San Telmo.....market day

Let me begin my day, Sunday, from the beginning...without confusing you. Also, after skimming my last post, I realized the copious amounts of "so" and "oh" I had strewn throughout. I got annoyed with myself while reading, and have vowed to be aware and not allow such a transgression to happen today.

After eating dinner Saturday night, I just chilled on the internet for a bit. I headed to Roadhouse around 12:30. Everyone was just chilling and chatting, and somewhere in the mix I began to crave ice cream, so Rebe, Stacy and I went across the street. I got a yummy mix of dulce de leche y tramontana. Soooo good. Around 1:30, we headed to one of the girls "work parties". She is interning at the Argentimes, and they told her to invite all of her int'l friends, haha. We were all a little apprehensive of a "work party".....I mean, it could be totally lame, right? We showed up to the Club "Unisex" and it was looking good - there was a line. We got in for free, saying we were with Argentimes. I love being on "the list". Immediately upon walking in, you hit the dance floor. There were crazy, flashy, seizure-causing lights flashing everyone, and everyone was just packed in. it was AWESOME!
We pretty much just stayed on the dance floor, and it wasn't creepy in that no one tried to join our group, and although we were rubbing backs with other people b/c we were all packed, there was nothing weird like someone trying to dance all over you. We stayed there until probably about 3:30, and then headed home. The only awkward thing was having to dance with a bulky purse. No bueno. But everything else was really enjoyable and it was my favorite club experience so far! And, I recognized some of the songs played from the reggaeton c.d. I got.

Only crappy part was I REEKED of smoke when I got back, and since the noisy shower is right next to Maria Laura's room, I held out until the morning. Got up around 9, showered, dressed, and headed to mass! It was a peaceful experience, although I still didn't really catch the homily. The echo in the church makes it hard sometimes too. Then we ate brunch at a lovely chain cafe in BA. Coffee and croissants, yummmmmmm. I'm a fan of coffee. We quickly regrouped at the house, then Rebe, Stacy, and I headed to San Telmo via subte.

Now, I brought some dresses to BA, and I had yet to wear them. I had vowed that I was going to wear a dress today. And I did, but in retrospect it wasn't my smartest decision. I mean, I get cold rather easily. And I only had my white cardigan. But I knew if I wore my red/green coat I would never take it off. So it got a little chilly towards the end of the trip. But I got to hang out not in a jacket, which was nice. I need to buy brown tights. The funniest part was remember how Argentines FREAK at cold weather? They're really worse than Texans. So I'm in my light cardigan, dress, and tights....and I'm passing people in skigear. Funny.


When we got off the subte, we were right next to the Casa Rosada (aka their White House). So we perused the area, and stepped inside, where there was an awesome display of documents and such. Argentina will celebrate 200 years of independence next year, and so they just started celbrating a year early! They had documents out that were dated in 1810....so COOL! There was a free tour, but I'm going to have to go back and do it b/c we didn't want to miss the market in San Telmo.
Oh, and I got a picture with the guards ;)

Oh, and BEN WILLIAMSON - there were pigeons in the square, and I laughed as I thought of your immense fear of las palomas de Italia.

The market in San Telmo was a pleasant walk. Lots of the same thing throughout, and nothing really caught my eye. I did get a rosary, which was cool because it was one of the last things I saw. Its all natural, made of wood and cactus, and a lot of the material came from Salta. I also had the opportunity to talk to several vendors, which was fun. Of course, once I spoke, they were all like, "de donde eres?" And I would say Tejas, and then they get confused until I say, Texas, and they're like, oh Texas!!! and yea. Saw a few tango dancers too. I couldn't get many pictures because several groups charged for them. Oh, and there was one beautiful street band comprised of about 10 members that played all sorts of instruments. It was really cool. On our way out, there was a manifestacion (protest) en frente de la Casa Rosada. Everyone was holding white balloons. I asked a street vendor, and he said they were protesting for peace.

After the market, headed home. Maria Laura, as always, freaked at my outfit and marvelled at how I haven't died of a cold yet. The good part though was that she made us some tea :) Had chicken for dinner, which was an ordeal. I sincerely dislike chicken on the bone. I much prefer strips. Also, I end up leaving a lot of chicken...I'm just not good at eating it! And here, the portions are really conservative - like, I eat EVERYTHING on my plate, which is not typical of me. So I ate the obvious parts of the chicken, then spent probably 15 minutes trying to get the grosser looking parts. I finally just had to close my eyes in a few parts. I also ate my salad, and found out that "morron" means red pepper, but not picante. I tried it, because I have to try everything once, but I don't like the pepper taste.

Then, spent the rest of the night online, finishing homework, and looking up events. See, our program sends us about 10 a month. maybe. K, I'm in one of the largest cities in the world. There should be a crazy variety of things to do. So I'm going to find them, because that's what I do. And I did. And it felt awesome to be planning again. I found some awesome blogs with less "touristy" things that I want to try, including an awesome French bar! Stacy also found a neat live music jazz bar. So classy! So this week with class is intense, with quite a few assignments, but once I get through, I'm going to start doing more stuff outside of the house. Also began planning our "viaje de Argentina". Angie, Hasil, Rebe, and I are going to take a week to hit Iguazu Falls, Mendoza, and hopefully Chile. Whoop! Oh, and next week, we're going to see El Fantasma de La Opera. So Stoked!!!!

