus from the central bus terminal to another terminal. Then I took a bus to the Brasilian border, where I had to get off an get a stamp from customs to leave Brasil. The bus had left so I had to wait for another, which I then had to take to the Argentine border to get an entry stamp and visa. Then I got back on the bus, got to the Argentine side´s terminal, and then got another bus to the hostel. Confused? Yeah, me too. Anyway, I made it.

Oh, but the best thing happened! So Argentina apparently has finally gotten their act together and is now officially charging a US $131 visa fee (good for 10 years) upon entry into the country. They´ve been talking about doing this since like January of 2009, but in true Argentine style, it appears the guy who processes the paperwork fell asleep. Anyway, he finally woke up. Not sure which countries this effects, but it´s definitely for Americans. I found this out from several travelers along the way who´d had to pay the fee upon entry, and was quite unpleasantly surprised, as I´ve been entering for free for the past year. I don´t want to suddenly pay now, after so long! But then a beautiful thing happened-- the guy at customs never asked me for any money! And naturally I didn´t offer any. Not sure why or how this fluke happened, but I´m not asking questions. $131 saved, yay.

Anyway I arrived at the hostel in time to throw my things down and head over to the falls for a half day. I hopped on yet another bus, and afte paying my AR$85 entry fee, spent about 3 hours at Iguazu Falls today. They did not disappoint! They are just as magnificent as described! I walked/ trained out to Garganta del Diablo Devil´s Throat), which is the biggest and most impressive area of the falls, where water is just rushing everywhere from such icredible heights, and you just cannot believe your eyes or your ears. I also took walks to some of the smaller falls, which are all also HUGE. And every single one of them had its own rainbow. It was simply stunning, magical. I can´t wait to go back again tomorrow morning (for an additional AR$45, but who´s counting?) and take a boat ride under the falls!!

Once again, stupid blogspot won't upload my cool video of the water at Garganta del Diablo (maybe when I get back to the 1st world, these problems will just melt away), so here's some pictures instead:

After spending tomorrow morning and early afternoon enjoying the falls again, I will be hopping on a 21 hour bus to Cordoba, a city I´ve been meaning to visit forever and never did. And the best part is, my dear friend Claire is meeting me there! Colo reunion! I absolutely cannot wait. We´ll check out Cordoba and Rosario together and then head back to Buenos Aires probably by next weekend. I´m disturbingly stoked about it. I don´t even have a house of my own when I get there, and yet I still feel like I´m on my way home. :-)

Sandboarding Fail

2010-03-04T12:12:00.004-05:00

There´s so many extreme and different sport options in South America. You can go hang gliding or SCUBA diving or swim with dolphins or really whatever you want, especially if you have cash to spend. I´ve kept it kind of tame, really just opting for lots of hiking/trekking and some snorkeling. But the one thing I REALLY wanted to do before I finished off this trip was sand boarding.. it´s like snow boarding (which I love), but on the sand! How cool is that! So I missed a variety of opportunities to go in Peru and other parts of Brasil, and decided that here in Florianopolis, for my final days on the beach, I would finally go. So yesterday I packed up my beach bag and headed out to catch the bus and... it started raining. And it rained all afternoon. And after a sunny morning, I packed my beach bag again today and headed out to the bus again and... it started raining. AGAIN.

SAND BOARDING FAIL. It rained my last 2 beach days. Grrrrr WHYYYYY???!!!

So this remains something pending that I need to do in my life. I want! Does anyone know if there are places to go on the east coast in the US? If so, I´m on it when I get back. If not, I´ll just add it to the list of things to do for my next South America trip... a surprisingly long list, considering how long I´ve been here and how much I´ve done!

This should have been me, but wasn´t. Enjoy.

Last beach days... can this be real?

2010-03-02T16:38:00.003-05:00

I arrived in Florianopolis this morning after a 12 hour overnight bus from Sao Paulo. I´m so used to these insane bus rides that they don´t even phase me anymore. In fact, 12 hours feels like nothing. I am taking a 16 hour one this Thursday night to Iguazu Falls, and even that just makes me shrug my shoulders... and pop a Dramamine!

Anyway, Floripa, as they call it, is an island off the southern coast of Brasil. It´s gorgeous, hot, and kind of expensive, but also feels safe, so maybe it´s worth it. I´m staying in an area called Lagoa, which as its name suggests is right on an enormous lake. Its stunning, and a short and cheap bus ride to the beach. I spent a couple hours this afternoon lounging on the beach in Barra de Lagoa and then stopped by another beach called Praia Mole... both not only beautiful, but also packed with surfers and kite surfers. who are always entertaining to watch. I enjoyed my usual beach açai bowl (this time blended with bananas and granola), swam in the perfectly warmish (but still refreshing) water, and then made my way back leisurely, by way of the shopping district. Somehow got out without buying myself any presents! Plus, the views are just stunning. Anyone who is lucky enough to own property on this massive lake really has it made. It´s a sailing, kite surfing, water skiing, photography, and lounging paradise.

Anyway, just thought I´d check in and say greetings from my final beach destination! I won´t be seeing any beaches again for a while, until summer comes in Massachusetts! Or, until I get the job in Ecuador! Aghhhh!!! I can´t stop thinking about that. I find out by Friday if I have an interview or not, so continue sending the good vibes!

Capoeira

2010-03-01T13:22:00.001-05:00

Capoeira is a Brasilian martial art/ dance that is just incredible to watch. It is practiced between two "fighters" who maintain a constant rocking movement called the ginga while facing each other, and use a series of kicks, sweeps, and some fairly acrobatic moves like handstands and cartwheels. The focus is not so much on hurting the opponent, but rather on precise movements and skill. It is performed to music made primarily by a single-stringed instrument called a berimbau, along with other simple percussion instruments, hand clapping, and some singing. In Brasil you see a lot of groups of young people out on the street or in parks or plazas practicing Capoeira in a circle. It's really fun and impressive to watch.

I took a really fun video of an amazing Capoeira group while in Morro de Sao Paulo for you to enjoy, but I can't seem to get it to upload. For now, here is a picture, and I recommend checking out that wikipedia link I posted. And for the truly ambitious, I know there are Capoeira schools all over the place in the US-- try taking a class! Then you could have a body that looks like these boys. :-)

Back in Sao Paulo... and soon, back in the US!

2010-02-28T11:03:00.010-05:00

I'm in Sao Paulo again, this time with my friend Paul, and I'm soooo happy to be here. Things are finally improving. Man, I didn't realize how much I needed to be with friends. After Marisa and I split up when she went back to England and I went to Salvador, I was in such need to be around people. I met some really amazing people in Salvador and Morro in the hostels, but it just isn't the same as being with friends who really know you. I also had a hard time having to tell the story of my attack over and over again when people asked (my face was still really purple when I got there), and as much as I wanted to be funny and witty about it and make up cool stories, I just hadn't quite gotten to the point mentally where I could see the humor in things... I was mostly just miserable, self-conscious, and lonely. BUT, now my eyes are looking better every day, and I think within a couple days I'll be back to my old self. I'm even starting to find the attacked-by-an-angry-band-of-midgets version of my story hilarious!! I'm with Paul which makes me so happy, and I'm in his comfortable house, where I have my own room and can just relax. Oh, and let's not forget that he makes the BEST jumbo caipirinhas. Even better, my friend Marie, the French reporter I met in Rio, is here in SP, so it is like a big reunion!

Last night the 3 of us tried going out to a place called The Week, which is supposedly the "world's best gay bar." (No, really.) We had some caipirinhas and pizza in the house, got all dolled up, and met up with some of Paul's friends, who drove us out to the spot. Thousands of fashionable looking boys and the occasional girl were pouring in from all directions- the place seemed hip. But the fees, oh the fees! I forgot I'm in Sao Paulo, the world's most expensive city. Forget NYC, Tokyo, and London. It's seriously more expensive here! The fee to get in was R$40 for boys (US $25ish) and for girls it was... dun dun dun dun... R$65 (US $40)!! Finally, a place where the girls pay more! I thought it would never happen. Anyway, the cost comes with nothing but the pleasure of seeing and being seen. No free beer. Probably not even toilet paper. The three of us looked around, decided that mayyyybe if it was that much to go in, we might be even more unpleasantly surprised by the drink prices, and we happily skipped off to more mellow Vila Madalena, a hip part of town that's much more up my alley anyway. So sorry, kids. No pics of the world's best gay bar.

It's a lazy, rainy Sunday in SP, perfect for lounging, trip planning, and job hunting. I know my trip is ending soon, especially since I've made the executive decision to cut out a couple parts and end a couple weeks early. I'm out of money, my backpack is getting heavier, and something about knowing I'll be home soon makes me really eager to just get there! So I'm skipping Bolivia and northern Argentina, both areas I do really, really want to see, but will just have to do on another trip. I've been gone now for 13 months, which is quite a long time, so I feel like I've accomplished my goals and been successful here, and I have no shame in feeling ready to see my family and friends back home again after so much time. South America will still be here when I am ready to travel again-- which hopefully is soon!

So it's official-- I will be back in Buenos Aires by mid-March, and back in Philadelphia by the end of the month! Then I will be in Massachusetts around April 12th. So get ready. :-)

But enough about that. I'm still traveling and have plenty more amazing things to see before I am home. Tomorrow (or Tuesday?) I will head for the beautiful southern Brasilian beach town of Florianopolis for a few days. Then I plan to visit the world famous Iguazu Falls, located on the border of Brasil, Paraguay, and Argentina. Everyone I know who has been there says they are absolutely stunning, and some even say their visit to Iguazu was the best part of their trip! So I'm excited to see those. And then I plan to cross back into Argentina there, and head to Cordoba to visit my Machu Picchu friends (remember, I did the Inca Trail with 12 Argentines!! Seems like ages ago..), then a quick visit to Rosario (birthplace of Che Guevara and overall cool city), and then back to Buenos Aires. And you know, not only will it be great to see my friends back in BsAs, but it will also be fun to just enjoy the city and not have to work! Finally!

Greetings from Israel

2010-02-24T18:20:00.003-05:00

Hi, I´m in Israel!

Oh wait, no I´m not! Im just on a small hippie island in Brazil where there is NO ONE BUT ISRAELIS. All of the signs are in Hebrew and everyone is speaking in Hebrew, and my pronunciation of the word hummus has been put into serious question. I didnt realize it was a word that originated so completely from the throat.

In general, there are a ton of Israelis in South America, kind of like there are a ton of Australians in London or a ton of Americans euro-railing around Europe. Its just that place that they go. They are required to complete 2 or 3 years of military service (depending on if they are female or male, respectively) and then afterward a large number of them come to South America to travel. So not only are there 5 million of them, but they are also alllllll 23 years old. Exactly.

The island is called Morro de Sau Paulo, and it is oe of the most stunning places I have ever seen. It is simply breathtaking, and I dare to say it gives Colombias amazing Parque Tayrona a run for its money! The beaches are perfect, with white sand and clear water. There are fruit juices and açai (the best food EVER) bowls covered in fruit and honey everywhere, and the local hotties play a terrific version of beach volleyball with their feet. This is not just here on the island, but all over Brazil. Unlike hitting the ball with their hands, they can use anything BUT their hands (head, feet, knees, chest), and they serve the ball by kicking it. Its a hoot to watch. Great football practice, too!

Anyway, its simply a paradise. An overpriced paradise overrun by Israelis, that is. I am NOT trying to disriminate at all here, but I mean honestly I feel ridiculous... I searched and searched and simply could not find a hostel that was both social and not 100% Israeli. It was one or the other. So for all I know, they are all just talking about the crazy non-Jewish redhead with the two black eyes, all the while sipping their vodka. Damn I should have studied Hebrew.

Ive befriended lots of the people, despite the fact that everyone is a lot younger than me, and am having fun reglardless. I took the 2.5 hour boat ride from Salvador this morning, and spent the day lounging on the beach, wandering around looking at funky artisan stuff and jewelry, and slurping my açai-banana-granola bowl while reading my book. Tonight there is some big beach dance electronica party I plan to check out. I mean, why not? :-)

I will be here until Friday morning. I wish I could stay longer, as this place really is the very epitome of RELAX... I should have budgeted more time here. Man, the sand feels good betwee my toes, and Ive discovered I look great in white dresses when tan. And when else will I wear one??? I simply must stay forever. However Friday afternoon, I have a flight back to Sao Paulo to visit my friend Paul for the weekend, and yay!!! I am happy about that too!

Overall Brazil has been a bizarre and totally bittersweet experience. I hope I am able to remember it positively. It has been tough staying positive, because I have now been the creepy girl with the two black eyes for over a week now, and Im getting sick of having people stare at me on the street, and then telling the story of my attack over and over and over... Im suffering from some sort of self-depracacting paranoia, where Im convinced everyone is staring at me all the time, and so the second they look at my eyes, rather than worry that they are thinking I got a nose job or just suck at putting on eye makeup, I immediately blurt out "I was attacked at Carnaval! I didnt get a noce job, and I do suck at putting on makeup, but Im not this bad!" Im becoming quite the hostel celebrity, especially since Im either the girl with the black eyes, or the girl wearing one of the pairs of flambouyant sunglasses I bought myself as feel-better gifts. Basically, I have officially grown into my title of "hot mess".

Part of me wishes I had friends with me right now... silly me, I was a bit more broken by this attack experience than Id like to admit, and I would love to have people around that I know and trust. But part of me is so, so proud of myself for not giving up. I hear over and over from people that if this had happened to them, they would have packed up and gone home, and I think to myself, "yeah, maybe I am kind of amazing for sticking this out." I refuse to have a defeatist attitude. Thats just letting them win. I want to go home filled with happy memories of my incredible year+ in South America, not on a sour note with a couple black eyes. So for now, on I go, truck truck trucking, drinking vodka with the Israelis, learning to correctly pronounce all my favorite Middle Eastern foods, soaking up some serious rays, and reveling in my expert portuñol, which is becoming more and more convincing by the day, especially now that Im on my own and forced to speak.

Plenty of time to reflect. Plenty of time to fantasize about the dream job in Ecuador I just applied for (fingers crossed PLEASE!!!). Plenty of time to just enjoy life, and remember each day how lucky I am, despite some ups and downs, to have this opportunity to know the world and more importantly, to know myself.

4 haikus (to catch you up)

2010-02-20T21:25:00.005-05:00

1) On reporting my robbery and attack to the Rio de Janeiro Tourist Police yesterday:

Filed a report
and was hit on by the cops.
Brazil is sketchy.

2) On being interviewed by the French television reporters (Story will appear in April... links posted when available):

Finally famous
black eyes, but still positive.
Hope my teeth were clean.

3) On receiving my acceptance letter from SIT Graduate Institute's program in International Education (dream program, only $40K per year! what a steal!):

Grad school acceptance
bittersweet without money.
Better off abroad!

4) On applying for an amazing dream job coordinating volunteer ESL teachers in Ecuador:

Hoping to get paid
for doing what I love most
while getting a tan.

/Fin.

Irony!... and fame

2010-02-18T23:41:00.009-05:00

My new friend Marie, a reporter from France that Marisa met here in Rio, did an interview with me on Saturday about my opinion of Carnaval. I go on and on about how amazing it is, how happy and smiley everyone is, and how it's all just about music and dance and dressing up in crazy costumes! I'm glad she caught me before my "incident!"

You can listen to it HERE, sort of, but it's translated into French, so you have to be a French wiz to understand it. Good practice for all you ex-French studies people on hiatus. I'm the second interview, after the into. (I'm the one who yells "super fun!" haha)

I have another opportunity to be interviewed, this time about violence during Carnaval, and this time on TV... so it's a big decision for me to decide if I want to do the internview or not, and if I want to show my face. I mean, I do, in the sense that I think it's important for people to know that the rumors are true, that it IS important to be careful here and that it IS dangerous, while simultaneously not scaring them away. I think I can do that. But my face is.. well, it's in a condition I'm sort of embarassed by, and honestly my shallow side is not sure I want it on national television. Even if the nation is France.

I need to decide right away, aka tomorrow. I have finally decided to file a police report, after poo-pooing the idea all week. I just felt tired and upset, and the idea of sitting in a police station for hours re-living the whole thing, battling the likely crowds of others reporting Carnaval crimes, all for a bag I will most likely not get back and criminals I cannot even describe (luckily... I don't want to be dreaming of their faces) just seemed like too much for me. But now, days later, I can handle it, and Marie has informed me that there is actually a tourist police station I can go to. So that's the plan for tomorrow.

Now get this-- she wants to bring the entire camera crew and film me filing the police report as part of the story. Eeeek! It's actually a brilliant plan, because showing up with a camera crew will force them to be nice to me and give me faster service... buuut it's also kind of scary! Then afterward, we would do an actual interview where I can talk about the incident and my general impressions of crime at Carnaval...

...which, for the record, are:
1) Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro can be very dangerous. Be very careful, stay in groups, don't walk around in poorly lit or abandoned areas, and try not to carry bags or expensive items with you whenever possible.
2) Lots of places in the world, at all times of year, are also dangerous. You can get robbed on your suburban street in Wisconsin. Let's not forget that.
3) Don't decide not to come just because of crime! Just be smart. Smarter than me. Learn from my mistakes, and have fun!

Anyway, should I do this? I am nervously leaning toward yes. I know I'm not the spokesperson for crime in Rio or anything, but frankly these particular reporters haven't interviewed any victims yet, and I think their story needs a little dose of reality. Not, like I said, to scare people, just to inform them of real risks.

To bed.. and then to decide... too bad it'll be dubbed over in French!

"It's just stuff"

2010-02-18T10:29:00.009-05:00

I think it's time I told my blog readers what happened to me on Sunday night.. I've been putting it off, but I think it's important to share the good and the bad! After all, you all heard about my vomiting incident in Peru (still to date, the grossest thing ever), and so now you will hear the tale of me being robbed and assaulted at Rio's Carnaval... and how I was thus, forevermore, converted into a stastistic.

I will start off by telling you I'M OKAY. I have no permanent injuries, I'm alive, and my spirits are getting better by the day! So I'm not writing this to scare anyone, just to inform you of what's going on with me, and possibly warn you if you ever come to Rio de Janeiro that this is a VERY dangerous country, and the proper precautions should be taken. I certainly learned several lessons. But don't fret, I have ever intention of returning first the Buenos Aires and then to the USA in one big fabulous piece. :-)

As the story goes... On Sunday night, my friends and I (Marisa and our housemates, plus some other friends they know from various parts of the world), about 8 people in all, went to a street party in a neighborhood of Rio called Santa Teresa. It's a grgeous neighborhood up on a hill, known for its cobblestone streets, cute restaurants and trolley cars, but unfortunately is known also to be unsafe at night. We were at a huge party and had a ton of fun dancing, having a couple beers, and enjoying the music that the DJ was playing from a souond system he'd rigged in his car. It really was a great party, actually, and we all had a great time.

Around midnight the party was basically over and Marisa and I were tired (losers, I know) and ready to go home, and the rest in our group wanted to go to a club in Lapa, which is a neighborhood just a short walk down the hill. So we decided to all walk down together, where then they would go out and M and I would get a taxi. So... in retrospect stupidly (hindsight is absolutely 20/20!!) we started down the road, where there weren't many other people around. We had a large group of us, about 10 at this point, but some people walked faster ahead and others lagged behind, and I ended up walking with 2 others, Marisa and our other housemate Simon-- not a small guy, mind you.

Before I knew it, I felt someone tugging really hard on my bag trying to rip it off me. My first instinct was to tug back, because I had no idea what was going on. That's when the guy started dragging me by my bag and ran in front of me, and I saw he had a broken glass bottle in his hand and was waving it at me. Suddenly it hit me that I was being robbed, and all the advice I've ever heard ("Just give them what they want!") flashed into my head, and I took of my bag and handed it to him. You'd think that was good enough, but it wasn't. He hit me really hard and I crash down onto the pavement directly onto my head and hit it super hard. I tried scrambling up, and as I stood, a second guy came from behind me a smashed another glass bottle onto me, and then they both ran off. Actually that bottle didn't really hurt, but my head was killing me. We theorize that they just hit me to try to distract me so we wouldn't chase them.

I just kind of stood there for a couple minutes until it hit me, and then I realized I was bleeding from my head and had a huge lump. Marisa was there right away to comfort me, which was amazing. I don't honestly know what I would have done without her. I still was in shock and hadn't digested anything. Our friends caught up to us from behind and hadn't seen anything, and were surprised when they saw the scene. That's when I think it started to hit me and I burst into tears. Of course, after shock, I was just angry. In my bag, I'd had my camera, my cell phone, and my wallet, with credit card, some money, and an ID. I'd also had some sentimental items like the bag from Colombia, a couple trinkets from Peru, and a journal I carry with me. Obviously it sucks really bad that I lost all of those things... but as Marisa keeps reminding me, and she's so right, it's JUST STUFF. And I'm okay. I didn't get killed or even stabbed or slashed with the glass. I am lucky to be alive and okay.

I decided not to go to the hospital (much to the dismay of everyone around me) because I could tell I didn't have a concussion, and I don't have insurance to cover a hospital visit. So Marisa and I just headed home, and the others went out to a club... where, by the way, they witnessed another robbery, were threatened a second time with a glass bottle, and were nearly pickpocketed. Basically, it was a dangerouos night to be out in Lapa!

That first night, I had a scratched forehead, and a rapidly growing lump that was looking creepier by the second. It looked like this:

The swelling just grew and grew, but we didn't have any ice in the house, so I just sat with some jelly on my head while I canceled my credit cards, and tried to collect my brain.

I was incredibly shaken up, and I still am. At first, I couldn't stop feeling angry about losing all my things. My camera! My ID! And the credit card companies never make things easy, especially when you are abroad. But the good news is, I am feeling much better about the stuff (after all, "it's just stuff") and am trying to focus on the positives, like that I'm okay. I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay. A little beat up, a little traumatized, but it will all heal in time.

However, apparently I hit my head REALLY HARD because each day it just gets a bit worse. So while I started off mostly upset about losing things, I've now recovered from the losses, and am focusing on the bruises, which are multiplying by the second. The second day, I started developing some bruises around my eyes...

And today, I woke up, looked in the mirror, and cried. My eyes are swollen and surrounded by thick purple bruises. I'm not totally sure why they are bruising, but I think it's just blood kind of draining from my head injury..? I don't really know.

In any case, the good news is, the swelling on my forehead is going down a bit, and it doesn't hurt anymore. So I'd say I'm on the road to recovery.

Hindsight is 20/20, as they say. I shouldn't have been walking down that road, shouldn't have had valuable possessions on me, shouldn't have tugged back when they guy tried to rob me. It's amazing how clear everything seems AFTERWARD. But this happened, it was horrible, and I've learned some valuable lessons the hard way. The way I see it, I've been traveling in Latin America for many years, and this was my first violent attack and real street robbery (other than that time I got my camera jacked-- and then jacked it back!-- in Buenos Aires!), and in a sort of ironic way, it may have just been statistically "my turn." I will be more cautious, and... I also have almost nothing left to steal! So in a funny way, that's also good. Or something.

So yes, I've gone from looking like E.T. (first night) to looking like a zombie (today), and I will not be landing any hot Brasilian men with this face... grrr... but maybe that's a good thing? Brasilian men, especially in Carnaval-mode, have not exactly impressed me with their personalities. Just their looks. :-)

Though I'm taking it easy now, I've agreed to go out this weekend to celebrate my last weekend in Rio-- I leave Sunday for Salvador, alone. (Mildly nervous, but not going to let this take away my confidence.) I'm going to have Marisa and her friend Marie do my hair and makeup and will not let this stop me from enjoying Brasil! Besides, even if I look like a freak from the eyes up, I see no reason why I shouldn't be fabulous from the nose down.

Tweet?

2010-02-15T08:59:00.003-05:00

About 6 months ago, I decided that Twitter was lame, and I cancelled my account. I've now come crawling back with my tail between my legs.

Come follow me.

Sambodromo and Samba!

2010-02-14T20:07:00.012-05:00

The Carnaval parade at the Sambodromo last night was nothing short of spectacular! We really had the best time. We had a group of 7 of us (Marisa and I, one of her friends from Portuguese class, and 3 of her visitors from England who are living with us) all went, thanks to Marisa's skills at getting us cheap tickets! I guess supposedly Sunday and Monday are the best nights, and so Saturday is cheaper.. however, for a group of gringos that don't know the difference between the dance schools, it honestly is fun no matter what day you go! And the price difference was... several hundred dollars.

Basically, the Sambodromo is a huge, long stadium with seating on both sides, and elaborate Carnaval parades, put on my different dance schools, march down them with their elaborate floats, dance moves, and costumes. Each school has a queen, who is always a fabulous curvacious woman with a big booty and amazing samba moves, and huge drag queen-esque feathers and sparkles and everything else you can imagine. Yes, I believe the best word for the entire event is simply fabulous.

Probably the highlight of my night was the gorgeous, bootylicious black woman dancing behind me, who adopted me and was teaching me some of her dance moves! I had so much fun dancing with her and the man behind us. I don't think what I was doing technically classifies as samba, probably more just fast leg movements and general gyrating, but it was a great time anyway, and we made quite a spectacle of ourselves.. which you know I love to do!

There also were no sneak beijo attacks at the Sambodromo, which was a welcome change. It was a very positive, happy atmosphere, with people dancing and cheering from their seats, many of the fans in costumes, and I felt pretty safe. As a result, I had one of my best nights so far... I know that going to the Sambodromo is the "touristy" thing to do at Carnaval, but honestly, Carnaval lasts 4 days, and I see no reason not to spend one of them there. It's totally worth it, so I say whatever to the haters!

(Just a note-- don't spend hundreds of dollars on your tickets. I met a guy who paid something crazy like $300 for the same seats we had-- don't get ripped off. Go directly to the ticket window, and avoid going through a travel agent if at all possible.)

I am sort of embarassed to say that we only stayed to watch 3 schools perform.. each one performs for over an hour and is MASSIVE, I mean thousands and thousands of people, and we were all exhausted from dancing and cheering and drinking. I have no voice left! We ended up leaving and taking the Metro home... and were totally amused to be riding the Metro with people in their parade costumes. It's hilarious to see people dressed as enormous fish or covered in fuscia feathers on the subway-- love it!

In fact, that's probably my favorite part of Carnaval-- the costumes. Well, and the dancing. Samba is a crazy dance-- how do their legs move so fast?? And people are so in the spirit of things! Men often dress as women-- really good looking ones!-- and many people wear wigs, head dresses, masks, and day glo clothing. I have never seen so many hot pink tube tops in my entire life, and frankly, I think I need one. It would suit me, right?

