for the birds

seems a bit strange, twice in 2 months... and 4 close calls. Remarkable I would say, or perhaps I have a bird shatting target around my being.
Too many kinds almost. You have your champion birds, your purdy birds, birds walking the streets in Buenos Aires, birdie 2 shoes, the bird experts, for sure there are yard birds, and I wouldn`t want to forget my favorite: the yellow-bellied sapsucking 3 toed spotted sandpiper.
He chewed the pregnant lady down on the price of Lacoste shirts from 36 to 30 pesos... a difference of... $2. Maybe he was the target. We took a stroll into the plaza only to see more of these crazy birds. Pigeons, I guess. Never liked them... but today it was plenty interesting to watch one specific male going after a female. Didn`t know how bird sex worked until today- my achievement :)

christmas complete

a bit different from my kitchen back home where my mom is busy making sure everything is just so... here my adopted Argentina mom sat back and watched as food was being prepared- her main job: table decoration and making sure we had good music to keep us cooking. James job: tasting everything before it went on the table. Mine: documenting the event.

ready... set... Merry Christmas!!!!!!
Negro, James and I did the cooking. Being the chef that he is, we had some pretty amazing food. Now I will list the food for those interested :) A warm creamy orange sauce over chicken patè wrapped with bacon; some sort of cold, mushy, fish flavored dish over sliced animal organs with not chicken eggs, and tomatoes (not my most favorite, but exciting nonetheless); guacamole- they eat guac as salad here, just scooping it in bite after tasty bite; spinach salad with a homeade orange vinaigrette dressing; creamy mashed potatoes (of course); potato kieshe; the most fabulous fresh, warm bread from the local bakery; and whole chicken degutted, deboned and deskinned, only to be wrapped up in its own skin with red and yellow peppers, dates, crushed almonds, ricotta cheese, pineapple and more magic, secret ingredients that I just can`t reveal. Atop this masterpiece we glazed a fresh cherry and onion sauce. Sounds magnificent, doesn`t it?
Me with my favorite Argentino of all time enjoying a glass of champagne to ring in the start of Christmas Day!

I never thought it could be that good without all of my family. I never thought that a hot Christmas would be anything too spectacular. Then I met Kitty.
Kitty arrived early Christmas Eve morning. She is alot like my mom... singing and humming all throughout the day, dancing around to music she doesn`t quite know, but would like to. A very happy woman with the nothing but the best intentions and warmest of hearts. It sent chills up my spine to see her and her son reunite for the holidays.
After a somewhat relaxing day... I was eager to know what Christmas Eve had in store for me here in Buenos Aires. It turns out, just like everything else in this country, that Christmas was in fact very different, yet very much the same as Christmas`s past. The big celebration is on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day is very relaxed.
When we put Argentino wine on the table, the feast began-- approximately at 930pm.
Back home we`d have eaten ourselves silly with appetizers and cookies before our big feast sometime in the afternoon. Everyone would be so stuffed that all they could do is lay on the couch, floor, bed, or anywhere they could find room. Here the meal lasted a few hours, with our Argentina music keeping it real every bite of the way. Sometimes the beat got the best of Kitty and she would have to get up and dance around a bit before coming back to the table.
And even though I live in a Jewish neighborhood, we knew when Christmas had arrived by the crashing of fireworks all at once. For hours it didn`t stop, and every now and again looking out the open balcony doors we could see fire balls in the sky. Yes, fire balls. I guess these huge balls are made out of a similar material which is used for hot air balloons, but these bad boys are lit and flying up into the sky looking like... I don`t know- giant fire balls!
After the feast, wines, and champanges we, the two north americans, made a decision for the group that we should take a walk to A) let some of the food digest and B) to see what the heck was the deal with the constant fire works and fire balls. It took me by surprise to see a couple of 10 year olds in the street lighting them off... and then a littler guy with his mother and brother in a stroller on the corner at 2am lighting off more and more.... just for a good bang.
Christmas morning came and Santa had found me!!!!! I was quite surprised that he, with his reindeer could accomplish so much territory in just one night. But he didn`t let me down, even all the way in Argentina. He`s magic. However, after the delightful realization that he found me, I got a little bit sad. It was Christmas morning and I couldn`t hug my family. Church was 12 blocks away. Negro asked me if I wanted him to come with... I said no...why did I say no? On my extremely hot walk there I had about a bazillion emotions flowing out of me, then I entered. No poinsettias, no tree with lights ( I don`t think evergreens exist here), no choir, not a whole lot of people either. I sat one row from the back. No one behind me, no one in the next 2 rows in front of me. I was sad, alone, and just wanted some Christmas music. 2 years in a row sobbing in church on Christmas- only this time I didn`t have my moms tissue or my dads squeezing hand- just a bunch of fans blowing. Shortly after, thank goodness, 2 backpackers came and sat by me, and another lady... I had people, just not the right ones.
Feeling sorry for myself I turned my thoughts to Jamie Michalsky`s grandmother, sitting alone in pew on Christmas, missing the life she once had, her grand-daughter, who has been gone for over a year now because of a suicide bomber in Kabul. I thought of the lonely old lady brushing the dirt off of her cardboard box outside the church, straightening up her living quarters. She had no one in the world on that day ...or any day. I thought of the nicely dressed man I saw in the restaurant later that day reading the paper and eating dessert by himself. He was lonely. It was Christmas.
and here I am, the spoiled brat that Santa remembered. I had a feast with the 3 lovliest people in the Southern Hemisphere. I was able to talk to everyone in my immediate family with the exception of 2 nephews and a niece... 16, 16 people who love me more than any other Argentina they know. I guess sometimes it takes a bit of reflection to realize what you really have-I feel lucky, I had the greatest Christmas I could`ve ever possibly had in 2005. I never thought it could be that spectacular without all of my family. I think next year, wherever I am, I will need Negro, Kitty, and James to make my holiday complete.

