No More Classes!

Today I had my last Arabic class. I brought a ricotta rice pie since my classmate Claudia has been reading my blog and found out I brought one to my Italian class. Plus, I like making it. Next I am going to try making the ricotta pie with pineapple. I have a can of pineapple here waiting for me to open it. Yum! I love pineapple and cheese.

There were not many students in class today. It seems that most of them have given up. Romina and I were the first ones there, and after Ybti arrived, Fernando came. Claudia arrived a little later (and as always brightened things up) and Cynthia came after the break. That was it. We went from 12 students on the first day down to five survivors. I am so relieved that I don't have to take the final exam. I would be panicking since I am not at all prepared for what we're supposed to do on the exam.

I was making good progress, but it seems like lately (maybe since I decided to not take the exam), I am moving in reverse. I can read some phrases if I know the context and already know the phrases (which is how literacy works, right?), but new words that I have never heard before, are nearly impossible for me to figure out. Somewhere there is a lesson in this for teachers of Arabic, but since I am not an Arabic teacher, I'm going to just hope this lesson will become clear to me when I am in my classroom and I have students who are unable to read English words. Right now I am too tired to think about it.

So, I basically sat in class today and faked my way through it, trying my best not to nod off because I was really tired. I'd call out a word when I knew one, so that Ybti thought I was paying attention and following along, but mostly I was lost as she had us read dialogues and wrote tons of stuff on the board. I dutifully copied what was on the board, but had no idea what I was writing. I copied it because I knew she was going to come around and check with we wrote.

I'd like to continue with Arabic and at least get a basic understanding of it. I have a little bit of a foundation now and if I take another Arabic class I should be a little more confident.

After class I met Carlos, my conversation partner, but I was really tired and it was hot, so I didn't enjoy our exchange much. I'm feeling really exhausted by the 4 months I've spent here now made more difficult by this oppressive heat. It will be nice to have a little vacation, and when I return, maybe I'll be glad to be back in my familiar surroundings again (like when I got back from Uruguay) and then on the 21st of December, my friend Diane comes to visit and will help distract me from the heat until I finally leave on December 30.

I am looking forward to coming back next year in cooler weather, and I think that 3 months will be better for me than 5. We'll see.

For now it is nap time and then I need to start packing and getting ready for my ungodly early trip to the airport.

Suffocatingly HoT

It rained all night and was really pouring this morning. I thought it would cool things off, instead it just made things feel hotter as it is now steaming.

I was up late last night because Tess and Lorena came by for dinner. No turkey. It didn't feel like Thanksgiving here as there were no signs of Pilgrims or cranberries or Christmas sales. I did find out today that there are places where I can get turkey, but I can do without it. Somehow, turkey doesn't seem like the thing to eat when it is in the upper 80's with 110% humidity.

I woke up early this morning even though I had gone to bed late, but I was tired and kind of cranky. I read some e-mails and got even crankier. I really just wanted to go back to bed, but I had an appointment with Ralf to look at an apartment in Palermo, near Scalabrini-Oritiz.

I went to the BA4U office and met Ralf. First he showed me an apartment in the same building as their office. It was a studio on the top floor of the building with a really nice view of the city below. It was very nicely decorated, and would be perfct for someone staying for a short time, but for me, to stay there close to three months, I'd go bonkers. It was too small and it was right on Santa Fe, meaning, I'd be walking out onto a busy street every day.

The apartment we went to see was on a small street a few blocks from Scalabrini-Ortiz, and two blocks in from Santa Fe. It was a nice apartment that is owned by a British guy who was there when we went to see it. The apartment is not a typical BA4U apartment with modern furniture and trendy art. It was a little on the funky side with a big yellow couch, wooden table and nightstands and a sort of funny smell. But, it had a nice kitchen and a terrace, both which I think made up for the lack of style otherwise. I'm opting for comfort and utility over style for next time. It will also be nice to try out a different neighborhood, and there is a fish store a few blocks from the apartment that has a great selection of seafood.

After returning home, I ate lunch and watchted some TV before taking a nap (actually I fell asleep watching Dr. Phil). Then I spent most of the rest of the afternoon doing a skype work call.

We were supposed to have our tickets to Brazil by now and I still don't understand why they were not ready when promised, but, it seems that things in Argentina do take longer than they should.

I was supposed to go to the travel agent yesterday and pick up our vouchers, but they were not ready. This morning Hernan called and told me something about the vouchers, but I was not really awake yet. After I finished skyping at 6, I sent him a text to find out what was going on. He told me I had to go to the office and they were sending the tickets over by motorcycle. I then asked him why they couldn't just send the motorcycle here, which would have made it a lot easier. He just said it wasn't possible.

So I went to ATI Viajes on Callao near Santa Fe and the two agents were busy with three more people waiting. I thought it was ridiculous that I had to stand there and wait just to pick up some vouchers, when these other people were there to ask questions and book things, but I saw no alternative.

It seems to me that Argentines ask a lot of questions. The people in the travel agency were asking a lot of questions, but I've also noticed this in restaurants. It seems that people don't just order, they interview the waiter about the food. I was getting irritated because it was hot and these people were asking a lot of questions. When they finished, the others who were waiting before me took their turn at the desks of the two agents so that they could ask questions. I sent Hernan a text saying, "there are many people". He was going to meet me at Volta, but fortunately, he came to the travel agent.

He looked at me waiting and asked, "que pasa?" I pointed to the people asking questions and said, "it's busy". He went up to one of the agents and told him we were just here to pick up vouchers. The agent told him we had to wait.

And so we did.

The agent was a little cranky himself and when he finally helped us was upset that I didn't bring my document with me. I had a copy of my passport, my gym membership, my student ID and the credit card I used to book the reservations, but he wanted my original passport just to give us the vouchers. It seemed kind of dumb to me. Eventually he did give us the vouchers.

And so we are ready to head to the airport at 3:10 a.m. Sunday morning to catch a 6:10 flight. We'll arrive in Rio at 9:10 and be transferred to our hotel in Buzios. We should arrive there by 1 p.m., enough time to be able to swim a little.

I just checked the weather and it is 73 degrees and raining. It looks like it is going to rain all week. Hmm....

It will be nice to get away from the sizzling city and have a change of view. Plus, the food will be a nice change.

I'm not looking forward to December if this heat continues to increase. I'll be spending a lot of time in my nice, cool apartment.

Last Italian Class

It's really hot and humid today. I just got a text from Hernan asking how I was. I replied "tengo calor" - I am hot, but actually I am sitting inside with the air-conditioner on. He replied that he is on the bus on the way to his mother's and can't even describe the heat to me. Okay, I am not hot compared to him. I can not imagine being on an un-airconditioned bus in this heat.

Today was my last Italian class. I stayed up late last night watching some silly movie with Jennifer Garner where she is a 13 year old girl who suddenly becomes a 30 year old woman. Kind of like BIG with a woman. I had figured out how it was going to end about halfway through, but stayed up anyway to see the ending.

As a result, I woke up this morning feeling tired. I didn't have time to eat much breakfast or relax over several rounds of mate. Instead, I drank some warmed up leftover coffee, ate some quick fruit salad and hopped in a cab to get to school a few minutes late.

Today Blas invited his Italian friend to come to class. He was going to play an accordian and we were going to sing. His friend came accordianless. He's going to come next week with the accordian.

Instead, he did a little activity with us where he wrote Italian idiomatic expressions on one piece of paper and their meaning on another. He told us we had to find the meaning of each expression. I thought we would get up and walk around and find the person who had the piece of paper that went with what we had, but we didn't do that. Instead, one person read what was on their paper and then the person who thought they had a match read what they had. One example was something like "be up to your neck in water" and the match was "have little time". It was interesting but not terribly useful. Not that anything we are doing is useful since I don't know when I will ever speak Italian.

I have decided I am not going to take the Italian final. It's a big relief. I really don't like language tests. I feel the best test is if the language results in being used. Since I am not planning on going to level 2 in Italian next year and am not taking this class for any credit, there is no point in suffering through an exam. So, today was the last day I would see my Italian classmates.

They were nice but the atmosphere in the class was not as comfortable as in our Arabic class. I don't know why, because actually Blas did more group work with us. I brought my camera thinking I wanted to take a picture of the class, but decided I didn't want to make a big deal out of the fact that I was not taking the exam. After class was over, I just said good-bye to Natalia and slipped out into the heat.

JUGÁ LIMPIO

Last week when Tess, Lorena and I were having their first lunch in Buenos Aires, we sat outside at a cafe on Santa Fe and Coronel Diaz. There must have been a protest because traffic was insane. It was all backed up and people were getting really bent out of shape because the intersection kept getting blocked. But we noticed that a lot of taxis had bright green flags flying that said "JUGÁ LIMPIO ". Turns out this is a new campaign launched by the Macri government of Buenos Aires to encourage people to clean up. There is a commercial that goes along with it.

Mama Luchetti

I haven't been taking the subte very often, but usually when I do, I hear this song from this commercial. The commercials are very funny and the song is irritating but catchy. I guess Luchetti is a brand of noodles or something. I am not sure.

