boliviana

helloooo.

update- in bolivia and its freaking cold here. right now im in potosi which is supposedly the highest city (altitud wise) in the world...ive been traveling around the southern part of the country and its absolutely beautiful. was supposed to start my journey back to cordoba this morning but there wasnt enough passengers so the bus didnt go....hopefully the night bus will depart. everythings closed today because yesterday was mothers day...hence after walking around all morning, eating some delicious lunch in which i was definitely the only tourist in the restauarant, and running into these awesome argentine guys i met on a tour a few days ago in uyuni....i find myself in an internet cafe.
also, i forgot how slow the internet could be. I remember when my dad first got dial up and used aol. everytime id call him the phone line would be busy. remember the movie youve got mail? whatever happen to meg ryan?

going on day 8 of same clothes and looking forward to a fresh laundry and studying (not) have a big test monday and realized its practically june (weird)

also since my dad and brother arent coming during my free week in june im going to travel up north to catamarca and work for this lady i met in a hostel here. she owns a farm and was super cool. born in spain, raised in germany, also speaks french and english and lives in northern argentina. she was traveling with her daughter and mom and i ran into her a few times during my travels.

have lots to write about re my experiences in bolivia.

also FOUND poloroid film!! Score!!! 10 more photos for my trip. even though i think my camera is slightly broken after being shufffled around in my abackpack during a horseback riding trip a few days ago.


amor y paz y besos de bolivia.

One tired Guanaca

“To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” 

-Aldous Huxley

Hello from the sweet comfort of my bed. Man...I'm exhausted.  Long weekend...you'll get the idea if you read on I suppose....

Thursday night I was stoked to go see this band called the Cocineros. They're from Argentina and are really awesome live (incidentally quite audibly pleasing via computer as well). I've seem them play and discovered them (by chance) at a Brazilian music festival at a place called 9/90 (Nueve Noventa) a so called "art club" with live music. (I really like 9/90). Anyways, last time I saw them they started around 2AM and played till around 5. So my friends and I figured it'd be a similar situation at this place "Tsunami". But no..we took a cab over after getting together at  Maggies and learned they started at 11! aka, supa early for Argentine night life. We missed them. But we did meet some cool people,and watch this other band..which was good although the singer was slightly annoying...After we headed over to this other place with some newfound friends and made it home kinda late (early??) Maggie slept over and we went to class and learned about Israeli/Palestine conflict Yaaaa woo.

The not as good as the cocineros band: 

Some art on a wall outside of Tsunami

Friday night, more anticipation ensued. Saskia's boyfriend Gus works for Fernet (the very Argentine liquor) and there was  a 90's themed event at some club called Trip....a little bit outside my barrio...

While I didn't have much energy to make it out again, I drank lots of mate (which has something similar to caffeine in it, thats me with my mate ) showered (applause please), and realized that I had paid 20   pesos for the entrance already. So Maggie, Emily and I headed over to Gus's house where she's living now...appropriately listened to 90s music and had some Fernet. We show up to the club and ..I don't know why I didn't expect this from Argentine's...were the ONLY ones dressed up. And we looked pretty ridiculous. Also, they played maybe 5 or 6 legitimate 90s songs which was a total letdown.   Appearance is super important here and I have to remember that not everyones like my weird group of friends who like getting dressed up and being, well:

 So while we donned leggings, crazy make up and colors, the swarm of flat-ironed long flowy straight haired, size 2, skinny jeans, fashionable leather boot wearing Argentine girls passed and looked on with curiosity I wanna say..perhaps jealousy RIGHT! haha Anyways, some of our friends went to an "after" where you go (can you guess?) after a club to,thats right, dance some more! I couldn't sustain, my comfy bed called and apparently it did to Maggie too because she stayed the night again (I think its my mattress pad top- so comfortable). The next day we made a delicious salad, this is completely superfluous information but we went to 4 different places for ingredients AND I found ginger and made lime ginger water which was dank. Also watched Pan's Labyrinth without subtitles. Spanish accent is a lot harder to understand for me..

Possibly too excited about our salad?:

heyyy self timer technoologgyyy

Really excited for the 90s night apparently?

Saturday night my landlord took me and my roommates out to a steak dinner. He ordered for us and I'm glad because he knew what to get. A delicious meal, complete with delicious wine and ending deliciously FREE. AND he has a car...its always exciting driving some place. Although cab rides can be quite entertaining so I've experienced here....

After I got home from dinner with my 1027 obispo trejo family, we all parted ways. I went over to Lucas's (VJ homie) house to go out with him and his friends. We went to Dorien Gray, where he works and I ran into some friends, and met some new ones. One of Lucas's friends who also works in dorien told me she knew of this really cool party going on that night and we left dorien for a couple hours to go. I'm so glad I went....It was this house converted into a sort of bar/stage..so there was live music down in its big basement and they put swings in the rooms and there was really awesome art on the walls. It was more my.... for lack of better word "scene?"

