Some updates/the wrap-up :(

So

Here is Jess and I messing around by the river in Vicente Lopez. We went out there for a picnic on Alejandro's birthday. He and Jess prepared an awesome picnic of gourmet salad and finger food (hummus, sun dried tomatoes). It ended with the whole crew drinking whiskey on the rocks and singing everything from chacarera to beatles to cumbia to johnny cash. I also ripped my pants trying to yoga in jeans. 

This is at the Argentine Polo open. It's a tournament in Palermo and it is some of the best polo in the entire world.  I know nothing about polo, but I had a great time. I'm really, really interested in riding some horses before I go, and thankfully Ine has invited me to the campo to do it!!

I LOVE VENEZUELANS!!!!! This night started out chatting about Chavez-related horror stories and red wine, followed by a round of drinks from around the world (jager, pisco sour, tequila) and dancing in Crobar for the graduation party of my classmates at UCA. This is Victor and Adriana, both from Caracas. 

This is after a little blues-and-beef dinner we had at the house. Jammed out and drank a lot of wine. Highlight: inventing a chorus backline to an improv song based on a bad joke my dad told. ("osoooo, conejooooo, mierdaaaaa..."). That's Ines on my left and kati on my right, a recent CU grad who lived with Ines a couple years ago. She's awesome! 

Dad playing music at Alejandro's birthday picnic. 

So anyway. 
It's been about two months since I've written. I apologize for that, but it's been a pretty nutty couple of months! Dad came to visit for three weeks. It was a good opportunity to reconnect with some the music opportunities. We got a "job" hosting an internet radio show dedicated to tango. check it out!! www.tangobox.com.ar

Dad had befriended Enrique, the owner of a 'tangueria' (basically an intimate bar with live shows, mostly dedicated to tango) and Enrique had recently launched this project. He wants to have one hour of the show be in English, so he asked my Dad to be the host. Unfortunately, since Dad doesn't speak much spanish and Enqrique doesn't speak much English, in order to get the logistics all sorted out, I needed to help out with some translating. I sort of inserted myself in the host role too because I thought it sounded fun. Haha.

They have a "peña de tango" where the pueblo sings. It's basically an open mic night of classic tango music, but the talent is extraordinary. A lot of passion. Dad decided to play a few country tunes one week, and I got up and did a few more the next. It was a lot of fun, though borderline inappropriate. The people at the bar got a kick out of us, though. 

It's also been a crazy time emotionally. Not so much for me, but for the people around me and I have been trying to provide support for those who have been facing some challenges......

School has been nuts but it is winding down and I'm realizing that I've really learned a lot. I don't feel as much as a fraud when I say I study politics now. Even though there is still a lot I don't know, when it comes to Latin America I am beginning to feel more competent in terms of my knowledge about what the hell is going on on this continent. My last big school projects to knock out are next week, so until then, I can't really put my frame of mind into reflective mode. But I am FREAKING out that I'm leaving in less than 3 weeks. I'm more ready than I was in July, but still not ready. In July, I wasn't completely satisfied with my spanish nor what I had achieved in cultivating my relationship with Argentina. Now my spanish has improved by leagues and I do feel like Argentina and I have a less superficial relationship. But...I'm freaking out about leaving my friends and leaving an environment and lifestyle that has become so normal and enjoyable. I have to start focusing on the things about the states that I really miss so that leaving doesn't feel so sad. And we'll start with....thanksgiving!!

Tomorrow we are having a thanksgiving potluck with some of the american kids from the program here at Ine's house. I'm bringing the rolls, wine, and cutlery (because I can't/won't cook). Mary is preparing a turkey and then there are random assignments involving desserts, green beans, potatoes, etc. It should be interesting given our limitations in the average Buenos Aires supermercado (you can forget cranberry sauce), but it will definitely be fun. There may even be hand-turkeys made of construction paper for decoration.....

But anyway, once my finals and papers are all done with, I'm gonna enter a pretty freaky transition zone...we'll see how it goes...

argentine folkloric music--cool video pablo sent

Here is a wonderful beer commercial that's currently running in Argentina.

This song has been stuck in my head for like a month straight. 

video bar

Check out the cool video thing I added to the side of the page. It shows randomly generated youtube videos of stuff that is relevant to what I'm doing out here (music, futbol, dance) !! cooooooooool. 

Music!

So, I've been exposed to a few different styles of music out here. Between the Brazil trip, my friends from La Peña, and the nights at the Boliches, it's been diverse. So here are just a few highlights what I've heard out here that will stick with me. 

Samba/Brazilian: 

Sergio Mendes, Magdalehna. 

