Vote for ME

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.

Jazzy Tango for the Soul

Although I probably should have been staying in tonight preparing tomorrow's lesson plan on "ordering food in a restaurant," I opted instead to go to see a jazzy tango orchestra concert by a local group called the Fernandez Fierro Orquesta. It was incredible! Accordion has never sounded so beautiful. There were 12 people total-- one singer, one pianist, several accordions and violinists, plus a cello and an upright bass (which we all, of course, know is my favorite instrument of all time). I really found the music beautiful, sultry, and inspiring, and I'm so glad I ventured out. If only it hadn't been well over 100 degrees in there (quite literally), it would have been perfect! Luckily, my program got me in for free, saving me $15 pesos. :-)



Every time a song ended, or actually just a mere moment before, there was a girl off to the side of the room who would always scream "Bravo!" without missing a beat. We couldn't figure out how she always knew, down to the millisecond, exactly when the song was end, so we ended up turning it into a little game. Could we yell "Bravo" before her, but still at the appropriate time?! This turned into bets, dares, and finally the ultimate Double Dog Dare, but in the end we were defeated. She was just too good. (Ever the conspiracy theorist, I'm convinced she was being paid by the band.)

Anyway, now at a mere 2:30am I am getting snuggled into bed and trying to get a bit of sleep before tomorrow's class. I will teach a beginner lesson tomorrow on the aforementioned topic, which should be interesting because it's my first "beginner" lesson. I'm also planning one for Friday that I will teach to an Intermediate class on the topic of "getting through US Customs and Immigration." It's a crazy topic, really, and one I think they will find quite useful. Hopefully I won't scare them too much, as I found out in my own research on the Homeland Seecurity webpage that in addition to scaring the pants off people with our intimidating officers asking intimidating questions, we also actually take everyone's fingerprints and EYEBALL SCANS these days when they enter the US. Nuts! There's one good solid reason to be an American. Entering Argentina took all of 2 seconds, and there were definitely no elaborate scanning and tracking devices involved. Apparently tourists entering the US also have to answer the direct question, "Are you a terrorist?" Sheesh!

Anyway, you can tell I'm tired because I'm rambling about terrorism. Love to all!