saying chau

Saturday, March 28th, 2009
After breakfast we walked around the Recoleta feria (market).




After the market we went back to my apartment to change clothes and go to 'take some sun' in the park. (good-bye p.a. winter white!). After about an hour of laying out, we went to Romarios pizza. I was told they have the best pizza. We shared a small pizza and had two 'agua con gas'. I just started liking agua con gas, but after this week of drinking it almost every day I really like it!

6:15pm came around and it was time to call a taxi. A student of mine wrote down 3 taxi companies that he uses, so I called the first one he wrote down, Radio Taxi del Plaza. Within 5 min a taxista was ringing my door bell.

Our taxista, Carlos, was so nice. He asked us if we wanted air condition or windows open, if we wanted the radio on. He also made small talk. Once we got close to the airport Carlos offered to wait for me to take me back home. I jumped at the opportunity (I really didn't feel like fighting / negotiating with other taxistas). Going to the airport only costs 80 pesos coming home would have been much much more if it weren't for Carlos (I think there is a sort of a monopoly with the taxistas at the airport). So Carlos gave me his cell phone number so that I could call him when I was ready. He said he'd sit in the parking lot to wait for me.

I stayed with Nicholas until he was checked-in and then we stood in another line to pay an $18 usd tax.

I don't do well with good-byes, so i was a mess. It was so nice having him here and he was so good to me. I really hate good-byes.

With a wet face I walked out of the airport and called Carlos. He swung around to pick me up. We talked for a bit in Spanish on the way home. Once we got to my apartment I asked him the cost. He said 80 pesos, but I gave him a 100. He was so kind, and Nicholas gave me his left over pesos plus pesos for the taxi home. I thought I would pass along Nicholas's generosity to Carlos.

Once I arrived home I changed clothes to go to my closest b.a. friends house. We haven't seen each other in a while; she had visitors this past week too.

It was so nice to catch up with her. She's so easy to talk to.

She treated me to an American boxed cake mix that she'd been saving since September. Since nothing is easy or efficient in b.a. we had to figure out the oven. You turn a knob to which you hold to the right while you stick a match down a small hole. Once it's lit you keep holding the knob. Once you think it's warmed up you let go and see if the flame goes out. The cake mix said to set the oven to 350 degrees. We both laughed that the oven didn't even have numbers on it, or even high, medium and low. So Argentina, but we love it.
45 min later and the cake was done. Since nothing like this really exists here it was the most amazing taste....she also had American icing to go with it!

It was a nice way to end a wonderful week.