Settling In

So I officially left the USA 2 months ago today. In some ways it seems like it has been forever since I have seen family and friends and a big-girl double bed (more on my room later), but at the same time I still feel like I am brand new to this big city.

Buenos Aires is a crazy place. If you're really interested in it's history, check out wikipedia (or a form of real information). I will just tell you that Argentina is a country of many ups and downs. There has been military rule, massive economic collapses, and a 'Dirty War' when 30 million people disappeared in the past 30 years alone. Just when things seem to be getting better, disaster comes. The Argentines seems to have little faith in their economic system (whose peso was equivalent to the dollar before the 2001 crash) and corrupt government, and they therefore do not seem to care about the fact that many of their systems are inefficient and often backwards... because something will probably go wrong soon and they'll have to change it all around anyways.

When I say inefficient, I don't think you really catch my drift. Now, don't get me wrong, I absolutely love this place. BUT...
-their subways system only has 6 lines, and they all only cross downtown. This means you cant use it unless you want to go downtown (which is all the way on the eastern-most part of the city) and then switch and come all the way back. Therefore, everyone takes buses, of which there are about 200 lines which make crazy traffic in the city.
-my photography teacher has now failed to show up to class 2 times, and doesn't tell us so all the students just sit there waiting. I guess this isn't inefficient, though- it's just Argentine (that's another thing- people move to the beat of their own drum... a beat that is usually as slow as a snail's pace).
-the day before Daylight Savings, the Argentine president decided not to do it. Yeah, that's right... she just told everyone not to change their clocks... so we didn't.

OK enough with all the negatives- I really do love living here! I live in a cute apartment with a British girl and I am in a great neighborhood where I can walk to shops, plazas, bars, and restaurants. My room has a bunk bed because a kid used to live there... so I sleep on the bottom and put my crap on the top (also an open invitation to anybody who wants to visit and needs a bed!). I have put up pictures of fam and friends and my previous travels, and I look at them every day :)

I am starting work tomorrow at an American company that ships cars within the US when people move states. It's basically sales and doesn't sound super exciting... but it's a job! (and it pays well & has cool people too)

I also joined a gym near my place, which offers a variety of group fitness classes. Yesterday I went to an African dance class, which was WAY more of a workout than I expected! We did all these crazy moves, and at the end everyone held hands and then laid down and banged on the ground really hard. It was definitely an experience, especially with the super animated teacher with long curly sweaty hair. Hahah I loved it, and after a few more classes I will fit right in with all of Kim's Peace Corps celebrations in Benin!

As far as my amigos go... it's definitely weird living in a foreign country without any of my best friends who I have been surrounded by for my entire adult life. Sure, I have a lot of people to meet for coffee, go out with, etc. but I miss being able to walk downstairs of my Westwood apartment, or down the street, or even across campus to see my best friends and reminisce about high school, freshman year, or the night before. I have met some great people, though, so I'm sure it's only a matter of time before you are all replaced. JUST KIDDING :)

The weather in the city has been really weird. One day it's hot and sunny, then that night there will be a muggy downpour, tropical style. Then the next day it will be gloomy and drizzly, and then the next day it will be sunny again. Apparently the muggy summers here are absolutely unbearable because there is no beach. Yes, there is a port and the dirty River Plata, but the closest beach is either 4 hours south or in Uruguay. So yeah, that's gonna suck.

That's pretty much the basic gist of my life right now. I spent my last week of freedom (before I sell my soul to the devil and sit in an office from 11-7 Monday through Friday) walking around new barrios, taking touristy tours, and enjoying sunny afternoons at outdoor cafes. I'm currently in a cafe across the street from my apartment called Anden. There's nothing great about it, except for it's proximity and the fact that every time I see it I chuckle because the name reminds me of the scene in 'Dude, Where's My Car?' at the Chinese drive-through (an den?... nothing else, that's it... an den? ummm no thank you... an den?... NO MORE AND THEN!)

Anywayssss here are some highlights from my touristy week. This flower opens and closes depending on the time... as in it is closed at night, then gradually opens until it is wide open at the peak of the day, then starts closing again. This was at about 4 pm:

Congress Building, and then with the fountain in front:


Tango dancers at a weekend outdoor market/fair:

Buenos Aires Cathedral (I know, it doesn't look like a cathedral with the columns but I promise I'm not mistaken). The jacaranda trees are in full bloom right now and the purple flowers make the city so gorgeous!

A random statue that I don't know the significance of:

Old men at a cafe, followed by some street art:




That's the current status of my life for ya... hope you enjoyed it.

Un beso grande!

