Buenas tardes queridos!
Sooo...Im sitting here not entirely sure what to write about. It's been a couple of weeks, so SOMETHING of note must have occurred. Thinking....thinking....thinking...
Oh, of course! ... I finished the semester, moved for the FOURTH time, and attended a good old-fashioned slumber party with 4 of my closest friends - complete with funfetti cake w/ pink frosting (imported form the States), nail-painting, fortune-telling, staying up until dawn:), and sharing one giant king-sized bed. Yes, yes, I know one is supposed to outgrow this by the time she reaches her teens, but what is wrong with one night of reliving one's childhood?! We cooked delightful treats, ate too much, and told silly stories. And Martine painted my nails. So for the first time in perhaps 2 years, I have preeeeeetty nails! It was a truly, wonderful night of childish antics (minus the cooking. I did NOT cook as a child...nor, come to think of it, did I really do so that night as I contributed with a salad - hey, so Ill never be Betty Crocker:)!).
The semester ended smoothly. I look forward to being able to make better informed choices as far as classes and professors next semester. Cant say I was blown away by all of my classes. Alright, I suppose I was actually blown away by my one class where my professor showed up approximately half of the time. Not THAT'S dedication, folks!
And moving went well. I was horribly reluctant to leave my adorable, tiny, sunny studio. I was so comfortable there. I had actually UNPACKED my things (this is a big deal if you have ever lived with or near me in any other locale...Ive lived out of my trunk and/or bag for weeks (even months) on end on more than a few occasions). So repacking and unpacking - two of my least favorite activities - was not a thrilling experience. I stuffed my things haphazardly into 6 bags wondering how in the world my things expanded from fitting into the two bags I arrived with and lugged them and my plant Esmeralda 7 blocks away to my new abode. And, in true Cameron fashion, I did not unpack for 3 days. In fact, the first night I slept in my sleeping bag. Ok, please do not judge. To my credit (not to say I even need a legitimate excuse to have done this), I got home at 2 am thinking my bed had been made by the owner prior to me moving in. It certainly LOOKED made. The comforter was in place, the pillows were covered. So I stumbled in at 2 am exhausted, pulled up the comforter fully prepared to snuggle inside and fall fast asleep, only to discover there were NO sheets. Granted, I did quickly find sheets in the closet, but making my bed at 2 am was simply not an option (not that making my bed at any moment is an exciting option). So, without further ado, I whipped out my sleeping bag, stuffed it underneath the comforter, crawled in, zipped up, and was quickly off to dreamland. I claim I was missing the NOC way of life so much so that I decided to reenact my mountain nights. You believe me, right?! Anyway, within three days, I had unpacked everything and fallen absolutely head-over-heels in love with my new place. It's FABULOUS. I cant speak highly enough of the place. Big, spacious, sunny, comfy, clean, gorgeous view of the city form the 13th floor, AND has a combination washer/dryer IN the apartment (this is simply unheard of). And to show my appreciation for my access to such fancy technology, I washed 3 loads of laundry within the first 2 days (that is, after I emailed the former tenant asking how to use the thing - the icons make no sense to the foreign eye:$). Considering I do an average of one load every 2 weeks, this was another miraculous achievement on my part.
I am now spending my break teaching English classes, taking random dance classes (hip hop, house, reggaeton, tango, etc), biking around the city with friends, researching, and visiting Rotary clubs. I will be leaving the insanity of the city for a week to tromp in the mountains outside of Cusco, Peru with my friends Vera and Jose. Then back to Argentina to prepare for visits from my mom and Kilby. And then it's back to school I go. So much excitement to look forward to:)! Hasta la proxima...
VIVA!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Stepmomma Comes to BA - An Ode to an Amazing Woman!
Buenas tardes!
It another gorgeous yet coooooold day here in Buenos Aires. However, I am not complaining in the least, as this is apparently the dead of their winter. And with lows in the uppers 30s and highs in the lower 50s, I am a happy camper:). NO below freezing temps for days or even weeks on end, you say?! YIPEEEEEEE!! And I take special care not to speak of the winter temps here in negative light, especially since my family back home in MS is baking like a Thanksgiving turkey in 100+ degree temps - ouch!
So my most recent adventures of note happened just over a week ago when my stepmom, Susan Fontenot - whom Vera has dubbed "the stemom of the century" (and she does NOT exaggerate), came to visit. She was only here for a mere 4.5 days, but a short visit is better than no visit at all, so I soaked up her love and energy from the moment I found her plopped down on top of her bags in the middle of the airport lobby to the moment I bid her adieu as she was whisked off in a taxi through the harrowing city traffic en route to the airport.
This woman is AMAZING. I am beyond blessed to have her as a stepmom. I dont know how we Taylor's got so lucky!! And, lucky for me, she was super happy to chillax during her time here. No pressure to see everything there is to see and do all there is to do in her short visit. We wandered through cute neighborhoods, went to a museum, saw a tango show, visited the Sunday artisan market in San Telmo, and saw a SPECTACULAR cirque du soleil like show that no words can do justice - imagine people flying through the air, swimming in a giant pool of water above your head and then being enclosed in a giant plastic bubble while the performers jumped on the bouncy surface over our heads - craaaaazy!
