well, alot has happened over the past week or so, and i cant really believe taht i have been here almost 2 weeks!!! i have decided to extend my stay in buenos aires to almost 3 weeks in length instead of 2 because i love this city and the people here, simple as that.
last wed. romy and i traveled to tandil, a small city about 5 or 6 hours in bus south of buenos aires. we both had heard great things about the town, and decided to go into the country for some nature and fresh air. Tandil is fantastic, not only for the rolling hills that surround the city, the cobblestone streets, the cheep prices of everything, but mainly for the men (and people in general)
there was no shortage of attractive friendly young men in this town, none at all. even the bus driver and pizza guy were cream of the crop! we spent 3 days in tandil, walking to a lake (then hitchhiking back) going to the moving rock (after a 2 hour bus ride due to the fact that we didnt know where to get off!) eating cheep dinners every night (meaning buying tortas, bread and wine and dining in our room!) visitng the art museum (which was small and wonderful) and going to paca (the best club ever).
i will talk more about paca- we went both on thursday night and friday night, but i didnt fall in love until friday night... pablo- swoon...
romy and i walked in on friday, around 1am or so, and found ourselves listening to a beatles coverband.. they proclaimed to be the 7th best beatle coverband in all latin america, and pablo won my heart... he was paul, of course... what an attractive man he was....unfortunetly the story pretty much ends there, a few words were exchanged (mainly me telling him he was perfect in spanish) and the expected side cheek kiss... oh well, i am now a follower of the band on facebook, perhaps they will tour florida, and i will become a groupie..
the night we got back from tandil, berni had a party in his house.. i invited steph and andrew and his cousin paul to come. we went to a bar in`palermo before heading to the party and watched one of paul`s friends band play, they were a blues type band, and were excellent. we got to berni´s around 1 or 1,30 and cracked open some drinks... the place started to fill up and pretty soon it was full and there was music and dancing and piñata popping... the night seemed to fly by and pretty soon it was morning. i took a taxi home at 8 or so back to romys house.
sunday was both fathers day and the day of the flag... romy and gustavo went to visit romys dad in a town 2 hours away, but i decided to stay so i could call my family and chat for awhile.. it was great to talk to them, i had not spoken to them since i have been here. i also headed down to plaza francia to go to the fair... and low and behold... gasp... my favorite band was playing, aqualantica! i had heard them 2 years ago in the same park and bought their cd (which i listen to everynight!) i sat myself down on a nearby bench and enjoyed the music that i knew so well already....
yesterday, since it was a national holiday, meant that romy didnt have to work... so... the three of us, romy, gustavo and myself, headed to san telmo, my old neighborhood, to go antique shopping... my nerves were on fire, i was so excited to see my old house and walk the streets i used to walk daily over 2 years ago... many stores were closed, but when we got to defensa the street was bustling... i took pictures of the hostel, and the icecream shop cari and i would frequent daily...vessa... i took romy to my favorite designer shop, full of unique jewlery and art, and was pleased to see my favorite artists still sold her work in this shop.. oh how i wish i could afford a drawing of hers, they are simply marvolous....
walking and taking pictures and chatting and stopping for pizza and coffee, it was fantastic. we spent about 6 or 7 hours out... and then returned home, for i was to prepare a special meal from the united states... yikes!
stuffed peppers and deviled eggs was on the menu, while romy supplied the flan and the wine, and gustavo, well he was the official taste tester.... the meal was... drum roll..... a smashing success, we ate around 11.30 and it was fantastic.
today i woke up early, at 6.3o and headed out with romy the same time she was going to work. i had to go to the brazilian embassy... mission completed! i went, was the 2nd in line, gave them all my paperwork, and went to the bank and paid the 140 bucks, now i wait 2 days and drop off the recipt and pick up my passport....
i think i am planning on leaving on sunday, maybe... i hate the thought of leaving here.. so i keep pushing it back... we will see...
today, i have no plans but to walk and see the city, and eat wonderful food, and actually maybe buy a pair of jeans, i only brought one pair, and well, needless to say that was stupid.
more to come!!!!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
plaza serrano, my second home....
the days pass so quickly here, i cant believe that it has almost been a week!!!!
