Ah Mira Vos!

Yesterday I went to Club Creativo to get my hair cut. Club Creativo is the salon that Ralf and Tomas recommend on the BA4U Apartments website. I went there last year and got a good haircut for very little money (I thought it was something like 33 pesos).

I walked down and just went in and told them I didn't have an appointment. They were not busy, so the woman wrote my name on a ticket and had me sit down. No sooner did I sit down when someone came, got the ticket and came up and introduced himself. His name was Gustavo. He took me in the back to shampoo my hair.

Gustavo was really nice. He asked me right off the bat if I was from here - I think he said something like, 'you're not from here are you?' He then asked what I was doing here, and each time I told him something he'd say, "ah, mira vos" (oh, look at you!)

I love that expression. My teacher Claudia used to say it last year. Every time someone asked a question, she would say, "ah, mira vos que interesante esta pregunta" (oh, look at you and this interesting question) - I thought it was so cute, but didn't realize it was an expression that other people use, because I've only heard Claudia use it.

Anyway, I enjoyed speaking to Gustavo and felt really comfortable using Spanish with him. Lesson? If people are open to talking, then I feel comfortable doing it. I wish Gustavo was the one who cut my hair.

He took me out and sat me down in a chair next to a guy who was busy making sure his shirt was tucked into his pants just right in the front, but hanging out on the sides and in the back. His name was Uriel. But I didn't know that because he didn't introduce himself. When his shirt was arranged properly, he asked me what we were going to do.

I don't have much hair in general, and my hair was short, but it was starting to get bushy. I just wanted it shaped up, but didn't know how to say that, so I told him I wanted it short, but still a little long on top. I know that Argentine guys don't wear their hair as short as mine was (or is) and I like the fact that guys have hair here, but I also have to face the reality that I don't have that much hair and I don't want to go through the awkward stages of growing what I have out.

Uriel told me he would cut the sides and back and leave some on the top so that I could wear it kind of messy (I'm not sure if that is the word he used, but I got that I would be able to make the top kind of spiky like I wanted).

He gave me a good haircut. Using mostly scissors, he cut my hair very short. There were little hairs all over the place. It's amazing how much he cut. A barber would have done the same thing with shears, and maybe gotten the same result, but this guy was really paying attention to every single hair. The only problem was he seemed kind of grumpy. He didn't like to talk, so a good hour where I could have had some conversation practice was wasted. Oh well.

My haircut cost me 65 pesos, a little over 20 dollars. I think I was charged for the shampoo and maybe also for the coffee. Not a bad deal since a similar haircut in a salon in SF would run me 65 dollars.

After I left the salon I walked over to Santa Fe to look at a black scarf I saw in the window of a shop. I decided I wanted it, but when I went back to find it I couldn't find the shop. Yesterday I decided to try again.

I found the shop and went in. The clerk had been outside sweeping the sidewalk and he came in and asked if he could help me. I told him I was looking for a scarf and pointed to the scarf I was wearing, but told him I wasn't sure the word they used here, because I learned "bufanda". He said they call it a "chaline", but said bufanda or pashmina are also the same thing (I don't think pashmina is the same).

He showed me the scarf I was interested in, but then next to it was a black scarf with white and red stripes. It was really nice. After thinking about them a bit, I bought the striped one. It was a little expensive considering it is from India and probably only cost a few cents there.

The clerk also asked me where I was from and what I was doing in Buenos Aires. When I told him he said, "ah, mira vos". I was beginning to get the impression that this expression was more common than I thought.

In the afternoon I had my lesson with Juliana. She is terrific. I sent her the m1cest video I found on You Tube on Chetos, Floggers and Glams and she prepared some vocabulary and questions that she e-mailed to me. I was unable to print it out though. We chatted a bit and then she gave me some articles on related topics for next week. It was a good class. We talked about discrimination and other related topics and I learned a little about how blacks were eliminated from Argentina in order to make the country "white". One of the articles she gave me addresses that topic and she also recommended a book for me to read.

After my lesson I decided to see if I could find Jumbo, and I did. I was able to see the big mosque in daylight and took a picture (above). Jumbo was not as crowded as I thought and even though it was rush hour it wasn't that difficult to return home by taxi.

I made a green curry with a package of mixed seafood I got at Disco, but the seafood was really fishy. There was something in the mix that was way too fishy and I didn't enjoy it at all. Now I have to try to find the other seafood mix that I used when I cooked dinner for Hernan.

All in all, it was a good day. I had some good interactions with people and I am beginning to find my internal talk now is in Spanish. When I am walking I practice conversations in my head in Spanish and when I feel comfortable I am finding it easier to communicate.

Today I have a tango lesson with Marcelo. I'm going to the gym in the morning and this evening I am not sure what I will do, but I might try going to the movies. I have to get up early tomorrow for Arabic class.