invierno en junio? no puede ser.

It’s coldddddd! Coming here in February, I was eager to leave the frigid New England winter behind me and come right into the middle of summer in Buenos Aires. I knew that this bliss had to end eventually; ahora hace frío and I never take off my Barbour, while in the Farmington Valley my favorite chongz are reuniting in the sunshine, enjoying the beautiful summertime weather that I once had. A little jealous.

As I came back from my incredible journey northwest, I found myself both broke and buried in schoolwork…quite possibly my least favorite combination. Ever. Luckily, my lack of funds left me with no choice but to work on my essay for my Populismos class, which required my full and undivided attention as I attempted to teach myself everything that we have gone over this semester. (It is quite difícil to understand Señor Mumbles…)

I have been spending my days really getting to know different areas of Buenos Aires. On Friday Erika came to Belgrano, where Paloma and I introduced her to our long-established tradition of choripan in the park. (Our dear friend Santa Julia obviously wasn’t left out.) We then showed her around Barrio Chino (where I bought a gorro to help me combat the bitter invierno winds), and wound up aimlessly wandering around Belgrano for the remainder of the afternoon: something, which I sadly had never done in my four months living in BA.

Paloma and her cousin, Marcelo, took me to el barrio boliviano in Liniers yesterday, where they introduced me to mote, salteñas, and much more delicious Bolivian comida. After getting this taste of mini-Bolivia, I MUST find a way to go to the REAL Bolivia.

Last night Paloma and I went to Terrazas del Este, a boliche on the Costanera. We had been wanting to go since basically our first week in BA and finally got around to going last night. The music is awesome, the club is amazing, and we were having a blast. Yes, we were having a blast. We were having so much fun, in fact, that we let our guard down for no more than four minutes, in which time my camera and cell phone were stolen, as well as Paloma’s debit card, license, and passport copy. Rookie mistake: no matter where you are, always be aware. We have walked by a block full of callejeros at night, been stuck in La Boca, and walked through Almagro alone, but it is at this nice boliche in Palermo we get robbed for the first time. Boludos.

Despite our taste of mala onda, we had a pretty good weekend. The sun has been out without a cloud in the sky (except for the ladrones), which motivated us to take full advantage of our days. But it is June, which is not summer in the Southern Hemisphere, and even the sunshine hasn’t been able to warm us up enough. Wintertime is truly imminent, but at least I won’t have to deal with any nieve!

It is hard to believe that four months ago today, I was arriving in Buenos Aires not knowing anything about this city that has become so much part of who I am today. I had no idea how to get to school (which is two blocks from my apartment), how to speak in voseo, or how to use the Colectivo. Now, I seldom refer to a map, have completely removed words such as tú or tienes from my vocabulary, and never use the Subte (I am a Colectivo girl!). Four months ago I was completely overwhelmed by this city, and now I can’t remember what it was like to feel lost in this city. (I believe my actual words were: “BA is big and I am small and I don't speak porteña so I figure I'll just wait until someone can guide me through the overwhelming labyrinth of mass transit before I end up God only knows where.”) I am so incredibly in love with BA, and am so relieved I still have seven more months before this sueño has to end. (It also turns out that my friend Alex is considering extending his stay, so I won’t be completely sola! Fingers crossed…)

Chau,
audgentina.