Update of all Updates, OH MY!!

Buenos dias desde Buenos Aires!

Man, oh man, has this update been a long time coming. So much fabulous, blog-worthy stuff happens and laziness seems to win out over sharing with the world the good, bad, and outright bizarre of the life and times of Cameron Taylor in BA. But, Ive sat myself down on the couch, have the a/c blowing on me (for those in the frigid North, it's 95 and humid as heck here today), propped the computer on my lap, and am determined to give my "fans" an update. Enjoy!

The last time I wrote, I had recently returned from an utterly fabulous adventure with Vera and Jose in Peru. So as not to make this a novel of a post, I will hit the highlights of each of the last 6 months. (SIX MONTHS! It's been that long...ahh, time has flown far too fast here:(!)

Mid-August/September:

Mom flew in (her second international trip all by her lonesome - go Mama B!!) just in time to celebrate her 60th birthday with many of my closest friends here. The night ended with everyone singing her "Feliz Cumpleanos" in Spanish on a street corner at midnight. It was pretty fantastic. We wandered around the city, drank tons of cafe con leche, ate muffins, and spent 4 days pampered in the woods in Uruguay. Mom even went for a biking adventure through the bosque - first time biking in over 5 years. Yep, my mom rocks!

Then Kilby arrived. Kilby is a trooper. There is no other word to properly describe her willingness to put all of her trust in my travel skills (or, at times, lack thereof). While I cannot speak for what thoughts are going on in her head, outwardly, she does not complain, pass judgment, or even question my decisions (even when, perhaps, she should!). This easy-going attitude of hers has allowed (some may say FORCED) the two of us to climb mountains, hike in the soaring heat on a hurt foot (albeit I tried to talk her out of that one), wait on the side of the road with her rolling luggage in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE to flag down a bus to take us to anywhere but there, visit deserted villages, spend hours wiling away time in the plazas of tiny pueblos during the siesta when we found ourselves without a way out, ride clunky buses taking hairpin curves down steep mountain roads, and stay in what was surely, in hindsight, a "love motel" - the red polyester sheets and love-themed decor certainly screamed it. I do not plan for such experiences; they simply come with traveling in South America. Thankfully, Kilby sees it as an adventure, not torture:). But, as with everything in life, there are fabulously awesome moments as well. Yummy ice cream, lots of lounging in cafes, reading in the sun, staying in a gorgeous hotel for super cheap, wandering around Buenos Aires markets, seeing amazing landscapes, meeting a really sweet taxi driver who took us on a private tour, and eating AMAZING ice cream (did I already say that? well, it's worth mentioning again. Yes, it's THAT good, and Im pretty sure we both ate our weight in it during her 12 days here!)

October:

The month can more or less be summed up with the following two status updates from my facebook page:

1) Directly translated (Spanish-English) quote from the doctora: "Your belly was burned by the tiny feet of a little hairy cat." Yep, I got second degree burns on my stomach from a freakin' caterpillar. Who has ever heard such a thing? Ive been to the jungles of Peru and Ecuador for goodness sake, and it's here in a park in the middle of the bustling metropolis of Buenos Aires that I get attacked by a strange creature. Go figure...

2) "In the last month - I have been "burned" by a poisonous caterpillar that has left gnarly scars on my belly, had (ok, i have no shame...) lice...ewwww! (from kiddos at the orphanage - I promise I bathe), been pooped on by a pigeon (this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, right?), vomited from eating unclean veggies, been a large swarm of mosquitoes afternoon snack, fallen off my bike (gracefully) in front of some 50 people hurting only my wrist (gracias a Pachamama), and somehow Im still laughing. However, I do request that all creatures please give me a break for the rest of the year. VIVA!"

Need I say more?

November:

Classes ended. I did just fine. Proud that I paid attention and got at least 80% of what was being said during each 2 hour class. La UBA has to be one of the most disorganized universities in existence, but somehow, it functions, and I managed to learn a thing or two (or three of four...).

I went on an amazingly, fabulously, wonderfully gorgeous return trip to Peru. Met up with my friend Jose again. We visited the town of Abancay where few tourists go. So few that even when we bought our ticket to go there, the person selling it questioned our choice of destination. Yet, it was great. We woke up early each day (oh, how I LOVE my mornings!), visited an ecological park high above the city with amazing views of the mountains all around, visited the fruit and veggie market each morning for breakfast(I have a minor obsession with these markets), watched cyclists careen down the steep mountainside, and played Sapo, a traditional game. We also returned by a secret trail used only by locals to my favorite town of Pisac. I was sad to leave and am secretly (or not so secretly now) plotting my return:).

