Busy bee

Crazy football match- River Plate vs. Boca Juniors

Some of the Winebrenner family - Thanksgiving in Naples

Oktoberfest Argentina!

Adorable, tiny little town of Colonia, Uruguay

Die Toten Hosen concert - Huge German punk rock band

Halloween isn't really celebrated in Argentina, but that didn't stop us

Garganta del Diablo at Iguazu Falls - incredible!

Garganta del Diablo

Iguanas were everywhere!

Friends! I'm alive! Many apologies for going MIA on my blog... much has been going on down here.

Argentina is feeling more and more "homey" to me every day. However, I still regularly find myself being surprised by learning new things about the culture, history, politics, language, etc.. Every day is different - and I love it.

Let me try to give a brief synopsis of the recent Argentine economic situation:Argentina endured a serious economic crisis in 2001 (among others) which stemmed from a huge amount of international debt, and an attempt to peg the Argentine peso to the US dollar (late 90's). Massive tax evasion and money laundering were rampant, and the unemployment rate was high. Because of a corrupt government and a feeling of impending doom, in 2001 people began withdrawing huge sums of money from their bank accounts, turning pesos into dollars and sending them abroad. Because of this, the government put a freeze on all bank accounts, only allowing small amounts of money to be withdrawn. Well... you can imagine the protests that ensued. Angry citizens crowded the streets and banged pots and pans, and property destruction was common - especially of American and European buildings. I've also talked to people who said that many ended up losing their money altogether, as the banks literally stole it from their accounts. Can you imagine?! I'm trying to picture the scene in the US if this happened. The economy continued to worsen, and in 2003 the unemployment rate was at nearly 25%.

The economy has gradually gotten better since then. However, Argentines clearly (and rightfully so) have HUGE mistrust towards the government and banks. I've heard that it's pretty common for people to stash their cash under their mattresses, and avoid banks altogether. They feel that nothing is secure, and are always on their toes for something to happen. There are also protests on a regular basis, for all sorts of reasons. Around Plaza de Mayo (the hub of the city and location of Argentina's "White House"), there's a protest literally every day. I was late to one class the other day, because there was a huge protest rally on the street I had to take, so I had to stand aside and wait for it to pass. Subway employees will often go on strike, as well, leading to thousands of commuters having to find alternate forms of transportation. It's a little hard for me to grasp having to deal with all of these things on a regular basis, because I know I won't be here forever. I view everything as an outsider, knowing I'm only here temporarily, and not as an Argentine, knowing that this is my country and my government. As one of my students put it, “I love Argentina, and am very proud of being from here. But be thankful that you don’t have to deal with our very complicated country for the rest of your life.”

I have been VERY busy with teaching lately. I now work for 2 different institutes, totaling about 25-30 hours per week between the two of them. I really enjoy it. Most of my students are pretty advanced, and are mostly just excited to be speaking to a native English speaker. So, a lot of my classes end up revolving around current events,US culture, traveling, Argentine politics, etc. I've found that going over news articles is beneficial, because they're able to work on vocabulary, pronunciation, reading comprehension- all while learning about a current issue/event in the news. I went to Naples for Thanksgiving (Explanation coming later), and picked up a few magazines in the airport on my way home: TIME, The Economist, and US Weekly (couldn't resist)- and man, these bad boys have proven to be quite the hit in my classes. They're jam-packed with great vocabulary, and give thorough portrayals of the different US and world issues going on right now (okay, maybe not US Weekly, but the others- yes). The best part about all of this? It's usually a lesson for me, too! Oftentimes I'll go over articles with my advanced students, and feel embarrassed about being slightly… well, lost... but, they'll usually understand what's going on, and explain it to me. Sometimes I feel like I should be paying them, and not the other way around :) I like to think of it as a mutually beneficial relationship: They get to practice speaking about and explaining issues in the news, in English, and I learn about them. Perfect! I'm fairly certain I've learned more about world politics and economics down here than I ever have in my life.

Another thing I like about teaching is that I walk A LOT. This is something that most people warned me about before starting, saying it's "exhausting" and "stressful". I don't really see it that way; Not only is it great exercise, but I see so much of the city that I wouldn't normally see. And if I have some time between classes, I'll pop into a cafe or lay in a park to people-watch or read. The only downside is that I usually arrive home with very, very sore (and dirty) feet.

I went to Iguazu Falls about a month ago, and it was absolutely incredible. For those who don’t know, these are waterfalls up on the border of northern Argentina and Brazil. They are actually competing as a candidate to be one of the New7Wonders of the World, and are currently at the top of the list. They consist of 275 waterfalls along 2 miles of the Iguazu River, and, at the highest point, they’re about 300 ft. high. This point is called the “Garganta del Diablo”, or “Devil’s Throat”. Reaching the Garganta was definitely the most impressive part of the falls, as the amount and force of water that falls here is truly breathtaking. I’ve also been to Victoria Falls (in Zimbabwe, and currently one of the 7 Wonders of the World), and I have to say that I was more impressed with Iguazu! It’s wider, so you can take many different pathways along the bottom and top of the falls to see different parts. You can also view the falls from both the Argentine and Brazilian sides, but I wasn’t able to see them from Brazil, thanks to a hefty entrance visa fee for Americans. I hear the Argentine side is more impressive, anyway. Overall, the trip was truly spectacular. Quite a trek to get there, though: 17 hours on a bus, each way! But the buses are very comfortable. They serve meals (complete with wine, beer, and champagne), show movies, and have comfy seats that recline 180 degrees.

