Que Quilomba!!

A mess of fun things and horrible things have happened since I wrote last!

The fun:
Lots of what i call: asado Sundays (i hear of one every Sunday! best thing ever!), including one at a huge mansion that used to be the Russian embassy, and is the very first house of Vincente Lopez (towards the outskirts of BA). It’s now owned by the owner of San Juan Winery (in WA). They do lots of asados, opening up their home to strangers (all expats really) during the summer at this shwanky, huge place. Also got a tango lesson from my good-for-nothing-now-ex-landlord. Actually, she’s really, a nice woman. Being a landlord is just not her calling, by any means! Anways, it’s way more fun dancing the tango than watching it! It becomes quite fast (it looks like a slower dance to me) and is more sexy dancing it than watching it too! The instructors thought I was great (yay! inlcuding an old man who looks like a professional). But then they chose me to get passed around to dance with one guy from the next (which they totally could have got the other girls doin it too). Oh! And they spoke English for me so I could understand! Haha! They kept translating for me, so that was super nice of them! Hopefully I’ll go again at this Pena (a bar where they play live folk music and offer cheap lessons on Wednesdays! -Jeff, Mike, this is my Munzar substitute place! 

Also got to go to the Creative Advertising Awards, which as an Advertising major is like a kid in a candy store! Tiffany’s student gave her 4 tickets and she invited us (not just anybody can go)! It was held at a huge club and it really seemed like it was just that, a night out at a club. We missed the awards -finally something Argentina was right on time for and we were late! Weird! All drinks were free the entire night and they had hors d’oevres. It was like a giant company party, only for all companies. Advertisers sure know how to have fun! Upstairs they had all these print advertisements posted for all to see. 

We also enjoyed a gigantic Thanksgiving dinner at that huge mansion I mentioned earlier. I also invited Joaquin, Laura, and Linda (a new friend from Germany!) for their first Thanksgiving dinner.! Joaquin actually liked it, which says a lot considering they know how to do meat here and turkey doesn’t make the cut. 

Also started taking Spanish courses!!! Sooo exciting!! I absolutely love it (but then again, i’m in love with languages!)! Though it’s kinda funny cuz I keep wanting to speak French to her, since it’s soo similar! I won’t remember a word in Spanish and want to say the French word, but realize it’s French so I ask her how to say it. It usually turns out to be pretty much the same word! I take one-on-one course so the time can change according to my schedule! This means I finally got a few classes from 2 of the many schools i’m employed at! Only I’ve just been told that classes end Dec.11th and resume in March....?!?!?!?! Unless, of course, students have taken a tests that allows them to continue during this break. Would have been nice to know about this way before Dec.10th (when I got this friendly reminder email! wtf!) But! a day after that, one of the schools informs me that my students will carry on during the break -though I’m a bit skeptical since they’ve never took the test...we’ll see what happens....Oh, they have a break until March, not just for Christmas, but it’s summer here meaning it’s summer vacation. And everyone, E-V-E-R-Y-ONE gets the heazy up outta the city come January. Apparently it’s too hot to stay here so everyone runs for a beach town....I’m scared for the weather to come! I was talking to Joaquin the other day, and he was telling me it gets to 40C here in January -including the crazy humidity!!! I was like “uh..how often?!” And he replied with: “when it’s not raining.” So I said “how often does it rain here in Jan?!” hoping to god it rains a ton, but then he replied with “maybe twice a month”....shit. haha! Think I need to go live at a beach town myself this Jan...perhaps slather suntan lotion on people’s backs for money!....Or maybe just do some traveling! haha!

Also got to go on a late night radio show -though only said a sentence or 2! haha! (Lack of Spanish). Fernando and his friends do a show Friday nights and invited me to come. After we went out and got in to champu/shampoo (sp?) for free! Apparently it’s a very popular and fancy-shmancy club that you gotta know someone high up to get in. Fernando cooked up an asado for his friend’s company party earlier that evening, and they went to that club that night as well -letting Fernando in and bringing friends!

