Dinner at 12 pm after kayaking all day
El Tigre River
Mine is all the way to the right ;)
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Last Week in B.A
Ok, ok. I know im bad, haven’t written in days yet again. But I have good news, this place is AMAZING. I realized why I was so upset the first week or so. I was in need of nature, of being outdoors, of seeing what this world has to offer in terms of nature. I see people every single day, but trees, water and being apart of it is what my soul needed. The school took a kayaking trip down the tiger river and it was breathtaking. After the 30 minutes bus ride and 45 minutes train ride with no seats or air conditioning in 95-degree weather we finally arrived at the river. There we split into two groups. Those that took the large boat (mostly full of those that were hung over from the night before) and those that kayaked to our destination. I was one of the few girls that chose to kayak. At first I was excited, then I realized that I get seasick lol, yes I know bad timing but such is life. I was in a kayak with Molly, who is the sweetest girl from Seattle, Washington. She calmed me down and we were one with the river. She suggested not to fight the water but rather become one with it, dancing the salsa in the water and all will be ok. After 45 minutes of dancing we were tired. The view down the river was amazing, these little homes with families celebrating the summer through bbq’s, loud music and children swimming in the river.
Finally we arrived at our destination; there the rest of the group was enjoying huge burgers and some drinks. A group of us picked a nice spot in the shade and ate as well. We discussed how incredible this experience was. All of us from different countries all exploring a new one. All on a search for something, to break the cycle of our daily routines and be different, be bold and simply live. Most of the people there were traveling through South America for about 3 months and started off with ECELA language school to learn some basic communication skills. Our ages ranged from 21 to 34, discussing how it’s never to late to get up and live life, to seek out what your heart yearns for. Molly brought up a good point where people get so use to a routine where they feel like they cant break free, like they are tied down to their jobs, mortgages, and families.
What I’ve learned thus far is that we only have this one life, we only have today, who knows what tomorrow will bring. We have to live in the moment however we must prepare for the future. This is the difficult task, how can one be the spontaneous planner. This is what my goal is from now. To live, to test my limits, break free from routines that make my brain stop thinking, growing and soaking up the knowledge of the world.
Finally we arrived at our destination; there the rest of the group was enjoying huge burgers and some drinks. A group of us picked a nice spot in the shade and ate as well. We discussed how incredible this experience was. All of us from different countries all exploring a new one. All on a search for something, to break the cycle of our daily routines and be different, be bold and simply live. Most of the people there were traveling through South America for about 3 months and started off with ECELA language school to learn some basic communication skills. Our ages ranged from 21 to 34, discussing how it’s never to late to get up and live life, to seek out what your heart yearns for. Molly brought up a good point where people get so use to a routine where they feel like they cant break free, like they are tied down to their jobs, mortgages, and families.
What I’ve learned thus far is that we only have this one life, we only have today, who knows what tomorrow will bring. We have to live in the moment however we must prepare for the future. This is the difficult task, how can one be the spontaneous planner. This is what my goal is from now. To live, to test my limits, break free from routines that make my brain stop thinking, growing and soaking up the knowledge of the world.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Shopping on Sante Fe :)
Amazing piece at the Cultural Museum in Recolleta - Hanging on a piece of thread while life carries us through
Former theater that is now a book storeWow, first off I apologize for my lack of updating skills, secondly where have 14 days of the New Year gone. It was feels like only yesterday that 09 came into our lives. So here I am with just a week left in B.A. and I cant believe how fast the time has flown by.
As sad as I am to be leaving, I’m ready to get back home, ready to seize the day and deal with my to-do lists. This trip has been great in giving me the opportunity to relax and just do some simple things such as reading, watching movies, tanning, going to museums, sleeping in and simply not having to worry about the future or that day itself. However as I soon discovered, this is almost impossible for me. I am constantly thinking about the future, what should I do first when I get back, what trip should I take next, what will be my new work schedule, how can I fit everything I want into my life. With all that being said I am excited about going home and being in the comfort of my own bed with an AC and no mosquitoes.
Sunday in B.A.
Today was great, I slept in yet again, went to the Sunday market for antiques and souvenirs. It was absolutely breathtaking. I strolled about from the Market admiring the beauty of the old buildings that just seem to be entirely abandoned. I’ve seen numerous building like that. Ones with beautiful architecture but completely empty. Makes me think of a rose that once brought life, light and happiness into the world that is left in a vase with no one to remember its beauty.