Argentine National Rock

Bersuit Vergarabat, Argentinidad al Palo

Reggaeton/Boliche music

Makano, Te Amo

Daddy Yankee, Llamado de Emergencia

Folkloric Music

(this is the Chacarera, a gaucho dance)

Argentine Reggae

Los Pericos, Parate y Mira

Chill music I listen to at home

Jorge Drexler, Sea

Emmanuel Horvilleur, Llamame

Tango 

(the young people love the electronic stuff)

Pa'Bailar

Orquestra Típica Afronte, Chique (A local live act that plays every week)

Transcends language/country/genre

Manu Chau, Me Gustas Tu

ENJOY!!!!

MMMschool.

Classes are finally in full swing for the "spring" semester. I'm taking Latin American in International Politics, International Security Theory, History and Literature of 20th Century Argentina, and a couple spanish classes.

I feel a lot more confident this semester than last semester, but some of my classes are still fairly difficult to follow (damn Santiago, he speaks so effing fast). Right now I'm pretty unmotivated. I'm still doing most of my work and going to all my classes, but I'm not really enjoying school. I do like talking to the kids and making new friends, but something is not clicking....I think I'm losing interest in politics. 

Everything always sounds interesting in theory, but once I get into the classroom, I feel like I what I'm learning about is irrelevant. I'm starting to see the world from a different perspective. It's like a battle between the political science major and the biology major. What's important to understand about the way the world works: how we humans manipulate it into our own system or how it naturally functions (photosynthesis, eating small rodents...)? I never liked studying biology, so I'm not about to do a 180 on my major, but I am thinking a lot about how little I want to go into politics. Yesterday during class, I got a coffee and medialuna during the break, and with my sugar/caffeine buzz, something came to me. 

I might be happy as a waitress the rest of my life. 

...Hear me out! 

I want to affect this world positively by the time I leave it, but I think I might be destined for a more simple life than I'm preparing myself for. I'm starting to come to terms with the fact that I like living  modestly and I really like being relaxed.  But one of the things that gives me the most joy, is meeting new people. I feel like I would be a more valuable asset to society just providing kindness and decency in an every-day situation. I could inspire people to pay it forward because I served them up magical kindness and joy! So, I would get to meet new people all day, every day  and flash that million dollar smile (well, stock went down a little after the Brazil accident, but you catch my drift), and have enough money to buy mandolin strings and sing on Tuesdays. I honestly think I would be satisfied doing that. 

No? Am I destined for something bigger? What does that even mean..bigger? More important? More consequential? 

I mean, eating is pretty important, and when you get a waiter who is just AWESOME, you leave feeling better about life. Right? I'd love to evoke that in people. 

I don't know. Probably shouldn't waste the thousands of dollars being spent on this education. But this education has given me the opportunity to explore and figure out what really makes my heart beat in this world....

Hey! One thing Buenos Aires has ignited in me is a deep, deep love for the cafe culture. Okay, granted I don't know jack about coffee (ines and I drink instant nescafe every day), and even though Dad has explained how to use the espresso machine a trillion times, I can never remember how to make a latte; nonetheless, every time I walk into a nice (or ratty) cafe, I feel  like all the problems in the world will be juuuuuust fine. SO maybe I open one!  I don't know much about business, but I do know the market is a tad bit inundated with coffee shops, but whatever, that's okay. Where there's passion, there's success. Just need to find me a business partner from Leed's who knows a little sumthin about taxes or whatever. 

Or, I go to law school and become an attorney like I've imagined since I was in grade school. 

Or I drop out of school and pursue a singer/songwriter's career. 

Or, better yet, go to NYC and try my luck on the stage!

Or I stop procrastinating and do my International Security homework. 

expat friends!

This is Jessica and I on my birthday at a bar in Caballito. She and I have become tight after we met each other on a Couch Surfer's expedition to Tigre. (I wrote a blog on that a few months ago). She is from Atlanta and her family moved to Montana where they have a ranch and she rides horsies and such. She teaches me yoga sometimes, we drink lots of mate, go out dancing, listen to music and chat A LOT.  Our life philosophies complement each other, and it's amazing having her around. We appreciate many of the same things about the city and have a lot of authentic experiences in spite of the fact that we are both American (meeting musicians at La Peña, dancing with drummers in San Telmo, wing-woman adventures in bars) I like that she isn't a study abroad student, but has already graduated college and is teaching English at various institutions here in Buenos Aires. She has a different perspective and it's awesome. Plus she's a vegan in this city inundated with meat and cheese, and I've learned a lot from her about creativity, discipline, and integrity.

 

We also have the most hilarious spanglish text messages of all time.