Feeling dumb, yes... but mostly good!

Funny story for the day: Soo… I tend to get motion sickness. Since I’ve been here, it seems I’m pretty much always a little queasy, whether I be traveling by subway, bus, or taxi (mostly because traffic laws don’t seem to exist in this city). On my way home today, I was in an aisle seat on the bus. I was of course feeling a bit ill and, as the bus driver oh so carefully took a curve at a million miles an hour, I found myself FLUNG onto the ground and then slid (gracefully) across the bus on my bum. I’m cracking up right now as I think about it… Everyone on the bus laughed at me… I mean everyone. My friends were crying, they were laughing so hard. They’re just lucky that I didn’t throw up as I flew across the aisle.

Still, embarrassing bus incidents aside, I’m really enjoying this process of exploration. I’m loving wandering through the different barrios, finding new restaurants and bars, trying new food, meeting and chatting with locals… It's such a beautiful city with SO much to see! I just wish our stay could be a little bit longer so I could knock everything off of my to-do list.

I think I’m really starting to get a feel for this city and the people. Because my host abuela and sister are from Peru and have traveled a lot around Latin America too, I’m able to make a lot of observations about Latin America as a whole and about the differences between Argentina and the rest of the continent. For example, I’m finding that I’m often comparing the people of Buenos Aires with New Yorkers. For example, they tend to be very image conscious, dressing in the latest fashion and watching their weight. They also are not quite as friendly and open as I would have expected. In fact, we are told to avoid looking any guy on the street in the eyes because they might “get ideas.” I find this difficult because: a) the guys here are, on average, 40 percent more attractive than US guys, b) I’m used to saying hi to everyone I pass by, and c) a fair amount of the time, the guys are whistling at me.

This standoffish perception is only valid on the surface, however. Argentines might not say hello to strangers in the streets but I have yet to talk to a Porteño that hasn’t been friendly, eager to share their city, or patient with my Spanish. Friday night I went with my abuelos to their friends’ apartment for dinner. The couple we were visiting were great. The wife is from Peru, the husband Buenos Aires, and their daughter now lives in San Fransisco. SO, they spend four months of the year in Buenos Aires, four in Lima and four in California. Crazy life… but they were SO nice. I told them how much I loved Mexican food and so they immediately gave me a beautiful Mexican cook book that they had on their coffee table.

For dinner we had straight up Argentine food: empanadas (a staple), this delicious traditional stew from the Sierra, and a desert of white cheese with some sort of sweet potato candy jell stuff (SO GOOD). But the best part was after dinner when my abuelo and his friend pulled out their guitars and sang beautiful old Spanish songs and tangos for hours. I didn’t know any of the songs and couldn’t understand most of the words but I was completely enthralled. I wish we passed time like that in the States more often. They asked me to sing a song and the only one that my abuela could come up with, besides Elvis’ version of “My Way,” was The Yellow Rose of Texas. So that’s what I sang… so classic.

So far, I have felt incredibly welcome in my new house and in this country in general. Friday night, I felt comfortable and at home with people I had just met and others that I had only known for a week and a half. When I fell in the bus, a stranger helped me up. Anyone will give me directions, despite my broken spanish. Though sometimes walking down the street can seem cold and impersonal, I have to say that the people here are the most warm and generous I have ever met.