How do you describe waterfalls to a blind person?

It is, for me, like trying to describe the waterfalls of Iguazu to you. Iguazu park spans both Argentina and Brasil, and there are about 2km of waterfalls. There are many superlatives, but none can really describe what it is like to stand [on a catwalk, while wearing a plastic overcoat (think hefty bag in yellow, with a hood) in front of a 7-story waterfall, so close that you feel you could almost touch it; or to stand on another catwalk, at the top of what is called Garganta del Diablo (The Devil's Throat) and look down the largest waterfall in the Iguazu parks, while viewing other waterfalls that surround you expect for a single side, while mist from the water crashing on the rocks rises and rises and rises and then reaches critical mass and then washes over the catwalk in what feels like a warm, and very, very heavy, Spring rain. Once I get back home (that is, BA), I will post a couple pictures for you -- I took between 60-70.

Now, to today's title. Yesterday [in the Argentinian Iguazu national park, we went to the Brasilan one on Friday], several times we passed a tour group that was comprised nearly in total of blind (or legally blind) people. How do you describe a walk in the jungle to someone who can't see it? How do you describe a waterfall? I haven't worked this out in total, but I understand how I would begin to attempt this. This group was with us when we visited the Garganta, and it was amazing to watch this group. To get to Garganta, you have to take a little train ride (think the kind of kiddie train in a zoo), then walk over 300 or so meters of catwalk, over different parts of the river that flows in to the various waterfalls. As you gradually get closer to the waterfalls, it goes like this: the temperature starts to drop, and become more humid; you walk through several mini-islands in the stream; you walk through the third or fourth island, and you start to see mist over the trees in front of you; then you pass through another island, and you can see the very edge of a waterfall in the distance; then, you start to get even close and the sound of the waterfall starts to be heard; then you pass through another island and find yourself at the end of the catwalk, being covered in the mist-rain and the sound of the waterfalls is at an incredible volume. Now, imagine doing this with a blindfold on. As the blind people arrived at the end of the catwalk, they would laugh and scream in joy as they felt the mist-rain and heard the waterfalls. At one point, they all joined together and started jumping up and down and singing a song. The joy on their faces was incredible and I hope I never forget it.

I still haven't finished writing about Iguazu in my private journal (yes, not everything I do ends up here -- if I manage to find a publisher for this blog, I do want additional stories and details to include, and there are also many things that I just don't care to share with a large audience right now, as I'm sure you can imagine). When I do, I will post a longer and more descriptive piece on Iguazu.

Oh, and the mosquitoes here are either immune to Skin So Soft (as witnessed by the ring of 5-6 bites around my right elbow (who knew elbows were so tasty??)), or I was just too tired to be applying the lotion evenly and thickly enough. It's also worth noting that if you're going to visit waterfalls and are told In Advance that You Will Get Wet, that it is an incredibly good idea to bring your anti-mosquito lotion with you, as the water WILL wash it away.

Sometimes I get so excited that rational thought just escapes me.

Not so much

I am not so much the backpacker in these shoes. At least, not yet. I was reading a local fashion magazine, and one of the Fashion TV reporters was shown in a similar outfit to mine (albeit, more expensive duds). So, with the right clothes and my jean jacket (and no daypack), I just look rather stylish. Go me.

Though, when the shoes start dying and getting rather dirty, the Backpacker Look will be mine (much to my chagrin -- I count myself as a traveller, not a tourist/backpacker).

Someone I'm acquainted with in Seattle (from one of my dance classes) is flying to Argentina as I write this. We are going dancing and to dinner tomorrow night. He wants to go to a restaurant in what is probably the most expensive neighborhood in BA...prices can be upwards of $20USD for an entree, and drink prices are the same as in the US (remember the post about the Sapphire gin and tonic I had?). Maybe he will buy dinner...

W barely spoke to each other in class, but a mutual friend mentioned to me that he was going to Argentina [this conversation was before I left] and I chatted to the guy. I find it interesting that people you hardly know suddenly will make time for you (and vice versa) when a foreign locale is involved. Not interesting in a bad or good way, just interesting. He's only in BA for four days, and three of those days I will be in Iguazu (23 miles of waterfalls, and Brasil, here I come!!)

I found out he was coming on Tuesday evening, so this is rather sudden for me, and I must remember to be on time to his hotel tomorrow -- not on El Tiempo de Argentina.