FELICES FIESTAS!!!!

roomates

A couple of weirdos- for sure.. but I live with them... and they love me :)

`tis the season for food

When looking distinctively for a certain something, especially when your in a hurry, it is always the most difficult to find.
Before yesterday I thought it was impossible to go anywhere in this city without finding a heladerìa on at least every other street- the same with internet shops. When walking around in the heat with James, he decided that ice cream was on his mind- and we weren`t to give up until we found one. I don`t think we could have mapped out a loopier, more crazy route with no ice cream shops. We tried to speak to the heladerìas... "ok, I guess we don`t really want ice cream after all" "can you hear us? we`re not looking for you!" In the end we forgot about the ice cream and settled for a cold coconut and dulce de leche torta---mmmm
Realizing today that we can count the number of days on one hand before Christmas arrives, we put together our noggins and created a menu of sorts for the week ahead. Included in this list is pecan pie, pesto over chicken & pasta, creamy potato soup with scallions and fresh bacon, banana foster, banana bread.. with chocolate chips :) and... well, we have more ideas but that is what we have come up with for todays tasks. So, if any of you talented cooks (my family), have any yummy hints about what to add to these items to make them extra tasty, they would all be MUCH appreciated!!!! (Mom, please send me that banana bread recipe--Dad, Dave, any tips for the soup?--anyone else? ..anyone? ....anyone? other fantastic chefs out there willing to give up their secrets for holiday specialities???)

Navidad en Argentina

It turns out that I will in fact be spending Christmas with family this year, just not my family. Negro`s mom is coming later this week and we are going to hang out for Christmas... AND James (13.11.05) just arrived this morning--- at 7am, so it is certain that the southern hemisphere holiday will be celebrated in mucho style.
Still a bit hard to believe that Christmas is in less than a week though... its supposed to be in the high 90s later this week and the sun is just-a-blaring. Decorations are abundant everywhere- however, just not the right kind of decorations. Sure, there are mini trees (haven`t seen big ones), garland, lights, tinsel, bows, ornaments, fruitcake and santas... but it just doesn`t feel like Christmas time.
The Santas are skinny first of all, and secondly they are wearing green, blue, and yellow suits- not red. The suits are of a shimmery satin material and end just above the knee- santa shorts. Santa doesn`t wear shorts. Santas (male and female) are on the streets handing out flyers to the nearest computer store or something like that. Their beards are held by a rubberband exposing their ultra tan skin, not to mention Argentino Santas are WAY too skinny!
It won`t be the same- at all- I can`t even pretend to be that it will be. Anyhoo, I shall spend it with people that I love nonetheless. (I`m betting that the mom is lovable too)

boring but true... the honor system

Ok, its not exactly like the transportation system in Prague, but Buenos Aires certainly is a city of trust. I have noticed every day that people go out of their way to make sure life is square.

