Down the rabbit hole

“What if I should fall right through the center of the earth... oh, and come out the other side, where people walk upside down?"
So I didn't fall down the rabbit hole - I came on a 747. But Buenos Aires does feel like Wonderland sometimes. It's so crazy and exaggerated and temporal and my life here is so changeable and accelerated. It's a different reality every weekend. And yes, there are people who want to help you, people who want to trick you, and people where you can't tell the difference. It can feel like a big urban Disneyland with different themed cities and towns, where the character of the city changes completely from one block to another. And you have to abandon the idea that things should make sense all the time, because they don't.
Why the sentimental shrooms-esque rambling? I guess because I'm leaving Buenos Aires in 6 weeks. I don't even want to write it down, because then it will be true. Now that I know I'm leaving so soon, I'm taking a closer look at everything around me, and becoming a little anxious and sad that my life here is slipping away from me and coming to an end. Even though I've been here almost a year, I feel like I've only begun to scratch the surface. And of course, because it's the law of the universe, I've finally met someone, just as I'm about to leave. C'est la vie, right? Maybe I'll be back, maybe not. I have a feeling I just might wake up one day in Northern California with a Buenos Aires-withdrawal induced panic attack and flee the United States again. Of course, if McRepublican wins this November, I'll be too ashamed to leave the country and will have to hide my face from the world for 4 years. Or buy a lot of maple-leaf clothing to wear when I travel.
I don't remember how the story ends. Alice finds her way out of the rabbit hole and back home, but is she happy when she gets there?

I ♥ BA

That had to be the title because I was kind of having doubts about how much I loved BA. Well, not really, but more like I forgot while I was away. Because I was home, where everything is so much easier, it's all in my own language, there's Mexican food and the milk tastes normal, and there are trees and lawns and backyards everywhere. So much is taken for granted. But now I'm back, and I remember why I love it so much here. Even though it's chaotic and crowded and insane and there is no spicy food, there is something magical about this city. It's like a crazy urban Disneyland. It's not for everyone, but once you've lived here, you can live anywhere.

I do have one complaint, more about the entire Southern hemisphere than just Buenos Aires, and that is: winter doesn't work without winter holidays. Winter arrived while I was away and now the air is clear and crisp outside and it's warm and cozy inside, and you get to wear scarves and gloves, and I really like all that. I love winter. But I keep thinking to myself, Christmas is just around the corner, and then it's like, oh wait, no, it's June. At home winter is synonymous with Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year's, lots of big holidays, big parties, cooking big meals, seeing friends & family. Christmas doesn't work as a summer holiday. I've witnessed it. Santa Claus just looks silly wearing a fur-lined velvet suit in 100 degree heat.
It gives me seasonal vertigo being down here, but I guess that won't be changing anytime soon.

Anyway, I still love it. And now, there's a Starbucks in BA!!! I thought it was an urban legend that Starbucks was coming, but it's true, I saw it with my own eyes. And Argentines, it turns out, love Starbucks even more than we do, because there was a line around the block.

Below: pretty pictures! From before I left but I never got around to posting them.

Oui Oui.

Gorgeous dog in Boca.

Even the elephants live in style. Bs As Zoo.

Gone Fishin'

Well kids, I'm on vacation! Not in Kauai as the picture suggests, but somewhere just as good, home! New York & back home to California on the 28th. I'll probably be too busy shopping at Target and drinking huge To Go iced soy lattes from Starbucks to write much. Also trying to order in Spanish and marveling at how big everything is. Back in BA in June.
Besoooooos!

Working for vacation

Current theme song: Cibo Matto's Working for vacation from Stereo Type A
"Feeling wrong cuz the days are too long/counting heartbeats, 72 in a minute..." Go download, you!

Anyway, I'm going on vacation next week! On holiday, as my very properly and Britishly trained students would say. For the first time in my life, I'm going on a vacation to the United States. One week in New York and around, then one week at home in the beautiful Bay Area, in my beloved Golden State. It goes without saying that I am the most excited to see my family and friends (and dog and cat.)