A week before Thanksgiving, I was really bummed. I’d talked to my sister, who informed me that both she and my stepsister were going to visit my dad and stepmom in Naples for Turkey Day, and 18 other members of my family would be there, as well. If anyone knows my family, they can understand my sorrow… they flat-out rock. It’s also very rare to gather so many of them in one place, at one time- which made it that much more sad. They’re dispersed across California, Arizona, Colorado, NYC, Pennsylvania, Chicago, Connecticut, Tennessee, Florida, Hong Kong, and Argentina. I also hadn’t seen my dad and stepmom in 1 ½ years, and my stepsister in about 5 years. And so, I came up with a brilliant plan. I would ask my dad, as an early Christmas present, to fly me there for Thanksgiving week. Now, keep in mind, this was a week before I was hoping to go. Chances seemed pretty slim, to say the least. I spent a few days dreaming about my fabulous idea, going back and forth as to whether or not I wanted to even ask. It seemed too good to be plausible. I checked out flights, and to my surprise, they weren’t bad at all. My case was growing stronger. However, the strongest element in all of this was the fact that my dad, stepmom, stepsister, sister, and I had not been together (all of us, at one time) in about 5 years. So, I called my dad. He asked how much flights were, and I figured that was the end of it. “I’m finding some roundtrips for around $900…” (heavy perspiration ensued) A quick 3 seconds passed, and he replied, “Well, I think we can swing that.” Words cannot explain my excitement upon hearing this. He told me to look for the cheapest flight and call him later that night. We hung up, and I proceeded to scream, leap up, and sprint down the long hallway of our apartment several times. It was truly a dream come true. Needless to say, that week before I left felt like a year. I spent a week in Naples, and had an unbelievable time with my family. It was very, very strange being back in the States after 4 months. Just like every other time I returned to the US from being abroad, the first thing I noticed was all the fat people. Although, in all fairness to my beloved fast food nation, Argentina has NO fat people. I'm talkin' none. The women have huge amounts of pressure to be thin, for some reason, so it's extremely rare to see overweight people. So, I must say that it was quite a relief to be walking amongst good ole' fatties again. It also felt strange to be speaking only English again. I've gotten so accustomed to asking for/saying everything in Spanish, so it was rather nice to be speaking completely naturally in my mother tongue. Next: the cars. The US has an unnecessary amount of oversized cars. Everything else I noticed had more to do with the fact that I came from a third-world country and a massive, bustling city of 13 million people, to one of the most luxurious beach destinations in the US. Basically, I felt incredibly spoiled all week. On the first night, I laid down in the guest room's Tempurpedic, king-sized bed, and moaned and groaned for about 10 minutes out of complete and utter bliss. I've gotten so used to my 6-inch-thick single mattress from 1970. I slept better that first night than I have in months. And the toilet paper! I have a renewed love for Charmin Ultra Soft. The TP we have in BA resembles something like sand paper, so I ended up stealing a roll from my dad's and bringing it back with me. My bathroom trips improved tenfold.

About 6 weeks ago, we went to a football (soccer) match between the two teams that constitute the biggest rivalry in Argentina, and arguably South America: River Plate and Boca Juniors. It was IN. SANE. It put American football games to shame. For 2 hours, the entire stadium was standing and chanting fight songs. It was at River Plate's stadium, which is supposedly MUCH tamer than Boca Juniors'. The teams are comparable to the Cubs/White Sox, in that one stadium (River Plate) is in a very nice neighborhood in the north, while the other's (Boca) is in a not-so-nice neighborhood in the south. Boca's fans only took up a small section in the stadium, but they were ridiculously loud! Apparently, when the game's played at Boca, the entire stadium shakes throughout. Anyways, when the game was finished (it ended in a tie), everyone seated in the River Plate fan section had to wait about an hour in order for Boca's fans to safely leave the stadium and head home, with no heckling, fighting, or killing. We were also advised before the game not to wear any jewelry, open-toed shoes, or Boca colors (we sat in River's fan section). It's a bitter rivalry, to say the least.

In 10 days, I'm going back to Kentucky for 3 weeks. Excited is an understatement! I haven't seen my mom, best friends, cat, and dogs in over 5 months. It feels like much longer. I have no plans at all while home, other than to spend as much time as possible with everyone. The only thing I have planned is a weekend trip to Chicago on January 7th, thanks to my wonderful Chi-town friends. They all chipped in and bought me a plane ticket! I won't have a car while home, so I suggested they all come down to Louisville for a visit. But we concluded that it made more sense (and was cheaper) for me to go up there, instead. And, since I'm broke as a joke (thanks to earning my wages in pesos), they decided to split the cost and buy a ticket for me. What a fabulous Christmas present! I can't wait to see everyone back in the States. I'm flying back to Buenos Aires on January 13th, and then leaving for a trip to Patagonia 2 days later. This is the southernmost region of South America, and the closest anyone can be to Antarctica. We plan on backpacking/hostelling for about 3 weeks to a month. So many things to look forward to!