Today has been mellow, because I've been feeling sick (too many caiparinhas?? perhaps). Alina and I still motivated over to the Sunday artisan market in Ipanema to check out the wares. I was feeling really crampy and nauseous, so she went and walked around while I sat on a bench with a group of 3 little old ladies. They chatted me up in their Portuguese, and I tried desperately to keep up in my very poor "portunol," as they call it (Espanol + Portuguese). I realized they were asking me if I was married or not, and I said no. They insisted that I find myself a Brasilian man and marry him, and I did my best to explain that maybe Carnaval, with its many beijo contests, might not be the best environment to begin a long-term relationship. They laughed, but I still think they wanted to set me up with their various grandsons.

Anyway, Alina finally came running up laughing and pointed to one of the street urinals for MEN ONLY, which is so annoying! I mean, where are women supposed to pee? They are these stand-up urinal things that men can use, but I see no female equivalent. How machista!! Anyway, she was laughing because there was a girl attempting to use the man's urinal. She had her friend holding the little door shut, but we and everyone could see her head and her legs and feet. We could all see that she was peeing all down her leg!! And her friend was laughing so hard he could barely stand up and hold the door, so it kept falling open! It was so, so funny! She finally finished and a bunch of people rushed up to her and poured beer all over her feet to clean them. Then she straighted herself up and kept on partying. CARNAVAL!!!

I didn't have my camera on me so this isn't my picture, but this is basically the idea of those men's urinals:

Right now I'm back at the house, trying desperately to think straight with the sound of Carnaval music (very particular-- I'll try to post a link so you can listen) blasting outside our window.. we have our very own bloco party right outside!!! I'm still not feeling great with this stomach thing, but I'm sure I can at least motivate myself downstairs to take part in our local bloco.

One other piece of news-- today I splurged and bought myself a plane ticket to Salvador! I am so excited. Salvador is supposed to be an incredible place, very different culturally and very well worth the visit. It's known for its music, food, a Carnaval that rivals (and some say is better) Rio's, and a heavily Afro-Brazilian culture. I didn't think I'd make it that far north, and I wouldn't do it by bus with my time limitations, but I found a good price on a place ticket and decided to go for it. I can't wait to check out the city, the surrounding beaches, and also Morro de São Paulo. I'll be in that area for 5 days, and then will be flying back to São Paulo to visit my dear friend Paul (whose family I stayed with when I was there last week, but he wasn't there). Then, I plan to head to Florinopolis to see some fabulous beaches, and then to Iguazu Falls, where I will then re-enter Argentina, and begin my descent back to Buenos Aires. I'm looking forward to each and every part, and think it's going to be an awesome trip!

PS. Happy Valentines... happpy they don't seem to celebrate it here, honestly!

Beijos??

2010-02-13T19:58:00.001-05:00

Carnaval officially starts today, but we kicked things off yesterday by going to a pre-Carnaval bloco de carnaval, a moving street dance party playing carnaval music from big slow-moving trucks, and dancing, drinking beers, and enjoying our first taste of this epic festa. At night, we headed out to the Lapa neighborhood of Rio, where we had intended to go to a Carnaval Ball, but got so distracted by the streets parties that we never made it!! We had a blast meeting a million people in the street and dancing outside, went into a couple clubs briefly, and drinking caiparinhas... which, by the way, are extremely dangerouos!

So far I'm having an AMAZING time, and I have only one gripe... Yes, the Brasilian men (and women, obviously) have extremely good genes and are more than easy on the eyes. However, I now realize that the primary activity at Rio's Carnaval (as warned, but somehow it's far more intense than I could have ever imagined) is for drunk boys in packs to randomly assault-- I mean KISS (biejo) girls on the street while they take part in the festivities. I personally was attacked no fewer than 10 times by men of varying degrees of appealingness-- but although it seemed harmless at first, it rapidly deteriorated into me screaming NO at the top of my lungs, wrestling out of their grip, and running away.

Apparently, there is a numbers game the men play, where they have competitions between each other to see how many women each one can count. Fun for them, but for us??

So yeah... looking forward to going to the Sambodromo tonight with our posse and enjoying the parades, costumes, and general insanity! I think there won't be as many sneak-attacks in that sort of environment, and I am positive it's going to be a memorable experience. Someone teach me to samba!!

Yay. :-)

2010-02-10T22:46:00.009-05:00

This morning, I woke up to the view of Copacabana beach from our apartment...

Enjoyed a yummy acai berry frozen drink, and the spent the whole day on the beach in Ipanema...

Enjoyed the view...!

Hung with Marisa on the rocks, met some crazy strangers, enjoyed a cold beer, and watched the sunset...

Fresh fruit and ice cold yogurt? Yes, please!

...tomorrow we are heading to our first (of many) bloco de carnaval... then on Saturday, Carnaval officially starts! ...carnaval... Carnaval... CARNAVAL IS COMING!!! :-)

LIVING THE DREAM!

2010-02-09T18:18:00.003-05:00

I am finally in Rio de Janeiro!! Fulfilling the dream I have had forever of one day being here for Carnaval! I cannot tell you how happy I am to be here. I arrived this afternoon by bus (6 hours from Sao Paulo) and came immediately to the apartment I am sharing with Marisa ON THE BEACH IN COPACABANA! Yes, we can see the ocean from our window. We have a fabuous, comfortable one bedroom place, and it's perfect. Three more of her friends arrive tomorrow, and will be here through Carnaval next Tuesday and then we'll have the place too ourselves again.. I plan to stay through next weekend, to get a feel for both Carnaval (officially celebrated the 13th through the 16th this year) and the post-Carnaval. I cannot wait. It is beautiful here, and I love it already. I know I am going to have an incredible time, and am so happy to be reunited with Marisa! Just wish the rest of our Buenos Aires lady crew could be here with us.

Tonight we're headed out for a bite to eat, and my first taste of Rio nightlife.. we'll see how it stands up to Sao Paulo's. (Lesson learned in Sao Paulo: no more than 2 caiparinhas in one night. Those things are deadly.)

Tomorrow we plan to explore Ipanema, where all the beautiful people are... ahhhh, life is good. :-)

Cheguei no Brasil!

2010-02-05T13:20:00.004-05:00

I don't actually speak Portuguese, so don't be fooled by the perfectly written title! Google Translate for life!! Hahaha yes learning Portuguese is at the top of my list of things to do over the next few weeks...

But anyway, I arrived in Sao Paulo this morning! I'm happily settled in at my friend Paul's house, unfortunately sans Paul himself, who is back in the States on a poorly timed visit home (for me). I'm here with his dad Armando and his brother Andrew in their phenomenal 14th floor apartment in the Jardin Paulista neighborhood, overlooking the city. I'm cozy and feel lucky to have them here to host me. I'm excited to see what this city has to offer! Supposedly it has some of the best nightlife on the continent... I'll be sure to report back on that. ;-) I plan to stay here through the weekend, and then Monday I will head to Rio to live with my lovely Marisa and some other ladies and celebrate CARNAVAL!!!! Can't wait.

As I sit here, the clouds just suddenly rolled in (after a sunny and hot afternoon) and it is POURING. According to Armando, this happens every afternoon lately, and there have been major floods in SP this year... in fact 70 people have died! Crazy. It is absolutely torrentially pouring! And me with only flip flops and no umbrella... so much for my plans to explore. Looks like it's time to curl up with a book.

Tchau!

Bucara-whahhh?? and other reflections.

2010-02-02T18:05:00.003-05:00

I´m in Bucaramanga. It´s not that cool... it´s sort of just a big commercial city full of shopping centers. I tried hard to enjoy it today, but genuinely couldn´t find anything really to do (except one thing-- I tried the toasted ants! hormigas! yes, ants are the popular snackfood of choice here in Bucaramanga, although I was promised they would taste like peanuts, and they most certainly did not... blah), so I´m enjoying the luxury of taking it easy, something I haven´t done much of lately. I´m staying in an actual hotel, since they don´t appear to have hostels here, and enjoying free internet (notice the miraculous appearance of a couple blog posts I´d had half-written that are now finished and posted). Tomorrow I´m heading to Bogotá to stay again with Gustavo, Diana´s friend there (who is now my friend) for my last night. I´m hoping to arrive in time to have one final hurrah in Bogotá before taking off on Thursday.

Colombia. What a cool country. I´ve met so many of the nicest people here. It´s not at all what the sterotypes say, filled with nothing but cocaine and coffee. The security has been greatly improved in the past few years due to the current president´s reforms, and everywhere you look there are armed military men patroling the roads. There´s no need to be scared-- they are there for our protection, and frankly I feel very safe here. People are generally friendly, open, hospitable, and super fun. There is a rich sense of culture and community here, and such spirit in the air-- music, art, and dance are everywhere. The climate is great (well, Bogotá is a bit chilly...). And I have been so well received that I feel forever indebted.

As usual... my mind is racing about what to do next. Typical Erica, I know, still not clear on the life plan. I´m clear that Argentina is not right for me, and I´m clear that I need some time at home. I miss my family and friends so, so much, and am just dying to see everyone. So much has changed in the past year I´ve been gone, and I want to be a part of it again. But... there is still that tick tick ticking inside me that says... travel... go... explore... it´s just who I am I suppose, and why not just accept that about myself rather than try to resist it?

I´ve been considering teaching in Asia, where the pay is a lot better. I´ve thought a lot about trying to find an internationally-related job back home. Grad school at SIT is a definite possibility, although the money factor scares me to death. And a big part of me wants to put all I can into finding an American company with offices in Latin America to work for, so I can make money in dollars but live here. Idealist.org is calling me. Any job offers, ideas, or pieces of advice are welcome. I wouldn´t say I´m lost, per se, just in a serious period of reflection. I´m looking forward to the moment when I make a decision, and know in my gut that it´s right.

For now, I´m genuinely enjoying this adventure I have been blessed with. Who knows if I will ever have this opportunity again?? I am going flat broke, but going broke has never been so much fun, and I believe getting to know the world, challenging myself, and having these new experiences is 100% worth it. I just hope that this period of time will help me understand myself and the world better, and will help steer me in the right direction...

Out of the desert

2010-02-01T13:12:00.008-05:00

I spent 4 days in Cartagena last week, and really loved the city. It´s a great place to just wander around and people-watch, enjoy the narrow streets lined with balconies and flowers, sip some fresh lemonade, and just soak it all in. I was also lucky enough to meet up with German, a local cartagenero I know through an old roommate in Argentina, and he showed me around the city a lot and introduced me to some of his friends. I suppose you could take taxis, but I found the city totally walkable (except the excessive heat, which lowers motivation quite a bit) and ended up walking the entire city from the historic center all the way through Boca Grande and then to the very tip at Laguito. There´s so much to see outside that I skipped all of the museums and opted to walk along the historic murallas, big stone walls that surround the city, built originally in the 16th century to protect the city from pirate attacks (since the Spanish stored the gold and jewels they were pilaging from the indigenous people there before shipping it all to Spain, it was a popular target). The one touristy thing I did was wander up to the Castillo San Felipe to see the views of the city and wander through its labryth-esque tunnels... truly an impressive sight to see.

The best part of my experience in Cartagena was staying with my two little old lady hosts, Ena and Tarcila. In general during my time on the Colombian coast, I have been so lucky to have family hosts in every city, all thanks to my friend Rafa, an ex student of mine. I stayed with his aunt and uncle in Santa Marta (where I am now... they have been so amazing, letting me leave my backpack here as I travel and use their house as a home base), his parents in Barranquilla, and then these aunts of his mom´s in Cartagena. I originally was planning to stay in a hostel there, but after calling 9 different places and finding them all fully booked, I asked Rafa if he had any suggestions. Next thing I knew, his mom was on the phone arranging for me to stay with her family. And what a family!! Ena and Tarcila are 80 and 84 years old, two wonderful sisters living in an apartment just outside the city center of Cartagena. They were kind enough to not only take me in, but also give me a set of house keys and tell me to come and go as I pleased. I adored them and listening to their stories and looking at their family pictures, and hope I can someday repay them somehow. After all this, I feel like a member of Rafa´s family (afterall, I know almost everyone now), and can´t wait to come back and visit them all ASAP.

Friday arrived, German left for the weekend, and I felt like I had essentially seen what the city had to offer. I also bought myself several presents, and Cartagena was turning into a dangerous blackhole for my money, so I planned my escape. It also suddenly ocurred to me that I had less than a week left in Colombia, and several more things I wanted to do, namely make it up to the northernmost part of the country, La Guajira, and visit a remote desert beach town called Cabo de la Vela. It´s not in my guidebook, but has been recommended to me by many of my Colombian friends, and I had to give it a try. So I took a night bus to Santa Marta Friday night, slept for just a couple hours, grabbed my sleeping bag, and headed to La Guajira.

I´d been told that Cabo de la Vela is difficult to get to, and also that it´s a bad idea to go alone as a woman. As usual, I disregarded this sound advice, and for one of the first times in a long time, I am willing to admit that yes, this was something I should not have done alone and without plans.

Okay, so all I knew is that I needed to first go to Riohacha, the capital of La Guajira, and that somehow I could then find transport to Cabo de la Vela. So with no guidebook or clue, I went to Riohacha, confident as usual that I would figure it out. I arrived fine, and when I got off the bus, the usual entourage of people swarmed me offering bus tickets and information. I was told by a couple people that what I needed to do was go to another town called Cuatro Villas, where I would then be able to get a colectivo, a shared car, to Cabo. It went against my instinct, but I did it anyway. 30 minutes later, a bus dumped me on the side of the road, where there was literally nothing but a phone call stand, one guy selling arepas, and a group of men offering rides. And of course, they all said, oh no, you can´t go directly to Cabo from here, you first need to go to Uribia. So... I started hopping into a car to Uribia, wherever that is, when I suddenly recalled that Rafa had given me the phone number of a friend of a friend of a cousin, something like that, who he said may be able to give me advice on arriving to Cabo. Since Rafa´s connections until that point had been so hospitable and helpful, I figured I´d give it a shot.

I headed to the phone call stand and called Yelis, and after a confusing conversation of trying to figure out who each other were, she said, ¨oh, I am on my way to cabo right now, I can pick you up! I´ll meet you in Uribia in 20 minutes!¨ What luck! What a coincidence! I hopped into the colectivo and arrived in Uribia, and was dumped on an even sketchier and more remote corner, where I was absolutely clear that if I didn´t keep myself looking occupied and confident, something terrible would happen. I busied myself with a bag of chips and a book, and waited. I was now in the middle of the desert, sand blowing in my face, and nothing to see for miles and miles...

Finally a car horn honked and I heard someone call my name. Yelis! I hopped into her car, and to my surprise there were 2 other men in the car and 2 kids, plus a loaded car of passengers following us. I thought not much of it at the time, just thankful for the ride. As we drove along, Yelis offered me her business card... a tour guide... and then explained that I was going to have to pay 100,000 pesos ($50 USD) for her services to Cabo and back... wait, what??? I had just recently turned down a ride in a truck for only 12,000 ($6). So I explained that I hadn´t had in mind a whole package deal, and really just needed a ride, and thought she was just on the way, but nope, BIG misunderstanding, she was a professional tour guide bringing a group of tourists and thought I wanted to buy a whole travel package. She then exclaimed, ¨So you just basically want a free ride?!¨ eeeeeek yes, the whole thing went to hell in a handbasket in that moment. I tried explaining that no, it wasn´t like that, there was just a big misunderstanding, but the damage was done. She told me to work it out with the other driver, pulled over, and sent me to the other car.

The other driver, Alex, turned out to be a doll, and told me not to worry about it, he´d charge me only 30,000 ($15) round trip if I promised not to tell the others. At that point, we were far into the desert on a sandy road with nothing but sand and cacti as far as the eye could see, so I apreciated any sort of offer, and made myself comfortable. The other travelers turned out to be a nice couple and their mothers, 4 in total, from Bogotá, having a nice family trip, and they didn´t seem to mind me tagging along.

In the end it all worked out, although it was quite confusing. We finally made it to Cabo in the late afternoon, in time for a swim and to enjoy the sunset. I rented a hammock at the same place the group was staying, and was thankful I´d made it there at all, even if it wasn´t what I´d expected.

Cabo de la Vela is TINY. There is nothing there but palm shacks along a sandy road, beaches, and indigenous women selling mochilas, gorgeous handwoven bags for which the area is famous. I enjoyed wandering lazily down the sand road, confirming that there was in fact NOTHING to do except enjoy the desert, bought a couple mochilas, and soaked up the sun. It´s an incredibly relaxing place. I finished an entire book and started another, to give you an idea of just how relaxing it is. You can also only get Pony beer there, which is Venezuelan, to give you an idea of its remote location in NE Colombia. The beaches and sunset views are spectacular, and the drive there was one of the most stunning I´ve ever seen. It´s just desert desert desert, with patches of nothing but flat sand as far as the eye can see, and other patches densely packed with cacti so big it feels like a cactus forest. I´ve never been anywhere so, well, deserty, before. I half expected to see camels, although in the end all I saw were a about a million goats and a couple of donkeys.

Thanks to the strange tour group fiasco, I made it back to Riohacha in one piece the following day. As it turns out, you have to book transport back in a Jeep in advance, and they only leave at 5am. Basically I´m an idiot, and probably would have been straned there for another 24 hours at least if I hadn´t met that group, so it was all for the best. It´s so remote, there is nothing... I don´t know how the Jeeps even navigate, as there is no road, just track marks in the sand that go in all different directions. However, when I arrived back in Riohacha, all buses back to Santa Marta were sold out, and I was shoved, literally, on a very sketchy looking discount bus that had only one seat left, the one in the very last row in the corner, where my head was touching the ceiling and my knees were against my chest. I was surrounded by 6 men drinking from a bottle of vodka. Within an hour they were trashed and started talking at me and trying to touch me and hit on me. They wouldn´t stop, and the only reason I didn´t go insane is due to my ipod. The bus was pulled over by the police at one point, and everyone had to get off the bus while the entire thing was inspected floor to ceiling for godknowswhat, and while outside the bus I was constantly harassed by the 6 drunks. It was pretty awful. When I finally, after a million years, made it back to Santa Marta, I felt more thankful than ever to just be there, alive and well, un-robbed, in one piece, and out of the desert. Amen.

So yes, Cabo de la Vela was gorgeous but a rather bittersweet adventure. If you ever decide to go, I advise planning your trip in advance and going as part of a group. I also advise ignoring the morons at the Riohacha bus station and finding a direct bus to Cabo. Don´t get left on various desert street corners like I was. Despite my obvious trauma though, it was cool to be out there, get a sense of the indigenous culture out there in the desert, eat some fresh fish, sleep in yet another hammock (hopefully my last for a while...that was day 10 of hammock sleeping), buy some beautiful artisan work, and have an adventure.

My time on the Colombian coast has now officially come to an end. Tonight, after taking Tio Andres and Tia Nelda (my adopted aunt and uncle here in Santa Marta) out for a shrimp dinner, I am heading to the bus station to go to Bucaramanga for one night, and then to Bogota. My flight to Brasil flies out of Bogotá on Thursday night, and Friday morning I will be in Sao Paulo!!! How amazing! It is such a strange sensation, because I am so looking forward to this next chapter, and yet so sad to go. Colombia has in many ways stolen my heart. It´s a special place, full of warm, hospitable people, great coffee, great beaches, and some of the best dancing in the world. I could see myself here, and I´m sad to go. But I´m so thankful for this experience, and I know it is here for me when I am ready to come back.

It´s the little things...

2010-01-28T21:34:00.001-05:00

I love the little details that make us who we are, as individuals and as a culture. Like how Americans are so used to tipping, and it seems so ridiculous to people here. Or how a lot (not all!) American men don´t dance because they don´t feel macho, and yet here you´re not macho unless you can dance. Or how a man with a bag in the US is looked at strange (I believe they are called ¨manbags¨or the ever-famous ¨murse¨...man + purse), but here it´s typical... men need to carry things too! How Americans like our meat served in such a way where we can completely disasociate it from the animal from which it came. But here, you get an entire fish or guinea pig (in Peru... Cui!) staring back at you from a plate, or an entire hoof in your ambiguously-named soup. You know, just those silly little things.

In both Colombia and Peru, typically food is served with potatoes or rice, and many times with both. That´s like, the first no-no rule I learned of dieting back home... don´t combine your carbs! But that´s a foreign concept here. You´ll never see a plate of food in Peru without potatoes and rice on it. Colombians also fry just about everything, and add sugar to just about everything, even their natural fruit juices (all hail the maracuyá!!!). Consequently, most of them have a barriga (a belly), and frankly, no one seems to mind. It´s refreshing to be in a culture that embraces people of all sizes, after a year of living among the Argentine anorexia/ body-obsessed community.

In Colombia, when you buy something, you say thank you to the person who sold it to you. In Argentina, when you buy something, they thank you. And forget what your Spanish teacher taught you about saying ¨you´re welcome¨in Spanish... you won´t hear many people saying ¨de nada.¨ In Argentina, they say, ¨no, por favor!!¨very animatedly, which always cracks me up. It´s sort of like saying, ¨oh please, it´s nothing!¨ In Peru they always, always say, ¨con mucho gusto,¨ which is super polite. And in Colombia they always, always say ¨a la orden,¨ which loosely translates to ¨at your service¨, which also sounds super polite. They also use ¨a la orden¨ when you first walk into a store, or even as you walk by a store... so there is constantly, all day long, a million people shouting it to me as I walk down the street. I feel so... serviced!

One more little tidbit, before I hang up my nerdiness for the afternoon. In Argentina, the porteños, the word for the Buenos Aires capital city natives, have a reputation for being the worst... as in, the most closed, unfriendly, sort of douchey in Argentina. People from outside the capital (from provincia) tend to view porteños negatively. Its funny, then, to be here in Colombia and realize it is just the same with the rolos, the word for people native to the capital city of Bogotá. The rolos themselves insist they are the best, while the rest of the country (namely the paisas, people from the coffee zone near Medellin, and the costeños, people from the coast) tends to hate rolos. Personally, I can´t tell the difference, but it´s funny how these sorts of stereotypes are universal, I suppose.

I think it´s these small anecdotes that make me love travel so much. I love saying buena onda and genial in Argentina when I like something, and chévere and bacano in Colombia. I love calling people boludo in Argentina and huevón in Peru and Colombia. I crack up every time someone asks me if I´m from Argentina (happens more than you´d think!) because of my porteño accent I just can´t seem to shake (Sho me shamo Erica!). And I love hearing people´s impressions of their own countries and of mine, and sharing stories. I feel like that´s what travel is all about... the little details from everyday life, that make us who we are.

Colombia, te amo.

2010-01-27T20:56:00.002-05:00

I just want to everyone know I´m alive, doing great, had an amazing (and incredibly challenging) experience in Ciudad Perdida (it´s beautiful and so, so old it just takes your breath away) and am now happily in Cartagena. This city is magic. I don´t want to leave, ever. I´m staying with two adorable little old ladies, the aunts of the mom of my friend (I know, I´m reaching) and just enjoying exploring the city, hanging out with a friend of mine here, and soaking up all Colombia has to offer, Every moment I spend in this country I fall more and more in love with it.

I plan to be in Cartagena this weekend, then am going to pack in Cabo de la Vela AND Bucaramanga before heading to Bogotá for one last hurrah before BRAZIL on February 5!

Will blog eventually. Right now I´m spending more time loving life than playing with computers. It´s phenomenal.

Oops, need an update! ...Manizales, Santa Marta, Parque Nacional Tayrona, Taganga... and up next..???

2010-01-17T13:31:00.006-05:00

Hi friends!!! Oh man, you know how it goes, when you go for too long without updating, the task just seems harder and harder!! So much has happened I will surely miss oodles of things, but I will do my best to fill you in on my wild Colombian adventures. I´ll go backwards, because I remember things best that way.

Right now I´m in Taganga, a fun little town about 20 minutes from Santa Marta. It´s pretty and has a lot of bars and restaurants and things, but is small and the beaches are dirty, kind of like sitting on an ashtray... ugh. (I am told that the very sad earthquake in Haiti has caused the beaches here to be dirtier and the tides higher than usual, but I can´t saywhether or not that is true...) Luckily I´ve had PLENTY of beach time lately and am royally tanned/sunburned (open for interpretation) and am happily using the internet and avoiding the sun.. it is HOT. I don´t know the temperature, but I´d estimate it´s around 100 or higher. I also think all the sun I got the past 4 days in Tayrona really did me in, and I arrived yesterday afternoon to Taganga dehydrated and stomach-achy, and feeling so lightheaded I could barely talk... and those who know me know that if I can´t talk, I must be ill. I took last night very easy though, skipped the Saturday night rumba and opted to sleep for 12 consecutive hours, battling the mosquitos despite my mosquito net, but overall woke up today feeling much better...

Which is why I just purchased my trek to Ciudad Perdida tomorrow!! It´s something I´ve been planning to do on this trip for a long time, and though I thought about wimping out, I finally sucked up and bought the trip... not too bad,it cost me $250 USD for a 6 day trek, which involves 3 days trekking to the site (uphill through the jungle, crossing rivers... w00t!) and then a full day at the site, an ancient ruin believed to have been built in 800 AD by the Tayrona people, and then 2 days trekking back. I think it will be very difficult, and the weather here makes it hard (sweaty! humid! gah!) but I also think its an incredible unique experience that I shouldn´t miss. Unlike Machu Picchu, this trek will be far less overcrowded, more virgin... and its older! Wow, I´m excited! Let´s hope I stay healthy.

Anyway, yesterday I arrived in Taganga via an insane motorboat trip from Parque Nacional Tayrona... the boat was jumping over 10 meter high waves and I think my butt is permamently bruised from the impact... but super fun! I was on the boat with 9 screaming guys from Israel and my friend Pablo from Switzerland I met in Tayrona. I spent 4 full days in Tayrona, and I must say, it is gorgeous. And after the sort of disappinting beaches in Santa Marta (anyone who says they are stunning needs to tell me where to go, because I seem to have missed it), it felt like paradise. It´s no undiscovered treasure though. The crowds are intense and the beaches are far from virgin. But it´s worth it... the beaches are perfect, small laguna areas carved out of the ocean, with enormous boulders in the water and along the paths (I mean where did thesehuge rocks come from?? They are enormous, like they just dropped from the sky.), and the jungle right there next to the beach to wander through. The mosquitos, however, were ruthless. I slept in a hammock 3 nights in a row, which seemed so cool and exciting at first, but now I feel like the thrill is over and I want my back back!! Hahaha well too bad, because I´ll be sleeping in hammocks 5 more nights starting tomorrow in the Ciudad Perdida trek...