But beyond the necessary things one must check off her list when in BA, we spent most of our time eating tasty salads in adorable sidewalk cafes, taking daily siestas, drinking tea and coffee, and meeting my many wonderful friends of whom have more or less become my family here;).
And, of course, as Susan is also known as Calamity Jane, there were a few..hmmm...mishaps?! Day 1, I arrived bright and early to find Susan had just fallen head first into the tub when the support handle she was using to help her climb in came unattached from the wall. Thank God her first priority was to protect her head. However, this came at the expense of her shoulder and wrist. I was HORRIFIED when I found her. Luckily, she's tough as nails and came away relatively unscathed and was able to shake off the minor pains. However, not 15 minutes later, she proceeded to shock herself while trying to plug in her Ipad. Not once, not twice, but FOUR times!! The pain from the first three shocks evidently wasnt enough to discourage this woman from charging her computer. She was determined to be able to play scrabble!! We finally got her out of the room of terror around noon and I was, quite frankly, afraid to let her return to sleep that night. Thankfully, the worst thing that happened from there on out included waking up ravenous in the middle of the night and having to try to ask the non-English speaking night watchman to please give her some bread and nearly freezing to death as her heat did not work with 35 degree temps outside. Minor inconveniences, really...
As my diet here typically consists of rice, lentils, salad, oatmeal, and fruit, I was excited to have the opportunity to explore the culinary world of BA. We discovered so many delightfully cute cafes that too much of my budget has since been dedicated to cafe con leche and muffins or some other tasty pastry.
And Susan discovered - and opened my own eyes to - just how much PDA occurs in this city. People LOVE to kiss in public. Kiss while standing in line waiting for the bus; stop and kiss mid-stride when you are directly behind them and, as a result, proceed to knock yourself face first into the kissing couple; kissing on the bus; kissing while getting off of the bus; kissing sitting on each other's laps on a plastic folding chair while on the job at the sidewalk flower kiosk on one of the main streets. You get the idea. People love to kiss. Dont get me wrong. Im all for being affectionate. It had simply never been brought to my attention just how out-of-the-ordinarily affectionate Argentinian couples are. So if PDA isnt your thing, I would not recommend dating an Argentinian!
My friends adored her - and who wouldnt?! She adored them. And I adored her visit;). Hasta la proxima, stepmommy mia! I love you to the moon and back!!
VIVA!
It another gorgeous yet coooooold day here in Buenos Aires. However, I am not complaining in the least, as this is apparently the dead of their winter. And with lows in the uppers 30s and highs in the lower 50s, I am a happy camper:). NO below freezing temps for days or even weeks on end, you say?! YIPEEEEEEE!! And I take special care not to speak of the winter temps here in negative light, especially since my family back home in MS is baking like a Thanksgiving turkey in 100+ degree temps - ouch!
So my most recent adventures of note happened just over a week ago when my stepmom, Susan Fontenot - whom Vera has dubbed "the stemom of the century" (and she does NOT exaggerate), came to visit. She was only here for a mere 4.5 days, but a short visit is better than no visit at all, so I soaked up her love and energy from the moment I found her plopped down on top of her bags in the middle of the airport lobby to the moment I bid her adieu as she was whisked off in a taxi through the harrowing city traffic en route to the airport.
This woman is AMAZING. I am beyond blessed to have her as a stepmom. I dont know how we Taylor's got so lucky!! And, lucky for me, she was super happy to chillax during her time here. No pressure to see everything there is to see and do all there is to do in her short visit. We wandered through cute neighborhoods, went to a museum, saw a tango show, visited the Sunday artisan market in San Telmo, and saw a SPECTACULAR cirque du soleil like show that no words can do justice - imagine people flying through the air, swimming in a giant pool of water above your head and then being enclosed in a giant plastic bubble while the performers jumped on the bouncy surface over our heads - craaaaazy!
But beyond the necessary things one must check off her list when in BA, we spent most of our time eating tasty salads in adorable sidewalk cafes, taking daily siestas, drinking tea and coffee, and meeting my many wonderful friends of whom have more or less become my family here;).
And, of course, as Susan is also known as Calamity Jane, there were a few..hmmm...mishaps?! Day 1, I arrived bright and early to find Susan had just fallen head first into the tub when the support handle she was using to help her climb in came unattached from the wall. Thank God her first priority was to protect her head. However, this came at the expense of her shoulder and wrist. I was HORRIFIED when I found her. Luckily, she's tough as nails and came away relatively unscathed and was able to shake off the minor pains. However, not 15 minutes later, she proceeded to shock herself while trying to plug in her Ipad. Not once, not twice, but FOUR times!! The pain from the first three shocks evidently wasnt enough to discourage this woman from charging her computer. She was determined to be able to play scrabble!! We finally got her out of the room of terror around noon and I was, quite frankly, afraid to let her return to sleep that night. Thankfully, the worst thing that happened from there on out included waking up ravenous in the middle of the night and having to try to ask the non-English speaking night watchman to please give her some bread and nearly freezing to death as her heat did not work with 35 degree temps outside. Minor inconveniences, really...