I've been trying to map out my next move after Argentina. Here's the plan: Move back to Kentucky in June/July, get a job somewhere, study and take the GRE, and apply to graduate schools. I'm looking at programs in International Education. Sounds broad, I know. Basically, it prepares you to design, implement, manage and evaluate international education programs in schools, colleges, foundations, multinational corporations, and public and private educational and cultural agencies. Still very broad, I know. Personally, I'd be interested in working with non-profits/NGOs to help them develop educational programs in developing countries. Another route under International Education is to work for study abroad and intercultural exchange programs at universities and private companies, which also sounds interesting to me. Right now, I'm looking at applying to NYU, Columbia, Boston University, GWU, and a few others. I'd love to be in NYC, as the internship/networking opportunities are boundless. I've always dreamed of living in the Big Apple, too. Many of my students have traveled to NYC, and describe it as "magical." I agree.

Apologies, again, for neglecting my blog. Won't happen again! I've been quite the busy bee down here. Argentina is, indeed, treating me quite well. It's an experience that's giving me even more than I bargained for, while allowing me to develop both criticism and appreciation for my own country. Margaret Mead sums it up well:

"As the traveler who has once been from home is wiser than he who has never left his own doorstep, so a knowledge of one other culture should sharpen our ability to scrutinize more steadily, to appreciate more lovingly, our own."

Besos from Buenos Aires!

Mir geht es gut

Matt, Chris, & Store Guy at the Sunday feria

Chris & I doing a tango pose in front of my favorite Che mural

Cool graffitti in San Telmo

Me encanta!

One of the roomies, Fede, playing the bandoneon at a concert


Best steaks we've ever had!


El Ateneo, an old theatre that's now a big bookstore

I've been in BsAs for over 2 months now! Wow. That sounds like quite a long time, but then again, it doesn't at all. I've done so many things and have already established so many great friendships. And it's still only the beginning...

Teaching is going really well. I average about 18 hours a week right now, but it feels like a lot more. About half of my classes are at the actual company offices, so I do a lot of shuffling in between. I can walk to pretty much all of them, too; I take the Subte to one of the companies in an area called "Once" (pronounced 'ohn-say'), where I have a particulary interesting student: Adrian Cambours. Oh, Adrian, Adrian, Adrian. First of all, he's got a seriously bushy beard and moustache, causing him to look more like Osama Bin Laden than an Argentine. Secondly, he chain smokes throughout the ENTIRE class. In his chair. In a small room. With no windows. With me sitting a foot across from him. Our lessons go a little something like this... Me: "What do (cough cough) you like to do (cough cough) on the weekends (cough)?" Adrian: "(puff puff) I like to go to the movies, (puff), I like to go out with friends, (puff puff), and I like to eat at restaurants.... (Puff)." Needless to say, I always bust out of the room promptly at 1:30, sucking for fresh air and apologizing repeatedly to my lungs.

Other than Adrian the Chimney, all my other students are pretty tame and harmless. I had back-to-back lessons with 2 different men harshly critiquing the US’s rebellion of using the metric system (I have to say, I don't disagree with them). We use Fahrenheit, everyone else uses Celsius. We use miles, everyone else uses kilometers. We use pounds, everyone else uses kilograms. And the list goes on. As my student Rodolfo put it, “It’s simple. 0 degrees Celsius is freezing. 100 degrees boils water. Simple. Why do Americans use such a confusing system?” Hmmm… good question, Rodolfo, good question.

How ‘bout that US Open?! I think I watched more of it down here than I ever did back in the US. They really love tennis here, which is great. Not only was it fun to see an Argentine win the tournament (despite beating my #1 man Roj), but I got to see an old UK teammate (Jesse Witten) advance to the third round and play an awesome match against Novak Djokovic. It was pretty surreal watching him on "ESPN+" down here in Argentina, playing against the #4 player in the world. There were also a dozen or so other former teammates in NYC cheering him on, so I'd go nuts every time they zoomed in on his "Kentucky Tennis"-t-shirt-clad posse. He lost the match in 4 sets, but definitely made Djokovic work for it. Way to represent, Jesse :)

I had the most delicious steak of my life a few weeks ago. Hands down. We'd heard about this parrilla called La Cabrera, so we decided to try it one Friday night. After waiting for an hour, we sat down, ordered a few bottles of Malbec and excitedly scoured the menu. Wiping the drool from my mouth, I decided to go with a tenderloin that had ham, cheese, and sundried tomato wrapped on the inside. I almost died when the waiter put the plate in front of me; The thing was the size of a small baby (I, of course, polished off almost all of it... shocker). But beyond the size of it, it was the most scrumptiously delicious hunk of meat I've ever swallowed. I will definitely be going back soon. We also went to an amazing Indian restaurant last weekend, called Bangalore. We were all pretty excited to finally eat spicy food again (Argentines are NOT big on spices/spicy food- most places don't even have pepper on the table!). However, I saw "pumpkin curry" on the menu and was immediately sold, even though I knew it wouldn't be the least bit spicy. Great choice. I love Indian food.

