MTV VJ

So, last week I went on an interview at MTV in Buenos Aires. Yes, I somehow found a job posting on craigslist for a MTV VJ. I sent an email with a few pics, and I had an interview scheduled. I was a little concerned, so I emailed a friend just to verify it was legit since something like this would never happen back home in the States.
I had to memorize a whole script (in English of course). I stayed up late and practiced the whole next day. There was a lot to remember, so I was nervous. I didn't know what I was getting myself into, but I thought why not. I knew it was going to be a cool experience, either way.
I walked into MTV and all these models were in the lobby. They were all locals from Buenos Aires, rehearsing there lines and butchering all the words. I thought I had this in the bag, but I didn't know how I was going to do in front of the camera.
They finally brought me to the back, and put some makeup on me. I was ready to go. I walked into the room, there was a whole set and 3 camera people. I started freaking out. This was for real! Ahhhh! They put a mic on me and asked to introduce myself. The guy was really nice, and I'm sure I was shaking. Then, they told me to rehearse my lines, I remembered ONLY 2 lines. I blew it. Then, the guy kept trying and asked me to talk about any music video. I choose Lady Gaga and the Jonas Brothers, don't ask. I was rushing and he kept asking me to go longer. I couldn't calm down and just talk normally. The screening was done. They told me they would contact people the following week, I wasn't expecting to hear from them.
I left MTV pissed, I could have totally nailed it if I was somewhat decent in front of the camera. Oh well, I guess TV is not for me : (
I'm still teaching English in the meantime, and looking for a full time job.

Carilo.....tranquility

Last weekend I headed to Carilo, a small cute beach town about 4 hours away from the city. I was looking forward to getting out of BsAs. Lately, the city has been super loud and very fast paced. Carilo was the answer. A good friend invited me and we were off on the road to a piece of heaven.
On the drive, we stopped to get the most amazing Medialunas...Atalaya!! They were so delicious. Yum!
We arrived to Carilo and headed straight to the beach. There were barely any people on the beach, it was perfect. We drank Mate, chit-chatted, relaxed, and took everything in.
We ended up staying the night because we just didn't want to leave. In the evening, we explored the little downtown area. We decided on Italian for dinner. I had the most amazing dish, Sorrentinos (like ravioli) with chicken and mushrooms in a cream sauce. One of the best dishes by far! And of course the night ended with Freddo helado (ice cream)....Dulce de Leche and Tramontana.
The next day it was the beach again. It was chilly, so I was all covered up, but I still managed to burn : ()
Sitting on the beach and looking out at the water, I reminisced about my whole experience in Argentina. Sometimes, I stop and pinch myself. It's still surreal. I've been here for almost 3 months now. I've learned so much about this culture and most importantly myself. I am happy. I am appreciating every second. Even the low moments, when I think about my family and how much I miss them. I cherish them even more now! But, I'm not ready to leave Argentina quite yet....
On the way back from Carilo, we drove through Pinamar and stopped in La Plata. The church in La Plata is much bigger and more beautiful than the one in Lujan. La Plata is known as the city of "diagonals" because of the streets. I would never go by myself, who knows where I would end up : ) Thank you to my friend who took me on this amazing weekend trip ; )

Lujan with Yillabean

Before I came to Buenos Aires, I did a whole lot of research. My friends back home know I'm a huge planner. I found a blog 2 months before I arrived that I followed practically every day. It was about a girl picking up and moving to Buenos Aires. She did a great job writing about her every day experiences, teaching English, Argentine culture, men, food, etc. So, I recently read her blog and found out she was leaving Buenos Aires. I decided to send her an email and meet up with her. Normally, I wouldn't just email a stranger back home and meet up with them. But, in this situation, it happens all the time. You have to put yourself out there if you want to meet people.
So, we met up for lunch. She's a very sweet girl. I told her how much her blog helped me with information about moving to Buenos Aires. After lunch, we agreed to meet up again. This past Monday we went to Lujan, 1.5 hours away from Buenos Aires. It was a cute little town. The main feature was the Lujan Church. There's a huge symbol in Lujan, the Virgin. Her image is in the Church. Even though this country can be very macho at times, there are many women figures as important symbols.
On the way out, I bought a Lujan necklace. She is said to bring good luck (I need luck in finding a job here). I've been teaching English for the last month. It has been an enjoyable opportunity and I'm learning so much from my students. All of them are very nice, and today I met my first female student. However, it is difficult with the traveling and teaching. Even though I only taught 3 hours today, commuting to Microcenter and back to Recoleta can be tiring....especially when there are protests every day. Streets are blocked because of the protests, so traffic is horrible.
I have a good feeling a job will come my way very soon....:) POSITIVE THINKING

