Hola, Hola
So without a doubt my blogging has been less than stellar lately…what can I say except that I guess I got busy…(o boy how I will look back next semester and laugh at me thinking this is ‘busy’…)
Since I’ve last chronicled my adventures there have been some amazing moments and if you’re willing to bear with me I would love to share all the dirty details with you…just kidding because per usual there was nothing scandalous…promise.
I was so lucky to have a visit from MOM from November 4th-9th and for 6 days and 5 nights we wined, dined, laughed and enjoyed comfy beds, always hot showers and A.C. (ok maybe I was the only one for whom that was a highlight :) Erica being such a wicked smarty pants booked a hotel in Puerto Madero just a couple blocks from UCA allowing me to get to know another part of the city…way to go ‘Ric! We did a bike tour (and I got a lovely view of everyone from behind as I chose to bring up the rear fearing that my rusty bike schools may resemble my coordination skills- shotty), toured Tigre by boat (and witnessed effects of polluted water on the fish population first hand…ew), did some museum duty, had a wine tasting (where we both managed to offend probably 3/5 of the crowd…count on us Americans to step on some toes after a few glasses…), and of course had some lomo. Count on Mom to always have some great idea up her sleeve, going with the flow every second, bearing with me as I try to hold my own on the city’s many modes of transporation (yep, I took her on a bus all by myself- so what if it was only about 6 blocks of a ride), knowing just what I need, always having a great gossip story from the 02043 and of course obliging to my weird requests- margaritas and onion rings at TGI Friday’s and the two twin beds pushed together…she’s the best. Although her leaving was a bittersweet moment it marked the final push of my abroad destination and left me a few weeks to take on finals and plan one more trip.
Classes at UCA ended as quickly as they seemed to have begun. Sure, I reached a new high in terms of procrastination but come on people, the weather got sunnier every day, the thermometer rose and I needed to give this albino body some outdoor time in the sun before it goes back and blends in with the snow at home. All joking aside, yes I did finish and turn in every final assignment…on time- booyeah.
Being the wild and spontaneous fool that I am I managed to shanghai Jen into heading to Vina del Mar, Chile with me for some final R&R beach and poolside before we returned home to host Thanksgiving (that’s another story) and pack. Don’t know what I’ve ever done for her that would motivate her to take a 20 (that turned into 24) hour bus ride from Buenos Aires to Vina del Mar but we did it! For 3 days we were able to experience some of the most beautiful I have seen- beaches, jetties, winding roads, apartments built into the hills…it was breathtaking and made the inevitable ‘you haven’t seen sun in 5 months’ sunburn totally worth it. Thanks for putting up with my shenanigans and sharing some laughs with me Jenny :)
Thank goodness we made it back nice and early Wednesday morning before Thanksgiving because we had some prepping and preparing to do for our big Thanksgiving…haha. We were fortunate to be able to host ourselves (minus Helen who was munching steak with her parents at one of the best restaurants in town…can’t say I blame her…), the three other Richmond students and one German who had never been to a Thanksgiving before. Despite being in a cranberry-less, Turkey-less country I’d say we did pretty well. Not sure Food Network would invite us for a special anytime soon but our college flair (evident in the paper and plastic plates, napkins and silverware) certainly added a unique aspect to our roasted chicken take on Turkey Day. Keeping the Malbec flowing maybe heightened the ‘deliciousness factor’ but hey, whatever it takes. It was a nice day although the 90 degree weather, lack of football and lumpy potatoes couldn’t help but make me think about home. I guess it’s true what they say- you don’t really know what you have until it’s gone. I would definitely say that I never realized how truly important and necessary an painstakingly early Turkey Trot is (so you can attempt to justify all the food you consume throughout the day) or the pretending to care what you wear only to revert to jeans and later sweatpants or the reintroduction of room temperature leftovers late at night while tuned in to It’s a Wonderful Life on TV…but hey I guess missing it this year will make next year’s even better…although maybe I could introduce some Argentine flair in the form of a meat parrilla…eh maybe not.
So Thanksgiving ended and so began the packing up for some of us. Helen left us to venture to Chile with some other Richmond kids and Kate and Steph were the first to go home, but not before the four of us enjoyed a spontaneous evening in San Telmo at Bar Seddon and the least Argentine thing we could have done- hookah. O well, whatever it takes to get a few last good laughs and pictures all together.
