Ant Attack

I've had this little stream of ants on my bathroom sink that I noticed, but didn't think it was a big deal. Today that little stream turned into the Amazon river. They seemed to be coming down from behind the mirror, ran along the sink and then on the other side of the glass that separates the sink from the shower. They went all the way down the shower wall, around the base of the shower and along the floor of the bathroom. This was a full-scale invasion.

I don't like to kill ants, and put some black pepper down as a deterrent. I found on the internet when I had an ant invasion in San Francisco that cinnamon or cayenne pepper work well to keep them out - they will not cross over it, so I thought black pepper would work too. It did, except that these ants were really determined, and found a way around the pepper, and there was no way I could put enough down to completely block their path. So, I washed them all away.

I was wondering what it was like from their point of view, if they had a point of view. It would be like a flood washing everyone away, or some mysterious force just coming down and knocking everyone off. I don't know if the problem has been solved, but I feel like they are crawling all over me now.

Last night I went to the supermarket and got some food for the apartment, but when I was out, I decided I wanted to go and have some food in a restaurant for dinner. It wasn't that cold and it was nice to be out after spending the whole day inside.

So I came up and put my groceries away and went to a little parilla I had seen that is a few blocks from here. I noticed they had provoleta on the grill once when I passed, so I thought I'd get a provoleta and a salad.

Provoleta is really yummy. They take a thick round slice of provolone cheese and throw it on the grill, flip it over and grill both sides and then put olive oil, oregano or maybe sundried tomatoes on it. It's like a pizza without the crust - very South Beach Diet.

That is what I ordered. The provoleta was thin and a little cold when I got it, but the salad was good. As I sat in this restaurant which was across the street from a hotel, more and more people came in. I assumed most of them were tourists and this restaurant was geared towards tourists, since it is right in the middle of an area with lots of hotels. It was a very different experience. Instead of being able to watch people engaged in intense conversations with lots of hand movements, I watched two couples, a gay couple, and a man and a woman, both of them sat across from each other, cutting their steaks and chewing and not saying a word to each other. It was quite an odd difference from what I usually see here.

By the time I got my check, the restaurant was full and I was really glad to get out of there. It seemed to have filled up with Brazilians and there was a lot more chatter than when I first arrived and the two couples who were chewing and not talking were the only other people I could see.

I realized that I've been very lucky to have people take me to places to eat that are off of the beaten path, and also because I'm going to school away from the tourist track, I have been finding lots of restaurants that only locals would go to. My little snack last night cost me more than a steak and a salad would have at El Sanjuanino, and I was disappointed by the provoleta.

Well, I guess I am going to check on the ant infestation and take a shower and do my homework for today's class. They really do give us a lot of homework and the only reason I'm doing it is because of peer pressure -I don't think it's helping me a whole lot and would prefer more practice time in class.

Well, after 6 weeks of complaining about my classes, I don't think they are going to change, so it's easier to just go with the flow for the next two weeks.

I can't believe this time here is almost over, and I've been here for 6 weeks. Thumb infection, ant invasion, cold/flu, vacation romance, and lots of adventure have all made this a very memorable vacation. Time to get rid of this cold and really enjoy these last two weeks.