Sunday we had intended to go to the fair in plaza francia, but by the time we got there, it was closing down.... no worries though, i will go next weekend... i did manage to see some beautiful things however- including some of the most attractive men.. this country is insane, i have not seen a cluster of more attractive men in my life.. they all live in buenos aires, all of them... wooooow.
leaving the fair we stopped by freddo... ahhh, a second home to me, a delicious ice cream shop. Eating the ice cream was infact life changing, as it always had been... cheesecake and dulce de leche... a winning combo every time! Romy had a great idea as we were indudging in the sweet treat... JOBS!!!
i know it doesn´t sound like a good idea..but JOBS is the name of a bar. a kick ass bar. over 24 pool tables, over 60 picnic tables, fooseball, archery, play station, darts, and all the free boardgames you can handle.. yes, it is a very smart idea.
we got there, and it was fairly empty- it was a sunday night... we went upstairs to play foosball... now, i am in love with this game... in complete love, and low and behold- the biggest table i had ever seen, i can now die happy... the table is made for 8 people to play... but, it was just me and romy and gutavo... of course girls vs. boy... and, well.. the score is not important... :)
we went and played some pool, and drank some quillimes.. the national beer here. It got to be around 11 and romy and gustavo had to wake up early, so they were wanting to leave... My friend Berni called and i told him to meet me there... he came, more beer, more pool... and then to plaza serrano- which is very close to berni´s house. we got stella to drink and honestly talked about trolls and fire breathing flying dragons for almost 2 hours... glorious. perhaps he is the first man i have talked to that believes trolls still exist and are infact the souls of dead children... creepy berni.....
it was getting late... around 4 or 5 so we left the bar and headed to the street for my bus back to romy´s house... the bus was taking too long and berni offered to get me a taxi, which i accepted :) palermo soho is kinda far from romy´s house, but this 4 to 1 conversion still makes this long taxi ride under 5 dollars....
it was a long day, and an awesome day.
it is strange, when i am in the united states i know that i have friends here, but they seem so distant, of course, but being here reminds me that they are in fact actual friends, friends who make an effort to hang out and who know me, know stories with me and know what i like and dislike and it is refreshing to be in a foreign place and feel known and loved... it almost is enough to move back. ?
monday monring was slow... i showered and got ready and headed into town by 11 to meet steph paula in the city for the day. i walked to the subte station, took the subway a retiro and planted myself at a small cafe right next to 9 de julio.. the widest street in the world! I watched the japan soccer game and drank a delicious cafe con leche.... the weather was crappy, overcast, rainy, cold, so different than thursday and friday....and then steph walked in... it was so wonderful to see her! and it felt so normal, seeing a great friend in a city thousands of miles from our home... we hugged and decided to eat some food!!!!
we walked around for a bit, going in some stores and just enjoying the rush of the city, something not availible in gainesville... we stopped at this cafe, 16 pesos for a lunch plate.. i got some awesome fish and mashed potatoes and steph got a whole slab of red meat with french fries.... all for about 4 dollars... i will leave this country very fat.
we left feeling full and wanting to explore some more.. we did alot of walking, down lavalle, florida, av. de mayo, and then decided to take the train to belgrano to meet up with her friend Andrew- who is from the US also.
we landed at a bar and berni met us there before he had to go to work. it was actually the same bar that i went to with seba! of course we were the only people in there...drinking doesn´t really get going until much later here! they had an amazing mixed drink menu... which we all took advantage of! it was so lovely having steph meet berni! they hit it off wonderful! we laughed alot and all of us knew how much fun we were having, there was nothing being taken for granted. berni had to go to work at 11 so he left at 1o and Romy and Gustavo were only 3 blocks away having dinner... we crashed their date and joined them in a awesome meal! everything was so tasty.. it was a traditional spanish restaurent... and i got rice and salmon and of coure wine.... we chatted and it was wonderful... the converation was mostly in spanish, which i can understand, but seldom take part in, by the time i think of what to say, the conversation has changed.. but to be honest, i don´t mind..it is good to listen, it is good to be passive sometimes, and i enjoy following the conversations, and taking part in a non verbal way... it is refreshing.