Anyway, getting to Parque Tayrona is an adventure in itself. From Santa Marta I took a 45 minute drive in a buseta, which is like a small van bus thing. The drop you at the main gate, where you pay about $17 USD to get in (not cheap!). Then you take a bus ride for about 15 minutes to the second gate. From there you have to walk down a fairly treacherous path through the jungle for about 45 minutes... not too fun in the heat!!! But really beautiful, and an adventure for sure, which I always appreciate. You finally arrive at the beach in Arrecife, and the first thing you see are signs everywhere about how more than 200 people have drowned there and not to swim.. and there you are facing the ocean, drenched in sweat. It´s brutal!

There are about 6 or 7 campsites there around Arrecife where you can pitch a tent or rent a hammock, but I decided to be motivated and hike another 45 minutes to the very end, Cabo de San Juan, which I´d heard was a prettier and more fun option. So off I went, dripping with sweat, passing swimming hole after swimming hole... there´s a lovely swimming area called La Piscina between Cabo and Arrecife that I looked at longingly, but really wanted to put my stuff down so I kept on... finally arrived in Cabo so hot and sweaty, and.... no more room! Sold out! It was really packed, with tents absolutely everywhere. But the beaches really are the best. It´s paradise. Unofortunately that first day I had to head back with my backpack on (luckily, I only had a smaller backpack, because I left my bigger one in Santa Marta) and headed back to Arrecife to find a place to camp. When I finally made it into the water for a swim around 4:30pm it was amazing! The water is the perfect temperature, not too cold and not too warm, just perfect.

I spent 2 nights in Arrecife (but walked to Cabo each day to hang out at least) checking out different beaches and getting a tan, and eating very little because the food is very overpriced. The first night I met a couple British boys who were crazy enough for me to hang out with, and then the second night I was joined by 7 Chilean boys traveling together, who shared with me their 3 liters of Chilean pisco... needless to say, I have forgotten the majority of that night. Then finally on the 3rd day I was able to swindle my way into a hammock in Cabo, so I stayed there my last night and the following day. It really is better, though more expensive. There´s a lot of people, which can be good or bad, depending on what you´re looking for. The shower experience was pretty dreadful, sort of felt like a concentration camp because there´s about 30 people, boys and girls, in line, and they kind of throw you under the water where you quickly scrub yourself down in your bathing suit and then go rushing back out. But whatever, it was great, and I enjoyed my final night by treating myself to an overpriced fish dinner and sipping beers by the beach with a couple Argentines I met and listening to the ocean. It´s really divine, despite the crowds, and I´d recommend that anyone in Colombia not miss a visit.

I have much more to write but am being kicked off the internet in 2 minutes... I´ll try to finish up this blog post tonight and write about Santa Marta and my final days in Manizales with Diana and her family and friends (seems like ages ago) enjoying their annual feria and staying up until I-don´t-know o´clock every night. If not, you will be hearing from me in 6 days after the crazy Ciudad Perdida trek! Please send me the good luck vibes that I don´t get attacked my dengue mosquitos or kidnapped by guerrillas! Thanks! :-)

Love to all, and I promise to write more later...

Carnaval de Negros y Blancos

2010-01-08T18:10:00.005-05:00

Was absolutely insane! I have never been so dirty in my life.

All day for 3 days people throw talcum powder and paint and carioca (foamy white stuff) all over you, and it gets pretty rowdy. I had a great time on the road trip to Cali, then to Chachagui to stay on Chris's family's finca for a couple days, and then a couple days in Pasto for the Carnaval. I'm beat, as we drove 12 hours back to Manizales yesterday and then went out and partied for the Feria de Manizales, which goes until this Sunday. I have so much more to say, but I lack motivation for blogging, sorry more later...

Feliz Año Nuevo!

2010-01-01T20:10:00.001-05:00

Happy 2010 everyone! I just want to start by expressing how incredibly happy and thankful I am to have such a great life, filled with the best friends, the most supportive and loving family, and the most fun and outrageous adventures a girl could ask for. 2009 was really an incredible year in Argentina and beyond, and I feel like 2010 is going to be another exciting time for me. Who knows what is around the next corner?

Anyway, right now I´m in Manizales, Colombia! I flew into Bogotá on the 29th and spent the afternoon and evening with one of Diana´s friends, Gustavo, who met me at the aiport and showed me around the city. I was absolutely struck by not only the beauty of Bogotá, but also how organized and clean it is. It really has such a great onda and vibe... made me want to spend a lot more time there. I loved the architecture, the cobblestone streets in the La Candelaria neighborhood, the festive lights everywhere, and the feeling of being in a big and lively city, though one which managed to feel more manageable and relaxed than Buenos Aires. I am for sure planning on spending a few more days there before I jet off to Brazil in February.

On the 30th I hopped into a car with Gustavo and one of his friends, plus the friend´s mom and sister... felt like I was in a clown car for over 8 hours on one of the curviest and most insane roads I have ever been on, through the mountains of Colombia to get to Manizales. Luckily I took a real name brand Dramamine and was fine, and really enjoyed the ride and the scenery, even if I couldn´t feel my legs after the first hour. Apparently the bus ride is longer and much more treachurous, so I was thankful for the car. Also, taking the car ride allowed us to make stops along the way for food and new treats like agua panela con queso (tea made from a fruit local to the area called panela, with cheese and fried bread on the side... you soak the cheese in the tea and then eat it with the bread... totally bizarre, but kind of delicious) in the town of Delgaditas, or juice made from fresh squeezed lulo or maracuyá (yummy fruits I´d never seen before), pan maritiqueño (bread made with a ton of butter so it is soft and a bit flakey like a croissant, but in loaf form... its famous all around Colombia, and I see why!) in the town of Mariquita, or my new favorite dish bandeja paisa (a massive mixed heart-attack-on-a-plate of beans, rice, fried plantains, meat, arepa, egg, and chicharrón). Wow, I like the food in Colombia.

Arrived in Manizales in the clown car around 9:30pm on the 30th, and after putting my stuff down in Diana´s gorgeous house and met her mom, dad, and sister (all super nice), I showered and dressed for a night on the town.. went out with Diana and her sister to a bar called Milagros which was decorated kitsch-cool with Jesus and Mary everywhere and filled with people dancing salsa and drinking aguardiente (anis flavored, so I hate it, but when pressured drank it anyway). Manizales is a beautiful small city in the coffee mountains (this region is called the Zona Cafetera) with hills and gorgeous views everywhere, so just enjoyed being out and about in this new place.

Yesterday of course was NYE-- FELIZ AÑO! It was a lot of fun, although it wasn´t quite what I expected. Diana had told me that typically on NYE her whole family gets together, and everyone brings a dish and they have a huge feast, and then go out dancing and partying after midnight... so what a surprise it was when around 7:30pm we learned that no one in the family was bringing anything and her parents were stuck at work, and we basically needed to cook everything for about 20 people!! So we got to work making a curry and a stir fry type thing along with a ton of fruits to snack on (traditionally in Colombia they eat grapes at midnight on New Year, so we had a ton of those especially), not exactly the typical Colombian food I had hoped for, but still turned out delicious. We feasted as planned and hung out at the house. Honestly, I missed watching the ball drop. Not having that image to focus on made me feel a bit disoriented as we counted down the seconds to the new year. The TV had some random image of a building on it, and when asked, no one could identify what building it was, so who knows what I was staring at as the clock struck 12... then HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

First things first, we all made the rounds around the whole room kissing everyone on the cheek and wishing them a Feliz Año. Then Diana went into a closet and dug out a suitcase and told me that traditionally you walk around the block at midnighton New Years if you want luck to travel all year long... so naturally, she and I took a spin around the block with a suitcase, and everyone who saw us made a comment about how we´d be traveling this year-- clearly a commonly known superstition. Let´s hope it works!

After the suitcase walk, a group of us took off to another neighborhood called Fatima, where supposedly everyone goes to party. There is a tradition where the neighbors make life size dolls, sometimes of famous people, and then burn them at midnight. We´d seen that one of the dolls this year was of Michael Jackson, and I was fascinated to watch them burn him in the middle of Manizales... however we arrived late, and when we got there the entire neighborhood had had a power outage and everything was black, and people we listening to music from their car stereos... we soon learned that the people who´d made the Michael Jackson doll had stuffed it with gunpowder, so when they set it on fire, it blew up and exploded into some kind of electric circuit and shorted out the entire neighborhood, right at the stroke of midnight!! Haha Michael Jackson! So yeah everyone was kind of recovering from that and waiting for the lights to come back, so it was I think more mellow than usual... we party hopped for a bit, drank a variety of drinks and met a bunch of people, and eventually ended up back at Diana´s house snuggled up for the night... so it wasn´t the salsa fest I´d expected, but was still a lot of fun, definitely interesting and entertaining and very different at a minimum!

The best was waking up today for New Years to a warm and bright sun! We packed up and drove the whole family to a river where we lounged on the shore and swam and got some sun... well, they did... I am apparently destined to be blindingly white forever.

Now.... the feria de Manizales goes from the 3rd to the 12th of this month that I really want to check out... there is another feria in a town called Pasto way down south called Carnaval de Negros y Blancos, at which everyone paints their faces either black or white and celebrates for a week in the streets. Diana is dying to go, and I´m certainly intrigued, so off we go! Tomorrow we´ll drive to Cali (5 hours south of Manizales) to see the city and pick up her boyfriend Chris. Then the following day we´ll hop in the car and head for Pasto together for the feria. We plan to spend about 3 days there and then drive the 15 hours back to Manizales, so I should be back around the 7the or 8th, in time to enjoy the end of the Manizales festival. There is a running of the bulls involved, which both horrifies and intrigues me, along with a ton of artisans and music and fun, so I definitely want to be back for that.

So yes, wish me luck on my crazy road trip all the way to practically the border of Ecuador and back (funnily enough, I am basically going to sandwich Ecuador, having been to Máncora in the far north of Peru and now Pasto in the far south of Colombia, without ever actually entering Ecuador... whoops) on some of the windiest roads you can imagine, through some of the most beautiful countryside in the world. I have a feeling I am in for an adventure!

A very happy new year to all! May your 2010 be happy, healthy, and full of new adventures!

Merry Christmas, my leg is on fire

2009-12-25T15:45:00.003-05:00

Ho ho ho! Sort of. Due to the warmish weather and general total-differentness of Christmas season in Peru, I repeatedly forgot about Christmas this year. But there it was, and I enjoyed it!

They typically celebrate la noche buena (Christmas Eve) much more than the 25th, so I decided when in Rome.. I accepted a dinner invitation last night to go out with my 12 Argentines who I´d met on the Inca Trail, plus 5 more of their friends, plus the other honeymooning Argentine couple I met while stranded in Aguas Calientes after finishing the Inca Trail. So yes, I was out with 19 Argentines, making me the crazy gringa rounding things out to 20 people. We went to a nice place right on the Plaza de Armas in downtown Cusco and I ordered a traditional feast, which involved coca sours (pisco sours with coca), champagne, a stuffed turkey dish, and a quinoa dessert... all was delicious, albeit slightly strange (note: quinoa doesn´t make very good dessert, just sayin´).

At midnight we headed out into the plaza to check the fireworks, and I swear I have never seen anything like it. It´s like the 4th of July on crack. There were so many fireworks exploding at once all around the city that it sounded like a war was going on, and the sky was filled with explosions and smoke. Also there had been an artisan fair in the plaza all day long, and vendors had left trash around, so kids were going around setting piles of trash on fire, so it really looked like a war zone And just to make things extra exciting, the local hooligans thought it was hilarious to not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES throw their fireworks directly at us after setting them on fire, and so they kept exploding at our feet and we´d have to run away as they went off!!! Kind of scary... but also funny in retrospect! I´m just glad my leg didn´t get blown off, so yay for that.

Tonight I´m overnighting back to Arequipa, and will arrive tomorrow morning at Kieran´s once again. The plan is to make a huge Christmas feast and drink beer. The perfect December 26th. Merry xmas to all!

The Inca Trail and Machu Picchu

2009-12-23T09:27:00.008-05:00

Yesterday I finished the 4 day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu! I will just come out and say that it was one of the most difficult and rewarding things I have ever done. I am so, so happy I did it, and just feel so lucky to have had the opportunity!

I was in a group of 17 people. That´s a bit sketchy because supposedly there is a 16 person limit, and most are 7-10 people, but mine was 17. It was 12 Argentines from Cordoba, all 19-20 year old Scouts traveling together, then a French couple and an American couple. Everyone was pretty cool, though I could have done without the French (sorry, it´s true, they were anti-social and wierd). There was a bit of a language barrier, as the American couple didn´t speak Spanish and none of the Argentines spoke English, but you know me, I was happy to chat with everyone and play translator. We also had a team of 3 guides and about 10 porters, the guys who carried the tents, food, and equipment. They are incredible! It´s just insane how fast they an go carrying so much weight. We, however, all carried all our own stuff, like clothes, water, sleeping bags, mattress pads, and snacks. Wooooo it was heavy!! But hardcore, and you know I love being hardcore.

So we set off on Thursday morning bright and early form Cusco. In another sketchy turn of events, our group was thrown together so last minute that there were no official camp spots left for us that first night, so we had a really short day 1, which meant we had an insanely long and difficult day 2. Day 1 we walked only about 2-3 hours, then arrived at a camp area next to a river, before even entering the national park area, and just chilled out for the evening, enjoyed the first of many delicious meals prepared for us by the cook (each meal begins with a soup, always yummy, and then we usually ate rice with chicken or meat and some kind of vegetable, plus coca tea-- and pancakes!!-- in the morning and herbal tea before bed), and then headed to bed at 8. My first night I shared a tent with 2 of the Argentine girls... the other two nights I was thrown into a tent with 2 of the boys, the two biggest ones no less. What a spectacle we were, 3 of the tallest people on the trip! They were super nice though, so we had fun and made it work.

On day 2 we woke up at 5:00 am and began the longest and hardest day of the trek. We climbed from 2,400 meters all the way to the highest point of the trek of 4,200 meters, and then we climbed all the way back down to 2,800 before stopping. It was by far one of the most physically challenging days of my life, especially given the altitude, which makes it harder to take in air. I´m thankful that I never felt sick though, as others weren´t so lucky. But I will tell you that after 4 continuous hours climbing thousands of stairs, my legs were absolutely killing me and I thought my lungs would explode. I never stopped eating the entire day, and still was ravenous at the end. All day I snacked on nuts and granola bars and fruit and drank tons of the water I was purifying (don´t drink the water in Peru!!) and just tried to stay motivated. It is an incredibly psychological trek, and requires you to really WANT to finish. I really, really did, and pushed through the pain. Arriving at the 4,200 meter summit was so amazing I almost cried. We all hugged at the top once everyone had made it and were so proud of each other. However we still had about 3 more hours of hiking DOWN the steps before we could camp. And I must say, going down thousands of steps is in many ways harder than going up. My knees were killing me, and my legs were shaking, but we made it.

Along the way we saw so much gorgeous scenery and many ruins, and our guides gave short explanations, though I´ll admit they weren´t very helpful. I mostly just enjoyed taking in the breathtaking views and enjoying being in a place so green and bright and fresh. It´s rainy season right now, but we were so lucky it rained very little. The gods were on our side!!! Or as the guides told us, La Pachamama (Quechua for Mother Earth) liked us. It was cold on the second night, but other than that the climate held out pretty well, and I was fairly comfortable with my t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, and one hoodie. I actually packed very well, especially for me, who is a notorious over-packer. Knowing I had to carry it all for 4 days helped a lot...

Day 3 was very tough too. It was a lot of climbing again and then hours and hours of decending. One section involved over 3,000 stairs going down, so you can imagine how that was on the knees. Couldn´t stop thinking of my dad, we just had knee surgery last week to have his knee replaced. Oh man, it´s a killer, but I did it! Just thankful I don´t have any existing injuries. The scenery and fresh air makes it all worth it though, and the company was great too. I became friends with everyone on the trip and we all motivated each other a lot. Plus it was nice to have yummy food to look forward to 3 times a day. Honestly I was surprised at how well organized everything was.

The third night, everyone on the Inca Trail, which is about 400 people or so, all camp at the same big campground, which has a bar and showers. I was weak and paid 5 soles for a shower, because I smelled soooo bad and it was so tempting. I also had a couple beers because, well, they were there and sounded delicious. We were treated to the best dinner of the trip that night too, a smorgazborg of beef, chicken, rocoto relleno (a traditional peruvian dish of stuffed hot peppers), rice, pasta, yucca, and grilled vegetables. I ate myself silly before passing out at a less reasonable 10pm.

Bright and early at 3:45 we had our wake up call for the final day. I forgot to mention that each morning our guides brought us coca tea in bed in our tents, which was sooo nice and so helpful to wake up. Such service! In the dark we all scrambled out of our beds and got ready for the final push. Had a big breakfast of pancakes and bread with jelly and coffee and hot chocolate, and then made our way to the main gates. At 5:30 they opened, and after all showing our passports and tickets we headed in for about a 2 hour hike up to Machu Picchu. We arrived at the Puerta del Sol (the Sun Gate) around 7:00 am. It´s supposed to be one of the best views of Machu Picchu, but we waited around for a while and the clouds never cleared away. In the rainy season it gets very cloudy, and I was nervous we wouldn´t end up seeing anything, that it would just stay foggy all day. Bummed, we left the Sun Gate witout seeing anything, and continued maybe another hour to Machu Picchu.

Along the way the clouds began to lift and I could start to make out some forms in the distance... it was it!! I started getting really excited and I could feel my feet moving faster. It felt like out of nowhere that suddenly, after 4 long days of walking, Machu Picchu was there in the distance, nestled between us and the bigger Wayna Picchu mountain. The clouds started to disappear and I suddenly had a perfect view of Machu Picchu below. I couldn´t believe my eyes. Was that really it?? It was huge and beautiful, and so much better than any picture I´d ever seen. We came in high above it and enjoyed one of the best views I´ve ever seen in my life. I took a bunch of pictures of course, but mostly just had a moment of giving thanks for my life and how special it has been. I thought about my family and my friends in that moment and wished you could all be there to share such beauty with me. I really was taken aback by the whole experience, and just appreciated every little detail... the clouds lifting... the crisp morning... fewer tourists during the low season... and no rain... 4 days of walking was absolutely worth it, and I´d do it again in a heartbeat.

I wish the story ended there, but it doesn´t. That´s the good part. After taking a tour of Machu Picchu and learning more about the area, the idea was that we´d walk 45 minutes downhill to Aguas Calientes, the city that lies below, and then would have lunch and take a train back to Cusco. However, when I finished the tour I was informed that my tour company never bought my train ticket. Errggggggg!!! So I walked all the way to Aguas Calientes in the rain.. yes right at that point it finally started raining.. and when I got there the guide told me he´d been calling the company over and over but that they weren´t answering the phone, and that I´d probably have to buy another train ticket. Which I´d already purchased. The best part is that I was about 20 soles short of the cost of the ticket, so I started worrying that I was stranded in this lame, overpriced, tourist town of Aquas Calientes. I had planned on enjoying the afternoon before the train ride soaking in the hot springs there, but instead I spent the entire afternoon calling the agency over and over and finally (you know me, I make things happen) getting someone to fax me a train ticket. Problem solved! I made it back to Cusco fine, although I lost the afternoon and came back much later than expected. The good news is that it was an adventure, and I also made some new friends while waiting around, a really nice Argentine couple on their honeymoon (it´s like Argentina is following me!!) and another cool American guy on the train who is teaching English in Peru. So of course I made lemonade out of lemons and all was well in the end.

Overall I had an absolutely amazing experience, and I would recommend the real deal Inca Trail to anyone who has the opportunity. It´s hard and it´s not glamorous, but it´s beautiful, fulfilling, inspiring, and will whip your butt into shape, and in the end you are rewarded with Machu Picchu. This is something I have wanted to do my whole life, and I´m just absolutely humbled by the experience. Yay for my life.

I´m back in Cusco and planning on staying here through X-mas, and then heading back to Arequipa to be with Kieran for the 26th and 27th... we´re going to have a Christmas celebration together then. Today I am taking it very easy, had a pedicure and an hour long massage this morning for a whopping 35 soles total (about $12 USD) and have just been hanging out today enjoying this gorgeous city. Can´t wait to see what Christmas festivities they have! Peruvians tend to celebrate Christmas Eve more than Christmas (actually I think that might be all South Americans), so I think the 24th there will be a lot going on in the city. I hear there is a big craft market that day and fireworks at night. Also, apparently everyone goes out that night, so ¨when in Rome¨!! It´s my first Christmas out of the U.S. and in summer, so I´m sure it will be interesting, and I´m looking forward to seeing what happens. I will miss you all at home very much though, and will be thinking of you. xo

Cusco is INCREDIBLE

2009-12-18T22:19:00.004-05:00

I arrived in Cusco yesterday morning after a 13 hour bus ride (puke-free, I´m glad to announce) from Arequipa. I am happy to report that I haven´t suffered any altitude sickness, and have actually been feeling great. Just lucky, I guess!

I have fallen absolutely in love with this city!! I really adore it, and I´m so glad I don´t need to rush away too quickly, because even after 2 full days of exploring, there is still so much to discover. It´s truly a magical place, so rich with history and culture. There are many people speaking Quechua and wearing traditional clothing, and it just feels so surreal to walk these streets. Every so often I just burst out laughing, literally, because I am just so happy to be here and to experience this place. I have never been anywhere like this before, and it didn´t take long for me to fall in love. Frankly, I could see myself living here for a while.

Yesterday while wandering around I met a Peruvian photographer from Lima named Ivan who is also touring around, and ended up making plans to go on a hike with him today. We met up this morning and spent all day today hiking in the hills surrounding Cusco. Simply incredible. Cusco is a city of winding cobblestone streets and endless stairs up up up! It´s the perfect place to get lost, which is one of my favorite things to do when I travel. I love just exploring, mapless, and ending up somewhere beautiful. Today Ivan and I began our adventure by first heading up to the Cristo Blanco (the white Jesus), a statue of Jesus that sits high up on a hill overlooking the city. It was a tiring walk up many streets and a lot of stairs, but very much worth it. Then we became ambitious and spent the next 4 or 5 hours continuing to wander through the hills, visiting the ruins of Saqsaywaman (sounds a lot like Sexy Woman, I know) and Q´asqo, an also el Templo de la Luna (Temple of the Moon). It was all simply breathtaking. So incredible, in fact, that I spent a large portion of my day staring in wonderment at these ancient structures, touching their cold stone surfaces, and just being thankful to be there. Everywhere I went I found ancient stone ruins with a backdrop of the gorgeous city of Cusco to one side and the mountains on the others. There are alpacas and llamas and horses and sheep wandering around everywhere too. It´s really something so special that it can´t be described. My day was perfect, everything I wanted it to be. I took a million pictures, and I promise when I can to go back and upload pictures onto my blog.

Anyway, now for the most exciting news of all-- THE INCA TRAIL to Machu Picchu! I´d been told that you need to book the Inca Trail months in advance, and it can be incredibly expensive, running anywhere from $300-500 for the 4 day trek. I didn´t want to spend so much, and also didn´t plan that far in advance, so arrived thinking Í´d do one of the many cheaper alternative treks to Machu Picchu, which I´m sure would still be a great experience. However, coincidentally yesterday at a travel agency, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and I ended up getting the very last spot on the Inca Trail FOR THE REST OF 2009! Not sure how I got so lucky, but he also gave it to me at a discount, so I paid a lot less than normal. Sweet! I feel so incredibly lucky.

I leave tomorrow morning at 6:30am! I´d write more on this blog, but I have a lot to prepare. The hike will be 4 days long, and I´ll be camping out the whole time. I ended up randomly in a group of all Argentines who know each other. Very random, but also very cool, because we automatically have something in common, and they are people who won´t look at me funny for having an Argentine accent in Peru! Hopefully I´ll bust into their posse nicely and we can enjoy the experience together.

Anyway I´m off to pack-- I´ll be carrying all my own stuff, so I´m keeping it as minimal as possible. I can assure you I will take a million pictures, and will try to get some photos up after Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, it´s looking like I´ll be spending it here in Cusco at the hostel. I´m actually really excited about it and think it will be a nice time with other travelers. Besides, I am happy to have some extra time in this amazing city.

I´ll be MIA for 4 days while on the Inca Trail, but will report back afterward! Visiting Machu Picchu has been a dream of mine for many, many years, so I feel incredibly lucky to have this opportunity and plan to live it to the fullest.

Bus from hell... here at last.

2009-12-16T02:05:00.005-05:00

This is going to be a really graphic blog post, but I feel like you guys can handle it.

So I´m the idiot for deciding that spending 90 soles (about $30 USD) on a trip all the way from Trujillo to Arequipa was a good idea. You know me, I love a good bargain, especially while traveling. Coulda paid more than double for a fancier bus, but I figured, how bad can it be?? Classic case of famous last words.

After a super relaxing and wonderful last day in my new favorite beach town, Huanchaco, I rallied over to the Trujillo station to meet my 10:00pm bus to Lima. 9 hours, leg 1 of 2. It didnt´t seem so bad, although the fact that I was virtually the only tourist on the bus was a small bad sign. The woman who´d sold me the ticket promised me a window, but of course I had an aisle. And though should couldn´t promise me a skinny person next to me, it would have been cool if she didn´t put me next to the large man carrying a sack of what looked like leaves and sticks. Whatever though, no problem. 9 hours isn´t so bad.

Hours before, I´d realized run out of Dramamine on the last bus ride, and had frantically gone to 2 pharmacies, only to be told that they had none. However, a very nice girl at the hostel gave me 5 pills of something alled Mareaol, which she said had helped her a lot with sea sickness. How different can that be?

SIDE NOTE to those who don´t know me or have never been in a car with me-- I get really freaking car sick. It´s just one of those annoying things about me. How I turned out to be such a traveler with such travel sickness is just bad luck I guess. There are very few members of my family who haven´t been puked on at some point in my life, though that was mostly when I was a little kid, and it´s been years since my last vomit-fest on a bus.

But anyway. I popped 2 Mareaol for the journey, inflated my new best friend the inflatable neck pillow, and went to sleep.

5 hours later I woke up with the sytmptoms I am all too familiar with. I was sweating and nauseaous and felt like if I didnt open a window I would die. The bus´s windows of course didn´t open though, and I found myself scrambling in my bag for something to puke in. I found a plastic bag, grabbed it, and made it aaaalmost to the bathroom before I just threw up into the bag. Okay, mostly in the bag. Okay-- shameless, graphic blog post-- okay, I threw up a little bit into the bag and mostly on myself and the floor of the bus. Hour 5 of 28 and I´m now covered in vomit. I tried to wash myself off in the bathroom but it didnt accomplish much. Anyway I felt a lot better so I just went back to sleep and tried to act natural...