¡Taxxxiiiiii!

Pretty toes and running shoes

I now look like a backpacker on holiday.

Though, I wear better clothes than the average backer.

My new running shoes are quite comfy. Yet, they do not match the one purse I have (nor would they match most, if any, leather purses), so I am using my daypack while I wear the shoes. Regardless that [today] I am wearing black capri pants and a black t-shirt, I still look like a backpacker now that I'm wearing Reeboks and carrying a new, good-quality daypack. ¿Que puedo hacer? What can you do if you want to treat your feet and knees well? At least the shoes are a periwinkle and grey color, and the daypack is a lovely indigo color. Otherwise, I don't think I could handle it.

I never thought this day would come.

My toes are lovely

Recently returned from my first-ever pedicure. The poor woman had her work cut out for her -- my feet definitely show all the signs of a walk-a-lot vacation. Now, I do not want to wear the ultra-comfy running shoes (yes, I said running shoes -- if you do not know me, you should know this is not something anyone would expect me to buy). I bought the shoes because I needed better shoes for walking, as my feet are always sore after walking in my flats or flip flops. Also, I'm going to visit the Iguazu waterfalls next weekend, and I wanted shoes that were a little more appropriate for tramping around a national park that is dominated by water.

The shoes are lovely. Where else can you buy a new pair of Reeboks for about $40 USD? OK. Thailand. But you get the idea.

OK. Time to read other blogs and then go out for dinner. Note: dinner at 9-10pm is insanely early.

Bombs in Buenos Aires

As you may have heard on the news, there were three bombs planted in ATM kiosks on Wednesday. A security guard was killed, and a fireman injured.

I didn't find out about this until yesterday, from someone in Seattle... I only read the local [English language] newspaper on Fridays.

I was sitting in a cafe on the Avenida 9 de Julio (aka, the widest street in the world, clocking in at 14 or so lanes), having tea with someone from the residence. I don't yet know exactly where the bombings were (I haven't read the paper I bought at lunch).

So, I'm fine. At least it wasn't an embassy or consulate -- I was having tea in the heart of the embassy/consulate neighborhood (the friend is an embassy intern).

A little more about BA

So, a friend sent me an email earlier this week, asking about some details of BA, and it made me realize I've been writing mostly about my day-to-day travails. So here you go:

I happen to live very close to Congresso. Yes, that is the Congress building. It is covered in graffiti, and there are regularly protests in front of it. It seems unusual to me that a government would let their building of Congress become so wildly defaced.

The light in the sky, at about twilight, most nights is a magical shade of blue -- the sort of blue you see on some CSI episodes, or in movies. I've tried to capture it with my camera, but have not yet done so successfully. It is really very lovely.

Tipping in taxis is not really standard. Last night, after coming home for three hours of Cuban salsa dance classes (oh yeah!!), I tipped the driver one peso, on a 10 peso trip. He was surprised and proclaimed me ¨muy amable¨(very kind). The same thing happened this morning (I took a taxi to school), when I just rounded my payment by about 20 centavos. Am not sure if they recognize me as a non-porteña and are flattering me, or if they are really that surprised by a little propina. As a side note, if the fare comes to 4.14, the driver will generally just say the fare is 4 pesos.

There are not coins smaller than 5 centavos.

The police here, well, sometimes they just don't care. Case in point: a little grocery store moved in directly below my residence, a few weeks ago. I arrived at the residence at about 11.40pm and heard 'boom' 'boom' 'boom boom' and 'whizzzzzz' (I don't know how to better describe a power saw). High on adrenaline, and needing to do my homework, I did my homework. All the while, my bed was vibrating, and I'm *two* floors above the grocery. At 1am, I went to the kitchen for a snack, and the construction was still going on. The girl who is in the room right next to the kitchen came out, lamenting the noise. She said it sounded like someone was chipping away at her wall and was going to come bursting through. One of the proprietors came downstairs, and threw a stone (not a small one...) over the wall, on to their roof. No cessation. He called the store. No cessation. He called the police. They never appeared. The girl went downstairs to try to talk to them: the proprietor pretended to not understand spanish (they are Chinese, I think), and the Argentinian worker said he couldn't stop because he needed about another two hours to finish his project. It was then, 2am.