Two Saturdays ago, we went to a popular American bar called "El Alamo", because we wanted to catch a few of the big football games that we knew they'd be showing. The intention was to only watch the Michigan-Notre Dame game, but we ended up staying for the USC-Ohio State game as well. The bar was packed with Americans! Strangely, there were a lot of Michigan fans. It was pretty hilarious watching the games, because the bar somehow gets them through ABC. Being an American channel, this also means that all the commercials are American, too (duh). So every time a commercial for, say, TACO BELL came on, there would be unanimous "ooooohhhhhh" 's throughout the bar. Yep, T-Bell is non-existent here. What a tease! But, thankfully, I've only had a handful of serious Crunchwrap Supreme cravings. Not bad!

My German roommate, Chris, has been teaching me some German. Difficult is an understatement! Here are a few of the things I've learned so far:


Wie geht es dir? - How are you?
Mir geht es gut - I'm good
Wie heisst du? - What's your name?
Ich heisse Caroline - My name's Caroline
Guten morgen - Good morning (*My personal fave, 'cause it's super easy. Sounds just like it's spelled*)
Hast du lust rennen zu gehen? - Do you want to run?

I won't even try to phonetically spell out the pronunciations of these words. Way too hard. However, learning a completely new language like this makes me appreciate and understand how my students feel when they have trouble pronouncing English words. For example, Chris was trying to explain to me yesterday the difference in sounds between the German letters ö and ü. He kept saying them over and over, one after the other, with a face implying "How do you not hear the difference? It's soooo clear"; All the while I'm sitting there, cracking up and shaking my head, because the difference in sounds just seems so incredibly subtle to me that I could not, for the life of me, pronounce the 2 letters properly. Inevitably, I got frustrated and demanded that we end our German lesson for the day. AND SO, today, one of my students expressed his concern for the similar pronunciations of "live" and "leave", which, to a native English speaker, is simple and clear. I immediately thought back to my frustrating German lesson yesterday and decided to spend as much time as needed on this. I showed him the difference in mouth positions, and dramatically said "liiiiiiiiiiive" and "leeeeeeeeave" at least 30 times each. In the end, he got it. Success! I then went over some of the many slang terms for the word "prostitute"... his idea, not mine!


I was thinking today, and realized something: In the 2 months that I've been here, I have felt 100% welcomed. Not once have I felt inferior or been yelled at, ridiculed, mocked, or made fun of. I know I stand out as being foreign, and I'm definitely not fluent in Spanish yet. I often have to say "como?" (translation: "what?") 2 or 3 times before I fully understand people. Not only are people patient with me, but they're usually super curious about me, where I'm from, what I'm doing here, how long I'm staying, etc. It's such a great feeling. People are also very quick to give me advice and suggest places to go and visit. They're happy and proud that I chose their country, of all places, to live, and always extend their help in any way they can. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh to my home country, but I can't help but think that this is not usually the case in the US. "Go back to where you came from" is something I've heard too many times, which is really unfortunate. If someone here told me to go back where I came from, I'd probably do just that, and leave with a very bitter attitude towards Argentina. I think Americans should be incredibly proud of the fact that we have the kind of country that attracts such diversity.

I felt very humbled and proud the other day. Chris was talking about the culture of American universities, as he lived in Athens, GA for a year working for Habitat for Humanity. Athens is the home of the University of Georgia, and is arguably one of the best college towns in the country. He was completely blown away with the campus, culture, and college sports spirit. He said, "It's like a small city. Everyone becomes a part of the university, and feels proud to say they go there. We don't have that." (UGA does have an amazing campus, by the way. I think it's the best of all the SEC schools.) As he was enthusiastically describing his love for our college culture, I realized that I'd never even considered the fact that no other country in the world has it. When I asked him if his university in Berlin has any sports teams, he laughed and replied, "You can play volleyball on Friday afternoons." (Whoa... killer, man) I was honestly shocked to realize just how privileged we Americans are to have such incomparable college experiences (amongst other things). Perhaps I've been very ignorant and naive to think about this only now, but hey, better late than never, right?

So Monday was the official first day of spring! This also meant a holiday for most people. I went for a run on my usual route in Puerto Madero, as the weather was beautiful, and there were more people out than I'd ever seen. It was like dodging bullets while I was running. Now, I realize it was the "first day of spring", but it's not like the weather was any different than it's been; In fact, it was no different. Have people been hibernating, just because it was "winter"? Or maybe it's just like that on every holiday? Hmmmm... Either way, it's officially SPRING, baby!

I'm going to start volunteering next week. There's a small community center in La Boca (BA's poorest barrio) that runs programs for both children and adults, and it's one of the few places that doesn't charge a fee for volunteers (sorry, but there's something about 'paying to volunteer' that really baffles me). It seems like I'll be doing things like teaching English, playing sports, and assisting with fundraisers. I'm excited to help!