Tiffany (among with many others -whether it be for good or for a month’s vacation) is leaving this Friday for good -SD is geting her back :0( So we celebrated this past Saturday night. Gonna miss my dancing partner!

The gypsy reaches a whole new level:

Well everything always happens at once and omg did it happen!!! We were supposed to move into this rad, RAD apt Dec.1. We even put a holding deposit on it and such. Well ONE week before move-in date comes along and all of the sudden we’re told by our new landlord that we can no longer move in. He gave us bullshit story after bullshit story. Plus it was too late for us to ask to stay longer at the national park (aka my old place. ya know, the one that often show-cased Iguazu Falls in my living room when it rained) cuz that landlord already found people to take over in Dec. With finding a 3 bedroom at an affordable price like finding a needle in a haystack here, I told Cassie and Brian we’ll keep searching for a 3 bedroom, but I’m also going to look on my own. And that they should find a 2 bedroom together. I figured this way would make things easier -esp considering we had only a week to find a home! ooooff! But i guess they also decided not to search together as well, and we all ended up a part. So that week I was literally running around from apt to apt to apt, and having no luck. Not to mention how we didn’t have internet for almost a full 2 days! One of those days also included no electricity, since it went out on my entire block for a very good portion of the day! urgh! Not only that but that very week, 2 of the many schools I’m employed at, gave me classes! Then I also have my Spanish classes -which I had also just started a few days prior to the shit hitting the fan. And I had some job interviews! And I’ve been having this really bad pain in my hip from outta no where! So much so that it hurts to walk on the leg! One time i pretty much hopped home! And i have a really high pain tolerance (exibit a: staple sticking clear through my toe and i went to sleep with it in cuz i didn’t know it was there). But of course, after all of that, had no luck with finding a place! I didn’t want to just chose anything and have to move again in another month. Luckily, I have really amazing friends here and everyone offered up a place for me to sleep until I find something. Even the Joes, offered up their “nice” hardwood floor! haha! And one of my private students, whom I absolutely love, wanted to have me stay at her office (which is really a one bedroom apt). Man she was sooo in to it, so cute! She tried to convince me how she would just bring in a mattress, told me she was there only 3 days a week for a few hours (she has another office, she’s a child psychiatrist), and I wouldn’t even know she was there when she came! How she wouldn’t charge me anything cuz i’m “like her daughter” and i could stay as long as i needed! But Cassie was the lucky winner and I moved into her place -and man what a great choice! woman greeted me with fresh baked cookies! yaa!! (Cassie’s mom’s friend lives here and happens to own a studio and a one bedroom. So she’s charging Cassie peanuts to let her stay at this awesome place.) I was only to be there for what was to be a few days. I say this cuz i found this sweet apt the day before move out of national park date! Only the girl that was planning on moving out, had no where to move to. On top of that, her bro was comin to visit that very week! Well, she was going to stay the first few days of Dec. and then move out. The apt is a good size, but for 4 people (I would be living with one other girl), way too crowded and just wouldn’t work! So i decided to stay at Cassie’s until she moved out. 