The first one is just the song. The second one is pretty obvious. In the third, the woman is saying "clean", "dirty" as she turns on and off the lights in her kitchen. Hilarious!

Help! I'm Melting....melting.....mellllltingggg....

It is ridiculously hot here. Sweltering. Boiling.

I went to see my cute chiropractor this morning and the day had already begun to heat up. It was still bearable. My neck and shoulders are feeling much more relaxed than when I first starting seeing Hugo (that is Mr. Babe's name). Today I still had a little stiff spot on the left side of my neck. Now it feels so much better.

Fortunately I wasn't sniffling too much this morning, but lying mouth down on the table I did start to get a little bit of a runny nose. Hugo noticed and asked me if I had a cold. Allergies, I said. He then said that with the air-conditioner I probably got sick.

He is not the first person who has claimed that the air-con made them sick. Now, here is my question - colds are caused by germs, right? How is it that an air-conditioner could make a person sick? Is there something to it? Is it because people believe it? Or is this one of those old-wives tales that is based on nothing but what someone's grandmother who grew up without air-conditioning told them?

I don't know, but with this heat, I'll take the sneezing over not having my air-con on.

I came home thinking I might go to the gym, but instead I played on the computer a bit, ate lunch and watched Ellen. Ellen is on a lot here. Her current show is on as well as re-runs of her sit-com twice a day. I love Ellen.

Finally, I decided to try going to the gym. It was really hot but walking in the shade, and even in the sun, was not that bad as I only had to walk about 6 or 7 blocks. I bought a bottle of water, as I usually do, at a kiosk near the gym, but it was warm.

The gym had the air-conditioning on and most of the fans were blowing, but the windows were all open. Considering the fact that itis like 95 degrees today with 100% humidity, unless you were directly in front of a fan, it was really too hot to work out. I stayed for about 35 minutes and did get a decent workout in, but finally it was enough. I have only a few more days before I'll be baring my skin on the beach, but there is no way any amount of pushing is going to make a major difference at this point. Fortunately, Hernan also has a little belly, so I won't feel to much like a rhino next to him. His tummy is cute, it kind of reminds me of Bart Simpson.

I walked home down Santa Fe which was nearly deserted compared to most other days. Especially on the sunny side of the street, there were very few people. I popped into Volta and had a small cone with lemon and raspberry sherbert, which was very nice, and then popped into Carrefour, a supermarket on Santa Fe that has a different selection from my Disco. I picked up some fruit to make a fruit salad and a bottle of Malbec Rose.

I might go out later to see if I can find a Portuguese phrase book, but I'm probably going to cook and just stay in and do some work on the computer and stay out of the heat.

I hope this is an anomoly and it's not going to be hot like this until the end of December! Next year I am definitely getting out before the boiler gets turned on!

Today I Was a Cebador

Today I had an ongoing allergy attack that left my nose raw from blowing it and me out of tissues. I had planned on going to the gym, but I was unfit to leave the house. I'm not sure why my allergies bother me so much in my apartment. I sleep with an air-conditioner on in the other room and not blowing directly on me. I wonder if it is pulling air in from the outside though. It's definitely too hot to sleep without, so I am hoping the pollen counts will drop in a week or two (like when I return from Brazil).

So I hung out here and played games on Facebook (my new favorite time wasting activity) responded to some e-mails and spoke to Pablo from ATI Viajes to finalize the preparations for our trip next week.

Hernan called to say he was going to stop by later, and after lunch, I was exhausted from doing nothing, so I took a nap.

My nap was broken by my phone ringing. It was Hernan to say he was on his way. Turned out to be a perfect nap, about 20 minutes, and not one of those too long naps that are really difficult to snap out of.

Because I was tired from sneezing and napping, I made a pot of coffee, which Hernan and I drank. After hanging out a bit, he said he wanted to make a snack for me to go with mate. He ran to the store to get flour and apples and came back and made these little balls of dough with apple in them that he fried. I was amazed at how quickly he did it and they were really yummy.

While he was doing that, I prepared the mate, putting the yerba in the mate, heating the water, etc.

The mate ritual is kind of like a tea ceremony in Japan. There are rules as to how you do it and I was really nervous about being the 'cebador' - the server. But, since I make mate for myself many mornings, I decided to give it a try.

After filling the mate and turning it over with my hand cupped over the top to catch some of the dust (because Raul says it can cause kidney stones), I poured the water in slowly where the straw (bombilla) stuck out. The cebador takes the first sip, which might seem kind of rude, but it is actually doing others a favor because there might me some polvo (dust) or the bombilla might be a bit hot.

Then after finishing the tea that is made from the water and yerba, the cebador re-fills the mate and passes it.

Several times Hernan drank the mate he said "mmmm.. rica", and one time even gave me a "ricisima" (very good)! This was a big deal for me as I was doing something that is classic Argentine and not really sure if I knew what I was doing. I was glad he thought I passed the test (he didn't know it was a test), and the combination of the little apple dough balls and the mate was really nice.

After he left, I went to the Disco to pick up some more tissues and some stuff to have around the house in case I get hungry later. After coffee, mate, and dough balls, I'm not feeling hungry at all. It looks like it might rain (I hope it does so some of the pollen in the air might get washed away).

San Telmo Fair

Today was another hot day, but the humidity was not that high, so in the shade, at least, there was some relief.

I met Tess and Lorena and we headed down to San Telmo to check out the Sunday Antiques Fair. I think this is about the 3rd or 4th time I've been there. Today I discovered something new. There are actually two fairs. There is the antique fair and there is a more populist sort of artesan fair. I actually prefer the artisan fair more.

When I went last year for the first time with Larry, we headed straight for the antique fair but made a short trip into the part where the more artsy, hippy crowd hangs out. It didn't seem to go very far. Now, it extends almost all the way to Plaza de Mayo. They sell all sorts of stuff - clothing, jewelry, books, music, chess games with Incas vs. Spaniards. There was a lot to look at and I even picked up a few things myself - some gifts for folks, some things for myself. I regret not getting a beautiful wooden bowl I saw, but am also glad I didn't have to carry it around all day.

After making it about most of the way through the artesan part of the fair, we hooked up briefly with Hernan and a friend of his. Hernan and I walked Tess and Lorena to the place where there was a tango class they wanted to take (hopefully we got them to the right place) and then I walked Hernan home.

From there, I headed towards the subte. I decided to take a detour and once again look at the amazing gothic building on Avenida Belgrano (pictured above). When I got to Avenida de Mayo, the sun was at an angle that was casting beautiful shadows on the wonderful buildings that line the avenue, and all of the trees were lush and green and casting beautiful shadows on everything. I decided to walk up Avenida de Mayo and take some photos of some of the buildings in the summer(ones I have from last year are in winter) and with this beautiful, warm, afternoon light.

I really love Avenida de Mayo. I think it should be up there among the world's most beautiful streets, but unfortunately, many of the buildings are in need of care and are covered with graffiti or simply in need of a good cleaning. To me it adds to the charm. It was nice walking down the avenue on a fairly quiet Sunday afternoon. I passed many sidewalk cafes with people enjoying an afternoon beer and finally got a hankering for one myself. I stopped at La Continental and got a few slices of pizza and a beer. It was hot, sitting in the setting sun, but it was fun watching the people who strolled by. People on Avenida de Mayo, and that part of town are very different from where I live.

Unfortunately, my relaxing snack was disturbed by a noisy American who came outside with his cell phone and had several loud conversations. I was not sure what the guy did, but he was talking about making movies and not liking New York in the winter, so he was going to continue to travel until it got warm. But the thing was, he was talking so loud and at one point, he was just plain obnoxious.

From there I walked a little more until I decided to take a taxi the rest of the way home. I was hot, sweaty and tired and couldn't wait to get home and jump in the shower.

All in all it was a very full day and I am exhausted. I have some pics of Avenida de Mayo that I will post on my photo blog, but not tonight, because I am too tired.

Recoleta Fair

I had my 2nd to last Arabic class today. We're winding down. There were only 6 students there. For me it is reassuring to see that classes get smaller towards the end of the semester in Argentina too! It's not just my class!!!

Well, actually, I don't know how reassuring it is, because I think part of the reason our class is getting smaller is because so many students are feeling lost. It's the reason I stopped going to the phonetics class on Friday. It was a waste of my time.

Today I was happy because Claudia was there. She laughs at my jokes. I'm always afraid Ybti is going to yell at us and tell us to stop fooling around. It is very easy to make Claudia laugh. She really brightens up the class when she is there.

But the other students who were there today are all very nice. Actually, my Arabic class is very nice in general. I like the class.

After Italian on Wednesday, and today after Arabic, I was feeling very fortunate to have had the opportunity to study something with Argentines. I know I complained a lot about the teaching and was frustrated sometimes, but it was a great way to meet other people. I feel like I was allowed to be a part of something that most visitors/tourists, don't get to experience. Others come here and go to milongas or get to go to a parilla at someone's house, but not many people get to study with Argentines. I really enjoyed it in the end.