Alfajores are my favorite (cheap) dessert. They are unique to Argentina, or so I've been told. They are like little cakes, and you can buy them in kiosks everywhere, and in some restaurants. I'm addicted to them, and if I wasn't walking and dancing like I currently am, I would surely be putting on weight (as a side note, I've lost at least 10 pounds so far, since I've arrived here).

Traffic is nuts is here. If there is a space, the car or motorcycle will take it. Lanes painted on the road are just a suggestion. Motorcycles 'ride the slot'. So do taxi drivers.

Pedestrians (including me) are a little nuts here. People just jaywalk. If there is enough time and space to cross a street, you cross. Regardless of the light. I've had to explain to a few people (including a European) the concept of jaywalking, and explaining that it is a fine-able offense in some American cities. Especially Seattle.

The cheese in Argentina has little flavor. I would do many things for some fresh, rich mozzarella. Or cheddar. Or goat's milk cheese. Or Gouda. I have found a Gouda that I enjoy -- probably because it has crushed peppercorns in it. I'm not sure if the cheese is better quality (it's more expensive) or if it's just more flavorful because of the peppercorns.

I now eat fries with a fork. Unless I'm eating a cheeseburger.

I still eat pizza with my hands, though.

Now, meat cooked on a parilla (grill), the Argentinians have the world beat. I have steaks at least a few times each week. They are not marinated, yet they have the most incredible flavors, depending on the restaurant and the age of their grill. If you know what seasoning a [frying] pan is, you will understand this. The grills are cleaned superficially, but never scrubbed down to the actual metal. Hence, all the flavors from what is grilled, and the fat, are permanently on the grill and flavor everything else that is grilled. De. Lic. Ious. And, you can get a good steak for under $12 pesos ($4USD).

Other notes: I will [finally] learn the past tense (well, one of four that exist in Spanish) on Monday. Yay!

No more ants or other insects in my bedroom.

The sun is starting to appear again!! In time for the weekend!! Unfortunately, that will mean mosquitos...

A man in my salsa class last night was entranced by my eyes (blue), and told me they were like lights in his heart. ¨Los ojos esta´ como luzes en mi corazon.¨ If he wasn't so sweet and a good dancer, I would have just brushed him off. As it was, I found him charming and sweet. He kissed my hand when it was time to change partners.

So, that's it for now. Have a lovely weekend.

Oh, the trials and tribulations of being on vacation...

So, went to the Brasilian consulate yesterday, to do take care of my visa application. It was a very rapid process, and I will be picking up my passport and visa later this afternoon.

After coming back from the consulate (lunch between), I fell in to bed, desperately needing a siesta. When I woke, I found a black ant, WITH WINGS, on my pillow -- right next to my head. So, I take the pillow outside and let it free. Then I find a few more. I do the same as with the first. THEN, I look at my wall, and notice an ant trail leading to the top of the painting above my bed. Folks, the entire top ledge of the painting was moving. There must have been 200-300 ants. What do I do? Freak out, run out of my room, shake out my hair repeatedly fearing that there is an ant in my hair (it was on the same pillow as my head, the first one I saw), get one of the owners. He came up with a can of Raid, and dispatched them all to death. He speaks little English, but does know how to say 'dangerous' (smelling the Raid fumes) and 'kill'. To 'kill', I responded 'mate´ mate´ mate´'. We laughed.

I can laugh about it now, but I was not pleased. There is not food in my room, and noone has a good theory as to why they were heading to the top of the painting.

Last night, I saw something resembling a silver fish on my wall. It quickly died.

This morning, I woke up before my alarm (I forgot to lower my bamboo window shade, to block the sun), and saw another silver fish-y thing crawling towards me. On. My. Bed.

Why. Please why. Why am I living in the insect room?? Noone else has anything like this happen. There is no food in my room, and I got rid of the Ricola lozenges weeks ago. Do ants like the smell of Skin So Soft???

Other than this, yesterday was fine.

Spanish class is coming along. I'm studying a little more (I've started to make flash cards for verbs and vocabulary), and that helps a great deal. I'm not big on studying a lot, here -- it is a vacation after all.

I want to try and get out of the siesta habit. I love siestas, but I end up more tired because I stay up later and then have to wake up at a specific time in the morning.

The sun came out for a bit yesterday, and I slapped on the sunscreen and enjoyed it (before the siesta). The sky, today, can't decide whether to let the sun shine (like this morning) or to hide the sun behind clouds (like right now). I'm off to take my clothes to the lavedera (I love having my laundry done for me -- for 60 cents) and then run some errands. Here's to hoping the sun is out again today.