Meeting a Croata in Buenos Aires

So, I finally met a Croata. He doesn't speak Croata, but he sings in Croata. He's in a folklore band here. He's super nice. The Croatas in Argentina are mostly 2nd and 3rd Generation, whereas in the States there are many 1st Generation Croatas.
He's actually half Croata and half Lebanese. We spoke English of course, my Castellano is SLOWLY improving. He definitely looks Croata as well. It was nice to meet someone who comes from a similar background.

I'm hoping to visit a Croata church in the near future.

Mate

Sofi bought me this adorable Mate. A few more days and I can use it. There's water in it right now, and then old Mate Yerba needs to sit in it for 2 days. This is how a new Mate cup is broken in. The straw is called a bombilla. The Mate has leaves on it, and I LOVE LEAVES. A leaf symbolizes freedom and endless possibilities. You never know what can happen in this lifetime....

Thanksgiving in Argentina

My friends Bridget and Jackie came to visit me this past week. They are on an adventure as well, but in Brazil. It was nice to see them, like a little piece of home was visiting me in Buenos Aires. It was a wonderful weekend!

For Thanksgiving, my friends Juan and Ana were kind enough to invite us for Thanksgiving Dinner. Argentinians do not normally celebrate Thanksgiving, however Ana's brother Gonzalo was home from the States. The dinner was incredible....lamb, beef, mashed potatoes, salad, carmelized onions, apple sauce....yummy. For dessert... dulce de leche ice cream, cake, brule, fruit medley!! Spending time with Ana's family was great. They are such nice people. Juan and Ana - Thank you so much for making it feel like Thanksgiving in Argentina! : ) You guys are the best! Pictures coming soon...Bridget (aka - paparazzi :) has all the pictures.

The Majic Family

I finally met my family in Rosario! They are all so wonderful. I was so happy to meet them. It’s definitely the biggest highlight on this adventure so far. I took a 4 hour bus ride to Rosario and stayed with Sofia. Luckily, Sofi speaks perfect English and I was able to communicate with my other 2 cousins, Sandra and Cintia. Even though we come from such different places, I noticed similarities right away.

Cintia - A hippie and free spirited. She’s very funny and natural. She has strong beliefs and stands up for them. She’s a social worker, and very passionate about her career. She is adorable with her boyfriend Martin. And you can see the love between them.

Sandra - She is tall like me. She definitely looks like a Croata. She’s sporty yet very girly at the same time. She believes in positive thinking and envisioning what we want for the future (exactly what I believe in). I went into her room, and she had a vision board (just like in “The Secret”). Sandra has a Hamsa key chain, I have a Hamsa necklace : ) Hamsa brings good luck and wards off evil.

Sofia – I was able to spend a lot of time with Sofi, and she is absolutely amazing. I can’t believe she is only 19 years old. She’s so mature, intelligent, independent, and logical. She is studying in Rosario. And I know the future only holds the best for her. And she is the reason I am able to meet and communicate with my family here in Argentina. Thanks Sofi! It means the world to me.

Friday night, Sofi and I went to Sandra and Cintia’s for dinner. Cintia’s boyfriend joined us as well. Martin is very nice. We had delicious empanadas and pizza. They brought out a wipe off board and we wrote out the Family tree. Sofia, Sandra, and Cintia’s grandma (Iva) is my grandma’s (Anica) sister. So, these girls are my second cousins. And our fathers are first cousins.