After class we went to the bar. I thought we were meeting to study Arabic and had told Carlos, my conversation partner, that I wanted to stay and study. I was thinking I might try to take the make-up exam, which Ybti told me I could do on December 15. But after today's class, which was a review of what will be on the test, I decided not to take it. I was totally confused today and I realized that the exam is way beyond what we are being prepared to be able to do. As we were doing these review exercises, whether it was reading a dialogue or matching words on the board, Ybti allowed us very little time to figure things out on our own and often gave us the answers. She won't be there to do that during the test.

So we met in the cafeteria and just talked for an hour. It was very sweet! I of course missed half of the conversation either because I couldn't hear or I couldn't understand, but it was fun just hanging out and chatting. Again, it helped me to realize what a nice class it is that we have.

After class I came home and played some games on facebook which are quickly becoming my new addiction! I even have a virtual pet named "che". I played with him a little today and took him to the store to buy food. He likes it when I give him a bath.

After playing for a bit, I took a nice nap and was awakened by what sounded like it might have been my phone. I checked my message and it had was Lorena and Tess. We made plans to meet here and go to the Recoleta Fair.

Lorena likes to shop, so the Recoleta Fair must have been like paradise to her. I've been there with several people, but usually we kind of breeze through quickly. Not today. We stopped at every stall. It was great practice for me at being patient and being present. Once I got used to the rythym of stopping and often standing at one stall for 5-10 minutes, it became really quite enjoyable. It was a lovely day. We got there late, so it wasn't crowded, and there is a lot to look at even if you aren't shopping.

There is one grassy area that I jokingly called "Cirque de Soleil training ground" Some young guys strung up tightropes between trees and take turns walking on them. It looks like it is a terrific core strengthening exercise! It was fun to watch. Other people were climbing these ribbons that were hanging from trees, while others sat on the grass and watched, or drank mate and talked. It was a very "hippy" scene and I enjoyed having a reason to stop and just drink it all in.

In other places I stopped and waited while Lorena puzzled over which earrings to buy or which shirts she liked. Again, it made me slow down and see what was going on around me. I got to watch people walking by, or listen to the shop keepers speaking Spanish, or just enjoy standing in the sun (or shade).

I was glad that Lorena found some things that she liked. It's always enjoyable to see someone enjoy something that you are partially responsible for (like watching someone enjoy a meal you cooked). I did after all bring them there, so I am taking some credit!

I even bought two items! I got two pair of earrings for gifts (hmmm....who will get them???)

From there, we were right at the end of Posadas and in perfect striking distance to El Sanjuanino, one of my favorite restaurants. It was fun walking there because the last time I was there was with Popi back in August. It was still winter. Seeing what the street looked like in late spring was quite shocking. The trees are now full of leaves and it was almost like we were walking through a jungle. It was all very lush and we could hear the bird that sounds like an ice cream truck (but I have still yet to see it).

Dinner was good. Our waiter was very sweet. We had empanadas (which are now up to 5 pesos each!). I had a steak and fries, Lorena had a tamale, and Tess had chicken. We had a nice bottle of tempranillo and split a mixed salad. My steak was good, but a little fatty. The tamale was not so good (I thought) and I don't know how Tess' chicken was. But, I like El Sanjuanino. It has a very neighborhoody feel and the food is hearty.

After steak, of course I needed ice cream to get the taste of beef out of my mouth. We went to Volta on Callao and Pacheco de Melo, which is one of my favorite Volta's. It's a very nice space and it was nice to sit and eat ice cream on this warm spring night. It was hot, actually.

As we walked home, I was stopped and asked for directions twice. One woman, who was all dressed up and driving an SUV, asked me how to get to Plaza Recoleta. As I told her how I thought she might go, she said, "oh, you are a foreigner and I am asking you for directions". She was pretty funny. I told her it was good practice for me. I think probably she stopped the next person she found and got the REAL directions!

A few steps down the street and a delivery guy asked for directions. It's funny, I find Buenos Aires very easy to navigate, but people are always asking for directions. I think it must be like when I go to New York and have no idea where I am. Only a few times I have told people I didn't know, but most of the time I try to help people and I hope I am not sending them too far out of their way! It's one of the things I like the most about being here - that I don't stand out like a sore thumb and people think I am from here (until I open my mouth)!

So, it was a full day. It's fun having people here to show around (I think I might have already said that). I'm also being inspired by Lorena and Tess to get in a few more tango lessons before I go back to SF and maybe even go to a milonga (to see it). We'll see. I still can't imaging dancing close embrace in this heat unless the air-conditioner is on full force (which I doubt).

I Flipped Out on Two Brazilian Ladies

Today I was going to go to the gym, but it was raining. I will use any excuse not to go. But this was legitimate. I've been enjoying just going to the gym wearing my shorts and t-shirt and not going to the locker room and dealing with the guy who checks my bag and changing and unchanging and rechanging and all that. But since it was raining, I thought I'd have to carry an umbrella and I couldn't just go in and work out and leave, so I ended up not going. Instead I played this stupid word game on Facebook all morning. I like to think I am keeping my brain young.

Leo, my Spanish teacher came by at 1:30, and again we had another good Spanish lesson. When he greeted me downstairs, he said I always seemed so relaxed. This is the 2nd time someone made a comment regarding my low-key temperment (that would soon change...)

I really think I benefit from sitting and talking for two hours and would be perfectly happy if that was all we did. In fact, I'd be happiest if that was all we did.

The first time he came, he gave me a worksheet on the subjunctive. Spanish teachers love the subjunctive. I hate it. My brain freezes up at the first mention of it and my eyes glaze over. I put off doing this worksheet for 3 weeks until today I finally decided to make an attempt. When Leo checked it, of course I had done it wrong.

I did get something out of the exercise however. And I do have a better understanding of the four forms of the subjunctive he was trying to review and how they might be used. But I understood them better because I found myself in situations where I had to use them and that was when they finally made sense. I think my mind does not work with abstract situations, but when I need something, and it becomes concrete, it makes sense.

Leo pointed out that I didn't like this kind of exercise, but said it was important. I tend to disagree with him now that we've done it. I think it is more important for me to have the need to use something to communicate and then get help using it. It's a slight difference of opinion but for me it is major. I wish I could find a Spanish teacher who got that.

It was a good class and I am always amazed by Leo's ability to get me to talk. He'll raise a topic that really gets me going, and when I start to get quiet, he'll ask another question and I'll talk more. Too bad he doesn't have a degree in psychotherapy, I could get therapy and Spanish all in one.

After class I headed to Palermo to meet up with Tess and Lorena. We had planned to meet in Boutique del Libro, the place where I used to meet Juliana for Spanish lessons. As I walked there I recalled the last time I took that walk and started to have a vertigo attack one block before arriving. It was a weird deja vu kind of thing.

When I got to the bookstore/cafe, they had not arrived yet, so I went up to the bathroom. The cafe was empty and I was excited because the area where I had always wanted to sit was empty.

The cafe is in the back of the bookstore. There is a smoking section, where Juliana always sat, and I hated, because I hate second hand smoke, especially in enclosed spaces. It's so 1980's (2nd hand smoke, that is). Then there is an area with a bunch of wooden tables and wooden chairs.

And then, on this little stage, there is a sofa, coffee table and armchair that look out on the rest of the cafe and bookstore.

When I came down from the bathroom I was afraid someone had taken that spot, but it was still open, so I sat down on the sofa.

There were not many people in the bookstore and other than one guy taking pictures, there was no one in the cafe and there were a few people in the smoking section.

Then, all of a sudden, from the bookstore, came a woman who came up on the little stage where I was sitting and sat in the armchair next to the sofa I was seated on. To me it was like she had sat down at my table.

When I met Hernan in San Telmo a few months ago and we sat at an outdoor cafe, a German guy came up and asked if he could sit at our table. Hernan said it was weird, that Argentines would never do that.

I thought that this woman sitting at "my table" without even asking was weird.

But it got worse.

Her friend, who was browsing the bookstore came up and sat on the sofa next to me! And then the waitress brought one of them a cup of coffee.

I said, "excuse me, I am waiting for friends who are going to sit here", and the first woman to sit down showed me a book she had from the bookstore and said something that I didn't understand, but in essence, she was brushing me off. I pointed to the 5 or 6 empty tables in front of us and said, "there are many empty tables", but she ignored me (I was speaking Spanish).

From listening to them, I figured out that they were Brazilian. I sat there fuming and waiting for them to finish their coffee and get up and leave. They didn't. I decided I was not going to give up my seat, just because there were two of them and only one of me. Mentally, I had declared war.

When Lorena and Tess arrived, I said, "my friends are here, can you please move?", but they continued to ignore me. It wasn't as if they didn't understand and said, "we don't understand", they were pretending I didn't even exist, which just made me madder.

Lorena came up first, and I said, "our space has been invaded by these two bitches" - actually I don't know if I used the 'b' word, but I was so mad, I might have. Lorena, might have said, "oh, it's ok, we can sit somewhere else", but I was not going to give up my seat. I said, no, we're going to squeeze onto this couch until they leave. So I moved over and sat up against the other woman on the couch so Lorena and Tess would have room to sit down.

At that point, they acknowledged my presence and the woman on the couch said, "relax". I said, "no, I don't know about you, but in my culture, it is rude to sit down at another person's table, I was here first and you saw me", or something along those lines.