With all of the amazingness that I'm experiencing down here, I'm very sad that I'll be missing out on a special event next weekend: The wedding of 2 of my best friends, Max & Kristina. I've known these two for over 10 years, and they've been dating for 8 of them. I have honestly never met two people more in love and more perfect for one another. I love them both to death and can't wait to see the photos from their big day. Max has already promised to send the video as soon as it's available, too :) Incredibly bummed to be missing out, but so excited for them. Love you mucho, Maxie-poo and Kris!

The weekend after Max & Kris get hitched (October 10), 6 of us are going to a small town in central Argentina for Oktoberfest! Officially, it's called "La Fiesta Nacional de La Cerveza" (translation: The National Party of Beer). It's in a town called Villa General Belgrano, which is about an hour south of Córdoba, another big Argentinian city. We'll be taking an overnight, 10-hour bus ride on Friday night, and then staying until Monday night. Can't wait!

Once again (I know I always say this, but it's true), I love and miss you all so much. I don't want to speak too soon, but I think one of my old teammates and good friends, Danielle (AKA D-Peezy), is coming to visit over Thanksgiving! I'm beyond excited. I hope everyone's enjoying the start of fall, my favorite season back home. Muchos besos y abrazos!

CTW

New apartment, new roomies, new job...

Mural of Che Guevara in San Telmo

Street tango

Mmmm... Malbec

2 of the roomies, Fer and Fede

At the Saturday farmer's market, across the street from our apartment

Christian (German), Lori, me, and Erin (American)

Sunday "feria" in San Telmo

Gaucho show at the estancia

Well, many things have happened in the last few weeks! I am officially in a new apartment (after living with Lori for a week), I finished my TEFL course (yay!), Matt arrived to BA a few days ago, and I got my first teaching job!

I had an interview last week with an English institute called Brooklyn Bridge, and they told me they'd most likely have a few classes to offer me. They called me the next day and asked me to come in for a training session and to discuss some classes they'd like me to teach. After all was said and done- I taught my first two lessons today! It was actually really fun. The first was a woman from Banco de Valores, and the second was a man from Bristol Myers Squibb. My second class was 4 hours long! It was only supposed to be 2, but I ended up filling in for another teacher who couldn't make the class. I must say, 4 hours sure flew by. The guy looooooved to talk. I'd say he's at a high intermediate level, and I feel like most of the time was spent listening to him talk and correcting his errors when necessary. I only have a few classes right now, but my schedule will gradually build up. I think I'll be teaching one class for Price Waterhouse Cooper, teaching their executives how to communicate via phone and email to people in the United States. Most of my classes will be similar to this- involving me teaching company execs. The companies hire the institutes, and the institutes hire teachers like me. I know Brooklyn Bridge also works with Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Novartis, and several other biggies. In the end, I'm hoping to secure 25-30 hours of teaching per week. I'm also going to send out some emails to a few tennis clubs in the city, and see what kinds of coaching opportunities they may have. I'm not sure how willing they'll be to hire an American female without Spanish fluency (yet), but so much of coaching is about showing, as opposed to explaining, so who knows?!

I'm loving the new apartment! Lori and I came to see it about 3 weeks ago, and instantly fell in love. It's a big old apartment in San Telmo, with 4 bedrooms total, 2 balconies, a big living room, a cute and spacious kitchen, and 2 bathrooms. Lori and I were sharing one of the big rooms, which has 2 single beds. She left Buenos Aires this past Monday, and then Matt arrived on Tuesday- taking over her bed in the room. I'm not sure how long we'll be sharing a room together, but let's just say that for the price we're paying, I'll do it for as long as possible! The other inhabitants of the apartment include Erin, an American girl working remotely for a marketing firm; Christian, a German guy studying here for a year; Fernanda (and Federico, her live-in boyfriend), a Chilean girl studying cinematography. Lori, Christian, and I cooked a delicious pasta meal one of our first nights here and chatted over a few bottles of wine and beer. What a small world- Chris is good friends with a girl who used to play tennis for Georgia, who I know as well! I never cease to be amazed with the smallness of this world. Needless to say, he's a very cool guy. His family is from Berlin, and he- like everyone else I've met here- offered for me to stay with his family if I ever want to visit his country. Hmmm... may have to take him up on that. Fernanda and Federico ("Fer" y "Fede") are great. Fer is an amazing artist, and Fede is an amazing musician. He plays an instrument called the "bandoneon", which is like a very old accordian. He often practices for a few hours a day, which is simply glorious to listen to. The American girl, Erin, has a pretty fabulous gig going on. She works for a creative marketing firm out of the US, and is able to live wherever she wants, as long as there's a good Internet connection. She's been bouncing around Latin America for the past few months, and is leaving tomorrow for none other than my beloved South Africa. And last, but certainly not least, the owner of the apartment, Marina, is amazing! She is like a free Spanish teacher, and insists that we all speak Spanish most of the time. She frequently comes by to stock up the cabinet with spices, bring fresh flowers, clean, or just hang out with us. She's always bringing brochures and giving us advice on things to do and see. I couldn't think of a better "house mom" to have.