Pues, hasta pasta!

Va Argentina, va!

So woke up this morning around 11 a.m. yummmmmmmmmmmmm. Made some toast with hunnnnnnnnnnny and jammmmmmmmmmmmm. Then helped Maria Laura straighten Lulu's hair. They really like mi plancha. Then proceeded to agonize over what to wear the futbol game, which involved looking up both teams colors. If I couldn't wear Argentina's colors, I certainly wasn't going to wear colombia's colors. So I was talking to Maria Laura about the game, and she was like, do you want to dress up? And she found me a flag, two joker hats, and a BEAUTIFUL tiny scarf that I wore like a hippy ;)

So I compiled my outfit, with my sneakers with the bit of light blue on the side, jeans with tights to fight the cold, a blue tank top with a white shirt over it. Then another whiteish jacket, then my green jacket. I kept all my stuff in my jacket (zippy pockets) b/c the game area isn't very safe. I wore blue eyeshadow, and then my little hippy tie in my hair!
Oh, but before I got dressed, I had to let Stacy into my house. So I met her at the corner street, which is seriously 10 steps from my house. But I went out in my athletic shorts and flipflops b/c I was debating clothing. SOOOOO many people stared at me. I mean, it was a little cold, and I'm pale, but I was outside for like 5 minutes! But Argentines are freaking out about the cold, especially about swine flu, and they are all in their ski-wear all the time basically. So in my shorts and flip flops, I looked like I had escaped from the insane asylum.

Stacy and I ate at this place called Duero, and it was ok. I ordered Milanesa, con papas fritas y una ensalada de cesar. The salad was amazing. Milanesa, bleeh. Fries, bueno con sal. The desserts looked SOOOOOOOO good at this place, but I was stuffed. The food was a bit pricier, but it was huge portions. For 8 bucks I got what
would've easily cost me 15 in the US.

Then we headed to the house, where I thought I was going to be super cool with my head gear. Then everyone had jerseys! So I felt really unspirited. We made our way to the game, took the subte, and everyone was in great spirits. We made a stop at a store along the way, and I had my first pregame fun! Also, along the way, we ran into this little kid who had a head band like me. Everyone was getting a real quick out of finding my "soul mate", so Constantin asked the kid's dad if I could get a pic with him. Srsly. But I did, and it's now a great story. haha.



We made it to the game, and I was just in love with taking in our surroundings. I was reminded of the taxi driver's comment when I arrived here, about the "piel de gallinas". yay spirit! Think walking to an A&M game, but bigger, lighter bluer, and rowdier. Everyone was selling stuff, and we found jerseys for 35 pesos! .....I got one :) (the other guys had paid 100 pesos). It's my first jersey! And it's pretty :)



We passed a few camera crews, which we yelled and tried to get in front of. We then proceeded halfway around the stadium until we realized we were going the wrong way. We finally made it in....I got frisked b/c my jacket was so bulky with everything in it...but by now I'm used to being checked, apparently I look sketchy. We make it in, and although we left the house about 2 hours before the game, we made it in like 10 minutes before the game. Now here's the cool part. We were going to buy our tickets online for 100-something pesos. But then we found out if you go to the stadium you can get tickets for 80 pesos....in a better section. Stupid internet scammers. So some of the boys bought us all tickets. So we're looking for our section, because like true Aggies (and others) we're expecting to sit in our seats. NO ONE is being helpful, and we are just SO sticking out and looking lost and dumb.

Finally, we find our section. Then, we find our row. Then, we find there are no seats. So we just start inching through to our seats. And stacy and I end up in front of this couple. And I show them my ticket and am like, this is my seat. And then things got....well, the word I am thinking might not be appropriate. I was already frustrated with our futile, inefficient search for our seats, you bet your buttons I'm going to get my seat. They feign dumb for a minute, until they realize that I can indeed speak Spanish. And I basically get sharp with them in Spanish, saying that this is our seat. And they were like, there are no seat numbers. And I was like, yes there are, and you're in ours. [aka i'm not a dumb american] And at this point, the guy is like, yea, but no one sits in them. And I was like, i don't care about everyone else, we paid to sit. And another girl with us, says in English "they're saying no one sits...", and at this point, being totally frustrated, I reply in Spanish that I completely understand what they're saying, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm going to get my seat.

So, I kind of got really mad. And in retrospect, it wouldn't have done any good if I had just kept hounding the couple. And at this point, Hasil is like, well, we'll just stand in front of them. But then we found a pocket a few seats over with enough seats for everyone over a span of 4 rows. Once we're all sitting, I'm cool. And even though we didn't get our seats, it was pretty awesome to know that I could get some attitude in Spanish. Even Stacy was like, dang girl. So that was fun.