On Saturday, Sofi’s aunt took us on a tour of Rosario. It’s a small city, and very calm. It was nice to get away from Buenos Aires for the weekend. The Parana River is very peaceful. It was nice to be close to water. Saturday night went out for Mexican food with Sofi, and then headed to a bar with a few of her friends.

Sunday morning we had to be up for Tia’s Birthday. It was the first time I was meeting my Tio and Tia. Sofi and I headed to the restaurant to meet up with them. I was nervous since I wasn’t sure how we were going to communicate. However, I was surprisingly shocked, my Tio speaks perfect Croata!! It was so comfortable, and so natural. I felt like I was home with family. My Tio could be my father’s brother, they look so similar. We had a wonderful lunch with the girls. After lunch, we went back to Cintia and Sandra’s for cake (Tia’s Birthday) and Mate. The tradition of Mate is wonderful. There is a Mate cup with Mate yerba. It is filled up with hot water, and you take turns drinking it. It’s bitter, but I like bitter. Afterward, all of us girls went out to a street artesian market. My primas bought me a ring and Mate cup with a leaf on it. It is adorable. I’m going to start drinking Mate on a regular basis. It’s an energy booster without the downfall (like in coffee). My Tia is sweet, and we were able to communicate with my little Castellano and hand gestures of course. Her and my Tio look very happy.

After being out all day, we came back to the apartment and ordered 1 kg of ice cream. And we ate it all! It was delicious! We hung out and listened to Latina music, it was hilarious. Lots of laughing and great conversations. Before I knew it, the time was midnight and it was time to say goodbye. The weekend flew by so fast and I was sad to say goodbye. But, I know I will be seeing all of them very soon.

I never imagined it would be this great meeting my family. They are great people. Baba Iva and Baba Anica are looking down at us smiling : )

I'm a slacker

I'm slacker with my blog, but not with going out : ) People barely sleep in this city, and I'm starting to adapt to it. Not sure if it's a good thing, since I love my sleep.

I'm going to wrap up my fun filled week and a half.

Tigre - I visited Tigre with my friend Benjamin. It's about an hour away from the city. I was going with him to check out some boats for his business. We were able to ride 2 boats, fast boats. It was nice to get out of the city for a day. Then, we chilled at a cafe and walked around the area. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't too great.

Running - Went running through the Ecological Reserve by Puerto Madero with Amy. Well, I walked most of the way and chit chatted. We met some new people, some expats and locals. We're always meeting new people, which is great.

Monday night came around and I went out. And ended up staying out until 5 am, very crazy. There were about 8 of us. We had drinks and then dancing! The music is amazing in the clubs, all the Latin music I enjoy.

Tuesday - Grabbed lunch with friends and spent the day with Ernesto, a new friend.

Wednesday - I stayed in most of the day trying to recover from being out so much. Then, went over to Nate's for Mexican food with the expats

Thursday - I taught English for 2 hours (well 1 hour, since the first person canceled on me). It went ok. But, I'm definitely wanting to work. I'm ready to work full time. This will determine how long I stay here. I want to stay in Buenos Aires. After my classes, I went to an art exhibition with Senora Marta. Met some nice people, and polo players. Marta kept pushing me to talk to them, hahaha. It was funny. I'm becoming very close to Marta, which is great. She's becoming my second family. Thursday night met up with a friend from Chicago (well, Colleen's friend). And then went over to Benjamin's for dinner and then out dancing. It was a late night once again, came back home at 5 am.

Friday - Slept in. Job searched. Stayed in most of the day. Then, went out to dinner with the friend from Chicago (Victor) and his friends. We went to a new area, somewhere in north Palermo. Afterwards, we went to a Salsa club. LOTS of Salsa dancing. It was an overdose of Salsa. Got in at 5 am AGAIN.

