men in the park

Last night I partied like an Argentine. (which entails going out late and coming home in the morning.) My roommate invited me out with her and her friends to celebrate her birthday. We went to a bar called 'Timbartuu'. It had an African theme and many of their drinks were made with ice cream. We arrived around 11pm and left at 5:30am. The bar was still serving drinks (not uncommon here).

At one point in the night I was sitting outside with two guys and a girl from the party. the girl was on my left and to the left of her was the window for the bar. Inside the bar, I noticed my roommate got the cake out so I said 'Torta!'.... The two guys started laughing. What did I say? Torta is cake right? It is it is....oh, ok, is 'Torta' some part of the female body?? no no...ok, then what is it? It's another word for lesbian. they laughed because when I looked to my left at the window, the girl was also to my left. so now I know. Torta means both cake and lesbian.

I didn't speak as much Spanish as I would have liked. I'm still having a hard time getting over my language wall I built.

I had a really nice time.

(Saturday, December 13, 2008)

Going to bed at 6am means sleeping until 1:30pm. I was woken up by the neighbors constant ringing alarm clock and her loud as hell music. My bedroom window and my roommates window look into a small courtyard, and so does Ms. Bells and Music. My roommates boyfriend threw 2 ice cubes at her window and surprisingly she turned off the alarm! If I weren't in bed I would have done a victory dance. Since I've moved in, the girl's alarm goes off for one hour from 9am-10am and then for one hour between 9pm and 10pm. Her music echos up through the courtyard walls.

I woke up, got ready and headed out to study in the park. When I left the building, my roommate was sitting outside the building. She called the police on the girl. She said she's asked her several times to turn down the music, she's told the building manager and nothing works. So the police came and gave her a noise ticket of some sort.

off to the park to sit on a bench under some lush green trees.


(photo below: Me. I'm wearing my cute new shoes)


I was only there about 10 min when a 40ish guy sat down on the same bench. it's now obvious that he saw me studying spanish. he wanted to practice his english, which is fine, but he kept saying he wanted me to be his teacher, and then asked if I wanted to go some where with him. I would have said yes if he would have offered me candy. (joking). i'm very skeptical of men here well, here and everywhere. no harm though, just chatting in the park. we spoke spanish but most english. he gave me his email, i gave him no info of mine.

then i moved from my bench too one in the sun. i was there for just about 5 min and another 40ish guy walked by on his cell phone. he stopped in front of me and asked for my pen in spanish. i made a 'huh' face. then he asked in english. i gave it to him, even though i was using it. he continued to chat on the phone and scribble with my pen as i stared at him. when he hung up he asked where i was from and then gave me an impromptu spanish lesson for 15 min.. it was nice of him but i was dying in the sun and so hungry and just wanted to be alone. i cut it short. he also gave me his phone number and email. he said my first spanish lesson with him would be free and then we can negotiate an hourly.

maybe i was sitting in the 'pick-up' section of the park and i didn't know it? both men were nice, but the entire time they spoke i was skeptical of their intentions.

i left the park and walked back towards my apartment. i stopped at the small restaurant downstairs for 2 caprese empanadas (tomato, mozzarella and basil). empanadas are my savior here. i'm still having trouble eating, both with the food and lack of appetite.

at 7:30 tonight i met my first person from 'conversation exchange'. we met at the large shopping mall near my apartment. the mall is very upscale and is filled with all the upscale kind of stores. 1 of 2 starbucks in Buenos Aires is here at this mall.

so i met the guy for coffee on the top floor of the mall. i got to speak some spanish, but it's still difficult for me to get the words out and to make sentences in which i don't doubt all the grammar.

afterward i looked in some clothing stores and then went to the grocery store:
here are just a few of the things i bought and their prices...
2 pesos- can of tuna (58 cents)
4.50 pesos - loaf of wheat bread ($1.30)
1.29 pesos - 1 apple (37 cents)
5.59 - jar of jelly ($1.64)

i'm staying in tonight, i want to find some spanish lessons for my ipod. i need more work on listening.