We were behind the goal, well, to the left of it, on the first level. Then, behind us and up a bit, were ALL the Colombians. And then there were two more tiers of Argentine fans. I mean, I had better seats than I do at A&M games! So we're standing, and the taxi driver was right, the spirit is contagious. I mean, really, spirit is the reason why i go to any sporting events. And we're surrounded by light blue, and a mixture of people from 80's to little 4 year olds. One odd thing is that the Colombians were stinkin' spirited, and the Argentines not so much. Unlike at home, when the Colombian's sang their "song" we didn't try to drown them out.

Awesome thing: Once the game started, our section sat down. We were the ONLY section on that part of the stadium that sat. No idea how we lucked out in that respect, but it was wonderful. Soccer game began, and I paid attention for a while, but the beginning half was mediocre. And again, it was weird b/c the Colombians were just cheering, yelling, singing, someone had percussion instruments, and then we were basically sitting there. Haha, although this one guy two rows in front of us would just periodically turn around with obscene gestures for the Colombian fans. Oh, and so the Colombian fans were higher right, and there were cops on the stairs. They were basically looked there until the end of the game. And there was this little 5yrold (maybe even 4) who would repeat those same gestures/phrases, and Stacy and I were just like, OMG he's like 4 and he has a dirtier mouth than most 10 yr olds we know!

Halftime came earlier than expected, and to my surprise I was still into the game! It was alittle colder, but I was still enjoying myself. Oh, and we stood during halftime. So opposite my Aggie instruction. Oh, then the peanut man came around. The first time he came around, I passed, but then they just looked so good, and I was kind of hungry, and it was only 5 pesos (so less than 2 dollars....when was the last time something was less than 2 dollars at a sporting event??). So I got one, and gave him a ten. Well the bugger tried to walk off without giving me back my five! I don't know whether he thought I was just stupid and wouldn't realize that EVERYONE ELSE was paying five dollars or what. So I'm standing there, with my hand extended, and he's just looking away. And even this guy taps me and is like, "ehh, he owes you 5" and I'm like, yea, i know. So other people recognized what this guy was trying to do. So finally, I just lean up, catch eye contact, and am like "5 pesos". And he flashes a faulty apologetic expression and hands me a 5. Those peanuts were muyyyyy yummy.

Then, we finally SCORED! And everyone stands up and freaks out, and I'm like, oh high five? b/c that's what we do at A&M to avoid any weirdness about the kissing tradition, but really we just yelled and there was no latent worry that anyone would try to kiss you. yay score! And then we yelled some stuff at Colombia, which I took a video of. The phrase of the night was "hijo de ...." you fill it in. People would basically chant that. Oh, and so for the second half we were aiming for our goal, and this is the part you may not believe. So when they're coming our way, people would stand up more when we came close to scoring. And normally, if everyone stands up, I will too just b/c I'm at a game, so follow the crowd.

Well, this guy does this cool spinning thing, and is about to score, and everyone jumps up, and I DO TOO B?C I DONT WANT TO MISS THE SCORE. pues, we didn't score, but that's the first time I can really remember being into a game enough to where I jump up b/c I actually want to see the play.

Ohhhh, haha, ok, two more funny things. So the Colombians start chanting "si se puede" and I'm like, seriously? Disney channel anyone? And then some of the Argentines chant it back, I'm guessing sarcastically like, yea, we can (score on you). And there's this lady in our section, and she's gorgeous and looking classy, and she is the only one standing in our section. And she's yelling back at the Colombians. And finally, the stands start chanting.......think female dog.......specifically at her. And she's taking in all in stride, yelling back, etc. And then she basically shoves her butt to the crowd, and I got a little confused about what was being yelled at that point. but apparently they started saying yea, good butt, but no chest. ummm yea, the stands are yelling this at this ONE lady. And then this OTHER lady stands up, and she has a rather, well super, large chest. And all the people in our section stand up and are like, yeaaaaaaaa Argentina!! And I got this picture of ALLLLLLLL of the camera men on the field (about 10) with their backs to the game and their cameras pointed at these ladies. Yea. So that occupied everyone's attention for a good 5 minutes. And then it was like, oh yea, we're here for a soccer game, no?

Then all of a sudden, everyone stands up yelling, and since the ball was in the middle of the field, I take that as the game is over. We yell, yay, yea, and then we head out. And we have to walk past all of the Colombians. And I think maybe the Colombians were quiet for 5 minutes after we scored our point, but they were back in full force with their taunts now. And some people just walk by, but most are yelling back, throwing obscene gestures, and just overall having a good time. We made it out without incident, walked FOREVER to get home, and then I made it back home.

And now I have a jersey, which looks REALLY GOOD, albeit fake. I like to wear Argentine colors. I would even venture to say I would totally be up for going to another game.

It was by far my favorite Argentine experience so far, as crazy as that may sound to anyone who knows me. Besos!!

Tango Lessons.....

That's right peeps, hold on to your seats - I went to a tango lesson last night! But you have to make it to the bottom to find out about it ;)

So I woke up just in time to get dressed, brush my teeth, and stumble out the door. Maria Laura was like, no breakfast? As I responded ummm no. She was like, yea, I know you were out last night, haha. Class went by rather quickly. We began by planning a lesson on "if" clauses and discussing their various uses. Angie and I presented last, and I swear it's the worst one we've put together, and we got a "well done". Doesn't make any sense, haha. Then talked about syllabi, then breaked!