I arrived in Lima at 7:00am... I was supposed to have a 2.5 hour layover at this point, but I got bumped right onto a 7:15 bus, which was fantastic because it meant a 2 hour shorter trip, and horrible because it left me no time to change. I ran right onto the next bus, and this time was literally horrified by what I found. Dirty seats and no overhead storage. A bathroom with no sink. Seats that literally went back maybe 2 inches, AKA nothing, and ZERO LEGROOM. Even a midget would complain. This was to be my home for the next 17 hours.

I immediately wanted to die. I popped 2 more Mareaol, although they clearly didn´t work, based on previous experience. Everything about this second bus was horrible except for 2 critical details-- 1. it had windows that opened... although mine didn´t.. but the one behind me did.. and 2. there was no one seated next to me. And frankly, who would want to be seated next to me anyway.

Hour 1: Crazy Catholic Jesus guy preaches and preaches and preaches and preaches. No I mean, he talked for 45 MINUTES about Jesus. And he was shouting, so there was no rest for the weary. He explained the basics, like that Michael Jackson died young because he dyed his skin white, and that´s a sin, and that men who sleep with men also die young, as in the case of some guy named Mauricio. And he kept pointing at me, and explaining in Spanish to the other passengers that even though the gringa tourist couldn´t understand a word he was saying (which I unfortunately could), that Jesus loved me anyway. God is in Peru. Jesus is from Peru. I don´t know, my attention went in waves. He then explained that we will all be protected by God in our lives--amen-- if we just believe, and pray--amen--and on this long journey he will protect us--amen--and we should BUY HIS CHOCLATES FOR 1 SOL EACH because that is the Christian thing to do. Yes, after 45 minutes and talking he tried to sell me something. These crappy chocolates! And just wait til you find out how I found out they were crappy! He came around to every seat and asked for money, and when someone bought one, he´d say loudly to everyone on the bus, ¨this wonderful person has a heart and god bless them,¨and when they didn´t buy them, he´d say, ¨this person doesn´t care about Peru or about Jesus or about the starving babies something something...¨ yes, he actually talked about starving babies at one point. He then made it to my seat and said to everyone, ´this tourist doesn´t understand a word I´m saying, but let´s see if she cares about the people of Peru and the babies of the world¨, after which all the heads in the bus were turned toward me, the baby hater. Here I am, covered in my own vomit, hating babies and Peru and who knows what else, and all I could think of was to dig into my pocket for a sol to buy the chocolate and get the guy the hell away from me. Oh, the look of shock on his face! An actual tourist who doesn´t hate babies! I half expected the entire bus to erupt into applause as he announced that the crazy confused tourist did, in fact, have god in her heart, but thankfully they didn´t.

Hour 2-3: The baby directly next to me WAILS and SCREAMS and CRIES for almost 2 consecutive hours. I mean, it was impressive. I felt bad complaining because the poor mother was much more stressed out about it than me, but I still secretly wanted to kill her.

Hour 4: After finally getting to sleep after the crying baby extravaganza, I awake from one of my many awkward positions to that feeling again... sweating... hot... gonna die... and all i can think of is the open window behind me. I had to puke NOW (Mareaol be damned!!!) and ended up standing up and leaning out the window of the guy BEHIND ME, much to his horror, and throwing up about 3 times, until some guy tapped me on the shoulder to alert me that there was, in fact, a bathroom. I barged into the bathroom and found it occupied by a woman with her pants down, and, of dear god, all I could do was shoo the man next to me out of his seat and puke out HIS window.

Yes, everyone´s favorite passenger. I know, this blog post is disgusting, but I figured I may need these details recorded someday if I ever write my memoirs or a horror movie script.

Hours 5-11: No more puking. My stomach had finally decided to let me and the rest of the passengers chill for a while. I bend and fold my body into unhuman positions, feet hanging out into the aisle, head hanging into the aisle. I figured at this point, everyone on the bus already hates me, so might as well try to get some sleep.

Hour 12: An adorable little old man carrying a huge basket gets on the bus (yes, the discount bus makes 5 million stops) and chooses to sit down next to me. I look at him with imploring eyes, but he doesn´t budge. So I say, ¨You can sit there, but you should know I have been throwing up frequently.¨ He moves.

Hour 14: Three hours short of arrival and the driver wants a dinner break. I´m eating peanuts at a roadside restaurant. The restaurant is simulaneously playing reggaeton on the radio, a loud variety show in which women have their clothing ripped off on the tv, and the Christmas tree has singing lights that repeatedly sing Silent Night. I resume wanting to die.

1:30am: Two hours early, I role up to Kieran´s house, a back-aching, vomit-encrusted shell of my former self. He´s nevertheless happy to see me. God bless the Irish.

UPDATE: 24 hours have passed. My stomach cramps have subsided and my back isn´t too bad. Had a great day in Arequipa exploring the city center, various markets, and learning about all the crazy animals and their parts that can be thrown in a soup. Kieran and his roommate have another couchsurfer here named Stef that I hung out with while Kieran was working, and that´s been great. Super glad to be catching up with my old friend, and to have a couple days to relax. Arequipa isn´t the most exciting, but it´s a very pretty city (only slightly white though, despite its name The White City) and is keeping me entertained. Doesn´t take much, honestly.

Despite the traumatic experience, I bought a slightly less discounted bus ticket to Cusco for tomorrow night. I´ll be there by Thursday morning. Can´t wait!!!

Bonfires and buses

2009-12-13T13:17:00.005-05:00

It´s my final day in Huachaco, and it couldn´t be more relaxing. I arrived Friday night around 11'30 and didnt have a hotel reservation, so I asked the taxi driver to recommend something. I ended up at a hostel called Hostal La Suiza, which has turned out to be great. Cheap, really nice and helpful staff, and lots of young travelers. Within 30 minutes on Friday night I´d made friends with a group of girls (a couple Norwegians who have been here for 3 weeks doing absolutely nothing, which is admirable I suppose, a DJ from NYC, and 2 crazy girls from Detroit). We ended up somehow assembling a posse of locals and us and heading to the beach to build a bonfire. It was a ton of fun!! This town is so cool because it´s right along the beach, so there´s a big beach culture and every night there are bonfires and music. This is the kind of place I needed to be.

Glad I came when I did and didn´t spend another minute in Chiclayo! Wow that city was a bust. Although my day on Friday was great. As planned, I took a combi to the nearby city of Lambayeque where I visited the Museo del Señor del Sipan, which was super interesting (he was buried under about 25 layers of gold and silver jewelry covered in precious stones, textiles guilded with gold, etc, not to mentioned buried with a couple concubines, a bunch of guards, a llama, a dog, and one main guard who´s feet had been severed, to symbolize that he would stay there forever guarding) and so the museum is just packed with all the crazy jewelry and treasures that were found in his tomb. How one man can wear so many necklaces is beyond me. You know me, I was totally fascinated by the stone and metal work, and the insane earrings that everyone wore, which were made of metals and stones and were about 5 inches in diameter literally, must have weighed a ton!! Anyway, after that museum I also took another combi to the nearby town of Tucumé, where I hiked up a million steps and got a spectacular look at some ancient pyramid ruins.

On the way back from the pyramids I took a mototaxi back to the highway, and got to talking to the driver. Turns out he´s a shaman, as are many people in the area, and when I expressed interest, he offered to show me the whole shamanism area of his house. I couldn´t refuse. I met his wife and one of his kids, and then he took me to a small area closed off with tapestries behind the house, with a blanket on the floor covered in herbs and potions and animal skulls. I of course took a million pictures, being the raging tourist that I am. Anyway, he put on his pancho and his hat and asked me a bunch of questions about my love life, because he says he specializes in working with lovers. Since I´m single, he seemed slightly stumped, but still he selected a bottle of what smells like jasmine and some other herbs, and poured the oil allover my hands and had me rub them together. As I did, he started drinking from the bottle which I thought was very strange, and before I knew it he was spitting it back all over my face in a spray. He says it will bring me good luck... I think he means with love, but I´m secretly hoping it will just help me not get robbed or abducted by guerrillas in the jungle.

Up next... tonight at 10pm I will be beginning a horrendous 29 hour bus journey on a budget bus, no less, all the way to Arequipa. 9 hours from Trujillo to Lima, then waiting 3 hours, and then 17 hours to Arequipa down south, where I will meet up with my friend Kieran, an Irish guy I met during my TEFL course in Buenos Aires who is now teaching in Peru. Wish me luck, because I have a feeling that I will need it!! I will be hopping on the bus with dramamine, snacks, and possibly a classy box of wine, just in case. Anything to help me sleep.

Peeing under a banana tree, and other Peruvian adventures

2009-12-10T19:22:00.006-05:00

I spent 2 nearly perfect days in Mancora... it is a beautiful beach in a small, sandy little town with one main street. It apparently gets very crowded in the summer, but the mobs didn´t seem to have hit yet, so it was actually very mellow. Jano turned out to be a fantastic travel buddy, we got along great and had so much fun doing basically nothing.. lounging on the beach, eating fresh ceviche (omg i LOVE) and drinking mosquitos, which are mojitos made with pisco instead of rum. Yesterday we rented horses and rode them all along the beach, and I swear I felt like I was in paradise. We also checked out another similar beach just north called Punta Sal, had some sort of bizarre set menu beef stew thing with the locals, lounged under a palm hut in the sand, and then headed back for more relaxation. I know, life is tough.

Today I feel like my trip has officially begun, because for the first time, I am now traveling alone. I managed to stick with people, first Chio and then Jano, until this point, so today feels like a relatively important moment. Its a bit scary, honestly, but also more exciting than words can describe. Not knowing what will come next is part of the thrill of it all.

That being said, Ive managed to have a pretty ridiculous day. I bought a bus ticket yesterday for a 9:00am bus to Chiclayo today from Mancora. On schedule I arrived at the bus stop this morning, and waited around for what felt like forever. Around 9.30 (please excuse the faulty punctuation, I cant figure out how to use this computer) a bus pulled up, kind of slowed to a stop, dumped one person off, and kept driving. I figured it wasnt mine, but the bus company employee started screaming at me that I´d missed my bus, then grabbed my backpack and started running after it. When the bus kept driving he threw my backpack in a mototaxi (these adorable 3 wheeled taxis they use all over the coasts here) and basically threw me in after it and instructed the driver to follow the bus. Meanwhile he jumped on the back and proceeded to scream and whistle and bang on the mototaxi. I of course had no clue what was going on, but kind of went with it. Apparently we were in hot persuit of the bus, although at quite a disadvantage, given that we were in a vehicle that has a maximum speed of probably 30 miles/ hour. I kept saying, hey its fine, I´ll just wait for the next one, but no this guy was in quite a mood and shushed me repeatedly. Finally we arrived 15 minutes later to the next town, a crazy little fishing town called Los Organos, the bus nowhere in sight. After a heated argument between the bus employee and the taxi driver, we then headed all the way back, where I waited for the 11:00 bus. It was royally annoying, but the whole time I kept reminding myself how the pure entertainment factor made it worth it!! It really was hilarious!

Anyway I took the 6 hour bus ride to Chiclayo and arrived around 5:00. Was befriended on the bus by quite a crazy character named Victor, a completely broke travling bohemian type who apparently snuck onto the bus for free somewhere mid trip and sat down right next to me and planted a kiss on my cheek, then proceeded to act like he was drunk or just totally lost for the next 2 hours. Turns out he´s one of those guys who runs out in front of cars at traffic lights and juggles for money. He claims he´s going to teach me to juggle but I doubt it... I´m very uncoordinated! Anyway the bus itself was a relative nightmare. Worst seats I´ve ever sat in, dirty curtains, and most critically, NO BATHROOM. After the 2 hour wait this morning for the second bus I´d put back a few coffees and had to ask the guy twice to pull over. The first time I ended up peeing in a gas station... the second time I was not so lucky, and ended up next to the highway under a banana tree. Oh bodily functions be damned! The scenery was nice though. Mostly sandy hills at first and then it becomes huge expanses of dunes. You go forever without seeing any houses and then suddenly these bizarre little shantytowns pop up out of nowhere, corrugated tin roofs and brick walls and all. I´d be curious to find out how they make their living. I snapped pictures but ughhh it´ll be a while before I get pictures uploaded, sorry blog readers.

So yes, back to the story. In Chicalyo, Victor the crazy juggler got off too, and I´m too nice and offered to take him into town in my taxi, seeing as he had literally no money and was planning to juggle his way there. I guess that´s my good deed for today. He also followed me to my hostel, and while I paid for my room, he somehow bargained his for free. Not fair! Anyway he´s gone now, off juggling in traffic I´m sure!

Finally alone, in the past few hours I´ve had some time to explore this city, and I´m going to be honest... this is going on the list of lamest and least worth it cities ever. I thought it would be more of a town, but it´s a bustling city chock full of all the budget hoochie clothing money can buy. Since, thanks to the bus fiasco, I arrived too late to check out the ruins of Sipan or Pimentel beach (though both are now my plans for tomorrow! yay!) I wandered over to the recommended medicinal herbs market, where shamans sell you strange herbs and concoctions made with hoofs and tongues and who knows what else, to cure your diabetes or your arthritis or your broken heart. I, being the raging sucker that I am, walked away with what appears to be a bottle of worms and flowers stewing in a ´love perfume´ and topped off with a miniature doll, supposedly a representation of the man of my dreams. Apparently if I carry this bottle around with me long enough, good luck will follow me. And for 3 soles (the equivalent of about a dollar) I figured I can use all the luck I can get! ;-)

Other than that though, the city and the rest of the market have been quite unpleasant. So unpleasant, in fact, that instead of being outside enjoying it, I am writing an incredibly long blog in an internet cafe. I am glowing more than usual here with foreignerness, my height and hair throwing everyone in my vicinity into a wild tizzy. They want to sell me EVERYTHING and are persistent to the bitter end. I received more marriage proposals today than I have received combined in the rest of my life. One of which included a tiny, slightly deformed man running after me with the plastic-wrapped meat cleavers he was selling in his hands, screaming, ´Soy feo, pero de corazon sincero!´(I´m ugly, but my heart is sincere!) and promising me that if I marry him, he is able to provide me with 2 meals a day and my own room in his apartment. What more could a girl ask for?

I´m looking forward to tomorrow, planning to get up early and go to the ruins of Sipan and still have time in the afternoon to take a bus to Pimentel for the day. Not that I need more sun, I´m a bit red, but I have to get my base tan at some point, and the clock is ticking. Tomorrow night or Saturday, depending, I´ll head to Trujillo and Chan Chan, and then Sunday or Monday to Arequipa. Adventures abound!

I am now going to go search for dinner, and it is likely that I will finally succumb to the temptations of anticucho, grilled beef heart on a stick. I hear it´s delicious.

Mancora, Peru... life is good

2009-12-08T20:31:00.002-05:00

I´m in a beautiful beach town in the very northern coast of Peru called Mancora. I arrived in Lima safely on Saturday, and was greeted as planned by Jano, a friend of a friend in Buenos Aires. The 2 of us went by combi (little crazy van buses that drive like maniacs) to my couchsurfing host´s house in Surco. Rocio and her family were the best hosts I could have imagined, took me in, made me a yummy lunch of arroz con pollo and gave me my own room. My first night I went out with Rocio and Jano in Miraflores for some delicious pisco sours. Explored Miraflores and the beautiful coastline malecon with the rest of my time in Lima... when I got back towrd the end of my trip I will explore the towntown historical areas. Yesterday went with Jano to Fiori, a wild bus terminal in the north of Lima to take a 17 hour bus ride to Mancora. Wasnt too bad considering it was a budget bus. The whole experience of the bus terminal was loco in itself, all the different buses lined up and bargaining bus fare.. anyway, here I am now at the beach, planning to stay here until Thursday and then begin going back south, first to Chiclaya and then to Trujillo, and then start heading down to Arequipa around the end of the weekend. I´m having a really fun adventure so far, and will update when I can, Peru is beautiful!!! So I´m sure no matter what I do it will be an incredible experience. Love to all!

Leaving Buenos Aires

2009-12-04T18:55:00.002-05:00

I am leaving Buenos Aires for 4 months of travel in 8 hours! I'm home packing like a maniac, the classic Erica move because I notoriously leave everything until the last possible minute.

Anyway I had a lot of other blogs I wanted to write about Argentina, and I hope to be able to write those and back-date them at some point, but for now, off I go on new adventures! First stop is Lima, Peru, and then... beyond! I'm couchsurfing in Lima for the first couple days, and have a friend of a friend picking me up from the airport... not a bad start, considering my utter lack of organization.

I plan to blog at least a couple times a month, and hopefully much much more. Please keep in touch and check in on the blog! Knowing someone is actually out there reading it inspires me to keep writing.

Love to all! Next time you hear from me I'll be in Peru. Besos!!!

xoxo

Ode to San Telmo

2009-11-21T20:41:00.018-05:00

My favorite thing about my entire experience in Buenos Aires? Living in San Telmo. Hands down.

It's not for everyone. All the cool people live in Palermo. San Telmo is dirty, dangerous, and covered in dog poo. None of the "coolest" bars are here. Everything is poorly marked. Most of the stores and kioskos require you to ring a doorbell to get in, or have bars on the doors that you have to reach through to buy a Coke or a pack of gum. It's not exactly luxurious, but it has a historically-rich and shabby-chic appeal that I find downright lovable.

In fact, looking off my balcony at the trash-littered streets and the sketchy types standing on the corner below me, make me incredibly happy and can always get a smile out of me. It's so real. When I am in San Telmo, I feel Buenos Aires in a way that I don't feel in Palermo or Recoleta or Belgrano or even downtown. They are places that are absolutely beautiful in their own right, but often make me feel like I could be in any international city. In many ways, for me anyway, San Telmo is Buenos Aires.

San Telmo, along with la Boca, is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city. By Buenos Aires standards it's a small neighborhood, and it's characterized by beautiful, (albeit run-down) colonial architecture, older locals recalling the good old days, and plenty of young, artsy bohemian types hanging around. It is home to a bursting tango scene, tons of art shops and galleries, cheap and amazing restaurants, and some of the best antiques shopping in the world.

My experience during these past nearly 10 months in Buenos Aires has had its ups and downs. There have been days when I've been really happy, and others when I've been miserable. Such is life. But one thing I've never regretted is my decision to live in San Telmo. It wasn't recommended, and even I myself wasn't quite sure why I was choosing it, but my apartment seemed nice and the area had a certain mystique that I just by instinct felt like I would jive with. All these months later, choosing to live here remains the best decision I've made during this entire experience.

I've compiled a small list of my favorite things in and about San Telmo, this barrio that I love so much.

Bar El Federal: (Peru y Carlos Calvo) Not only is it either the oldest or one of the oldest restaurants in San Telmo, but it's also fantastically grungy and perfect. The waiters give awful service, but never get an order wrong. The coffee is great, the decorations rustic and dusty, like being in an old cantina. It's one of my favorite places to sit for hours... and I do. I also live directly across the street, so it's one of the first things I see every morning.

La Poesía: (Bolivar y Chile) El Federal's sister restaurant. Same menu, same owner, different location, better service, plus a piano you can play if you're so inclined. Every table carries a plaque that lists a famous local person that used to sit there and what they used to work on (plays, books, etc)... neat.

Pizzeria Pirillo: (Defensa y Independencia) One of my more recent discoveries, which is a crying shame. It's so small that I've been walking by it for 9 months without noticing. Hole in the wall pizza joint, standing room only, selling slices for $3.25 pesos of either pizza, fugazetta (a pizza with cheese and onions), or faina (a baked chickpea yummy pizza thing). The make huuuuuuge round pizzas and then cut slices randomly out of it, so they're not necessarily in the shape of a triangle. Greasy, cheesy, perfect. It's been there since 1932 with the same, magical ovens. Marry me, Pirillo.

El Desnivel: (Defensa y Giufra) BEST STEAK IN BUENOS AIRES. I don't care what your guide book says. They are cheap and unpretentious and you'd be an idiot to miss out.

The Sunday feria and antiques market: (Plaza Dorrego and all along Defensa) There is nowhere else I'd rather be on a Sunday afternoon than right here in San Telmo at the feria. Every sunday, Plaza Dorrego becomes a diverse and very impressive antiques market, covered corner to corner with old jewelry and dishware and keys and musical instruments and bottles and coins and anything else you can think of. Calle Defensa, all the way from Plaza Dorrego to Avenida de Mayo, is covered with artisans and street vendors selling their clothes, jewelry, mates, toys, hand-painted signs, knick-knacks and a million other little things, while bands play all along the street, street performers strike poses, and a drum circle is always in progress. You can snack on a delicious pan relleno or fresh roasted nuts, or sip a glass of fresh squeeze orange juice while you enjoy the music and the vibe.

One of my favorite local groups, Orquesta Tipica Ciudad Baigón, performing tango music at the feria:

The choripan place on Carlos Calvo y Bolivar: AWESOME. Filled with disgusting old men. Piles of meat. $5 pesos for the choripan of your dreams. Open pretty late, just gets sketchier and more delicious with every passing hour.

The guy who sells Bugambilia flowers from the back of his bicycle.

Origen Café: (Humberto Primo y Peru) When you need something vegetarian and organic, or when you want to drink an ENORMOUS café con leche. Also the perfect spot to bring your laptop and spend hours using the wifi.

La Puerta Roja/ The Red Door: (Chacabuco y Chile) I was here every single weekend almost the entire time I've lived here. My friend Emilia worked here, I knew all the bartenders, they serve the amazing "chili bomb" (a shot of jalapeño-infused vodka dropped into a glass of Red Bull and chugged), and it was always good for a good time. It was basically my Cheers. These days, with most of my friends gone and Emilia no longer working there, I haven't been going much. But it'll always have a special place in my heart.

The epic quantities of trash in the street: I know I'm supposed to hate it. And I guess I kind of do. But it's also pretty uniquely disgusting, and that's saying something.

Just a wee bit of trash outside the Red Door:

Pride Café: (Balcarce y Giufra) Cute, cozy little gay-owned and operated café. Yummy coffee, plus they serve ham and cheese waffles... only in Argentina!

Calle Balcarce: My favorite street in Buenos Aires. Just so, so pretty. Cobblestones, sleepy cafes, and just a general sense of quiet. I stroll it often, just for the smell and the feel.

Guevara: (Plaza Dorrego) Coolest little hole-in-the-wall divey rock bar ever. Great music, great people, disgusting bathrooms. Get a liter of Warsteiner and dance the night away. Currently this is my favorite bar in the area... every time I go something exciting or hilarious happens!

MY APARTMENT: (Peru y Carlos Calvo) Obviously. It's the best, and even though my landlord keeps raising the price and that's obnoxious, and even though the internet is never working properly, and even though there was an iceberg growing in my refrigerator for 6 months and we don't really have a living room, it's still a place that makes me smile every time I walk in the door. My roommate Andrea is one of my favorite people ever, and standing on my balcony and looking down on the street below is one of the simple pleasures in my life. I've lived now in 3 of the 5 bedrooms here, and my current room is perfect. This place will missed.

Patagonia is the most gorgeous place in the world

2009-11-07T12:29:00.014-05:00

Where to even start?! I'm in El Calafate, Patagonia right now having an absolutely amazing time! Never in my life have I seen so much breathtaking beauty in one place. I have literally been in constant awe for the past 4 days. My friend from Boston, Dave, flew into Buenos Aires on Monday morning for a two week visit, and we're spending 8 days of it down here in Patagonia.

We flew down to El Calafate (where I am now writing this in a café) on Wednesday for the first leg of the trip. We took it easy for the first day and did some planning, and then Thursday set off on the excursion of a lifetime to visit Perito Moreno, a massive, incredible, perfect, unbelievably beautiful advancing glacier! It's truly a wonder to see... and hear! Because of its constant movement (it is said to advance up to 2 meters per day), you don't need to be near it very long to see and hear huge icebergs calving off it and falling into the water below.

I can guarantee that no photo can do this glacier, or any scenery in Patagonia for that matter, any sort of justice. But I will certainly try. :-) This is the view from the glacier from the balconies, during the first part of our excursion.

And here is one of the may views from the back, after we took a boat around to the other side.

Then the most exciting part came-- an ice trek, complete with crampons, on top of the glacier itself!! It was so much fun, so unique! We wandered around the glacier by jamming our crampons into the ice (its like walking normally but more aggressively, like stomping), and just enjoyed reveling in the utter beauty of it all. The glacier was perfectly white, as were the clouds above, and so at times it appeared I was just walking through a perfect sea of white. I've never felt so exhilerated!

Then, as if the day hadn't been perfect already, we finished off the tour by arriving back from our trek to glasses of whiskey, poured over natural glacier ice. Perfect.

To top it all off we had ideal weather throughout the day. Apparently the day had called for rain or even snow, but instead we had perfect skies, "warm" weather (aka I was only wearing 3 layers instead of 4 or 5), and no precipitation. We really lucked out with some incredible conditions.

...and that was just Thursday!

Yesterday we got up early, rented a car, and took a road trip to El Chaltén, a tiny town, population about 600, completely surrounded by mountains as far as the eye can see. It's truly a gem. The entire road trip (about 2.5 hours via the famous Rt. 40) consisted of Dave and I staring in amazement at the scenery outside. There is literally NOTHING but incredible landscapes, the occasional cow, horse, or guanaco, and breathtaking views Lago Argentino, Lago Viedma, and the Andes mountains off in the distance.

Once in El Chaltén, we headed off to do a hike and see some of the spectacular views we'd both heard about. Once again we had a perfect day. The sun was shining brightly, and the sky was a clear blue with just a few fluffy white clouds. For a place famous for getting snow in summer and heavy precipitation, it really felt like the gods were on our side. We hiked for about 5 hours on the Sendero de Fitz Roy, a trail that took us up to incredible views of Mount Fitz Roy, several glaciers, and a lake called Lago Capri. We even drank the natural river water that was flowing by, as it is totally uncontaminated and refreshing to drink. (What a concept!)

Here's the river we drank from, with views of the mountains behind... Mount Fitz Roy is off to the left, buried in the clouds.

And this is a view of the mountains with glaciers nestled within them... can you make out the two bits of blue glaciers, one to the left and another to the right, along the part where the mountains meet the land in the photo?

I don't know quite how to capture with words the magic that exists in these places, but it is truly something special. I've never before felt so utterly blown away by the world. Seeing how much natural beauty exists makes everything else seem so small. At the base of Mount Fitz Roy, with the sun on your face and crisp air in your lungs, all problems disappear.

I don't think words like these even require a summary, but overall I can say I am having what I would consider one of the most amazing times of my life. And it's not over yet! Today, Dave and I will head to the airport and fly to Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego until Wednesday evening when we head back to Buenos Aires. We plan to hike, relax, eat some fresh seafood, and hopefully see some penguins.

And now...to the end of the earth!

