Time Flies When You're Having Fun In Buenos Aires

It's so cliche but I still feel that it rings absolutely true. Time FLIES, and it honestly terrifies me. I feel like my life is going way too fast. Luckily I've already had some pretty awesome opportunities in my short twenty years, and I can genuinely say that I'm happy with where I am and what I've accomplished so far. That being said, I have some pretty exciting ideas for what I want to conquer in the future. But let me catch you up on what's been going on here!

The last thing I updated you about last time was how I got pick-pocketed at a street fair. You'd think that would be enough, right? I've had my fair share of things being stolen? Nope. Never a dull moment with me. If you know me well, then you know that I keep my things very organized--everything has a very specific place and if something is out of place, even by a little bit, I notice. I know it's kind of creepy and maybe a little OCD but that's just how I roll. Soo it was really obvious when I came home from work one day this past week to find that the bag where I keep my cash hidden had been moved. Upon further investigation, I discovered that $20 was missing, along with the piece of paper I had tucked in with my money on which I had written exactly how many US dollars I had, and how many Argentine pesos. The cleaning lady was still at the house, where she'd been all day. Another girl in the house had mentioned to me that she had had problems with the cleaning lady stealing from her, so after trying to stop shaking from anger (why does this keep happening to me?!), I gathered myself, thought about what I was going to say (she doesn't speak English so it had to be in Spanish), I confronted her. And boy, my Spanish ROCKED. I don't think I've ever spoken so much Spanish since I've been here, with so much fluency and with such a great accent! Who knew that anger and frustration would force good Spanish out of me?! But despite my smooth tongue, she refused to admit that she had taken anything from my room, and even started crying. Luckily the owner showed up shortly after and we were able to sort things out. I didn't get my money returned, but she did get fired, which will at least prevent something like this from happening again. I feel bad that she lost her job, but at the same time, she's the one who's been stealing. And after having been stolen from on three separate occasions, I'm so over it. I know it was only $20 and she probably needed it more than I did, but it still feels like a violation when someone takes something from you. It makes you feel horrible inside. I'm sure many of you can attest to this!

On a happier note, I've been able to go out to some pretty awesome events in the past couple weeks. First, The Argentine Experience. It's a sit-down dinner where local guides teach you about preparing typical Argentine dishes, serve you endless wine all night long, and foster the most fun and interactive atmosphere I've experienced yet in Buenos Aires. There were about 12 people the night that I went. We all sat around a big dinner table and made our own empanadas, enjoyed phenomenal appetizers, learned about how to cook and order steak in Argentina (incredible beef is one of the things Argentina is known for), made the Argentine national dessert--the alfajor, and got to connect with people from different parts of the world. So basically, it was a night of many things that I love. Food, wine, people from around the world sharing stories and learning about cultures. What could be better? If you're ever in Buenos Aires, I would very, very highly recommend taking a night to go to The Argentine Experience. Here's their website if you want to take a look for yourself: http://www.theargentineexperience.com

Another cool experience I had recently was a tribal drumming concert called La Bomba de Tiempo (The Time Bomb). I've heard so many great things about it from locals and expats alike, and I finally had the chance to check it out. It consists of about 15 guys playing different kinds of drums, and they create a very unique experience for their audience. You can really feel the music, and I kind of felt like Pocahontas...Moving on. I'm finishing up my internship project to turn in at the end of next week. A group of people from work and friends of people from work are going on a bike ride up North to Tigre, which is province outside Buenos Aires. I think it takes a couple of hours to ride there, we will be stopping at some cool spots for viewing and eating, and then riding and/or training back! It's supposed to be nice this weekend and I'm looking forward to getting out into the countryside for a day. Even further ahead lies my trip to Chile, which I am so very excited for. I'm going to be meeting up with a friend who lives in the town and attended the university where I'll be studying abroad next fall. He's going to show me around and help me figure out where a good area to live would be. I'll also, of course, be visiting my Chilean family while I'm there, and hopefully seeing some friends along the way.

School starts in less than five weeks I just can handle the thought of going back to studying constantly! I love this summer life of being able to stay out late, wake up late, only go into the office three days a week, and have great people take me to see amazing sights and events. I'm going to miss my summer in BA mucho!! But like I said, I'm pretty excited for what is still to come and plan to make some pretty cool things happen for myself. As always, I am so grateful for the love and support that you all give me even in my craziest adventures. I  know they're not normal.

xoxo

Riding Solo

It's been over three weeks since my last post and I suppose that's because I've gotten into my routine and consequently, time has been flying by like no other. It's terrifying thinking about the fact only half my time here remains.

I've done a lot of exploring by myself during the past few weeks and have been forced to become very independent. I thought going to school in San Diego, ten hours away from my family was independent enough, but there I'm constantly surrounded by other students doing the same thing I am, there's always a roommate around somewhere to talk to, always a friend to have lunch with, and a schedule of things to keep my occupied nearly all the time. Here in Buenos Aires, I'm experimenting with a very different lifestyle. I live in a huge city filled with people doing a million different things, I can really only communicate on a very basic level in Spanish, and I don't know many people here. My gringa-ness is apparent the moment I step out the front door. The bottom line is I'm a foreigner here, and not only in the sense that I'm not Argentine, but in the sense that I'm completely out of my usual element. But that's what I love about it. The only thing I've wanted to do since my experience as an exchange student in Chile was return, and travel more, and experience more cultures and put myself in situations that weren't the norm. I've certainly found that here in Argentina. I can be a very shy and introverted person, and most days I'm completely content with staying around the house watching Netflix and cooking yummy meals, so it's definitely a stretch to make myself get out of the house on my days off and take advantage of all the culture and new experiences that await in this bustling city.