Lunch was at Natural Deli. I got another bruschetta pop, which this time I finished without problem. The salad was good too. Then came back, and was working on my lesson plan. Angie gave me a c.d. with some reggaeton, so even though that's not really Argentina, I've been listening to it. Oh, stopped by a kiosk on the way back, and bought a coke and some M&Ms. Good and all, except homeboy at the cash register wants me to give him my change to pay. Pues, if you haven't heard, Argentines FREAK OUT about their moneda. Like.....freak out. Un ejemplo - taxi drivers give you an extra dollar rather than give you 50 cents back in change. The dollar pesos, coins, are worth more when melted down rather than as moneda. So it's hard to find them anywhere. And to ride the bus, you have to have pesos. But the bus companies hoard the moneda. Our prof was saying that one time it was discovered that a bus company had been keeping millions of the moneda. Now why does the bus company need it? Also, movies used to cost 19 pesos. He said the companies would offer people a piece of candy in lieu of their peso. It's crazy. So anyways, I made the mistake of flashing my peso, and homeboy cashier dude would NOT give me my change, and requested that I give him the peso. Since I don't ride the bus, I acquiesed, but grudgingly.

The coolest part of the afternoon was when I finally got to talk to Sebas. He works at the Center, and as I found out yesterday, he is a co-founder of Road2Argentina. Oh yea, and he's 25. So in two years, he managed to build up this company, and granted, it has quite a few kinks, but overall is a sustainable program that coordinates over 30 students. SOOOOOOOOOOOOO COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL. I really just want to have a convo with him now and figure out HOW HE DID IT. That entrepreneur spirit fascinates me. He was really nice, and we chatted for a bit about Patagonia, about how to mejorar mi espanol, and then I found out he's going to Asia in two months. He's basically been here down this and is now going to find his new project. So cool!

So then the hour of my lesson arrived. And I was really excited about complaint letters! And only one student showed up.......which at first I was like, cool, you know, more one-on-one. And she was actually really new. She was in my advanced class last night, had decided it was too hard, and moved to intermediate tonight. Pues, she was really nice, probably about 60, and we started. We got through the vocab, but the problem was we kept hitting tangents. I look at my watch, and it's already 630. We were supposed to be done with vocab at 6:15. Ughhhhhhhhhhh. And I was nervous b/c I wasn't sure how quickly some of it would go since she was only one student. The least of my worries. By the time Eammon came in, we were comparing two complaint letters, a formal and informal one, but anytime I asked her for an explanation it lasted about 4 minutes, so we weren't getting anywhere. In the last 5 minutes, I managed to hit on my main points about complaint letters. It was difficult because I wanted to satisfy her curiosity for certain words, and I didn't want to cut off an adult, but I probably should've. Oh well. Live y learn, no?
After class, I went home and I honestly don't remember doing anything. I think I maybe reapplied deodorant since we were about to go dancing, but I don't remember. That's how crappy my memory is. Oh, haha, I did have a fun convo with Maria Laura about tango. And I told her I wasn't really looking forward to it, on account of my lack of hip to brain communication, and she was like, nonsense, just have some wine before you go! hahaha.


So went to the house, and met up with our group. It was me, Elyse, Rebe, Stacy, Hasil, and Constantin. This was one of our free lessons. So we make it to the studio about 10 minutes early. The place is really cute and brightly painted. We're all just kind of mingling in the back, and then all of a sudden homeboy is in front of the mirror stepping back and forth, and we are expected to follow. Not to bad, you know, back and forth, back and forth, follow el ritmo. Around 7:05, because people are never on time here, most of the "regulars" show up, and we're suddenly surrounded by 7 to 10 yr olds. At least 6. And there were probably 20 peoplein the class. About double girls to guys.

The co-instructor must've been 8. And she was good. We couldn't figure out if she was the guys daughter or sister. So we do the basic step, and then pair up. And that was fine, good, I messed up a few times but generally had it. Got confused b/c he started doing this whole heel-tap thing and I was freakin confused, but then he was like, no it's for the advanced people. Then we would go to the side, where our little 8 yr old instructor would work on technique with us, and the advanced people danced. Lucky boys, they got to dance the whole time due to the shortage. The second time dancing, the kid was about level with my chest. How did this happen? Well, I was left partnerless, and instructor grabs me and is like, I'll dance with you, and begins to lead me onto the floor. And of course I was startled, so my face turns red, and then Rebe and Stacy and Hasil are laughing, and I turn redder, and then next thing I know I'm holding hands with a 10yrold who is about triple my skill. And it was weird too because I maintained a proper distance with my friends, and then I'm like on top of this little kid. I felt bad b/c he tried to do something beyond the basic, and I pretty much just refused and was like "no entiendo".

Then back to technique for a while, where we learned the twist four times thing. That was fun to do. We also learned the back milonga steps. At the end, we danced in a circle, and I maintained my own. At the end, when the next class came in, we had to model what we had done. Well, they had given us four different steps, and I had no idea which one Constantin was going to do. So we kind of just fumbled through some steps and then skirted off the floor.



