Alana and I at dinner
The process of making wine
Cabernet Sauvignon vineyardsFebruary 23, 2011
Today was a very memorable day! I went to school in the morning as usual. After classes I usually eat lunch around school or with friends, walk around the city or go sit somewhere then come home. But, today I decided to eat fast and return home shortly after lunch. And, I am glad I did because otherwise I would have missed the FLOOD. Usually, my family drives me to school, then I walk home. It’s 32 blocks, most of the way is down hill, and I pass two parks along the way. So, it’s a very refreshing walk. However, I decided to take the bus today. The weather looked dark as I left school, but wasn’t raining at the moment. My bus ride was about 30 minutes and a little way into the trip it started to rain. Then, it rained harder, then harder. I was so happy to be on a dry bus (well, it was dry after we shut the windows). I got off the bus about 5 blocks from home, then walked the rest of the way. The storm became stronger and stronger and the wind just about killed my umbrella. (I bought an expensive one in Buenos Aires, because my “cheap” one died after two uses. =() However, holding my school bag as close to my face as possible to keep my books and electronics from getting wet, I managed to walk through the rain and wind! Needless to say I was drenched when I arrived home. However, I was not expecting what happened next!!!
Emanuel (the father at the house where I am staying) was running around to secure the doors of the house, as a large river of water rushed downward toward the house. Leti (the mother at the house) was inside disconnecting all the plugs on the floor and moving everything in my room from the floor to higher ground . The drain in the room next to mine (which is about 2 feet by 2 feet and very deep) had been opened and water was rushing in from the back porch. As the drain began to get fuller and fuller, we all went to work on the project. Leti and Emanuel created a barrier to block the water entering the back door and we all began to sweep the water that was already collecting on the floor into the drain. Parts of my room were wet about an inch or 2 deep, but the room in front had 3 or 4 inches of water in places. We kept sweeping, then the drain became full! UH OH! Water was now entering the kitchen and was about 6 or 7 inches deep on the porch. We put as many blockades as we could to the house, including towels and plastic toys, but the water still came in. After half an hour or so the rain stopped, but the porch and house were still flooded. (Thankfully they don’t have carpet here). We then all moved outside and began the project of sweeping the river to higher ground where it could drain into the grass and not flood the house. Mom, Dad, Grandma and I began our task. Then, the 6 year old began to help us! We swept and swept… Then, Leti moved to the house and proceeded to sweep the flooded water out, so the rest of us could move the water outside to a better place. After a while, the task was done! Leti mopped the floors and all returned to normal except for the power being out for hours, and the internet and cable out for days! Kind of reminds me of my last office at Enterprise. Every time a big rain storm came, the computers would not function the next day. Apparently the wires outside were getting wet, but the internet company couldn’t figure out how to fix the problem.
Anyhow, back to the FLOOD story. The crazy part of my day was not finished. Once again, it began to rain hard in the middle of the night. Not as hard as in the day, but still a steady pace. In my semi-comatose state, I awoke and thought I should move all my things again. So, I disconnected the plugs once more and moved all to higher ground. Then, I went back to sleep. The midnight flood never came! In fact, floods are EXTREMELY rare here. This is the desert with irrigation ditches throughout the city. So, I feel privileged to have had this adventure.
February 20, 2011
I have had an amazing week! Today I have stayed at home all day. I slept until 11 because I was out with two couples until 2:30am. (That’s early to go home here). I also took a 3 hour nap because yesterday I had a once in a lifetime experience to climb (trek) two mountains in one day. I am not sure when my body will forgive me for the adventure. In case you were not aware, my brother inherited the athletic genes in my body and I the musical genes. So, working out has not been a priority for me. But, here’s how yesterday transpired.
Friday I met the cousin of the lady I am staying with in Mendoza. She was really fun to talk to and in the conversation, she and the family I live with invited me on a hiking (trekking) excursion the next day (which was yesterday) for 7 hours. She mentioned that her husband is very athletic and walks fast, but she said there were 6 who were planning to go, and we could have a fast group and a slow group. She also said the whole trip would be 7 hours, not just the hiking. So, I thought I would go.