Ain't like it used to be

2009-11-01T17:10:00.005-05:00

You know, I've been thinking about how EASY us travelers have it lately. With all of the technology we have available these days, there is no reason not to communicate or to feel truly disconnected anymore. Times really have changed.

I'm going to make myself sound really old right now. Back when I started really traveling 9 years ago (my first real independent travel experience was when I lived in Granada, Spain in 2000, at the ripe age of 19), cell phones were juuuuust coming into fashion, most of my family didn't use email, and I had (gasp!) a non-digital camera which required me to actually develop film. Skype, ipods, and even this beloved blog weren't even a gleam in my eye... yet.

And that was NOTHING. Four years later, in 2004 I spent 4.5 months living in Havana, Cuba, where I couldn't make a phone call to the US (banned), check email (i had no internet at my house and there were only two computers at my office, and when they were working, they were in hot demand-- so I emailed about once a week, briefly), blog (internet connection was just too slow, and no one knew what a blog was then anyway), facebook (I didn't even have MYSPACE yet, people!), or really effectively communicate with my friends and family at home AT ALL.

Granted, living in Cuba is a specific set of circumstances in itself with more restrictions than most places, but still, when I find myself homesick and disconnected here in Buenos Aires, surrounded by modern technology, I'm humbled by the months I spent in near confinement in Havana, and I'm thankful for all the communication I have. I know my parents are too. :-)

A year after Cuba, in January of 2005 after graduating from college I bought myself the famous one way ticket to Mexico, and much to the horror of my mother, proceeded to largely disappear int the abyss that is Mexico and Central America for about 6 months. I didn't have a laptop, so it was internet cafes all the way. Skype didn't exist (or did it? In any case, I didn't know about it.) and so calling cards were how I called home. Video chat still felt like a thing of the future. Blogging still felt too complicated, uploading photos too slow. I still communicated via the postcard, while my poor parents waited weeks for their respective phone calls to alert them that I hadn't been abducted by guerrillas in Chiapas, wasn't thrown into a Salvadorian prison, had survived my stint in the Guatemalan hospital. I could hear the incredible relief on the other end of the line literally every time I reached my mom.

These days, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, our calls rarely, if ever, reach that level of relief/ desperation. Why? Because she and everyone else knows where I am and that I'm safe at all times. Haven't received an email from me lately? Check my blog. Look at my pictures and read my status updates on Facebook. Call me on Skype for a live video chat. Suddenly 8,000 miles of separation just dissolves.

I listen to music and my beloved Dan Savage podcasts on my ipod... carry photos, important files, and anything else my heart desires with me whenever I want on a tiny and convenient thumb drive... I make calls from my house phone, cell phone, Skype line... I have friends on Facebook and Myspace, Yelp, Messenger, g-chat... I can upload digital photos online with one click...and I can tell you all about it on a this blog.

So as I prepare myself for a long 4 months of travel around South America, I am comforted to know that no matter how far away I am, there is always going to be an internet café in the city nearest me, and there, you are all just one click away.

And YOU will be comforted to know that I am, you know, alive. :-)

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T18:38:00.010-04:00

It's hard to get into the Halloween spirit when it's hot outside and I'm in a culture that doesn't really celebrate. Luckily, I've been inspired by the enthusiasm of my American friends, and will be going to a costume party this evening as Pippi Longstocking. Haha!!

Mismatched stripes socks + ridiculous layers of colorful skirts and dresses + classic wirey braids = Halloween miracle

Happy Halloween to all!

---------------------------------
UPDATE: Nov. 1st

The party was a lot of fun! I went with Andrea (who was Bam Bam from the Flinstones, and the rest of the Flinstones were there too), Ali (who was Lady Gaga's disco stick) and Claire (who was a Walk of Shame hahaha).

Anyway, it was about 7:00am by the time Andrea and I made it back to San Telmo... we got off the bus and were walking home, and a group of guys walked past us and made some unpleasant comments. As they walked ahead, I thought I felt one of them touch my bag. I looked and it had been unzipped and... my camera was gone! Given the amount of alcohol in my system and the number of hours we'd been out partying, I processed things fairly quickly... within about 30 seconds I realized what had happened and spotted the guy still walking up ahead of me. So on instinct, I ran after the guy! I don't think he expected that, because he didn't really react. When I caught up with him I just tapped him on the shoulder and said, "You stole my camera!" and he kind of stared at me, shook his head, and tried to cover his pocket, but the IDIOT, I could see my camera's chord hanging out!! So I just grabbed it out of his pocket and ran. Luckily it was broad daylight and there were other people on the street, so I felt reasonably safe from being re-attacked. I also took opportunity to yell some unpleasant comments of my own at him as I ran off. But the whole thing was insane.

The part I find most hilarious, of course, is that this all happened while I was in my Pippi costume. :-)

That's my first time being pick-pocketed, and I guess you could say it went rather well. It was quite empowering, anyway! Not to mention a good lesson for me to learn. I tend to walk around obliviously, and I suppose it wouldn't kill me to be more careful. It was such a close call, and I might not be so lucky next time.

Moral of the story-- Don't mess with Pippi.

Plane Tickets Purchased!

2009-10-29T10:44:00.002-04:00

Yesterday afternoon, after much headache, I bought my plane tickets for Peru, Colombia, and Brazil! Sooo exciting! And nothing like putting a large sum of money on your credit card to make a trip seem very real. They are not-refundable, so it's official!

I spent a long time stressing about where I would be for Christmas and New Year, because let's face it, I may not be religious, but I can be quite sentimental when it comes to missing holidays with my family. I finally determined that I would head to La Paz, Bolivia to be with my roommate Andrea and her family (she's Bolivian/American) for Christmas and then jet up to Manizales, Colombia to be with my other roommate Diana in her hometown for the New Year.

Unfortunately, it didn't quite work out that way, as I couldn't find any flights from La Paz to Bogotá, without basically doubling the cost of the whole trip. So I resigned myself to flying out of Lima, and I will take things as they come. I have an Irish friend who I met here in Buenos Aires during my TOEFL course who is now living in Arequipa, Peru, and it's possible I'll go stay with him, or also possible I'll find a way to wander into Bolivia for the holiday and then back out. The exciting part is that I have no idea!!

Plane itinerary is:

December 5th-- Fly from Buenos Aires to Lima, Peru (3 weeks in Lima, Arequipa, Cuzco, Machu Micchu, and beyond)
December 29th-- Fly from Lima to Bogotá, Colombia (5 whole weeks exploring Colombia's beaches, cities, and jungle, with a likely road trip through parts with Diana and her boyfriend!)
February 4th-- Fly from Bogotá to Sao Paulo, Brazil (a week in Sao Paulo, then Rio de Janeiro for Carnival! And then who knows... I didn't buy a return ticket for a reason!)

It all feels a bit surreal, but is happening regardless, and I am acutely aware that this is probably the coolest thing I have ever done, and I need to make the most of it. Four months traveling in beautiful places. Four months with no job!! Yes, my excitement greatly outweighs my nervousness. I'll do my best to keep my blog updated with my location while I travel... I need to learn to make one of those google map "where is Erica now?" thingies....

Help me plan

2009-10-08T21:25:00.004-04:00

Anyone who has talked to me in the past few days knows that I'm basically freeeeeaking out about all the stuff I have to do and how little time I have to do it. HALP.

Basically, somehow I have less than 2 months in Buenos Aires?!?! How can this be?? No, really, where does the time go? And basically, amidst a week visit from my sister Christie this week (yay!) and a two week visit from my friend Dave in November (yay!), I also need to apply to grad school/ financial aid/ scholarships, and figure out my entire 4 month travel plan around South America!!!! All while still working. I'm on contract and am too nice (and frankly, too in need of the recommendation) to break it.

Okay, so this is where YOU, oh loyal reader, come in. I'm talking to YOU, anyone who has ever traveled around South America. I need some tips, because I'm running into some major issues.

The biggest one is that I hate planning, obviously. I'm the kind of traveler who likes to just show up to a place, see what's going on, and take it from there. And that is exactly what I would do if it weren't for various frustrating details like...

1. Visas. I need one for Bolivia and another for Brasil, and I apparently can't get them without having proof of how I'm entering and leaving the country, which means advanced tickets. :-( Ughhhh can someone help me get around this?
2. Carnival. I want to be in Rio de Janeiro for Carnival, which is going to be AMAZING amazing amazing amazing, but before all transportation into the city around that time completely sells out, I need to book my travel... which means I need to decide which city I'll be coming from, and when...
3. Various excursions, like Machu Picchu... so expensive! And reservations months in advance, are you kidding me? Can people with experience please chime in here and tell me the cheapest and most last minute ways to trek Machu Picchu?? I don't care if it's the Inca Trail, it can be an alternate route, but I am not spending $500 on a 4 day hike. Also, the Ciudad Perdida in Colombia... anyone done it? Tips? Good/ bad?
4. Christmas and New Years... god when did I become so sentimental... I just don't want to be alone at these holidays! So I'm attempting to do very illogical things in my travel plans in order to be near people I know for the holidays... which I think might be kind of stupid. Right now it's between Colombia (where roomie Diana is from) and Bolivia (where roomie Andrea will be), if that makes any sense.

As you can see, I'm scatter-brained and a horrible planner. That being said, I am SO EXCITED about the upcoming adventures! Just could use a few tips from those who've done it to help me get into the trip planning groove.

Mochilera

2009-10-07T00:33:00.003-04:00

My neighborhood San Telmo (my one true love in Buenos Aires) is amazing, colonial, peaceful, rustic, filled with creative young people, cheaper than most parts of town, has an off-the-beaten-path vibe... and yet is overrun with tourists. I hate admitting it, but San Telmo, let's face it, is no secret. And all day every day as I stroll my streets, go in and out of my apartment, run to the store, walk to the gym, or go to pick up an alfajor at the kiosko, I encounter groups of mochileros, backpackers, getting out of taxis, examining their maps, searching for their hostels with looks of awe, confusion, and utter GREENness on their faces.. and I think to myself, "HA! Glad I'm not you!!!"

I remember my days of backpacking in Europe in '03 or through Mexico in '05... it was a blast!... And yet there is something about having a massive backpack on your back that just screams "I'm not from here!" in a way that even my red hair and fair skin cannot compete with. It's truly been a joy to live long term in a place where I can more or less integrate, get to know the locals, and be a recognized neighborhood face, rather than just another tourist to overcharge.

As I walked home today, one of these groups was hovering around the corner from my house, clearly looking around for their hostel-- the signage is not so good in San Telmo-- and I had a moment.. THAT IS GOING TO BE ME. Oh me god, THAT IS GOING TO BE ME IN TWO MONTHS.

Panic.

No more integration. No more house keys. No more neighborly smiles from the weird hairdresser guy downstairs.

THAT IS GOING TO BE ME.

Once again, I am tossing stability, clean laundry, and my very own bed to the wind, in favor of the open road. It's a beautiful experience, one of my favorite feelings in the world, and yet stability is not an easy thing to leave behind, even if you're crazy old Me. That feeling of heading home, cooking a meal in YOUR kitchen, and getting into YOUR bed at night is something truly wonderful. And for four months, I won't feel that. Not even once. It's... well, eye-opening to think about.

In Peru, Colombia, Brasil, or Bolivia, I won't be the knowledgeable ex-pat living and working in the area, won't be someone who knows the local haunts and scenes or someone whose opinion on local matters is worth asking for-- I'll be a tourist, just like everyone else. Ugghhhh it hurts to even type it.

Going to the gym is hard enough...

2009-10-02T15:26:00.007-04:00

I've taken to going to the gym. Months ago I was running, but then I developed those shin splints I couldn't shake, so then I sat about lazily for a few months, and in August I re-motivated and re-started the tedious process of finding a gym in San Telmo.

Oh, there are gyms in San Telmo, but they ain't pretty. It's hard enough to go to the gym when it's clean, modern, and offers plasma TV screens on every treadmill (man, I miss Healthworks). But motivating to exercises in a dirty environment? on 80s equipment? to walk on a MANUALLY-OPERATED treadmill?! Simply not happening. And yes, people, they still exits!

San Telmo gyms are where all used First World gym equipment goes to die.

The process of choosing a gym was simply ridiculous. Unlike other parts of the city that are a bit more upscale (Palermo, Recoleta, or even the downtown/Microcentro area, for example), San Telmo doesn't have any "nicer" options, so us gym rats are left with hole-in-the-wall gyms. The fancy gym chain Megatlon, for example, doesn't have a location anywhere near me. Not that I could afford it anyway.

I spent weeks going in and out of the gyms in the area trying to decide who would get my $90 pesos/ month. Most are small, dusty, and have limited equipment. One, for example, only had one treadmill and one stationary bike and weights. Another one only had treadmills that were non-electric... I don't even know how those things operate, but I'm SURE they haven't been manufactured for at least 20 years! And one of the nicest options, a big place with a pool and yoga classes, required me to get a physical examination with one of their doctors before joining, and not only did I have to pay extra for that, but the waiting list to see the doctor was over a month long. Bureaucracy!!!

I finally settled on City Gym, a short 4 block walk from my house. I like it enough and the people are friendly, but I've really had to lower the bar. The machines are often broken, and no one wipes them down (how very fancy of me to expect my machines NOT to be slimed over with someone else's sweat). There are spinning classes, and I LOVE spinning classes, but the bikes are atrocious. The bikes I'm used to in the US have knobs that you can give a couple full turns to in order to achieve a variety of different levels, but on these bikes you just barely touch the knob and the level changes from easy to impossible. It's a bit of a mess. On the upside, one of my spinning teachers plays cumbia and reggaeton music and gets up and dances in the middle of the class, which is always hilarious.

I'm sure I've developed a reputation as that red-faced red-headed foreign girl, but I think I've gone enough now that people are used to seeing me around and don't gawk quite as much. Now I do the gawking. I can't believe the boys who work out in Chucks, or worse, alpargatas. Nuts.

Hilarious student quotes... about me

2009-09-24T19:05:00.004-04:00

Haha!! My students crack me up.

Top two quotes I've received from students so far:

1. "Erica, you are half spicy woman, half crazy monkey!" (From Pedro, who has the pleasure of hearing my latest crazy stories every Friday afternoon.)

and

2. "Now I suppose I need a psychologist more than a teacher. The new girl is a good teacher, but she needs your piece of madness... and your portion of beer." (From Guillermo, in an email lamenting that I was no longer teaching him, and comparing me to his new teacher.)

I really, really, REALLY <3 my students!

I'll post more quotes if I think to write them down. I get some good ones from time to time. :-)

Felíz Día de la Primavera

2009-09-21T18:52:00.004-04:00

Happy First Day of Spring!! To me! And to those back home, happy first day of fall! Which is fine I guess, but spring is way better. :-)

Today was gorgeous. It was really a great day, considering it's Monday. I worked all morning teaching in an office, then hit the gym, and then wandered outside with some friends to drink mate, attempt to fly Diana's homemade kite, and sit outside in the grass in Puerto Madero... the sun was bright and gorgeous, the sky a perfect blue. To top it off, I then taught my afternoon class outside at a café over a café con leche. Couldn't have asked for more.

It's also Día del Estudiante (Student Day) today, so all the kids didn't have school, and were out in full force drinking beer in the streets. There must have been thousands of teenagers wandering around drunk and happy in the sun, and I marveled at their life, and contemplated how I might have turned out had I been permitted to do such a thing at age 13. (Kids here ages 12-17 can go to certain nightclubs... they just have to leave at the reasonable hour of.. ahem... 3:00am, when the adults arrive... it's so crazy to think about, so different from my childhood!!!) However, there were also a lot of police out monitoring things, so nothing too crazy happened.

From here it will just get hotter and hotter until the sweltering heat and oppressive humidity finally take over Buenos Aires this summer... around that time, I will be off on my next travel adventure, hopefully to places equally warm and yet significantly less humid. I'll keep you posted.

...e iré lejos, como un bohemio...

2009-09-18T12:19:00.005-04:00

I've made some big, big, BIG life decisions recently, so listen up, peeps!

First of all, my biggest news of all is that I've decided to apply to graduate school at the School for International Training (SIT) in Brattleboro, Vermont for Fall '10. Yes, this means that if I get it (fingers crossed please!) I will be gracing you all with my presence back in the NE. The program would be a 1-year Masters in International Education, the focus being on managing international education/study programs, which many of you know that 1) I've wanted to do for a long time, and 2) well, I'm kind of perfect for. :-) So I'm very excited to have discovered this program, and will be working on getting my application in ASAP!

Also, I'll be leaving Buenos Aires, basically for good, the first week of December. This is something I've gone back and forth about forever... do I stay? do I go? keep trying? will it get better? will I learn to love it? Frankly, the past 7.5 months that I've been here have been bittersweet. I've learned so much, grown and changed so much, and gained incredibly valuable life experience, and I wouldn't change that for anything. However, it's also taken its toll on me. The people aren't what I'd --ahem-- wished they would be. It's not an open, friendly place. I have my friends, most of whom are from other countries like me, and I love them to death. But it's a lonely life here. I never quite fit in, never quite made it totally work. Every day has been a challenge with work life, cultural issues, people, and just general navigation of my daily life. And challenges are good, and its been good for me in many ways, but I think I've gotten what I can out of this experience, and it's time to move on. I just never fell in love with Buenos Aires the way I guess I hoped I would.

So, this is not bad news! It's actually very exciting. After spending this whole year teaching (and really loving it in the end), I feel so confident about this decision, and so ready to take on whatever life throws at me next. I am a strong believer that everything happens for a reason, and that each decision we make, each turn we make when the road divides and we choose our path, is right. It's right, even when it's wrong. Because as the old saying goes, "when one door close, another door always opens." I live my life by this philosophy, and it's taken me this far.

My next adventure is (well, after I turn in my grad school application, of course) to do a long trip around South America. It's such a huge, diverse continent, with so many amazing things to see an do, and I want to soak up as much as possible before I go. Because who knows when the next time I will be passing through S. America will be! I've decided to travel for approximately 4 months, December-March, then popping back into BsAs for my good byes (and to get my stuff) and then heading back to the States around mid-April.

The very-tentative-and-very-subject-to-change plan is to visit both the northern and southern regions of Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Brasil, and Bolivia. My friend Dave will be down for a visit in November, and we'll go to Patagonia together, thus checking that off the list! So the rest will happen Dec-March, and will probably go in the order I listed them. I want a full month in Colombia and another full month in Brasil, I want to climb Machu Picchu, I want to explore Bolivia, I want to spend Carnaval in Rio! I want to do a lot. And you know what, I'm young (for a little while longer!) so why not?

Travel is worth going totally broke for.

So that, my friends, is my grand update. I welcome any and all suggestions you have about my travels, and any feedback you have on these new plans and ideas! I'm very excited, nervous too, but mostly just happy to throw my backpack on and do some serious traveling, and then see my friends and family back in the States again. By the time I get back in April, 14 months will have passed. I think that's plenty.

Love to all!

The People's Republic of Florida

2009-09-16T13:08:00.005-04:00

Quick rant-- I'm not so sure having been to Florida exactly counts as a visit to the United States. I mean, sure, somewhere in the fine print I suppose Florida is technically part of the US, but... come on! We all know that Florida is a separate country... at least culturally speaking.

So, for those of you saying that you've experienced American culture (and especially to those of you who seem to have strong opinions of "who my people are" based on that experience) because you spent a week or two lounging on the beaches of Miami (speaking Spanish, no less) and then another week parading from one attraction to another at Disney World, well you, my friend, are mistaken.

That is all! :-)

Happy Teacher's Day!

2009-09-11T20:32:00.004-04:00

Today is Teacher's Day in Argentina-- that's me! I'm celebrating in a couple ways.

1) Tonight I am going out to dinner with everyone from the English Institute that I work for, Network Institute. They've invited us all out to celebrate our day, and conveniently the restaurant is located right down the street from me. Also, it'll be a good opportunity for me to meet everyone, because although I recognize most of the teachers by sight, I really don't know any of them at all. They are all Argentines (I'm the one native speaker at the school, so of course they pimp me out) so it should be interesting. I'm looking forward to a quiet night of free dinner, meeting my colleagues, and celebrating my very first Teacher's Day together. :-)

2) YESTERDAY, I QUIT WORKING FOR THAT CRAZY %$#*& VIVIAN!!! I couldn't be happier! The story is, she never pays me on time, ever. And then when I tell her I need my money, she either doesn't answer the phone or return calls, or she just yells at me and hangs up on me. She's really, truly awful. The worst. So this month, as always, when pay day came and went once again, I sent her my usual emails and made my usual phone calls, and she ignored me. So I called her a million times, and she ignored me. I got really mad, realizing she was screening my calls, and finally called her from another phone... and like magic, she answered! ...Then proceeded to yell and scream at me and.. you guessed it... hang up on me. Ughhh I hate her. So I finally got in touch with her husband, and yesterday after a huge headache and a lot of stress, finally got my money from him. The whole process was incredibly stressful, and this happens every month! And it seems like every month just gets worse and she treats me more and more disrespectfully. I mean, I'm her employee! So I made a difficult but ultimately good decision, and I decided that even though I love the students I teach for her, I have to stop working for her. It's not worth the money, and it's not worth the strain on my mental health. The moment the money hit my hand last night, I sat down and sent her an email explaining that I was resigning, effective immediately. This decision means a smaller paycheck, but it also means more free time, more time to potentially take on new students, and more time to take care of myself. And a whole lot less stress.

Happy Teacher's Day to me!

La Tormenta de Santa Rosa

2009-08-31T14:25:00.002-04:00

The weather in Argentina is a bit crazy. Right now, for example, it's winter, headed toward spring, and yet all weekend it was simply gorgeous, perfect summery weather. Blue skies, sun, and hot hot hot-- in fact, I spent all afternoon yesterday in the park in a sun dress trying to take my extreme whiteness to a healthy shade of pink. (I failed-- still white.)

The summer-in-winter weather has been a popular topic of discussion in my classes, and so this week several of my students have told me the story of La Tormenta de Santa Rosa -aka- the Santa Rosa Storm. This is a storm that every year inevitably hits the week of August 30th, either a few days before or after.

Apparently, every year around this time, it oddly gets very hot and nice, like a flash forward to summer. Then suddenly, within a couple days of August 30th, Santa Rosa blows through the city, usually with heavy rains and strong winds, and takes the warm weather away when it goes.

Anyway, it was impossible for me to believe yesterday, looking up at the perfect blue, cloudless sky that there could be a storm today, but the weathermen insisted. And lo and behold, today, right on schedule, I woke up to a grey sky, torrential rain and heavy winds. SANTA ROSA!

In all honestly, it wasn't bad. Granted, it's still mid-day and maybe it will get bad again, but it seems to be clearing up a bit, albeit a very ugly, grey day. But once again the legend was right... Santa Rosa really does strike, without fail, right at this time. This naysayer has been humbled.

Here's one article about today's mini-Santa Rosa Storm. And here's some more information on Santa Rosa, which talks a bit about its history.

Dad arrived!

2009-08-11T13:30:00.002-04:00

After much anticipation, my dad arrived in Buenos Aires this morning! He'll be here for 2 weeks of wine, steak and tango. Life is hard. :-)

MUSIC

2009-08-10T11:47:00.008-04:00

I love music, you love music. If you don't love music, what do you live for?

I think a lot about the soundtrack to my life. I feel like everything I'm doing, there is a song playing in the background, literally or figuratively, that sort of narrates it all... it's like a free concert in there at all times, and I have the VIP pass... which explains why I have been known, from time to time, to bust out in a sudden dance party in the middle of the street. I don't need outside music to dance-- it's inside my head. I wonder a lot, what would the sound track be if they were to make a movie about my life?.. and then I make long, long, endless lists inside my head...

(It's a very schizophrenic soundtrack, and I'm not so sure anyone would actually buy it, but it starts off sort of slow and jammy with a Dispatch/Ani DiFranco collaboration, and Tracy Chapman is there [like a dream] and I think India.Arie is in there somewhere too... then it goes all nuts and Jurassic 5, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, and Outkast all step in to take care of things... which logically progresses to Weezer, fading into Ween, then Iron and Wine... in the distance, the Buena Vista Social Club is playing... in the foreground, it's a messy dance off between Michael Jackson and Madonna... the Beatles start to fade in and next thing you know, Amy Winehouse is there. naturally, MGMT comes next, followed by a confusing mish mash of The Clash, Johnny Cash, the Killers, Nirvana, Pink Floyd, Portishead... Britney Spears?? where did she come from?! and then it's just Lauryn Hill, a capella, joined eventually by a solo Joe Strummer [without his Mescaleros], and then a single guitar... drums... BASS... salsa beats, tango... acoustic... electric... rock n roll, swing... reggae reggae reggae [this is, of course, my life, afterall]... the Chili Peppers are never far away, Sublime wants in on the fun, and all the while, Yo La Tengo has been playing 'Autumn Sweater' over and over... then 2Pac! then Cake!... then a moment of silence... and then it goes on and on and on...)

Is the soundtrack to my life bilingual? trilingual? more?

Well, now that my life is in Spanish, I'm becoming more and more into música en español. I've always been into a few bands here and there, but lately I find myself listening to more in Spanish than in English. It's good practice, but also, I've just been discovering a lot of bands I like. Thought I'd share them with you... no pressure, but if you want to practice your Spanish, maybe you could brush up with some of these band recommendations.

Disclaimer: This is a non-comprehensive list and a very spur-of-the-moment blog post. Feel free to add/ suggest stuff, congratulate me for my great choices, or berate me for my terrible taste.

Some favorites/ classics from various countries:
Manu Chao-- If for some reason you've been under a rock for the last 10 years and haven't heard his stuff, GO GET IT NOW. He's originally from France, but sings in Spanish, English, and French.
Orishas-- Cuban hip hop, not to be missed.
Maná-- One of the greatest bands OF ALL TIME. From Mexico. I particularly recommend their unplugged album.
Buena Vista Social Club-- A bunch of old Cuban men making music??? Yes, please! Pretty much amazing.
Jarabe de Palo-- I am in LOVE. Sometimes I spend hours listening to the same 5 Jarabe de Palo songs on repeat. From Spain.

Some Argentine rock you should know about that I've been rocking out to lately:
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
Bersuit Vergarabat
Soda Stereo
No Te Va a Gustar
Los Piojos
Divididos
Charly García
Babasónicos
(...ugh I am looking for more good local bands, so Argentine readers, please burn me some CDs so I can recommend, yes?? Gracias.)

Anyway, enjoy.

Time flies..

2009-08-05T13:17:00.002-04:00

Wow! Today I celebrate 6 months of living in Buenos Aires... qué loco! It has been an intense ride, has had its ups and downs, trials and tribulations... but I have also made some amazing life-long friends, grown up and learned a lot, started a successful new career as a teacher, and had a lot of time to reflect on my life and what I really want. Living here has been an important part of my personal evolution, and for better or for worse, I wouldn't change it for the world.

