summa summa summa tiiiime

When I think of summer, I think of the beach. I don't know how the people in middle America (or the middle of any country) do it, but I have never lived more than 30 minutes from the beach (born in Venice, grew up in Mission Viejo, studied in Barcelona, and lived in Westwood although sometimes that took an hour in traffic). So when I semi-arbitrarily chose to move to Buenos Aires, I obviously assumed there would be a beach close by considering the city is right on the coast. BOY WAS I WRONG. Buenos Aires is located along the Rio de la Plata as it opens up to the Atlantic Ocean. Yes, there is water... yes there are ports... but THERE IS NO BEACH! Plus, the weather in the summer here is 90+ degrees and humid as all hell. Needless to say, I spent the last 2 months going to and from work in the sweaty subway, seeking out air conditioning wherever I went, and getting out of the city as much as humanly possible.

Obviously all the locals knew what was coming because they all got vacation time and took half or the whole month of Juanuary off! The first week, I didn't understand why all my favorite restaurants and bars had signs saying they were closed and would reopen in February... until the heat wave finally arrived and I was the fool still in the city!

So in order to further immerse myself in the porteño culture, I did as the porteños do and I took trips every weekend out of the city!

San Bernardo
One of the closest beaches to Capital Federal (the main city part of Buenos Aires, as opposed to the province) is San Bernardo which is a whopping FIVE hours away by bus. One Friday night my roommate Caro asked if I wanted to hop on a bus to go to the beach with her and her friend Nolo, and of course I said "claro que si!" We hurried to the bus station and asked for the next bus ticket to any beach... and we ended up in San Bernardo at 2 am, sans accommodation, plans, or a return ticket. In the end, our accommodation ended up being the sand for only a couple hours before the sun started burning us, our plans ended up being drinking liters and liters of beer on a bench in the middle of the street, and luckily I ended up back to the city in time to make it to work on Monday.

Here is a picture of the beach at 7 am Saturday morning when we decided to retire from the bar and post up on the sand for some shut eye:


And here is the same beach at 3 pm:


Olavarría
The next weekend I went home with my other roommate Lucía to a town about 4 hours away called Olavarría. It was supposed to be a relaxing weekend laying out at the pool and having asados (bbq's with the best steak you've ever had). Unfortunately it ended up being rainy but it was definitely a great getaway. The town is small, simple, and beautifully green. We drove around the hillsides drinking 'mate' and looking at the beautiful countryside, walked around the parks and the arroyo, and still had asados. Her family was incredibly gracious and probably fed me an entire cow while I was there for 2 days. They were all really curious about the US because they have never been there... they asked me questions about what we eat, what we wear, how much money things cost, and how we think. Oh p.s. none of them spoke a word of English. So imagine me trying to explain these things on behalf of the whole country... in Spanish! Lucía's grandma even asked me if we have ants in the US. Yes, ants as in the insect...


Colonia, Uruguay
I have been SO lucky to have had so many friends be able to visit me... my most recent house guest was my UCLA roommate Kacy. One of the first things we did when Kacy arrived was hop on the 1 hour ferry to Colonia, Uruguay for various reasons including exploring the town, experiencing another country, and getting around Argentinean bureaucracy regarding 90 day tourist visas. Colonia ended up being an adorable, quaint little town full of historical buildings from Portuguese colonial times, cobblestones, and greenery.










We took our time wandering the streets and then went walking along the coast of the opposite river bank of the Rio Plata. We found a little jungle trail, relaxed on the sand of the 'river beach,' read our books... and STILL had about 4 hours to kill until our 11:30 pm ferry headed back to Buenos Aires. We decided the best way to pass the time by getting acquainted with Uruguayan beer, and I think we succeeded! After naps on the ferry ride, we were recharged and even went out to a club when we got back to BA because by that time it was 2 am a.k.a. the perfect time to start going out!

A couple days later, my other UCLA semi-roommate Lauren and her boyfriend Evan arrived to begin their 2 month journey through South America. I had so much fun showing everyone around and I love that they really understand where I have been living. I miss them already! <3

my december

Yes, I've been lagging with the blog but it's only because I have been so busy... so here is a review of the last month of my life in Buenos Aires.

I have now been working for a month (although you wouldn't know it if you saw my bank account... It sucks to earn pesos!) for an auto shipping company that moves cars within the US. Random, but it's actually a pretty great job. The office is really laid back and everyone is cool. We went paintballing which ended up not being as great of a "team building" activity as our bosses had hoped since we were split into 2 teams and everyone was shooting each other. And my boss pegged me in the NECK (not on purpose, of course... but I had to wear scarves for a week because it looked like I had a gnarly hickey!). We also had a crazy Christmas party at a fancy restaurant/club where they paid for us to all get wasted and dance until 6 am!
Some of the girls getting ready for paintball (I'm on the left):

But, it is still work, which is why I was so excited to take some time off when MARISA came to visit!!!! She was my first visitor of what will hopefully be many... the day she arrived we got on a 17 hour bus ride to Iguazu Falls. I think we spent more time traveling than we did in Iguazu, but it was all worth it! The cataratas (waterfalls) were mind-blowing. They were enormous, humbling, and unbelievable... it is hard to comprehend the strength, intensity, and expanse of the falls.



We took a boat ride close to the falls and got completely SOAKED! Seriously, it was like we had just gotten out of the shower. We were so close to the water it was awesome!!! Also in Iguazu we got attacked my butterflies... I am not even kidding. It was the craziest thing but they were everywhere and eventually I didn't even feel bad swatting them away! Also it was ridiculously hot- think Palm Springs but muggy, too. Thankfully our hostel had a pool where we could seek refuge after our long, hot, sweaty days. It was fun staying in a hostel again, where we met travelers from all over the world, and where I felt like I was on a vacation from my "normal life" in the city :)

When Marisa and I got back to Buenos Aires, I showed her all around the different barrios. We spent some time in La Boca, which is the birthplace of tango and home to multicolored streets.



Apart from a couple of touristy streets, the barrio is really rundown and dangerous. So after a little stroll, a snack, and some tango, we moved on to... Puerto Madero! What a juxtoposition... this new area of the city is full of high rises, ritzy hotels, and 'mucha plata' (a lotta money).



We did all the important things in Buenos Aires- namely eat a lot of steak & empanadas and drink! We ate amazing meals and went out every night. She learned about the 'chamuyo' of the Argentine men (the bullshit pickup lines/trying to kiss you upon first meeting/etc). We had a Christmas picnic in the park, went to open air markets, walked around my area, and hung out with my Argentine amigos. I was so sad to see her go, and I hope I was an alright tour guide!

And then I slept as much as possible in order to regain my strength for New Years! My amazing new friend and soon-to-be Argentine roommate Caro had people over and I played drinking games with the Argies until 7 am, when I was too tired and drunk to speak anymore spanish so I had to go home. Then I slept until 5:30 pm, a new record!

I am starting out this new decade with the following goals:
-stop eating and drinking so much (this one will be REALLY hard in BA, but it's getting to be a problem... ha)
-step up my spanish a few notches. It's not cool to still suck when I've been here for over 3 months!
-blog more
-keep in touch with everyone from home that I love and miss so much!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and new years! xo

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!