On the streets, there are newspaper stands on every corner and NO, I`m not exaggerating. One intersection- 4 newspaper stands. Here the sellers sit behind their stands, sometimes asleep, sometimes not paying super good attention, where as any passerby could keep walking and take any one of many magazines and newspapers sitting on display- but that just doesn`t happen.
On the subway people will hand useless items out for the passengers to look at and decide if they want to get it. It usually costs only one peso (= 35 cents) but those passengers who are exiting the subte make it a point to find the seller to give back the item if they don`t want it. They don`t set it down or give it to another, they seek out the person individually to ensure they get the crap item back.
In the bakery getting some kosher bread the other day, I paid 25 centavos (8 cents) too much for bread (the 50 and 25 pieces are the same size and color) and the guy collecting the money left the long line of people waiting to pay to come out the door and call to me that I had paid too much.
Other vendors on the street have their goods on display for all to see- if they are out to lunch or away for a few minutes, they simply put a sheet over their goods, or put a string with a note that they are not there... and this way no one bothers to even look at their merchandise.

cool huh? I can`t see this type of interaction happening all over the world

lucky 13

Here is a monument to something or another (probably good óle Simon Bolivar- seems he´s the hero in all of these countries) in Plaza Francia.. or Levene, or Plaza Mitre- who knows, they´re all right next to each other in the northeast of Buenos Aires. Anyway, it was taken on Saturday... so many people in these parks and plazas just hangin´out, getting some sun- being lazy. It´s great. Look at Mr. Lazy blue shirt... he looks comfy, huh?
Street crossing in Buenos Aires
This was most likely the balcony that Evita sang her song from... either it was this one or one of the 25 others that look just like it
BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!!!! These crazies made me feel right at home. from left to right: crazy band man Boris, roomate Negro, birthday girl, Diego the Argentino with the car, and roomate Luciano. There actually were some others- including 2 more girls- on the opposite end of the table, but since I wasn´t in that picture I left it out. ( just being honest)
Gimnasio fans at the beginning of a futbol match a couple weekends back.
This is the river, the closest thing to a beach for hours. You can´t and really shouldn´t want to swim in it.
Laying out is sort of out of the question as well.
However, a good walk on the rocks with a friend is always a pleasure.
I sorta forgot to take a picture when I was blowing out my big candle and... well .. before we cut into it and ate a quarter of it. But here, a couple days after I marked my 26th, you can see the inside- mmmmm- its still SO good!

This is the blue line subte. It is the oldest known to man... or something like that. The doors need to be opened and shut by the passengers, the windows are always open, the seats are all wooden, the lights are lightbulbs with a hall or bathroom fixture- and they flicker on and off depending where the subte is at that exact moment.
These empanada people dance in the crosswalks only 3 blocks from my place in order to promote their restaurant on the corner. It is quite a show with really loud music and I tell you what... EMPANADAS CAN DANCE!!!! in any case, they are funny to watch
Here are River fans (the losers) during the middle of the futbol match with Gimnasio. It was SO hot that day... and the fans never stop the chants. It is continuous loud chanting for a couple hours straight. fabulous.
and finally.... the polo match. This was actually really cool. I didn´t know that polo was something other than a shirt or game that you play in a pool. I knew I came to South America for something! I´m a learning machine!!!!!!!!!!!

a recount

After a proper wake-up I was served ice cold chocolate milk by some handsome young stud. It was then time to refresh myself for the day and head out to enjoy the sunshine of Buenos Aires on a sunny December day. My favorite jeans and I were off to see what we could see, when suddenly a young gentlemen in the street greeted me with a flower. Nice :) We went to lunch and I got a job offer shortly thereafter. To celebrate I went to get a chocolate covered strawberry and my nails done for the night which awaited me. But first I would go to the beach to catch the last of the days rays, listen to the waves crashing onto the shore nearby, and see the sun fall into the water. Mr. Right picked me up for dinner complete with live music where they played "Angie" for me and we ate the best steak and drank the best wine in all of Argentina. After recovering from the best meal ever, Mr. Right took me to the roof of one of the central buildings in Buenos Aires. Here, I was greeted with 20 of my closest friends- overlooking the lit up city. Complete with the best birthday cake in the world, a pool, full bar and mini-golf, everyone had a grand time. My birthday was fabulous, from start to finish... now I`m 26.

