Vamos vamos, A GANAR!

So much is going on at the moment! Argentina beat Mexico 3-1 on Sunday so my friend Agustina and I went to Red Door/Puerta Roja and Gibraltar to celebrate. Ironically I had spent the day in Gibraltar to watch the game after my friend's hostel's receptionist was a jerk and would not let her know I had arrived when I got there. I also did not have my phone to alert her. Oh well, I went alone to a familiar place and enjoyed the game. I couldn't believe Argentina scored 3 times! However the first goal was controversial, the second was pretty well played, Mexico could have stopped it but it was  fluke, and the third goal was beautiful, kicked from almost the center of the field above everyone and into the net. I can't find a decent youtube video to share the love, but maybe later I can post one.

Plaza San Martín, for the Argentina vs. Greece game

Bus drivers would stop driving, park in the middle of the road, and watch the game from the bus...

Let me talk a bit about last week's game. Last week Kelly and I tried to go to Plaza San Martín to watch the game on a big screen with a bunch of people outside. However, once inside the barrier they had around the plaza, it was impossible to find a place to see, so we left and went to a nearby café called L'amore. There we were able to sit without being bothered and watched the match which ended in 2-0 Argentina. Poor Greece though, The whole game was spent laughing at them... This one guy got kicked in the mouth or something and had gauze hanging out from his lips and the cameraman zoomed in, the entire café bursted out laughing at the guy. Later on the Greek goalie got the ball to his balls, or his lower gut anyways... he was out of commission for a couple minutes, everyone got a kick out of that too. Probably the funniest moment of that game was when Argentina was going in to score and one of the Greek guys got in the way of the goalie and really made him mad.. They zoomed in on the greek goalie yelling at his teammate and pointing to the other end of the field, possibly yelling YOU NEED TO SCORE OVER THERE!! OVER THERE!!! and the other teammate had his hands clutching his hair and he was looking to the sky shouting something, probably along the lines of I KNOW!!! I KNOW! I'M SO SORRYYYYY!!! it was way too funny.After the game there were celebrations at the Obelisk and I managed to catch a couple shots:

A Gigantic Blow-up Diego Maradona (Argentina's Coach and Legend)

So this week, yesterday, after the game I left Gibraltar only to go home to get my phone and see what others were going to be doing to celebrate. The ride home was nuts, it was amazing! Every car was honking and had blue and white flags hanging out of the windows, people singing and chanting and cheering for Argentina, we drove past the Obelisk which had a fiesta of its own with a huge blow up soccer player of #10 Messi's jersey (Or Maradona's, they're both legends, so... yeah).  Here's a short clip I was able to take from the bus and some photos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_bT5Yq7CME

Obelisk, Buenos Aires, after Arg 3-1 Mex Victory

 a Parade making its way through 9 de Julio in front of the Obelisk

I got home and that's when Agustina and I decided to go out and celebrate. We weren't planning on being out til late, but we were out til at least 5:00am, like always. How am I going to adjust to a night life of the United States? I cannot see that happening.. I have always been a night person, ever since I was young and would stay up all night in the basement sewing beanie babies or squares for a quilt, or pants to salvage them from being sent in for donation. I was born to stay up all night and sleep all day. I dislike the morningtime, there is nothing to do in the morningtime... I suppose you can go for a walk, or get some early-bird shopping out of the way, make some breakfast... but other than that I am not fond of the idea of waking up before noon.

Anyways, came home and went for a walk around Plaza Miserere, the busy plaza near my house and train station Once. There were some groups of people either entertaining or rallying for protest, I'm not sure. One of them was a transvestite salsa fiesta, or at least that is what I could extract from what was going on in the center of the circle which had quite an impressive crowd of people. I can't believe I haven't walked around my neighborhood before. I love it, I discovered many things today. I found another Coto Supermercado just beyond the Plaza, and found out just how important that area is due to many bus lines that pass through there. Some lines for the busses stretched across the plaza itself. After my explorations it started getting dark, and even though I didn't have anything valuable for anyone to steal from me I decided to head home. I picked up some ñoquis primavera and salsa tuco for dinner, and maíz to make popcorn for snacking. I know how Jessie and I love popcorn...

and so I end this entry with the most exciting piece of news I have to give.... MY BEST FRIEND WILL ARRIVE IN THE AIRPORT AT 8:00am!!! I'm so excited that I don't want to sleep, but I am also very tired from my adventures last night so I will sleep after I post this entry. She will be staying with me for the next 2 weeks, and we are going to have so much fun! Might even go to Uruguay for a day, since both Kelly and I still need to renew our Visas... and it's a good excuse for Jessie to go to Uruguay (that is, if she wants to go).
Ready..... Set............

