Cupa Mundial

What an experience to have been in BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA at the time of the Copa Mundial(WORLD CUP). Never did I realize just how much futbol could mean to an entire country, until I came here. It is seriously a way of life in Argentina. Sure, people say that about American football in the United States, but I don't think it compares. Yes, America has the Superbowl, and that is a HUGE deal. According to Wikipedia



"The day on which the Super Bowl is played is now considered a de facto American national holiday...called Super Bowl Sunday. It is the second-largest day for U.S. food consumption, after Thanksgiving Day. And in most years, the Super Bowl is the most-watched American television broadcast. "(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl).

I can honestly saw I love Superbowl Sunday!I am not a huge fan of any particular team, but I love the aura of the sport. I like to watch the commercials, I like to watch my boyfriends/guyfriends/brother/dad/cousins get SO out of control excited for it, I like the junk food we eat. I also love dressing in a jersey for whatever team I've decided to cheer for and scream as the players run around the field in tight pants. Yes, all great fun, it's VERY AMERICA to me and I love it.

FIFA is a whole different world. Here is a little world cup 101 for those who may not understand...



" * The tournament takes place for one whole month. 64 total matches will be played between the dates of June 11th and July 11th, , 2010.
* The World Cup features 32 countries that have qualified through other tournaments with all other countries of the World.
* The players must play for the country where they were born or have citizenship. If players have citizenship in multiple countries, those players always play for the country where they were raised.
* The World Cup starts with the teams divided into 8 groups for round-robin action named after the first 8 letters of the alphabet.
* Teams earn three points for a win, one point for a tie. Goal differential and total goals scored are used to break ties in the standings.
* The top two teams in each group will advance to the elimination rounds.
* In the past 18 World Cups, only seven countries have won since 1930. All previous winners have qualified this year: reigning champion Italy, Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany and Uruguay"(©2010 Kidzworld).



Argentina futbol is a different story than American football, or even American soccer. The pride, honor, passion, feeling, support, hope, dedication, excitement, spirit...and the list goes on..is indescribable here. Argentina has won TWO world cups, one in 1978 and the other in 1986(the year I was born and the time of Diego Maradona). If you do not know who Maradona is or would like more information on why this date is basically engraved in EVERYTHING and is seen EVERYWHERE in Buenos Aires, please visit Wikipedia "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Maradona#1986_World_Cup"



I feel so lucky to have been here for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Although the games were being played worlds away in South Africa, I felt like I was in medias res being here in Argentina. The country took these games beyond seriously. There was an actual holiday given out by almost every company on the first game day. Two English classes that I teach were canceled, and one Spanish class was postponed until after the game. Restaurants that didn't have TV's, and shoe and clothing stores were all closed until after the games, even certain buses didn't run. It was seriously a GHOST TOWN here on game days...the streets were evacuated and the stores barren(except for fallen pieces of blue and white confetti from people's apartment windows). The hot spots to be were a.in ones own home, b.in a cafe c. at San Martin Plaza(there was a HUGE out-door movie screen and lots of tents with World cup history, information pamphlets etc). I never made it to San Martin for a game(I tried, but it was pouring rain so I hit a bar to finish watching). Strangely, the only people in the bar were elderly people and two 12 year old boys eating pizza...

That's the thing that fascinated me. In America, tailgating is the best thing about sporting events. Drinking...is the biggest part of sport fans. We Americans like to wake up EARLY to start our pregame for our perspective sports game. I have been to numerous tailgates where I got very drunk very early on...and had a hard time concentrating on the rest of the game. I am sure you have ALL been in this position a time or two. Well, it is different in Argentina. I was a little shocked and confused at the first game, but I soon caught on. We had many failed attempts at finding the hot spot with young fun fans. Our first problem was that we were looking in bars(didn't know that would be so foreign here..?). Almost every bar was either closed or empty. The cafe's on the other hand...