Oh, the trials and tribulations of being on vacation...

Rainy weekend

The rain in Buen' falls mainly on my windowpane.

Still. It rains in BA. Though, there was a little sun yesterday morning, and after slathering on sunblock, I revelled in it and took it in. More freckles are appearing on me.

Yesterday was a good day. Talked for nearly two hours with a friend back home. After a week of sorely missing my friends, it was luxurious (and generous of his time). It was like a big hug from afar. Today, will be calling my just-before-leaving roommate. She will probably get Bravado to sing for me, and my eyes will get all misty at missing her and the cats...

Also wrote a seven page (handwritten in a spiral notebook) outline of the first novel I am working on, yesterday. Was very good to do so, and am glad that I did because now I have something concrete to look at and work from. Starting a novel is such a big thing and I often feel lost as to where to start and how to proceed. After I get some lunch (after I finish this entry), will be going back to the residence to start the first chapter. The novel will be a modern version of The House of Mirth. THOM resonates very deeply with me, and it will be difficult to write it so that it is not overly autobiographical. Though, I once saw an interview with John Updike, or John Cheever, or another similar writer, and he said 'every year I start to write my autobiography. Then, I start lying about the events, and that's where my new novel comes from each year.' I am conflicted about rewriting a novel that is so personally resonant to me. However, I am confident that the story is still timely. It's just a matter of how much of my personal experience I invest into my novel. I have always shied away from using my personal experience as a major source for my own writing (I prefer, instead, to just make stories up from my imagination), because I don't feel I have the distance to write about my own life in a solid way. Also, if you're writing largely based on your own life, I call that an autobiography and not fiction. Though, any time someone writes something, part of them will always be revealed. While I deeply share myself with a few of my friends, and share myself in a way with you, the blog reader, I am rather wary of opening myself up deeply to a large audience that is unknown to me. What is the balance? I will discover it.

Oh, and finally went to see La Jugada (Croupier) on Friday night. Very nice. And that's not just a comment about being able to watch Clive Owen for a couple hours...

Rediscovering joie de vivre

Today is much better than the other days this week. Last night, I went to a Cuban salsa dance class. I'd thought I was bored with salsa dancing (in Seattle), but I realize now that I just needed a change of salsa scenery. I had an incredible time last night, and will start taking salsa classes at least 1-2x per week. The instructor is a bit sassy. The class I was in last night was far below the level I was at in Seattle, and I will definitely be attending more difficult classes.

But oh, I had so much fun. The adrenaline rush was fantastic and it was great to get out and shake my thang.

I don't even feel that tired anymore.

Am determined to see a movie tonight. Last week, we were too late to see Croupier. However, it has a later showing this week, and I hope to see it tonight.

I also heard about a 'club' here (I use that term loosely), that has comfy seating and a stack of board games from here to the ceiling. A night of pictionary sounds fun. I just have to see if some others are interested, too.

Still, I want the sniper rifle and rocket launcher (and whatever new, fun firearms there are) in Halo.

Really, if you know someone in Buenos Aires with an X-box, do let me know...

Where is the sun?

Oh, it´s starting to peek out a little right now. Was just at lunch, reading a book and having my ´normale´ lunch in my preferred sandwicheria, only to witness a sudden onslaught of rain. Like is possible in Seattle, the rain stopped and the sun came out. It´s brighter than it has been in days, so here´s to hoping there is sun this weekend. My tan is fading... I know, I know. It´s lucky when a Seattleite has a tan this time of year. I´ve worked hard to get here.

Am still exhausted all the time -- no matter how much I sleep and how well I eat. Don´t know if this is because of the sadness/mild depression, or from the sore throat, or from my body just going on another phase of relaxing and releasing stress from pre-trip. In any case, after I finish watching the newest Red vs Blue episode (the lovely rvb guys have done several episodes this week, in honor of Halo 2).