A couple weekends ago I went to a famous market in the main plaza of BA where everything from cheap touristy junk from fine antiques are sold along an avenue that happens to be the oldest avenue in Latin America. It stretches on for blocks and blocks and each Sunday, thousands of tourists flood this street to experience the famous San Telmo Market. However, what I didn't make myself aware of was the fact that since it is such a touristy area, the locals take advantage of us foreigners and pickpocketing is a normal occurrence if you're not careful. Naturally, being the gringa that I am, I fell victim to this petty crime and had my wallet stolen, which included all the cash I had on me, my ATM card, my brand new driver's license, and the subway pass that I had purchased earlier that morning. I didn't even realize it was missing until I walked the few blocks to the subway station and reached into my purse to find my wallet wasn't there. After panic and frustration for my own stupidity set it, I figured out how to walk back home. Fifty-five blocks and nearly two hours later, I was back.

The people from work have been so wonderful. They always invite me to do things with them and have included me in many of their social gatherings. They've really been the reason my experience here has been so great. I'm so grateful to be able to work with a company that is so innovative and that values the opinions of their staff above all. They truly recognize that their tour guides are the face of their company and hold within their hands the success or failure of the company, and treat everyone with so much respect. They work hard and play hard, and I'm so grateful that they've included me in both aspects of that.

With only about four weeks to go here in Buenos Aires, Argentina, I have a lot that I still want to accomplish. For one, practice Spanish more and work on getting rid of this horrid accent. I really just want to take advantage of every single moment I have here because I've worked so hard to make it happen, and now that I'm here, time is passing by so quickly.

Thank you for your love and support in my endeavors. xoxo

Buena Onda en Buenos Aires

Argentina is simply amazing. I've been here for a whole week now and have experienced enough to write about and share with all of you! My new home is located on a main street in Palermo Soho, which is a neighborhood of Buenos Aires that a lot of other expats have settled in and therefore has lots of adorable boutiques, bars, restaurants, and cafes.

Since I've never lived in the city before, the first few days were pretty overwhelming trying to get used to the honking cars and the millions of people bustling here and there. Not to mention the fact that they all speak Spanish, which I haven't spoken in nearly three years.But despite all the craziness that comes with city life and trying to adjust to a whole new life, there are so many great things that come with living in the city that I've discovered, and in Buenos Aires in particular. For example, there are multiple small grocery stores on every block, or "chinos" as the locals call them, referring to the fact that the majority of them are owned by Chinese people. You can literally step right outside your house and be just a few steps away from a store. There are also a ton of bars, restaurants, and nightclubs in the area, which I have yet to experience.

As far as work goes, I've just started coming into the office regularly this week. The guys from the company knew that my transition to Porteño culture would be a big one, and kindly allowed me to get my bearings for the first few days I was here and get a feel for the city and culture before I started working. The company I'm interning for is called Biking Buenos Aires and is a small-but-growing biking tourism company started by a couple of SDSU graduates who came down to BA for the classic post-graduation trip and never left. They've been operating for about three years now and are now number one on Trip Advisor for things to do in Buenos Aires! The whole team of people working here is so great and I can tell that they're going to teach me a lot. I went on my first bike tour last week and was able to experience BA from a tourist's perspective--something I have always refused to embrace wherever I go, but it truly was helpful to get a sense of where everything is located in this huge city! So far, I've enjoyed walking around Palermo, window shopping, and attempting to regain some of my Spanish!

I walked through the Botanical Gardens over the weekend, which is only about seven blocks from my house, and took some photos that I wanted to share with all of you. I also went to a street fair just a few blocks from my house in search of a mate and bombilla, which is the contraption Argentines use to drink a special kind of herbal tea. When I was first introduced to the custom, I thought they were performing some sort of drug ritual. I quickly learned that it is in fact just an herbal tea which tastes like a very strong green tea. Needless to say, I fell in love with the taste and tradition and am now the proud owner of my very own setup! I will update in a week or so with the latest happenings of my life, so check back then for more! I also have many more photos posted on my Facebook page! Thanks for all your love and support.

xoxo Stephanie

Another Adventure Begins...

For those of you who know me, yes--I am off to South America yet again. And for anyone else, thank you for stopping by! I hope you will enjoy reading about my experiences and become inspired to take an adventure yourself.

As I was contemplating my plans for this summer, I figured I should probably get an internship and gain some experience in my field. Of course, as I was searching through my major's internship website, I was only interested in the one in Buenos Aires, Argentina. So, after sending the director of the company my resume, many emails, and completing a Skype interview, I landed the internship. Hooray! While I'm there, I will be renting a room out of a home in one of the districts in BA. I can't wait to explore the city, brush back up on my Spanish, get to know Argentinean culture, and learn about doing business in South America. I realize that this is a really great opportunity, and I plan to take full advantage of the time that I have there! I'm really so excited that I can't even contain myself. I've just taken my last final exams for this school year, which completes my sophomore year of college and means only four more weeks until I fly away to the beautiful land of South America and embark on another incredible adventure.

So here I go again! Wish me luck, and check back for updates as I go along. Life's a journey, not a destination!

XOXO Stephanie