Cafe's are the place to be if you want the true Copa Mundial experience. This is where all the DIE-HARD fans reside. They are dressed to the nines in everything blue and white. They have funny hats, scarves, face paint, loud annoying horns, and they are all drinking Mate or coffees. Needless to say, I watched the second game in a packed cafe. It was AWESOME! Walking down the streets at half time or in between plays is also an experience in and of itself. Fans, cafe owners, construction men, you name it...have their car radios on, mini TV's in their kiosks, cell phones ringing, etc. Whenever Argentina would score I think South Africa could hear us from the streets of BA! It was incredible.

Today was a sad day however. Thankfully it was beautiful one. Seeing Argentina lose was not what we were expecting...and the looks on the players and Maradona's face were devastating. Although we lost a good game and a FABULOUS 2010 world cup, the people of Argentina kept smiling, cheering and carrying on. There is such an energy about this country, something very special about the people and their passion. I just hope that when I leave here in 4.5 weeks I take with me all that Argentina has given me. I hope to bring at least SOME of the energy, lessons, language and culture and I hope to share it with others just like Argentina has shared it with me!

VIVA ARGENTINA!

The Livingstons

To continue from my previous post...

I am sitting on the white couch in the living room of my new host family's house. I am kicking around a blue balloon that is lying on the floor, left-over from the 80th birthday party they had for a friend last night. There is an overload of left-over cake(Dulce de leche and two chocolate cakes) in the fridge and I keep going back for more. I am home alone at the moment, Leigh is running, my host brother- Leandro, from New Orleans is in Iguazu for the weekend. My host family has gone to their country home, Quinta, for the weekend and left Leigh and I all alone. Ah...finally time to myself!

Balloons



Let me start with a little background of who I am living with. The Livingston's consist of two parents- Roberto and Patricia and their four children; Roberto, Alejandro, Carolina, and Fernando. Roberto and Patricia met while they were living in New York 45ish years ago. Roberto was a surgeon and Patricia was working with the embassy of Spain. They met at a party, fell in love and had their four children.They raised their children in New York for the next 8 years, after this they moved to Ushuaia( The capital of the Tierra del Fuego province of Argentina). Some may know this as the southern most city in the world. There was more work for Roberto in Ushuaia than in New York, so they stayed here for the next ten years. Some of my facts may be incorrect because of my in-fluency of Spanish, but I'm doing the best I can. After raising their children, working non-stop for many years the Livingston's moved back to Buenos Aires, retired(5-6 years ago) decided to host students through IES(abroad program) and to build a hotel in Ushuaia, where their daughter, Carolina and her husband now work.

Dining room


Please check out their adorable hotel...

http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g312855-d631106-Hotel_Austral-Ushuaia_Province_of_Tierra_del_Fuego_Patagonia.html#22320910


The Livingston's have hosted 38 students in 5ish years, now run a hotel in Ushuaia, and have a country home an hour outside the city. Patricia paints beautiful pieces of art while Roberto maintains the hotel, apartment and country home. They are energetic people, endearing, full of knowledge and experience and are completely comfortable having people live in their home- take note this is Leigh's and my third day at their lovely home and they completely trust leaving us alone here.

Me and Leigh's room- I have top bunk!


Roberto is their eldest child(about 41). He is living in the same apartment with us because he got a divorce two months ago... he has the most precious daughter- Uma who comes over three times a week and is SUCH a joy to play with. Roberto is fluent in English, but only speaks to us in Spanish because he knows we need the practice.

Alejandro is the next child. I believe he is a doctor, lives about 15min away on the train is married with three boys. Then there is Carolina, she has two kids- girl and a boy and works at the Hotel in Ushuaia with her husband. Fernando is the youngest and is expecting a child in the net few months.

Living room


Living with this family has been a joy. Sure, I have only been here for two days, but these past few days I have truly observed a porteno family. It feels nice to be made a part of this family. I almost wish I had decided to live with a host family a while ago, but it's useless to think like that. I loved living in my apartment with my friends, Leigh and Ian. We had great parties, dinners, talks, drinking games, get togethers, etc...but after 3ish months, I started to get tired and began craving a family. I craved home cooked dinners(anything other than my daily veggie burgers would be sufficient)a mother figure, knowledgeable portenos, and a "HOME". Moving in here was purely luck. To make a long story short, my dear friend Emily Driscol's little sister lived here when she studied abroad in BA. Upon hearing that I may be homeless in BA for the second time in 5 months, she told me to call up the Livingstons. So desperate and lost I took her advice. To my luck( a pure blessing) the girl who was supposed to be living with the Livingstons had just canceled and Patricia told me there was a free room. She also told me she would let Leigh move in with me and we could each pay half of the original amount they charge. We got a great deal with this here situation. We are each paying a certain amount and in return we get an amazing family, breakfast and dinner served to us everyday, a clean apartment, our beds are made every week day, bathroom is spotless and we get Spanish conversations all the time. I couldn't ask for a better situation and a better way to spend my last two months in Buenos Aires.