Overall, it was a ton of fun. I've recounted the more awkward moments for your amusement and b/c it's what I remember the most, but it was very enjoyable. And it's not everyday that I'm schooled by a group of 8 yr olds. No joke. I got a video of the little couple at the end of class, so you'll have to see it.

Then headed home, where I was treated to a yummy omelette and some...meh...soup. But I ate it, which is more than I would do at home. Then I was going to head out.....but I sat on my bed around midnight. And then I slumped down. And then someone texted me.....but I was asleep.............and I didn't wake up until 11 a.m. this morning.

It was a good sleep :)

Break Dancing...oh yea

I have about an hour until I teach my intermediate class, so instead of finishing my lesson plans (the copy to be turned in), I’m going to catch up on my blog, which has almost surpassed Facebook in my heart, at least for the summer. Also, listening to some reggaeton music one of Angie's field hockey teammates made for her (Super cool - Angie gets to play with the Argentine club field hockey team while she's down here.).

So yesterday. I woke up and finished my lesson plans. I got to class on time, and was asked about the charla I went to. I glossed over it, hitting on the key points about how everyone has a different position towards Antarctica (aka Japan is like, we don’t recognize anyone’s claims on Antarctica, and others countries are like, wellllll, we want to claim part of it but we’ll do that later, or they do claim it, or they recognize the right to have a right to it……it’s really a big jumble that could end up badly if some kind of awesome resource from there becomes necessary), and how vague the Economic Zone (EEZ) is.Oh, and how long-winded certain speakers are.

Class was good; we created lesson plans about “going to” and “will”, which I had actually taught in my class so that was easy. Again hit on the idea that nothing is really set depending on context. For lunch Angie, Hasil, Rebe, and I went to the yummy empanadas place that has good soup too. I got 3 empanadas in my zeal for the place - cebolla y queso, carne suave, y pollo y queso. Two would've sufficed, but I didn't mind stuffing my face with empanadas.

After, we headed back and finished up our lesson plans. I was teaching the advanced class at 5 about traffic safety. I was actually really excited about the class! The advanced class speaks English better than I speak Spanish. So I got to the classroom at little early (ugh, I need to put up a picture - this classroom is TINY. It comfortably fits about 4 students, and you're all up in their face. One student came early, and so we chatted. She was from Peru, and she is to make money, improve English, and basically send money back home. It was hilarious because at one point, she said a word in French, and I responded with "parlez-vous francais?" and we then proceeded to have a conversation with a mix of English, Spanish, and French! LOVE IT!

Well, 5 oclock brought about 4 students, so I started, and then about 4 more students came in. We were packed like sardines! Plus Eammon observing (he finally had to actually go into the hallway) and Angie observing. We began with vocab, which was harder than I thought. I had pulled tricky words from an opinion article we were reading about Argentine traffic, such as zest, mayhem, scramble in vain...... and I thought I had good definitions. But then they were like, ohhhh scramble eggs! And I was like, ehhh, kinda. And it just got a little messy. But we sorted it out. The rest of the class went well because they had lots of opinions about the traffic system. Everyone agreed that it's horrible and that Argentines never really learn to drive. There's an organization "Luchemos por la Vida" that's working to increase awareness. I also asked them if they wore their seatbelts when they were driving (mind you, most of these students were older than 40), and they were all like OF COURSE! Then I asked them if they wore them in the taxis, and everyone laughed. (You're supposed too). It was interesting though because when discussing how to improve the situation, everyone was in consensus that the most important thing was a need for more values in terms of respecting people (pedestrians and drivers alike). It was an interesting thought, which reminded me of a conversation with MoRae about taking responsibility for your family, and how while contributing to general society is important, your duty to your family (in terms of kids) is supreme for raising people of character to enter said society. And a "sense of civic duty" shouldn't overshadow your duty at home. We kind of hit on the same idea about how to improve traffic problems here in my class, just from a different angle.

Here's my theory: Road rage. Taxi drivers are in their cars ALLLLL day. Therefore, more road rage. Therefore, cities with taxis are going to have more aggressive drivers, as well as everyone else will adapt those same habits. So get rid of the taxis, and you will be on the road to improvement ;)

After class, I stopped by the house and chatted with Rebe for a bit. Then I went home and watched tv. I was looking for news, and I found some (heard about Karate dude's death), but then I found an Argentine TELENOVELA!!!!!!! yeayyaaa!! = soap opera. That was a fun way to practice espanol. I got empanadas for dinner, but they were microwaved, so not as good.

Then, got dressed up, and headed back to Roadhouse because we were going out! We chilled at the house for a bit, then went to the first boliche - Lost. Which was supposedly super cool and more "American." Well, we get there and it's definitely a sketchier part of town. Inside, at the pay window, we firstly notice the metal detector. Yea. Then, Angie gets a call from a friend and has a "name" and we're "on a list." So she gives them the name, and we get in for free!! Unfortunately, one of the guys in our group had gone in first, and had to pay. As he watched us all walk in for free, his mouth was just open with OMG. I then got confused and tried to walk past security and got patted down. That was lovely.

Then, we walk inside, and enter the stage of "Step Up." No lie. This two-story building has people in tose flatbill hats and baggy pants all over, and in the middle, with lights flashing everywhere, is a middle circle where people break dance. And they were good. I think we stuck out so much, no one even tried to approach us. So I felt safe, haha.