Apart from that, I'm counting down the days till I can:

• Communicate effortlessly.
• Eat at Intermezzo, Cheeseboard, Gordo's, Cafe Raj, Zachary's, Cactus, SF Japantown, the list goes on and on. And yes, get a huge decaf soy latte at Starbucks. I miss that too.
  
• And, eat spicy food. Actually spicy. In case you don't know, 99% of Argentines that I've met can't eat spicy food and melodramatically fan their mouths and make desperate faces when they eat, like, a salad with a little black pepper sprinkled on it.
• Drink a local microbrew IPA on the patio at Jupiter, Raleigh's, or Triple Rock
  
• Lay in the sun in my backyard (because it's almost summer at home!!!)
• Take the dog for a run at the Berkeley Marina and watch the fog roll in
• Go to Safeway and see no less than 15 people I went to high school with and/or their parents
• Wander through the UCB campus and end with a coffee at Strada
• Do my own laundry, in my own house, for free! *Well, okay, I kind of need to edit that, since I just had a HUGE bag of laundry washed and dried for only 9 pesos. And before you think I'm all spoiled, sending my laundry out, that's the only way to get your laundry done in BA. I've never seen a self-service laundromat, and it's dirt cheap to have it done for you, because, unlike in Santiago de Chile where they charge by the kilo, here they charge by the bag, no matter how big or small. And it comes back warm, folded neatly and smelling just like fresh laundry should. Anyway.
  

What I think I'll miss most about BA while I'm gone:

• Kisses! I love, love, love the excessive amount of cheek kissing that goes on in this culture.
• The colectivos. That's not sarcastic, I will really miss the unapologetic craziness of this system. Especially now that I've discovered the 140 bus line, painted lipstick red, doing their best to out-crazy all the other lines and drivers, and give you an exhilarating brush with death every time you ride. Not bad for just 90 centavos.
• How beautiful, entertaining, ridiculous, lively & chaotic, and convenient the city is.
  
• Gorgeous Argentine men in business suits (just being honest, okay...)
• Constant public transportation problems meaning you ALWAYS have a good excuse for being late
• Hearing Spanish everywhere and therefore being able to relax and tune out other people's conversations in public places more easily than I can with English
• My adorable students! (The good ones.)
• The sky. I don't know, the sky here is something special, it's extra blue and pretty

What I won't miss:

• Lazy waiters who disappear after they bring your food and test your morals by making it too easy to dine & ditch (hacer un pagadios)
  
• Crazy inflation so you never know how much a Coke Light is gonna cost
• The occasional student who puts no effort into classes and makes me feel like every class is a bad first date
• Being asked, ¿De dónde sos? every time I open my mouth. Or people who immediately assume I am a tourist and don't take the time to realize that I can actually speak and understand Spanish, despite my accent.
• My horrible gym with its 18th century Brazilian treadmills

I just read this over and realized that my writing has a bit of a non-native English speaker feel to it these days. Pero bueno, no hace falta que escriba perfectamente aquí. Anyway, I'm tired after a long day of not working (all classes cancelled) and need to go chill out with some friends over a Quilmes, some pizza & faina. That's something else I'll miss.

Luego, mis amores!