All though this place was awesome, it’s a bit more than I wanted to spend. With not having many classes and worried I won’t get more for a long while, I really didn’t want to have to pay so much. So i decided to keep searching that week. Running around all over again, including seeing a really, really cheap apt with a pool. I thought no way could this be right! what the heck’s wrong with it?! So I go see it, and the guy shows me the place (now at this point, I’m thinking the usual i get my own room and he has his own room, ya know -the usual!). He shows me the kitchen and living room while telling me he’s gay and another gay couple have the other bedroom. Then we get to the tiny bedroom with ONE DOUBLE bed in it and he casually says: “this will be OUR room.” Considering he’s Argentinian, I just figured he mixed up his possessive adjectives (which being an English teacher, i know is a very common thing students do). So to clarify, I say back  “so this would be MMMY room, right?” and he goes “ya, we would sleep here.” i’m looking at the ONE bed and am really stunned that this guy would think he can just find a stranger off the street who wants to sleep with him in a double bed!! So I think no way is that right! I try to clarify again: “you mean, i get this room to myself, and you sleep in the other room, right?????” and he goes “no, we sleep here” ?!?!?!?!?!?! i go “we (hand gestures) sleep in that bed...together....??” and he goes “i suppose that could be a little uncomfortable for you. I could see if i can get two single beds, but I think it’ll be ok with just this bed.” I go “no I don’t think this is going to work, don’t worry about it.” Then he’s like “well you think about it and let me know”. And i’m like “no, no. i’m not going to take it, but thanks!” We walk back to the living room and he continues to try to sell me on moving in. He shows me the view of the gigantic pool off the balcony, while continuing to tell me to just let him know what i decide. i again, tell him it’s a no and then go to leave. on my way out, he AGAIN says “k you just think about it, and tell me what you decide.” I say “i’m telling you right now: i’m not going to move in, but good luck! hope you find somebody! bye!” he says back, “ok call me and let me know!” haha! oy vay! dude’s thicker than brick wall! haha!

a few days turned into a week, and a day before move-in date (with the sane girl, separate beds, even separate bedrooms -phew!) i find an awesome place!!! it’s a house with random people from all over the world and the owner, who’s british lives there!! Super great location (yes kidman, you called it! palermo it is!), a rooftop terrace, AND a foosball table!!!! oh! AANNNNNDD my very OWN bed! haha! 

so why am i not in it right now you ask?

it’s not avail until the 20th! crap! so i talked to cassie and she’s movin from the one bedroom to the studio with no couch on the 9th. having many offers of places to stay, i planned it out to stay at cassie’s for another few days and then to joaquin’s -which means my own room! only he’s going to visit his sister in WA on the 18th, so gotta be out by then. crap. But! i have to make a border run (visa expires) on the 17 (remember: it all happens at once)! i have a friend living in santiago right now, so i figure i would use this opportunity to make it out to chile! so i though perfect, i’ll leave the 15-16th and come back the 20/21st. So i make it out of pipa’s a few days earlier and i get back and have my very own room awaiting for me! que bueno! oh cassie is generously letting me keep my bags at her place while i make my border run! perfecto!

wait,!my life is still a quilomba! ha!

i realized yesterday that i no longer have my debit card....i have a feeling it’s here at pipa’s somewhere. I tore a part every inch of my suitcase and backpack looking for it with no luck. called the bank, they won’t send it over seas. so in 10 days, my parents get it. Then it’ll prolly be another 10 until i get it from them. sooo now, i had to figure somethin out, and quick (bus to Chile is 24hrs)! Either make a day trip to Urguay or still go to Chile. The bus tix aren’t that expensive (to Chile), considering i have a place to stay there, must be out by the 18th here, and if i go i’ll come back in perfect timing to move into my pad: i’ve decided to go anyways! joey is generously letting me borrow money until my card comes! So that’s a huge relief!! phew!!! again, i have ah-mazing friends here!


meanwhile, i'm getting eaten alive here at pipa's pad. hope none of these 'squitors have dengue, cuz that would just be my luck!!

but hey, “life is learning to dance in the rain”, and i think i’m mastering a storm! i’m pretty lucky that these classes are magically going to continue. and actually, the second school mixed up on the dates as well! I found out today that my student really wants to continue! so i think they’re going to make it happen! i also just got a new private student who wants to meet daily and begged me to hurry back from Chile today! haha! I’m even more lucky to be blessed with such great friends! And more importantly, i’m still enjoying living here immensely!! i’m also really lucky that i just lost my card and it wasn’t stolen along with my backpack containing my passport and green card (ahem, Barcelona)! So at least I can still leave the country, and even get back in to the USA or Canada if I wanted! haha! schwing! 

Now I just need the trip to Chile to be safe and a blast! I think i deserve it at this point!....to be continued....duhn duhn duhn!!!