1st "casualty", 3 outings, and a few realizations later.......

WITH PHOTOS!  Not many, but at least you're getting SOMETHING! :)

Well, I'm happy to report that I'm continuing to get better.  I've actually been able to go out and enjoy the city again.  Along the way I've made some lasting memories and also made a few realizations......

On Saturday, I met some friends for shopping in Alto Palermo.  I was pretty excited since it was the first time I had gone out in over a week.  Hanging out with Matthias and Lela (another Swiss friend)  was nice.  We looked in several clothing stores, and I actually did what I should have been doing forever and a half ago, which was interacting with the locals in spanish.  I've been struggling with the fact that it's very difficult for me to muster up the courage to go out alone and try and communicate with people in spanish.  My biggest hurdle thus far has been listening and understanding what people are saying to me.  So the idea of attempting that alone is VERY intimidating.  However, I did pretty well that.  I really need to get over that insecurity, because practicing with spanish speakers here would help me over that hurdle.  Talking to strangers has never been a problem for me before, but something about having to communicate when I can't interpret what is being said to me is REALLY hard.  I know it's not that big of a deal, but I feel pretty stupid when I have someone repeat something 3 times before finally giving up and saying "Lo siento, pero yo no entiendo"  I know it's part of the territory of going to a place to learn a language, but it's still uncomfortable for me.  

*whew* what a rant, huh?

So I left shopping so I could go with Mathias' roommate, Kristoff (from Germany) to the Japanese Garden.  That's right.  Buenos Aires has a German Hospital and a Japanese Garden.  Can't wait to find out how they incorporate nations like Ghana, Australia and Morocco.   Very nice excursion.  However, I discovered I'm still not over my fish phobia.  Those koi were HUGE and UGLY!  yikes.  The statues and bridges were very "tranquilo."  It was a nice outing.

  

Lela and Mathias buying CDs    :    Double order of SEXY!    :     Krizz, my excursion partner

                                                         

I've hated fish since I was about 12, these one's fueled the hatred

One of many neat statues in the Japanese Garden.

The next day Kristoff and I headed to "La Boca".  It's an area where all the houses are painted these really unique and vibrant colors (at least for a house or apartment).  I learned after that when the area was built many many years ago, the people didn't have a lot of money, so they used paint that was used on boats to paint the houses.  That's at least what I got out of the tour that I took today when I went back to that area.  It was a really artistic region of the city.

La Boca

Yesterday, I finally started socializing again.  I went to lunch with about 7 other students, which was very nice.  I'm always in love with the idea that all of us from all these different countries can go out together and hang out.  I never stop finding it to be VERY cool.  :)  I was asked by Sabine (one of the dutch girls) if I wanted to go on a tour the next day.  It seemed like a good idea since I've been here for 3 weeks and am still a little geographically confused.  

The tour group + 2 that didn't go.

Eric and I.  He's the one I went to dinner with as mentioned a few blog posts ago. 

Today we took that tour.  I can say with confidence that I'm more knowledgeable of the areas of Buenos Aires.  Something I never thought about before was the idea of embassies of other countries.  I'm sure if someone had asked me about it, I would have assumed this was the case, but I had never thought about a french embassy, or brazilian embassy, etc etc etc.  We passed those, which was VERY cool.  We saw a lot of monuments.  Way too many to count.  I definitely want to revisit them so I can at least remember the names of some of them and discover their historical significance.  

We stopped in the Plaza de Mayo where the capitol building is.  And the only way I can describe what happened, was crazy.  I was taking pictures of the 8 of us in our group.  And this random school boy got my attention and posed like he wanted his picture taking.  Just being in the moment, I laugh and take his picture.  This is followed by 4 girls posing and me taking there picture.  I get the idea to take a video because I hope to make a video compilation of everything I've been doing out here.  

Suddenly, these kids start coming up and talking to me.  It was a little surprising, but sort of cool.  Suddenly, 4 more students come up to the group that I'm talking to.  Then 4-5 more.  6 here, 4 more there, in what felt like less than a minute, I have a semicircle of high school kids crowded around me asking me questions.  It was really weird, but VERY cool.  They wanted to know about what I did in America, what music I liked, how I liked Argentina.  The whole time, I'm thinking, "Wow, are they this nice to ALL tourists?"  It was almost like being a celebrty.  I loved the energy they had, and even though I'm sure I sounded like an idiot with my broken spanish, I felt like for the first time this trip that was really assimilating with the people.  I'd say that I just need to hand out near the high schools and wait for freshmen, but that sounds a little..........yeah..........creepy.

I totally wasn't kidding when I said there was a horde of these guys.  I hope people are always this nice when I go to other countries.  

Afterwards, we went to La Boca, and it was about the same as the first time I went 3 days before, with the exception of more artists selling artwork and more stores were open. The same people were trying everything in their power to get me to eat at their restaurants and some of them were pushing a little too hard.  But I chalked that up to cultural differences and them just trying to do their jobs and didn't really judge them for it.   

It was a good tour that I'm glad I went on.  The only downside to the day was on my way home from the tour, I went in my bag to retrieve my iPod nano...........and it was GONE!  the pouch in my green shoulder bag was already unzipped.  I immediately thought that it may have been stolen, possibly by that that big group of kids.  But then I figured, i doubt all 30+ teens would plan robbing 1 tourist.  Well, I guess everything is possible, but I REALLY doubt it.  I started thinking it was possible I just forgot to zip up that pouch and maybe it fell out.  Both are a possibility I suppose.  At least that's what I'm telling myself to feel better about it.  I'm probably going to contact the tour company and see if perhaps it was located on the bus.   Good thing I got a free iPod touch before I left so I don't have to be completely beat up about my Nano.  Still sucks though. . I obviously need to be more diligent about my belongings.  Typically, I only take my stuff (camera, ipod, etc) with me when I know i'm going to use it that day for some reason.  *shrugs*  who knows, maybe it will turn up.  

Yet again, my entry is pretty long, so i believe I'm going to stop for now.  

Love you all, miss you!

xoxo