...Here's to 6 more!

Rat Race

2009-08-04T10:49:00.002-04:00

Dear Subte Riders,

Trains generally have a maximum capacity. What that means, for those of you who have no clue, is that there is a point that a train car reaches at which it is PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE for any more of you to cram inside without suffocating each other to death, which I sometimes wish you would do. Please just let me out first.

Getting onto the Buenos Aires subte with you people during rush hour is all the proof I need that bad karma exists... and apparently I've had it piling up for years now. What have I done to deserve this? I'm SORRY for that time that I did that thing that made me deserve this! May I please stop being punished now?

You all wait impatiently for the train to pull up, your toes curling dangerously over the edge of the platform, your necks strained sideways into the tunnel, trying to catch a glimpse of the oncoming train. Is it there yet? IS IT THERE YET?!?! You're all looking at each other, deciding who is the weakest link, who is most easily trampled, who is best avoided. You're clutching your MP3 players, your MP4 players, your cell phones (which, of course, are blasting cumbia music), your multiple children, and you're deciding who's heads you'll need to step over to GET ON THAT TRAIN.

The train pulls up. It's full of people who aren't getting off. The platform is full of people who want to get on. The doors clamor open...

Suddenly I feel like Violet Beauregarde, swollen up like a giant blueberry, being squeezed and pressed in Willie Wonka's factory juicing room.

There's nothing for me to hold onto, but the crowds have me propped up. I'm holding my breath and counting to a million, while some sort of midget slips past my legs. The child next to me seems to have the Swine Flu, and his father's eyes are blaming me. I'm gripping my wallet.

We go half a stop, and somewhere in the middle of the tunnel, a few of you decide you need to get off. You cannot wait until we reach the stop, you need to get off NOW! Yes, you've alerted everyone in earshot that you will, in fact, be disembarking shortly, and we are now all expected to somehow maneuver around you in a space too tight to breathe in, because you would like to be closer to the door when it opens, thankyouverymuch. WHAT IS WITH YOU PEOPLE? Why can you not at least wait until the train is slowing down, maybe even until a couple people get out, so that the rest of us don't spend our entire commute stressing about how far ahead YOU are in the exit queue?!

Congratulations. You made it off the train exactly .000567 seconds earlier than you would have otherwise. I hope it was worth it, because as a result, I'm sporting a blue and purple bruise the size of your face on my upper thigh.

Damnit, subte riders, you are worse than Bostonian T riders! And THAT is something I never thought I would hear myself say.

Besos,
Erica

The Illegal Immigrant Goes to Uruguay

2009-08-03T15:37:00.013-04:00

I just got back last night from an awesome 3 day trip to Montevideo, Uruguay! As most of you know, I need to leave Argentina every 3 months to have my tourist visa renewed for another 90 days, so that I can continue to stay here. This isn't "legal," per se, but it's the closet thing I have. As in, I'm allowed to be here, but I'm not supposed to be... ahem... working...

Anyway, 3 months ago I told you of my journey to the lovely, quaint, and kind of boring Colonia, Uruguay, the closest option for those of us needing to get our passports stamped. This time, I decided to be just slightly more adventurous and check out Uruguay's capital city of Montevideo. I'm happy to report that it was a great decision, and well worth the additional money I spent.

Not only was this my first time in Montevideo, but it was also my first time making use of my Couchsurfing membership. As I made the plans, some people advised me not to to trust the site, while most people encouraged me to be my usual adventurous self and give it a shot. The premise of the website is that it connects travelers with other like-minded individuals who are willing to offer their couch for the night, or if they can't offer that, will often offer to show you around their city while you're there. People can leave each other references, both positive and negative, to tell others of their experiences, and can "vouch" for other members to help prove their trustworthiness. Although there is room for error, overall it is a site that seems to attract really buena onda people from all over the world. I'm excited to be a part of their community, honestly.

Anyway, I joined last year at some point, but have never actually used it, neither to host someone nor to be hosted. Several weeks ago I began contacting people living in Montevideo who were offering their couches, and of the 4 people I wrote to, all 4 wrote me back saying they'd be happy to host! After asking a few more questions and chatting over email, I finally decided to stay with a guy named Pablo, who seemed like he'd be a fun person to get to know, and seemed willing to show me around. Turns out I couldn't have made a better choice!

I purchased the cheapest possible travel option, a $280 AR peso round trip ticket through Buquebus by boat and bus, each way involving 3 hours by boat between Buenos Aires and Colonia, and another 2.5ish hours by bus between Colonia and Montevideo. It's actually quite a pleasant trip, with both the boat and bus offering nice comfortable seats to fall asleep in. The boat ride even had live entertainment both ways! I mean, I slept through it, but still, it was an option.

Anyway, I'd canceled my Friday classes for the trip, and left Friday morning, arriving around 3:00pm Friday afternoon. As Pablo wasn't getting off work until later, I killed a few hours alone in the city. I hopped a bus and took it through the center and down into the Ciudad Vieja (Old City), where I jumped off and wandered the streets for a while. I stopped to enjoy Plaza Independencia...

and Plaza de la Constitución...

...before planting myself in a café to enjoy a steaming hot café con leche and to read my book. A perfect afternoon.

Later that evening, I met up with Pablo and his brother, Gonzalo, and hung out with them in their cute apartment for several hours, just getting to know them. Gonzalo is a 22 year old economics student, Pablo is a 29 year old software engineer, and quite a well-traveled one at that. It's no wonder we got along so well. We discussed the finer points of Uruguayan society, in particular how much better Uruguayans are than Argentines (ha!), and debated who had invented what. Who invented dulce de leche, the Uruguayans or the Argentines, for example? Well, let's just say there are two sides to every story. ;-)

The 3 of us headed back down to the Ciudad Vieja for some beer and pizza mixed with some great live Brasilian music and salsa dancing. We had a blast, and I enjoyed hanging out in the Montevideo social scene, one that for me was super fun and much more laid back than what I'm used to back in Buenos Aires.. it was a welcome change, to say the least. My first impressions were that the Uruguayans are more polite, more respectful, and the population is more diverse. I felt like I fit in better there.

It was freezing cold all weekend, and I don't have a proper winter coat with me down here, but that didn't stop Pablo and I from spending all day on Saturday riding his and his brother's old beat up bikes through the city and all along the Rambla (the coast). We must have gone about 20 kms total that day. We enjoyed some time at Parqué Rodó...

...and we checked out a nice big chunk of the Montevideo coastline, facing the beautiful (well, on the Uruguay side, anyway) Rio de la Plata River...

...hung out and smiled, even though we were freeeeezing...

...saw their lighthouse, which I expected to be huge and was this tiny little thing...

...and of course the Yacht Club. Not to be missed.

While in BsAs the river is a yucky brown poo color, in Uruguay it is actually blue! Go figure.

The only bad thing all weekend happened Saturday night when Pablo got mugged. Ughhhh oh man it was awful. It's funny, because I've been in Buenos Aires for 6 months, and so far (knock on wood, ugh) I haven't had any problems. And Uruguay is a "much safer" country. However, on my second day there, I experienced my first mugging. Funny how life works.

We were walking home from the bar around 2:30am (not too late, by S. American standards), and a group of 3 guys walking toward us walked straight up to him and said they had a weapon (probably not true, but still), that there were 6 of them (I only saw 3, but still), and to give them all his money. So he did, and after a few minutes they ran off. The weird thing is that they didn't even look at me, an obviously foreign girl carrying a purse. It was like I wasn't even there. I didn't even realize what was happening at first because it all happened so fast, but suddenly I put it all together in my head and felt a surge of panic. I couldn't figure out why they weren't talking to me, but I was trying to figure out what I'd do if they did. Luckily I never found out. But poor Pablo had all his money taken. I was pretty shaken up by the whole thing so we headed home... he seemed so calm about it too, which was possibly the freakiest part of all. It's sad that we live in a world where this stuff is s normal that people don't even freak out when it happens to them.

Anyway, I only had a couple hours on Sunday before my bus left, so we spent the early part of the day wandering through parque Rodó again, which turns into a huuuuuge feria on Sundays, selling everything you could possibly think of, and much more. I went off in search of the exact mate I'd seen Gonzalo sipping on all weekend, a lovely, perfectly round one made of calabaza and covered in leather, with a metal rim. I found the same guy he'd gotten his from, and splurged on one for myself... I love it!

Have I mentioned the best, and possibly most distinctive thing about Uruguayans?? Their mate habits! Argentines love their mate, but I think Uruguayans might even more! Nearly everyone you see on the street is walking around sipping their mate in their hand, and has their thermos of hot water cradled under their arm. I adore that. Now there is a habit I'd like to bring back to the States with me!

Overall I had such a nice time, and by the end of the trip I was soooo not ready to leave. And now that I'm back, I wish I were still there. It was too short. Next time, I'll go for a whole week. It was fun, relaxing, enlightening, just what I needed.

Montevideo, I don't care what the Argentines say, I'm a fan.

Día del Amigo

2009-07-20T16:01:00.006-04:00

Today is Friend Day in Argentina... so Happy Friend Day, friends! I adore the idea of a Friend Day, and apparently so do the Argentines. It's a very popular holiday here, so popular, in fact, that supposedly the restaurants and bars all fill up, you can't get a reservation anywhere, and the cell phone companies become so overburdened that it can take hours to get a message through. Now that's what I call a holiday!

Also, according to the locals, Friend Day was chosen to be celebrated on July 20th because it is also the day we crazy humans first landed on the moon back in '69. The ironic thing about this for me, of course, is that it was an American who first made it to the moon, and yet it is the Argentines who appear to be celebrating it. Huh.

I vote that we start a Friend Day in the United States, only it seems fitting that we should celebrate it on one of Argentina's obscure holidays... personally I vote for December 8th, aka Immaculate Conception Day (Día de la Inmaculada Concepción). Yes, Immaculate Conception Day, indeed. Because nothing says "friends" like unwanted pregnancy.

The Votes are IN

2009-07-19T17:01:00.003-04:00

Thanks for voting on my future, everyone, in last week's "Where Should Erica Live in 2010" blog poll! If this were a reality show, right in this moment, they'd be whisking me off to... ITALY!!!

Yes, it appears that vast majority of you people want me in Italy. And although most of your reasons seems selfish (you want a free place to stay there!!!), I'm still listening and considering carefully your opinions. Which is why I've started researching how I can realistically make any of these options work. Ugh, it's making my head spin. Getting a visa and a job in both Italy and Brazil has potential to be a total nightmare.

Check out this article, written by a guy from Boston who went and lived in Italy to tach English. It's optimistic, but quite daunting. Am I really ready to take all this on?

I'm not sure. I'm just thinking out loud.

Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who voted! And kick myself a little bit for allowing you to vote anonymously, because now I have no clue who voted for what, and that's annoying. Le sigh.

Final tallies, out of 46 total votes, are:

NYC: 4 votes (8%)
Brazil: 9 votes (19%)
Italy: 18 votes (39%)
Mexico: 6 votes (13%)
Argentina: 9 votes (19%)

What will become of me???

2009-07-12T22:45:00.008-04:00

The eternal question-- where will I end up?? Those who know me best can attest that this is a very tough question for me. I just really, really, really don't know. And although the "not knowing" is what can make life exciting, it's also what makes it a bit scary.

I've been thinking a lot lately about what to do next year. I don't need to decide yet, but it's nice to get the ball rolling in the decision-making section of my brain.

I've also been thinking a lot lately about travel, and how I've got the bug big time. I'm 28 years old, and I'm not getting any younger. I feel like now is the time. I have a lifetime goal of visiting every Spanish-speaking country in the world. I am in South America! I want to write more... I want inspiration. I want to explore. I want to climb Machu Picchu, and relax on the beaches of Colombia. I want to learn first hand how to say "what's up" in every Spanish-speaking country's local slang. (For example: Cubans say "Qué bolá?" which is unique to them. I find this sort of thing fascinating.) I want to travel like I mean it.

It's true that I tend to change my life plan almost every day, but I have yet another tentative one I thought I'd just throw out there for you to comment on. I'm thinking:

1. Work my various teaching jobs in Buenos Aires through November, which is more or less when the regular school year ends.
2. Spend the month of December traveling around Argentina-- it's a huge country! I want to explore Patagonia for a few weeks, and also head north to Salta. For Christmas, maybe I'll head back to BsAs, or lounge on the beach in Mar de Plata.
3. Spend January and February living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A couple of my lady friends down here and I are talking about renting a place there, and well, I'd be crazy to pass up the chance. I was thinking I could spend the summer there for those 2 months, and enroll in some Portuguese classes. It's high time I learned a 3rd language. Plus, it's like a dream to be in Rio for Carnival!!! Yesssss.
4. Head to Peru and climb Machu Picchu in early March. Take my time. Contemplate a culture that allows its people to pee and poo in the streets. Eat some quinoa, and take some amazing photos.
5. Head home for a visit in the United States from late March-April... yay! I'll hit up Boston, Westport, and Philly, so no one feels left out. Plus, I'll be there for Christie's, my mom's, Natalia's, and my birthdays, and I may even be able to make it to Amanda and Joe's wedding!!!! (see?? I didn't forget you guys.)
6. Move to... WHERE??? At the end of April... to continue teaching.

This is the big question mark, people! WHERE?! Hence the big poll I've set up at the top of the blog. PLEASE VOTE. I am really, genuinely interested in your opinion. Let me explain the choices:

1. New York City-- I'm just not feeling ready to fall back into the rhythm of Boston or Philadelphia. I'm sorry! But I could use a new adventure, and I figure NYC is between my two "home" cities, between the 2 sides of my family (my mom is in MA and my dad is in Philly), and could be a happy medium for heading back Stateside. However, I am not totally sold on this idea. Oh man, the thought of moving to NYC actually scares the living &*$# out of me, but in theory I'm willing to consider it.

2. Brazil-- I'd looooove to live in Brazil! I hear it's amazing, and the people are just so damn likable. The only problem is the visa situation-- I'm not sure I can get one. :-/

3. Italy-- I think a lot about moving to Europe! And although Spain is tempting, I think I might like to try something new. To everyone's surprise, I am actually half Italian (thanks, Dad!) and speak a minimal amount of Italian. It would be an incredible experience to live in Italy for a while, improve my Italian and experience such an incredible culture. Not to mention, eat eat EAT!

4. Mexico-- Most of you know that I left my heart in Mexico years ago. I'm not finished with Mexico, and my soul knows it. Sometimes I dream about living there again. Sometimes it seems like the most obvious choice. Mexico is one of my favorite places in the world. Perhaps it is my destiny. I can't explain the draw, but I must go back soon. Perhaps not now, but soon. My love affair with the Pacific Coast of Mexico has not yet ended...

5. Stay in Argentina-- I've had my ups and downs, that's for sure. But I've also spent some serious time and energy creating a life for myself here, and I get sad when I think about leaving all of this. My life here isn't perfect, but it gets a little better every day. I've made some very special friends here, and I have some of the best roommates a girl could ask for. I like teaching, and I've finally learned to support myself. I feel myself changing a little bit more every day. Living here is not easy. In fact, it's the hardest thing I've ever done. Yet I've grown so much, and gotten so much stronger. I know myself now better than ever. I could see myself here for another year.

Please help! If you are taking the time to read my blog, I probably love you and will really value your opinion. If you vote, it's anonymous, but feel free to leave a comment to say what you voted for and why!

It's not snowing

2009-07-09T12:08:00.005-04:00

Greetings! Today is not only a day off of work for Argentina's Independence Day (for which our famous world's widest road "Avenida 9 de Julio"--12 lanes in all-- was named), but it is also my first official day off the cleanse! Woo hoo!! I made it 30 whole days, and i feel excellent. I'll be celebrating with some yummy Korean food at my new Korean friend Jessica's house, and maybe a little bit of wine. :-) But yes, I need to be careful not to fall back into old bad habits...

Today also marks the 2nd anniversary of the first snow in Buenos Aires since 1918. Yes, 2 years ago today, the city received a white dusting of snow.. the kids went nuts and all ran outside to play, and some people touched snow for the very first time. Today, it's certainly not snowing (it's quite nice out, actually) but it is a cool little anecdote, I think.

This year, we don't have snow, all we have is.... swine flu. Blahhhhh.

Teacher

2009-07-02T10:58:00.006-04:00

My students call me "Teacher." They say, "Hi Teacher!" when I walk into a room, and they shake their heads disdainfully and say, "Oh, Teacher..." when they disagree with one of my many ridiculous opinions. (For example, it bothers my teenagers tremendously that I listen to reggae music.) They even send me emails to cancel class beginning with "Dear Teacher..." as if they'd forgotten my name or something.

They are, of course, translating directly, because in Spanish they generally call their teachers "Profe." However, I can't help but be swept back to Quaker boarding school at Westtown, where we called our teachers Teacher Tim, Teacher Anne, and of course Profe Rick and Profe Juan... it makes it feel like, I don't know, like I'm really a teacher, and not just some crazy redhead that comes stumbling into their office every morning speaking in tongues!!!

The vast majority of my students are great. I've fallen into a confusing, rigorous, but wonderful schedule with some very awesome people. And it's quite exciting sometimes to teach managers, executives, even presidents of major companies, and think, ha ha! Here I am, chatting with the president of XYZ Company about their family and personal life, when everyone else in the office is probably afraid to ask! Because once students reach an intermediate level, they really just need to talk and talk and talk, and what better way to do so than to get to know each other?

Sometimes we even become friends. My student Paola, who actually was forced to quit my class a week ago due to new work restrictions, has become a good friend of mine, and just found out she's pregnant! It's been exciting to be there for her through all this exciting [terrifying] news! We chat on the phone a lot, and enjoy long strings of email exchanges in Spanglish.

Sitting in a room chatting with these people for a couple of hours a week has really been a huge part of my experience here. My students teach ME so much. I've heard teachers say that before, and I always thought it sounded really stupid and cliche, but turns out it's true. My students taught me how to prepare and drink mate... they taught me how to say all sorts of naughty words in "Argentine"... they taught me about the real rules of dating in Argentina (not that I've had the chance to practice!)... they taught me about family life, social life, being a teenager in BsAs, living in the campo, getting married, hating Chileans, and how to prepare chocolate cake layered with dulce de leche. Where would I be without them?

The first couple months of teaching here I didn't love it. I didn't even like it. And yet I had gotten myself into a head space of "OMG I have to teach, I have to make this work, I have to learn to like this!!!" and it was making me miserable. But these days, I've fallen into a rhythm, I'm learned to take it easy, I've learned to be flexible, and I've learned to read and understand the needs of each individual. Basically, I'm becoming a good teacher!

On Monday at one of my business classes where I teach 2 students, my boss came in and did an observation. She sat in the corner, furiously taking notes as I taught them, and all of us were nervous. What could she possibly be writing about so furiously?! At the end of the class she asked my students Gabriela and Guillermo, "Do you like the class?" and they both nodded enthusiastically. "We love Erica!" they said. And then my boss asked, "Do you feel you are making progress?" and they both responded more or less, "Yes, we feel like we've really improved, we're more confident, and we can speak more fluidly. Erica is an amazing teacher."

Well I just about lost it, I was so happy and proud. In the past, that moment would have been about ME, feeling good because I had gotten a compliment. But in that moment, it was about THEM-- I was thinking, "What perfect sentence structure! Great use of the second conditional! Such fluid speaking!" and I felt like a proud mother.

In teaching, I have also rediscovered my love of writing. I looove writing, which is why I'm crazy enough to keep up this blog. Most of my friends here think I'm nuts, or at least extremely disciplined, to write this blog all the time, but for me it's not a chore, but rather it's something I enjoy. It's a release. It's a pleasure. I just wish I had more time to write every day.

I've also taken on a new project, which is that I'm translating part time for a company that translate children's stories from Spanish to English, and that's been quite fun for me. They even let me name characters! (Can someone think of a great name for a wizard??) It's validating to know that my Spanish is at a level where I'm being trusted with these translations, and it's also fun to develop this new skill. I wish they had more work for me!

I realize more and more each day that this was the right decision. I am not cut out for the Boston 9-5 lifestyle. My time working at AAC and living in Boston was incredibly valuable, and I learned so, so much from the experience, however it just isn't ME. I'm just different, and I both fear and love that about myself. Each day is an adventure, and honestly it's exciting and fun and thrilling in one regard, and tiring and lonely in another. Sometimes I wish I were like other people and could just sit down and work and get married and start pumping out babies while I pay off my mortgage. But that, honestly, is my idea of hell on earth. But being creative, adventurous and independent while simultaneously having stability? Well, that is just heaven. And it all starts by finding what I love and doing it.

I'm getting closer.

Slight feelings of guilt

2009-07-01T10:36:00.005-04:00

Was I unnecessarily harsh in yesterday's blog? I dunno. But I keep toying with the idea of deleting yesterday's post, which means my sub-conscious is having some sort of regrets about my obvious dismissal of what is supposedly a "health crisis."

Here's the thing-- okay, so you can DIE from the swine flu. And 26 people in Argentina already have. But of the couple thousand total infections, the fatality rate is only around 3%, hardly what I would call an "emergency."

I will now contradict myself several times as I attempt to explain my opinion. Enjoy the train wreck.

Argentina's health care and general infrastructure, especially in the provincias outside the capital, are not so good, especially compared to the services you can get back in the US. I sometimes forget that I'm a privileged American, and that my opinions, however much I hate to admit it, probably stem from that. So a flu that I consider easily curable and no big deal, perhaps for the poor people living out the the sticks of Argentina is not such a small thing. My deepest regrets for talking smack.

HOWEVER, my opinion is that there are 2 ways to deal with this. You either 1) decide that this is not a big issue, do nothing, and not worry too much unless the problem worsens, or 2) you decide that this is a big issue, and you take immediate, hardcore action, and stop the thing before it really even starts. Duh.

Mexico City opted for option #2, and more power to them! It seems to have worked. People there had one long week of inconvenience, boredom, and lack of street tacos, and then they went back to living their lives. For a short time you couldn't go to a restaurant, club, movie theater, school, nothing, but at least the problem was dealt with.

Argentina, however, is taking what I would consider to be half-assed action, something hovering dangerously between options #1 and #2. They are closing schools for the month of July (tacking on an additional 2 weeks to their already-planned 2 week winter break), but not closing anything else. Wait, how does this help? So basically we can still go get swine flu on the street, at the nightclub, at the theater, at a restaurant, wherever, and only the schools will close down. Meanwhile, all those kids who now have a month off of school will be hitting the streets and clubs (teenagers can do that here-- wish I'd grown up that way!), spreading their swine flu all over town. Dirty kids!

I just don't think this makes any sense. One month of half-assed action that probably won't accomplish anything, versus, say, one week of hardcore action that could potentially make a big difference. Or, nothing. That's my vote.

PS. Don't forget to wash your hands!

WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!

2009-06-30T21:55:00.003-04:00

Oh, trendy pandemics! Hark, mighty power of thy fatal disease scare!

Remember that time that Mexico City shut down because of the Swine Flu (aka Gripe A)? You do? Or maybe you forgot because the swine flu scare is soooo 5 minutes ago?? Yeah, well, just as tucking your jeans into your boots juuuust came into style down here, apparently Argentina was the last to get the Pig Flu memo as well...

Right now, just as I was starting to settle into a nice dengue-less, paranoia-less, southern hemisphere winter existence, the city of Buenos Aires has to go all Mexico City on me. When I showed up at work today, I was informed that any of my classes involving children (which shockingly/ unfortunately is several) would be canceled for the whole month of July. Wooow!! What an awesome time to be a kid in Buenos Aires!!! And what a lame time to be the silly teacher losing money on lost hours to teach them.

The papers are saying that other stuff will still be open, but I'm worrying it won't be long now before an emergency crisis is declared, and every bar, nightclub, sports venue and bath house in the city locks its doors. Now THAT, my friends, is worth panicking about!

(With the 4th of July being this Saturday, and with that eerily coinciding with the day my alcohol cleanse ends, it's just extremely important that nothing too extreme happen.)

I, for one, am not afraid of a flu that only kills elderly, babies, people with compromised immune systems (mine's doing great, btw), and can't even out-kill the common flu. I mean, COME ON, we are going to close down for what now?

ROAR.

I've never been into systematic scare tactics. Mad Cow, Bird Flu... they all flew right over my head. It's time this one went with the way of the DoDo as well.

Vote for ME

2009-06-28T15:31:00.008-04:00

Hi Friends, I'm doing great! Yep, things continue to improve. I'm on day #23 of the drinking cleanse, and day #19 of the food cleanse. I feel awesome. I've lost a few pounds, cleared my head, gotten quite a bit more organized, and generally changed over to a more positive perspective. It's funny how the small changes we can make in our lives can make the biggest differences. I feel so in control of my own happiness... what an amazing feeling.

Today is mid-term election day in Argentina for various legislative representatives, an election that is being widely viewed as a measure of the popularity of President Cristina Fernandez Kirchner and her hubby/ former President/ current congressional candidate Nestor Kirchner. In Argentina, voting is mandatory. It's also on a Sunday. And on top of that, almost all businesses are closed, and specifically no one is permitted to sell alcohol between midnight and I think 8:00pm. So yeah, the city was pretty quiet last night for a Saturday night!!

I have mixed feelings about the compulsory voting thing. At first I was like, hey that's awesome!! It's always been something I am embarrassed about in the US, that we have all these freedoms and the right to vote "democratically," (I won't get into my various other opinions, but for the most part, it's democratic), and yet like half of the population doesn't do it. Ugh, this bothers me tremendously.

However, I've recently gotten to thinking, is mandatory voting any better? Because it suddenly occurred to me-- unless there are also mandatory information sessions, and unless it is mandatory to prove somehow that you understand more or less what is going on politically, well then basically, you are saying that everyone, including those people who are totally uninformed and know nothing about the candidates, are required to vote. And that's just silly.

There is also the issue of buying votes. I know this happens a lot with the presidential elections, though I imagine it trickles down to these other legsislative ones too, especially one like today which supposedly will reflect quite a bit on the President's popularity. I've heard everything from candidates buying votes for money, to buying votes for a choripan. It's so sad. In a population where there are so many poor, uniformed people, and where there is so much need, it's an upsetting reality that some corrupt politician can use the people's poverty to their advantage, walk into a villa (a slum), dole out some sandwiches, and win a vote. That, my friends, is not democracy.

I, however, make excellent sandwiches, and so while we are on the subject, I would like to encourage you all to vote for me. Yes, I'm a go-getter, I tell great jokes, I'm a really good dancer, and I make a mean lasagna. VOTE FOR ME. We'll talk about my stances on various issues later. For now, I just want you to know that I have some chorizo on the grill, and a choripan with your name on it. VOTE FOR ME!