Storms then came that night. What I didn’t know at first was that almost every one backed out except for the athlete (the guide) and the husband of the house where I am staying. So, we three drove to the mountains. I knew I was in trouble when it was going to be just me and two strong guys. On the way, the guide asked me if I played sports – ouch! That’s another strike against my abilities! But, we arrived and proceeded to get out of the car and prepare to trek. Then, he looked at my shoes and said, “You are going trekking in those?” I took my rubber skechers because I thought they had better traction than my tennis shoes. But, they were sandals with a strap on them. I did wear socks, so I thought if it got cold that would be sufficient! Then, he pulled out some poles that we were to use to walk with. What? I have never used poles to hike before.
I had NO idea what I was in for. Before the day was over, we had trekked for at least 5 hours in rain, snow, sliding rocks and steep hills. I had many falls with my crazy shoes and lack of skill in the terrain. I have bruises, scrapes and pain on my arms and legs. One time I fell down a hill on a big rock and for the first time in my life I was thankful for the extra padding I have on my back-side. It saved me from much pain!
Unfortunately, most of the trip we had rain. So, I was unable to capture photos of the spectacular view that I am sure we would have had. We reached the summit of Andrecito and I was excited that I had completed the mission! Then, with a quick 5 min break it was time to head down. We approached the bottom and the guide asked me if I could handle two hours more. With my German and British roots, I was not going to be a sissy. I was a bit tired, but felt energy to continue. I told him, No problem. Let’s go!
And, we did. However, much of the time I was about 30 steps behind the guys and they were waiting for me up ahead! The second mountain was much taller and much steeper. It was 2,500 meters (about 8,000 feet above sea level). Of course we didn’t start climbing at sea level (thankfully). There was a gorgeous cascade that we crossed many times back and forth to reach our destination. From afar we saw guanacos and wild horses. My socks were soaked, my hair was soaked, my hands were cold and for much of the trip I wore two coats and gloves. But, I must say it was spectacular! We had walked for about an hour up hill, and the guide said it will only be 1 1 /2 hours more to the summit. What? I know we are on Argentine time, but he asked me if I could handle two more hours at the base. I wasn’t thinking about 2 hours up and 2 more back down. My pace was starting to slow and I was getting tired. I didn’t think I could go on much farther.
We got to a point where the ground was level, and pulled out some snacks to eat. Our guide whom we referred to as “The Dictator” told us we had to keep moving. He had explained to us before we arrived that there was something called Blanco Muerte (white death). He said it was important to keep your pace on the mountain and not rest for more than two minutes or so, because with the lack of oxygen a person tends to get sleepy. Then, when they drift off to sleep they often die because their body systems start to shut down. So, he told us that even though we were on the beginner mountains, it was important to not stop for lengthy periods of time. So, we pressed on. However, the other gentleman and I were about to have a revolt because we were feeling tired and didn’t think we could go on for 1 ½ more hours! We had a discussion (in Spanish of course) and I said I thought I could go on for about 10 more minutes. I told the guide I couldn’t keep going and he said he knew, but to just trust him.
We pressed on, and in 10 minutes reached the summit. With much laughter, the guide told us he was joking about 1 ½ more hours. Wow, what a feeling though. I can’t describe how it feels inside – first of all there is relief to have made it to the top and secondly there’s a sense of conquering something! Maybe that’s how the pioneers felt when they travelled across the sea and finally reached a new land. There’s a sense of victory that is felt!!!
So, Arenales and Andrecito are now the two mountains I have climbed! Soaking wet, the three of us then drove home and went to the theater to buy tickets for a movie for them, their wives and me to attend last night. After the movie, we all went out and had food and drinks, while the men relayed the stories of the mountains to their wives (and talked about many other things that I could not understand because they speak so fast in Spanish) Then, I came home to sleep! And, even with sleeping late today, eating a big asado (barbecue) lunch and taking a 3 hour nap, I am still tired!
The picture to the right is of goats cooking in the park!
This week has been full of many experiences! Valentine’s Day was spent having an expensive dinner at a fancy restaurant with my family here, a 60 year old student from the US. The service was sub par and there was a crazy romantic video the restaurant showed on the out door screen. We were the only family there I think. All the other tables were couples! But, I enjoyed spending time with the family.