Luna de miel

The honeymoon's over. I've been in Argentina for 6 months, which means I don't have stars in my eyes about Buenos Aires anymore and I'm beginning to see what life here is really about.
It also means that I had to go across the river to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay, to celebrate (read: renew my visa.) Before I went I was thinking about it as more of an expensive chore than a nice daytrip, but that changed when I arrived. Sidenote: to get to Colonia, you take a Buquebus ferry from Puerto Madero - there is a fast one that takes less than an hour, and a slow one that takes three hours. I took the fast one and it was basically more like a posh airplane than a boat - there were television screens and a duty free shop and nothing to indicate you were on a boat - no deck or access to the outside, no bumps or waves either.
Once you arrive, the historical part of town is a short walk from the ferry terminal. You cross a medieval-ish wooden drawbridge into the old part of the city, which is adorable, cobblestoned and picturesque. Even though it's totally touristy, it doesn't feel that way at all. It was quiet, uncrowded and serene. The perfect place to wander tiny winding streets, gaze out at the river and admire the brightly painted buildings - you could be anywhere in the Mediterranean.
While I was in Colonia, I realized something. When you live in a big, crazy city - in the case of Buenos Aires, extra big and extra crazy - you sometimes forget what the real world is like. The real world outside of the insane video game that is life in a big city. I am, undeniably, a city girl: I feel much more comfortable surrounded by skyscrapers, noise, and pigeons than trees, hills, and grass. However, I have come to the conclusion that, although endearing, Buenos Aires could drive even the most sane person in the world completely crazy.
So Colonia was a welcome, and desperately needed, breath of fresh air. It was adorable, quaint, and calm. And, I got what I needed, a stamp in my passport and 90 more precious days of legal residence in Argentina.

More pictures of Colonia below...

Pretty!

Yes, the Río de la Plata is actually that color. Silver it is not. It looks like the chocolate river in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. I don't know why.

Mellowed out Uruguayan perros sleeping in the sun.

Pieces of People I love

Well well well... I'm somewhat sorry to be writing this, but I am officially back home. I returned yesterday morning and even slept in my large comfortable bed last night. But, as always, it is an interesting feeling to come home to a place you know so well.

Although I only spent 10 weeks in Argentina--not long enough to be considered an expat--I did have a crazy good time, and even what I am considering a life changing experience. I've traveled before. I've even lived in Barcelona, Spain and Lund, Sweden for periods during my college years. But Buenos Aires has been something different.

As I write this entry, I'm listening to the fabulous argentine-pop duo sensation, Los Alfajores and drinking mate. In 10 short weeks, I picked up a few things that I think will stick with me for a long time.

In the 24 hours that Ive been back, Ive noticed so many differences from my life in Buenos Aires.

For example, plastic shopping bags aren't used for the trash here. In fact, they don't have much use, although we all still save them. I guess I use them for picking up my dogs' shit. But the quantity of trash we produce here seems to be so much greater, that a small shopping bag isn't big enough.

Its hard not to notice how much we drive here in the United States. I hadnt driven (minus the Corsa in Patagonia) at all during my stay in Argentina. In fact I hadnt hardly been in a car that wasnt a taxi.

When I greet men, i dont have to go through the awkward, Do we kiss or not? feeling, for better or for worse.

Im back to spending dollars, not pesos. But I find myself converting prices into pesos, and being like "holy shit, did i really just spend $25 pesos on lunch?" What choice do I have?

But after living and breathing the expat life, i sorely miss my expat-compatriots. Without trying, they infected me with the DIY (do it yourself) attitude, and Im taking advantage of this renewed inspiration. Im working on a zine/scrapbook from my life/experiences in Buenos Aires, to be released soon.

And without a blink of an eye, my life is back to where it was before I left. The only thing that's changed is me. And that's enough to make it all worth while, even if I spent all the money I had saved up in the process.

I miss Los Alfajores, mindful media, Julia, Mike, Marina, Sarah, hamchunks, the apt on Paraguay y Salguero, Once, Carolina (most amazing find!), Gordo, Juan, the feria de entrecasa, Fratello! and empanadas. And no Mike, hot-pockets are not the same. Dont come home, Sarah. I need a place to stay when I return. And by the way, it's really cold here.

Peace, love, and happiness.

More on that...

Sarah did a great job of describing our vacation to the south. Very thorough.

I thought I might add that the Corsa will never be the same; Ive never officially learned how to drive a manual. I keep on hopping in rental cars and learning by error. Ethan did a good job of helping out during our road trip in Southern Sweden last summer. And Luisa taught me some important tricks this time that seem to help as well, ie. shifting when you hit 3000 rpm. Who knew? The poor girls got so car sick with me behind the wheel. I didn't help that we were lost and driving on unpaved roads 43% of the time.