In addition to contemplating the political process here and eating rabbit food (and tofu! I found mediocre but technical tofu!!!), I've also been working a TON. I finally have all those work hours I wanted for so long! It's great, and also exhausting. Most days I work around 6-10 hours a day, during a period of about 9-12 hours, with the remaining time in the middle being filled with traveling from class to class, and the occasional lunch break (though I often go without). I'm hustling, my friends. And though I learned little to nothing in the TEFL course I took back in February, one thing I did learn is that you gotta hustle to survive as an English teacher in BsAs... and hot damn, the lunatic was right.

I've finally broken out of my complete financial catastrophe, and am now making enough money to pay for all of my expenses. I even had a small amount left over this month, which is about the most exciting thing ever... although I'm sure not having a beer budget was a factor!!! hahaha

In this spazz, unfocused blog I would also like to mention the imminent visits of two more VIP's in my life! My DAD is coming in early August for a visit for a couple weeks! He claims it's a "maybe," but what he doesn't realize is that I won't accept a "no," answer, and so he will be coming! I'm soooo looking forward to it, Dad! I will take some tango classes in anticipation, since my dad is Tango Master. Also, my awesome beautiful sister Christie is coming! Yep, she, unlike Pa, has already purchased her tickets and will be here on October 9th! yayyy!!! I absolutely cannot wait to see her for a week! So yeah, thanks to you both for giving me something concrete to look forward to. I'm getting a lot of "yeah, sure I'll visit you..." from various people (ahem! Allison! Dave! Daniel!), so having some real action is pretty exciting. :-)

The question remains: What am I more excited about? Their actual visits, or the fact that they will bring me gifts of peanut butter, cock sauce, and Bragg's from the 1st World??? The world may never know.

Lastly, I'd like to end with some really, really old photos/ videos that I've been meaning to post for a while. Sorry for the lateness, kids.

First, this is a video of the tango dancers at Café Tortoni, where I went with my Mom and Bill during their visit. Enjoy!

And I also went to my first football (soccer) game a while back and saw Argentina play against Colombia in a World Cup qualifying match-- and win! yay. I guess I'm not such bad luck after all... of the 3 Red Sox games I went to, we lost every single one. I was a bit worried for a minute that I was a huge jinx, but I feel better now. Anyway, this is a picture of the River Plate Stadium where the game happened. The Stadium holds about 65,000 people and is where, of course, the River team normally plays. Then there's a video of the crowd right after we scored our one and only goal. When people jump like that they call it the Pogo, which I think is awesome. However, I must say overall the game wasn't half as animated and crazy as I was expecting. Word on the street is that the local games are wayyyy more fun, so I'll have to check one out soon and get back to you.

Okay, hope everyone is doing great! Lots of love.

I feel good! (nee-ner-nee-ner-nee-ner-nuh)

2009-06-15T22:45:00.003-04:00

I have officially been on the alcohol cleanse for 9 days, and the complete cleanse (including food and lifestyle) for 6 days, and I must say, I feel better than I have in ages. The food I was eating, the alcohol I was drinking, and the stressful, unbalanced lifestyle I was living clearly were not working for me, and it was time for a change. Right now I feel not only healthy, but also proud to have taken this on in a city that doesn't make it easy! Every day I face challenges to my diet, and peer pressure from those around me to eat/ drink/ do things that I have chosen to eliminate. But the fact that I have said "no" to all of those things now for over a week has been an empowering experience, and the fact that this Cleanse is more difficult than any I have done before has made it only that much more worthwhile.

I had a great long weekend with friends (today is Flag Day, or something, so I didn't have to work), and I watched them eat and imbibe as usual, and I happily sipped my water, ate my lentils, and enjoyed the show. I still went out 3 nights and had a great time! I also threw a little dinner party last night with some close friends (my roommates Julie and Andrea, friends Claire, Marisa, Charlotte, and Bata) and subjected them to my cleanse-friendly dinner of salad, hearty lentil stew, and brown rice. Everyone loved the food and had a blast, and we even played drinking games-- every time I had to "drink" I took a big slurp off my mate. That'll give you a buzz!

Anyway, I'm lucky I have supportive friends, and I'm proud to have taken this on. Really, my body and more importantly my soul are feeling good. I am acutely aware at this point how very necessary these changes were to my happiness and sanity.

I'll leave it at that-- 3 weeks to go!

Cleanse: Day 1

2009-06-10T10:38:00.003-04:00

I'm back on the Cleanse!!! And I have a very strong suspicion that this may be one of my biggest challenges for a long time.

I won't bore you with the itty bitty specifics, although feel free to email me if you'd like them. The point is, the Cleanse (something I stole from my dear sister Christie) has several purposes, and I assure you it is not just a "diet." Goals include:

1. Physically feeling better-- losing a few pounds, cleaning out the toxins, getting my eating back on track.
2. Emotional cleansing-- I've been having a rough patch lately, and could use a nice new heavy dose of happiness, confidence, and clarity.
3. Life organization-- Clean my room. Fix my work schedule. Set some financial goals. Create a life that is satisfying and works for me.

This starts today, and will continue for a month. No alcohol! I hate admitting it, but that will probably be the most difficult part. I have already cleaned out my kitchen cabinets and replaced the bread, pasta, cheese, etc with beans, brown rice, and plenty of fruit and veggies. As a matter of fact, I will essentially be both vegan and straightedge for the next month, a near impossible feat in a country like Argentina! I've also already put a lot of energy into sorting out my work life, and have somehow pieced together a schedule that I think is far better than it has ever been before! So hopefully in the next month or so, I can start actually saving money and not just breaking even, or burning through my savings.

Anyway, thanks for your support!

How to pick up a foxy lady in Argentina

2009-06-08T19:41:00.001-04:00

In Argentina, a piropo is a pick-up line, or a catcall. And believe me, if you are a woman in Buenos Aires, you hear them allll dayyyy looonnngggg.

I generally get the same old thing: "Hola, colo, sos re linda!" This is very Argentine. Colo is short for colorada, which is Argentine (not Spanish, Argentine!) for "redhead." Sos is the vos form of "your are," again, a form only used in Argentina. Linda means "beautiful." And re is Argentine for muy, or "very." So basically it's, "Hi, redhead, you're very beautiful." (BARF)

So there you have it. Now you all know how to hit on me in Argentine. Not Spanish! Argentine.

Oh, and one more thing: Ali recently received THE BEST PIROPO OF ALL TIME!!! Ahahaha I absolutely must share this on the internet, sorry Ali!

She was walking down the street and a guy said to her, "Con ese culo, te invito a cagar en mi depto!" which means, "With an ass like that, you can come shit at my house!"

Ahahahaha!!! Best pick up line of all time. All others will be measured against this one forevermore.

Much-needed family time

2009-06-07T22:15:00.003-04:00

My mom and Bill were here visiting for 2 weeks! They left this past Wednesday, and I know I'm a bit late writing about it but I must say, it's taken me a while to ease back into my life after their visit. It was so hard to say good bye, and I'm just finally digesting the visit enough to write about it! Their visit was wonderful, fun, hilarious, and necessary to my sanity, and their departure was incredibly painful.

It's funny how you don't realize how homesick you are until a piece of home comes walking through the door. I've been here now for 4 months, and hadn't really felt homesick at all (I mean I missed people, but I wouldn't really classify it as homesickness per se), and having visitors just brought it all back into my head. I started thinking about my life at home with not only them but with my other family (my dad, my niece, my sister), my friends, my bicycles.... haha! Yes, it's true.

Anyhoo, though I'm sad it's over, we had such a great time together!!! I laughed so hard I cried on many occasions. My family is ridiculous, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Basically, we ate our way through Buenos Aires for 2 weeks straight, with the occasional excursion or activity tossed in for good measure. I'd been making lists of restaurants I wanted to try for weeks, and took full advantage while they were here! After all, a place that feels expensive for someone earning in pesos is still incredibly cheap when looked at from the American dollar perspective. For example, a fancy steak dinner, including appetizers, side orders and wine generally comes out to around $20 USD per person, which is just crazy.

Here were some of our favorites:

1. La Brigada-- A well known and celebrated parrilla in my neighborhood of San Telmo boasting juicy steaks, outstanding service, and a comfortable ambiance complete with a live piano and accordion player. We fell in love with our waiter, Jorge, our juicy bife de chorizo, the provoleta, and the panqueque de dulce de leche for dessert, which Jorge literally drowned in hot molten chocolate.

2. Cantina Pierino-- We never would have found this place if it hadn't been for the expert recommendation of my friend Liz, who promised us "the best Italian food in the city." Daaaaaamn she was right!!! The place has a spectacular Italian-tastic ambiance, sprinkled with members of the original owner's family bustling about serving, cooking, and checking in with customers.... it's now on the 4th generation! Something clearly must be working. I will never forget the plate of homemade raviolis I ate, smothered in a creamy garlic, porcini mushroom, and chard sauce. To die for.

3. La Cholita-- The place is owned by the same people who run Cumaná right next door, and although Cumaná is the one that seems to get all the raves, we tried both, and we all unanimously preferred La Cholita for its eclectic menu, huge portions, veggie-friendliness (my mom and Ali split a spectacular roasted veggie plate, and couldn't even finish it), and fun atmosphere. I adored my chicken skewers, and might have even finished them if I hadn't loaded up on their free homemade bread loaves while we sipped wine and waited. Worth the wait-- and wait, you will.

4. El Desnivel-- From the outside, you would never know that inside are quite possibly the best steaks in town... in Bill's and my humble opinions, anyway. I mean, oh man, I was rocking a pretty serious steak baby after our meal, and it was worth it! My mom also enjoyed her first chicken milanesa, and all was devoured. We loved the service, the plastic tablecloths, and the bang for our buck. Not to mention, one of the best slabs of meat ever placed in front of me.

5. Origen Café-- It's less than a block from my house. How had I never been there before?! Serving up foods made with all organic, free-range ingredients, this little café also serves up one of the biggest and most satisfying cups of café con leche I have had in Argentina. I enjoyed a hearty bowl of vegetarian lentil and veggie soup, served with warm whole grain bread. I'll be back with my laptop soon to take advantage of the free wi-fi and chill atmosphere.

Warning: my fingers are getting tired, so my reviews are going to start getting shorter...

6. Café Tortoni-- We saw an incredible, traditional tango show here, and had some delicious cakes after the show. A historical site, and a must-see.

7. La Cabrera-- Probably one of the most well-known parrillas in the city, and deserving of its reputation. Delicious food, huge portions, diverse side orders, but a bit touristy.

8. El Federal-- One of the oldest places to eat in San Telmo, and right across the street from my house, I can literally look through the windows from my bedroom.... creepy. Anyway, great sandwiches, great burgers, terrible service. What's not to love?

9. El Nacional-- Another gem located right the street from me in San Telmo, we had one of our favorite lunches of the trip here. Mmmmm... I'm still thinking about my grilled chicken panini. This place also turns into a fun dance spot at night.

10. Bio-- A yummy 100% vegetarian restaurant located in trendy Palermo Hollywood. My food was over-salted, but overall the place was yummy, and it was nice to see things like seitan and tofu on a menu for a change. I'd go back.

And that, friends, marks the end of my restaurant blabbery!!! We went to about 15-20 different places overall for lunches and dinners, but I can't possibly write about them all!

We also did more than eat. Their first weekend here, we had an amazing 2 day and 1 night stay at an estancia called Don Silvano, about 30 minutes from a cute town called San Antonio de Areco, in the provincia of Buenos Aires (aka outside the city). There, we sampled the gaucho lifestyle by riding horses, watching traditional folk dancing, and chowing down on asado. We made some new friends (there were a surprising number of locals there, given the touristy nature of the whole thing), and and had a really relaxing time. My mom and I also bought ourselves pairs of alpargatas, which are the traditional shoes worn in Argentina. They are suuuuuper comfortable, and more importantly, dirt cheap!

They also really wanted to meet my friends, so we invited 10 of my favorite people over to their rental apartment in Recoleta, bought a huuuge amount of empanadas and far too much wine, and all sat around eating and drinking one afternoon. It was great! It gave them a chance to meet my [amazing] friends, and my friends a chance to see where all my insanity comes from. ;-) The best part was that everyone loved each other, got along great, and had a fun time, so I'd say it was a big success.

My mom had some bad luck here-- she got slipped a counterfeit $20 peso bill (sadly, this is quite common), almost got robbed on the subte when she caught a woman digging through her purse (also, sadly common), and learned the hard way several times that change, especially monedas, are hard to come by (now do you believe me?!).

I'll be honest though-- ugh this is going to come out wrong. But something about knowing that my mom and Bill had to experience some of the really crappy aspects of living here, like getting ripped off or having someone refuse to make you change (as the 'rents put it, 'you have to spend money to get money' because people won't give you change unless you buy enough stuff) made me feel like they better understand my experience here and what I deal with each day, and thus made me feel a bit better. At least now when I complain about monedas or the subte or the sketchy taxis, I have someone back home to commiserate with. :-/

Anyway, back to activities. During the week, we saw the Cementerio de Recoleta, Puerto Madero, San Telmo, Palermo, downtown and the famous Calle Florida, La Boca, and lots of sights, like the Casa Rosada and the mechanical flower. I continued to work my full work schedule, so while I was off working, my mom and Bill had time to explore the parks of Palermo, wander the streets of the city, and even go to Colonia, Uruguay for the day (which they looooved!).

Here they are strolling through Puerto Madero at sunset:

And of course my mom and I had to have our picture taken in front of this HILARIOUS statue:

Their second weekend here, we headed to Tigre, just outside the city. Tigre is known for its gorgeous river and ecological reserves and islands to explore, and is a very outdoorsy place to be... which was interesting, because the day we were there it was pouring rain!!! Bad luck. Though I initially advised against going in the rain, they still wanted to go, because getting there involved a scenic train ride that they didn't want to miss, so we headed out. It turned out to be well worth it! The train ride on the Tren de la Costa was lovely, comfortable, and scenic, and also very cheap. However, when we finally got to Tigre, there was literally a downpour, and we didn't know what to do with ourselves in a river town in weather like that. The market was closed, and there was no one around. A tour guide named Fernando ended up taking us under his wing. I don't know how it happened, but somehow he and I got to talking, and he offered to drive us into town to a restaurant, so we could at least eat lunch and look at the water. Next thing we know, we are all piling into his tiny, cluttered little car, and he mumbles an apology to us which Bill swears was "Sorry for the mess. I have a dog, and cat, and a kid with 3 assholes."

Hahaha!!! So of course we spent the entire afternoon making jokes about "the 3 assholes."

Anyway, Fernando ended up giving us a driving tour of the area, recommending a delicious restaurant (unfortunately I forget the name) and dropping us off at the door, and then after all that, refusing to accept a tip for his services. We just got lucky, and spent the rest of the afternoon stuffing our faces, drinking wine, and being thankful for him. Honestly, though we didn't see much of Tigre, it ended up being one of our most fun days, because we just sat and laughed and laughed and laughed all afternoon and enjoyed each other's company!

The following day I took the 'rents to the San Telmo market, which I've blogged about in the past. There, they enjoyed their first choripan (chorizo on bread, served with the always-amazing chimichurri sauce), which they became instantly (and rightfully) obsessed with. What's not to love?! My mom also got herself a mate, so she may be sitting at home in Massachusetts sipping on some mate right now! :-)

The three of us just had good, clean fun. We laughed, we cried. We discussed my future, and they of course became confused when I tried to explain why I needed to stay here for at least a full year, even though I'm not necessarily "happy." (It's complicated, and involves a promise I made to myself, one I don't expect you to understand.) It was very emotional, and also very special. They missed me a lot, and I realized how much I missed them, and everyone back home. Having a little taste of them being here made it all the more difficult to see them go. The last day was difficult, and of course my mom and I sobbed our eyes out as their taxi pulled away and took them to the airport. But really, I wouldn't change a thing. I am just lucky I had some visitors and some family time, that I had an excuse to do so much fun stuff, and that I got showered with so much love for 2 weeks.

RIP Vivian

2009-05-24T18:03:00.006-04:00

I just received some absolutely devastating news, and I have no idea what to do.

As many of you know, I lived in Havana, Cuba for 4.5 months back in the spring of 2004. I lived with 2 different host families. The second was a woman named Vivian, a divorcee with 2 kids, one living in Florida and another named Diosdado who was my age and lived down the street from us. She was an AMAZING host mother, and we were very close while I lived there. She thought of me as a daughter, and I thought of her very much as my mother while I was there. She always took care of me, cooked for me every day, worried about me like a mom, and just generally was a strong source of support in my life during my time in Cuba.

The past couple of years I have completely lost touch with her. She didn't have email, and so our only connection was through her friend's email account, so I'd send emails to her friend, who would then pass them on to her. I've been worrying for years, because for a long time I have not received a response. Still, every few months or so I send a message, just to tell her I am thinking of her and hoping to hear from her soon.

I sent one of these messages about a month ago, but this time slightly more frantic than usual. I had been thinking of her nonstop, and just felt so upset that I hadn't heard from her in so long. I sent a message to the friend, Ada, asking her to pleeease PLEASE send me any information she had about Vivian, since so much time had gone by, and I was worrying about losing the connection forever.

I just walked in the door from a lovely weekend with my mom and Bill, and checked my email, and there was one from Ada saying that Vivian died 3 years ago. She was struck suddenly with brain cancer. By the time she found out, she had less than 6 months to live. Ada doesn't know anything about the whereabouts of any of Vivian's kids.

But she's gone, and I totally missed it. Three years have gone by, and here I have been, living my life, totally unaware. I feel absolutely devastated. I want to cry, but I am just in so much shock I can barely move. I miss her terribly. I hope she knew how much she meant to me.

REST IN PEACE, VIVIAN.

Vivian and me in our house:

RIP VIVIAN

Visitors!

2009-05-22T11:29:00.003-04:00

My mom and Bill are here! Yayyyyyy!!! It is SO amazing to have visitors, and I am loving it, even if I am getting absolutely no sleep (combining working with lesson planning and entertaining guests). It's 100% worth it.

Last night we went to the most amazing dinner at a yummy parrilla called La Brigada, where we all ate our body weight in meat, empanadas, salad, mashed potatoes, provoleta, and of course wine and dulce de leche. OMGOMGOMG I am still full.

Also, they are amazing and brought me a huge pile of stuff, mostly clothes and food. Actually, mostly food. :-) I am now happily in possession of Siracha sauce (aka cock sauce), Bragg's, pad thai mix, Reese's peanut butter cups, Teddie chunky peanut butter, and so much more. I'm a happy, happy girl.

Anyway, don't have much time to write, but just wanted to express my happiness to be in contact with the outside world!!

Transience, abandonment, and the flakiest people in the world

2009-05-17T21:39:00.006-04:00

Most people can't relate to me. My friends and supporters seem to find me interesting, intriguing, filled with stories, ballsy and independent, experienced as hell, well-traveled, free-thinking and adventurous (not to mention slightly insane), but can they actually relate to me? In many ways, yes, but in my transience, almost never.

It's a lonely life, being the one who's always saying good bye. Your skin just kind of thickens after a while, I guess. I keep pushing on. I can't really explain it, but there is something inside of me that keeps me moving, and it hasn't yet found its final resting place. I am (and people like me are) happier traveling, experiencing new people, places and things, and constantly living life in a challenging and slightly uncomfortable way, than I am living a comfortable life in the same place with the same people, doing stuff that makes me, well, "normal."

I sound like such an alterna-hipster, but I assure you, my soul is speaking quite directly right now, regardless of the current trendiness of transience. And the consequence of all of this, the dirty truth of the wandering soul, is that I live my life saying good bye to people I love. I grow attached, and then people disappear, or I do. I hate good-byes.

I'm really, really struggling with this right now. More than ever, my two selves are in conflict. One self wants to travel, see the world, keep moving, and continue to seek new adventures in new places for as long as the wind keeps blowing. It wants to be free, totally independent and guided by instinct. It doesn't want an office job, nor does it crave normality. My other self wants to create a lasting community, live my days with the ones I love most, grow old with those people, find lasting love, and umm.... be financially stable!!! Yes, this other self is quite sick of stressing about money.

They are in total conflict. For example, I simply cannot live in a different country every year while simultaneously creating a lasting community.

So last week, my close friend Megan left, and I was devastated. It was a little reminder that the friends one meets while traveling are a whole separate category. There's no promises made, no longevity expected. We'll always be friends, of course, but I most likely won't be seeing her for the next couple of years.

Then last night, at an amazing concert by a group called Onda Vaga (Highly recommended! Listen to them here.), my close, close, close friend Paul announced that he is leaving in 2 weeks to live in Brazil with his dad. Abandoning me!!! Then I lamented this fact later on with my friend Kieran, and that is when Kieran told me that he would also be leaving Buenos Aires in less than a month.

Anyone else want to kick me while I'm down???

This kind of thing is exactly what I should expect, but yet I can't get used to it! It is starting to feel like everyone I meet is going to leave me, and is making me feel like I need to conduct some sort of extensive interview with people when I meet them, to find out how long they plan to stay, then judge accordingly how worthwhile it is to get to know them. For example,

"Hi, Person X. How long do you plan on sticking around Buenos Aires?"

a) 1-3 months --> Sorry, let's not be friends. You'll only break my heart.
b) 3-6 months --> Cool, let's hang out, but I will try not to get too attached.
c) 6-12 months --> Alright awesome, let's be friends! I will deal with emotions later.
d) 1 year or more --> Let's be BFF!!! We can say good bye to everyone else together.

A big part of the problem, of course, is that all of my friends are also from other countries, who are traveling or living here for reasons similar to mine. So of course, there is an inherit level of transience that just comes with the territory. The solution, then, is to make local friends right??

Right???

This brings me to my next topic of discussion/ lamentation. "The flakiest people in the world." AKA Argentinians!!!!

Hey, Argentina-- you're flaky!!! And I'm SO NOT INTO IT!!!

Argentinians seem to operate on a "yes to all questions" principle, which basically means that nothing an Argentinian says ever means anything. Seriously. Ask anyone who's spent any significant time here, and I can almost guarantee they'll agree.

For example, you're at a bar, and you meet a group of Argentinians. You start to hang out, and the next thing you know, an hour as gone by, and you've been chatting it up and hitting it off. You're thinking, cool, new friends! They give you a hug good bye, maybe you even exchange numbers, and then they say, "let's go out sometime!" or "see you later!"

Uh oh. That's bad. "Let's go out sometime" = "See you never."

Seriously, unless you make a specific plan right there on the spot, you will most likely never see the person again. They just like being friendly, and for them saying something like, "let's go out sometime" is equal to saying "good bye." It's just something you say as you walk out a door, but it doesn't actually mean anything.

Another example: You invite an Argentinians out to a party. They respond and say yes, they'll be there. They never show up. TYPICAL! Why? Because there's no such thing as the word "no" in Argentina. So if they can come they say "yes," and if they can't come they say "yes." Seriously. So yes means both yes and no, which means it basically means nothing at all.

The reason that most people seem to cite for this is that people here have generally had the same group of friends their entire life, literally since they were kids, and it's near impossible to find people who are willing to go through the trouble of opening up their posse to a new person. The task of initiation is just too much, I suppose.

Anyway, this makes making friends super difficult, because I keep meeting these awesome people (ahem, "awesome" being a purely subjective term in this case) and thinking we'll hang out, and I never hear from them again. There was a group of girls a while back, for example, who I met through a friend. They were all gung-ho about hanging out and insisted on exchanging email addresses, and then I sent them all an invite to go out last weekend, and not one single one responded! When I mentioned this to my friend who'd introduced us, she was like, "ummmm, Erica, are you surprised?! Don't be! That's just Argentina."

"That's Just Argentina." The slogan of my life. Where no rules apply.

Yes means no.

Movin' on up!

2009-05-12T11:34:00.004-04:00

Oooh exciting news! Greg (one of my roommates) moved out of the biggest room in the house, and my other roommate Julie is taking it. Which means I can take HER room, which costs the same as mine and is significantly bigger and still has a balcony and all the same stuff! Yay!! No more being cramped into a tiny little room the size of a closet!

I should be moved in by the time my mom and Bill get here next week!!! :-)

Live your life (wah ohh wah ohhh wah oooohhhhh)

2009-05-09T18:35:00.014-04:00

(I hope at least someone gets my TI/ Rihanna reference)

I never wrote about my day trip to Uruguay last Saturday, so here goes.

As I mentioned before, I have to renew my tourist visa every 90 days, and the way you go about doing that is by leaving the country and then coming back. The easiest and fastest way to do that here in Buenos Aires is by going to Colonia, Uruguay which is an easy 1-3 hour boat ride (depending on the speed of the boat) away, straight across the Rio de la Plata, the gorgeous dirty brown river on which my lovely city resides.

My friend Megan and I both arrived on the same day, and thus our visas were expiring at the same time, and we decided to take the trip together. We went via Buequebus, a very misleading company name, because it is a company that has the word "bus" in it, yet only seems to operate boats and planes. Ha!

Anyway, the boat left at 8:45 am on Saturday, so Megan and I met there about 7:45 am, a time that I personally believe is so early that it should not even exist, especially on Saturdays. Since last weekend I was sick with a cold, I'd stayed in on Friday night and gotten a decent night's sleep, but Megan had been out drinking all night and rolled in drunk and reaking of alcohol. Hahaha!!! With me sick and her drunk/tired/hungover, we were in for an interesting day.

However, when I saw her, I knew immediately that something was wrong. She pretty much burst into tears the second we saw each other. And that's when she told me-- her boyfriend back in California had been in a motorcycle accident. He's fine, but he broke a ton of bones, including his femur, and was in the hospital.

(Life is precious... this reminded me, and I hope it also reminds you, to always live life to the fullest.)

... anyway, Megan was obviously freaking out worrying about her boyfriend, but also there was a more complex issue, which was that she'd already been feeling really unhappy here in Buenos Aires and had already been having doubts about how long she'd last. She was more homesick that the rest of us, was having more doubts, and on top of that was hating her teaching job and feeling generally frustrated. This was sort of the icing on the cake. She decided to go home and cut her trip short.

Megan leaves tomorrow. I'm soooo sad. She's become one of my best friends here, and it's just a very real reminder that I'm living in a foreign country, and when you do such a thing, people come and go more than usual. It's a transient place to me. How long will any of us last? She's the first to go, but I'm sure I will go through this many more times before I depart. It's awful.

So yeah, there we are, 7:45am on a Saturday, waiting for a boat to Uruguay, and she's telling me that this is her last week here, that we're saying good bye.