For those of you who don´t know, I am not someone you would look at and think ¨wow, I bet she is a gamer.¨ I have my girly tendencies (just watch me shop in Lush), and I don´t sit in front of a computer all day long, to the exclusion of everything else. I have a button on my jean jacket that says ´Book Nerd´ (try explaining *that* to someone who doesn´t speak English as a native speaker, even if they speak English very well -- I have, and it´s not easy), and I´ve been told that I don´t look like a book nerd. These are people that do not realize that of the 20 or so boxes of belongings that I kept from my apartment, 8 or so are books. And I won´t even go into the number of books I gave away to friends/sold/gave to Goodwill. There were many dead trees in my apartment and three bookshelves were nowhere near enough for holding all the books. I need a room for a personal library.

I have my ticket for my trip to Iguazu. Now, I just have to find out about if I really need a visa or not for Brasil. It´s over $100 USD, and I´m only going to be in Brasil for a few hours... I wouldn´t mind going back to Brasil (a las playas), but still, $100 USD is pretty rich -- I can live for about 2-2.5 weeks on that.

Speaking of money, I may start doing a little freelance work for a friend of mine -- mostly writing. It doesn´t pay a great deal, but over time it can certainly add up to allow me to either return to Argentina at the end of my trip, or provide money to allow me more time to find a regular job [outside the US] towards the end of my trip. I am hesitant to do any work (after all, this is a vacation). However, I am serious when I say it is my preference to not return to the US and this would help enable me to do this. And besides, it would be an excellent excuse for my friends to travel internationally... :)

Not homesick, but missing home

To me, being homesick is when you miss everything at home so much that you want to return, despite the cost and despite cutting a trip short.

To wit, I am not homesick.

Like I mentioned yesterday, I miss my friends and a few things about home. I talked to one of my two bestest friends today (!!!), and that was really nice. However, after not talking to each other for almost a month, it's hard to say everything within 30 minutes. It's just not anywhere near enough time. It's barely enough time to say 'hi, [xxx] is what is happening in my life' and 'how is [yyy] going in your life. and congrats on the new condo!'.

If I call home very much, I get homesick. So, sorry to those of you who know me and may feel slighted by not having a phone call. Aside from my mother, there are only three people I try and call now and then (because of the time difference, people are rarely answering their phones when I call) (and my mother has only heard from me once...).

I can't me gusta verbos reflexivos, but I can say that I can now use them properly. About freakin' time.

OK. The latest episode of Red vs Blue is nearly finished downloading. Time for me to indulge -- since I don't know anyone in Buenos Aires who has Halo 2. IWANNAPLAYIWANNAPLAYIWANNAPLAY!!!! I could use some quality time with automatic firearms...

Know anyone in Buenos Aires with an x-box? I'd even consider buying Halo 2 for them...seriously.

ps mood is improving.

Muchas poco cosas

First, Skin So Soft has proven to be highly effective. The day I woke up with the mosquito bite on my face was due to my not applying the lotion liberally and effectively enough. I have not found a new bite for several days. Skin So Soft has my recommendation.

Saturday saw me and three other chicas from the residence taking the train out of town to La Plata. [as a little side note, "plata" means silver, and colloquially means dinero (money).] It is a college town, and was unusually deserted for a Saturday. Either they were at the beaches, or they were in the libraries studying. La Plata is very lovely and we all nearly immediately felt relaxed just walking around. The best and nicest plazas I've seen were in La Plata, and the streets are remarkably clear of dog poo. Speaking of dogs, there is a whole population there of dogs that just hang out on the street. They are not vicious, nor are they aggressive in any way -- they just slept in the sun.

My face got sunburnt on Saturday (applied the Skin So Soft, by mistake, instead of the sunscreen...), and today my nose is peeling.

Sunday, I did precious little except lie in bed and read. I made a little pilgrimage for food in the afternoon, and went out to dinner with a couple others late in the evening. It was at Cumana, a regional [Argentinian] food restaurant, and it was my favorite meal here. Just a simple canneloni with sweet corn and cheese. Yummm.