-Jenny

free time = emergence of feelings

Tool to save the day, once again. I love this band with my heart and soul, I don't care how much they may crash and burn in the future (knock on wood!) I will always love what they have created for the people and their auditory senses.

So the semester is coming to a close. One more final exam, and I'm done with this university! We'll see how it goes. I don't really know the point of this entry... I have nothing to do other than knit, study, watch movies, eat food, and wait for some form of money to arrive. New debit card and pin number are coming in the mail (hopefully) and I have enough to get me to and from my final exam on Friday, nothing more. Luckily I have a stock of rice, lentils, pasta, and soy sauce for some asian cuisine stocked on my shelf. I've done this before, during the summertime if you don't recall. I just never wanted to have to do it again. I guess the torturous part is that I have money.. thanks to my wonderful parents. I have money in my account, but I cannot access it... If I could go back in time to that night of losing my wallet I would be super paranoid about it. I was careful about it, it was zipped up in my purse and everything. My only guess is that it got caught on one of the scarves i returned to my friends and fell out... nobody could have snuck in there and taken it and then zipped my back back up, I keep it under my arm. No point in thinking about the past though. Think about now, and until I get my card.

My time is slowly dwindling... I have 5 weeks left. ONLY 5 WEEKS! Two of which will be spent with my best friend JESSIE. I can't believe she is actually coming. I didn't believe it until she gave me a date and time of arrival... and even now it seems like a dream. This whole trip is starting to feel like a dream long past, but I want to stretch it out as long as possible. Thinking about sitting back at the student union at UAA listening to English and seeing people smoke outside rather than inside and having short hairstyles and bell bottomed jeans and blonde hair is scaring me. I am going to have the worst culture shock when I go back home, and I know this going in. I hear it's the worst when you go back home from a trip like this. I am trying to prepare myself for it, but there is nothing you can really do to prepare... just like coming here, you are just thrown into it and you gotta sink or swim. I'll be treading for a long, long time.

I will cut this entry short for now. I am feeling melancholic, although contrary to the definition of the word, it will not last too long. This is just what happens when you have too much free time and you know a huge change in your life is coming... you dwell and overthink. I've spent all day reading Norse Mythology on Google Books online. I promised myself I would finish that collection before I started on Celtic myths and legends. I do have a book waiting for me at home in Alaska, 1/4 finished,  called "Australian Myths, Legends, and Fables". I need to get some books on Alaskan legends... that would be ideal, since I am from Alaska.

This entry is kind of bizarre compared to my others, but these are thoughts I wanted to share with the public, it is not meant to be a private entry. I want everyone to see the end of my study abroad, I want people to know how I feel and what is going on in my mind. There are not enough words to express fully how I am feeling, because it is a constant bubbling, changing feeling between happiness, sadness, and fear. From today I have exactly 5 weeks and 3 days left. I intend to put it to good use.

-Jenny

Epic Outtings with Alaskans and Irishmen

These past 2 weeks have been so busy! The best times, some hard times. Here I will walk you through it all.

 

Alaskans Unite!

Jodie, me, Joanna, and Mike!

I just can't say Mike!'s name without the exclamation mark. This is all of us Alaskans that are in Buenos Aires (I'm sure there's more, but this is all I could collect for lasagna night). I decided I wanted to have friends over and eat Lasagna and Scottish shortbread and Sangría. Jodie, Joanna & Mike (brother and sister), Kelly and her friend Emily, Samantha, Caitlyn and her boyfriend, Yogev, and a few others came. It was fantastic! The lasagna came out meaty and tasty, and it was my first time ever making it. The night was an excuse to see Mike, Joanna, and Jodie to tell the truth. Mainly Mike, I have to admit. I've known Mike since middle school or high school, he was always the crazy guy! Loved by all, accepted anyone into his life. At junior prom he drank a beta fish, and at senior prom he dubbed Jessie with the nickname of "Boots" because of her 7-inch purple glitter platforms that she wore (which by the way completely nulled my choice of wedges to match her height). So many memories with Mike, although never really hung out outside of school... until now! on the other side of the planet! Joanna and him are currently traveling through the rest of Argentina, but when they touch base in Buenos Aires again there will be more festivities. 

Afterward dinner some went home, and the rest of us went out to a private party to celebrate the Interior. It was a fiesta de verdad, it took place in a church or some kind of employment building, with a dance floor and a bar. There was an electric bull, it was funny watching Argentines try to ride it. We were invited by Kelly's friend Juan Camilo who is from Colombia, he was working the coat check and mini bar in the back, and I could tell he was a good guy from the get-go. Very respectful. I'll write about him again later. 

