Gah, I knew this blogging thing wouldn't work out. I tried. But then life got in the way, and I just forgot to sit and write it all down.
There is absolutely no way I could summarize or express in any concise way my life over the past 5 months...So I am just going to pick random things to tell you all about. In no particular order.
I got a job in March...about 2 weeks after I got here. I am an "International Executive Headhunter"...or at least that's what I tell all the CEOs and bigshots i talk to everyday.
But really the job is great, I am never bored, it's intense...great people to work with...we are all expats pretty much.
About a month ago, Erin from study abroad came. She is staying with us, got a job at TXT too, and now we are all getting an apartment together to move out of Devoto. It's a much bigger place in Villa Crespo, and fingers crossed, we sign early next week. It's gonna be sweet.
Things in Devoto were fine, until I got a headache for an entire month, and then through my hypochondriac-ness, convinced myself we had a Gas and/or Carbon Monoxide leak...and THEN WE DID! like could have died. To make a really long and stressful story short, we ended up in the hospital twice to get pumped with oxygen and get our blood taken. In our building, they shut off our gas line...and then the next day, said the whole building was effed...and shut off everyone's gas.
We were really popular with our neighbors...but when they started to sass me...I was just like..HEY I MIGHT HAVE SAVED YOUR LIFE! k thanks.
SO yeah...we are now going on week three of no hot water, no way to cook...it's pretty bad.
This is what we do:
step one: we get smelly
step 2: we call one of our friends
step 3: we say..."hey,....wanna hang out tonight"
step 4:...we then say.. "oh, and by the way, can I shower at your house"
So yeah...kind of very inconvenient this whole not showering in our house thing...Everytime I get the opportunity to shower at someone else's house, i jump at it...because i don't know when I'll get my next shower. I am like a mal-nourished kid who eats every meal like it's his last...except I am a filthy 20-someting...who takes every shower like it's my last.
Also, because we are in Argentina..there is really nothing you can do when everything is completely effed in your apartment: still have to pay full rent and building fees. And our entire water heater needs to be replaced...and that probably won't get done before we move out. THrough out this whole Carbon Monoxide Fiasco, I have had a couple "I HATE YOU ARGENTINA" moments...it happens to the best of us, Mati included.
But enough Argie bashing....obvi I love my home away from home. You all know that. Some things, that I had an aversion to before...I have now completely embraced as part of life, that maybe during study abroad I was a little bit meehhh about...here are some ejemplos:
-Milk in a bag. milk in a cardboard box...not practical, but still delish.
-Tang-like juice...here Clight is my fave, which is a small packet of mysterious fruit-like sweetners that you stir into water. After fernet, it is basically a national drink here...or at least in our home.
-Cat-calling...MAMI, QUE BUEN CULO QUE TENES...obviously, that does not warrant a response, but in my head, rather than be disgusted by these nasty men who feel it appropriate to yell things out about your personal appearance on the street and make overtly sexual gestures...I have learned to look at it as "why thank you, all that working out in rugby has toned up my buns"
-Eating dinner at 11pm at night. makes no sense, but that's what we do. As of late, Erin and I have been on a "go-to-bed early" kick because we find ourselves falling asleep at our desks by 3pm...that has allowed for a couple 930pm dinner times...and this past monday a..wait for it...7:45pm dinner time. Downright crazy talk here.
-INFLATION: i wouldn't say that I have embraced this...but it's just the norm...Yes, every item you look at is about 4x more expensive than it ought to be. Fortunately, pesos are like monopoly money, so you don't feel as bad spending them. Only thing, that the amount you would spend on Park Place or Boardwalk doesn't get you the highest valued property on the board...it get's you an empanada...and maybe a Coca Cola...but that's pushing it.
-People bashing the Government (mainly la Presidenta...and anything that has to do with her...which is a lot of really shittty stuff).: it's a national sport here. It's completely warranted, but it's just crazy. People have no filter. And then there is that 1 Kristina-supporter who speaks up...some times at risk of his/her life. Then everyone shuts him/her down. It's pretty gnarly.
-Asados: also a national sport. Eat meat till you can't anymore. It's similar any college drinking game...how much can you drink / eat before lying down on the floor and crawling into the fetal position...due to an overly worked belly.
-In rugby, we kiss the each girl on the opposing team on the cheek after the game. For those that don't know...traditional and expected greeting here, especially for girls is 1 kiss on the cheek (sometimes between boys that don't know each other they aren't expected to "saludar")...So...after a rugby game, instead of slapping hands and saying good game, you give each girl a peck on the cheek and say good game. At first, I thought this was wierd as shit...not because I am anti-sportsmanship....but because I am sweaty and dead, and I don't want to rub my sweaty and narsty cheek up against some other girl's sweaty and narsty cheek. It was just all too intimate at first, BUT, like most things, I have learned to accept it, and it would now be weird without it.
**Warning...when I do make it to the Guwrfc alumni game....sorry I might try to kiss you on the cheek. Don't be alarmed.
The list could go on, but right now I should start to wrap things up. I am currently sitting in Colonia, Uruguay (had to make a Visa-run). I just ate a Chivito which was delish, and I plan to walk around a bit, and get back on the boat in about 2 hours. I got here at 1030 this morning, and my boat leaves at 4:30ish.
In all, the last few months have been great, and I really feel like I have settled into a life here...with Mati, with Cooper...now with Erin (who we like to call our hija..haha)...a Job, an apartment...real stuff. Good stuff.
But as always, with all the good...there is some bad...and that is that I am so far from all of those people that i love so much....fern, nor, kate, mary, lulu, joc, marta, anne, emi, kat, margaret, ellie...mom, dad, emma, nana, papa jim...the list goes on. It's hard to make a move like this and not feel sad about missing those people...but again..EMBRACING THE GOOD, but not taking away from I MISS AND LOVE YOU ALL SOO MUCH. AND WHEN YOU WANT TO VISIT..COME. Doors are always open.
Okay, so this was my attempt at getting back in the blog-o-sphere. I do want to be better about this, to keep you all updated (those that care...i think I have got a solid 2 followers) and to have some record of all THIS!!!
