Things I love about Buenos Aires

I've been here for two weeks and I'm sure I'm leaving out a million other things I adore but, in no particular order, here are the ones I'm thinking about right now:

• Hustle and bustle. Any time of day, any day of the week, any type of weather, the streets are packed with people. There is always something to do here and people are busy doing it.
• Sparkling water. Six large, reusable, old-school seltzer bottles are delivered straight to my door once a week for about $3 (not the delivery fee - that's the total cost).
• Delivery in general. You can get anything delivered here! Literally anything. It's amazing.
• Yerba Mate. It's not the taste of yerba that I love (which, in an unexpected twist on typical Yanqui tastebuds, I do) as much as the culture and ceremony that surrounds it. Mate is meant to be shared. It is a community event in which a group of people share ONE mate (cup) and ONE bombilla (filtering straw), continually filling and passing, filling and passing, changing the yerba leaves once it is lavado (washed, aka weak) and filling and passing it around some more. It always feels like an honor to be included in such a uniting tradition.
• Empanadas. If I don't eat one a day I feel as though something is wrong in life.
• Beef. I don't like to eat beef in the U.S. for several reasons that I won't get into. Here, those reasons melt away like the juicy cuts of lomo in my mouth.
• Leather. As a result of the large cattle industry, the leather goods here are out of this world. I'm all for using all parts of an animal so if I eat beef I might as well enjoy leather!
• Wine. While I'm on the stereotypical Argentinean goods topic, it has to be said: the wine is fantastic. Malbec, te adoro.
• Jasmine. It grows everywhere here.
• Little Horse. The neighborhood where I live is called "Caballito" which translates to "Little Horse." To me it is a representative middle to upper-middle class neighborhood blessedly void of tourists. I feel safe here, and what's more, since it's so unlikely that I would be living in this neighborhood people don't even bother to notice me. I also just found out that the statue of El Cid one block from our apartment is the exact center of the city. Rad.
• Mixed-use buildings. Almost every building's first floor is a retail store of some kind, which means that in any neighborhood you can walk to anything you could possibly need. Within 2 blocks of my apartment are at least 1 (and often 2 or more) of the following: bank; grocery store; restaurants and cafes; bakery; butcher; salon; laundry services (they do the wash for you!); bar; gym; pharmacy; gas station; car wash; clothing retail; shoe retail; cobbler; tailor; and most importantly, several empanaderias.
• Argentineans. My thirst to meet and talk to as many varying representatives of this country as possible is seemingly unquenchable. I consider it a project in amateur anthropology. Maybe it's just because it's all foreign to me but, unlike in the U.S. where I might get bored if I feel like I already know how the conversation will end, I love finding out what people have to say here, and how they say it. Life in a second language can be frustrating but it's also totally fascinating.
• Sol. My life here would be completely different were it not for my friend and roommate, "Sunshine" (and her family). A mi querida amiga: que haría sin vos??

A question for my readers

Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing, people from other countries know (or think they know) a lot about the U.S. It's impossible to say I'm estadounidense or yanqui without people showing some sort of reaction or having a series of mostly predictable questions or dissertations about the U.S. I've become accustomed to it and don't consider it good or bad (though it is sometimes annoying). I try to be the best ambassador I can for the U.S.

Meanwhile, last Thursday night I was out on the town with Claudio, my dear friend and old neighbor. We had just left the cinema and were walking home when he asked me a very interesting question to which I did not have a good answer. The question was: what do we, as Americans, think of Argentina or Argentineans?

This stopped me in my tracks for a moment as I realized that I am more Americancentric than I ever knew; the truth was, I had never thought about it. So before I could answer him, I had to think about why I had never thought about it. The simplest answer was because I can't think of a single Argentinean I've ever met in the U.S. It's not a normal travel destination for a culture that prefers to go back to its Italian or Spanish roots on vacation, or for those who can't afford to make a long trip stay local to the country or at least the continent.

I replied that we don't meet many Argentineans so our inclination is probably to romanticize it as a country of gauchos and tango, and Buenos Aires itself as a chic and historic city filled with good-looking people.

"But how would you react if you did meet one of us?" he insisted. "Would you think our customs were weird, or the way we dressed, or...?"