I was really fired up and my heart was beating fast and I was mad.

Eventually, they paid their bill and left.

I felt embarrassed that I had lost my temper in front of Lorena and Tess and made such a big deal out of something that really wasn't such a big deal. But in the end it was worth it. I moved to the armchair, Lorena and Tess had the whole couch to themselves, we sat and looked out on the bookstore and cafe and ordered sandwiches and drinks and had a nice time. I regret losing my temper, but regret even more that those women sat there and made me get mad! I am a Scorpio, and when provoked, can be deadly!

After that we walked around Palermo a bit before taking the subte home. It was another nice day, though it is getting warm again. Lorena and I both have the sniffles, and I think it is allergies. There are so many trees in bloom now and when the wind is blowing there is a lot of stuff flying around. Spring in Buenos Aires might be nice, but it's also allergy season. Ah-CHOOO!

Ricotta Rice Pie - Verdict? Success!

I was very happy with the way my ricotta rice pie turned out today. The little bit of cream cheese I added made a difference, I think. Now the trick will be to see if I can duplicate the success.

Italian class is becoming a little less stressful for me, but I still dread when Blas calls on me for anything. Our room seems to have been changed permanently, though only time will tell. I like the new room we are in because the acoustics are a little better and I can hear a little better than in the other room, but I still have problems understanding what people are saying. Matias, the nice guy who makes Blas laugh, said something today about me that Matias said was a compliment. I had no idea what it was he was saying, though I appreciated the sentiment. I guessed that he was commenting on my laid back, tranquil nature. Seriously. Some people who know me might not know that side of me, but it does exist. Especially when I am in a situation where I feel uncomfortable and am trying to make myself invisible!

I think next week is my last class because I'll miss the final class when I go to Brazil. Blas invited an Italian friend to come and play the accordian and sing with us. That should be interesting ...ahem....

After class I came home, had a light lunch of a few empanadas and then took a nap. I was going to go to the gym, but I was waiting to hear from Tess and Lorena who needed help with cell phones and money. They had no way to communicate with me since the phone in their apartment doesn't work and they didn't have a cell phone that worked either, so we were e-mailing each other. They went to a milonga last night and stayed out until 5:30 a.m., so I should have guessed that they'd be sleeping late. But, I didn't need to go to the gym today anyway. I got a lot of exercise yesterday walking (and I'll use any excuse not to go).

Finally a little after 5 I did hear from them and headed over to help them get money from the ATM. For some reason ATMs limit the amount you can withdraw at one time. We were able to find an ATM that allowed us to withdraw 400 pesos and then do it again. But after that, it wouldn't allow any more. So we went to another bank and got 200 pesos (all it would allow). Now I am thinking maybe the first ATM would have allowed us to withdraw 1,000 pesos. I'm going to suggest it to Tess tomorrow.

I like being an assistant. It gives me opportunities to speak Spanish with people and not be on my own. For some reason I feel more comfortable with someone there who I can speak English with. Tess and I went to a little natural foods store, of which there seem to be several in a few block radius of where Tess and Lorena are staying, and we got peanut butter and were looking for apple cider vinegar. The guy was very nice and after a while asked where we were from and told me he had just started taking some English classes. As he was giving Tess her change, he even spoke a little English. The same thing happened yesterday when we went to the Movistar booth at Alto Palermo, the young guys working in the booth started speaking broken English eventually.

I actually think Tess and Lorena don't need me. Lorena can manage fairly well in Spanish and I think probably a lot of people speak English and will make an attempt if the person speaking to them makes an attempt in Spanish. But still, it is nice to be getting out a bit more and doing some different things. I admire Tess and Lorena for getting out there and taking tango lessons and going to milongas and all of that. I'm still not ready for the milonga scene, which seems to have so many rules and is steeped in tradition and restriction and patriarchy, etc...

I have been inspired to try to get a few more lessons in with Marcelo before I leave, in spite of the heat.... we'll see...

Tomorrow after my Spanish lesson and their tango lesson we're going to meet in Palermo at the bookstore where I used to meet Juliana. The last time I was there was my vertigo attack. I don't know if I know Palermo well enough to lead people around, but it will be fun to try.

Today was another nice day weather-wise. The forcast for later this week looks like the heat is going to return, but I am learning that the forcasts are often very wrong. I know the heat will return eventually, but I am hoping it will be delayed as long as possible and this nice weather will hold out.

Fun With Lorena and Tess

Today was a beautiful day, sunny and warm but not hot. Probably in the mid 70's with low humidity. It was really lovely being out.

I started off the day with a trip to the Brazilian Consulate. I first thought I would be going to the Brazilian Embassy, which is one of the big old villas that the noveau riche of Buenos Aires in the 1920's had to give up because their finances failed them after the stock market crash. They are magnificent palaces and testament to greed and foolish spending. Maybe some of the McMansions in the US will eventually be turned into embassies?

Instead, I went to a fairly non-descript office building on 9 de Julio.

I arrived and a security guard told me I had to go to window 5. I waited for my turn and the woman at window 5 spoke to me in English. She looked on the computer for my application, which I had not filed, because when I asked the security guard if I needed to file an application on the computers there, he said no. So, the lady in window 5 sent me to the computers to fill out the application.

When I was done, I returned to the window, and even though the woman was super nice, it was still a bureaucracy, so of course what I did was not correct. I had forgotten to put my work phone number (like they are going to call SF?) and I didn't know the address of the hotel. I called Hernan and woke him up to get the number of the travel agent just in case, while the woman from window 5 went off to see if she could find the address of my hotel. She returned with the address and the telephone number, which she filled in on the form. I was very impressed. They could have just sent me away and told me to come back when I had what was required.

From there she sent me to a bank on Santa Fe to pay the fee. They didn't accept credit cards and I didn't have enough cash, so I had to get money from the ATM. The fee was 495.50 pesos. I gave the teller 500 pesos. She asked me if I had 50 pesos. I couldn't believe it. I was in a bank and she was asking me for change!

That done I headed home and checked my e-mail. Lorena and Tess needed help getting some basics like money, food, and some electronic items, so I headed over to their place and led them around and helped them with Spanish when they needed it.

It was really fun. Normally, when I was doing errands early on, I would only do one per day. I bought my cell phone one day. I got the gym membership another day. But here I was, helping them to do several things in one day! We went to get a sim card for their cell phone so they could use it here. The people in the little booth at Alta Palermo Shopping Center were really nice and it was fun talking to them in Spanish (and they also tried using some of their limited English).

We went and had lunch at a place on Santa Fe and Colonel Diaz and sat outside, but for some reason Santa Fe was like a parking lot and cars were just packed and moving very slowly. Drivers were losing their temper and lots of horns were blaring. I asked the waiter what was happening and he said he thought they had cut one of the streets (protestors close off streets). I could kind of see Raul's point about protests being annoying after a while (oh no, what is happening to me?!!)

From there we ran a few more errands before coming to the mother of all errands... the supermarket!

Lorena and Tess are really lucky to live one block away from a majorly huge Coto. I am so jealous. My feet were really tired from doing so much walking, but I loved walking around this supermarket. It was so big it even had appliances and underwear!

This Coto, unlike the one near me, allowed Tess to use a photocopy of her passport for ID. I don't know why my Coto doesn't allow me to use a copy. And since I saw Lorena and Tess' Coto, I don't want to go back to the snooty one in my neighborhood! I'm actually fine with my Disco, which is on the small side, but now I know where everything is.

It is fun having people in town that I know and it is fun showing them around. I was tired though and wish my feet weren't so sore. I'm going to have to take it easy and maybe not walk as much.

Overall it was a good day and I am tired. I'm going to bed sort of early so that I can be fresh for my Italian class tomorrow (highly unlikely).

Relaxing Day

I didn't do a whole lot today. I was expecting some friends from SF to arrive and had agreed to show them around. Things got complicated when the phone in their apartment didn't work, but eventually we did hook up briefly. As I took Tess to buy water and empanadas, it hit me how acculturated I am. I didn't have any communication problems and felt very confident going to places I had never been before. That is a big change from 3 months ago!

I made a ricotta rice pie for my Italian class on Wednesday. I've been playing around with a recipe I found but decided to go with it as is (except that I added a little cream cheese to hopefully make it creamier). I also make it without a crust, which makes it easier. The rice kind of forms a bottom layer that makes it easy to get out of the dish.

I am nervous. I don't know what it will taste like or if my classmates will like it. It's silly. I have made this in the past and it was a big hit, but for some reason for my Italian class I am nervous. Here is where I found this recipe.

I heard back from the guy at school who is in charge of sabbaticals. I think he is an interim dean or something. I don't know him.

He told me I can't move my sabbatical forward like I was planning. I need to travel 80% of the actual semester. Bummer. But he did approve my change as long as I am traveling 80% of the time. So my plan for next year is to spend only 3 months in Buenos Aires. That will mean I won't have to leave the country to get my visa renewed and United Airlines won't give me a hard time! I'll be here from August to the end of October. Then I will return to SF for a few weeks, unpack and pack, take care of whatever business I need to take care of, celebrate my 50th birthday and head in the other direction (well not exactly) to Thailand. I'll spend about a week in Bangkok taking a week's worth of cooking classes, then head to Bali where I will get massages and traditional Balinese healing treatments and just lay back and relax, then back to Bangkok for a few more days before returning home.

