Ok ok I know I’ve been meaning to do these weekly, but it seems like it’s turning into more of a bi-weekly thing. Don’t worry, I still have ambitions to do it weekly…maybe one day. (Or one week…)
The last time I wrote, I had one more week remaining in my TEFL training. Of course I have since completed that and I am now on the search for a job! The last week of the course went very well. I had my most realistic practice that Wednesday when I had to teach two classes in one evening. According to the teachers observing me, it went very well; I told them I felt differently, but still not bad for my first time! We always have a professional observer in our classroom’s during the practice lessons and following each lesson, we meet with them to discuss what went well and what we felt we could improve on. Well on this particular evening, I was observed by the head teacher at the institution and was presented a very exciting and shocking opportunity! They asked if I would like to be a professional observer when the new group of recruits came into town (which starts next week). Of course I said “Yes!!” and thanked them for considering me. To be honest, I really just lucked out on timing. The male professional observer during our course has since left to return home and created an opening for me. Hey, it’s still my first job in Argentina!!!
On Friday, we had our graduation lunch, for which Brad cooked a delicious spicy red chicken curry for the graduates. It was delicious! Lunch started at around 2, which is when the first bottles of wine and beer were opened, and we didn’t leave the place until around 8…needless to say, we went through more than just the first bottles we opened. The majority of the students all continued from there to a bar just around the corner from our place in San Telmo called Gibraltar. It has an English pub feel to it and they have a delicious cider there for just 10 pesos a pint. It was my first time trying cider, and not surprisingly, I LOVED it! My favorite fruit is apples, and well…cider is made from apples. It was the perfect drink to celebrate with. We all continued drinking there for a while until it came time to part our separate ways.
Saturday was moving day! As much as I loved the barrio of San Telmo, it was just a bit out of the way of the younger crowd in Buenos Aires. I provided the link to the house I moved to last time, but I now have my own pictures as well! It is a really neat place and it is in a much better location.
Patio where we can grill and chillllll
My room!
Kitchen...just a LITTLE bit bigger than the last one I had to work with...
I've already cooked up a delicious bolognese sauce in here!
The house has room for nine people to live (eight rooms, one double) and currently there are seven of us. Three from the US (including me), three from France, and one from Holland. At first, I wasn’t sure how it would all work out, but having been here a week, I really enjoy the atmosphere and the different cultures we all come from. Everyone CAN speak a bit of English, but I use it as little as possible, the only way to get better! (Side note: I have actually received quite a few compliments lately from local Porteños on my Castellano, BA’s from of Spanish, accent !!!) I signed a lease to be here for at least two months, so I will officially be in Buenos Aires until AT LEAST January 13th!
That night I stayed in, wanting to get unpacked and settled into my new abode.
Sunday was a beautiful day in BA, and my buddy Josh invited me and a few others over to check out the pool at his apartment. He lives in a gorgeous apartment and on the roof there is a community pool. It was so refreshing, I definitely plan on using that during the hot summer months ahead. Having completed the course (and not counting the small job I was offered) I was now unemployed and looking for work. My plan was to get on that starting Monday, but when I woke up, two of my roommates had plans to visit Caminito/Boca, a very famous, tourist spot in Buenos Aires. I took this as a great opportunity to bond with my new roommates and to check out a part of the city I hadn’t seen yet. Caminito is a stretch of two or three blocks, each only about 200-300 meters long, that is known for its influence on Tango in Buenos Aires and Argentina.
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| Entrance to Caminito |
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| Some people saying hello on the balcony in Caminito |
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| Great picture...displays the colorful atmosphere and homes that used to surround Buenos Aires |
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| Diego Maradona...Legend. |
After checking out Caminito, we walked about 5 blocks up the road to where the football club, Boca Juniors, play. Diego Maradona, probably the most famous player in the history of Argentina, played for them when he was younger. We chose not to pay the 40 pesos to take the tour of the stadium, I chose to save it in hopes of actually going to a game in the near future. To be honest the most exciting part of this adventure occurred as we walked past a couple of kids playing some pick up soccer on a local court. They asked us to play, and though we didn’t want to play a match, they challenged some of us to a PK contest. Five pesos for the winner. The rules were as follows: One on one. Each player gets three PK’s. If tied, it then goes down to two shots each, then one – one – one etc, until a winner is determined. My roommate, Alex, went first. He lost in the 2nd round 1 goal to zero. I was next. I told the kid I was basically giving him 5 pesos to enjoy this as a tourist and get my butt kicked, he didn’t laugh. Of course the white kid shot first, and I made one of three. Good enough to tie the yougin’ for round one. Second round neither of us scored so it came down to each player getting one attempt back and forth. After about four rounds of no one making it I SCORED A GOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!!!!! I blocked the kids next shot and…no shocker here…they didn’t pony up the cash. They pleaded with me to go another round, double or nothing, against a different player. Since I could really care less about 5 pesos (about $1.25) and I’m sure it is much more valuable to them, I went for it (this time making them show me the 10 pesos before we started). I took it to the sudden death round one more time, but lost. I left having won/lost no money, but I definitely won their respect. Of course the kid I beat tried to make excuses by telling me he TORE something in the back of his knee when he shot, but I’m sure he was just embarrassed that he lost to a tourist…I know I would have been!