I told him that in general I think we are very gracious to tourists and would probably express interest in Argentina and provide any information or help they were asking for and then some. I told him that Argentina's fashion and customs aren't so different or weird and that in the U.S. anything goes anyway, and that it probably would not be an issue.

But then I realized that I have totally cloudy judgment on the issue since I live here and am acquainted with what's normal.

So I open the question to you, dear readers: What do you think of Argentina? That is, when you hear "Argentina" what comes to mind? Have you ever met an Argentinean tourist? If so, how did they seem and how did you react? If not, how do you think you'd react upon meeting one in your native streets?

Comments, commence! Remember, you can post anonymously without having to create an account.

Week One in Buenos Aires

Well, I have been here for just over a week and this is what I have to relate so far.

First, I forgot to mention in my last post the eerie and ethereal highlight of the overnight flight: a lightning storm at 35,000 feet. The captain came over the loudspeaker to tell us to buckle up, but he steered clear of the clouds beautifully and we didn't feel a bump. I was so grateful to be on the right (er, left) side to catch sight of the most incredible clouds I have ever seen. They were huge, curvaceous towers that extended as far down as I could see and ended about 200 feet above the plane in a huge dome. There were about 5 of them and each had its own individual lightning show going on inside. I craned my neck as long as I could to watch for the flashes in an otherwise pitch black night.

Ok, on to Buenos Aires. I wish I could say I've done more interesting things since being here but the truth is, life is pretty normal. I have so much time and I've done all the touristy things already so I've mostly been laying low, getting my bearings of where I live, eating empanadas and pasta and parrillada (aka meat), sleeping and working. Sol and her mom Lydia and I had a fantastic lunch last Saturday and then cruised the fashionable shopping district called Palermo. That night I hung out with my friend Renée (who I met in Chile oh-so-long ago and is now living in Buenos Aires), her roommates, and their friends. On Monday I caught up with my old neighbor and friend Claudio and will see some more old friends tomorrow for a birthday party. I'm busy trying to make new friends too, so stay tuned! So far it consists of a fluent-in-Spanish-and-Portuguese fellow Yanqui who lives 10 blocks from me and loves the same things I do, but I'm also busy meeting locals. Hopefully this weekend I'll go dancing so I can regale you with an absurd "I was out until 7 am" story for the next blog.

Last Sunday, a famous Argentinean folk singer named Mercedes Sosa died. I went to a gringo bar to watch the Seahawks get pummelled and then walked to my old apartment building to visit Claudio, which happens to be right by Palacio de Congreso. Thousands upon thousands of people were lined up for blocks to get into the congress building to look at Sosa's remains. It seemed strange to me that she should be on display by the state but Argentineans take the death of famous people very, very seriously. I was unable to take the normal bus home and went in subway (which involves a much longer walk but I love the underground) instead, where I turned on the TV and was able to see her laid out without waiting in line for 6 hours.

On to where I'm staying: the apartment is HUGE, which by American standards is normal-to-big. Sol completely remodeled the whole place when she moved in (her dad owns it) and it's all in very good taste, not to mention comfortable. There is a hammock in our living room for heaven's sake. Did I mention she cooks for me and supplies me with endless cups of mate during the day? (We both work from home.) I won't tell you what I pay in rent because it will make you cry.

Sol and I each have our own large bedroom and share the third bedroom as the office/dining room. It's been really easy to work from here and it doesn't feel odd at all to communicate with coworkers from such a distance since we all use IM anyway, even if we're 5 feet from each other. I'm excited to get started on my next Apex venture which is producing an Art Appreciation electives course. I've also drafted a budget for my time here which includes paying off my credit cards and student loans in full by April - hopefully I can stick to it!

A few things I forgot but was quickly reminded of upon return:

• It's impossible to find sheets with a thread count above 180
• The thunder and lightning storms are intense and awesome
• Spending pesos is easier than spending dollars
• I love instant coffee and am not ashamed to admit it
• My Spanish is better than I remember it being but it's still frustrating when I don't know the word for something or forget a grammatical construction
• My teddy bear is the single most comforting thing I brought with me

I promise a more visually pleasing blog next time and will commit to taking some pictures soon. Also, I plan to work up the courage to take my video camera out of the apartment sooner rather than later.

Next time I blog I hope to have exciting updates on a few side projects/hobbies I'm trying to pursue here.