The next night I went with the school to Vendemia, which is a local annual festival here in Mendoza where they celebrate products from surrounding provinces including wine, meat, honey and other agriculture. The most important product that is exported is the wine. But, there is also a big beauty pageant where every district enters a queen into the pageant and they have a beauty contest to see who is the winner. I suppose it would be like Austin having a big annual festival and Round Rock, Cedar Park, Buda, Kyle, Bastrop etc. would each have a booth to represent their cities and a beauty queen to enter into the Miss Austin pageant.
But, here there are some interesting things to view at the pageant. I took a picture of goats cooking on the fire. We also met Loco Juan (some call him Loco Julio) who is the local “crazy” person that everyone in the city knows. He made his rounds around the table and made sure he greeted every female with the traditional Argentine kiss on the cheek. He likes women! Maybe he’s not crazy after all. =)
In the park I ate Chorizo cooked in wine! It was really good!
There was a big concert in the park and it started to rain. I decided I had best get back home, but unfortunately made a rookie mistake and took the wrong bus which led me way out of the city and into a district that was a bit off my map. While waiting for the wrong bus, I met a man who gave me a bar of soap as a gift and was very talkative! He got on the bus and sat next to me, talking the whole time (in Spanish of course). We had an okay conversation, but I needed to look at my map to see where to get off. Long story short, he wasn’t too much help because he told me to get off where he lived and after inviting me out for some beers (and I declined) he then invited me to spend the night at his house because even though his house was small it had a lot of love! Wow…. Forward! Of course, I insisted that I get back to my destination (which was quite far away now that I got off at the wrong stop). One nice thing he did for me was to wait with me at the station so I could get a taxi. He said it was too dangerous for women to be there alone. (The other people waiting were women too).
I prayed for a taxi to arrive quickly, and I have never been so thankful to get in a taxi in my entire life!
The next day was so much fun! I toured two vineyards with a group from school. We went on a bike tour! Now, to clarify – a bike lane is to the right of the cars zooming by and to the left of the irrigation ditch. Be careful to not get too far to the left or the right. Otherwise you may have trouble! Also, be aware of bumps in the road. Keep your eyes open at all times. And, don’t drink wine when you go to the vineyard! Otherwise riding a bike could be a bit dangerous. I heard stories of drunk bikers that had some difficulty getting home.
We went on a tour and saw how they made the wine!! It was very interesting, but the best part was tasting the grapes after they separate the stems and before they ferment them! Those grapes were amazing!!! I personally don’t like Malbec or Cabernet Sauvignon, but I think those who did enjoyed their tasting session!
My new family here greeted me well and showed me how to get around the city on the map. Then, we ate a huge lunch fixed by grandma who lives next door. There are two young boys in the family (5 and 6). The family is very warm and I was very surprised with my Spanish skills to be able to communicate much better! (I think they speak slower here.) Yay!
I went to the park nearby to spend some time reading. It was very beautiful! I tend to smile at people when I walk down the street. It is normal in Texas to smile at a stranger. But here, people don’t talk to strangers much. They wait to be introduced. As usual, when I walked down the street today, I smiled at people. One elderly lady smiled back and I wanted to hug her! I didn’t realize how much a smile could do for a person!!!
I feel like I changed countries since I left Buenos Aires. Mendoza and Buenos Aires are very different.
In Buenos Aires, there were no (very few) flies, mosquitoes or other bugs. In Mendoza there are bugs (just like Texas). So far today I have been attacked by a fly, an ant and have killed several mosquitoes!
In Buenos Aires, the flags are not Argentine Blue, but rather gray from smog! Here, the air is clear and the flags hold their true colors.
In Buenos Aires, 24/7 there was noise of people, buses etc. Here, I am listening to crickets while I type this.
In Buenos Aires there are many people with blonde hair and fair skin. In Mendoza, there are still some, but more people with Indian background than just Spanish or Italian. Likewise the buildings here are typical Latino buildings whereas Buenos Aires feels like Europe.