I'm doing better with the reflexive verbs. Finally had the best explanation of how and when they're used today, and the proper usage finally makes much more sense. Reflexive verbs don't exist in English (reflexive actions are expressed as "I woke myself" not "I me woke"). I'm starting to think in Spanish, and that helps the whole learning Spanish phase. I dream occasionally in Spanish. This is probably because I generally do my homework before going to bed. It seems like my speaking Spanish is going a little slowly. However, I do fine with the simple questions (Where are you from, how long are you here for) and for requesting things in shops. This morning, I was running late and took a taxi to school -- I gave instructions for my destination (albeit, not difficult) in Spanish, and the taxi driver started to say something else to me and was surprised when I said I didn't understand, as I was just starting to study Spanish). The real difficulty is practicing Spanish. Everyone I live with speaks good to excellent Spanish, and it takes me a while to compose non-very-simple sentences, and I'm very conscious of my limited vocabulary. Also, I still haven't learned the past verb tense, so it is difficult to communicate some things in Spanish. Someone did tell me how to say 'I went', 'I saw' and 'I ate' this weekend, and that was extremely useful. Yo fue (sp?) a La Plata, yo be (sp?) muchos plazas y perros y yo comei (sp?) uno guisando irlandesa.

A few things I miss: fog; hugs from my friends; my pillow. I was very sad yesterday, from missing hugs and from several other personal reasons (sadness not related to being in Argentina -- sadness from some events from earlier this year). I'm feeling a bit better today, but still sad. I've slept a lot the past several days and I haven't felt much inspiration to do anything other than go to classes. I haven't gone on a walk in days (aside from it having been somewhat rainy here recently), and I've just felt like being alone. I've been reading a lot, too. Alas, reading in English, not Spanish.

In brighter news, I discovered a channel that shows CSI. Five nights a week. This made me very happy.

I guess it goes to illustrate my state of mind if I'm taking the time to channel surf in the evening, and watch tv, instead of going out in to the city.

The sadness will pass, I know. One of the reasons I was so happy to leave on my trip, was that it was providing me with a geographical distance from several things that happened this year. The sadness I'm feeling is after the realization of aspects of these past events. I have a post I wrote about a month ago, about some of what I've gone through this year, and one of these days I will edit it and post it. Until then, just know that several major friendships of mine went through much turmoil, and I [intentionally] count fewer friends today than I did a year ago.

Tomorrow will mark four weeks since I arrived in Argentina. Time flies too quickly.

Technical difficulties

It came to my attention yesterday that my blog was unviewable online. Turns out at least half of the template was mysteriously erased... I think it happened because I made an update to it, and the i-cafe I was in didn´t have the bandwidth to handle a sizable update.

Anyway, received a comment on my blog, so someone can see it... Am hoping that with this post, the blog will reappear. I´ve chosen a new template, and today will be re-adding all the links and info that was on the previous sidebar. Here´s to hoping I don´t leave anything out. :)

Will post later with info from my weekend.

Hang on tightly, let go lightly

The responsibility of making plans for the weekend trip to Colonia was mine. I just tried to book a package (boat and hotel), and they are all sold out. Someone else was going to go with me, and will likely be a touch upset... However, there are still spaces to do a day trip on Sunday, so maybe that will happen.

The weather here feels exactly like Seattle. It is still Spring, so there are many fluctuations in the weather. Gone is the hot weather of last weekend and early this week. Today, it is maybe 60 degrees (tops), slightly overcast and just plain cold. Note that 60 degrees is now cold for me -- it didn't used to be that way...

The film Croupier is opening here tonight, and I want to go see it. I love Clive Owen and this film. "Hang on tightly, let go lightly." Maybe tonight I will go to the cinema.

Started learning reflexive verbs in Spanish class today. Oh dear. There are terms in Spanish that just don't have an English equivalent -- they make sense, but they are difficult to initially understand. I will be studying A LOT this weekend. No me gusta los verbos reflexivos.

I have to subtract cinco puntos from Skin So Soft (or subtract cinco puntos from my ability to apply equal coverage to myself). I have a mosquito bite to the left of my left eye. Sooo attractive -- especially if it balloons up like others have.

Today has been a day of missed connections and misfires.

Oh, and I did manage to get some dinner delivered last night. Including a completely decadent postre.

The war with mosquitos

Armed myself yesterday with Avon´s Skin So Soft lotion. It is rumored to be a very effective deterrent to mosquitos and other biting insects.

Trial run last night. No new mosquito bites this morning (was averaging 1-3 each morning previous).

Diez puntos Avon!!!

Rain, rain go away

Snigger all you want. It is raining here and has been most of the day, and part of the last couple days. Right now, it´s the kind of rain that isn´t heavy, but will soak your clothing in about five minutes.

I am drenched.