I continued to stroll up the streets and ended up in Plaza de Mayo. What a beautiful monument. Surrounded by churches and the Pink House (major government building). Every time you take a cab, it passes the pink house and makes sure to point it out. As if you could miss a huge pink building, still I always nod and smile and say, “o0o wow,, very nice” The cab drives are great here in B.A. – super sweet and love to practice their English (which if I do say so myself, is far better then my Spanish)
I continued to stroll up the streets and ended up in Plaza de Mayo. What a beautiful monument. Surrounded by churches and the Pink House (major government building). Every time you take a cab, it passes the pink house and makes sure to point it out. As if you could miss a huge pink building, still I always nod and smile and say, “o0o wow,, very nice” The cab drives are great here in B.A. – super sweet and love to practice their English (which if I do say so myself, is far better then my Spanish)
Let the Zoo bring out the kid in you
I’ve always been fascinated by zoos, I don’t know what it is about animals or the idea of nature that is so captivating but I simply can’t get enough of them. Visiting the Zoo here in B.A. has probably been one of my favorite experiences thus far. I was probably the only person above the age of 12 with a can of food to feed the animals, as well as the only person above 15 without a kid at the seal show. Moral of the day : you’re never to old for the zoo ☺
In the evening I ventured out and saw an amazing musical production. The event was set in what I consider to be the second floor of an abandoned parking lot turned into a stage. The musicians where out of this world. All the music was percussion style and it looked like a cross between stomp and the blue man group to the 12 power. After about an hour of playing the show was over and the 4 of the members of the band put on an encore presentation with drums, base, and other various instruments. The music was a bit more modern and their skills were out of the world.
Today was absolutely amazing. From the zoo to the music Ahhhhh greatness. Videos, are self explanatory. (I made several attempts to upload videos here, but it isn’t working ☹ )
Monday, January 5, 2009
Sunday Afternoon Adventure
1/4/09
Today was an amazing day weather wise. I strolled through the park and went to every booth at the market. On the weekends there is a large flea market in the park. It was amazing. I had freshly squeezed juice and enjoyed a stuffed chicken with spinach for lunch. All for under 15$ (gotta love the exchange rate).
After lunch I walked for over an hour and reached the Japanese Gardens. I cant put into into words how many beautiful parks Buenos Aires has. Everywhere you turn there are people laying out on the grass taking in the sun. I wish New York had that.
At the Japanese Garden I caught a drum show and later strolled around the garden and admired the brightly colored fish.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Shabbat Shalom
1/2/09-1/3/09
Shabbat Shalom
Shabbat in Argentina was amazing. Shul made me feel like I was back in Israel and the rabbi’s home was incredible. His apartment reminded me of being on 5th ave in NYC. He had the best silverware and two cooks to help with the meal. There were 4 other couples at the dinner table. All with amazing stories. One Iranian couple spoke about their world travels and how the husband escaped Iran by foot/truck when he was 15 years old. The story was amazing and I’m truly greatful I was able to hear it. How a person can survive that and literally run for freedom with the risk of losing their life at any moment gives you inspiration to live your life and be happy with every thing that you have. To think this only happened 20 yrs ago.
Sitting at that table, I was able to briefly be at peace, it felt as if I was back in NY enjoying Shabbat. Plus…everyone spoke English (it was great).
For Shabbat lunch, I stayed by this really nice young family. They’re like 28 and have 4 kids. When I walked into their building I saw a Mezuzah on the elevator. I was so shocked and confused I started laughing. The family explained to me that the building was full of Jewish families so they put up a mezuzah. I thought it was the cutest thing and wondered if any buildings in Brooklyn have that.
Any who I walked home, read a little and then napped until Shabbat was over. I had some dinner at the restaurant across the street and later strolled about Recolleta and ended up drinking coffee at Freddo. There I met the sweetest couple. We ended up talking for over an hour and exchanged numbers.
From right to left : Natalie, Luca, Laurano
Shabbat Shalom
Shabbat in Argentina was amazing. Shul made me feel like I was back in Israel and the rabbi’s home was incredible. His apartment reminded me of being on 5th ave in NYC. He had the best silverware and two cooks to help with the meal. There were 4 other couples at the dinner table. All with amazing stories. One Iranian couple spoke about their world travels and how the husband escaped Iran by foot/truck when he was 15 years old. The story was amazing and I’m truly greatful I was able to hear it. How a person can survive that and literally run for freedom with the risk of losing their life at any moment gives you inspiration to live your life and be happy with every thing that you have. To think this only happened 20 yrs ago.
Sitting at that table, I was able to briefly be at peace, it felt as if I was back in NY enjoying Shabbat. Plus…everyone spoke English (it was great).
For Shabbat lunch, I stayed by this really nice young family. They’re like 28 and have 4 kids. When I walked into their building I saw a Mezuzah on the elevator. I was so shocked and confused I started laughing. The family explained to me that the building was full of Jewish families so they put up a mezuzah. I thought it was the cutest thing and wondered if any buildings in Brooklyn have that.
Any who I walked home, read a little and then napped until Shabbat was over. I had some dinner at the restaurant across the street and later strolled about Recolleta and ended up drinking coffee at Freddo. There I met the sweetest couple. We ended up talking for over an hour and exchanged numbers.
From right to left : Natalie, Luca, Laurano
1/1/09
Today Mariello and I ventured out to Puerto Madero (reminds me of a classy version of “the bay”) we walked all the way from our apartment to this bay and it took over an hour. Time flew by as I admired the neighborhoods, highways and amazingly beautiful palm trees. I even stopped in the middle of a highway because I noticed a plaque for Yitzhak Rabin. I got so excited I was nearly hit by a car.
When we reached Puerto Madero, the weather was a bit gloomy but we made the best of it. Strolling about and finally ending up in an amazing restaurant. I enjoyed my first filet minogn (butchered the spelling) for only 10$ usd. Eating out is like a vacation in itself. The waiters serve you hand and foot and the prices are totally inexpensive.
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