Recap

Sunday night in Buenos Aires... watching "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" in Spanish. I basically stayed in the whole day recovering from last night. Recovering from a 8 o'clock in the morning night is difficult no matter where you are.
Week recap: Monday night backgammon... i kicked some serious ass. I probably shouldnt be writing this but I will anyways...I smoked some Argentine herb too. It was the weirdest thing though... it was basically a black hard square (no, it wasnt hash). Did the job quite nicely :o)
Tuesday night I took another tango lesson. For 8 pesos, you really get the best lesson. The class is so much fun and the teachers are hysterical. The place is called Club Villa Malcolm... i highly recommend it to any visitors. Tuesday nights at 8.
Wednesday and Thursday I had a cough and felt fluish so I watched 24 like an addict. I have to finish the series so I can get back to my normal, non conspiracy, life! Friday night dinner with cousins... about 8 little kids running around me. Love it. We had the most amazing asado and I learned some slang from my crazy cousins. (eg: "pelar el salami" which basically means to "take 'it' out"). They are so bad. So, last night (Saturday) I went out to dinner with a whole bunch of people... drank lots of wine, ate delicious steak, went to this bar/club called "Shamrock" and danced the night away. I could have done without the house music but after a few shots of tequilla you can deal with just about anything. And so we are here now, Sunday night (well, actually its Monday morning), and my Big Fat Greek Wedding is over and I must retire. I dont even know how i'm still awake. Buenas noches chicos.

Mate o mate...

I just made my first Mate (matay)! Mate, is a very typical "tea-esk" drink of Argentina and Uruguay. It is drunk in special cups, with special straws and only special people can drink it (just kidding about the last one). Its a social drink but i'm drinking it by myself because I must practice before I can prepare it and brag about my ability to others. SO, time is passing with ease here. I am still loving my time... even more now. I finally feel like I am LIVING here. I know my way around. I dont feel like a tourist. I actually get annoyed by most tourists (I know, so hypocritical).
Dogs are still muts, catcalls are still annoying, dog shit is still out of control, nights still going until 8, 9, 10 in the morning, tango is still in full effect, life is still beautiful.

Tequila!

I wanted Argentines... I got Argentines. I went to Opera Bay club last night. We got there around 3am and left, well, I have no idea when. But oh how fun it was. The funniest thing. We ordered tequilla (obviously) and they asked if we wanted the good kind (we said "yes"). Guess what they gave us? CUERVO. I was like "uno minuto... esto es el mejor?" (look it up). The best thing though... for 3 shots and 2 beers it was about $12. And this was a really nice place. Que bueno!
Just as a side note... I read the article about BA in the NYTimes. If you didnt... it said that NOW is the time to come to Argentina because the prices are going to rise, rise, rise in the next few years.
Anyways... back to Argentines and tequilla. Opera Bay is down at the port (Puerto Madero). It has many different rooms, including an outside area which is awesome and has a view of the river (which looks alot cleaner at night). Also... when you walk in... the first thing you hear is Hip Hop! Oh how I miss you, my love. (I was definitely the only one lip sinking the words to the music). You can find hip hop bars and clubs but its definitely not the norm here. More likely you'll find madonna and disco music blasting wherever you go.
Aaaaanyways... I went with my Argentine crew and I must say, they are great. Love to dance... love to drink... i guess i cant ask for anything more!
So, I have to go figure out a way to cure this hangover but the thought of last night is already making me feel better. Hasta la proxima!

What country am I in again?

I had a coffee today with an Irishman (from Ireland- not the just the beer drinking St.Patty's day kind), an Italian, a Frenchman, a Korean and me (the yankee). It was incredibly cool. In the end, we talk about the same old funny shit that you would with your regular group of friends (Team America, cerveza, girlfriends, boyfriends, etc...)
Oh yeah, lets not forget about the Turk yesterday. So much fun to hang out with people from different cultures. Hmmm... I just realized I need to start hanging out more with Argentines :o) That is my mission tonight.
To Be Continued...

Lost and Happy

Does anyone see pigs flying? They must be. The most unbelievable thing has happened! I actually met someone with a worse sense of direction than me! I thought it was impossible but according to the events that occured yesterday, i have been proven WRONG! My new friend (from yoga class) and I met up for coffee, drinks, dinner, etc... I let him do the leading when we moved from place to place. Baaaaaaad move! We walked up and down the same blocks forEVER. I obviously didnt care due to the fact that I am used to it from myself. It was all quite amusing.
I must say that getting lost in a city is a great way to learn where you are going. I decided that, since I have the time, I should start walking everywhere (even if it is a 2 hour walk). So far, it has been helping me a great deal with finding my bearings. Its extremely sad that no matter how many times I go into the same store or cafe, I still have to think hard to figure out which way I have to walk when i exit. Its a chip in the brain thats missing. A sort of dislexia. Hey, I cant fight it, I might as well embrace it and get to know Buenos Aires by completely giving in to getting lost in it.

Circle of sanity

Its funny... some mornings I wake up and I jump out of bed wanting to begin my day and curious to see whats in store. Some mornings I wake up and dont know why I'm getting out of bed. I close my eyes and fall back asleep, try to finish a dream I was having or just lay awake and let my mind run its course of thoughts. People assume that I wake up here in Buenos Aires and jump out of bed and run across the street to the local kiosk to start practicing spanish and go eat an empanada and go dancing the tango through the streets. Well, sometimes I do feel like doing that, but in reality, anywhere you are... whether it be your comforting house that you grew up in or an igloo in alaska, you still carry around your issues within. Changing your environment is a good push to help you make those changes but its not the cure. I find it easier to better myself and motivate when I am out of my comfort zone. However, I also very quickly become comfortable which leads me to constantly want change. Its a repetitive circle. Is there an answer to this? Is it even a question? Is it even a problem? A shrug of the shoulders should do it.
Ahhh... I just love using a public diary as therapy.