After about 20 minutes of watching, we realized there would be no dancing, and we made to leave. We grabbed 3 cabs, and tried to go to "Roxie." Well, the first place we went was some sketch place, and the driver was like, it's closed, and we were like, this isnt the place. So we went to another address, but that place was seriously dead. So I don't think we ever actually found the boliche.We ended up at a restaurant, had some food, and then headed home. All in all, a fun night. I lasted until 4:30. Next time - I'm shooting for the sunrise like a real portena!

Live Boldly

haha, I'm stealing Jamie's line for today. Today was a much better day, albeit much more runny in terms of the nose and itchy in terms of the throat. Maria Laura and I had a laugh earlier today as she said "I told you so!" b/c I walk around barefoot with my hair wet.....and that automatically equals flu (pues, after commenting with large surprise about how red my nose can indeed get, she now believes its a cold. She also taught me how to say I have boogers, haha. My host mom is tres cool).

Woke up, and intentionally left the house early so I made it too class ten minutes early as opposed to being 3 minutes late. You know it sucks when you're just a few minutes late b/c the prof knows you couldve made it on time. In college, when I'm going to be late, sometimes I hold out a few more minutes so it seems more credible. Haha, I hope that's not too terrible.

Once I got to the school, I was asking my classmates if anyone was interested in going to see the ambassadors speak. Pues, they laughed. Remember, I'm the youngest one in the class......and probably the most enthralled by things.....and also still only thinking about myself in terms of money, if that makes sense. So they're like, what's the topic? And I was like - international law! And they laughed for real this time. And I laughed too, as Peter said "oh yea, that's how I want to spend my night." And I told them that they would ALL want to hear me speak when I became an ambassador, and we all laughed some more. When Rebecca got in, I asked her, in a final ditch attempt, and while she mildly contemplated in order to practice Spanish, she declined as well.

Got feedback from Eammon. He said I have a very "gentle" classroom presence, and that I don't need to worry about the students liking me because I present myself very well.....but to not OVERDO the niceness. Aka how I said "good job" to everyone in my nervousness and wasn't really focusing on correcting them. In the intermediate class, I just needed to think through my board diagrams a little more. He said in my post lesson notes I evaluated myself pretty well and was aware of areas where I could improve. But overall................

He said I was FINEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. yahoo :) that's all I need.

For lunch, we ordered from this place called Sabores that delivers. Super YUMMMMMMMM. For 11 pesos, I got a huge serving of milanesa de ternera and french fries and a roll! I placed the order, and at one point, the lady was like, speak English, but I refused and we figured it all out. The food was just amazing, and came packaged like at Jim's Chicken (Mexia shoutout!).

Then we reviewed each other's lessons. Mine got an ok, but need more fleshing out. After researching traffic safety in BA, I'm freaking out. They have, on avg, 22 deaths per day due to traffic acccidents! Eek! EVERYONE is supposed to wear their seatbelt, but really no one does. Crazy, crazy.

After class, went to Roadhouse and chilled with Rebe and others for a bit. Tried in vain to find people to go to the ambassador thing with.

Finally, headed home, chilled with Lulu for a bit, then headed to the event. Pues........taxi HORRORS.

I have gotten several taxis since being here, and never had a problem. Of course, the first time I'm by myself it goes to pot. So I'm looking throughout the street, and a few taxis pass, but I, in my unfailing wisdom, want to get a taxi going in the direction that I'm headed so I can pay less (aka less time). So I go to a side street. Well, the light is red across the street, so no taxis are coming. Pues, by the time I get across, the taxis have all passed. So I go back to the big street. But the only taxis that are passing now that are free are not the "radio taxis". You only take those b/c the others are just "rented" and are associated with a higher number of crimes. So one stops, as I stand on the corner in my red coat, but I awkwardly shuffle away.

Finally, I spot a radio taxi! I wave......as it goes right past me to the couple on the corner. So I'm walking, frustrated, when I get to a side street, and I just decide to wait. Waiting probably wouldve been the smart move all along. And I watch all the radio taxis zip by on the other side. Finally, the light turns red, and a radio taxi stops. I freak out the driver by knocking on the window and pointing to his backseat, mouthing "open"? and hopping in. I give him the address, and comment on how difficult it was to find a taxi. He says that it's a busy part of the day (around 630). I ask him how long (good habit to avoid being schemed "around town" to add time) and he says 15 minutes. Then there's a demonstracion (protest) so it takes a little longer. But I made it! Yay for solo taxi ride!!

I head to the 21st floor of the building, and the elevator doors open to reveal an elegant structure. I awkwardly make my way to the speaking room, pay my money, and sit. The ambassadors had an interesting topic, but that does not equal a good presentation. Firstly, they were having technology problems with the powerpoint. Secondly, the first guy spoke, and he was ok. Then, the second guy repeated himself at least three times for every topic. Which, in my case, was helpful because I could for sure understand him....but then even I got bored. And after the first hour, I was tired. And his fellow speaker was like, dude, time's up. But he kept going. When he was finally getting into an interesting topic - claims on Antarctica.....he ended.