Not knowing how to put the Corsa in reverse was probably the most embarrasing incident, though. I had managed to find a good spot pulled in (up to a gate) and was ready to back it up alongside the curb, when I began to confront difficulties. I kept trying to force the damn stick as far to the left as possible. It kept going into first instead, but I would have to tap the gas just to make sure. Instead of reversing we kept inching closer and closer to the gate, in our white rental car. I began to sweat, imagining how visible it would be if I just inched a few centimeters to much. I couldn't believe that they'd make a car without a reverse option. I had already stuck the car in neutral and got out, trying to physically push it into the correct position, when a generous man came over and asked what the problem was. He was probably used to tourists, but i still have the feeling that may have been the first time he'd seen something so ridiculous. Not that he showed it.

The Corsa really went through a lot of abuse. Like we mentioned, all the roads were gravel. I was driving in the wrong gear about a third of the time. And the Patagonian steppe is so vast and soo infinite, that the distances are on a different scale. We drove for about two hours without seeing a single human. This brought us to a little junction where we realized that we had probably taken the wrong way to get to that point. But oh well. We trucked on like professionals, nervously checking out the gas meter every few kilometers. The road signs which labeled the distances were so incorrect and so full of shit, that by the time we got to Punto Tombo, we were pretty much out of gas. But the nice, generous people of Argentina came through again, in the pinch, and we got a dozen liters of gas when we needed it the most.

The Corsa had a bit easier time on the way back; we took the road at the junction we should have taken the first time around. And good thing we did. Even driving on the newly paved road and coasting down any and all hills to save gas barely got us to a gas station, which was diesel only. Of course. The next seven were closed and boarded up. But finally finding an open normal station, filling her up with gas, and refilling our tanks with the tastiest helado we've ever had, gave us the boost we needed to make it back to El Gualicho in Puerto Madryn.

When we returned the Corsa the next morning, I have to admit, I was a bit nervous about the all the abuse we had put her through. When the car rental fellow went out to check the kilometer-age and gas tank, I started to sweat. But he was so concentrated on looking at the dashboard, he didnt hear the high pitched squeal when he turned the Corsa on. Or notice it shaking violently in its parked position.

As we ate Paella Valenciana that night and reflected on our adventure, Sarah and I agreed that someone/something had been looking out for us. We had seen tons of whales, were told that we were lucky to see them begin so social, enjoyed great weather, found our way again after getting lost half a dozen times, renting the last available car in the city, and finding gas miraculously when we needed it most. It was all the highs and lows that enriched our experience and kept us on our toes. In the end, we were both thankful for all the good luck, and, for the delicious paella.

Now, enjoy some footage taken by professionals:

Whale!

A penguing looking both ways before crossing the path. Waddle you see this one!

Ballenas, pingüinos, y guanacos, Oh My!