Romy and Gustavo went to a movie and Steph Andrew and I hopped a bus to plaza serrano to meet juan. we found the most open bar and i ordered a quillimes bock... ummm yummy. I had made juan get out of bed to meet my friends... he was a great sport, he had to work at 7 in the morning... but, he came anyway.. what a pal! the night for me was coming to a close and juan and i left andrew and steph in plaza serrano. i took the 5 dollar taxi back to romy´s and then had a battle with the keys in the door... it is near impossible!
sleeping on the couch never felt so wonderful!
yesterday i woke up to go to the brazilian embassy- i need to get my visa before i head up to iguazu... however, i did not know that i needed to be there at 9 am sharp. i arrived at 11 and found that they were no longer accepting visa applications... so, i filled out all the paperwork i needed to do, and i will come back on next tuesday-
i had some time... i called romy and she said she would meet me in the city.. but until then i had to occupy myself.. easy... i called guille for some lunch. he toke the subway and we ate a wonderful little meal off a side street of plaza san martin...guille is the only one that i really speak spanish to, perhaps because he doesn´t speak english. he is very patient with me, and although the conversations are slow and often contorted- i enjoy them almost more than anything, exept ice cream perhaps....
after lunch, we met steph and andrew for a short time and watched a little of the brazilian soccer match on the huge screen in plaza san martin. the weather is perfect today- just perfect. romy calls and i leave the gang to meet her to do some shopping before i meet berni in abasto for a concert. we go to this place called 5th ave. it is a gallery full of vintage clothing, leater jackes for only 20 bucks, old sweaters, and dresses and it is wonderful, i want to buy some boots.. they are beautiful.. we will see if the money jumps out of my pocket next time i walk by them....
it turns out that the concert was not really a concert so when berni and i meet in abasto, we decided to walk to his house in palermo.. a good 30 blocks away... it was a nice walk, on a beautiful day, so i didn´t mind. he showed me this blind theater and restaurant.. where inside it is pitch black, and you have to rely on all your other senses to be a part of the scene.. eating dinner in pitch darkness... it is kinda a weird idea.. but i hope to try it before i leave. Berni works at a hotel and he told me that he can get free tango show tickets.. costing 450 pesos! that is over 100 bucks! and that we can go next tuesday.. so taht is awesome, it is all you can eat dinner and wine and tango show.. i am pretty excited!
we walk to his house and then drink mate with his roommate sergio for a bit.. the mate is out of this huge cow hoof.. it is kinda gross drinking from a foot, but i love mate, so i dont mind too much. there is this bar close to his house, it is a brewery, and they make 10 or so beers... i call steph and it turns out taht she is in the area with andrew and his cousin and some of her family, we tell her to meet us there.. before they get there, berni orders me a drink, and well, it was actually 10 drinks.. it was a sampler of all the brews. it was amazing, the porter was my favorite. I took my time drinking all of them, deciding which is best, and ranking them from mot tasty to i would never order... steph and andrew came with andrews cousin paul. then... all of a sudden, andres was there! berni went out for a smoke and found andres in the street! i hadnt seen him in over 2 year! it was great to chat again, and i had a good time. berni had to go to work and andres left also... i talked to andrew for awhile and then we decided to go to a new bar.. so back to plaza serrano, steph, paul, me and andrew... we went to cronico... and i had a quillimes bock, of course.
there, it was loud, and full of people, and felt like something was going to happen, but i didnt know what.. then, something did happen... there was this man at a table near by was standing up getting ready to leave.. and andrew shoved his elbow into my side to get my attention... a huge cockroach was crawling on thi guys back.. i mean i am talking huge!!!! up his back he crawled, i was frozen, it was disgustingly captivating... up to his collar, inside his collar! then, he scratched his neck... the roach started to crawl on his shoulder, down his arm, and took up residency on his elbow... people at his table spotted the bug.. screams, and pointing fingers filled the air.. he managed to brush him off and then paul came in with a swift movement and stomped the little guy... it was intense... and also my cue... i said my goodbyes and hailed a taxi to romys.