When I left, I ran into two girls from Road, and we all took a taxi back together. Had some yummy pasta with cheese and butter, and then some peaches to finish the evening. Then, the best part of the days, had a Facebook feed explosion of updates from my girls, culminating in a crazy fun skype chat.

Now I'm going to finish my lesson for tomorrow, and then BTHO this cold via sleep!

I am "el" tired....

You know how some days you just have those...uggggggggggh days? Well, this was one of mine. Nothing horrible happened, it just was one of those days (except for a few specific instances which should shine through at various points). Also a lot of thinking occurred, so feel free to just skim through this more thought-sorting-out post that was needed so I can formulate my plan of action. Again, you have been properly warned, not much cool touristy stuff here today (unless you skip to the end....oh, you'll know when you see it).

I woke up with a sore throat :( and feeling a little, out of it? So I'm not doing so well on that end. Sick sucks, but sick in foreign country double sucks. I meant to get cough drops today, but I forgot, so I'll try to remember tomorrow. I just really hope I don't get worse b/c I must teach!

School went well. We talked about motivation. I brought up several times that my motivation stems, at least in part, from wanting to be able to keep up with my native Spanish speaking peers in class. It was only after the second time that this came up that I realized how school-oriented I am. Aside from Angie, everyone else in the room does not think in terms of University, school, grades, etc. aka such rather meaningless to the world things. I felt really boring.

I also realized that I'm not achieving my goals with Spanish. The first week was great with Martin around....but I don't think I've had a solid conversation in Spanish since Thursday. No bueno. Not acceptable. I talk with Maria Laura a bit, but she just doesn't have the time to sit and chat for extended periods of time. So I emailed my program about this "language partner" they supposedly provide. Apparently it's "on hold at the moment." While I'm not pleased with that answer, as it's part of my "package deal", there's nothing I can do. Rebecca from class recommended looking up craigslist to find a language partner, but Internet friends are just a little too sketchy for me. I think I'm going to try to go to a Spanglish class (think speed dating, but speaking English/Spanish instead of trying to hook up) and surely I'll find someone who wants to talk there. Everyone says native English speakers are like gold here, so it shouldn't be too hard, and if I have to do half-sies and speak in English too, that's cool - I like jabbering too. And I found out today that tomorrow there's a forum about international marine law held by 2 Argentine ambassadors. That's right up my alley, no? So I want to go, but it's kind of far away. But it would be worth it, right? And good Spanish practice. And an opportunity to meet some ambassadors and other people of BA interested in stuff like this. Ughhhhh, someone convince me to just suck it up and go, please.

Also, during class, I was thinking how useful this information will be for my thesis .... which I still haven't heard whether it was approved or not. I'm writing about how second languages are taught...specifically how Spanish is taught in US (texas) v. how English is taught in Argentina. And class brings up lots of interesting points about bilingualism and the history of it, etc. Good ideas with which I can expand my thesis.

On that note, however, in order to achieve the goals of my thesis, I need access to a high school English classroom here. I found out today, from a guy who just took the same TEFL class as me and is currently interviewing for positions, that that is an unrealistic goal. Talked to Road program again, and that was confirmed in that they are just going to "place me" sometime in the near future. This is code for being placed in an elementary school. This is also code for they haven't begun the process yet. Not cool. Not efficient, since I'm only a very limited time frame. So I'm going to do some research on my own and try my damndest to get inside a high school.

Grabbed a hamburger at lunch with Angie, which was nice. When the bill came out, we paid with two twenties (they don't split checks here) and I specifically asked for 2 five dollars bills in change. The waitress nodded affirmatively, then brought back a ten. At this point, you may be thinking, well Lara, your Spanish just might suck. Well, you might've been right, but then I asked her again, and she said "they didn't have change." Yea right. Too bad one of those fives was going to be her tip.

Worked all afternoon on my lesson plans...but barely made any progress. For my advanced class, I'm going to focus on reading an NYT article about the Atlantic plane crash and then discussing safety issues in Argentina (my example will be my constant neardeath experiences with the buses). I teach advanced twice, so then the second time we will debate ways to make Argentina safer. If you have any good ideas for activities during the first class, lemme know b/c I have majorly frustrating lessonblock.

The intermediate is about writing a letter of complaint. (haha, very appropriate for today, no?) I just need to refine this one; the idea is there. Tomorrow morning, we get feedback from our first two classes. While I'm nervous, I'm not terribly nervous. I really do want to get better, and as the youngest person in the class, I know I still have a lot to learn. So I'm ready to hear what he has to say. But you know how sometimes I get nervous and wound up and it results in.....shall we say an emotional response? I really hope that doesn't happen. potential embarass.

After school, headed to the Museo de Bellas Artes con Rebe. Still not feeling super bueno. Met up with Stacy and her roommate and Hasil. Exciting point: He bought tickets to the futbol game this Saturday! wooohooo! I'm going to watch Argentina BTHO Colombia - in a world cup qualifying game! I'm actually super pumped about this - and we got the tickets for just 80 pesos (less than 30 dollars)...so i mean, the seats are blahh, but I'm sure the spirit of the game (and the piel de gallinas, as the taxi driver put it) will transcend the particular seat.