Every Saturday, across the street from our apartment, there's a big farmer's market. Matt and I went this past Saturday, and bought quite the assortment of fresh goodies: chorizo, salami, ham, mortadel, queso fresco, French rolls, eggs, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, red & green peppers, corn, strawberries, apples, oranges, and bananas. Whew! It's all so amazingly fresh and delicious. And every Sunday, there's a "feria" here in San Telmo- a flea market, essentially- that runs about 15 blocks along the street right next to ours, ending at a square in the middle of San Telmo. Perfecto! It's quite possibly the most amazing market ever- especially for jewelry junkies like myself. My jewelry may need its own suitcase soon. There are also street bands and performers all over the place, and they're a blast to watch. I've discovered that it's just not possible to watch them without feeling a strong and overwhelming urge to dance. There are also tango dancers, of course. I'm not sure how I feel about tango, to be honest. I love watching it, but it's not the kind of dance that makes you want to get up and get going. I definitely want to learn a move or two, but I wouldn't say I'm jumpin' in my boots to become the next San Telmo feria street performer. Not to mention that there are so many other types of dances here that really get me going.

Speaking of dancing, I'd like to take a second to mention the complete and utter craziness of the Buenos Aires nightlife. Let me give you a generally accepted going-out itinerary:

7-10pm-ish: Nap

11-ish: Dinner/drinks at a restaurant or someone's house

1-ish: Lowkey bar

3-ish: Make your way to a club

8am-ish: Leave the club after watching the sun rise, perhaps get breakfast

No, I'm not exaggerating. I personally haven't quite made it to 8am yet; 6:30 is as far as I've gotten. The clubs here are insane, too. The nice thing, though, is that Argentinians aren't huge binge drinkers (unlike Americans). You rarely see anyone belligerant or out of control, and it's generally frowned upon to get absolutely smashed. Interestingly enough, however, it's completely legal to walk the streets with open bottles. On Matt's first day here, we picked up a few bottles of Quilmes (the Bud Light of Argentina) and sipped on them as we walked around. Smoking weed is also a common practice in the streets. I'll often walk past people on a major street and catch whiffs of Mary Jane all over the place. Speaking of, Argentina just decriminalized small-scale marijuana use, meaning that it's perfectly legal to enjoy a spliff or 2, as long as you're not dealing it in large amounts.

We went to an estancia a few weeks ago, which is a traditional Argentinian ranch in the countryside, and where the infamous "gaucho" originated. We rode horses, watched folk dancing and tango, ate massive amounts of beef and drank loads of wine, and watched the gauchos perform a show on their horses. The beef here is everything I expected it to be and more- pure deliciousness. I almost never ate steak in the States, but now I eat it at least twice a week! The weather here is amazing. This past week it was about 75 degrees and sunny every single day. And it's not even spring yet! Splendid.

That's all I have for now! Hopefully I'll continue racking up more teaching hours, and perhaps get a chance to coach some tennis down here. Speaking of- the US Open started on Monday and I was EXTREMELY happy to discover that we have full coverage of it here! YES. I'm loving my life down here more and more each day, and am making so many friends from varying backgrounds. There's simply nothing more fun than establishing a group of friends who all have such interesting and ambitious life stories. However, I will continue missing and loving my good ole' friends back in the US of A.

Sending my love to you all! xx

CTW

Greetings, from your lil' porteña

Plaza Serrano, in Palermo Soho

La Floralis Generica, in Recoleta

Defensa Street in San Telmo, where my school is


Botanical Gardens




Anna, Alex, Robert and me


"Winky Juan" at the asado

I’ve been here for less than 3 weeks?!

Just 19 days ago, I was drowsily staring out the window of my tiny little cab, completely overwhelmed and disoriented as we approached the city center of Buenos Aires. It honestly feels like months ago!

The TEFL course is going great so far. There are 6 of us total, and I love everyone. To sum them up:

Alex Lopes- ½ Portuguese, ½ Swedish. Lives in Nottingham, England (where Robinhood lived!). 32 years old. Such an amazing guy. Speaks 8 languages, 6 of which he’s fluent in (English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Swedish, and German). Too bad he’s gay!

Anna Raymond- American from Seattle. 20 years old. Super laidback and always happy. Has been in BA for 6 months and is currently dating the guy who taught her Spanish lessons here. She’s been a huge help with advice/info about the city, since she’s been here for a while.

Kelly Huseby- American from Arizona. 27 years old. Very sweet girl. Went to Northwestern and spent 8 years total in Chicago, so we’ve bonded over our beloved Windy City. She’s either going to stay in BA to teach English, or go to Santiago, Chile.

Lori Caldwell- American from Vermont. 34 years old. Absolutely hilarious and so much fun. She plans on using TEFL as a means to travel and live all over the world. Such a warm person and has sort of taken on the “mama” role in the group. She’s either going to teach in France first, or come back to BA. Hoping she comes back!

Robert Ulich- American from Los Angeles. 22 years old. Was extremely shy at first but has completely come out of his shell! Really great guy. He’s still deciding where he wants to go to teach. Fluent in Spanish so will probably stay in South America somewhere.