today romy and i are going to tandil, a city 5 hours south of buenos aires. it is known for being an outdoors town with many things to do in nature! and it is supposed to have a great night life too. we are leaving here at 2 and going to stay until saturday morning.. so it should be wonderful!!! and then on saturday, well, we will of course go to the club él living´the place where i met romy and the place that romy met gustavo.. many memories there...
well, off to shower and pack for tantil!!!
the plan
Sunday we had intended to go to the fair in plaza francia, but by the time we got there, it was closing down.... no worries though, i will go next weekend... i did manage to see some beautiful things however- including some of the most attractive men.. this country is insane, i have not seen a cluster of more attractive men in my life.. they all live in buenos aires, all of them... wooooow.
leaving the fair we stopped by freddo... ahhh, a second home to me, a delicious ice cream shop. Eating the ice cream was infact life changing, as it always had been... cheesecake and dulce de leche... a winning combo every time! Romy had a great idea as we were indudging in the sweet treat... JOBS!!!
i know it doesn´t sound like a good idea..but JOBS is the name of a bar. a kick ass bar. over 24 pool tables, over 60 picnic tables, fooseball, archery, play station, darts, and all the free boardgames you can handle.. yes, it is a very smart idea.
we got there, and it was fairly empty- it was a sunday night... we went upstairs to play foosball... now, i am in love with this game... in complete love, and low and behold- the biggest table i had ever seen, i can now die happy... the table is made for 8 people to play... but, it was just me and romy and gutavo... of course girls vs. boy... and, well.. the score is not important... :)
we went and played some pool, and drank some quillimes.. the national beer here. It got to be around 11 and romy and gustavo had to wake up early, so they were wanting to leave... My friend Berni called and i told him to meet me there... he came, more beer, more pool... and then to plaza serrano- which is very close to berni´s house. we got stella to drink and honestly talked about trolls and fire breathing flying dragons for almost 2 hours... glorious. perhaps he is the first man i have talked to that believes trolls still exist and are infact the souls of dead children... creepy berni.....
it was getting late... around 4 or 5 so we left the bar and headed to the street for my bus back to romy´s house... the bus was taking too long and berni offered to get me a taxi, which i accepted :) palermo soho is kinda far from romy´s house, but this 4 to 1 conversion still makes this long taxi ride under 5 dollars....
it was a long day, and an awesome day.
it is strange, when i am in the united states i know that i have friends here, but they seem so distant, of course, but being here reminds me that they are in fact actual friends, friends who make an effort to hang out and who know me, know stories with me and know what i like and dislike and it is refreshing to be in a foreign place and feel known and loved... it almost is enough to move back. ?
monday monring was slow... i showered and got ready and headed into town by 11 to meet steph paula in the city for the day. i walked to the subte station, took the subway a retiro and planted myself at a small cafe right next to 9 de julio.. the widest street in the world! I watched the japan soccer game and drank a delicious cafe con leche.... the weather was crappy, overcast, rainy, cold, so different than thursday and friday....and then steph walked in... it was so wonderful to see her! and it felt so normal, seeing a great friend in a city thousands of miles from our home... we hugged and decided to eat some food!!!!
we walked around for a bit, going in some stores and just enjoying the rush of the city, something not availible in gainesville... we stopped at this cafe, 16 pesos for a lunch plate.. i got some awesome fish and mashed potatoes and steph got a whole slab of red meat with french fries.... all for about 4 dollars... i will leave this country very fat.
we left feeling full and wanting to explore some more.. we did alot of walking, down lavalle, florida, av. de mayo, and then decided to take the train to belgrano to meet up with her friend Andrew- who is from the US also.
we landed at a bar and berni met us there before he had to go to work. it was actually the same bar that i went to with seba! of course we were the only people in there...drinking doesn´t really get going until much later here! they had an amazing mixed drink menu... which we all took advantage of! it was so lovely having steph meet berni! they hit it off wonderful! we laughed alot and all of us knew how much fun we were having, there was nothing being taken for granted. berni had to go to work at 11 so he left at 1o and Romy and Gustavo were only 3 blocks away having dinner... we crashed their date and joined them in a awesome meal! everything was so tasty.. it was a traditional spanish restaurent... and i got rice and salmon and of coure wine.... we chatted and it was wonderful... the converation was mostly in spanish, which i can understand, but seldom take part in, by the time i think of what to say, the conversation has changed.. but to be honest, i don´t mind..it is good to listen, it is good to be passive sometimes, and i enjoy following the conversations, and taking part in a non verbal way... it is refreshing.