Anyways, so Caitlyn bought us some drinks and we started dancing together. I met some other people there, from Santiago del Estero, and Mar del Plata. Sometimes I don't want to talk to strangers when I go out with friends, but this night was different. I had a great time, and everyone else seemed to as well.

On Tuesday, a few days after the dance party in the church Kelly and I went to Gibraltar bar in San Telmo to say goodbye to her roommate who was only in the apartment for a month, Chris. I went to Frisbee with Chris once, and he made lots of pizza... funny guy. We had a few drinks and talked about the good times, and he got super tired (or super drunk) and hopped in a taxi to go home for the night since he was leaving the next day. Kelly and I wanted to stay and talk with the new people we had met even though it was a Tuesday, and that's where it all began.  After we had enough of Gibraltar we started heading to Red Door, and there was this guy tagging along with us. I didn't remember meeting him in Gibraltar, but he seemed alright. Kelly and him talked all the way there and when we got there we didn't have a problem getting in. I met some more people, Sebastian from Barcelona who was celebrating the end of his trip as well, among others. Kelly and I got invited to this one guy's birthday party that was set for Wednesday, the next day. Eventually I ended up talking to the guy that tagged along with us and found out he was from Ireland. Immediately wanted to hear more, but I kept my distance so as not to look like an obsessive fool... If you know anything about me, it's that I love Ireland... always have, and have always wanted to go back since I went when I was 16. We talked and talked and clicked right away. His name is Eoghan (pronounced "Owen") and he pretty much changed my life.

 

Eoghan and I hung out for 2 days straight, I showed him what I could of the city and enjoyed his company very much. I looooove the Irish accents... I felt stupid a lot because I couldn't make out what he was saying sometimes, but that's part of the fun of being from different places even if you speak the same language, I guess. On Wednesday we went to the Abasto shopping center, near where I live, and then to Plaza de Mayo, and the Casa Rosada was lit up in bright pink lights! I have never seen that before, and I haven't seen it like that since (I've been past it a couple times since last week). 

I told him what I could remember about the Casa Colonial, Casa Rosada, the Cathedral, and the marching abuelas. I'm no tour guide, but I did what I could, if not for him, then for me to prove that I can remember something from this year to myself...  After Plaza de Mayo we walked to Puerto Madero and saw the bridge, had some coffee and alfajores in a cafe, and walked to one of the yellow cranes. He was funny, he wanted a picture with the crane instead of the Bridge. Who am I to argue? Then we walked to Molly Mallone's, this Irish Pub that I knew of in the area. The last time I went I really liked it, and this time was the same. We had some beers and he said he thought one of the burly guys next to us was a Scottish rugby player named Gregor Townsend. I thought he said Gregory, because that's the kind of name I recognize.. I've never met anyone named Gregor, Eoghan wanted me to go ask if he was Gregor Townsend. I know nothing about rugby, let alone who any famous players are so I said no, and we sat there wondering if it was him. Then finally when they stood up to leave Eoghan yelled out "Gregor!", and the guy turned around surprised and was happy to talk with Eoghan. 

 Gregor Townsend, Scotland Rugby Coach

Apparently he was happy to be recognized, I always imagine such characters to be sick and tired of being talked to, but it was great to see the smile on this muscly rugby players face. We totally blanked and forgot we had a camera on us, so we don't have any pictures with him, but that's more Eoghan's loss than mine. But how cool is that? I would never have been able to pick out a Scottish rugby legend unless I was with an Irishman. After Molly Mallone's we went to a house in San Telmo for that birthday party for that guy we had met at Red Door the night before. It was alright, Kelly and Jenny were there and they left after we got there, so Eoghan and I hung out until a Bolivian guy tried to teach us this twirly South American dance move. I have more experience with the twirly dancing than Eoghan but neither of us really got it, and even tually the Bolivian guy clapped saying we got it, and so Eoghan and I said our goodbyes and left the Bolivian Wasteland, as Kelly has dubbed this new hangout in San Telmo.

These few days were so full of events it seems endless... The next day, Thursday, I met up with Eoghan and we had lunch at Kentucky Pizza and had a bizzare pizza, it was half corn and onion and cheese, and half ham and palm hearts. I ordered ham and pineapple (because I FINALLY found someone who likes hawaiian pizza!) but the waiter messed it up anyways. We got pineapple on the side, which just isn't the same, but it was good nevertheless. We walked to the Rosedal rose garden and around Plaza Holanda, then got some Volta ice cream and walked to MALBA museum. That was interesting, there's a new exhibition that replaced the Andy Warhol one, and it is pretty S&M. It's a photography display, and there's lots of exposed male parts. I appreciate that, so often are women portrayed naked and everyone claiming it's art, not porn, and men never have to strip down and pose for anyone because it's "heinous" or "blasphemous". All in all, I prefer the Andy Warhol exhibit because the new one, in my opinion, crosses the borders that distinguish art from pornography.