... what really happened.
After a proper wake-up I got up and poured myself an ice cold glass of chocolate milk. I must have been glowing with "its my birthday" because I got plenty of nice compliments on my 4 block walk to my first Spanish class. My parents called to sing all 5 verses of the happy birthday song which made me feel right at home. For lunch I splurged and made sloppy joes. I LOVE SLOPPY JOES! And although I live in the Jewish neighborhood with plenty of kosher stores, I couldn`t find any dill pickles. Is it weird that when I think kosher, I think pickles? Can`t help it. After lunch I decided to check out a job near casa rosada (where Evita sang "don`t cry for me argentina") but it was already filled, so I proceeded to a nearby park. There I found a spot next to some long haired dude playing his guitar. I soaked up some rays while reading a sleezy sex magazine brought by my company a couple weeks ago. Back home I indulged in the chocolate covered strawberries that I had made the previous night. They were/are SO good! Just then Negro came home with the most fabulous cake- better than the one I had pictured from the Hornitos bakery in Bogota. I must have dropped enough hints about the dark chocolate strawberry thing because it was loaded with everything mouth-watering. Truly the best birthday cake I`ve ever tasted. 3 layers of chocolate cake with dulce de leche in between the bottom layers (dulce de leche is a special thing here... it tastes almost like a soft caramel, but in fact its only milk that has been heated over the course of hours and hours to get it to the perfect, sweet, brown consistency) The next layer had fresh strawberries and creme... mmmmm.. and of course the thing was covered with dark chocolate. oh, just thinking about it, I can`t wait to go home and have a piece. So, great cake- it was the first time that I could enjoy fresh strawberries on my birthday. After the cake fiasco, I had a meaningful chat with a good friend and made him smile- a very good feeling. Then I was taken by 4 gentlemen in a car to Bellagamba, a food and spirit place. There I met with Neil and Kathleen, 2 friends from Caracas, and some of their friends of the moment. I had a big table full of people enjoying themselves and singing happy birthday to me in Spanish :) My birthday was fabulous, from start to finish- a proper start and finish... and everything in between was birthdaylicious too!

25

I never dreamed of a December like this. It`s absolutely the opposite of the 25 previous Decembers that I`ve experienced. (with exception of the countdowns of course)
Yesterday I went out in the morning with a long sleeve shirt only to find out that our ¨cool spell¨was over. For 3 or 4 days Buenos Aires was a refrigerator and yesterday it soared up from 70 degree weather back into the 80s where it belongs. I satisfied my urge to check out the river yesterday with my chef roomate, Negro. Not only was it clear skied, sunny and hot- I got a sunburn and doubled up on vitamin C by drinking some fresh squeezed OJ while in the suns fabulous rays.
Back home in Minne, its something like 10 degrees for a high and the land is covered with snow... my lo is 50 degrees warmer than their high... and I`m still wearing a sweater. I have officially become spoiled by the South American sunshine.... and I love it! Only one question remains, will I be able to survive an entire winter with no sign of snow?
Tomorrow`s my big day :) I don`t have such a program for this one. I can count my friends here on one hand.... ok 2- I more than doubled my friends on Friday when Negro took me out with 5 of his chef friends. Negro... funny nickname huh? There´s something friendly about a place where you can call your buddies Negro, Negrito, Negrita and it just means love.

strawberry shortcake

No one`s given me earrings before and for good reason, I don`t have those holes. But who am I to reject a gift? I`m not. Especially in December, especially from a guy.

Speaking of gifts... my birthday is on Tuesday everyone, that`s the 6th for those of you who don`t own a calendar. 3 days and counting... I`ll be waiting for your calls and well wishes.
The cake that I want is located in the Hornitos panaderia in Bogota. It is chocolate- obviously- and not that milk chocolate crap either, it is chilled with different flavors of creamy filling on the inside and covered with dark chocolate covered strawberries on the outside. Mmmmmm, I can`t wait! :)

quinto elemento

¨Dad, you can`t imagine some of the crazy stuff that is offered in the classifieds here- even prostitutes auction themselves off in ads...¨ -silence- As soon as the words came out of my mouth they felt sour. Some things as funny or entertaining as they are to you in the moment, just aren´t as amusing to others. I have been hardcore looking for a job for the past 42 hours or so and am getting a bit nervous about not finding something to earn a bit of cash. It`s summer here so English lessons are pretty much over- that was my fallback if nothing else worked. Working at a call center I decided was not beneath me so I called a couple of places. When they, and every other sales, language, internet, international, and biotech company I`ve called told me that I needed a work permit I was floored. AHHHH!!!! Ok, so here I am, great place, fabulous city, beautiful people, perfect weather and broke. Broke as a joke, yup, that`s me. I`m going to check out the bartending scene or perhaps selling fresh baked cookies on the street- but if things don`t shape up and I won`t hesitate to move it on out to Uruguay. Montevideo has a beach... and from looking at a map you`d think that Buenos Aires does too- but it sure doesn´t. The closest beach is a good couple/few hours away, and from exploring Mar del Plata last week I wasn´t impressed. Dirty beaches, ice cold water, super windy daily sandstorms that pollute my contacts and far too many groups of young people chanting in the streets... I wonder what Uruguay holds. I may have to jump on a boat and explore what that land has to offer. Who knows, maybe there`s more of a demand for prostitutes there. A girl`s gotta make a buck.
Just kidding Dad :)

Today starts our last month of 2005, December- obviously the best of all months. My countdown starts now: in exactly 5 days I celebrate another birthday!!!! Feel free to send all love, money, gifts, flowers, and cake to 2723 San Luis, Buenos Aires