Romy and Gustavo went to a movie and Steph Andrew and I hopped a bus to plaza serrano to meet juan. we found the most open bar and i ordered a quillimes bock... ummm yummy. I had made juan get out of bed to meet my friends... he was a great sport, he had to work at 7 in the morning... but, he came anyway.. what a pal! the night for me was coming to a close and juan and i left andrew and steph in plaza serrano. i took the 5 dollar taxi back to romy´s and then had a battle with the keys in the door... it is near impossible!
sleeping on the couch never felt so wonderful!
yesterday i woke up to go to the brazilian embassy- i need to get my visa before i head up to iguazu... however, i did not know that i needed to be there at 9 am sharp. i arrived at 11 and found that they were no longer accepting visa applications... so, i filled out all the paperwork i needed to do, and i will come back on next tuesday-
i had some time... i called romy and she said she would meet me in the city.. but until then i had to occupy myself.. easy... i called guille for some lunch. he toke the subway and we ate a wonderful little meal off a side street of plaza san martin...guille is the only one that i really speak spanish to, perhaps because he doesn´t speak english. he is very patient with me, and although the conversations are slow and often contorted- i enjoy them almost more than anything, exept ice cream perhaps....
after lunch, we met steph and andrew for a short time and watched a little of the brazilian soccer match on the huge screen in plaza san martin. the weather is perfect today- just perfect. romy calls and i leave the gang to meet her to do some shopping before i meet berni in abasto for a concert. we go to this place called 5th ave. it is a gallery full of vintage clothing, leater jackes for only 20 bucks, old sweaters, and dresses and it is wonderful, i want to buy some boots.. they are beautiful.. we will see if the money jumps out of my pocket next time i walk by them....
it turns out that the concert was not really a concert so when berni and i meet in abasto, we decided to walk to his house in palermo.. a good 30 blocks away... it was a nice walk, on a beautiful day, so i didn´t mind. he showed me this blind theater and restaurant.. where inside it is pitch black, and you have to rely on all your other senses to be a part of the scene.. eating dinner in pitch darkness... it is kinda a weird idea.. but i hope to try it before i leave. Berni works at a hotel and he told me that he can get free tango show tickets.. costing 450 pesos! that is over 100 bucks! and that we can go next tuesday.. so taht is awesome, it is all you can eat dinner and wine and tango show.. i am pretty excited!
we walk to his house and then drink mate with his roommate sergio for a bit.. the mate is out of this huge cow hoof.. it is kinda gross drinking from a foot, but i love mate, so i dont mind too much. there is this bar close to his house, it is a brewery, and they make 10 or so beers... i call steph and it turns out taht she is in the area with andrew and his cousin and some of her family, we tell her to meet us there.. before they get there, berni orders me a drink, and well, it was actually 10 drinks.. it was a sampler of all the brews. it was amazing, the porter was my favorite. I took my time drinking all of them, deciding which is best, and ranking them from mot tasty to i would never order... steph and andrew came with andrews cousin paul. then... all of a sudden, andres was there! berni went out for a smoke and found andres in the street! i hadnt seen him in over 2 year! it was great to chat again, and i had a good time. berni had to go to work and andres left also... i talked to andrew for awhile and then we decided to go to a new bar.. so back to plaza serrano, steph, paul, me and andrew... we went to cronico... and i had a quillimes bock, of course.