We decided, no matter that I'm sick and she's hungover and hasn't slept and it a mess about leaving and her boyfriend situation, damnit!! we're going to have a fun day!!! And we did. Albeit mellow and relaxing, we ended up having an amazing day in Uruguay.

It started off nicely because we'd bought the cheap tickets on the 3 hour bus, but they transferred us for free onto the 1 hour fast boat, and we arrived by 10am. The whole day before us, we just started walking and exploring. The town is tiny and cute. It's certainly not the type of place I personally could spend a very long time, because there is not too much to see, but it's an ideal relaxing day trip. We walked down the main drag and then wound around to one part of the coast, where we found an artisan market and a cute beach. The day was gorgeous and sunny, and there were people sunbathing, and sailboats drifting out in the water.

The we decided to wind down to the "old town" part of the city, which is really considered to be the big attraction, for tourists anyway! Founded in 1680, the town still maintained a lovely colonial feel, and features very well-maintained old tile and stucco houses lining pretty, cobblestone streets. There are a variety of museums and even a lighthouse, but we decided to take it easy and do a more self-guided tour, so we just enjoyed the sites from outside.

Also, the pedestrian signs are hilarious in Colonia! We decided that the image looks more like someone doing "the robot" than walking. Ha!

Along the river, there are plenty of grassy areas and beach spots to relax, share some mate, read a book, or sunbathe. I imagine it gets very crowded in summer! It was busy while we were there, but we still found ample spots to relax. We ended up finding a great spot overlooking the water and the sailboats, where we spent about 2 glorious hours. Megan slept, and I read a book. It was fantastic.

We started getting hungry and decided to have some lunch. We ended up in one cafe in the Barrio Histórico (old town) to have a soda and a snack, and then wandered back into the center of town to the main drag, where we had yummy sandwiches and I had a coffee. I was exhausted, after all, and oh man, I love the café con leche here!

After lunch we explored yet another part of town along the water, which we agreed was the prettiest part of all. We found a street that winds along the river and where there are a couple of docks you can walk out onto, where make for some amazing views of the land, water, and boats. This picture in particular really reminded me of Westport actually (where my Mom lives in MA, for those who don't know):

I thought this whole area was just gorgeous, especially as the sun was setting.

Overall, Colonia turned out to be a picturesque place to visit and a lovely little escape from the craziness of Buenos Aires. I'd recommend it as a day trip to anyone coming to visit Buenos Aires.

And now, as its Megan's last night in town, I think some shenanigans are in order.

Bike Buenos Aires!

2009-05-06T19:11:00.002-04:00

I RODE A BICYCLE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN BUENOS AIRES TODAY!!!!!!!!

I am a happy, happy girl! I borrowed my roommate Greg's bike for the afternoon (why have I not done this yet?!?!) and took off with my friend Paul through San Telmo, downtown, and the ecological reserve. Awesome little ride, even though riding with these buses is NUTS!! Paul, by the way, is my insanely amazing friend who rode his bike in a year from New York to Buenos Aires! I mean, that is just about the coolest thing I have ever heard. Needless to say, he is an inspiration, and I'm so happy to have a bike obsessed friend to enjoy BsAs with!

I will buy a bike ASAP. Now that I know how fun it is, I'm on it! I don't have a place to put one, so the biggest obstacle is finding a place. I need to find a parking garage or something that would be willing to let me store it there for a low monthly rate. We'll see what I come up with. Then, I need to find myself a nice, used cruiser. Hopefully I can make all of this happen in the next couple of weeks.

But yes, the ride was so invigorating! The only time I've ridden a bike in Argentina was in Mendoza, which was awesome, but this was different! I got back in touch with my bike-commuter self. I miss riding through the streets of Boston, weaving through traffic and cruising up and down hills. I miss the feeling of liberation that it brings, that I can go anywhere at any time, that I can do anything. I miss that. I'm gonna get it for myself here. I want to ride my bike through Buenos Aires in the middle of the night and feel totally free. (With proper lights and safety measures, of course!) ;-p

Anyway, I love bikes!! Nothing has changed, except the fact that I don't currently own one. And THAT, my friends, will be changing very, very soon!

Milestone?

2009-05-06T13:55:00.001-04:00

Today marks 3 months in Buenos Aires! And what a 3 months it's been. So much has happened, so much has changed. I'm excited to see what the next 3 months bring!

<3 Yelp!

2009-05-04T17:03:00.003-04:00

Hi Yelpers! I got your card today, and I just wanted to dedicate an entire blog post to saying thank you!!! You have no idea how amazing it was to get a card signed by like 15 people! So amazing. I smiled and smiled and smiled and continue to smile as I look at it. You're wonderful people, and I miss you too! I also cracked up at how many references there were to 1) the fact that I hate cilantro (you guys know me so well!) and 2) my extreme inappropriateness! Yep, still got it baby. hehe

Thanks for not forgetting about me!!! I am lucky to have you in my life. <3

COCK SAUCE FOR LIFE

Happy Labor Day!

2009-05-01T21:45:00.008-04:00

Today, May 1st, is a holiday widely recognized in many countries (including Argentina) as the Day of the Workers, aka Labor Day. I celebrated by working a couple hours this morning (blasphemy, I know, but I need the money), getting sick, and canceling my plans in favor of staying home watching a movie with my roommate and getting to bed early. Yep, that's where I'm headed after this blog post. I turned down a house party, a dinner invitation, and an opportunity to go salsa dancing (my favorite!!) all to stay home and allow myself to relax. It's something I don't do nearly enough. I get sucked into "social butterfly" mode too easily and don't always take care of myself. Today is a new day.

After all, I need to get up very early tomorrow! First thing in the morning (aka I have to get up at 6:30am), my friend Megan and I are heading to Colonia, Uruguay for the day for a little getaway and to get our visas renewed. Yep, I am living here on a tourist visa, which means that every time it expires (every 90 days) I need to leave the country and then re-enter, in order to get a new visa. Total pain, but it's an excuse to go do something different. I don't really have the money for the trip, but hey, I have to do it so I'm going to enjoy it! I think we will just wander around the town, do some exploring, have a very long lunch, and head back. If something super amazing happens, you, my dear blog readers, will be the first to know.

Lastly, I just took this picture while sitting here. It's probably not that interesting to you, but for me it is symbolic, so I'm posting anyway. It's the table next to my desk, in front of my bed. I spend a lot of time staring at it.

That piece of paper in the front on the left is my notice from the Correo Argentino that I received a package. I think it's from Dave. (Hi, Dave!) Unfortunately I still have not picked it up. I have to go all the way across town where I will need to wait in line for a couple hours and then BUY the package. I know, the system is so messed up. But I plan to do it next Wednesday, which is my next day off! I will get that package!! But anyway, this does remind me-- please don't send me a package unless it's like, super important. I learned this the hard way after spending $75 receiving my last 2 (amazing and greatly appreciated!) care packages (one from Ben and one from the Girl Posse! <3 <3). We can stick to cards. ;-)

The flower is a carnation that some random guy gave me on the street. I was walking through Puerto Madero and he tried to hand it to me, and of course my instinct was to assume he was trying to sell them to me and to say "no, gracias" and keep walking. And he was like, "no, it's free! it's a gift!" and just gave it to me. A lovely little random act of kindness. So it's current home is in my bottle of San Telmo Malbec. Yep, my awesome neighborhood even has a wine named after it. ;-)

Stacks of books.. most of which are unread because I spend all my "free" time planning lessons... the "Quilmes" cup I just had to buy for myself as a cheesy souvenir, which is a Quilmes beer can that an artist turned into a mug with a handle. My old broken cell phone that I really need to get rid of...

And of course, my mate. That's that gourd-looking thing with the metal straw thing poking out of it (known as the "bombilla"). The mate (pronounced "mah-tay") is what Argentines use to drink yerba mate, which is a strong, bitter tasting traditional tea. You fill the mate with the yerba, then fill it with hot water and drink it through the bombilla. You just keep refilling it with hot water and passing it around until it gets too weak to enjoy. Some people don't like it, but I absolutely love it. It's a wonderfully social, too-- you see people all over the city drinking mate with friends in parks and on benches. And it's also known to be incredibly good for you, stimulating the metabolism and enhancing mental clarity.

Last but not least is one of my favorite pictures ever of Kirsten, Ben, and Me! Ben mailed it to me (in aforementioned care package!), and I am so happy to have it. Reminds me of my amazing Boston friends every day. I'm having a great time down here and I'm so glad I came, BUT I miss yooooooo!!!!!!!

Already a crazy day!

2009-04-30T12:43:00.003-04:00

Wow it is 1:30 in the afternoon, and it's already been nuts!!! Because...

1) I MET VIVIAN!!! Yes, THE VIVIAN!!! Vivian the enigma. Vivian who does not exist. I met her. And I'm shocked and delighted to report that she was quite friendly in person and I actually really liked her. She apologized for the craziness of the past (perhaps she's just bad on the phone??) and arranged to get me my money in a more timely fashion in the future. So, yay. :-)

2) There is a crazy strike going on all over Buenos Aires today, and my entire neighborhood is a nuthouse! There are cars and buses backed up for blocks and blocks and blocks honking and whatnot, as thousands of protesters take to the streets marching, banging drums, waving flags, and blowing horns. It's crazy! I taught this morning, and my students mentioned there was a strike going on today and that I should watch out, but I had no idea it would be this crazy. I'm literally sitting in my house right now listening to what sounds like a war going on-- gunshots and screaming and whatnot.

Actually, it's pretty cool. Argentines are well known protesters. They love a good strike. And it's inconvenient, but man, they are really inconveniencing the city a ton right now, which means someone is most likely listening. I respect that. I don't think Americans protest enough.

Just a thought.

Off to more class... assuming, of course, my bus is able to bust through this traffic.

I'm awesome

2009-04-29T18:39:00.002-04:00

I just want the world to know that I am now up to running for 1 solid hour. That's 60 minutes of pain and gain!!! I run along the river (yes, the ugly brown river is turning out to serve some sort of purpose).

I'm so proud I could eat a slice of cheesecake!

PS. Can anyone tell me what to do about shin splints? Is there some way to stretch your shins?

WORK WORK WORK

2009-04-28T11:47:00.003-04:00

I am pleased to announce that I am currently working 23 hours a week, and I am horrified/ excited to announce that beginning in about 2 weeks I will be up to 41!!! Which is both good and bad! Good because I will be making enough to save money for traveling around S. America around the end of the year (plan is to travel December-February), but bad because when you add in lesson planning and travel time, I'll be working more like 70 hours a week, and thus will have no life.

Small price to pay for saving for the trip of my life, I suppose. ;-)

So specifically I am working 11 hours a week for Vivian and 12 for the Institite. I like the vast majority of my students, and though the materials are sometimes extremely disorganized, both the Institute and Vivian have been better about giving me something to work with. This is a great improvement over when I started a month ago and was literally inventing lesson plans, exercises and worksheets off the top of my head... and robbed off the internet.

The other hours will come from the Hostel where I will be starting to work soon! I am VERY excited about this! Diego, my roommate and landlord, is also the owner of a brand new hostel right around the corner from my house. The hostel is actually opening next week, so I will start working reception there just as soon as the reservations start rolling in. I'll be doing around 18 hours a week there, not getting paid a ton, but having fun, I'm sure. Working in a hostel is so appealing to me because you spend your day meeting new, interesting people from all over the world! I was recruited by Diego for my outgoing personality and the fact that I am bilingual, so I think it's going to be a really good fit for me. Can't wait!

Lastly-- MY MOM AND BILL ARE COMING DOWN ON MAY 20TH!!! I'm so excited for my very first visitors!!! Hopefully I won't have to work through their entire trip. ;-) No but seriously, I am counting down the days, and couldn't be more excited to see them. Yay!

So who's coming next???

Reggae, mon

2009-04-20T14:25:00.006-04:00

I love my roommates. I really lucked out. Julie, Andrea and I have this hilarious habit of sitting around the kitchen together drinking wine and watching MUCH Music, which is basically the MTV equivalent in Buenos Aires (only MUCH shows actual music videos). It's pretty addicting/ entertaining.

On Friday, during a Fidel Nadal video, an alert scrolled across the screen that he'd be in town this weekend. So I googled it and found out that he was playing on Sunday (last night!) and even better, at a club in my neighborhood! I didn't even know I had a music venue in my neighborhood, but apparently this place, La Trastienda, gets pretty big name bands. For example, George Clinton will be there next month, as will the Argentine classic band Divididos. Looks like I'll be spending some serious time there..

Anyway, me and my lady roommates went to the show together, plus my friend Megan too, and had a blast! Fidel is amazing in concert. It was a fun vibe, very mellow and full of hippies, and I had a blast just dancing and enjoying the tunes. Oh, and of course I did some pretty amazing dreadlock and mullet watching. Oh, man. The winner was definitely this guy:

Yeah, you're so jealous of his press-on dreaded rat tail. (Press-on because I am convinced that it is somehow fake and he attached it to his head, because I mean, come on, it's different color than his hair!!!)

Anyway, here's a 'lil video I took. You can briefly see all of us-- first Megan, then Julie (drinking), then Andrea and then me with a big goofy smile on my face.

And here's one that's a bit better and has a nice big chunk of the song "International Love." I briefly show my mug in this one, too. Please excuse the world's worst videography.

Getting used to it

2009-04-16T13:05:00.008-04:00

I'm going to refer to Vivian from now on by name, since she is rapidly becoming an important figure in many of my stories.

Vivian is my CRAZYPANTS boss, the one who sends me from here to there and all around, yells at me, acts all nuts-o, and who I have never actually met in person. (She's sort of like "Dr. Claw" from Inspector Gadget, because I picture her in a big chair, stroking her evil cat, and drumming her iron-gloved fingers on the desk, faceless.) That's Vivian.

Dr. Claw and MAD Cat (aka Vivian's iron fist of English-teaching death)

So the strangest thing has happened. I don't give a %$#& what she thinks anymore! It's very liberating.

Basically, over the past couple weeks Vivian drove me so completely nuts, was so totally gonzo, was so blatantly disrespectful to me, that I completely lost it. I broke down, cried about it, and got very worked up about it. Then about a week passed, and despite my threats to quit, as it turns out I'm broke, need the money, and am still working for her minimally. (The good news is that I did eventually get my money from her-- wasn't easy, mind you--and she and I are back to acting cordial on the phone.) I figure, whatever, the pay's not bad, and frankly, I now realize that she is the rule, not the exception. All English pimps (Vivian) treat their whores (Me) this way here. I'm moving on.

Truth is, Argentina is just like this! It's disorganized, chaotic, and mind-numbingly slow at all things. Employers are self-serving, and treat you as their pawn. Your needs are not important, only theirs. And as much as I hate this, I am also becoming hardened. Yes, I'm getting used to it, and the only way to survive is to stop caring so much.

Case in point: Vivian was supposed to call me yesterday at Noon to arrange a meeting (finally!) so she could give me some books I need for a class. However, the last time she told me she'd call me at noon, she didn't call until almost 5:00pm, only to cancel on me, yell at me, and then stiff me out of money. So my expectations were pretty low yesterday. So low, in fact, that I myself forgot about the whole thing! Me! And it worked out great, because when she finally called me around 1:00 (to cancel, of course), I didn't care! I hadn't been waiting by the phone, nor had I rearranged my day around her.

I had become, ahem, more Argentine.

This all probably sounds really nuts, but it's actually really good. It's a coping mechanism, and it's working. I think my blood pressure has gone back down to normal in the past couple days, and damnit, I'm going to last here a full year if it kills me! (which it might)

This means I need to stop having such "American" expectations of professionalism. I need to suck it up, lower the bar, and integrate. Working on it.

A love/ hate relationship

2009-04-13T11:10:00.011-04:00

Last week was undoubtedly one of the worst weeks I've ever had. It was up there anyway. Just about everything that could go wrong went wrong. My boss yelled at me, then made me trek across town for my paycheck, only to stiff me out of some money. My cell phone died, and when I went to buy more minutes, I was sold a fake card and got ripped off yet again. Then turned out the parts they sold me for the phone were broken too, and to fix the phone I needed to go to the store, but since it was Semana Santa the store was closed. General stress and all the "little things" started to pile up, and financial worries and work worries started to settle in. By Wednesday night, I had ended up in some sort of mental break down. No fun. My poor (wonderful) roommates bore the brunt of it. Much wine was consumed by all.

Then yesterday, I had one of those days that made me remember why I'm here. Just one of those great, lovely days. Sure, a lot of my problems still exist (work! broken phone! no money! ugh!) and I need to deal with that, but not yesterday. Easter Sunday was a great day, despite its total lack of anything remotely related to Easter.

My roommate Andrea has a friend in town, Yasmine, and the three of us started off our day by sitting at the café across the street drinking coffee on the street. Coffee and company were good, and things were looking up. Sundays in San Telmo are the best (as long as you can handle it), as it is the day of the feria when all the antiques dealers, artisans/ artists, and street musicians come out to play. We spent the afternoon walking up Defensa (the main drag, just a couple blocks from my house) and checking out all the interesting art and music, just having good clean fun.

Some of the highlights of the antiques market:

One of my favorite bands that plays on Sundays, a tango group featuring lots of hot accordion players: ;-)

In girly news, I also finally broke down and bought myself the bag I've been obsessing over for a week, as a little shopping therapy for myself. Oooh it's so cute! And as if that wasn't great enough, then my friend Charlotte met up with us, and we all went to enjoy a big fat choripan (chorizo sandwich with chimichurri and provenzal). YUM! [nom nom nom]

We spent a long time watching an amazing street artist paint live portraits of famous musicians (here with Amy Winehouse) to music, all with his hands and some splattering techniques. He's so entertaining to watch! I always see this guy around, and love his work.

As the day grew later, we ended up with some litros of cerveza on the sidewalk, planted in front of an amazing cumbia band playing their hearts out. We watched the dancers, wiggled a bit ourselves, enjoyed the cervezas and each other's company, and just appreciated the music, and being in a place where moments like that exist. Really, as I sat there am looked out into the crowd of happy people dancing, talking, and enjoying the music, I looked at the gorgeous cobble stoned street and the lovely colonial buildings around me surrounded by balconies covered in flowers, and I thought to myself, "this is why I came here." The stress of the week melted away right then, even if just for a moment.

On the way home, we walked by a man selling gorgeous Bugambilia flowers (called Santa Rita in Spanish) out of the back of his bicycle, and I had to have one. I ran after him, and Andrea and I both bought a couple for our balconies.

They make all the difference! Our balconies are now vibrant with lovely white, purple, and pink flowers. Plus, they look great alongside my other happy little plants, Flor and Máximo Junior.

Then to top off the whole evening, my other roommate Julie, who is French, and a friend of her's also from France, made us delicious crepes! We had some with ham and cheese, others with tuna, and then tons with nutella, dulce de leche, jams, and even one I insisted on making with peanut butter and chocolate. Oh man, what a dinner!

And now, I'm ready to begin a new week. I start a new job tomorrow, one I trained for last week, but officially begin tomorrow. I have a lot of work ahead of me and a lot of business to take care of. But... one step at a time.

Ladies weekend in Mendoza

2009-04-08T00:26:00.016-04:00

Since so much time has passed, I won't bother trying to remember every detail, but I want to at least show you some of the highlights of my trip to Mendoza (aka Argentina's prime wine country and one of the most beautiful cities in the country) with 4 amazing lady friends, March 20-24th.

Sorry for the lack of anecdotes, but please enjoy the pics:

Girls on bikes... ready for our winery tours!

Gorgeous scenery...

Exclusive bike parking!

Mmmmm Trapiche...

All the ladies at our first sampling...

French oak barrels...

Where's drunk Erica?

Acres and acres and acres and acres and acres of gorgeous vineyards...

Mamma mia I found my very own pizzeria!

An amazing steak dinner at La Barra to finish off an amazing wine tasting extravaganza!

Happy Birthday to Me! I need a job! ...and other random thoughts

2009-03-31T22:17:00.013-04:00

Wow! I am the worst blogger ever! Sorry, everyone. Clearly my mind has been elsewhere. And you know how when things just pile up, and the thought of having to catch up on so much makes you want to do even less, not more? Yes, I am suffering from that phenomenon. The shear amount of things that have happened over the past few weeks have made me hide from my blog. I will take this one step (ahem, blog entry) at a time.

So alas, if you want to hear about my fabulous 3 day weekend in Mendoza (yes, it was fabulous!), you will have to wait for a future post, unfortunately! (sneak peak: it involved a bicycle tour, lots of amazing views, and of course a ton of delicious Malbec!)

Anyway! Last Thursday was my 21st- ahem, 28th-- birthday! Woopie! Yay, I'm old! No really, I'm starting to worry about wrinkles, my metabolism is slowing down, more and more people are asking why I'm not married with babies, and I'm only 2 short years away from 30! I even said the word "blouse" the other day! Who says that under the age of 50?! One foot in the grave! AWESOME!

Luckily, you amazing friends and family helped me keep it together. Throughout the week (and still trickling in this week) I have been inundated with snail mail. Thank you all so much! Especially you, Mom, who managed to send me I think 5 separate letters! No really, the door man thinks I'm crazy. When I finally introduced myself to him yesterday, he said, "Oh YOU'RE the girl who gets all the mail!" Yes, I'm famous, and I appreciate it! My room is filled with cards. :-)

I admit that I did spent the first several hours of my birthday being fairly miserable. I suffered through an extreme case of the "what-am-I-doing-with-my-life" syndrome, and worried about finding a job (ugh), feeling fat (anorexia, anyone? this country is so skinny and vain it could make a pig stop eating), making friends, having enough money, being a good teacher, and just generally wondering why exactly I decided at 27 years old to uproot myself again, change careers, change COUNTRIES, cultures, habits, lifestyles, diets, and environments, and go off on such an uncertain adventure.

Don't worry-- I know what I'm doing is awesome. I mean, I'm in Argentina. It's interesting and fun here, and I'm finding that teaching is rewarding, creative, and right up my alley. BUT!

Finding a job here has been a nightmare, I'm not gonna lie. I am currently working only 6 hours a week, for $28 pesos/ hour. By my calculations (do do do do doooo) I'm making approximately... NOTHING!!! Yes, I have financial woes, and I need another job. I've been looking diligently for jobs and networking like crazy, and there are definitely some leads and possibilities out there for me, but it's been a long and frustrating process.

Ooohh but the students I DO have are some real gems. You're gonna love this. Remember your friend Erica who doesn't know anything about kids? Yeah, I'm teaching them. A 5 year old boy and his 8 year old sister and her friend, no less! Yep! And the 8 year old girls only want to learn lyrics to High School Musical songs (I can now sing several of them, but we will never speak of this again), and the 5 year old boy only wants to jump on the bed, dump his toys on the floor, and throw his trucks around. OH MAN! Did I really sign up for this? But beggers can't be choosers (they're paying me, after all), and I'm actually surprising myself to find that even though the kids can be total nightmares, I actually don't want to dropkick them. I actually kind of like them. Wow, I really am getting old.

I have some adult students too, but they don't make for such fun stories. :-)

Oh yes, so back to my birthday! I bought myself a lovely plant, a jasmine that will supposedly bloom sometime in April. The jasmine's name is Flor. I saw a great aloe at a shop down the street that I plan to buy this week, too. The aloe's name will be Máximo.

Here is Flor, hamming it up for the camera on my balcony:

Anyway, Thursday night (birthday night), 4 of my wonderful lady friends took me out to a fabulous dinner at a pricey and fancy restaurant in Belgrano (one of the most upscale neighborhoods of BA) called Sucre. Known for its wine list, we enjoyed several glasses of the finest, and I also put away a plate of white salmon with shitake mushroom sauce and cauliflower mash that was to die for!

Before (Exhibit A):

After (Exhibit B):

We also had some chocolate lava cake smothered in the best thing on earth, dulce de leche, and of course, some champagne.

Here's the birthday girl:

We then headed back to my neighborhood of San Telmo to a fun ex-pat bar called the Red Door where a bunch of other friends met up with me for chili bombs (recommended- chili pepper vodka dropped into a Red Bull and then chugged), beers, and a few games of pool. Needless to say, I was out until about 5:00am. Oh, Argentina!

Here's me with 2 of my favorite BA boys:

And with most of my favorite BA women (with a few key omissions):

Anyway, don't ask me how, but I somehow managed to wake up the next day and plan a lesson for a new student studying for the TOEFL exam, and then execute said lesson for 2 hours in the afternoon. Go me! At which point, running on no sleep and completely dehydrated, I returned home and prepared for round 2 of the birthday festivities! A group dinner at Cheff Iusef, a Middle Eastern restaurant in Palermo, followed by general shenanigans.

Friday's dinner was superb! I had a reservation for 10, but more and more people kept showing up, and by the end of the meal I think there were 18 of us. They kept adding tables and chairs until the restaurant literally ran out! Anyway, we dined on hummus, falafel, chicken, and lamb (don't worry, Mom, I didn't eat any lamb), and plenty of Heinekens. It really was a phenomenal meal, and I'd recommend the restaurant. Here we all are (I'm way in the back of the picture!):

And here's me enjoying it all! (And no, that is not a bruise on my arm, it's a lipstick kiss from Victoria)

We then went on to drink litros of cerveza out of plastic bags in the middle of Plaza Serrano, headed out for a drink at some random overpriced bar in Palermo, and then headed to... a gay bar! It was called Sitges, and it was phenomenal. $25 pesos for all you can drink, and the company was lovely! The remaining group of us danced all night quite literally. As in, I got home after 7:30am! (There is nothing quite like passing by cafes serving coffee and medialunas to people for breakfast as you walk home from the nightclub...)

Needless to say, I was a total waste of space for the rest of the weekend, and did nothing but sleep. But it was worth it. I am now in full detox mode and have vowed not to drink for at least a week. Not a drop. My poor, elderly liver deserves it.

So that is the tale of my birthday shenanigans! It was a lot of fun, and I'm very appreciative of my friends here in Buenos Aires who helped make it special. Obviously, I missed my friends back home TREMENDOUSLY, and it would have been even better with you guys here. I got pretty homesick around my birthday, and really wanted a good old fashioned hug from my family members and my close friends. But I got through it, and I do feel lucky to have people in my life here who helped make it special.

More later. SO MUCH MORE. I have about 500 million other topics to cover, and I'm determined to get to them all eventually! But I am teaching tomorrow morning (my student and I are going to learn all about phrasal verbs!), so I need to get my beauty rest.

xoxoxo

PS. Side note: Mullets are considered cool here in Argentina. So if you have one, you should totally come here, because then you'll be cool. You should also dread your mullet, because apparently that is cool here too. Or just shave off all your hair except for one little rat tail, and you'll STILL be cool. You can even dread THAT and be cool. Basically, any haircut you can think of is cool here. Except for like, normal ones.

The end.