The best thing about all of this is that I am living two blocks from the Roadhouse...(the first place I lived upon moving to this country). I know the neighborhood, the metro stops, the shopping, grocery stores, laundry stores and good running routes. Life is great! I am so thankful for the way things turned out and I will only be able to enjoy my last few precious moments on this South American Independent journey...

Home in just a few weeks...

Mi Familia en Argentina!

The Family visit!!!!

Here we are at Il Fango-for my concert! Leigh was a part of the family clearly...


And here are all my supportive friends who came too!


My parents and Joe left about two weeks ago. What a fabulous trip we all had. Ten days in Argentina as a family was awesome. There was however one HUGE ingredient missing and that was my best friend and dear sister, Rose. She was missed beyond explanation...

Even though she wasn't with us...we were still reminded of her ;)



I truly loved showing the family my life here. I showed them almost every barrio(neighborhood) in B.A, we went to San Telmo, Recoleta, San Martin, Victoria for my concert with "La San Francisco" and Palermo.

Each day was filled with lots of eating, drinking, walking and talking. We covered a LOT in the ten days they were here. We even managed to go to Mendoza for a few of them as well. Mendoza is beautiful. Its a cute city right in the middle of the most majestic mountains- famous for wine and olive oil vineyards.(PARADISE).

The first half of our trip was spent around Buenos Aires. My parents stayed in a FABULOUS hotel- "Melia Boutique Plaza" right in Recoleta across the street from my (now old) apartment. This hotel was incredbile. The inside was decorated with things that looked as though they were on the Titanic, aka amazing antiques. A huge breakfast with everything you can imagine was offered each morning with endless amounts of alfajores(argentine cookies with dulce de leche).

Our hotel


Our first night was a great night at La Cabana! It's a famous "parilla"(grill)place with great service and amazing wine and food.

Joe and dad smoking their stogies outside the restaurant.


Inside there is a real stuffed cow (we are such typical tourists-jaja!)


Mom and dad posing at yet another amazing dinner!


When my family first arrived, it was the weirdest feeling. It was almost as though I had just seen them(it had been four months). It felt totally natural to have them in my new city...however at times it was a little difficult being the only Spanish speaker and tour guide the entire 10 days. Never have I ever been stared at more and spoken to in English by every local as I did when my family was with me. Guess we are PRETTY OBVIOUS Americans?....


Here are Joe and I in La Boca! We had a wonderful day here watching the tango dancers, seeing all the colorful buildings and taking tons of pictures.


Mendoza was the second part of our trip. We stayed in a huge modern apartment in the center of the city which was wonderful. We walked around the first day and spoke with different tourist companies about good wine tours to go on and what not. The second day we took a bus an hour outside the main city square. When we got to the mountain cabin, Joe and dad prepared themselves for their two hour 4x4 ride around the mountains while mom and I hoisted ourselves onto horses backs. We took a very dangerous and sometimes terrifying route around, through up and over the mountains and saw stunning views of Mendoza. It was such a blast to be able to share this with my mom, and I know she loved it.

Joe on his 4x4


Here is mom and our trek guide. I was so proud of her for doing this.


The same day, after we did our horse back riding and 4x4 activity, we got back to the city and went to a serene and clean spa. When we walked in the door, classical music was coming through the speakers, there were avian bottles lined up at the bar with a dish full of Argentine mints. Joe and I sat our in the living room on the perfectly clean violet sofa's while mom and dad had their massages. Once it was our turn Joe and I went got into our robes....went into the HOT sauna- thought I was going to faint, and then we each had an incredible massage topped off with a cool glass of orange juice.