After 3 hours of sleep, woke up this morning to go to a friends farm about an hour outside of the city for an Asado. It was beautiful day...we hung out on the farm, relaxed, walked all along the river had a really nice conversation with maggie on our walk about everything from personality traits and cultural barriers, to highschool,  and Argentine class participation. Nelson (who has the farm), Asier, Ekaitz, and Nico killed the pig yesterday and cooked it all day and nothing else matters but I rode a horse!! 

ok I'm tired, heres some pictures from el campo  hoy:

This little piggy went to the....

And its leg went to the....

Yummy fish

2 Basques, 1 Chilean, 2 Argentines and 5 Basque shirts

Note to my friends: this should be the statue on my grave

heyyyy action shot

Lots of love to everyone I love from lovely argentina.

PS Congratulations to Lara, whos graduating...this week I think...I wish I could be there to give you a big hug and share a joose or two.

Cheers!

Odds and Ends

I forgot to write about a march I went to the other day (last Wednesday, to be specific) Saskia and I headed to the center of the city to find the long trail of people with drums, posters, signs, flyers,etc. Marches here seem to be relatively frequent for various causes. The one we went to last week addressed the treatment of women, specially trafficking women as sex slaves. Man, I could really get into this subject but this isn't my social justice platform. (Do me a favor? Visit www.notforsalecampaign.org)

The front of it:

Saskia, reading a flyer off to the right there:

And it culminated in Plaza San Martin:

This is from the Basque party I went to last weekend (Note Argentine and Basque flags):

Also, I downloaded pictures from Asier's Birthday dinner on Tuesday....

Nico, from Chile...and some really good fish:

Ekaitz, new French roommate Claire, and other Frenchy Marie:

(Ekaitz, after seeing the cake I made [jokingly, of course] said he wanted to marry me...Basque people are in love with anything Basque...)

Happy Birthday! We sang it in 5 different languages (Spanish, Basque, English, French, German) International love at its finest.

After years of denial..I think I should just say, I kinda look like my mom:

I look like a 12 year old..

Today, I:

picked up my laundry and finished my own

put my underwear on the heater to dry faster and then they burned (totally something my dad would do)

got my hair cut (hence 12 year old...):

watched a movie with Maggie, Asier, Nelson, and Saskia (Stranger Than Fiction, which had French subtitles and NOT Spanish...weird?)

made really really delicious chicken fajitas for friends

mmmm about it.

tomorrow- history class and brazilian consulate for my visa.

My weekend

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to my mom and grandma...I know its late but I hope you had a beautiful Sunday. Sending lots of amor from Argentina...

Last Friday I went to Alta Córdoba, a neighborhood about 10 minutes-ish/ 10 pesos worth in a cab with my roommate Sarah, my friend Emily and her roommate mark. We went to a bar/restaurant called "Un Lugar" which means "A place" So I went to un lugar called un lugar, essentially. It was really cool, one of the neatest places as far as ambience/etc that I've been here. They played Feist and Sting and had really delicious pizza and drinks. There were candles and antique things everywhere, typewriters, old books, old  musical instruments and dim lighting. I wish I would've taken a picture, but I'm not sure it wouldve turned out.

Saturday I went to the Basque Cultural center- two of my good friends Ekaitz and Asier are from Basque Country. They had a Basque  party there complete with Basque dancing and really tasty wine with fruit. We stayed till about 5 Am hanging out there. I tried to do Basque dancing but looked like a fool. Its hard...and weird. Think... renaissance dancing.

And this is how I spent my Sunday:

Right...so basically nothing but hang out at home and play on the computer with my roommate, Gera.

I did cook a delicious Spanish rice dish that took awhile. I also....cleaned my room, sort of.

Speaking of clean, I finally did laundry today. By that I took it to get washed. And did a load here at my house. I can't wait to have a fresh smelling towel. I think it'll motivate me to shower more often.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASIER! Tonight I went to dinner at his house (also Maggie and Ekaitz house) He made delicious Basque food, soup, fish, calamari....and I baked him a coconut cake earlier today and decorated it is the flag of Basque Country

 

Me (quite proud of my work) and my delicious coconut/dulce de leche masterpiece:

MOM I CUT OFF ALL MY HAIR TODAY!!

Just kidding.

Ha...

Me and my two favorite Basque boys:

Maggie, Asier, and I:
Me and Asier:

I'm excited, it feels like autumn. Its getting cold here. And it rained today! Out come the trendy argentines with their flashy printed scarves and waterproof wear.

Tomorrow I  don't have class and I'm going to get my hair cut. I like Wednesdays, remember?

Un besito y muchos abrazos a todos.