Day 6: Morning With the Dead

Despite going to bed at 5:00 this morning, I woke up before my alarm clock. I love how I can still do that. It’s very convenient. So, I showered…in HOT water [YAY] and got ready to go meet Erika at the cemetery a few blocks from where I live. When I got there, I didn’t know where the entrance was, so I walked around the area for a good 5-10 minutes, looking, when I found a small opened door that showed parts of the cemetery. I “snuck in” and started looking around. I was followed by two cats for a while. They looked really scary. I think cats all over the world look different, just like people do. It’s interesting. Aww… I miss mis gatos.

Anyway, I sat in the center area where we were supposed to meet. It’s crazy some of the graves that were in there… Well, all of them were pretty crazy, all grandiose with statues and glass windows and stuff. Crazy [I’ll post pics later when I have a good internet connection]. I really like it there. It’s the one place that I didn’t hear too much city noise [for example, in my room, on the 9th floor of the building, you can hear every thing from the streets as if there’s no wall]. I think I’ll study there…if it’s allowed.

So, what did Erika and I do? We walked around a flea market thing that’s apparently held every weekend just right next to the cemetery. It was really cool. I bought…more than I had wanted, but I’m glad [got some of my souvenir shopping done and early too]. I was able to small talk with the vendors. They were all really nice. It reminded me of home, when my family and I went downtown to Centennial Park to look around at the street-side fair.

Something that profoundly hit me today was the amount of stray dogs and cat that just run around the city, and they aren’t diseased or anything either. They’re all healthy cats and dogs. In Buenos Aires, you have to watch where you step because dogs, both stray and owned, do their business where you step. The owners usually clean up after their dog, but still, there’s an unbelievable amount of crap to watch out for. Up until today, I thought owners were being irresponsible, but after going to the open market, there are a shitload of dogs.

Anyway, Erika and I ate and went to Alto Palermo where we walked around in the shopping mall. All the brand names were there. It was trippy…and hella expensive. Did you know they sell Quiksilver: Buenos Aires shirts? It was amusing to see. Oh, Barney was there, too. That was also amusing.

Afterwards, we were kind of clueless as to what to do, so we took out our Guía T, and found a park nearby. When we found it, it was amazing. I wished Aliso Viejo had one. It was so lively. I think it could even be as close to something that you see in the movies. There were kids running around playing, couples walking around and talking, street performers drumming, people feeding the pigeons, women sitting around in circles dialoguing. It was really cool.

After strolling around, we sat down and pulled out our maps. We were looking for the kaikan location on the map. XD We might go next week. I’m excited. On a different note, we [Erika, Kelsey, and I] will plan something good to send to Fran for the Buenos Aires board. Heheheh.

I think with every day that passes, I miss home just a little bit more. The other day, I saw a wii at Musimundo and I had a flashback of last month, where my life for a couple of weeks revolved around nothing but a wii. Aaaa, it’s intense, but it’s okay. I think meeting up with Erika helped me get out of the slump. I was able to connect in ways that I just can’t yet in Spanish.

We saw each other off, standing on opposite ends of the subway platforms, and then I was literally squeezed into subte car. I’d imagine that’s how a sardine would feel like if it were alive when it’s being stuffed in a can. It was definitely an interesting experience to be standing up against someone you don’t know and literally close enough you can feel their breath. Ahahah, I felt like such a country valley girl, who knows NOTHING about the cit-ay. XD


But I have to admit, life is getting slightly easier. Ever so slightly. It’s just a matter of maintaining this momentum and keeping the positivity flowing. …I’m so dead tired right now.

PS, [heard this from Erika] the Fall 2008 SA board is posted on Angel in the Study Abroad & International Internships group.