We’ve all gotten along so well, and it’s like we’re a little family. Not everyone is going to stay in BA when the course is over, which is sad to think about. But, that’s the expat life for ya! The course itself is really challenging. None of us had any idea how LITTLE we all know about our own language. It’s shocking, actually. And most would think that teaching their native language would be easy- HA! Try explaining words like “soul” and “empathetic” to a group of learners from varying countries. I used to think that Spanish grammar was complicated, but English grammar is a whole new can of worms. It’s really been a lot of fun learning about our native language. We also have to give practice lessons a few times a week, and it’s incredibly satisfying to see the students learning English. There are a few students in particular that we all love, because they are just so passionate about learning English. I would have to say my 2 favorites are Wilmer and Antonio; Wilmer is a 23 year-old Colombian who is studying at the University of Buenos Aires, and Antonio is an Italian visiting a friend in BA for a while. Love them!

I’ve also gotten pretty close with Mirka (host mama). While I’m of course learning a lot of Spanish from her, sometimes I wish so badly that I had the words to explain things to her. I also can’t believe she’s 69. She buzzes around the apartment and keeps busy all the time. Did I mention that she’s a yoga teacher, too? Well, she is. Her living room is her official yoga studio, and she teaches classes a few times a week. She told me this morning she’s been teaching yoga for 25 years! 25 years?! I told her that it’s only been popular in the US for the past few years (as far as I know), and she explained that this is because the universe is moving into “Aquario” (??), and that people are therefore becoming more conscious and spiritual. Or something like that. Hence, the yoga fad. She’s highly against hot yoga, which we Americans so love, because she says “it’s not real yoga”. Oh, Mirka. Hearing her on the phone is absolutely hilarious. She talks a million miles an hour and at maximum volume. Her grandchildren stayed here one night this week, and they all speak very good English. They’ve taken it in school since they were very young, and they’re 11 now. I was wearing my UK sweatshirt and asked if they’d ever heard of Kentucky, and they said “No, we haven’t heard of it. Can you show us on a map?” So we busted out one of Mirka’s decade-old encyclopedias and I pointed out where Kentucky was, along with Chicago and New York City. They said their dream was to go to Disneyworld one day, and that they are saving all their money for it. They also talked about how they love Halloween, but that it’s not really celebrated here in Argentina. They said “the kids in America are really lucky that they can trick-or-treat at night without it being dangerous” (Because, while Buenos Aires is certainly a ‘cosmopolitan’ city, it still has many undeniable 3rd world traits). I told them that if they wanted to go trick-or-treating this year, I’d go with them (and bring along a brawny male friend, too). I think this got them really excited.

Two Fridays ago, one of the English students- “Winky Juan”, as we call him (he winks after everything he says)- invited all of us back to his place for a traditional “asado”, which is essentially an Argentinian barbeque. Everyone had told me that Argentina produces great beef, but I was not at all prepared for the juicy hunk of heaven I consumed that night. No marinade, no sauce, nothing. I can’t even explain why it was so good- there are no words, I guess. And the wine… mmmmmm the wine! It’s scrumptious. I plan on bringing back as many bottles as legally possible over Christmas.

I’ve done a fair bit of exploring throughout Palermo, which is a nice neighborhood just north of the city. It’s the biggest barrio (neighborhood) in the city. There are several big parks, bars, and restaurants in this area. The Botanical Gardens are absolutely beautiful, and full of kitties who call it home. The Japanese Gardens are lovely, too. There’s also a square called Plaza Serrano which is really cool on the weekends; There are tons of vendors selling really unique jewelry and knick-knacks. There are also several bars/clubs there that open up to local designers on the weekends, so you can literally walk into a bar, order a gin & tonic, and shop. The ONLY thing I’ve bought so far is a pair of black leather boots, but they were much-needed… I swear! The weather is a bit too chilly right now for my Rainbow sandals. I also checked out the area of Palermo called “Palermo Chico”, which is home to many embassies and huge, exclusive mansions. San Telmo is also a great little neighborhood. It’s where my TEFL school is, so I’ve gotten to see quite a bit of it. It’s a very old and bohemian area, and all of the streets and alleys are cobblestone. The buildings are very colonial, there are tons of antique shops, and it’s considered the tango hub of the city.

I’m currently searching for a decent hostel that I can stay at for a few weeks. I’m moving out of Mirka’s on Friday (so sad), and the plan was to immediately move into a shared apartment… but, I just found out that my friend Matt G. is moving to Buenos Aires in 3 weeks, and we want to live together with other foreigners and/or locals. So, I’m just going to sit tight for a few weeks. Most places looking for roommates are advertised as “available immediately”, so it shouldn’t be too tough to find something. Before moving into a hostel, however, I’m just going to stay with Lori (one of the girls in my course) for a week or so- until the last day of the course on Friday the 14th. She lives right by the school, and has an adorable little apartment that she’s more than willing to let me crash at for a bit. I owe her big time! My hostel stay afterwards should be interesting- I plan on choosing the cheapest option (but in a good neighborhood), which probably means sleeping on a bunk bed and sharing the room with 6 other people. But for $8 (US) a night, I can’t complain! So, let me recap: In the span of approximately a month and a half, I will have lived in 4 different places. Ah, yes, the things you can do when all you have is 2 suitcases and a backpack to your name…