Saturday - I met my cousin Sofia and my aunt!!! They are both very nice. And it was amazing to think I have such close family here. And that Sofia's baba and my baba were sisters. I could see resemblances. They came over to my place and we had coffee/medialunas.
In the evening, I went to my first asado. It was about an hour away from the city. My friend Ernesto invited me, Amy, and Stephanie. There were about 20 people. The food was delicious, mostly meat. Basically, an asado is huge grill over a coal fire with all sorts of meat. Once the meet was down, I never saw people attach so fast. It was cool. The asado reminded me of the days on the farm with my family roasting a lamb on a spit. I wish we did more of this back home, now that I'm older. It's a great bonding experience with family and friends. We sat around the bonfire talking about everything and anything. And then the Karaoke began, it was great to watch and many laughs. I'm very glad I met this group of guys: Ernesto, Augustine, Jimmy, and Benjamin.
We stayed up until 5 am. Luckily, the house had many beds, so we crashed and woke up this morning to a house full of family and kids. Hahaha, they were all so nice. We through the rugby ball around, and then drove back to the city. I took a siesta of course.

1 month in Buenos Aires!

I've been here for 1 month! Time is flying by so fast, which means I'm having a great time.
I'm feeling good about everything and learning so much! I'm learning about a new culture and even more about myself. No regrets at all, and I never imagined it would be going this well!
I'm happy : )

I miss my family and friends back home. I love you all. Lots of Hugs and Kisses!

Oh Wednesday, what a day!

So, Wednesday comes along and I'm ready to go on my interview. The night before, I asked Senora Marta about directions to get to Belgrano. She told me Bus 67, and the route it would take, and where to get off. I got on the bus, and everything was going well until the bus started going in a different direction. I got off right away and jumped into a cab, I told him where I was going in my best Castillano. After 5 minutes, my instincts told me he had no clue where the cafe was located. So, I got out of the cab and called the person I was interviewing with. I explained the situation and she was cool. She told me to get into another cab and make sure they knew the intersection. Luckily, the next cab driver knew exactly where to go, but then we hit a closed street where they were filming a movie (another obstacle). He told me it was very close by and I could walk around the corner. I somehow understood, the hand gestures helped. I found the cafe!
I was 10 minutes late, but the lady was totally fine with it. She was glad I made it. The interview went extremely well and I hope I got the job. I should be hearing from them this week for another interview next week. I only met with an HR lady (outsourced).
I took the train back home, and it went very smoothly.

I had plans to meet another expat. We decided to go to Patio Bullrich (a very nice shopping mall near by). We had a very nice conversation at a cafe. After a few hours, we decided to leave. She left her money on the table and went to the bathroom. I left my portion, and I asked for 1 peso back. The waitress came back and handed me the 1 peso. Her thank you was extremely nice, and I thought for a second after I left.....Why was she so nice saying thank you? I just left her a regular tip. I stopped thinking about it after a few minutes.

My friend and I decided to go to MALBA, a museum near by. We spent a few hours there, and then went home. I walked home alone and I kept thinking about that waitress. I thought I was going crazy.

I finally reached home. Ate a snack. I had dinner plans with Amy. Before I was about to leave, I checked to see how much money was in my wallet. Shit!!!!!!!!!!!! I gave the waitress 100 pesos, instead of 10 pesos!!!!! That's why she was so nice. I couldn't believe it. I was so mad at myself. How could I do this? I never do something like this? Then, after being pissed off, I told myself it's ok. I've been very fortunate in many other things, this is not a big deal. It technically is only $25 USD, but 100 pesos here goes a long way.....it's like $100 USD in the USA. I can't do anything now, so what's the point of thinking about it. But, then I was angry because the waitress didn't say anything to me, even though it was my stupid fault. What a day.

Dinner with Amy was nice, much needed. We stopped for some heladio (ice cream) after dinner. And then headed over to her place afterward, chit chatted with Benjamin and Jimmy. Those 2 are very funny.

Today, I slept in. I was really tired for some reason. Senora Marta was still home, so we had our everyday normal conversation about what I did the day before. I told her about the 100 pesos mix up. She was more upset than me and said we would go to Patio Bullrich to talk to them. I told her it was ok, it was my fault. I've learned my lesson, I need to be more careful. Also, I've been VERY fortunate with everything in BsAs (meeting wonderful people, my living arrangement, getting around the city, etc)...so this is no big deal. She insisted we still go this afternoon, I told her ok. I had a training session for teaching English since I'm subbing for someone next week. It was ok.
Afterward, I went to Galeria Pacifico (another shopping mall) and walked around. Senora Marta called and said to head home so we could go to Patio Bullrich.
We arrived to Patio Bullrich, and the waitress from yesterday was not there. Senora Marta talked to another lady and she was really nice. We left our number, they're going to call us once they talk to the girl. Senora Marta left her business card, and she was confident they would call back because of her name. I'm still convinced she's a famous person.