I meant to go to a Cuban salsa dance class tonight. However, I took the wrong subte station (I think my map is a little lacking on the area I was in). Received directions to go one way. They were wrong. Turned around and went the other way. Found out that where I wanted to go was to the left, but I had to turn back to the main street (where the bloody subte station is) and walk a few blocks to the left. So I did. Turned where I thought I needed to be, only to talk to a concierge who said I had to go back to the main street, walk NINE more blocks, and then turn right. As the class started at 8, and it was getting on towards 8.45, I started back home. It took forever to get back and now I´m starving, with only a 100 peso note.

The problem with 100 peso notes is that many small cafes and restaurants balk at them, as it will take most of their change to give you change. And as the grocery store by my residence -- where you can buy 5 pesos worth of anything and get change for a 100 note -- has closed for the day.

Argh.

Otherwise, day was fine. Went to lunch with a new guy from my Spanish class. I´d thought we´d hit it off a bit in class. However, he frequently stared at my left breast throughout lunch. I am not even wearing a tight shirt... So, maybe not someone to, uhh, practice speaking Spanish with...

What a day.

As an American abroad

...I do not want to return. Perhaps I will stay (or return to) in South America, where living is cheap. Otherwise, I will certainly have to return, as I will be out of travel funds by this time next year -- unless I work at some point. If it is possible, I will try to work somewhere or maybe return to the original plan of teaching English somewhere. It is absolutely my preference to not return to the US with Bush as president. However, if I don't return for four more years, my mother might disown me...

I stayed up late in to the night watching CNN (with the recent time change in the states, BA is five hours ahead of PST); waking up at 6.30am to check CNN, and then again at 9.30am.

I am surprised by the amount of support Bush received during the election. Or maybe my expectations were too high, and I shouldn't be surprised. In any case...

It is a dark day.

Mosquito-ville

There are mosquitos here. Big. Fat. Aggressive. Very aggressive. I have an allergic reaction to them. Case in point: my first mosquito bite (left hip) was aggravated, red, larger than the size of a quarter [coin], and higher than a quarter. I still have a mark on my hip (and now, two new bites on my right hip -- at least I will be coordinated...). The bites on my arms look like mumps. Last Monday, I woke to two red spots. First, [amusingly] I thought a baby vampire had found me. Second, [much less amusingly] I worried I was developing skin cancer, despite all the sunblock I use. So I freaked about for 30 minutes, then went to my Spanish class. By the end of the class, two mumps were starting to form. Amazingly, I was able to refrain from scratching them and breaking the skin. They are now only 80% healed. It takes about 10 days or so for a mosquito to heal, on me. I fear going somewhere and getting dengue or yellow fever. I killed one a few nights ago, and it left a large blood splat on my shoe and on the wall. Damn mosquitos. Avon´s Skin So Soft lotion is rumored to detract mosquitos and other insects, and I´ve seen an Avon store here. I intend on seeing if they have Skin So Soft. Damn mosquitos. There are many, stronger words to I use to describe them in my head, but I don´t want to lower the tone of my blog...

Went on a picnic to an ecological reserve park, yesterday. It´s on the Rio de la Plata, and Uruguay is on the other side of the river. As Buenos Aires has no proper beaches, that I´ve heard about or read about, the local porteños flock to the park. We had to walk about two miles into the park in order to find a tree with shade that was unoccupied by others. It was nice to watch the sailboats on the river, and it reminded me how much I would like to do some sailing.

It is interesting to note that within five or so miles of the park, there are smokestacks.

Surprisingly, there were no mosquitos in the park. Or maybe just no mosquitos that found me.

After we were herded out of the park at closing time, we went for a walk in the immediate neighborhood, Puerto Madera. PM is a rich part of town -- full of new condos, swank and slick cafes and restaurants, many purebred dogs and lots of obvious money. It was also the first place I had a drink that had ice in it. However, I was pleased to pay the $12 pesos ($4 USD) in order to have a Bombay gin and tonic. It was delicious. After you cross a little bridge and walk a couple more blocks, the BA that I´m starting to know returned. There are other rich neighborhoods that I´ve seen (including Barrio Norte which reminds me of Park Avenue, with its grand old facades, sleek marble lobbies and well-groomed concierges; Palermo Soho, with its hip and ultra-stylish residents and shops and restaurants and clubs), but PM is very sleek and is very reminiscent of new communities found in Seattle and Portland.

Random BA fact: McDonald´s delivers. Many restaurants and cafes deliver. Even the heladerias (ice cream shops) deliver.