That is quite a trip!

It turns out what I do on my sabbatical is not that important as long as I am traveling. I'm glad I took classes though because if I didn't have a reason to leave my apartment twice a week, I would end up becoming a hermit. Also, I did meet some nice people in my classes, who I hope I will keep in touch with.

I was sitting on my computer playing a game and waiting to hear from Lorena and Tess when my friend Jake, who was my college roommate skyped me. We were both born in the same year and our birthdays are close together. He always used to call me on my birthday and then I'd call him in December for his. We kept in touch over the years, even when I was in Japan. But then he got married and had a daughter and we lost touch. Amazingly, on this trip when everyone from my past is coming out of the woodwork (especially through facebook), Jake appeared and today was the first time we spoke in nearly 7 years (or more). It was great talking to him and I am still amazed at how technology is changing how we live. I think this is only the beginning.

My Cheto Birthday!

My 49th birthday was very cheto. Hernan once again came through with something different.

The day started off very slow. I seem to have caught a little summer cold. Weird. I think it is from sleeping with the air-con, even though when I sleep, I put the air-con in the living room on and turn the one in the bedroom off so the air is not blowing directly on me. Still, I've had the sniffles and have been sneezing a lot since Friday. Big sneezes, like shake the room sneezes. Yesterday I went out to see if I could find something at Farmacity and I sneezed about 7 times in a row, really loud. My sneeze echoed down the street. It was kind of embarassing.

So anyway, I think whatever this is, and the changing temperatures, have kind of worn me out again. I woke up late and sat on the computer reading and replying to e-mails, catching up on prop 8 news, etc. For some reason my computer keeps changing the time every Sunday. I think it has something to do with daylight savings time. It keeps falling back an hour. I didn't realize it today, like I didn't realize it last Sunday and I thought I must have gotten up really early. Instead when my computer said it was 9:30 it was 10:30. Fortunately, Hernan changed the plan today.

He was supposed to come by around 12:30 and we were going to have lunch. But his brother-in-law had an accident and he went to meet his sister at the hospital (everything is ok). So we made plans to meet for dinner instead.

That gave me time to go to the gym and the supermarket and then spend the afternoon killing time. I found a new word game on Facebook that is very addictive. Facebook is also addictive. I took a nap and then Hernan called and woke me up. I was really out of it.

I lazed around in the afternoon, called my parents and some friends skyped me. At about 8:30, Hernan came by. We hopped in a cab and went to a restaurant that is not too far from here (we could have walked).

I like riding in taxis with Hernan because he gets the drivers to talk. The few times I've tried, I was unsuccessful, so I don't know what his secret is.

Hernan was telling me that there was something called "night of the museum" in which all of the museums were open at night and were free. The taxi driver immediately chimed in. He was saying that they get really crowded and there are long lines and that people don't usually go to the museum when they have to pay. From what I was understanding (which wasn't much) he was talking about how expensive it was for a family to visit a museum. Hernan told me later that he was saying that people are not able to do as much these days as they used to, so they have to take advantage of freebies.

He took me to a place not far from my apartment at Santa Fe and Parana called Milion. I never would have found this place on my own.

The building was amazing. It is a big old house, mansion, from the 19th century. We went in through a long entrance and entered the garden. From there, we went up a grand marble staircase that led into the house. One of the rooms was a bar. There was funky, cheto, electronic music playing, and lots of hip people sitting around the bar. Cool art hung on the walls of this amazingly lavish building. We went up to the third floor and explored the different rooms before we returned to the first floor and took a table outside on the patio overlooking the garden.

It was very nice atmosphere, but the food was only so-so. I had a matambrita de cerdo with salsa, black beans and mashed carrots. It was a piece of thinly sliced pork with a nice salsa on top and a few sides. The pork was tough though. Hernan had some kind of fish, but to me it was too fishy.

There was some former TV star from the 80's sitting outside on the patio next to us. He had an entourage of young pretty boys and one older woman with a little fluffy dog who had a diamond brooch on her head (on the dog's head, not the woman's). There was also a black cat that made an appearance, but when the cat was outside someone carried the dog inside - they took turns. The entourage table was very busy and people kept coming out and making the kissing rounds. They'd come out through the big glass doors from the bar and go to this table and go around and kiss everyone. My chair kept getting bumped into and cigarette smoke and perfume irritated my nose that was very sensitive from this cold. So actually, even though the building was nice, and the atmosphere was cool, I'd have to give it a lukewarm rating because it was not pleasant to sit outside and smell smoke and perfume and have my chair constantly being bumped into while I was eating. It was also hard to talk because this table was quite loud and the service was mediocre. What was fun was watching the people coming and going and trying to listen to the conversation, though my Spanish seemed to have been turned off tonight (I was understanding very little).

It was an adventure and I always enjoy going to these different places that Hernan takes me to. I'll probably go back to Milion with friends who are coming to visit, but I know that it is a place to go for drinks and not really a great place to eat. Hernan also told me that the crowd changes depending on the day of the week, so for people watching it would be interesting to go back and see who is there on, say, a Wednesday night.

It was a cheto birthday and seems only fitting! This has been the year of living cheto for me - living in the Recoleta, having a maid, not working... Now that I have done it though, I think I prefer my simple middle-class life in SF where I do my own laundry, clean my own apartment and go to work every day!

Brrrrrr.....

It's cold today. I can't believe it. When I checked the weather report for the week I saw that today was going to be cooler, but I didn't believe it. Last night I heard it raining a little bit (my shutters in my bedroom are closed, so I couldn't see how much), and this morning I stuck my head out the window to check the temperature and it did feel cool. I was going to wear shorts to school, but to be safe, I put on a pair of light cotton pants and a t-shirt. I knew I would be taking a cab to school and thought it would be warm by the time I walked home.

I was wrong.

It was downright cold when I got out of class at 1, and windy. People were wearing jackets and winter coats, though some, like me, I guess didn't check the weather before they got dressed and were wearing shorts and t-shirts. On top of the weather, I must have caught a cold, so I was feeling like coming home and having a cup of hot soup.

Yesterday I had my spa day. This time I went for the "Delux Spa Day for Him", as a treat for my birthday. It included steam with aromatherapy, facial, massage, hydrotherapy (jacuzzi)and a manicure and pedicure. It was nice, but after I was done, I decided I don't need all of those extras. The jacuzzi for me is weird, because I don't know how to sit in a jacuzzi. I like Japanese bathtubs that are deep and long that you can stretch out in. In the jacuzzi I felt very uncomfortable, feeling like my butt was too big or my legs were too long or something. It just wasn't right. Also, the manicure/pedicure was nice, but by that time I really wanted to go home as I was sniffling a lot and wanted to lie down.

My esthetician was the same person who gave me the massage, Monica. I've had her before for facials, but yesterday she did most of my treatments. She's a funny woman. She doesn't seem like a typical Argentine woman (if there is such a thing). I like her massage, but at some points she bordered on being inappropriate and I felt a little uncomfortable. I wonder what it would be like for a woman to have a man massaging her and asking if she's tense because she is going out every night chasing boys. Well, for me, it was uncomfortable for her to imply that my tension was because I was out chasing girls, especially while she was touching my chest or my butt. So far, I like the massage that Christian gives the best and I think next time I am going to request him. The pressure was just right and he didn't make inappropriate conversation.

Today in Arabic class we did our evaluation. Ybti has started writing something that resembles an agenda on the board. Today's was the same as last week. She wrote, "dialogue, reading, writing". She went over some of the questions that will be on our final exam - What's your name, how old are you, where are you from, etc..., and then she passed around a paper with a dialogue and we each took turns reading a line. Crazy. I guess they don't have overhear projectors in Argentina, but for me, if you are not going to make copies, you either have to write it on the board or project it so that everyone can see. It makes no sense to me to have a student on one side of the room reading something that no one else can see.

It was interesting though that right before the evaluation, Nicolas, the guy who asks a lot of questions, and Paris, the woman who is always lost, started telling Ybti what they thought about the class. Nicolas was very diplomatic, saying that Ybti was a wonderful teacher, blah, blah, blah, but.... I enjoyed sitting back and listening to the Spanish. Ybti blamed the fact that the course is badly taught on her coordinator, who she said told her to use the book that we had to buy but don't use. Since we are not using the book, it is kind of a moot point. I wonder if her coordinator taught her the method of pass the book (or today, the page). Nicolas was saying we needed a class more like how Arabic would be taught to children, who don't know how to read. I honestly don't know how the course could have been improved, but I am totally disillusioned with the state of foreign language teaching, not just in Argentina, but worldwide. I think ESL teachers and the training they receive, are far superior and all language teachers would benefit from being exposed to the theories of language acquisition and the methods we use in ESL. Why they are not, is beyond me.

I don't have anything planned for this weekend. I invited Hernan to have lunch tomorrow but we have to wait and see if he is available. Looks like it's going to be a boring birthday for me. I'll celebrate in Buzios!