In addition to the 4x4's the wine tour and the horseback riding, our tour guide in Mendoza also recommended we go to the best, cheapest and most secret "asado" in Argentina. It was only 100 pesos per person and with this cost includes endless amounts of wine and a five course meal. Well, that night we had the most incredible dinner of my life. I felt like a greek goddess with the fruits and foods of heaven. We took a taxi half hour outside the main square and arrived at this wine vineyard. where we were greeted by the owner upon entering the parking lot. He led us through a tree lined pathway down with twinkly lights guiding our vision, underneath the building into a dark and mysterious wine cellar. He opened a little wooden door and as we entered into our own private room we noticed the HUGE amounts or "starter" foods already set up on the table. I mean THE BIGGEST AMOUNT OF FOOD I had ever seen for four people.

The first course


The rest of that evening was amazing and special. It was the night where we laughed the most together, told fun and interesting stories, talked about sad and serious things as well, but mostly just truly, truly enjoyed the "moment" together. We lived it up as much we could, eating, talking, drinking etc. We missed you a lot Rose.

We had many more great meals, wine tastings and lounging times in Mendoza which was lovely especially for my VERY HARD WORKING parents and brother; for me, this had turned into normal life (don't hate me...I'll be in the real world soon enough). We went back to Buenos Aires that Thursday and had a few great last hours together. The family left on a Friday and it was sad to see them go, but I remembered that I had exactly two months from that day left in Argentina. Two months to do everything I wanted, see everything I need to see, speak as much Spanish as possible etc.

Now with 5 weeks left I am sitting in my new host family's house, listening to Frank Sinatra, kicking around a blue balloon that was left over from their party last night. My host family is incredible, I could not BE HAPPIER to have moved out of my old apartment into a new situation, a change of scenery and a new experience for my last 1.5 months in BA. My next post will be about my host family- The Livingston's because they are seriously the most fascinating and adorable people I have met in this country. To be continued...

Thanks for everything Mom and Dad!

A new chapter in my Argie book!

My gals: Jessica, Tash, me, Meg and Leigh


It has been busy here as always, but I'm FINALLY on a more normal schedule. My job is consistent, my Spanish classes are consistent and things seem to be falling into place(four months into my trip haha). I had the most amazing feeling the other day; I had taken five hours of Spanish class in the morning, met up with an Argentine friend and only spoke with him in Spanish for a few hours, then met my new host family and only spoke with them in Spanish for two hours. That night I went to bed THINKING in Spanish. The next morning I awoke with the rising sun realizing I had dreamt in Castellano!! I went to class the next day and told my teacher. She asked me how long I have been in BA, I told her about 4.5 months and she nodded! I asked her what that was for, she continued to tell me that it's usually around a persons 4th month in a foreign country that they begin to dream in in that language and after that initial dream, it's an easier road speaking the language. That pumped me up for sure!

Other than focusing on improving my Castellano, I have been out with my friends a lot, traveled with my family to Mendoza and have just found a new place to live. Yes, I will be sad to leave 1463 Posadas, but I am thrilled to live with a host family. Luckily I will STILL live with Leigh (in the same room of course). This will be our fifth month living in the same room together, we're both shocked that we aren't sick of each other yet. I will be living in the same neighborhood, Recoleta, as I have been living in for the past 4 months. My host family consists of Paty, Roberto and their 40 year old son (don't know his name yet) and a guy from New Orleans. Should be interesting dinner conversations...

I think moving in with a host family is something I should have done my second month in this country because it is the best language practice, but it's pointless to look back. Besides, I have had an AMAZING time living at 1463 Posadas. We threw many parties, cooked SO many delish dinners, and I even learned to play the guitar in that apartment. But all things eventually come to an end and it's definitally time for a change in my Argentine adventures. It's been a great run living with my English friends, but for my remaining time in Argentina I want to focus on the culture and language and less on partying with English speakers(no offense friends- you know I'll still see you every day).

Me and Tash


Tash in Bariloche!