Until then, if you're so inclined I'd appreciate any comments you might have. I love hearing from readers! (Note that it's very easy to post an anonymous comment without needing to create a blogger or google account.)

Unnecessarily detailed account of an uneventful journey

Wednesday morning was less than relaxing as I hurried to the bank to get cash, the store to buy TSA-allowed luggage locks for the contraband and other expensive items I had wrapped in sweaters and hidden in the depths of my giant suitcase, tried to get a ridiculous parental control program off my new PC laptop, and generally was unpleasant to both my mother and older sister who bore it gracefully without making me feel even more guilty about spending our last hours together in a blur. (At one point my mom even offered to make waffles and I said no thanks; wtf was wrong with me?? Wishing I had those waffles right about now. Anne did make a giant batch of Chex Mix of which I took a gallon-sized container and only just finished it today.)

I got through checking in OK after transferring 3.5 pounds from the giant suitcase to the reasonably sized suitcase and then looking at the airline woman with desperation when it still registered 51.5 pounds. She let it slide. She also let me pass with my baritone ukulele, bulging laptop bag, and an oversized purse. Apparently United does not count musical instruments as one of your two carry-ons which I thought was pretty awesome.

I'm not sure how I got this so wrong but I had somehow figured that my flight to DC was 6 hours and then from DC to Buenos Aires was 8. Um, no. My DC flight was a piddling 4.5 hours and then after I had to run (ok, walk briskly) from one gate to the next to make my connector, I actually let out a pained "no!" when the flight attendant announced that our flight would last 10 hours and 10 minutes. Can I just say that I never feel resentful of rich people until I'm walking through first and business class on my way to my crappy little coach seat? They did feed us dinner and then breakfast, and they did supply a surprisingly long and cushy pillow and a good-sized blanket, but the in-flight entertainment left a lot to be desired - I didn't watch a single thing - and the seats did not recline quite as much as they might have. Luckily I had some unisom which did not help me sleep uninterrupted but did at least help me fall back asleep every 15 minutes or so, and in general kept me in a dazed stupor so that when I looked at my watch in horror at 3 am and realized there were still 6 hours left and I just couldn't last that long, somehow the next time I looked at my watch it was 6 am and life didn't seem so bad (though my feet were hilariously swollen; I wish I had taken a picture).

If you read my last post you know I was nervous about getting through immigration (since I want to stay for 8 months and have no return ticket) and customs (since I had several thousand dollars' worth of new electronics and random horse hoofing tools, don't ask). I said exactly two words during the whole process. First I went through immigration: he asked me, "tourista?" to which I said, "si." Then he looked at and stamped my passport with the standard 90 day visa and said, "bienvenida" (welcome) to which I said, "gracias."

I got my luggage without any real trouble except for sheer volume which required careful maneuvering of a rickety cart. I was sweating both from lugging each bag up on to the conveyor belt for immigration to peer at via x-ray as well as in anticipation of their "why do you have so many electronics?"question. Also, I just seem to be sweaty and gross after any long flight. Anyway, the immigration guy didn't look at me; didn't ask to see my passport; didn't ask to see the customs form I had painstakingly filled out; didn't ask to see inside a single one of my bags. The whole thing took less than 3 minutes, 2.5 of which was me loading and then unloading bags. Lesson learned: I played customs roulette and got lucky.

Sol picked me up from the airport and took me straight to our apartment which is huge and lovely and I will go into more detail with pictures later. After a long nap I unpacked in an hour, went shopping for new bedding which I always do in any new place to feel at home, and then slept another 12 hours. Since then I've done very little of note but I promise to blog about life here in Capital (pronounced cap-eeeh-tahl) in another blog since this one is already long.

Going, going, gone! A quick update on the last few weeks

It's been hard to find the time to write a new post because I've been going, going, going since the last one. Not that I'm complaining - I love being busy and I've had mostly fun things keeping me from getting my preferred 8-9 hours of sleep each night. (Yes, I really do sleep that much if possible. Why do you think I never get sick??)

To recap: The weekend after I got back from Orcas I went to Las Vegas with Robyn and her friend Natalie from Chicago. Robyn worked the Vegas circuit, getting us a great deal on a room at Mandalay Bay and VIP entrance to two of the hottest nightclubs, Tao at the Venetian and XS at Encore. We also spent a full day at a pool party. It was a weekend of drinking replacing meals and inappropriately short dresses, and not one I could repeat more than once a year. But damn was it fun!

