Okay so I have had a crazy few days... I don't even know where to begin....
1. Una Huelga- this means "strike" in Spanish. This is important to know because the subtes ( my best friend when it comes to transportation) were shut down because the conductors went on strike because they wanted more police and other reasons. Of course this would happen on Visa day where we all had to make it downtown to start our student visa process... I watched the news with my host mom and I have to admit they have a legit reason to be angry but of course that means I must rely on the collectivos... mierda.
2. Collectivos- buses of BA. Difficult at first to figure out because they have a route going one way and another in a complete different direction. You also must know what parada (stop) you need and what street. Well la parada we needed was right in front of my house... but at first I gave the wrong address to two of my friends (sorry guys) but the others found it and we waited. Six collectivos went by COMPLETELY FULL. People tried to squeeze in or knock on la puerta de los collectivos but were unsuccessful. We met up with two other FLACSO students and looked for another parada. We found one and finally got on a bus... mind you our time to be there was supposed to be 9:30 am but we didn't get on the bus til 9:15 and we were waiting since 8:30 am.... We were on the bus for an hour and half because of the traffic and finally walked the rest of the way. That of course was the day I decided to wear a dress and my heel shoes to look more Porteña...... never again. We finally made it but they didn't mind because they knew nothing could be done about the la huelga de subtes. We went through our VISA process, ate lunch, and walked back to FLACSO. We walked by a huge protest at the Capital and heard the president (a woman president! Yay progressive Buenos Aires!) We could not participate because it means getting kicked out of the program (two students did that in the past and got arrested!) We were all so exhaused! I slept for 2 hours after that. It was a long day! However, it just kept going....
3. No luces. What happened hear you ask? Well lets just say, my adaptor sucks, my adaptor sucks, my adaptor sucks. I took a shower and was attempting to blow dry my hair (I usually air dry but this time was a big deal, we were going to a Milonga tonight and I wanted to look nice!) But my hairdryer caused a fuse to blow and we had no power for a few hours.... I apologized profusely saying "Lo siento, es mi culpa! Me siento muy mal!" but they were so kind and said it wasn't my fault and that the girl before did the same thing! A outlet in my room near my desk is super sensitive and hair dryers from the states are WAY to strong. We ate a romantice candlelight dinner (hardy har har) and I was off to Tango!
4. FLACSO sponsored a event to go to a Milonga for some Tango dancing. We shared some wine and watched some professionals before taking our own beginner class! Thanks to the group Tami Tango Trio that came to Hope, I felt very confident dancing and was asked to dance by 4 porteños! SUCCESSFUL! I am in love with Tango and wish to take more classes! We all decided to have a true Porteño night and go out for a while before returning home. Yeah you know, a typical Thursday in my life.
*I finished part one of my VISA process and to celebrate we were treated to a giant pizza feast thanks to FLACSO! So much goodness in one day!
5. So Saturday I went to Recoleta! A beautiful barrio, lots of tourism, and we visited the cementario where EVITA is buried! How cool is that! So much wonderful culture! We had a cheap but filling lunch on a side street with less tourists and they sun tanned in the park! We later walked around looking at the ferias (small shops) and enjoyed some cafe con leche before returning back! So much Spanish spoken, so much bliss. I returned home to find out we were having company for dinner and quickly changed. We had three of Maria Ana's friends over and Hernán's girlfriend, Romi, who is my good friend too! We enjoyed a three course meal of meat and crackers, Pizza with fina (a pizza without sauce or cheese that you put on top of your pizza, like a sandwich) and helado and cafe! Very fun! They left around 2 am and I helped Maria Ana clean up before going to bed.
Today, I went to church with Cheri and her friend Stephen who moved back and forth from the Maine to BA and it was just lovely. So much goodness. I met up with Annie after for some lunch at a cafe that was so delicious (I am still full) and then met up with Melissa and Cheri to tan on my terraza (roof) It was so delightful! Life here is so calm, one step at a time. Take time to wait and enjoy. Spanish is coming along! PRACTICA PRACTICA PRACTICA!
Hasta luego chicos!
Chau!!
:]]]] me encantaba leerlo
ReplyDeletehasta manana linda
SO SO SO JEALOUS. I remember the days trying to look like an española... before I decided that there were sometimes when it was okay to wear my sneakers and a backpack and stick out like a sore thumb...
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