Speaking of friends, it's hard making friends in another country especially when you only plan on staying for 6 months. Everyone I have met or become close to lives on their own terms and therefore either leaves me behind or I will eventually leave them behind. It's not easy to constantly say goodbye to the people I have grown to love and consider my family abroad. Natasha goes in and out of my life, like the waves of the ocean. With her travels to Brazil and back to BA then to Peru and back to BA and then eventually(in two weeks) home to Europe, she is almost a tease in my life. Every time she leaves, I know she will be back, but this final trip to Europe will be our real last goodbye. It will be absolutely devastating to say goodbye to my new friend who I am shocked has just come into my life. There are not many people as special as Natasha. She is truly an amazing person and will always be a part of my memory and time in Argentina. Guess I will start planning my trip to England soon...

Lord Byron:

Then there is Byron, one of the most interesting people I have come across on this journey. He flew back to the states today. Luckily, Byron permanently lives in NYC. If only Natasha lived in the US as well...
I think Byron spoke my thoughts perfectly when he admitted
that "there is something deeply invigorating about living in this country. I want to take a piece of it with me for the rest of my life. My biggest fear is that I will lose sight of some of the lessons I have learned here"(Byron). Well, Che, all I can say is "Buenos Aires querido será siempre una parte de nosotros". See you in the USofA.

Meg and Leigh- love those cats!


Megan(the newest addition to my life- Natasha's host sister from Kentucky!) will soon be leaving me as well. She has 2.5 more weeks until she goes traveling around S. America and then back to the US. Megan is a fireball. I LOVE PEOPLE LIKE MEGAN. She has so much steam it's invigorating. She keeps me positive, keeps life interesting and always adds a little "spice" to whoever and where ever she is. She is someone I hope to be friends with forever. Soon it will be my turn to leave. I look to Leigh as my rock. She is brave in that she has no return ticket home. Despite saying goodbye to all the people she has met and fallen in love with as well, she will continue her journey of independence in the most magnificent country. God speed Leigh Murray!!!

Leigh Leigh!!!



Well, there ya have what's been on my mind recently, among other things. I love the changes I have gone through here. I can't wait to write my last blog just before I leave home to DC. I hope to incorporate a lot of lessons, changes and thoughts that I have had in my 6 months living in Argentina. Having been here just over 4 months really makes me gain a new respect for the friends back in DC who have moved from other cities on their own to start a new life and career. I am so proud they picked up their life and moved it to DC to start a new one. Sure I did that as well, but mine is temporary and that was ALWAYS in the back of my mind. I am constantly reminded that I will be going back to all the people and places that know me to my core. It's strange. Don't get me wrong, I am definitely proud of myself for doing this. It has been an amazing challenge especially with the language barrier. I am terribly sad to be leaving soon, but I am so happy to go back home to comfort and all that I know.

Will write more later!

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

La Musica cont.....

Just a quick update!

The concert went AMAZINGLY!!! We had SUCH a great time! I arrived early in Tigre(a small city about 45 minutes outside of B.A) where Fer met me and brought me to Turco's house(the leader of the band). I was nervous, had lots of anxiety, a headache...was so overtired and just not myself. When I got the their house, the band and I practiced for a total of 10 minutes and then walked to the bar, Il fango.

Fer had reserved a huge table for my friends in a perfect section of the bar so they could and hear me well(Thanks Fer!!!). As the band was setting up I walked around the bar, introducing myself to the wives and families of my fellow band members. Everyone was so friendly and sweet and very supportive of me (at least that's what I gathered from their beautiful Argentine accents). When my 8 friends finally arrived, they all stampeded through the main door with HUGE smiles on their faces and it actually gave a shock through my body. It was a feeling of excitement, nervousness, love and happiness! Jessica, Marie, Ian, Byron, Christine, Jessilyn, Inna, Jacques, Jake and Fer were all there for me and I couldn't have felt more loved and thankful.

We all sat down and ate tons of DELICIOUS pizza(very Italian inspired, since everything in Argentina is similar to Italy) and lots of Quilmes(Argentine beer)while more and more fans flooded through the doors. The entire bar was rented out for this concert and everyone looked so excited to see "La San Francisco" perform . I was so antsy the entire time and couldn't sit at all. As the band began to play their music...the familiar Beatles songs relaxed me and I just clapped and sang along with everyone else. My time to sing finally came about half way through the concert. I went up to the front hurriedly, yet confidently. I had a guitar pick that Turco gave me in my hand as a good luck charm, so I was set.