there, it was loud, and full of people, and felt like something was going to happen, but i didnt know what.. then, something did happen... there was this man at a table near by was standing up getting ready to leave.. and andrew shoved his elbow into my side to get my attention... a huge cockroach was crawling on thi guys back.. i mean i am talking huge!!!! up his back he crawled, i was frozen, it was disgustingly captivating... up to his collar, inside his collar! then, he scratched his neck... the roach started to crawl on his shoulder, down his arm, and took up residency on his elbow... people at his table spotted the bug.. screams, and pointing fingers filled the air.. he managed to brush him off and then paul came in with a swift movement and stomped the little guy... it was intense... and also my cue... i said my goodbyes and hailed a taxi to romys.
today romy and i are going to tandil, a city 5 hours south of buenos aires. it is known for being an outdoors town with many things to do in nature! and it is supposed to have a great night life too. we are leaving here at 2 and going to stay until saturday morning.. so it should be wonderful!!! and then on saturday, well, we will of course go to the club él living´the place where i met romy and the place that romy met gustavo.. many memories there...
well, off to shower and pack for tantil!!!
the plan
Sunday, June 13, 2010
oh the city of wonderful things
I´m back!
it feels so good to be back in buenos aires after 2 years. the city is the same, full of life, and energy and beautiful people. The flight(s) were ok, it was god´s way of easing me into a world of spanish speaking people. the flight attendent asked if i wanted beef or chicken, in spanish of course, however i swore she said salmon, i insisted on the fish... awesome leah... it will take awhile to adjust to this fast speaking country full of people who speak with a speed not known in melbourne or gainesville.
I arrieved on thursday morning after a 5 hour delay in Miami, a 10 hour layover in Bogota, an hour bus ride from the argentina airport to the center, a mini bus ride to the subway, an hour subway ride, and then a 10 min taxi ride- i must have been a sight for sore eyes when i arrieved at my friend Romy´s door at 11 in the morning. Romy was at work, so her very nice boyfriend, Gustavo, let me in and provided wonderful conversation and made sure i was comforable.
But there was no time to waste, i showered, ate some breakfast, including medialunas, and cafe´, then headed to the subte, line b-las incas, to make my way into the city to meet my friend juan. I met Juan on florida y corrientes, and we walked and talked for a long time before we stopped at a small cafe to chat with a hot chocolate. the weater here is really beautiful, it is chilly and sunny and breezy and pretty much perfect. I had mentioned wanting to get a phone, and Juan luckily had an old one, his mom´s, so we took a bus to his house got the phone. A few short minutes later, i had a number! Juan was kind enough to take a bus back to Romy´s house with me so i could meet her when she got off of work.
It was magic seeing Romy again. She looks exactly the same, beautiful and tiny! we huged and chatted and of course drank fernet and coke! Around 10 or 11 decided to get some dinner... off to sushi! a cute little japanese place a few blocks away. I got some stir fry and we split a great bottle of malbec.... one of the things i missed the most. walking back arm and arm was wonderful, Romy´s english is perfect and we fell right back in normalicy.
we drank some café and whisky when we got back and then i headed to bed... what a long day!
the next day, friday, i met my old roommate, Guille, at plaza san martin, of favorite park... of course Guille was over an hour late, but i didn´t mind too much because there was a HUGE tv in the park playing the world cup... men, women, children, business people, homeless people, everyone was sitting on the grass cheering and loving that soccer was playing... it was awesome.
Guille arrivied and we sat and drank maté, like old times. he doesn´t speak much english, (at all) so it was wonderful practice for me. when we saw eachother the guille cried, i always loved how emotional he was, (most of the time) and it made me feel like he really missed me. He is back in buenos aires looking for work, and just arrieved a few days before me, so he doens´t have a place to live of his own, he is staying with his friend. we decided to go to his friends house to sit and talk. he poured me some fernet and coke and we remembered living in Moreno 933, laughing at the good old days. I wanted to be back to romy´s house before she got off of work so i walked to the subway and got back around 7ish.
