As I sit to write today it's raining once again...the rain must just know that I'm not motivated to leave the apartment at all today anyway :)
This week marked the final week of my immersion program at Expanish. I received my certificate for the 60 hours of Spanish work I have completed over these three weeks but it didn't seem to come with any guarantee that I will be able to speak (or understand for that matter) when I begin orientation at UCA this week during orientation and for the rest of the semester...bummer.
Expanish was definitely a very positive experience; it was a good refresher, added some much needed routine to my Monday-Friday and forced us to understand (or begin to understand) public transportation and travel on the Subte (subway line) during the morning and lunchtime rush hours. (A great venue to listen to some wannabe American Idols jamming on the subway cars but definitely not recommended for anyone with germ issues or claustrophobia.)
Tuesday marked Dia de los Amigos- friends day! We all decided to head to Siga La Vaca (Follow the Cow) for dinner. This restaurant situated in Puerto Madero (the same neighborhood as UCA) is an all-you-can-eat parilla libre. You pay a flat rate which includes as much meat and sides as you can eat plus a bottle of wine per person and dessert. (Note: all of these things are dangerous). We arrived at 9:15 to a huge crowd and put our name in for an hour wait- "mas o menos" (more or less...). Feeling as though we were in line at a homeless shelter, waiters passed around drinks and empanadas to our restless crowd as we were told "proxima mesa" (next table...sureee....) Our name was finally called at 11:30 and we paraded into the dining room. However, something was a little strange about this friends day- the only friends there were tables of 10 or more loud, obnoxious men. Our table was conveniently located in the exact center of the back dining room... surrounded by tables of male 'amigos'. Although the atmosphere was loud and obnoxious, once we muted out the comments from the people beside us and pushed aside the business cards that were put on our table (yes, apparently this is a big thing here - to hand out your business card to anyone you meet...) we thoroughly enjoyed the social environment. My only way to explain this atmosphere would be to say that the Marco 7 would not have been kicked out but welcomed with open arms...not sure any of my followers know who the Marco 7 are but if you do it's a sufficient description of the evening. The food may not have been the most fabulous, but it was a fun place for sure.
Now you can't expect my blog to be something as mundane as completing Expanish and eating at a restaurant- here comes the origin of this weeks title. Queue the dramatic music...customs at the Ezeiza International Airport! After getting wind that FedEx had withheld my package (containing my internationally capable cell phone that mommy dearest was so kind to send me) I initiated contact with FedEx. After emailing back and forth with Rodrigo we determined I would need to visit the customs office at the international airport with my passport and FedEx receipts; and so begins the voyage to collect my phone. My wonderful roommate Jen agreed to be dragged along with me after class. We should have known this would be quite comical when the cab driver had no idea where to drop us off once in the airport. Jen and I freely wandered the airport streets- security infraction?....maybe....until we were flagged down by some security guards. We had to submit our passport info and get visitor tickets to head to the customs office. I'm not sure if I imagined neon signs and loud music but once we opened the doors it was nothing more glamorous than the DMV. 20 disgruntled individuals simply pointed at the ticket machine...they need not say anymore, we knew we were in for a less than wild adventure.
What begins like a line at the Stop and Shop Deli (you take a number, then wait for them to flash your number on the screen) slowly turned into a line at a ride at Disney World. In one office for one stamp, to the back of the line at door number 2 for a signature, back to door 1 for a photocopy, to the back of the line at door 3, to door 2 to get a customs official, to the package room to find your package, to the counter to open the package, back to door 1 for authorization...you get the picture and just in case you don't this was only half of it. Needless to say Argentina must not be too fond of foreign goods- especially certified pre-owned Verizon cell phones. After much arguing back in forth in Spanglish I tried to convince the official it was not a new phone but rather a used one with new packaging. However, there was no convincing him that this was true. After a half dozen more lines, a few signatures and paying some taxes on my 'new' cellphone (if you ask me I think those pesos went right into Javier's pocket for dinner that night) we were able to walk out the door. But, of course like any good SNL skit there was more. Getting lost on the airport streets, flagged down by security officials once more, we finally made it into a cab. Thank goodness the cab driver didn't want to talk....if only! He made sure to point out (in all Spanish) that we were not locals. (Si senor). That he knew because I was blonde. (Si senor). That he also knew because I had white skin. (Si senor). Very white skin. (well duh, captain obvious). And a very, very red face. We chatted it up and learned about 'trampas' (or tricks) to take to avoid rush hour traffic. I learned a lot from this- mostly not to look forward to any packages while I'm here ;)
Friday night we celebrated a fellow Richmond-ers birthday at Juana M.- a parilla in Retiro (a few neighborhoods over). The food was good, but the atmosphere was better (picture SoHo in New York city). Check out my 'Guia de Restaurantes' tab for more info (nice plug, right?!?) Forget New York, Buenos Aires is definitely the city that never sleeps- point being we stayed at the restaurant until 1:45 before heading to an Irish Pub- because there is a huge Irish population here....naht.
Saturday we were able to visit La Boca via a new form of public transportation- el colectivo (the bus(!! La Boca is a small barrio situated on the water about 20 minutes from our apartment that is home to tango, the Boca Junior futbol team and their stadium La Bombonera (Maradona played for them), and El Caminito- a street full of street vendors and brightly colored houses. (Ready for another plug? Thought so.) Check out my Fotos tab to find a description of La Boca and see some pictures from the day. It was definitely a little chilly on the water, but way worth it.
So as I contemplate whether or not to do laundry in the ghetto washer machine, I wonder what tomorrow and Orientation at UCA will bring. Feel free to post any advice and remember a couple of things: 1- don't try sending packages abroad and 2- if you're pale and blonde you really are a foreigner everywhere :)
Abrazos y Besos,
xo
PER
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