First Base

I've officially gotten to first base with Buenos Aires. I consider successful acculturation comparable to scoring a home run; there are certain checkpoints along the way. First base can be both the hardest and the easiest to get to depending on the location. It includes the simple task of not staying in one's room and eating something not from a package. After my half-ass arrival last night I wasn't feeling super confident today, so getting to first base was a little harder than I anticipated, especially because I've been sleeping on the floor this year while at college (again, courtesy of Champlain College Residential Life). Having a real bed was a welcome luxury, so I enjoyed it for a while this morning.

So everybody can stop accusing me of not taking pictures, I took a picture while in the central square. This picture ended up getting me unwanted attention for being a tourist, and sure enough two brutish looking males came and sat on either side of me with much too amiable intentions. I grabbed my backpack and holed-up in a Starbucks for a while, declining my new friends' offer to stay and chat. I'm not very good at cities.

Here is the picture that almost cost me my computer, phone, passport, and dignity:

Update: The thieves got my headphones. They were pretty well inside my backpack, so I'm impressed.

Landed

Estoy aqui! I have arrived in Buenos Aires in a bit of a shambles. The plane landed four hours later than I expected, for no apparent reason, which was interesting since the nice lady I’m staying with was expecting me to be somewhat on time. The entrance fee into the country was $160 which was $60 more than I was willing to pay, but I guess that’s the price, not much haggling to be had at the customs gate. I received my bag from the carousel but it was dripping with water for some reason… It was not raining in Burlington, New York, Lima, or here, so I’m a little confused. I decided it would be good to get some cash because I always forget and end up in the middle of some situation where I need money and have none, so I used the ATM. All seemed normal and I hopped in a taxi with two jolly guys. Upon arrival at the apartment of the nice lady (Nilda) I’m staying with, I handed two bills to the driver. He started bickering over some letter on the serial number of the bill, and he was saying something about it not being the official bank stamp. Whatever that means. Finally I convinced him to take the money because that was simply all I had. Then I realized that I had withdrawn $400 but instead had received 2 $100 bills and 2 $10 bills. After assuring the doorman at the apartment that I was not a terrorist (I haven’t cut my hair in a while or taken a shower) Nilda came down to meet me. She only speaks Spanish but we’ve decided this is for the better so that I will learn quicker. We discussed why England is a terrible country (apparently there’s a war right now over the Falklands again… I thought that ended a while ago), over a cup of strong coffee. I never thought I’d be glad to say I’m from the States instead of England to a foreigner, although Nilda doesn’t seem to like Seattle for some reason, something to do with her friend.

I’m hoping tomorrow I can go find some currency that is real, and an ATM that will give me what I pay for! Overall not my smoothest entry into a country, but I’m sure things will shape up tomorrow. The flight was gorgeous though. The desert is a place I want to go someday when I can afford to drive across it in an off-roader. The beaches for hundreds of miles were just blank stretches of blue, white, and tan gradient. 

Introduction

Howdy all, another year = another trip = another blog

This year I will be spending seven weeks in South America, studying Spanish in a election of culturally significant locations:

2 Weeks in Buenos Aires, Argentina

2 Weeks in Bariloche, Argentina

2 Weeks in Mendoza, Argentina

1 ish week somewhere in Chile before flying out of Santiago

- Buenos Aires I know literally nothing about. I will be staying with a lady somewhere in the city, just secured the AirBnB booking so more on this later.

- Barilche I know is in Patagonia, is located on lake Nahel Huapi which is a great lake for kiteboarding (except I'll be there at the beginning of their winter so I probably won't get out to kite), and I'll be staying with a nice guy and his dog

- Mendoza is wine country. If you've taken advantage of those cheap but tasty Malbecs, they likely came from Mendoza. Interesting fact: a bottle of Malbec lost me my job as Resident Assistant this past fall (courtesy of Champlain College Residential Life). In Mendoza I'll be doing a homestay because I couldn't find any reasonably (dirt cheap) places to stay within walking distance of the school. Mendoza is also in Patagonia, although in the very northern reaches

- My 1 ish week is time I've set aside for random travels. At this point I'm thinking I'd like to visit the surf town of Pichimelu on the Chilean coast to do some kiting. I'll be hauling my kite all around Argentina, so I'm hoping I can get in a day or two of riding in order to justify this burdensome baggage. If I'm having the time of my life, this week is extendable.

Disclaimer: I blog freely. I spend all year writing hundreds of pages of collegiate B.S. and these summer blogs have no academic calibration, no responsible oversight, and no impact on my GPA. I occasionally blog while inebriated, exhausted, or just plain bored. I some times blog things I regret, but this is a glimpse into the developing mind of a college student; ignorance is inevitable, hasty assumptions are frequent, and communism is ever-present. Although I often try to make a point in what I'm writing, it is important to realize that a story I post may argue for global political or economic changes, but that my rationale for arguing so is based upon a single event. Just as you wouldn't believe an experiment that was conducted only once, you shouldn't believe me.

I spent this last year starting a coffee shop with some friends and now that it is established and successful, I've given away all of my equity and am moving on. Something in business school must not be sticking... Anyways, this business-starting was very stressful and I'm just looking to relax, speak spanish, and drink espresso in cafés while catching up on books gone unread. I will be leaving May 3rd.