I had talked to my friend Seba earlier that day and he wanted to know if i wanted to get some food at 10:30 friday night... of course! Romy had plans with gustavo so i took a bus to meet seba. it was this undergound rock and roll bar. it was pretty empty when we got there around 11, but begain to pick up by the time we left at 1:30... Seba´s english is near perfect and it was great to catch up over beer and pizza (with green olives of course) he had had a long day, not getting out of class till 10... so he wanted to go to bed... Juan was in plaza seranno with berni and some other friends... i decided to meet them there!
i took a bus and headed toward my old friends. Berni used to work at the hostel that cari and i stayed at when we lived in buenos aires. i got to the bar and berni had just gotten off of work, dressed nicely, and looking out of place compared to his hippie friends, including me who wore a purple tie-die dress and wild unbrushed hair. he greeted me with a huge hug, and much imporved english! his english had gotten so much better it was crazy. i kept telling him this! he said that he only has Cari and me to thank, and that meant alot. So much Spanish at that table, so so so fast, so slang, i felt like i was sitting in on some kind of advanced spanish class roll-play and later i would be quizzed on if i understood 2 percent of the diologue... but, it is good for me, and i sat and drank my beer and followed along as good as i could. off we went to a tencho place- of course, we were with Juan, where else would we go.....
a few blocks away was a small tecnho club, no real dancing, but lots of base and lots of flashing lights... it was about 3ish when we got there.... luckily they knew the bartender, so round after round of fernet and coke... it was a dream. i spent my time talking to berni and juan and augustina, one of their best friends.... it was really great, but to be honest, i was a little tired...
a weird new thing about the city, is that everything closes at 5 in the morning now! when i was here there was no closing, ever! so around 5:15 we made our way out of the bar and i split a taxi with augustina and her boyfriend, because they live around romy´s house... actually i didn´t split it, they wouldn´t let me pay... they were too sweet.
fumbling for the key, that looks like it must have been made 100 years ago, i opened the door and crashed on their sofa... not waking up till 10 the next day....
saturday was just what i needed- it was the world cup day... spending time in bed watching the games with romy and gabby and gustavo, i felt like i was argentine! the weather was rainy and ugly and made for a perfect lazy day....argentina won, and then we watched england vs USA..tie game.. we ordered a pizza and drank beer and fernet with coke, and rented a movie to watch inbetween games... sherlock holmes.. one of my new favorites, it was awesome...
we had plans to go to the casino, but...romy and i ended up watching extreem home makeover, and opted to go to bed instead of go out- which was the best decision of the day... i crashed around 2 in the morning, and was finially able to catch up on the much needed sleep!
today, i am up early, 11, and the two love birds are still sleeping. i hope to go to the fair today and buy some good stuff!!!! it looks beautiful outside! ok, breakfast time!!
all my love!
pictures soon to follow- once i figure out how to post them...
it feels so good to be back in buenos aires after 2 years. the city is the same, full of life, and energy and beautiful people. The flight(s) were ok, it was god´s way of easing me into a world of spanish speaking people. the flight attendent asked if i wanted beef or chicken, in spanish of course, however i swore she said salmon, i insisted on the fish... awesome leah... it will take awhile to adjust to this fast speaking country full of people who speak with a speed not known in melbourne or gainesville.
I arrieved on thursday morning after a 5 hour delay in Miami, a 10 hour layover in Bogota, an hour bus ride from the argentina airport to the center, a mini bus ride to the subway, an hour subway ride, and then a 10 min taxi ride- i must have been a sight for sore eyes when i arrieved at my friend Romy´s door at 11 in the morning. Romy was at work, so her very nice boyfriend, Gustavo, let me in and provided wonderful conversation and made sure i was comforable.
But there was no time to waste, i showered, ate some breakfast, including medialunas, and cafe´, then headed to the subte, line b-las incas, to make my way into the city to meet my friend juan. I met Juan on florida y corrientes, and we walked and talked for a long time before we stopped at a small cafe to chat with a hot chocolate. the weater here is really beautiful, it is chilly and sunny and breezy and pretty much perfect. I had mentioned wanting to get a phone, and Juan luckily had an old one, his mom´s, so we took a bus to his house got the phone. A few short minutes later, i had a number! Juan was kind enough to take a bus back to Romy´s house with me so i could meet her when she got off of work.