When I stood up there, I instantly felt at ease. I didn't feel intimidated by the crowd at all. Actually, the only people I was nervous in front of were my friends. I could barely look at them...and every time I did, I saw them snapping pictures of me while maintaining huge grins. I sang my four songs well! I was proud of them. They weren't the best, but they were decent for a first performance and the third time ever singing in front of other humans(I sing in front of my dog Patton all the time )The crowd cheered and clapped, the band smiled at me and winked at me as I left the stage and then said something to over the mic in Spanish. I just smiled as everyone laughed at what Turco said. I have gotten quite used to this; I pick up on about half of what people say and have learned to repeatedly say "Claro", or "si" with a plastic smile on my face!



The night ended with lots of applause, me "back-up singing" more songs with the band, some free pizza, beer, chit chats with the band(practicing my Castellano) and a few photos taken. After dinner, pictures and kissing each person good-bye, as is custom in Buenos Aires (refer to previous post)Fer organized that my friends and I get into the Boliche for free. He made sure we had a great time with lots of Tequila, and Fernet(Argentine specialty drink).

The night was one to remember. I love the band SO much! I love that they are all Argentine and barely know English. I love that I am invited to sing with them EVERY Tuesday until I leave Argentina in August. I love that I am performing again this Friday (and I am not even nervous) and I love that they are older than me and have years of experience and STILL invited me to join them (with what little experience I have in performing). I am so thankful for this experience and so happy!




Hope you enjoy the pics; MORE TO COME! I wish I could upload the videos, but I don't know how.

Besos,
Katrina

Bariloche: Day 3

For our third day in Bariliche, we yet again arose with the sun coming through our window and a fresh breeze blowing the curtains. It was so refreshing to wake up to this every day. The air in Bariloche was SO clean and appealing to my lungs. Even though we were still sore from our intense kayak adventure, Byron, Tash and I decided to do the "bike ride" through the mountains on our 3rd day. Little did we know how difficult and physically challenging this adventure was going to be.



I have only biked through the mountains one other time and it was when I rented a moped in Switzerland during my study abroad in Europe(junior year). My experience riding a moped through the glorious mountains of Switzerland didn't turn out as 'delicate and romantic' as it should have. My friend Jess and I ended up crashing into the side of the mountain and both getting stitches at a local clinic by a doctor who didn't speak English. My knee had a deep cut to the bone, whereas poor Jess's entire knee cap was torn off (blood everywhere). It was the most tragic and gruesome accident I've ever been in and I still can't get that vision of Jess holding her knee together with her hands out of my mind. There was a LOT of blood, panic and fear involved with that accident, but we both survived as did the moped. Nevertheless, I have a fear of bikes, mopeds, motorcycles and all the like, especially in the mountains, in the cold, in the dark...in a foreign country. So for our third day, we rented bikes for a five hour mountain biking adventure. I was pumped! (I really was, it's impossible that the same accident would happen twice right?)



No matter how many times I try and speak in Spanish with the locals of Argentina, they always speak back to me in English. For example, we arrived at the bike rental shop and there were two young Argentine workers there. I said "hola" they said "Hello, how can we help you?" I continued... "Me gustaria una bicicleta para el dia" and in response, as if it were a language competition they said "okay, for an all day ride?". I gave in and said, "YES". I know they speak to me in English because they want to practice as much as I want to practice Spanish, but it is annoying at times.

We were assigned to our bikes and were then handed safety 'reflection straps' to wear so that passing cars could see us. I wore mine directly on my body whereas Tash and Byron were too cool for school and put it on their backpacks.