Fun With Hernan

Last night I went to Hernan's apartment in San Telmo for dinner. It feels like it's been so long since I've left my little enclave here in the Recoleta. Bascially I have been hanging around here, going back and forth to school, and every now and then I'll walk over to Libertad to take a walk, but that's it. When I got off the subte at Plaza de Mayo, it felt like it had been forever since I'd been there. I was delighted to see that Plaza de Mayo was hosting another loud and energetic protest, and that it was full of trees with purple blossoms - those late blooming trees that stand out like neon all around town - Plaza de Mayo was filled with them. It was a beautiful sight, but unfortunately, I hadn't brought my camera.

Hernan's apartment is cute and basic. It's a small apartment in a large tenement style bulding. There is a small living room and kitchen and a loft with his bed. I couldn't live like that, but for him it works as a rental. The place he was staying in in Palermo last year was so much nicer. I wish he'd find another apartment to rent and stop staying at his mother's so I could see him more. He's fun to hang out with in his slightly neurotic obsessive way.

I got there and rang the buzzer and there was no answer. I reached into my pocket to grab my cell to text him but I had forgotten it. I rang the buzzer again, and no answer. I started to panic, thinking that if his buzzer was not working there would be no way he'd know I was outside. Or maybe he was sleeping? I buzzed again, and again. Then, a guy came across the street and up to the door, he pulled out his key to open the door. Hernan came up right behind him. Hernan went to enter the building, leaving me standing outside. I called him, "Hernan" and like he was just waking up from sleepwalking, he saw me. He had walked right past me without noticing. I guess it is the city dweller's habit of not looking at people as you pass them. He thought I was with his neighbor and didn't look at me.

Dinner was good. He made a papellot with salmon and vegetables and some oven roasted potatoes which were really yummy. We then walked to Puerto Madero to walk alongside the canal and get ice cream.

It was hot, but as we got closer to Puerto Madero, there was a nice breeze. It was a pleasant evening to be out. It was nearly 11 p.m. and all of the restaurants were full and buzzing with activity. I really can't believe that people go out to eat that late on a weeknight! Hernan told me there would be even more people on the weekend.

The ice cream shop we went to was not directly on the canal, but set in closer to the street. It reminded me of an old diner, even though it was an ice cream shop. It had a funky, 60's feel to it, but I doubt it was that old. It felt very local. I didn't see anyone who I thought was a tourist, even though we saw lots of people with cameras clicking pictures as we walked along the canal.

It was a beautiful evening with a gigantic full moon peeking out behind the new high rise construction.

It's really nice to have someone like Hernan to hang out with. I know I've gone back and forth on my feelings about his friendship, but now I recognize that he is going through his own personal stuff and can't be there for me as much as I'd like for him to be. I wish I knew more people like him that I can just hang out with and be laid back with and do interesting things with once in a while. As much fun as it was to walk through San Telmo and Puerto Madero at night, it wouldn't be the same if I did it alone. Meeting new people has been the hardest thing for me on this trip. My classmates and conversation partners don't really seem like the kind of people I'd want to be hanging out with - we don't seem to have much in common and I'm guessing they all have lives of their own and are not interested in breaking from their routines to spend time with me. How to meet people is a question my students always ask me, and I have to say I'm coming up clueless on that one.

Norma Took My Soap

Norma, the woman who comes once a week to clean my apartment, has been pretty good about leaving things where I leave them when she comes to clean. When I first arrived, for some reason I was getting all stressed out by what seemed to me to be a little tug of war between her and I. I'd leave things in a certain place because it worked better for me and I'd come home on Wednesday to find that she'd moved them. I'd put them back where I wanted and the next Wednesday when I'd come home, I would find that she'd moved them again. Having met her once and received a lecture on the way "Argentines" do things I was sure that this was more than accidental. This was her way of teaching me how to keep my house.

Well, I resented it and didn't like having to look around to find something in the kitchen, or the pair of shoes I left on the floor, or my jacket that I hung on the jacket hanger thing in my bedroom (that she put in the closet), and I wrote to Tomas, the guy who works at the agency I rented from and asked them to ask her not to move things.

After that, she stopped.

But there is still one little area that she seems to be playing games with.

There is a silver soap dish on the sink in the bathroom. I haven't been using it because if I wash my hands with soap, I'll usually just do it in the kitchen, and normally in the bathroom will just wash my hands with water. I think it is kind of messy to put a wet and bubbly bar of soap back on a dish. But I noticed that after Norma was here, the soap dish was always moved from the back of the sink by the mirror, to a position closer to the front of the sink. I don't know why it bothered me, but I always moved it back where it was out of the way.

Each week, after Norma was here, I'd see it had been moved forward again.

It wasn't a big deal, and sometimes I never moved it. But if I did, she always moved it back.

This week, I noticed that she took the soap out of the dish and now the soap dish is all the way back up against the mirror.

I don't know why I find this interesting, but I wonder, what did she do with the soap? Why did she take it? Maybe I am going to get a new bar of soap next week? Am I being punished for not using the soap? Did she take it? Did she throw it away?

To be continued....

I Should Have Blogged Earlier

I was going to blog earlier today when I got home from Italian class, but I thought I'd have something to report from later in the day. I don't. And now I have forgotten what I did have to say earlier.

Today when I got to Italian class our class had been moved again. I don't know why they keep doing that to us. Next week we'll be back in our old room. I actually like the rooms we get moved to because they are smaller and the acoustics are better.

Today Blas didn't ask us what we did on the weekend. Thank god! I hadn't done much but was prepared to lie. He went over the list of who is bringing what up until the final exam, since we now have this tradition of someone bringing a cake or snack to every class. I thought I'd complain a little and asked why I was the only man who had to bring something. I know it was a little sexist, but someone told me to say that (I forget who). Since I am not in my own kitchen, it is kind of hard for me to bake something really yummy. Well, the response was that Matias had brought a cake and there were no other men in the class. That was partially true. There are a few other guys in the class but they are kind of weird. I regretted saying that, because now that I have figured out what to bring, I am excited.

I sometimes wonder if Blas has a crush on me because he calls on me so much. I am pretty sure he is straight, and I think he likes some of the girls in class, but he pays so much attention to the guys and is really chummy and calls all of the guys by their names, but still doesn't know the names of some of the girls in the class. It is very strange.

My comprehension in class seems to be getting worse as people are feeling more comfortable to chat. It gets noisy and they talk about things that I don't understand.

Today for our break we had two treats. Natalia, the woman who I work with a lot in small groups brought brownies, even though she hadn't been scheduled, and another woman, also Natalia, brought something that looked like blondies and had pieces of merengue in them. Natalias brownies were better.

When the treats were unwrapped a huge discussion ensued among the cheering and clapping and I didn't understand a word of what was said. Then everyone got up and left the room, taking the treats with them. I asked someone what was happening and I was told they were going down to the bar. I guess the idea was that people could get coffee or drinks to go with the snacks.

The bar was noisy as always and as we sat at the table eating our treats, everyone was talking really fast and I understood about 1% of what was said. At one point, one of the older women in the class who Blas calls "Heavy Metal" because her daughter is into heavy metal (when he says it, he makes a funny flogger face and plays air guitar "HEAVY METAL!") said something to me from the other end of the table. I couldn't hear and had no idea what she was saying. The strange Bolivian guy who Blas calls Jesus (English pronunciation) because he thought Madonna meant mother, was sitting next to Heavy Metal. When I didn't understand, Jesus said something to Heavy Metal and they both laughed. I thought they were making fun of me. I wasn't happy. I think I'm doing well for taking two language classes that are being taught in a third language, and if people want to make fun of my lack of comprehension, that is fine with me. I just think Jesus is kind of weird and should not be making fun of people since he is the brunt of so many of Blas' jokes.

Today we did a class evaluation. As much as I would have liked to somehow say something about the things in the class that I didn't like, I had to give Blas a decent evaluation since the items on the form measured the things he did and not the things I would have liked for him to do. Also there were no questions about comfort level, or about the teacher respecting students, or anything like that. There were also questions about the department of students and people at the registrar and in the bookstore. I think I only gave one item an excellent evaluation and gave the rest of them good. I guess we'll be evaluating our Arabic class on Saturday too.

I decided that next year when I come back I will study Portuguese. Hernan and watched a You Tube video yesterday that taught ten phrases in Brazilian Portuguese. I like it. I think it will be fun to learn basic Portuguese. Of course, I'll end up having the same problem I have in Italian class - that the languages are so close and I'll be confused, but who knows, maybe it will be a better experience. I don't want to go on to Arabic 2 here because I am worried that I will be too frustrated, especially if I have Ybti again and we do "pass the book" in class.

I came home to a clean apartment, ate lunch and took a good nap. I was tired this morning because when Hernan came over yesterday we drank coffee and then I couldn't sleep last night. After my nap, I went to the gym and came straight back because it was so bloody hot.

I hope this weather is a freak and that a wave of polar air will come up from the south and cool things off. Well, actually I just checked the weather and today was 86, and tomorrow and Friday look the same, but Saturday they are saying a high of 69 and Sunday, 73. Strange, but I'll take it!