Running in Palermo

On Tuesday, I went for a run in Palermo. There is a park called Parque 3 de Febrero, it's beautiful. People run around on a track and in the middle is a garden with roses/flowers. The day couldn't have been anymore perfect. I walked by Argentino Tenis Club as well, it looks great from the outside. I'm curious to see what it looks like inside, I will paying a visit shortly.
I made my Israeli salad, I posted a picture on the last post. It was delicious and Senora Marta was impressed. I thought there was a little too much lemon, but it was still good.
I received a call back from the phone interview. They want to see me Wednesday for an in-person interview at a cafe in Belgrano.

Food in BsAs

Here are some photos of food....
-The Israeli Salad I made, inspired by the movie
-More carne and papas fritas
-Bife de Lomo I had for dinner
-Empanadas Senora Marta bought the other night

Honduras Club

It was another great weekend in Buenos Aires.....

Friday night I had plans to go out with Emilio, a friend of Bridget and Jackie's from back home.
He said we would go dancing, horrahhhh! The plan was to meet at his friend's at 11 pm.
He said I could invite friends, so I asked Amy (an expat from D.C.) I ended up going to Amy's place and meeting 2 more locals. We ended up drinking Fernet/Coke and dancing with tennis racquets, haha. It was a blast, but we were also late meeting up with Emilio. And worse than ARGENTINE late, we were 2 hours late. By this time, Nate and Sarah (2 more expats) were at Amy's. I made everyone drink their drinks really fast so we could leave. I felt a little weird bringing 5 people with me, but it worked out great. 1 of the locals in my group knew one of Emilio's friends, phew!
We did some more dancing : ) Around 2 am, we left for the club. There were 9 of us, and we were sticking together like a herd. Especially, since it was late, we made sure to walk on streets with lights. But, by the time we found cabs, 2 had disappeared and went home. They didn't even say goodbye : ( Our herd separated.
We made it to Honduras Club. The music was great, lots of Latin music!! Just the way I like it. The club was completely packed, but we found a semi-packed dance floor upstairs. Emilio is a fantastic dancer, I was very impressed. I danced all night long : ) We ended up leaving the club at 5 and headed home sweet home.

This is for the ladies......On Saturday, Amy and I went to get manicures/pedicures. The manicure was excellent. They do pedicures very differently here than back home. I felt like I was having surgery. They kept bringing out these drill machines, I was a little terrified. And not knowing the language doesn't really help in situations like this, good thing I had Amy by my side. They don't soak your feet in water either, instead they put swabs of alcohol on your feet. Fortunately, everything turned out ok.

It rained all day Saturday, and it was hard to get motivated to go out. But, I did. Amy and I went out for dinner at a local place, I don't remember the name. I had Bife de Lomo, it was enormous! I need a break from carne, I'm not use to it. Afterward, we met up with the expats. They were all dressed up for Halloween. Amy and I weren't. All 15 of us took the bus to Milion, a club in Recoleta. It looked like a mansion with several floors. Amy and I left early since we were tired. I was home by 2 am, it was an early night.

I stayed in all day yesterday, since it rained. And, I studied Castillano! I'm proud of myself. Senora Marta also spoke with me, in Castillano of course. I'm slowly getting there people, very slowly. For dinner last night, I had empanadas with Senora Marta. They were delicious.

Today, I went to a cafe and job searched. I sent out an email for a job posting, and received a response automatically. It's amazing how fast they respond here. I was even able to set up a phone interview with them today. I thought it went well, I'll find out this week if they want me to come in for an in-person interview. It's nothing like this in Chicago.