I traded a high rise apartment life where all the children were grown for a cozy house with two young children.
So, now I will enjoy the next few weeks at my new home!
These are pictures from the bus. If you look closely, you can see the white-capped mountains to the left of the road.
February 13, 2011
Today I arrived at my second home away from home. I am now living in a small town (including suburbs a mere million people) called Mendoza.
Though Buenos Aires was a beautiful European city, I was ready to move to the mountains and get away from the crowded city streets. And, quiet is just what I have now! The noises outside my window are birds, barking dogs and children playing instead of honking taxis, people laughing in bars until 6am and loud city streets, which is what I experienced from my high rise apartment!
Now, the bus ride here was a new experience for me. I wasn’t sure how the bus station worked so I got there an hour early. I had to wait until 15 min. before departure to see my bus appear on the big screen. Thankfully I met some people from Ireland while waiting and the time went by faster as I kept a close eye on my 3 overly-stuffed bags. I got on the bus and was a bit disappointed that they didn’t look at the bags at all to see what was in them….someone could have taken a knife, gun or anything on board and nobody would have ever known. =(
I should mention that I prayed for a good taxi driver to take me to the bus station and I had the best conversation with this driver who was so honest that he tried to undercharge me for the taxi ride and didn’t want to take the small tip I offered him.
So, as I got on the bus I realized that the guy at the ticket counter where I purchased my ticket hooked me up with seat #1 on the top deck of the bus so I could see everything, as he said! It was a great ride. Dinner was enough for a 400 pound man! They served me ham, cheese, breadsticks, a biscuit, mashed potatoes and fruit salad. THEN, they brought the main course of chicken fried chicken and stir fried veggies! Breakfast was interesting. Tea, a lemon pie snack bar, 3 pieces of dried toast with delicious peach marmalade, and a brownie! Wow, lots of sugar! I ate some Pringles to get another taste in my mouth!
A birthday party for Sol!
My Spanish class at a local restaurant!
Me, Sol (the birthday girl) and Mille at Sol's birthday party!… I had another fopeaux (not sure how to spell this word) tonight at the dinner table. I learned what the words “Language Barrier” truly mean! So, here’s the story.
It is customary to eat fruit as a dessert after dinner. As we gathered for fruit, the man of the house said something like not wanting any for there were no bananas to eat. However, there were plumbs, grapes, peaches and cherries. I wanted him to have something to eat that he would like too, so I went to my room and pulled out my last banana from my lunch stash and brought it to the table for him to eat, and with a very sincere face told him it was a gift. Well, I am not sure quite what the family had been talking about but they were somehow discussing him being fat and eating bananas. So, my bringing a banana to his plate let out a few laughs… oops. I guess I acted on a wrong signal. He graciously accepted the banana and with a few nods and stares from his wife ate it! I suppose he was eating it to simply not offend me.
Adventures during my last week in Buenos Aires :
1) Watching a real Argentine movie – drama, violence, shock, trauma and murder/suicide seem to be common themes for shows that originate from here. For such a jovial, partying crowd of people, it seems kind of odd that they love fierce entertainment. Hmmmm…
2) It rained several days this week. Since I walked to school each day, I tried to pick an outfit that would be suitable for the rain. I thought what better shoes than flip flops because they dry easily. Well, I was wrong. They were quite slippery! I was crossing an avenue and when I finished crossing took notice of a cute girl walking in front of me sadly being galked at by 4 men on the street. They were all intently watching her. As I stepped on the sidewalk near them, I slipped and fell down on the wet surface. I guess I messed up their show of the cute girl, ‘cause instantly I had a hand that offered me to help me get up! OOPS!
3) I went to a birthday party for an Argentinean who turned 25. It was an awesome party! They know how to have birthday celebrations here, and the homemade dulce de leche cake was I think the best cake I have ever had!
4) I went to dinner with an Argentinean male whom I met through my host family. We went to a nice restaurant and the food and conversation were great, (he spoke fairly good English) but let’s say that I won’t be repeating that again! Men here just don’t seem to have the same manners or expectations as they do back home! (Perhaps it is just that I hang out with a better crowd in Austin) Anyhow, after declining my invitation from him to spend the night, I got home safely and learned a great cultural lesson!