Raul, my conversation exchange partner canceled again today. I texted him and asked what he thought about tonight and mentioned the heat, because to be honest, I didn't want to have to walk to meet him. But, since he canceled, that is it for me. It's been over a month since we last met and I don't like having to walk so far to meet him (he is over by school and since I go at rush hour, there is no point trying to take a cab or bus, since walking is faster at that hour). I've also kind of lost interest in him - I think we have run out of things to talk about and my question about Ford Falcons may have been a major faux pas (I don't know if I wrote about that or not, but it felt uncomfortable and I learned my lesson).

Tomorrow Hernan gets to go back to his place in San Telmo. His tenant is moving out and he will be showing it and trying to rent it for a few more weeks. He's going to make dinner for me and we'll go from there to Puerto Madero. He told me there is a nice walk along the river. I didn't tell him I already did it. It will be different with him as he always shows me interesting things that are off the beaten path.

We're still trying to work out our plans for Buzios. The travel agent said the hotel that we booked in our package does not have any rooms, but there is a posada at the same complex with bungalows and they will give us a discount. Personally, the bungalows sound better to me. I looked at the photos and they look slightly funky but I'd rather stay in a funky bungalow than a funky hotel. I'm mostly interested in making sure we have a view of the ocean from our room and they are saying we would in a bungalow. Next I have to go to the Brazilian Embassy and get a visa. That will be fun since the embassy is in one of the big old mansions that once belonged to the super rich in Buenos Aires before the crash of '29. There are many of these large villas, which resemble palaces, scattered around the city. They were large and lavish, but when people lost their savings in the stock market they could not afford the upkeep, so many of them were sold off as embassies, a few are museums and I think some of them are government offices.

I'm looking forward to finishing up with school and breaking up my routine a bit with this trip. Also some friend from SF will be here next week and my friend Diane is coming in December. It will be nice to end this trip with some companionship. I'm sure Diane and I will have fun as we try to find things to do that don't involve us sweating too much.

Mildly Hellish

I do not want to be here in summer if this is how hot spring it. I guess I am really spoiled by the beautiful mild San Francisco temperatures. Today is not that bad, but it is still hot. I went to the gym and sweated a bit and stopped at the Disco and bought some fruit and now am enjoying my quiet, air-conditioned apartment.

If I had come down here to write a book, I could have written several by now. I didn't think I would be such a homebody here, but I don't know what I was thinking. I am a total homebody in SF and I actually like spending time at home. My apartment is really comfortable. The difference is that from my apartment I can take nice walks either through a beautiful national park, or to some interesting neighborhoods with good food. And, the walks are pleasant.

What I have discovered here is that it is hard to walk and there is no place to walk to. I watched a little Dr. Phil last night and he was talking to a woman who gets really irritated by little sounds her husband and kids make - like chewing, things they can't avoid doing. Dr. Phil told her she had an aggravated stress response. Today as I was walking to the gym and people were darting one way or another in front of me on the sidewalk, I could feel myself getting stressed out. It was not possible for me to walk one block without someone cutting in front of me from one side of the sidewalk to the other, or blocking the sidewalk. I could not walk in a straight line for one block. By the time I got to Callao, which is about 5 blocks from here, I realized how stressed I was and took a deep breath and thought about the Dr. Phil show last night. I don't know what to do about it, but for now it is an observation.

At some point between that deep breath on the corner and returning home, I came to a decision about next year.

As far as I know, I am supposed to spend 80% of the time I was awarded my sabbatical here. I don't think it specifies when that time needs to be specifically. Since it is too hot now and I am sure it is going to be even hotter in December, I don't want to be here this time next year. I actually liked June last year and July was a little cold, but still bearable. So, I am thinking that next year I will come from June to November, and then I will turn 50 in San Francisco with friends. I thought it would be fun turning 50 here, but it looks like I will be spending it alone (at the spa). Then, I'll be able to go somewhere early in December before prices shoot up for the holidays and maybe even be back in SF to do my family's traditional 7 fish Christmas Eve dinner (I want to do it here, but don't think I can find 7 different kinds of fish).

This is all feeling quite right to me. I can take tango classes before it gets too hot, and also I can do an intensive language class (whatever language I end up studying), and will only take one instead of two, still going to school twice a week. I've also decided I am going to look for another apartment, perhaps in Palermo, because I want to be able to walk to parks and be a little bit more away from the throbbing pulse of the city.

And for now I am planning on going to Buzios with Hernan.

It looks like we can't go after my classes are finished because Hernans' friend Catarina from Quebec is coming on December 17 and he needs to be back by then. So, I checked another travel agent and they have a package available from November 30, for 8 days. It would mean I'd miss my Arabic final, but I don't really need to take the final since I am not taking the class for credit. I'd also miss one more Italian class, but that is fine with me too.

I found a place that is on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Buzios has several different beaches and many of them are beautiful coves with clear blue water. It looks really lovely, like St. Tropez or something. If I like it, maybe next year I will take a trip there in July to escape a little BA winter!

And so, that is what I am up to these days other than trying to stay cool and get back to eating right and exercising. Hernan is stopping by later today and we'll discuss the plans for our little trip.

Hellishly Hot

It is supposed to be spring here, but today was pretty hot. I think it was another day in the 90's but it was also humid. I hope this is a fluke and some cooler temperatures will return soon before the real summer sweat begins. It seems like spring was really short - just one month of decent temperatures.

So, it was too hot to do anything today. On top of that, I didn't know what to do. I took my time getting moving this morning and spent much of the morning sending e-mails, reading newspapers online and looking at travel sites (more on that later). Finally, around 2:30 or so I went to the gym. They had the air-conditioner on, but for some reason the windows were open too, kind of making it hard for the air-con to cool the place down. They also only had one of the big fans on. I didn't stay long, but did get a decent workout in. It wasn't crowded, I guess because it was Sunday and it was hot.

After the gym I went to the Disco, which also wasn't very crowded. As the cashier was ringing up my food, I realized she hadn't asked me any questions. After I gave her my credit card and photo copy of my passport, she finally did ask, "solo un pago?" - only one payment? I understood perfectly. I think the days of not understanding the questions at the checkout are gone (hopefully).

I came home and was glad to be in the air-conditioning again. When I first got here I stayed inside because it was warm and cozy, now I am inside because it is cool. It's turning out that Buenos Aires is not really a good city to spend a lot of time outside. Not a good thing for me. Definitely I am having doubts about this as a retirement location.

I spoke to Hernan briefly. He sent me an e-mail and said he's been diagnosed with depression and is going to start taking some meds. I feel sorry for the guy because he is so sweet and smart and creative, but he is unable to do what he wants to do because people here don't have enough money to support a vibrant arts scene. So, he supports himself by renting out his apartment and saves money by staying at his mom's. No wonder he is depressed.

I decided that I want to get out of town during the short time after I finish classes and before my friend Diane comes to visit. I've been looking at this website for a travel agency called Asatej and they have packages to a place in Brazil called Buzios, which looks like a cute little beach resort (actually series of beaches) that was made famous in the 60's (or 70's) when Bridget Bardot went there. There are some beautiful beaches and it looks like it might be a nice place to get away to. I'm tired of traveling alone and asked Hernan if he wanted to go, offering to pay for him since I know he doesn't have any money. I think he will be a good travel companion and we'll be able to spend a week together without driving each other nuts.

I was really hoping to find an affordable place that is right on the beach, but it seems impossible. Instead, I think we'll go with one of the places in the package that are located in the center of the little town, and I guess from there we can walk or rent bikes or motorcycles to get to the different beaches. One place that they offer has a nice pool too and I would be perfectly happy just lounging by the pool all day. I hadn't planned on going to Brazil on this trip, but now that the prospect is there, I am excited. I started studying a little Portuguese today just to learn a few expressions.

And that was my day. I spent the rest of the day just cooking, eating (of course) and watching TV. I was going to go out for a walk after dinner but it ended up being late and I didn't feel like going out.

And so, life here has become pretty normal, to the point that I am planning a vacation to get away. I guess there is a lesson in there somewhere, thought I am not sure yet what that might be.

Purple Blossoms and the Ice Cream Bird

I'm enjoying seeing how Buenos Aires is changing as the seasons pass. I only knew it in the winter, with the crisp air, bare trees and the way the exhaust fumes start to burn your nose after a while.

Spring started to spring a few months ago, but it continues in one of the longest processes of rebirth that I have seen in quite a while. The last time I took a walk down Libertador and through Palermo Chico, I noticed that while everything seemed to be in full bloom, there were these trees, big, dark and gangly, that had no leaves on them and were still fully bare.

On a walk a week or two ago, I saw a tree that had these nice purple flowers on them, but I thought it was just one tree and no big deal.

But today as I took a taxi to school for my Arabic class and passed the Plaza in front of the Facultad de Economia, I saw a group of these trees with these amazing blue, purple blossoms that were almost neon in color as they stood out against the darkness of the bark of the trees on which they grew.

After class, I decided to take a walk over to Libertador again and see if my hunch that these were the same trees and that they would be fully in bloom was right. I was.