I went to the cinema today, first time going alone and it wasn't weird at all. There were other people alone in the cinema as well. It was actually nice. My friend Laura back home always talked about going solo, and I never did it. The movie was called "El arbol de Lima" (The Lemon Tree). There was only 5 minutes of English. The rest was in Arabic, Russian, and Hebrew. I understood some of the Hebrew words. Shalom, nishekot, Toda...thanks to my Israeli friends : ) I read the subtitles in Castillano and understood a lot of the story. I couldn't believe it!!! It's clicking.
Castillano homework = Cinema once a week : )

So, I've realized it's very difficult to understand the Portenos.
I spoke with a Columbian the other night, and I understood a lot.
Portenos speak so rapido!!

The movie inspired me, I'm going to make Israeli salad tomorrow. I'm craving salad all the time!

(I found out the name of the jamon, mayo, sweet pastry sandwiches Senora Marta bought last Monday. They are called "Fosforitos"!

Last week of October....

I've been neglecting my blog this week, I'm sorry. These Castillano classes have been draining me, and I finished up my 3 week session yesterday. I'm going to take a break and study on my own and force myself to speak Castillano as much as possible. I'm sure my porteno friends are laughing at me right now, because I resort to English all the time. I'm going to be strict.

On Monday, I went to an interview for a sales position. It's over the phone sales for a realty company. They offered me the position, but I decided to decline since I really do not want to work on Saturdays. Also, the money was horrible. At least, I know I can find a job here : ) Monday night Juan came over. Senora Marta bought these delicious little sandwiches ( I forgot the name). But, it was a sweet pastry with jamon (ham) inside. Sounds weird, but it was delicious. Juan is the one who introduced me to Senora Marta.

Tuesday I had an interview with another school for teaching English. The lady was super nice, and said she would have work for me. So, I will probably start teaching next week.
I received a surprise phone call from Sarit this week. It was great to talk to her, I miss her and all my friends back home.

Wednesday, I played tennis in Puerto Madero, it was absolutely gorgeous. I played with a girl from London. She lives on the 43rd floor and has an amazing view of the city. Buenos Aires looked gigantic and even more beautiful. Later in the evening, I joined some of my classmates to go see a classic music and singing performance at the Cervantes Theater. The music was soothing, and just what I needed. Afterward, we went to a well known pizza restaurant name Los Immortales. I think the pizza was better than our Chicago pizza. The dairy and meet taste so real in Argentina.

Thursday, I walked around with Thierry (Chicago friend) in Recoleta and Palermo. We went to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes Museum. My first visit to a museum. I was exhausted afterward, it's all the walking. I'm still on a mission to find shoes, it's hard to find my size here : (

Friday was my last day of class. I will eventually continue with classes, but probably with a private tutor.

Sushi, Niceto Club & Boca/River

Friday night went for Sushi in Puerto Madero with Juan and Ana. Everything was delicious, except for the ginger. It's definitely not the same as in the States. The weather was so bizarre on Friday, sort of reminded me of Chicago. It was in the 80's and humid during the day, and then at night it went down to the 60's and it was pouring. After sushi, we went for some cake and tea at Fresh Market.
Last night went out with expats. Started off in San Telmo at a friend's place and then headed to Niceto Club. It was officially my first night out in Buenos Aires. We arrived at the club around 2 am, which is normal. There was a huge line, but two of my friends were able to get us in with their smooth talking. The club was interesting. There were different sorts of bands playing and a dj. There were 2 rappers from Mendoza. And a band playing Gothic music. Lot of dred locks. The people weren't that dressed up, which I was really surprised. But, I guess it depends where you go.
Time flew by and when I checked the time it was 5 am! A friend and I decided to leave, I was in bed by 6 am. It's been a very long time since I stayed up that late.
Today, played doubles with Juan, Ana, and Mariana. It was beautiful outside. Afterward, went over to Ana's for lunch and the football game La Boca vs. River Plate. The lunch was amazing, it was my first asado! Lots of different parts of the cow, chorizo pan sandwich. Everything was delicious! Juan and Ana's friends were over as well, they are so nice. I appreciate them speaking in English and explaining things to me. I always have tons of questions. We all watched the game together. A few were cheering for Boca, and a few for River. This 1 couple was so funny (1 is for Boca, and the other for River). They went back and forth with sarcastic comments (lots of hand movements and yelling). I couldn't stop laughing. I picked up on words here and there, since it was in Spanish. The score was 1-1. I wish football (soccer) was big in the states!