The reflection strap:


It took Tash and I a few tries to change the gears on the mountain bikes. It was confusing going from down hill, to up hill, to level ground etc. Byron, the pro at biking and almost every physical activity we did, was of great assistance to us on this adventure. Tash and I moved a little slower than we would have liked, but mostly because the path we were on was up MASSIVE mountain hills. I was huffing and puffing and sweating like crazy for most of the five hour ride, even though it was chilly outside. Again, thank God Byron was with us because at one point Tasha's bike gave out and the chain came right off causing her to almost wipe out. We walked our bikes about two miles up hill until we found Byron. He had biked a few miles ahead of us(I don't blame him)and was glad to help fix Tash's bike. We were well on our way moments later.

Tash biking through the mountain...in the middle of paradise!



Luckily, we had packed some trailmix and other snacks with us. We used so much energy biking and needed all the energy we could get. The total path from start to finish took the average person about 6 hours(with stops included). We were moving pretty slow, stopping to take pictures, to eat, and fix our bikes, and we even made it to the ADORABLE small town (it was a little bit off the beaten path, but we thought it would be worth it). The town was called Colonia Suiza (Swiss Colonia). This town was stunning and yes, very Swiss inspired. We took a long cobbled road to get there and past horses, cows, Estancia's, refugios, and bridges to get there. The town was plopped right in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by glorious mountains. As we arrived we were overcome by all the precious carved wooden huts, cabins, homes and cafe's. The town seemed untouched and peaceful.

The town:



A tiny home/hut:


Happy!


The wooden huts were beautiful and delicate. We felt as though Colonia Suiza was our secret town. It was here in all the tranquility, silence and mysteriousness that I started to wonder if the hobbits and fairies truly existed. The weather was chilly, we were tired and the wooden huts looked so inviting. We decided to stop in one for some tea and coffee. We found the hut with the most decorative door and enjoyed cake, cafe con leche and Byron had himself a delicious beer and venison panini.

mmm!


The cafe we rested in:



A few hours had passed when I realized we needed to get a move on. Over half of our 5/6 hour bike ride remained and it was getting late. We gathered our things, put our helmets and safety straps on and mounted our bikes. It was already getting dark and much cooler in the high mountains. I began to have some flashbacks of Switzerland and tried to convince the other Natasha and Byron we should bike back the way we came because it seemed shorter than following the way on the map. Both insisted we continue to follow the map because there appeared to be less hills. With hesitation and anxiety I followed what they said and biked my hardest and fastest up hills, down hills, through mountains, around lakes, over bends, UP hills, UP hills again...and again and again and again etc etc etc. There were SO many points in those 3.5 hours where I didn't think I would EVER make it back to the bike shop. We were racing against the light of day and I felt I was going to collapse. Thankfully Natasha was right there with me...stopping ever so often to walk our bikes up the hills. It was getting colder and darker and more difficult to ride because we had NO more energy left to use.

We continued to bike VERY fast so that we wouldn't have to pay extra at the bike rental if we were late. The thing that really kept us going were the breathtaking views we saw every time we reached the top of another mountain. No pictures could even do the scenery justice...so I didn't bother taking any. Besides my heavy breathing and the sound of the wind pushing past my ears, the ride back was silent. The sky was turning pink and orange as the lakes grew to a darker and deeper blue.

Byron's attempt to capture the beauty...


There is a quote in my favorite movie, "Forest Gump", that describes what the earth looked like on my bike ride. It is in the part when Forest "just kept on running". He is describing his year-long run to Jenny as she lay on her death bed. He says to her "there were times when I couldn't tell where heaven ended and the earth began...". That is the exact thought that came to my mind as I stopped to watch the setting sun behind the mountains reflect a shadow of deep pink on the lakes. It was truly not of this world...miraculous!

After a LONG, COLD, EXHAUSTING, yet AMAZING bike adventure through the mountains and back, we made it to the bike rental with ONE minute to spare. We were exhausted, hungry, thirsty and every other feeling a person could have. The adventure was 8 hours in total. 8 hours that I will always remember! It was on this bike ride that I thought to myself, 'Bariloche, or Patagonia in general, is a place that everyone in the world deserves to experience at least once in their lifetime'. I felt so lucky to be there. It truly is a hidden gem in our world...so grandiose and natural. I hope after reading this SOMEONE decides to make Patagonia a life destination. Believe me, you have never seen anything so stunning in your life. It's almost too much for the human eye...

And that is the end of Bariloche: Day 3.