Chile [TAKE 2: Santiago, Vina, & Valpo]

After I said goodbye to the chileno surfeadores, I headed to the capital city, Santiago. I arrived with low expectations since everyone told me to expect smog and a city not nearly as cool as BA. But I'm really glad I checked it out for myself, because even though I only spent a couple days there, I really enjoyed the little city at the foot of the Andes.

I followed the itinerary given to me by my cousin Lauren, who used to live in Santiago... I went to the Museo de Bellas Artes but it was closed for a "paro" (which means a labor strike, but I had no idea so I waltzed right on into the museum while everyone looked at me like I was crazy to have not seen the hundreds of signs and protestors on the street. oops! at least I learned a new spanish word!).

Chileans are a very proud people, and after they were liberated from 17 years of military rule in 1990 they learned how to really take advantage of their rights. There are constantly strikes about one thing or another because they love to exercise their freedom of speech. Here is one group in the Plaza de Armas:

Catedral Metropolitana in the same plaza:

I walked up Cerro Santa Lucia, a little hill that used to be a cemetery and then a defensive military point, and is now open to explore and check out the view of the city.

(I warned you about the haze/smog... there are gorgeous snow capped mountains somewhere under there, I swear)

While wandering around streets full of cafes, shops, and plazas I ran into this pretty church:

Pablo Neruda's house was my last stop, and it was great learning about the famous Chilean poet and politician. I picked up one of his love poem collections to attempt reading my first spanish book!

Next I headed to the coast (again) to stay with my acquaintance-turned-new-amigo Ricardo. He and his family were so welcoming and were kind enough let me stay with them for a few days in Vina del Mar- a gorgeous beach town that totally reminds me of California! We drove up the coast in search of secret beaches (which of course are all built up now), ate incredible seafood (like Chilean sea bass, razor clam empanadas, and homemade ceviche), and drank ourselves silly with pisco (the national alcohol- super sweet but soo good).

View from Ricardo's place of Valparaiso during the day:
and at sundown:

We spent a day exploring the cerros of Valpo. This colorful town has funiculars that take you up and down the hills, with winding roads full of murals, cool graffiti, and bohemian character. Some of my favorite buildings and art:







We stopped to take in this gorgeous view and grab a beer:

Cemetery for Dissidents a.k.a. non-Catholics on the hill:

I absolutely loved my time in Chile! Although I could barely understand anyone when I first got there (their spanish is totally different from other Latin countries, esp Argentina), I got to know the place and its friendly people, and ultimately I wish I had more time to travel around the long skinny country bounded by ocean and mountains.

Crossing back into Argentina, the vineyards of Mendoza:

Chileans and Argentineans typically don't like each other for past political/cultural reasons... but I must admit I appreciate and treasure both countries. My vacation was great, but I am also excited to be back in Buenos Aires to start working, settle down, and continue living my 'vida loca' in Argentina!

Chillen in Chile [TAKE 1: Pichilemu]

When your friends say "hey, want to go to a surf town in Chile?" the obvious answer is yes (even if you barely surf, love the big city you're living in, and are already paying rent). So 2 weeks ago I set off on another long bus ride (24 hours!) to Pichilemu, all the way on the opposite coast of South America. The scenic ride through the Andes was incredible, and a bit frightening at times of steep hairpin turns.
Just about to start crossing the Andes:
Crossing into Chile:

We stayed in a historic hostel that is built like a boat and right on the sand. It was so nice to fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing instead of the cars and sirens of the city streets.




I went surfing in the freezing cold water wearing a thick wetsuit and booties, and also went horseback riding along the water. The world famous surf spot Punta de Lobos was a few kilometers away (yeah metric system) and became a daily trip to get some exercise and admire the gorgeous surfers, er I mean scenery.


Punta de Lobos:


I also spent Halloween 2009 in Pichilemu, which is not the ideal celebratory location for the average American... my friends and I wanted to get dressed up but realized we would literally be the only people in the entire town in Halloween costumes... the other problem was that we did not have costumes and there was nowhere to buy anything. So we resorted to wearing our normal clothes, just spiced up a bit. Luckily Halloween fell on a Saturday night this year, so we ended up being able to party anyways! Here is the final result of our costumes, which we titled "neon jungle"

It is hard to really put Pichilemu into words- it has very laid back vibe, gorgeous beaches, and friendly people who are either local Chileanos or pro surfers... seriously what could be better?! Jack Johnson even filmed a music video in Pichilemu, you can watch it HERE. I absolutely fell in love with this town and hope to go back at some point in my life.

Another post on the rest of my trip to Chile is coming soon... but here are a few more photos of Pichilemu to hold you over in the mean time!