The museum was neat, free, and feature a wide range of art from all over the globe. I made fun of some of the more "impressionist" pieces, but some of it was really good. We also saw this HUGE flower machine thing that opens and closes with the sun. It was just a little past the museum, right next to the law school of BA. I need to do some more research about it to let you guys know. It was interesting...and huge.

Returned a la casa, and here's the best part of my day: Maria Laura is like, we're having milanesa for dinner. And I was like, oh, I've seen that on all of the menus, I'm excited to finally try it. Well, my plate becomes loaded with rice with a ton of cooked veggies. Oh. Not as exciting as I hoped.

And then....

From the oven......

She slowly pulls out......

MILANESA AKA CHICKEN FRIED STEAK!!!!!!!

OMG I freaked! Before I tore into it, I double checked that there was nothing weird like a pepper or something snuck in there, but no. and MAN it was so good! If you want more detail, wikipedia it.

So if I do get sick, at least I can go out and have chicken fried steak con puré (aka mashed potatos, yummmmm). And the veggie side was good too. Maria Laura is just a stud. Too bad that doesn't translate.

K, I'm going to hammer out some more lesson plans. And hopefully sleep off the yucky, no smiley, underprepared/overwhelmed feeling.

La Bomba!

I'm tired, but I want to get this down. I also have a scratchy throat - major uhoh! Argentina's flu season is just beginning :(

This morning was a bit rushed, as I slept in. But I got mi cafe y tostada con frutilla. School was cool -- Eammon gave us a mini-lesson on the present perfect v. the past. I got a lot of ideas for my thesis. We also talked about presenting the past simple, and then how to present "writing" and its purpose/function.

For lunch, 6 of us went to a lovely little hole in the wall that had marvelous emapandas. I got 2, which was sufficent, for 6 pesos, which is less than 2 dollars for lunch. Whoop. I was starting to think I was just going to be paying a lot for everything. They also had some wonderful soup, so if I do get sick, I'll have to go back.

Class got out around 4, and I headed home, where I found my room immaculate and a form on my desk about "homestay rules" from my program. As my fear rose, I wondered frantically if it was the clothes on the bed or the dirty coffee cup that had upset my host mom. I mean, I'll be the first to admit that I am not the neatest person, but I didn't think I was that bad.

So Hasil called, and I scampered out of the house so I could avoid running into my host mom. We walked down to a bookstore quite similar to Barnes & Nobles, which was also next to a beautiful movie theater. It seems most things are beautiful and timeless or old and falling apart. Once we picked up Rebe, we went to the cemetery because I wanted to see Evita's grave. Well, the cemetery had closed 15 minutes earlier, so then we walked back to Santa Fe, where we went into an old theater (think HUGE) that had been transformed into an amazing bookstore. I hope to go back and veg. It was SO neat! And on the stage, there was a coffee shop.

We hung out there for a while, then walked FOREVER to get to a concert. We were tired, and I was cold, and the neighborhood got sketchier. Rebe pointed out the Jewish signs, and I remembered that Argentina has an extremely high Jewish population because loads immigrated here after Argentine independence because the consitution established religious freedom.

Well, we made it to the concert, by La Bomba, en Kodex, only to find that every other person between the age of 20-30 in BA was there for the concert as well. We purchased our ticket, then proceeded a block and a half away to the end of the line. Finally, we made it in, where Rebe and I pushed our way to the front.

This was a percussion band, which I quite love. A group from school was playing when we got there. Finally, the main show "La Bomba" came out, and they were really cool. Rebe and I managed to get within the second "row" of standing people. As I was snapping a picture of the "no smoking" sign, two ladies puff their cigarettes right in my direction. When a cop came by and asked them to stop, they protested, saying "Everyone here is smoking weed and we can't smoke?" Oh yea, that's the kind of percussion group this was. It was so neat!

So Rebe and I entertained ourselves with some of the characters in the band. One guy had HUGE eyes, and he was always staring intently at the conductor. Another guy must've been completely high, and he played with eyes half shut and a look of almost childlike desire to please on his face. The two guys playing the tall drums danced as they played, were laughing and having fun, and they were our favorites.

At one point, some famous dude started singing with the band. Everyone freaked out and migrated to that part of the stage. Rebe and I just hung on to each other so we wouldnt get swept away or knocked over. Then this group of guys got really drunk or something, and started making this huge dancing circle. Unfortunately, like a tornado, they picked up everything around them, and then all of a sudden I was on the outside of the circle. One guy was shoved/fell onto me, and grabbed me, and as I elbowed/shot him the most disgusted stare I could, he shot me a "I'm sorry!" look and fell back into his whirlwind of bodies. Rebe later commended my "get away" look. Thankfully, we had three guy friends there as well, and we ended up in a protective bubble surrounded by them. Guys are good :)

Headed home, and talked with my host mom. She said that that paper just "ended up" on the top of the desk, and that she had no concerns, but I'm still going to pay closer attention to the state of my room. Unfortunately, I didn't get dinner. She assumed I ate out when I didn't come home. So I had some liquid yogurt de frutilla, which was actually really good, and will now go to sleep. Long live La Bomba!