February 12, 2011
It has been quite some time since I last wrote. This week has been full of adventures. I have been challenged with shopping at the grocery store, or “supermercado” as it is called here. It seems I tend to buy food for babies…enriched milk for children and yogurt for children. I wasn’t aware of this error until someone at the house pointed out to me later that I was drinking milk for babies. (It really tasted good).
While speaking of food, a few nights ago I came home to find my meal prepared for me on the kitchen counter. The house parents were eating out at a friend’s house. I gathered my food and took it to the table. On the counter was some lemonade in a bottle. (We usually drink juice with dinner, but I had never seen lemon flavor before) I took some and poured it into my glass then went to the table to eat. The juice was quite tart, as though it were concentrated. So, I went to the kitchen to mix it with some water. But, I still couldn’t drink it. The daughter at the house where I was staying found out what I had done and said that the “Lemonade” was actually for salads. No wonder it was so tart!
Last Sunday I went to watch the Superbowl at a sports bar in Buenos Aires. Unfortunately, only 3 or so places in the city hosted the Superbowl viewing. So, the line to get in was LONG! The place was so crowded any fire marshal in the US would have closed it down. It took an hour to even get something to drink (we didn’t try to order food) and the sad part was the place was packed with Americans who tend to be very picky about service, unappreciative and sometimes rude when they don’t get what they want. That part of the US lifestyle I don’t miss!
However, my two friends from school and I did get to watch the game announced in English. But, the commercials were in Spanish. =(
I took a video of some of the commercials so you can see what my experience was like!
February 3, 2011
Conquering the Mall – Rules of Shopping
I have a major exam tomorrow that is comprehensive over the last two weeks (40 hours) of class. So, I should be studying. But, this afternoon I had this urge to go shopping. So, a couple hours ago armed with $50 and a VISA I set out for my adventure. I had a particular type of light weight jacket in mind that I wanted to buy to wear over my tanks. The first decision I had to make was whether to go to the air conditioned mall and most likely pay a higher price, or walk along the streets of the city store to store to hopefully score a bargain. I decided to do a little of both. I scouted the first floor of the mall and priced a few options. Then, headed to the streets! When I found that the street stores were over priced too, I came back to the mall to try the top two floors. Like a game hunter, I wanted to find the best rack of bargains, so I walked throughout the whole maze of a mall, which is not like a mall in Texas at all. (There are dead ends and levels and ½ levels that take you to two or three stores or an exit on the street, escalators that take you to elegant food courts etc. So, you have to figure out how to navigate through it all. Then there’s the fact that perhaps 5 stores in the whole mall have familiar names, one of them being Starbucks. The others are all uncharted territory.) I learned a few lessons during my walk!
RULE #1, if there is a security guard or a leather couch in the store look out. The prices may be high! I came into one store and found exactly what I was searching for. Then, I looked at the price tag and just about jumped for joy. It looked like a steal at merely 39 pesos (about $10). I was then “attacked” by an associate who took the sweater to the dressing room for me. Which brings me to the next rule.
Rule #2 If the associate at the store talks to you or says hello, chances are it is an expensive store! I then decided to probe around the store a little longer and noticed my mistake. It was not 39 pesos, but over 300. Yikes, I don’t think I want to pay that much for a little jacket. So, I went to the fitting room, sort of tried it on quickly and declined the purchase.
Rule #3 If the store has more than one room in it, search hard for sales because it may be an expensive store! I walked into another store that reminded me of The Gap Outlet or Old Navy. I thought maybe they would have better prices. And they did, in the center. But, the cute clothes were still exorbitant. How do people afford to live here?
Rule #4 (Also applicable to shopping in the US) Look out for the word SALE or Licuidacion or anything of that sort! If you are a male reading this, you perhaps will not relate. But, a woman is drawn to the word “sale” just as Peppie la Pew was drawn to the cat! (If you are over 30 you know who I am talking about). You see, the word S A L E just lures a woman in and makes her feel like she is getting a better deal. I scanned scores of racks of clothes that were advertised as ON SALE and still found crazy, inflated prices!
