Bubu

Today started like any other normal day in Argentina; I arose at 9, ate my breakfast, got dressed in something Argentine inspired (I love their fall fashion) and I headed out the door by 8:55am. I walked through San Martin- the famous and beautiful plaza flowing with attractive men and women in business suits headed off to make a peso or two. The sun always peaks through the trees that decorate the plaza and the crisp fall leaves crunch under my feet (I love that noise). Every day I walk my same route to the EBA (Estudio Buenos Aires) building where I take 2 hours of Spanish. Then I leave at 11:30 jump on the subte, as I listen to my ipod studying and observing all the portenos as they get on and off at each stop. Today I had to teach my two students, Nestor and Leonardo from 12-2 at Total (the biggest Oil Company in Argentina).

Total is a huge and fairly modern building with marble floors, silver elevators and crystal clear windows. Every Tuesday I go up to the 20th floor where I wait for my students to greet me. I stare out the window that overlooks the city (I seriously think that floor 20 of Total is the best view in all of Argentina). Today I waited and waited for 15 minutes until finally I texted my students asking where they were. Nestor replied saying he was at home while Leo replied saying he needed 20 more minutes because he was in a meeting. Me being the kind and patient person I am (and because I really had nothing else to do) answered his text with " Eso no es ningún problema, voy a esperar". WELL, what I thought would be 20 minutes turned into an hour so I gave up and left. I texted him, said class was canceled (I get paid if they don't show up for class and if they are late too) and fled the building.

I arrived home after another enjoyable walk through San Martin Plaza. The day was sunny, chilly, I had on my new boots and was loving life. I decided it was time to get my daily cafe con leche. I headed up my street, and looked at a few different cafe's. One in particular struck my fancy so I entered in. It was pretty crowded considering it was prime coffee break time in BsAs. I found a spot by the window and sat in one of the four big comfy lounge chairs beside the tiny table. An elderly and fragile woman was sitting across from me. I smiled at her as she said something to me that I could barely understand. I ordered one of the tempting deserts in addition to my daily drink from the handsome waiter and sat back to start studying some Spanish. Just as I opened my book, I heard the woman across from me start a raucous with the innocent waiter. She was very feisty, and upset. Apparently, the waiter thought the elderly lady and I were together. However, she had been sitting there for half an hour and he had not come to take her order.

She kept looking at me after the waiter had taken her order and left. To avoid an awkward coffee hour I decided to speak with her. I first offered her a piece of my tempting dark chocolate, brownie and peanut butter cake. She refused, naturally because she is a thin Argentine who, like most of the women here, don’t eat. Awesome! More cake for me. Somehow my generous gesture got her to talking... we continued to talk (well she talked, I listened) for two full hours. She told me about her family, her life in Argentina, her dead husband, the government that she doesn't agree with, her children, where they live, her grandchildren...religion, marriage and how she doesn't agree with today's culture of sex before marriage...telling me that being single is SO important in my life right now...

Then she started to cry. I had kind of lost her at one point; she was saying words I had never heard before in Spanish. I was staring at her trying to decipher her gestures and read her lips (I could barely hear over the crowd) but was not picking up on what she was saying. She began to cry harder and kept hiding her eyes with her wrinkly hands, studded with gold rings. I could tell she was embarrassed, to calm her down I started blabbering in my broken Spanish. I tried to give her life advice because clearly I had so much...she seemed to be about 80 years old while I have a measly 24 years of experience. Regardless, whatever I mustered up, helped to calm her down. She smiled and thanked me. I told her I wasn't sure what she had said that made her cry and then I asked her, "tu familia?" she nodded and started to cry again. Stupid. I mumbled some more calming words and then told her "vamos a cambiar de tema". She agreed and we talked about me...why I am here, we talked about my family, my life, if I was married, if I had children, if I was single, a student or a teacher....etc.

After much conversation, (with me being confused most of the time and asking her to repeat herself) it was time to pay “la cuenta”. She was a sweetheart and paid the bill. I graciously thanked her and proceeded to get up when it dawned on me. I thought, how crazy that in life you can land in the path of someone you have never met, someone YEARS older or younger than you and hear their entire life story. A person, who grew up, saw, experienced and lived an entirely different life than the one you lead. I couldn't help but feel as though I was meant to meet "Bubu" at that cafe on the corner. I don't really know if there is meaning as to why people come into our lives, but I am a strong believer there is a reason for everything. We exchanged numbers and I told her I would treat her to coffee next time. She seemed to like the idea.

I watched her fragile, almost hallow body walk across the street. It's a slow process meeting people here. If you had asked me before I left America what my friends would be like in Argentina, I never would have guessed the people I am friends with now. I would have thought that after 3 months, I would be best friends with 20 local Argentine guys and girls who go out and party all the time. Nope, that is totally wrong. Instead, I have befriended many expats from my Road2argentina program, and 6 old Argentine men who I sing with in a Beatles rock band. I am friends with an adorable girl named Belen who sings backup, Laura (my boss) who wants to take me under her wing because she fears that my mother misses me and someone in Argentina should look after me, Fer, my amazing young friend who looks after me in more ways than one, and now Bubu, an elderly lady I met at a cafe. I like it better this way to be honest. That was the point of this trip; to meet as many different walks of life as possible. To meet people who will teach me more about myself.

I am a little over half way done with my trip and I couldn't be more happy/sad. It's the strangest feeling being abroad. It's a feeling of being split or having two lives. It's loving where you are, but missing where you're not. It's learning about and loving the people you've just met, but worrying about and missing the people you're not with. You become overly stimulated with the new "bubble" that is your life. Everything is exciting, new, different, interesting and enthralling. Strange things remind you of "home". Your past self is parallel to your current self, but one is a reality while the other a ghost self.

Here is a quote to backup my thoughts:
"We all travel in two worlds; the human world and spirit world, with friends from both sides assisting us with our life's journey”.
-Mr. Prophet

My spirit world is life back home, my human world is life in Argentina. In three months, my two worlds will be reversed.

I love that quote because no matter what, your new and old friends are always with you!

Besos,
Katrina LeMense