party polo asado

this weekend i kept thinking over and over how i got so lucky. i would have never dreamed this moved would have gone so well. i don't own anything anymore, just my computer and my clothes, but i feel so rich in so many ways. i have so much, but all these things, that make me feel so rich, don't carry a price.

Friday, April 17th, 2009
Around 10:30pm I left my apartment to go to the 'Mercado Chino', (Chinese Grocery store) for some wine to take to a party. They're the only ones who are open late. However, for some reason they were closed AND the next Mercado Chino I tried to go to was closed too. Was it a Chino holiday? Since I couldn't buy a bottle of wine for the party I stopped at a kiosko (mini convenience store) to buy some chocolate.

We arrived to the party around 11pm. A friend hosted a birthday party for another friend in her 'party room' of sorts. (Her apartment building has a common gathering room). There were around 80 people there. I spoke only a little Spanish; I felt so tired since I didn't have a nap. (waaaaa). Around 4am a couple of us got a taxi home (early to normal time to leave a Argentine party)

Satuday April 18th 2009
Around noon I woke up, but I didn't get out of bed until 1pm. Around this time I received a text invitation to a polo match in my neighborhood. Giddy up! By 2pm I headed out the door, stopped at a restaurant to pick up a sandwich and then took the bus to the game (10 pesos ($2.60). At the match I met up with 4 of my B.A. girlfriends.
The first match started at 2pm and then there was another match around 4pm.

(photo below: the horses being walked to their staging area. they're wearing their jump-suits and leggings)
(photo below: the next argentine polo star)
(photo below: the national anthem was playing before the second game)

Towards the end of the game a horse went down. A medical van and a horse trailer sped onto the field. At first I thought someone was performing CPR on the horse. I just saw a man flailing his arms wildly. After more thought, I realized he was undoing the saddle straps. The horse was down for a good 2-3 min., without moving or trying to get up. What would they do if they had to put the horse down in front of all those people? Luckily after what seemed like forever the horse rolled over and stood up. They walked him off the field as the crowd cheered.

(photo below: Argentine against the rest of the world (seriously)....and Argentina won!!!)
(photo below: for the game, all the horses tails are tied up...er um, in pony tails? anyway, this guy has the job of letting their hair down after the game)After the game there was a 15 by 15 fenced in area where the players got changed after the game. It was like their locker room; but everyone stood around and watched them. No complaints here....no complaints here.
(photo below: here's a close up for you. shirtless polo player giving his friend an argentine man kiss. honestly....i think it's so cute)(photo below: everyone stuck around after the game for a drink, to listen to a tango band and to watch the tango dancers.)
After the game I started to get a bad headache. I know it's from not eating well and not drinking enough water. I'm still having trouble with food. I eat, but eating makes me bored. This morning I had a deep craving for a chicken cheese steak with onions and mushrooms...ummm. If I could eat out in restaurants each night I'd be fine...but I'd also be broke.

After I made some food (chicken salad zzzzzz) I rested for a hour. Luckily I woke up head ache free. Around 10am I met up with two of my friends, jumped on a colectivo and headed to my first asado (Argentine BBQ). It was a smaller sized dinner party, 11 total. We were celebrating a friends last night in B.A. before she goes home.
I didn't get to see the asado action. It was very non-Argentine of them to have dinner ready shortly after we arrived. We ate around 11:30pm and finished up around 2am. Since I don't eat beef I just had salad, potatoes, dessert and ice cream!!!