For the last few days, Will & I have been in Patagonia, specifically a place called Península Valdés in the southern province of Chubut. It is basically a marine reserve/ playground for Southern Right Whales, Magellan penguins, and other wildlife.
To start from the beginning, first we hopped a bus from Bs As to Puerto Madryn, the town that is basically a jumping off point & tourist center for all Península Valdés-related activities. The 20 hour bus ride wasn't exactly as luxurious as we had been led to believe, even though we were in ejecutivo class. However, it was basically fine, and we were able to enjoy several different incarnations of ham & cheese and a few of the worst American movies never released at home that I've ever seen (the night started off with "Catch & Release," followed by "The Comeback Season," "Fast & the Furious III," and was almost redeemed at the end by "Rocky Balboa.")
We arrived to Puerto Madryn, a tiny and adorable seaside town, and made our way to Hostel El Gualicho. The first day we spent settling in, walking around the town, visiting a couple of very nice Oceanographic museums, and feeling like we were in Antarctica. I mean really, it was absolutely freezing that first day. We made friends with some local street dogs and figured out how to rent a car for the next day. The highlight of which was the guy at the car rental place telling me (apparently) how well I spoke Spanish, which I didn't understand until Will mentioned it later.
The next day we got up early, picked up our car - a tiny white Chevy Corsa - and started the drive to the Peninsula.
Puerto Pirámides is a little one-block town where all the whale-watching tours are based. After we figured out how to make the Corsa drive in reverse - with the help of a friendly local - we set off the make arrangements to see the whales.
An hour later, we were on the boat, motoring out into the gulf. Within ten minutes of leaving the shore, we saw our first whale. It was pretty much constant from then on, being surrounded by these huge amazing Ballenas Franco Austral - they swam up to the boat and nosed around, swam underneath us, poked their fins & tails out of the water, and basically lolled around in the ocean like big lazy puppies. It was indescribable to see whales up close like that. We got really lucky too, because tours the day before hadn't seen any whales at all. I could've spent the whole day out there but eventually we had to come back, feeling sort of dazed & elated by the whole experience.
We spent the rest of the day driving around the Peninsula - horrible gravel roads, but we entertained ourselves with car games and general insanity. It should be pointed out that by now Will and I are probably closer than a brother & sister, and instead of getting sick of each other, the more time we spend together the more we laugh uncontrollably and talk in an increasingly incoherent mixture of English, Spanish, and made-up slang.
The drive around the Peninsula was lovely and included vistas of elefant seals and penguins, which were awesome but sort of paled in comparison to seeing the whales.
We headed back to the hostel and went out for a drink with a big fun group of Deutschies.

On the agenda for the next day was Punta Tombo, a nature reserve for Magellan penguins. We were joined by Luisa, a super cool German girl from the hostel. The sun was finally shining and we started the drive with high hopes, which lasted until we got to Trelew, a town on the way that is best described by something Luisa said later in the day: "After driving through Trelew, I'm pretty sure there is nothing in this whole city that I like, except for maybe one little house somewhere... maybe."
First, to explain, good maps of the Península Valdés area do not exist. At all. We had about 5 different maps and each had totally conflicting and not at all similar theories about the route & distance from Puerto Madryn to Punta Tombo (248 km? 171 km? Quien sabe?)
We were lead to believe that from Trelew, there would be a gravel road going the rest of the way to Punta Tombo. After driving in circles for a while, we were on the verge of giving up. Everyone we asked for directions said the same thing, "Go up a few blocks, look for the signs, and ask someone else." Well, there were NO signs to look for. By the grace of God, we eventually found the road to Punta Tombo. But the confusion didn't end there. Here's an example of the road signs we found on that road (literally):

At the entrance to the road: Punta Tombo 115 km
Approximately 15 seconds later: Punta Tombo 76 km
Half an hour later: Penguins 95 km

We stuck it out for the hellish 3 hour drive to Punta Tombo, in good spirits but desperately hoping that whatever was on the other side of this road would be worth it. In addition, due to the total confusion on how long the drive was, we realized we didn't have nearly enough gas to make it back to civilization.
Well.
Things began to look up immediately once we got to Punta Tombo. A very kind park ranger siphoned some gas out of his own truck and gave it to us. We were introduced to a few young American scientists living at Punta Tombo & researching the penguins.
And then we entered the park... I didn't think anything could've compared with seeing whales the day before, but this did. Adorable Magellan penguins were EVERYWHERE. Waddling across the path, looking very formal with their little business suit-like feathers. They were totally unafraid of people and in fact, didn't even seem to notice we were there. Most of the penguins were sitting on their eggs but a few had newly hatched babies we were able to get a peek at, including one so young the broken eggshell was still there beside the Momma penguin. The penguins were so unbelievably cute and friendly, and Punta Tombo itself was gorgeous. We also saw guanacos and an armadillo.
The horrific drive to Punta Tombo faded from our minds and on the way back, we found a shortcut to the freeway and made it just in time to a gas station in Trelew, where we also had some life-saving ice cream.
We headed back to the hostel, bid Auf Wiedersehen to the German girls, who were headed to Barriloche, and had some fresh seafood paella for la cena.
Friday we souvenir-shopped and caught our bus back to BA. Overall, the trip couldn't have been much more perfect.