Buenos Aires

A couple of weeks ago (yeah, I'm behind on writing) I had the opportunity to go to Buenos Aires with my host sister, Carolina, and since she has so much to teach me about the language and the culture here, (also I enjoy her a lot) I jumped at the opportunity. The bus ride was a riot. They gave us socks to wear, blankets to cuddle with, and a snack and something to drink. Later they served us a plate full of cold things like salad and bread, and then a warm meal with chicken and wine if we wanted. It was comical. We stayed in a funky hostel in a nice neighborhood in Buenos Aires. I shared a room with a fun girl from California who had been traveling for a few months and was supposed to go back to the states. It was a weird thought, she would be setting foot in the US tomorrow. For me that day was months away.
The first day I was on my own because Carolina was doing other things. I walked all around the area, down shady streets, through markets and bustling shops. It was alive and vibrant. The clothes in the shop windows were totally weird. We saw sandal-boots with strappy sandals on the bottom, then leather boots from the ankle to the knee...don't forget a heel. There were also clothes I really wanted to have in my own closet but I resisted.
I continued my trek to the planetarium. Someone greeted me and said "the next show will be at 4:30." I looked at my watch: 3:00. I asked "is there anything to look at in the meantime?" "No." So, I took myself to the zoo, on the other side of this enormous park. In the states peacocks roam freely around the zoo for small children to chase. Well here, there is an abundance of a certain animal to which I still cannot give a name. Imagine a kangaroo-small dog-cartoon mix and you've got it. The zoo was disheartening because a lot of the animals lived in small white rooms and looked hungry and sad; although they had the largest bug collection I have ever seen. At one point I found myself standing in a dark reptile room, only to notice a small hole in the corner of the glass enclosure. I got out of there quickly.
That night I invited my new friend from California to go out with my friend Beckie and I. Beckie is a close friend who went to El Salvador with me, and she is studying in BsAs. We went to an electronic tango show in an old warehouse, colorfully painted with a funky vibe. It wasn't what we expected, but we enjoyed the time.
The next day I explored the city with Beckie, and we found ourselves at the horse races. When we tried to buy tickets, they turned us away because I was wearing sandals, but someone said "you can go to the free side over there." Luckily, the free side was the most fun. This is where everyone is yelling and swearing and having fun. It was fun to watch the races but it was even better to spend time with someone I really know. We sat and talked for hours. While we talked we watched this man put brick siding on the side of a building, at a painstaking speed. It was so comical to us, we wanted to show him a better way but resisted. Beckie's host mom is the ex wife of a famous celebrity in BsAs and I was fortunate to meet her because she is a hoot. She was so full of energy and gusto. After meeting her, we went out for a steak dinner. It was delicious; the meat here is divine. We finished our meal at 2 am, laughing at the ridiculousness.

The next day we explored more of BsAs and went to Puerto Madero, a fancier part of BsAs because I wanted to see the water. The water was brown, and it was not the ocean, but a river. That's okay, the Mexican food we ate hit the spot and the riverwalk added to the pleasantries of the meal. We also went to an artisan market where I finally found the perfect mate gourd. I changed my mind about Buenos Aires, it's a great city.