Argentine Men and Women

The Argentine men are absolutely gorgeous. Most of them have longer hair. They are tall and dark. And I have seen amazing green/blue eyes. They make walking around the city so much more worth it!

There are many beautiful women as well. They have long, silky hair. Most of them tend to be petite, but I've definitely seen girls taller than me.

Interview

Last night went over to Nate's again, this time for Mexican food and Sangria. It was delicious. There were about 10 of us. Met some more people living in Buenos Aires. I love hearing about people's stories of why they are in Buenos Aires. And I love meeting people from all over the world. I was the first one to leave since I had class early this morning and an interview (teaching English). I left at 1 am. Things happen very late around here.

The interview went well today. They are going to call me when they have something. The school said this year things are slow due to the economy. Companies are not putting money into English classes for their employees. I have another interview scheduled next week with a different school. Also, still crossing my fingers for my tennis idea : )

Tonight, I'm going to a bar for a Birthday Party. I'm looking forward to starting the weekend with some dancing.

Puerto Madero

I played tennis this past weekend with 2 friends. It was a great feeling playing tennis in Argentina. The clay was rough, so not much sliding around. The surface is red clay here, and back home it's hard courts. Afterward, we went to Puerto Madero, which is a super modern and wealthy area. It felt like I was in a completely different city.

So, I spoke to my nice lady and I think we have the apartment situation handled. I don't have to move out of my room every Saturday! I'm happy : )

I've started another week of Castillano.

San Telmo/La Boca

(This is an older post, but I somehow deleted it : )
Went San Telmo and La Boca with my Chicago friends. San Telmo is very cute, lots of street vendors and people. There are so many cool things to buy here.....leather messenger bags, mate pots, awesome jewelery, sandals. Lots of dredlocks and hippie people : ) We walked to La Boca from San Telmo. Not, La Boca is not really known as a safe place, and at times I was prepared to run if something were to jump out on the street. We were the only tourists in this area. Thankfully, everything went ok. We saw the La Boca juniors soccer stadium, it's huge. La Boca has all the colored buildings and tango dancers performing on the street. Not sure what to think about Tango, I prefer salsa or samba. However, I haven't tried it yet, so I can't judge so quickly. We went to dinner in San Telmo. The chicken and potatoes were fabulous! All the food is heavy here, they barely eat any fruits and vegetables. And I do not know how vegetarians survive here.
Luckily, I don't think I've gained weight since I've been walking everywhere : )
After dinner we walked by an art galleria. My 2 friends know the owner (Dutchman), so we saw him and he welcomed us in. It was just the 4 of us chit chatting in the art galleria, very pleasant.

Tennis teaching Interview

I had an interview today for a tennis teaching position in Nunez, 1/2 hour bus ride from where I'm staying. I didn't meet with the correct contact, but with someone else. He told me it would be difficult for me to teach since I do not speak much Spanish and not many people speak English. He said I looked good, but still it would be difficult...hahahaha. He was impressed I played for a University. I have an idea though....hopefully it will work. I don't want to jinx myself, so I will save it for a later post : )
I am determined to learn Spanish now. I'm curious to see how much I will know after a month.

I FINALLY have wifi! The lovely woman I'm staying with had it installed today. She is so kind. I feel settled into a place. I finally unpacked everything out of my suitcases.

PIL books in BsAs

I was walking by a bookstore the other day and look what I found....I had to take a picture : )

1 week already

Spanish classes have started! They are coming along, but very slowly. It's hard to understand a lot of things because they speak so fast here. And the accents are difficult with an Italian twist. My host lady took me to class the first day on the bus, thankfully. However, I seemed to not have paid enough attention because on the way home (by myself) I kept inserting the coins in the machine on the bus and they wouldn't go in. Everyone was staring, even the bus driver. So, I let the girl behind me go ahead, and she said "uno viente" and the machine took the coins. So, I copied her and they went in. The bus driver was giving me a hard time on purpose. The whole bus knew I was foreign, haha. Yup, you have to tell the bus driver how much you're going to pay for your ride. 1.20 pesos is 32 cents...super cheap.

