todavía no gatitos

Time has started to fly by. Although the five-hour class periods have proven to get more and more boring, the excessive length is truly not that bad. Obviously I would easily give up these Spanish classes for, well, just about anything in the world, but it’s no longer a death sentence.

Uruguay is officially booked! Two weeks from right now I will be sitting a ferry taking me across the Río de la Plata. Yes, an overnight ferry/bus journey to Uruguay. I was a little hesitant at first but we get to save a night in the hostel PLUS we will be on the beach by 10AM. Not too bad. I have also begun planning weekend trips to Chile (for Lollapalooza!), Iguazú, Rosario, and Córdoba, and I hope to also squeeze in a trip to Mendoza before winter sets in!

Wednesday after school I went with Abbie and Paloma to the Jardín Japonés. It was a gorgeous,

sunny, 80-degree day…perfect conditions for an Asian landscape. On our way back we decided to be daring and take the Colectivo back to Belgrano. HOWEVER, we ended up getting on the right bus, but going in the wrong direction, and ended up in Puerto Madero…VERY far from Belgrano. The buses in BA don’t loop their routes like in most cities, so we were essentially stranded.

Feeling much more comfortable and familiar with the subway system, we sought out a Subte station and took two separate lines before finally arriving home! Luckily, public transportation in BA is very cheap ($0.27 USD for the Subte and $0.31 USD for the Colectivo), so no harm no foul. I guess the only way to familiarize myself with the Colectivo system is to take these joyrides and find my way back.

No, Harumi hasn’t popped yet. We found out the other day that cat labor can take up to 8 hours, so that will be fun. She was due on Friday, thus is now huge, uncomfortable, and meow-ing constantly. Silvia and I like to feel her stomach and feel the kittens move, but I guess earlier today when Harumi was sprawled out on the floor, Silvia could SEE one of the little fetus cats move!! Eek!

On Saturday Allegra and I had lunch at an organic restaurant called Natural Deli. The menus are seasonal and their muffins are the bomb. I love the pace of life here in Argentina. When you go to a restaurant or a café, you find that no one is in a hurry. They really savor life and relationships here, always greeting with a kiss on the cheek, spending hours in cafés and restaurants, eating slowly…the list goes on and on. Los mozos don’t even bring the cuenta until you flag them down and ask for it. At first it was a little unsettling, since I’m used to rushing out of a restaurant as soon as I finish my meal. But I am learning to live like a porteña, and savor life like they do here.

It has been raining nonstop for the past few days but today the sun came back out so I went to Las Barrancas de Belgrano—a park near my apartment—and laid out while “doing” some homework. I was out for an hour and a half TOPS and I got so much color. Sorry Northern Hemisphere for stealing your sunshine! When I got back from the park I chatted with my dear friend Meredith, who I miss ever so dearly.

Tomorrow night I am going to a percussion concert called La Bomba with some of my friends. I’m really excited; it looks like a lot of fun! Here's a video of one of their shows:



Chau y besos,
audgentina.