As my diet here typically consists of rice, lentils, salad, oatmeal, and fruit, I was excited to have the opportunity to explore the culinary world of BA. We discovered so many delightfully cute cafes that too much of my budget has since been dedicated to cafe con leche and muffins or some other tasty pastry.
And Susan discovered - and opened my own eyes to - just how much PDA occurs in this city. People LOVE to kiss in public. Kiss while standing in line waiting for the bus; stop and kiss mid-stride when you are directly behind them and, as a result, proceed to knock yourself face first into the kissing couple; kissing on the bus; kissing while getting off of the bus; kissing sitting on each other's laps on a plastic folding chair while on the job at the sidewalk flower kiosk on one of the main streets. You get the idea. People love to kiss. Dont get me wrong. Im all for being affectionate. It had simply never been brought to my attention just how out-of-the-ordinarily affectionate Argentinian couples are. So if PDA isnt your thing, I would not recommend dating an Argentinian!
My friends adored her - and who wouldnt?! She adored them. And I adored her visit;). Hasta la proxima, stepmommy mia! I love you to the moon and back!!
VIVA!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Clarification - Life is FAR Rosier than it is Rocky!!
Buenos dias!
It is a sunny and gorgeous blue sky day here in Buenos Aires...yet at 37 degrees Fahrenheit, I am finding it difficult to find the ganas to leave!
I would like to CLARIFY my reasons behind my last post. I got a number of responses that made me realize, in hindsight, that it did indeed come across as if my life here is one big heap of unhappiness. Which is very much NOT the case. Not at all!! I meant it as a rant AND to show that even the life as a scholarship-funded, international-living, Spanish-speaking adventurer is not always as glamorous as it may seem. Just wanted to put it out there as a reality check that no matter where we are or what we are doing, there are challenges.
Soooo...I wrote about a number of recent challenges. But evidently listing them one after another in one blog post did not come across as intended. I had a few people write me to tell me God loves me, one really good friend write a long letter of concern for my mental health and happiness, a stranger tell me to keep my head up as life would get better (life is great - I promise you!!), and my dad shaking his head wondering, "Why, oh why, is my daughter spending a year of her life in Argentina if she is experiencing such misery?" So, from now on, I will limit my quejas (complaints) to at most one per post.
AND if you look back at my post - some things are mildly amusing...I mean WHO get their ipod run over? And how many times does one have to get on the wrong bus before she learns to ASK where exactly the bus goes BEFORE boarding? Also, as angry as the taxi driver who nearly mowed me down made me at the time, it is evidence that life here is NEVER dull. One must always be on guard. Cross the street with caution, sure. But here in Latin America, confidence weighs much more than caution!
So I hope this clears up any concerns you may have had about my life here. It is challenging, no doubt! But what doesnt kill you - or cause you to run home in a heap of tears (ok, so yes, that has happened a few times) - makes you stronger, right?!
VIVA!
It is a sunny and gorgeous blue sky day here in Buenos Aires...yet at 37 degrees Fahrenheit, I am finding it difficult to find the ganas to leave!
I would like to CLARIFY my reasons behind my last post. I got a number of responses that made me realize, in hindsight, that it did indeed come across as if my life here is one big heap of unhappiness. Which is very much NOT the case. Not at all!! I meant it as a rant AND to show that even the life as a scholarship-funded, international-living, Spanish-speaking adventurer is not always as glamorous as it may seem. Just wanted to put it out there as a reality check that no matter where we are or what we are doing, there are challenges.
Soooo...I wrote about a number of recent challenges. But evidently listing them one after another in one blog post did not come across as intended. I had a few people write me to tell me God loves me, one really good friend write a long letter of concern for my mental health and happiness, a stranger tell me to keep my head up as life would get better (life is great - I promise you!!), and my dad shaking his head wondering, "Why, oh why, is my daughter spending a year of her life in Argentina if she is experiencing such misery?" So, from now on, I will limit my quejas (complaints) to at most one per post.
AND if you look back at my post - some things are mildly amusing...I mean WHO get their ipod run over? And how many times does one have to get on the wrong bus before she learns to ASK where exactly the bus goes BEFORE boarding? Also, as angry as the taxi driver who nearly mowed me down made me at the time, it is evidence that life here is NEVER dull. One must always be on guard. Cross the street with caution, sure. But here in Latin America, confidence weighs much more than caution!
So I hope this clears up any concerns you may have had about my life here. It is challenging, no doubt! But what doesnt kill you - or cause you to run home in a heap of tears (ok, so yes, that has happened a few times) - makes you stronger, right?!
VIVA!
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