December:

Summer arrived with a vengeance, and I headed with my amigas colombianas for a quick weekend trip to hang on the river beach in Rosario. We got sun, sweated nearly to death, visited a cool (figurattively AND literally given the a/c) art museum, made a new Argentinian friend and celebrated her 25th birthday with her, and I even stayed out until 330 am - QUITE the accomplishment on my part!!

I sadly attended far too many goodbye parties. But such is the life of a nomad. People come and people go. I cherish and learn so much from everyone who I meet along the way and hate to say goodbye. But I recognize that it comes with the lifestyle - you know, that whole positive/negative balance of life thing...

Then, I flew HOME! Hugged my family, cuddled with my dogs, went on daily 6 am walks (yes, I am a rare creature that LOVES mornings), got some new running pants, and ate yummy Indian food for the first time in 9 months. I ended 2011 (and my trip home) with a trip to the historic town of Natchez, MS with Kilby. We both figured that since we've traveled all around South America, perhaps it was time we did some exploring of our own state!

January:

Back to Buenos Aires I went and back to my life of teaching English, biking daily using the free city bike system, exploring new cafes searching for the best cafe con leche, muffins, and kindest waiters (Ive yet to find one with a combination of all three...). For those of you who have not talked to me about food in the last year (or ever), I LOVE muffins. There is no food that makes me happier. I eat one daily and am happy to offer muffin suggestions any time you find yourself searching for one in Buenos Aires. I also studied for and took the damn GRE. I started studying in September. Studied diligently for 3 weeks, then freaked out. I was looking at math concepts I had not seen in over 10 years and sifting through the reading comprehension after not being in school in nearly 6 years left me shaking with anxiety. But Im sucked it up and got back to the books and battled the monster on Jan 31st. I am happy (ok, mainly just relieved) to say I fought a good fight. After 4 hours of test-taking, I celebrated with a victory dance in the bathroom. Too bad no one was there to witness it. It was pretty awesome.

February:

Well, that brings us to...NOW!

In two weeks, I must abandon my apartment. I love this apartment. It's bright, sunny, spacious, and has an amazing view of the sunset each evening. Also, it has a/c, hot water, AND a washer/dryer. Basically, a renters idea of heaven.

In exactly 4 weeks, I will step foot back on US soil. I will leave that tema for later, as I dont much wish to think about it.

I am currently having a love affair with this city. It may be hot, noisy, smelly, full of heckling males who feel it is their right to stare at you and make comments about your physical features (I dont care if it's a positive comment, I am not a piece of meat, and you have no right to look at me as such), and be more expensive everyday. But I love it. I love it. It's that simple. I wake up (bright and early) every morning happy to be here. Happy to be in my apartment. Happy to drink my mate cocido, eat my oatmeal, read the news, and wander outside to checkout a free city bike. I love that the people that work at my station know me and my ID number needed to get the bike. I love to ride around the Bosques de Palermo. I love that park. It's huge, and Ive found some awesome quiet trails to ride along and escape the hustle and bustle of the city for a bit. I love the cafes. LOVE them. I could probably write a blog reviewing my experiences. You want a tasty muffin, big cup of coffee (hard to find here), cozy cafe, nice view, cheap option, or all of the above? Ive probably got a place for you. I love my friends. Ive got some of the best here. And they come form all over - Argentina, USA, Macedonia, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, and Mexico. Ive been pretty intense about speaking as much Spanish as possible here, so I didnt really delve into the native English-speaking expat community - not that there arent many amazing English-speakers here as well (I mean, IM a native English-speaker...!). I love my pilates classes. I go three days a week and have an awesome (and adorably cute - soooo having someone good-looking instruct you 3x/wk never hurts!) instructor. I love the bakery half a block away that sells the most delicious pumpkin empanada-like treats. I may very well have starved (or continued living on lentils and rice) had it not been for that place! But, above all, I love that Rotary awarded me the opportunity to experience life in this city, to study in the public university, and to meet amazing people from all over the world!

I intend to cherish each moment of my final month here. (And eat as many muffins as I possibly can!) VIVA!