i drive a pomegranate car

this morning i was laying in the park studying. two interesting things happened.

in the botanical gardens there is a part of the park where a sketchy "spanish teacher" hangs out. he looks normal and nice enough. today was the 3rd time in a year that he approached me. (obviously not remembering me even though i always seem to hang out in his part of the park).

on each occasion he sits down on a bench... watches... then starts talking on his phone "to a student" and then walks over to me...talks more...then asks to borrow my pen that i'm using...talks more...writes down the "students" phone number...hangs up, then asks if i speak spanish, where i'm from, introduces himself as a spanish teacher, bla bla bla... then tells me his teaching methodology... bla bla bla.

after i shooed him away, i resumed studying fruit names and tree names. i came across the translation for pomegranate (the fruit ). the translation is granada... why does that sound so familiar to me???

(photo above: Ford Granada)( granada / pomegranate photo from: http://www.medicinewithoutprescriptions.com/2009/03)
(Ford Granada photo from: http://webnerhouse.com/2009/05/18/real-lemons/)

photo: rainbow out my window

awww, i love moments like this!

last dentist appt.

two weeks ago i went to a new dentist, a dentist that is in my health insurance plan. she cleaned my teeth and i asked her to take x-rays to make sure i didn't have any cavities. she told me i'd have to go to an office that specializes in x-rays. she wrote me a recommendation.

the next day i went to the x-ray specialist and had x-rays taken of all my teeth. afterward, they gave me all the x-rays to hold onto. (seems like the doctors here don't keep your records, rather you do).

yesterday i went back to the dentist, knowing that a filling of mine was cracked and needed to be replaced. i was so happy to find out the rest of my teeth were healthy, yay! so, she proceeded to remove the old filling in order to replace it. long story short, she wasn't gentle, she was sloppy and i was very uncomfortable. after she was done i told her the tooth didn't feel right. she told me my cheek was still numb and that when it wore off it would feel better. that wasn't the case. it still didn't feel right.

so, today, not wanting to go back to 'dentista dolor' and not wanting to make an appointment at another dentist i went to the hospital.

[the hospital provides non-emergency immediate doctors appointments within the hospital. it's included in the plan.]

when i went into make an appointment to see a dentist, i was told to go up stairs to the next floor. on the 2nd floor (1st floor in argentina) i told a secretary that i needed to see a dentist. i handed her my insurance card and then i explained to a dental assistant what my problem was. behind the receptionist's desk there were several dental exam rooms. i only waited 10 minutes until i saw a dentist. (10 minutes!) luckily she spoke english and it took her just 2 minutes to fix my tooth.

hospital aleman had nicer, more modern equipment than the dentist's office that i previously visited. the dentist at the hospital was much more gentle too.

[fyi: everything was covered by the plan. i didn't pay for the cleaning, x-rays, new filling or when the dentist fixed the filling the next day.]

that's it for me. no more dentist appointments for 6 months or a year.

(big healthy smile from me)

the feast

i'm not talking about the big thanksgiving feast i had yesterday, but rather the nightly feast the mosquitoes have on me.

yesterday i woke up with a swollen eye. they got me twice on the eyebrow and once under the same eye on my cheek; it's still swollen today.

i sleep with a fan on me, thinking they can't fly well in the wind, however they can still land well.

now that it's getting hotter, it's harder to sleep covered up by my blanket, but if i don't... i'm doomed. just when my face and back stick out i wake up with bites. i know could lather up in OFF mosquito repellent before bed, but i try not to use a lot of nasty chemicals on my skin. i also tried burning citronella incense last night.

tomorrow i'm going to go shopping for a mosquito net and look into natural citronella oil or lotion.

photos: Boedo

one of my favorite things to do in buenos aires is to explore new neighborhoods. today a friend and i went to the neighborhood of Boedo.
(photo above: hey! today is the 24th of November!)
(photo above: lunch at Pan y Arte on Av.Boedo)
(photo above: a cafe along Av.Boedo)
(photo above: walking up to the "Museo Monte de Piedad" or the Bank Museum on Av.Boedo. We got a free private guided tour. The museum was really nice and interesting. The tour was all in Spanish but I was able to understand the tour guide. Her Spanish was clear. )(photo above: Esquina del Tango Sur on Av.Boedo)
(photo above: the Boedo library)
(photo above: indoor soccer arena)
(photo above: a step back in time)
(photo above: the argentine love of the bum. i could never imagine this sign in the states, eh?)
(photo above: wall of fruits and veggies)
(photo above: i can't say it enough....i love love love the graffiti art of buenos aires)
(photo above: something else that just wouldn't fly in the u.s.)
More info on the neighborhood of Boedo: http://www.boedomas10.com.ar/
The 160 bus goes there from Palermo.

photo: the scent of playboy

1 year in Argentina!

One year ago today I arrived in Buenos Aires. What a truly amazing year it has been!

Buenos Aires is an amazing city. There will always be a special place in my heart for Tina. Always.

Today not only marks my one year anniversary but it also marks the beginning of a new journey.

This morning I bought a one-way ticket to Ecuador. I'll leave my lovely Tina in just one month.

The last two months for me were difficult. I went through a ruff period. I wasn't happy with my job and it seemed to affect every part of my life. I have the mentality that if something is not working, than I need to do something to change it. A solution doesn't always pop into my head, but rather it comes to me slowly, but it comes with assurance, assurance that it's the right decision. there's no doubt and my heart knows it.

I want a career where I can make a difference and where I have the feeling of making a difference. Living a green eco-friendly life has always appealed to me. I want to turn this interest into a career. I want to make a difference in our world, in our environment.

To make this happen, I'll live in Ecuador for two months. I'll volunteer on an eco-project. After Ecuador I'll go to Colombia and then to another country that begins with a 'C'. Come the end of March I'll make my re-entry into the U.S.A.

I'm truely happy and I'm truly looking forward to my new adventure. I'm going to learn so much, gain experience in the field, and grow. Once I return to the U.S, I'm looking forward to eating and dating again.

I have the same excited, with a dash of fear feeling of joy that I had when I made the choice to move to Argentina. I never regretted the decision and this decision feels right too.

I loved my year here more than anyone can know, but I can feel it's time to move on.