Just two days after Vegas we had to move out of a beautiful rental house which I've been sharing with Katie, Martin, and baby Jacob since February. Our lease was up but their house (which Martin has been steadfastly remodeling) was not quite ready, so we moved into a housesit while Katie's friends honeymooned in Spain.

About two months ago our fearless leaders in the Content Development team at Apex decided we should have an off-site retreat and asked me to plan the logistics. This ran the gamut from booking travel for 9 people from Philadelphia to renting cars to planning meal teams and sleeping arrangements to shopping for groceries for 21 people for 3 days. It was a lot of work but it all turned out really well. Turns out cooking with your coworkers is a great way to bond! Everyone had a fantastic time and we hope to repeat it on a yearly basis.

When I got back we had to move yet again, from one housesit to another. Luckily I stored most of my belongings during the first move in their attic or in my sister's basement so I've essentially been packed for Argentina since September 8. Then it was just a mad dash to today, September 30. I did lots of fun things in the meantime like a s'mores bonfire at Golden Gardens, the Greek festival at Saint Demetrio's, and helping Katie and Martin finally move in to their beautiful house, which I hope to also occupy upon my return (probably in May).

In terms of "I'm leaving (again)" events, I had a huge going-away lunch with co-workers, going-away drinks at Linda's, and a family dinner in which I got my combined birthday/Christmas present: an amazingly tiny and super fun video camera! Be ready for videos from the southern hemisphere, as soon as I can figure out how to upload and edit them... the first will be of the absurdly cute baby Jacob who just turned 4 months old.

These last two days have been pretty hectic, which is to be expected. But I had to get a last-minute blog in and I also uploaded 90 photos to my Picasa site, complete with captions, so check them out! They date back to March I think so it covers a lot of ground.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to writing again from Argentina! I arrive at 9 am tomorrow morning, wish me luck. I hope the butterflies in my stomach are a sign of nothing but good things (and not, for instance, an innate knowledge that my customs clearance will be disastrous with 2 laptops, 3 cameras, and no return ticket to prove my exit from the country). Cross your fingers for me...

Island Travel and Then Some

Wednesday kicked off the penultimate push of activities before I leave for Argentina. I drove to Anacortes after work and took the 9 pm ferry to Orcas island where my friend Amber has been residing. I visited in January and vowed to return in the summer. Amber lives in a yurt next to her two good friends Owen and Whitney who live in another yurt and, occasionally, a school bus (more on that later). This is Amber's sunny summer home with container vegetables outside:
After Amber and I worked all day Thursday, we decided to take advantage of the afternoon sun and went to Moran state park where we went for possibly the longest swim of my life (we guessed about a quarter mile). It was encouraging that I wasn't even fatigued until just as I got out of the water. That night we cooked a fantastic rice and island-grown vegetable dish in their outside kitchen, followed up by a sauce made from plums out of my backyard but too sticky to eat after their long journey. Here is a picture of their outdoor cooking and eating space:

Friday morning we woke up and did some more good eating (homemade hashbrowns and eggs plus more plum sauce and Greek honey yogurt) and then prepared to embark on a journey to San Juan Island for the "Stress Less Barter Festival" which is really more like a mini village put together for 3 days on a farm just outside Friday Harbor. If "embark on a journey" sounds dramatic, it was: Owen decided to take the 40-foot bright yellow school bus (which sleeps 4 and has a kitchen) off Orcas island for the first time since he's owned it.

Amber and I both needed to park at the ferry so Owen went to pick up some kayaks (Owen and Whitney are both kayak guides) while we finished packing food and ourselves. We met just as he was about to drive onto the ferry and hopped aboard for a sweet front-of-boat spot and a gorgeous ride to Friday Harbor. Here are Amber and Owen on the bus on the ferry:

Side note: I love the inner-island ferry. It's a throw-back to what I remember riding in the 80s (think faded yellow motif) and the tables are scattered with jigsaw puzzles in various states of completion. I worked on a giraffe puzzle in honor of my sister Tessa.