Thursday isn't over! We went to Kelly's apartment to meet up with her, Samantha, Jenny and Jenny's friend Eze (pronounced "essay" or mexican "ese!"). We ate some of Kelly's amazing Rosemary focaccia bread and drank beer... then went to thisclub called La France (or GOA), where we met up with Ramón and Fede P.! I left Eoghan, Kelly & then to go look for Ramón and Fede, and at first I was losing hope, and losing happiness because I couldn't find then, then suddenly I literally bumped into Fede and we screamed and hugged each other. Then Ramón came over and screamed and hugged me and kissed my cheek. I love my friends here! How am I going to be able to leave them?!?! I hate goodbyes. Anyways... So the rest of the group came to me and Ramón's friends' spot where we stayed for the rest of the night. I had so much fun that night... dancing with Ramón is always fun, and I always get to meet more of his random friends. We all got a little too crazy, a little too much"baile sensual" (it was our sensual dancing night since Ramón and Kelly and I were joking about it about a month before). Ramón is a security guard so it's just funny to hear him say something like that, haha. I think we weirded Eoghan out. I have no idea how it is in Ireland, but someday I will go and see. Hopefully sooner than later, I have plans to live in Colorado in the USA for a couple years and then move to Ireland. With some trips to Norway and Finland in there somewhere... Life is too short! 

So the night was coming to a close, I tried to take a bus to get home but walked 10 blocks in the wrong direction, to the Obelisk, and realized that I didn't have my wallet anyways... it was just gone. I had my bag zipped shut with a coat folded over the top and everything, and somehow my wallet disappeared. I think when I was returning scarves and stuff to Sam and Kelly it got caught and fell out... just bad luck I guess. Kelly helped me get home with coins and has since been loaning me money until I can pay it back. I love Kelly, I seriously don't know how I am going to live without her...

so, needless to say, Friday I was completely dead. Dead to the world. I slept until 6 or 7 pm after my class and went to Kelly's to make dinner. We were going to have a calm night since all week had been nothing short of madness. However, there is no such thing as a calm Friday night in Buenos Aires, and I will have to continue the happenings of my week in another blog, because I have been writing for 3.5 hours already and need to go to sleep. I'm off to immigrations for the 5th time to get my Visa. Not my visa card, my student Visa for residency, to prove that I am studying here... I went in March and it is still not done... I think I am going to have to be firm tomorrow. I need to be mean or something, I need to demand they give it to me. I don't know what else to do. We'll see. Last time I went, I got so upset and offended when I left that I cried all the way home. I hate feeling so insignificant and treated like nothing just because I'm foreign. I only feel like that at immigrations though, the rest of the city treats me like a blonde goddess, so I have no right to complain.

Until next time,

-Jenny

New Purse!

I'm starting this entry as a blank slate. I have no idea what to write about, but I'll let what comes to me put itself down. To begin with, I suppose, I could talk about my new purse. I FINALLY found a purse that I liked enough to invest a good chunk of money into!

My New Purse

Leather and suede. Normally I really dislike suede... the texture is just weird, but i love how the two shades of black make it more interesting. The pockets on the outside close with a magnetic snap, and the studs are bronze colored instead of silver. Not only will this purse last forever but some wear & tear on the studs won't show it's age as much as silver ones would.

The inside is an army green fabric reinforcement. Could this purse be anymore me??? The whole thing closes with a tassel zipper, and there is an extra zippered pocket on the inside next to my body. I hate too many pockets and this one has just enough. I like it because it's not overdone with details (like soooo many of the purses in this city are!), and it's not boring either. I spent 390 pesos on it... (about $100 usd), but I've been looking for a year, and if it means I can't take that trip to Puerto Madryn then so be it. I love this purse and I'm going to use it til it falls off of me in shreds.

This Friday I'm having some friends over for Lasagna Night! Mike and Joanna (friends from Alaska) are here and I'm going to get to see Mike!! I love seeing friends from home in foreign places. Seeing Chase in January was so cool, and hanging out with Joanna during the semester was a relief from all the Argentine-ness. We spoke in Spanish most of the time, so we didn't skimp on the learning. For Friday I also invited all my roommates, and Jodie, another girl from Anchorage that I've never met in person but she knows a lot of my friends back home. And, of course, Kelly and one of her friends. This is going to be a great night =)

Until next time,
-Jenny