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| Calm...cool...and collected. Took down the W!!! |
Monday night was one of my favorite nights in Buenos Aires thus far. Along with my new friends/roommates, I attended a drum show about 7 or 8 blocks down the road from our new place. The show is called La Bomba and it is well known through-out the city as the place to be every Monday night. Tickets for the show are only 25 pesos and you can buy a liter of beer for 20 pesos. This type of music is very typical in Buenos Aires, but having the show in a closed venue adds a new aspect to the atmosphere it provides. While listening and moving to the music I found myself thinking how incredible it was being in Buenos Aires to experience this. The music was actually IMPOSSIBLE not to dance to. The rhythm and the flow invigorated your body and mind to function and move as one, while the music did the dancing for you. It was incredible.
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| Words cannot describe this place...AMAZING!!! |
The last week of classes, I sent out close to 50 emails to various schools, institutes and private tutors in hopes of getting an interview. For those who don’t know about the culture in Argentina, things tend to be VERY relaxed. So when sending out emails, I was told that if I do not receive a response continue sending the same place emails for the next few days, if still no response, then stop trying. Out of the 50 emails I sent, I got maybe 5 responses, 3 with interest, and 2 without. To my surprise, (those that got back to me) got back to me right away. Now was the real problem…setting up a time to meet for an interview. Planning things more than 2 or 3 days ahead of time is unheard of in Argentina. For those of you who know me…this is GREAT news!!! But, not when it comes to setting up a time to interview. Over the course of the week, I emailed each place three or four times (after they had already told me they wanted to meet for an interview) before I got an interview with ONE of them. By the way…that interview is this Tuesday (Nov. 23) so wish me luck!!! I still have not heard from the others, but will wait to pursue further until after the interview.
I mentioned before that we have a roommate here from Holland, her name is Sigrid, and she just arrived at the house late Wednesday night, and had not gone out until Friday. There is a well-known pub crawl in Buenos Aires that was created three years ago by a group of American students. Since this Friday was the 3rd anniversary, the normal entrance fee of 80 pesos was waived for everyone in attendance. Sigrid and I attended and I met up with some other friends from the area as well. Over 300 people showed up!!!! Because of this, we split into three groups and each spent about an hour at each bar on the list for the night. We ended by walking to a club nearby called Hummer.
Saturday was another great experience that anyone visiting Argentina must take part in…Polo! Apparently Argentina has the highest quality polo in the world…by a long shot. Starting this weekend there is a tournament that lasts the next three weeks. Games are only played on weekends. For those who have not seen polo, it is worth checking out. In my opinion the most incredible part of the whole sport is watching the horses. Their ability to change directions and burst to full speed once again is mind-blowing. Because the horses get so gassed, each rider uses at least four horses during a match. Anyways, tickets for the bleacher seats were only 30 pesos, and some friends of mine invited about 20 people to join for the day. It was a lot of fun, although extremely hot, and we stayed and watched about one and a half matches. (Pictures from the Polo match to come soon!!!)
Today I went to a park about 20 minutes away with a few of the roommates and played a little rugby and a little soccer. Felt good to get out and play some sports, rather than just going for a run. Just a few notes I think people will enjoy:
1. 1. Tomorrow (Monday) is…..YEPPPP you are correct…ANOTHER holiday. The best part about this one, not even the cab drivers in the city know why this holiday exists. Just another reason for the Argentines not to work and to go enjoy their parks.
2. 2. I’ve now gone about a month without having debit/credit cards as they cannot be mailed into the US using Fed-Ex…a rule that only exists in Argentina. Thanks to Western Union and some friends in the area I’ve got along just fine thus far.
That’s all for now…thanks for tuning in everyone! Check out this link for some more pictures of the house, Caminito and other pics!!
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