Riding in that school bus was a trip to say the least, and when we got it settled in at the camping village Amber and I took advantage of our "you're staying on the school bus? cool!" status and promptly ate, napped, and then woke up and played baritone ukulele for awhile. Then we wandered back up to where the very wholesome, family-oriented village party was getting started and listened to music on the main stage, wandered around the various set-ups (notables included "math guy" who would explain anything you wanted to know, a "mineral water" hot tub, the "make tea not war" mini-school bus, and a place to get a bartered hair cut) and ate brick-oven squash pizza and tempura vegetables. Then it was back for a bus-side bonfire and bed. Here are Amber and Whitney on the bus Friday night:
On Saturday Amber and I both had to be on the 2:30 ferry to Orcas so she could go to work and I could catch the 4:20 Anacortes ferry to get to Robyn's 5th annual wine party in time. We woke up later than anticipated but against all odds we managed to make and eat breakfast, rally the crew, borrow a truck to strap the kayaks to, and make our way halfway across the island to Lime Kiln state park which is noted for its from-shore orca sightings. Whitney strapped herself into a single kayak, Amber and I shared a double, and other Orcas island friends of theirs Erin and Michael shared another (Owen politely sat out the first round).

The waves were perfect and the current wasn't difficult to row against. It was sunny and breezy and my arms didn't turn to jelly until just as we were returning. The whole time we could see whale watching boats nearby but were too far to see the orcas themselves (and couldn't get closer without going too far into open water). Just as we reached our agreed-upon turnaround point which was the lighthouse where people go to watch for whales, two beautiful female orcas appeared before us! They were about 50 yards away and we could hear the cool sound of blow-hole breathing each time they came to the surface. We didn't see any jumps or breaches but I did see one smack her tail against the water. It was my first time seeing orcas up close and that was the icing on an already magical weekend. Amber has pictures and I promise to share them once she shares with me. We also saw a seal catch and eat a fish in open water about 15 feet from us, and were surrounded by huge, beautiful red jellyfish.

We got back to the trucks just in time for Michael and Erin to whisk Amber and me to the ferry with 5 minutes to spare. Once back on Orcas Amber went to work and I got in line for my second round of ferry riding of the day. The whole weekend was a dance of perfectly choreographed timing, often when we were sure the timing would not work out.

Speaking of timing, I was worried I'd be late for the wine party - especially since I was supposed to help set up - but luckily Robyn is a very gracious friend and everyone else was late so I was just early enough to prepare some food and get ready for the blast that was last night. I've been to 4 out of 5 of the wine parties and this one was probably the most hilarious, complete with a famed high-kick contest between two of Robyn's close friends Paul and James. The food was fantastic (highlight: watermelon gazpacho) and you may all be surprised to know that a $3 bottle of Charles Shaw Shiraz took second place in the reds category.

Today I jumped into house guest mode. My friend Annie and her brother are theoretically arriving on their Seattle leg of a road trip sometime after midnight tonight (the plan was to make it from Park City, Utah in one day but it's after 7 and I haven't heard from her so we'll see what happens). I cleaned, bought groceries, and cooked like a maniac. So far today I have made: pesto; green tomato chutney (copied from a recipe Amber made on Orcas last season); plum sauce (copied from what we just made on Orcas), hummus and tzaziki sauce. I'm also soaking farro and wheat berries to cook later and I'm thinking about making a lentil-black bean dip since I'm trying to use what I have before the first of 3 moves.

Next weekend I go to Las Vegas with Robyn and her friend Natalie (yeah Vegas!) and then when I get back we have to move out of our rental and into a house sit. But more on that and the rest of my September later - this is already ridiculously long. If you're still reading, thanks for sticking with it! Here are some bonus photos as a reward (green tomato chutney and fresh-picked plums).


These plums are so delicious, just enough to pop into your mouth for a flavor explosion! Right now they're overripe on the tree, which is the perfect time to cook them down into sauce. Yum.

¡Ya voy!

After weeks (maybe even months) of deliberation on the right day to depart as well as a frustrating search for airfare, I bought a one-way ticket from Seattle to Buenos Aires for Wednesday, September 30. My return is open-ended but I expect to be back in the Seattle area sometime in the spring.

I will start blogging again as the date draws closer and then pick up where I left off once I'm back down south.

Hooray!