I was going to go to Uruguay this past weekend, but decided to hold off on it. It’s a very easy weekend trip, and I will have to go anyways in the next 3 months to renew my tourist visa (you can either go to the Embassy and pay a fee to renew it, or take a charming trip to neighboring Uruguay for about the same price as the Embassy fee... no-brainer!). Additionally, I want to save my money for a couple of bigger trips I have in mind. Speaking of…

I’d like to compile a brief list of the major places I want to visit while on this continent (might as well, since I’m already down here- right? I mean, c’mon!):

1) Patagonia. Oh, mighty Patagonia. Matt and I have decided we want to make this adventure via motorcycle/scooter. Just like Che Guevara in The Motorcycle Diaries! We’d take a week or 2 and go in the summer (i.e., January-ish), seeing as the southern tip of Argentina is the closest piece of land to Antarctica. MIGHT be a little nippy if we tried going in the winter. I’m picturing us ending up like Harry and Lloyd in Dumb ‘n Dumber when they arrive in Aspen. “We’re THERE!”

2) Machu Picchu. One of the girls I’ve met down here recently got back from Machu Picchu, and her photos are absolutely breathtaking. She said there are no words to describe it, and that she’d go again in a heartbeat. I’d definitely want to do the Inca Trail as well.

3) Iguazu Falls. Over 275 waterfalls- some as high as 270 ft.- on the borders of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. Supposedly an incredible sight, and puts Niagara Falls to shame.

4) The Amazon. If this doesn’t happen during my tenure down here, it will happen before I die.

5) Rio de Janeiro/Salvador, Brazil. Carnaval, anyone?!

6) Mendoza province. The Napa of Argentina.

7) Ciudad Perdida (“Lost City”), in Colombia. One of the largest pre-Columbian towns discovered in the Americas (built between the 11th and 14th centuries). Hidden deep in the forest and mountains, and requires a 3-day hike just to get there.

Wow, I’m in la-la land now! Mirka has Lonely Planet’s “South America on a shoestring” book, so I’ve spent several nights oohing and ahhing over the dozens of potential places to go…

This past Friday night, I had a swine flu scare. In case any of you haven’t heard, Argentina declared a national health emergency a few weeks ago for “la gripe A” (swine flu), so a lot of people here are freaking out a bit. I can’t tell if it’s as bad as people are making it out to be. There are instant hand sanitizer machines in all of the Subte stations, and signs all over the place asking people to take precautions. Anyways, Friday afternoon I started feeling pretty sick to the stomach, which was strange because I honestly have a stomach of steel. I pride myself in being able to eat the most bizarre array of foods in one sitting, and then feel fine and dandy afterwards. So this wasn’t normal. I was especially upset because everyone was going to a delicious Italian restaurant that we’d been talking about all week. So, I spent my Friday night in bed, reading a book, and feeling sorry for myself (who doesn’t when they feel sick? Let’s be honest). I was fully expecting to wake up and feel even more miserable, at which point I’d bolt straight over to the nearest public hospital where I’d surely be tested positive for “la gripe A”. But thank goodness gracious, I woke up Saturday morning feeling like a million bucks! Whew.

We’re going to a traditional Argentinian “estancia” this Saturday, which is essentially a cattle and horse ranch out in the Pampas (countryside). Now, this is not your typical Kentucky horse farm, people. It’s complete with gauchos (cowboys), an asado (barbeque), folk music, dancing, wine, possible horseback riding, etc. Estancias are very authentic to Argentina and supposedly a lot of fun to visit. We hop on a bus Saturday morning around 10am, head to the estancia (about 2 hours away), spend the day there partaking in all the activities/eating/drinking/dancing, and catch the bus home. All for 160 pesos ($42 US). It will be interesting to see, for the first time, Argentinian life outside of crazy Buenos Aires. Very excited!

Time for bed! Once I’m out of Mirka’s non-wireless-enabled apartment (God love her), I plan on updating my blog much more often. I will say, however, that her simplicity of living, and the lack of technology in her apartment- no Internet, no TV, no phone without a phone card, limited heat- has actually been refreshing. For example, last week I woke up one morning (circa 7am) to Mirka tapping on my door, saying “Carolinaaaa, no hay luz o electricidad en la casa ahora!” Translation: “Carolinaaaaa, there’s no light or electricity in the house right now!” Keep in mind, since it’s mid-winter here, it was still pitch black outside. She brought me a candle the size of my pinky, which I took to the bathroom. I somehow managed to shower, apply my makeup, get dressed, and eat- all with the assistance of my microscopic candle only. No sweat! Thinking about it later, I realized that I was, for the most part, completely unaffected by the power outage. Two months ago, this would not have been the case in my Chicago bachelorette pad. The less you have, the less you lose.

I miss you all dearly!

Abrazos y besos (Hugs and kisses).