It was magic seeing Romy again. She looks exactly the same, beautiful and tiny! we huged and chatted and of course drank fernet and coke! Around 10 or 11 decided to get some dinner... off to sushi! a cute little japanese place a few blocks away. I got some stir fry and we split a great bottle of malbec.... one of the things i missed the most. walking back arm and arm was wonderful, Romy´s english is perfect and we fell right back in normalicy.
we drank some café and whisky when we got back and then i headed to bed... what a long day!
the next day, friday, i met my old roommate, Guille, at plaza san martin, of favorite park... of course Guille was over an hour late, but i didn´t mind too much because there was a HUGE tv in the park playing the world cup... men, women, children, business people, homeless people, everyone was sitting on the grass cheering and loving that soccer was playing... it was awesome.
Guille arrivied and we sat and drank maté, like old times. he doesn´t speak much english, (at all) so it was wonderful practice for me. when we saw eachother the guille cried, i always loved how emotional he was, (most of the time) and it made me feel like he really missed me. He is back in buenos aires looking for work, and just arrieved a few days before me, so he doens´t have a place to live of his own, he is staying with his friend. we decided to go to his friends house to sit and talk. he poured me some fernet and coke and we remembered living in Moreno 933, laughing at the good old days. I wanted to be back to romy´s house before she got off of work so i walked to the subway and got back around 7ish.
I had talked to my friend Seba earlier that day and he wanted to know if i wanted to get some food at 10:30 friday night... of course! Romy had plans with gustavo so i took a bus to meet seba. it was this undergound rock and roll bar. it was pretty empty when we got there around 11, but begain to pick up by the time we left at 1:30... Seba´s english is near perfect and it was great to catch up over beer and pizza (with green olives of course) he had had a long day, not getting out of class till 10... so he wanted to go to bed... Juan was in plaza seranno with berni and some other friends... i decided to meet them there!
i took a bus and headed toward my old friends. Berni used to work at the hostel that cari and i stayed at when we lived in buenos aires. i got to the bar and berni had just gotten off of work, dressed nicely, and looking out of place compared to his hippie friends, including me who wore a purple tie-die dress and wild unbrushed hair. he greeted me with a huge hug, and much imporved english! his english had gotten so much better it was crazy. i kept telling him this! he said that he only has Cari and me to thank, and that meant alot. So much Spanish at that table, so so so fast, so slang, i felt like i was sitting in on some kind of advanced spanish class roll-play and later i would be quizzed on if i understood 2 percent of the diologue... but, it is good for me, and i sat and drank my beer and followed along as good as i could. off we went to a tencho place- of course, we were with Juan, where else would we go.....
a few blocks away was a small tecnho club, no real dancing, but lots of base and lots of flashing lights... it was about 3ish when we got there.... luckily they knew the bartender, so round after round of fernet and coke... it was a dream. i spent my time talking to berni and juan and augustina, one of their best friends.... it was really great, but to be honest, i was a little tired...
a weird new thing about the city, is that everything closes at 5 in the morning now! when i was here there was no closing, ever! so around 5:15 we made our way out of the bar and i split a taxi with augustina and her boyfriend, because they live around romy´s house... actually i didn´t split it, they wouldn´t let me pay... they were too sweet.
fumbling for the key, that looks like it must have been made 100 years ago, i opened the door and crashed on their sofa... not waking up till 10 the next day....
saturday was just what i needed- it was the world cup day... spending time in bed watching the games with romy and gabby and gustavo, i felt like i was argentine! the weather was rainy and ugly and made for a perfect lazy day....argentina won, and then we watched england vs USA..tie game.. we ordered a pizza and drank beer and fernet with coke, and rented a movie to watch inbetween games... sherlock holmes.. one of my new favorites, it was awesome...
we had plans to go to the casino, but...romy and i ended up watching extreem home makeover, and opted to go to bed instead of go out- which was the best decision of the day... i crashed around 2 in the morning, and was finially able to catch up on the much needed sleep!
today, i am up early, 11, and the two love birds are still sleeping. i hope to go to the fair today and buy some good stuff!!!! it looks beautiful outside! ok, breakfast time!!
all my love!
pictures soon to follow- once i figure out how to post them...
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