Last night went over to Colleen's friend's place. We watched the game (Argentina vs. Uruguay) game. Argentina won and qualified to the World Cup. After the game, we had a delicious dinner...carne with potatoes and Creme ice cream with cherry syrup topping. Yummy! Colleen's friends are so nice. I ended up staying there until 1 am, such wonderful people. This is the amazing thing, the people here are so willing to help you out and show you their country.

Today, I moved into another apartment. I'm living with an older lady, she's very kind. It's in a safe neighborhood. She is getting wifi installed for me tomorrow, yes!!!! My new friend Juan introduced me to this lady. He's helped me out a lot since I've arrived.

Tomorrow, I have a tennis teaching interview. I will be going on another bus adventure to a city called Nunez.....

I'm here!

Day 1

I’ve arrived and it feels unreal! Everything went well at the airport, no troubles at all getting through customs. They didn’t even ask me how long I was staying. Both of my suitcases came, yippee. My pre-arranged cab took me to my host family. I was greeted by one of my roommates named Juan. Super cool guy and he spoke English. So, I’m living with 6 other people in this apartment, 2 of them are little boys (5 and 7 years old)….so cute. Juan showed me around the place and told me another girl was living here from Texas. I met the maid Ana, who also lives here. It’s a packed apartment, I like it : ) As soon as I arrived, I took a shower because it was a long trip. 4 hours to Mexico city from Miami, 4 hour layover, and then 9 hours to Buenos Aires. Took a nap. Woke up and met the 5 year old. I was able to introduce myself and that’s it. He started talking in Spanish and waving his hand, and all I kept saying is “no entiendo”. He got frustrated, walked into his room, and shut the door. It was hilarious! I just got dissed by a 5 year old, hehehe. I went for a walk to the park down the street. Then to the café and grabbed some pizza (people watching was amazing). I love the kissing on the cheek, parents being so in love with their children, people sitting down and enjoying coffee with a friend. After the café, I went back to the apartment. I finally met the woman who owns the apartment. She is so nice and speaks perfect English. Her two boys attacked her when she came home. They gave her so many kisses. I stayed up playing with the kids and talking to the woman. It was a great 1^st day!

Day 2

The only bad thing so far…..I can’t connect to the internet. I was able to get on the night before for a bit, and I talked to my parents on Skype, but it was by luck. It’s frustrating because I don’t have a local cell # yet (this is on the agenda for tomorrow). I have all these people to contact as well. I’m only planning to stay with the host family for a week. I hope to find a roommate and apartment asap!

I was able to get on the internet for a few minutes today. I received an email from a guy I met in Chicago who is living here now. He told me to stop by his apartment, perfect! I went to a café beforehand hoping to get on the internet, but I picked a bad café with no connection. So I met up with the Chicagoan and he took me everywhere around Recoleta, he was a great tour guide. The areas of Recoleta are beautiful. Afterwards, we came back to his apartment and I experienced Mate for the first time. It's a tea people drink here out of a certain cup with a straw made out of metal. You see people drinking it everywhere…..in the parks, at cafés, at home. This is what helps them stay up all night. At first, it tasted like smoking a cigarette. It wasn’t bad at all, and I can see how people become addicted to it. My friend’s girlfriend came home after work, and we all went out for dinner. Afterwards, we checked out a library that once was a movie theater, it still looked like a theater. Ok, I’ve been bad about taking pictures. I will start soon, I promise.

So far, I am loving Buenos Aires. My experience has been very positive. I feel very calm and relaxed here. It’s sort of bizarre since it’s been a short time and I expected to feel overwhelmed. It’s nothing like New York, even though it’s compared to it. The people are not aggressive at all. Everyone is so nice. I’m hoping to learn Spanish very quickly. Classes start on Tuesday. I feel safe as well.