I don't know what these trees are, but they are really amazing. None of the photos I took really captures their color. They, along with the bird that sounds like an ice cream truck are making this process of spring very enjoyable, even though the weather got too hot too fast.

Arabic class was okay today. It could always be better, but it was not too torturous either. I did learn something new, again, in spite of the teaching. Four students were absent today - the ones who I enjoy the most. Nicolas, the guy who asks a lot of questions, Martin, the guy who jokes a lot, Claudia Duffy, the Irish-Argentine woman who sits between me and Martin and laughs a lot and Romina, the nice, quiet, sweet girl who joined our class a few weeks late and makes me feel like I am not so lost.

I didn't go to the phonetics class last night and have decided I am not going to go anymore. I don't like the method of "pass the book" where our teacher passes a book around and we all take turns reading things that have nothing to do with anything. It is ridiculous the way she teaches that class! At least my Saturday morning class is at my level, even though it's the same teacher and her methods are not much better. And there are people there who make me laugh, who I can ask for help and who I can roll my eyes at.

I arrived a little after 10, thinking I'd have to make the rounds and kiss everyone who was already there (it would have been my first time). Instead, when I got to class, Ybti was the only one there, and was sitting at her desk looking rather forlorn. I know the feeling! It's horrible when you think no one is going to show up to your class. We talked a little about where everyone was (we didn't know) and then I asked her what she thought of Obama. I picked up an Italian newspaper at the newsstand outside of school when I got out of the taxi. I saw the headline about Obama and then noticed that the newspaper was Italian. It was only 70 centavos and it had a good cartoon about Silvio Berlusconi's recent faux pas about Obama having a nice tan, so I got it. As I put the paper in my school bag, I asked Ybti what she thought of him. She said she thought he would be good, but she, like many, wondered how it was that we had 8 years of Bush. I explained that the election had been stolen. I need to let people know that we really didn't vote for him.

It took a while for people to start trickling in and Paris, the older woman from Lebanon who doesn't speak Arabic and gets Ybti all worked up when she gets lost was about the 4th person to arrive. She was pretty low-key today, though Ybti did shout at her a few times (I think she thinks she is hard of hearing). I did notice that Ybti was not as short-tempered with her today. When she got lost or asked questions, Ybti was kind of nice and treated her almost like she treats everyone else (Nicolas asks a lot of questions and gets lost a lot, but gets treated differently than Paris).

And that was it. Class was nothing remarkable other than the people who make me laugh the most were not there.

After class, I met Carlos, my conversation exchange partner at the Facultad de Economia. There was something going on there today and there was a buzz of activity in the courtyard, but we found an empty room that had benches that kind of looked like pews in church and we sat and spoke for about an hour, half in Spanish and half in English.

It's funny when I speak Spanish to him because I speak very Argentine Spanish now - with the y sounds sounding like j and the gestures and the Italian intonation. I love it! But it seems funny speaking to Carlos since he is Peruvian and he speaks Spanish more like the way I learned it. Should I be speaking this way or the way he speaks? I wonder if speakers of English as a second language feel the need to adjust the way they speak English when they are in places where there are noticeable differences.

I learned today that Carlos is half Chinese. His name is Carlos Luna Wong. He is a really interesting guy and he is fun to talk to. He likes to talk and he is friendly. I feel like I lucked out with him when I kind of bombed with so many of my other attempted exchange partners. The only problem is that after three hours of Arabic and then not having time to eat, it's hard for me to really enjoy our exchanges. Today with the heat, the smell of smoke coming from the courtyard and my being really hungry, I was beginning to feel light headed and weak.

Life here has become kind of mundane as I said before, but the purple flowers gave me something to get excited about. I am sure there are still a few more things that will surprise me as I head into these last few weeks.

What Should I Do?

I have sunk into a doldrums of sorts.

Being here has stopped being interesting and is now just kind of normal. That's good in a way because it also means that some of the stress of the early adjustment phases is not bothering me anymore, but it also means I'm kind of bored. I don't have any daily routine to keep me occupied. The election is over and I can only take an hour of CNN at the most. I'm bored.

Hernan is still staying with his mother because he is renting out his place in San Telmo, which means I don't get to see him a lot. My conversation exchanges are not really working out in the way I'd hoped. I like meeting with Carlos, who I will see tomorrow, but my other two partners aren't really going the way I would have liked. Raul and I have not met once in October. I was in Uruguay and then he canceled a few times. I didn't see him last week because I had a doctor's appointment, that ended up being rescheduled and he said he forgot this week when I texted him to see if we were still on. I think we're both feeling a little bored by our meetings. I don't think we have much in common other than both being English teachers. I also worry that I may have made a faux pas when I asked him about Ford Falcons.

I am slightly obsessed with the last dictatorship and from movies I've seen and things I've read, I knew that Ford Falcons were used by the plainsclothes thugs who went and picked up people to be tortured and murdered. I've seen a few Ford Falcons from that era around town (in fact there is one that parks outside of my building sometimes). The last time I met with Raul I asked him about them and I got the feeling that it was not a question to ask him.

From what he has said, I sort of knew that he is conservative. He thinks Menem, the president in the 1990's who went on a privitization spree that ended up in the peso crash of 2001, was a good president. I just wonder if he is one of those people that Juliana told me has been indoctrinated to believe that the dictatorship was a good thing for the country (like those in the US who think the Patriot Act is meant to protect us).

We're supposed to meet next Wednesday, but I am feeling like it has been so long and the thrill is kind of gone and now I am not really keen on meeting up with him. And then there is Matias, the slightly odd guy who I met at school. I was supposed to meet with him last Friday but felt strange after my acupuncture appointment and sent him a text to cancel. I have not heard from him since. Faux pas number 2?

I feel like I should start up my private tango lessons again, but it is hot here. I don't want to go to the classes, because even when it was not hot, I was sweating because I was so nervous. With Marcelo, I also sweated because he made me work hard. I hope that the tango studios are air-conditioned, but from my experience at school the air-con either is not sufficient, or is not on. I guess the only way to know is to try.

The other problem is that since I've been having foot pain from walking so much I have had to curtail my walks. I would love to go out and take a nice walk now as the heat of the day begins to subside, but I can't. I've been doing stretches and things for my feet, but if I walk too much, they begin to hurt again. It's terrible getting old!

I reconnected with three more friends on Facebook! It is an amazing thing. People that I have not seen or heard from in years. Two friends live in Chicago and I was thinking about them as I was watching Obama's speech in Grant Park on Tuesday night (actually for me, Wednesday morning). All of a sudden, the next day I heard from one of my old college buddies, Colby, who is living in Chicago, and then the next day heard from Jake, one of my best friends back then and former roommate. Technology is an amazing thing and if I didn't have this computer here to keep me entertained, what would I be doing?

Joy and Pain

I stayed up last night until 3:30 a.m. By that point, I was so wired up I couldn't really sleep - voices of Wolf Blitzer dancing like sugarcanes in my head. I woke up exhausted.

I started watching the election coverage long before anything happened or could happen. It was kind of like watching the pre-pre-Oscars. I didn't want to miss the first results though, so I kept myself entertained by switching between CNN in Spanish, regular CNN and the BBC. Each one of the programs had something annoying. CNN had that big bag of hot air, Bill Bennett, former secretary of education under Reagan, who took every opportunity he could to espouse some form of right wing ideology. Every time he started blowing hot air, I'd switch to another channel. On the BBC they had this annoying Republican pollster, Kelli Ann something, when she came on, I'd go to another channel.

At about midnight here it started to become clear that McCain had no chance. He had lost Pennsylvania and Ohio and it seemed like all of the other states that were leaning towards Obama were going to fall his way. I popped open my champagne at that point, thinking that midnight was a good time to open champagne.

But I decided I would stay up until they called the race, which seemed imminent right after the west coast polls closed. I must have dozed off, because when I looked at the TV, they had indeed called it for Obama. So then I decided to stay up and watch his speech. It was a very moving and historical moment and I should be thrilled to death, right?

Well, there was one very dark spot to yesterday's election. Three states had anti-gay ballot measures, Florida, Arizona and California, and all three look like they passed. In California, it means that thousands of couples who were able to get married in the past few months will find themselves in limbo until the courts figure out what to do. It means that thousands more will not have access to the same rights and privileges that any two random heterosexuals can gain just by signing a piece of paper, and it means that the religious regressives who are so itching to impose their views and values on the rest of us feel like they have had a major victory in spite of their major loss, and are going to be empowered to go further. I'm angry, I'm sad, but I also know that in the end, justice will win out and those hateful people will be exposed for the bigots they are. The question is just how long it will take.

How long did it take before Americans realized that enslaving other human beings, degrading and demeaning them was wrong? How long did it take before Americans realized that women were capable of making the same decisions as men in terms of their political leaders? How long did it take before Americans realized that the internment of thousands of innocent Japanese-Americans during WWII was wrong? How long did it take before Americans realized that seperate but equal was not equal? We seem to be slow at realizing - we say one thing and do another when it comes to democracy and fairness. We love to impose our democracy on the rest of the world, but don't seem too good at actually carrying it out ourselves. Yesterday was a historic day because Obama was elected, and because three out of our 50 United States wrote discrimination into their constitutions.