So, I’m going to be perfectly honest the last few days of my time here in Buenos Aires I didn’t run around like a madwoman to buy everything I hadn’t, tour every street corner I had yet to look at or eat every last cow in the country. But, I did see the parts of Buenos Aires I had come to know and love each day over the past 5 months. I was able to run through the side streets, sit on benches in the green parks I had come to love, gain a few last whistles while walking home with the groceries and cook in our kitchen a last few times. But, you know what I think all of this is pretty significant. For a place I thought was so foreign, freaky and downright panic-inducing five months ago, Buenos Aires has become my home away from home. Weird to even say that, to even refer to it as my ‘home’. Sure I have missed my gummy bears, comfy bed and Bravo Network but Buenos Aires has definitely offered me a place to learn, grow as a person, have some up and downs, contemplate life in general (so profound, I know), experiment and laugh…and hey, isn’t that everything a home does. It gives you struggles and triumphs, moments of rejoice and feelings of sadness at times. But, in the end (I know Mom and Dad you both said I would say this at some point) it was all worth it. That’s right, 5 months away from everything familiar and comforting to this hermit yours truly has been a once-in-a-lifetime, irreplaceable experience. Here’s a few things I have learned about myself…
- I can go on a Subway and not totally screw it up
- Surviving without texting and BBMing is possible (just increase your doses of Facebook and Skype chat and you’ll be fine)
- Yeah I missed my family, but they really didn’t throw a party every single night like I feared and I think they may be willing to re-do some things I missed doing with them
- According to my roommates, I eat more corn, peppers and onions than anyone…just more proof that I’m probably Mexican somewhere deep down inside
- I do not and never will ‘fit in’ in a physical sense to anywhere south of the border…but that’s ok I don’t mind being a snow bunny I guess
- I am addicted to Law and Order- Yes, I managed to figure out when and on what channels it played during the work so I could get my fix
I know these are all pretty trivial, but I’m not about to sit here and make some sappy list of everything I have accomplished...I’ll spare you all. It’s weird to be sitting here at my gate wasting the time before I board my flight home…am I really going home? Home to the 02043 not to Palermo Soho? Is this really over? Has 5 months really passed? Yep, guess all of this is true. The 5 months and change that seemed like an eternity back in July has really gone by and I’m no worse for the wear. Kinda scary if you think about it- how fast life moves…couldn’t be happier I got a chance to pretty much sit back and ‘smell the roses’ here in B.A….guess I should probably learn to do this at home a little more. Bizarre to think that the smelly running sneakers in my carry-on beside me that I refused to throw out have run in three different countries, gotten wet from waterfalls, walked on beach sand, touched snow in the Andes mountains and stepped in dog poop in Palermo. Ok TMI, sorry. As I prepare to end this experience and this blog I realize that this whole thing has been SO WORTH IT. I feel so blessed to have found such a strong support system in my family and friends who cheered me on every step of the way (even if Nana did ask why I couldn’t just fly home every time she talked to me :)…you guys really did pick me up when I was down, listened to my insignificant problems (after all what problems/complaints are truly valid when you’ve been given the opportunity to explore in another country for 5 months…), answered all of my novel-length emails, commented on the plethora of mindless photos I posted on shutterfly, and patiently listened to every detail of every single thing I told you. You guys are the best and you have made me realize how much I care for and value every single one of you. This has been a wild ride; I’ve learned more about me and who I am as a person…something everyone has to do at some point, but I’m feeling pretty lucky that I have started to analyze all this already because boy do I have some things to work on (hahaha). So I could go on and on, tell you about every single person I am people-watching in the terminal while writing this but if you’re still hanging in there and reading this then you deserve a break right about now. So I’ll leave you all (12 followers….wow exponential numbers) with this last thought- if you’re a homebody, hermit, creature of habit, nervous/anxious/indecisive person like me or even if you’re not take the time to stop and enjoy life and learn about yourself. Whether it’s pondering life over a cup of Starbucks, taking a bubble bath every once in a while, or traveling the world…DO IT. Now as Evita once said, don’t cry for me Argentina because to be perfectly honest I am a little bit right now.
VIVIR MORIBUNDO
Per