Rule #5 Just because the store does not know how to use English grammar properly does not indicate that its prices are reasonable. My next approach was to go to the store that said “We are on sale” to check to see if I could find a bargain. I mean, if the clothes at that store can talk that’s worth paying a visit in itself! What I found were clothes that could not talk but were still overly priced.
However, one other store caught my attention. It was called “I Love 47 Street”. It was there that I found my jacket…not at a bargain and it was a much thicker jacked than I wanted (meaning since I will live through two summers in two hemispheres this year I may not get to wear it much until next year) but even still, I felt better about myself to be able to not go home empty handed!
Now, I suppose I should study???
January 29, 2011
This evening, some friends and I went to an outdoor drive-in/walk-up movie and watched something equivalent toWayne’s World meets Dumb and Dumberer starring Napoleon Dynamite! Though it was good practice to listen to Spanish and try to understand it, I was quite lost in the movie often. (not sure if it was not knowing the language or the theme that threw me off) Anyhow, it was a fun experience. Then, a friend from class and I went to dinner. I just returned home from dinner and it is 1:30am. I thought it was around midnight when I got home…crazy how the streets are still booming like they would be around 10pm in Texas!
The other special part of the day was going to the hospital to visit the 1 day old new granddaughter “Joaquina” of my host mom. Family is such a big deal here that when we arrived at the hospital there were about 15 people in the room. Great uncles, grandparents, sisters, nephews, etc. It was quite overwhelming! And, of course each person who arrives has to greet and meet everyone individually… The hospital room (a mini apartment) was quite fancy!
I met a guy at the hospital (a friend of the family that had the baby) that was very kind and helped me find my wayto my next destination… and gave me his number. He spoke very good English so maybe he will be a good tour guide. Lol!
January 30, 2011
I think someday my brother and I will change the entire world together. You know why I think that? We have the hardest time communicating. When I was at home we often missed each other’s messages on our cell phones and now while here it is not any better. I tried to call him four times today and either the phone said that the number was preoccupada…whatever that means , or the phone would not dial the correct numbers. So, then I thought I would come home and email him. And, the internet in the house would not turn on. Crazy…Well, Kurt, if you are reading this then know I am thinking about you, miss you and love you!
Today was a nice, relaxing Sunday. I haven’t attempted to go to church yet here, but I went to the Argentine version of the whit e house today! It was great fun. I went on a Spanish speaking only tour and took pictures of many of the rooms. But, unfortunately missed taking photos of the President’s office. Oh well, I hear she is only there a few hours a day anyway then flies home by helicopter to her destination that is 5 minutes away. (They know how to roll out the red carpet for the President here).
My other fun adventure was going to the original line of the subway and riding the wooden train. It was built I think about 100 years ago and is still in use. It shakes a little and you have to open the doors on your own, but otherwise is pretty comfortable for a subway!!
January 29, 2011
For a Saturday, today was filled with adventure!
First of all, a new cultural experience - if you want to get a lot of attention, just eat something while walking down the street. NOBODY eats while walking and “TO GO” cups of coffee etc. are very hard to find. Part of the culture here is to sit and converse while eating. So, it is not normal to eat dinner alone in a restaurant either. Today I got a waffle cone gelato and took it with me as I walked. Children were staring, older women snickering and who knows what else was being thought as I screamed “tourist approaching” to everyone I passed. (Apparently the real reason people don’t eat in public has to do with not wanting to look like they gorge themselves, so I suppose eating an ice cream cone made me look like a real pig!
I went on a walking tour of the city today. Here are a few of the pictures I took!
Our enthusiastic tour guide, "Sol" telling us about some palace.
This is the "Casa Rosada" (Argentina's equal to the White House)
This palace was built to resemble a piece of literature. The title escapes me - I am glad I am not an Historian. Details are not always remembered by me!
This is me in front of the legislature.
This is the grounds around the Plaza near the legislature. We were told they had to put of a fence because of the graffiti artists who like to destroy buildings around here.
This is an abandoned building in the downtown district.
A closer picture of the legislature!
