la Pasion de Argentina

After almost two weeks in Argentina, it's hard not to notice...this country has some serious heat and I'm not just talking about the humidity in Buenos Aires. Although "yo tengo calor" is one of my most frequently used phrases in the last week or so, it's the passion and heat of the people, the culture and the city of Buenos Aires that is pretty sureal. Certainly, there is a strong passion for the arts here as evident by a few events I've taken part in recently. Last week, on a recommendation from local Argentines, some new friends and I went to a showing of Hombre Vertiente at the Cutural Center Theater in Recoleta. For anyone who has maybe seen Fuerza Bruta in the states will understand the type of show. It's an amazing performance of visual and physical movement utilizing lights, water, fabric and sound. The audience is even able to partake in the energy by dancing along on the ground level. Both the dedication of the actors in the show, as well as the themes and performances were so electrifying one could only sit, watch and be amazed.

3-D dragon fight at Hombre Vertiente

Later on in the week I had the opportunity to experience another form of artistic expression exemplifying a type of passion I hadn't seen, well, maybe ever. La Bomba de Tiempo is a percussion group that performs every Monday night in a warehouse type-venue to an audience of dance-loving, beer-drinking, artsy, fratty travelers (and a few locals thrown in). Percussion group is probably the understatement of a lifetime. This is a drum circle/beat box/dance party/musical explosion on crack for nearly 2 hours straight. Not only are the performers super talented, they look they are having a blast which of course pumps even more energy into the crowd.

Of course, what would Buenos Aires be without Tango...You see it on the street everywhere, especially in touristy locations and I went one night to a bar which offers a big group lesson in the center as the night goes on. I don't have a huge desire to learn the dance, however, just by watching it's pretty surreal how passionate just movement can be...

group tango at La Catedral

on the streets near San Telmo

Aside, from dance, music, theater, I've started to experience so many other aspects of the passionate life of the Argentine. Food for one, similar to New York, is meant to be a shared, social occasion and your likely to see groups of friends or family dining together for big lunches in the afternoon or late dinners (as in 10pm late...) in trendy restaurants in Palermo or Recoleta or getting together for an Asado on Sundays. Unlike Chile, it is nice to see a wider range of cuisine here, including even organic and vegetarian options (which I'll get to in a later post). Following in the late night pattern is the nightlife, which doesn't even start to begin before 1am...whether its a smoky bar, rooftop lounge or pounding club, young adults here are likely out until the sun rises.

out and about in Palermo

One of my most interesting conversations to date has probably been with my Argentine roomate, the owner of the apartment, Carolina. She is very passionate about her country and its politics and she asked me a lot of questions regarding the youth culture's thoughts on politics in the U.S. In a country like Argentina, where it is literally illegal to not vote for your president (truth, you can get a ticket for not doing so), it is almost unfathomable to them that anyone in the U.S. would not be interested or knowledgable about the direction of our country and the current affairs. She spoke with me about how amazing it is that if the U.S. wants to change something in the entire world, it's possible...and yet, people aren't doing it or they don't take the opportunities.  If there is a demonstration going on or a big announcement happening, you better believe she and her friends are high-tailing to Plaza de Mayo to join the people. She talked to me about the limited power of someone here, for example, if someone in Buenos Aires wants to make a change, it might be able to affect Argentina, but literally our nation and government, even just the people in the U.S. can literally make a change onto the whole world. (I loved especially when she began to talk about Vietnam as an example...) But really, that in and of itself is really mindblowing. We do have this unreal power to make change in the world, so why aren't we doing more of it and why aren't we making better changes in our own country? I almost felt a little ashamed...but these are the ideas and thoughts I hope to take with me along my journey and find a way to harness them in my life moving forward. It is that passion instilled in the people here, that I really admire, both in their culture, their politics and their way of life. Perhaps the weather is just nature's way of reminding everyone here to keep the heat in themselves alive...

Where I rest my head: Mendoza and Buenos Aires

Upon departing from Chile, I needed to make my way to Buenos Aires where I would be starting additional Spanish classes on March 5, so I opted to take a bus from Santiago to Mendoza, which I heard was worth the 6 hours as you literally drive through the Andes nearly the entire time. The view didn´t disappoint! Although the trip took place along quite a winding road, it was breathtakingly beautiful and well worth spending the morning on a bus.

a view from the bus window

When I arrived in Mendoza, I set out for my hostal, a recommendation from the blog of my friend and former colleague, DeLisa , who had stayed at this hostal a few years prior. The Hostal, Hostal Lagares, was perfect for my overnight stay in Mendoza.

my dorm room

Location: Hostal Lagares, Mendoza, Argentina
Accomodation: Mendoza is a small city, easy to navigate on foot for the most part. The hostal was located not far from the bus station and within walking distance to many of the main plazas and attractions within the city. I found myself taking a taxi only to and from the bus station/airport and once when coming home at night alone. I stayed in a 6-person dorm, but only actually met 2 of the other travellers during my 24 hours time in and out of the hostal, they were a couple from Vancouver traveling around South America, both very nice. Javier, the manager of the hostal, was extremely helpful and friendly and the entire staff was more than happy to answer questions, book excursions, etc... I wish I had more time to explore Mendoza, so I will probably have to take another weekend while I am in Argentina to do so.
Length of Stay: 1 night

The highlight of my Mendoza trip, since I unfortunately didn´t have enough time to take a vineyard tour, was skydiving...yep, I chose on my own free will to jump out of a plane. It was thrilling, scary and all together awesome. I would honestly recommend it to anyone seeking any kind of adrenaline rush. It was like nothing I have ever experienced and I´m still having a hard time putting the experience into words. The man who runs the company has been juimping for years all around the world. His home/landing is about 45 minutes outside of Mendoza among farmland. There is nothing quite like an experience at 10,000 feet in the air with the Andes in the distance and nothing but vineyards below. A few images he took during our jump:

The jump

I screamed the entire free fall

 Following sky diving, I headed back to Mendoza to catch a plane to Buenos Aires that afternoon. Although an overnight bus was an option I decided to splurge on the 1.5 hour plane in order to get settled the night before I had to start classes on Monday.

So.....I've now made it to BA, I´ve truly been looking forward to this since I started my adventure in South America. However I have to admit, I was almost overwhelmed, a little anxious, when I first arrived here. I left a huge, bustling city in the U.S to take a break from busy, hectic life and yet, here I found myself in a similar place as New York. Don´t get me wrong, I am so happy to be here and I know I´m going to love my time here once I get adjusted, it was just more of a shock than I anticipated. I started my trip in Nicaragua, super tranquilo on the beach, and even Santiago, though a big city, is much more closely like Chicago vs. New York in that it is a bit less hectic, cleaner, calmer. Buenos Aires feels more like New York or Paris which is awesome for the cultural experience, but I definitely need to readjust myself to bustling city life. Luckily, my living situation here is awesome. I´m located in Recoleta, about 3 blocks from the school and the apartment is something out of a movie. Super classic and totally eclectic with high ceilings, intricate details, stained glass, an old-school style elevator. The owner of the apartment, Carolina, is a 30-year old teacher from Argentina. She lives with her boyfriend (originally from Switzerland) in the place and there is space for 3 other roomates, although currently it is just me and another girl student who is also great, Clare, from the UK, who now lives in Germany and of all places works for P&G, such a small world! It´s nice to have someone who speaks English, but also someone from Buenos Aires with whom I can practice my Spanish.

view from my room

my room

entrance to apartment

Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Accomodation: 4 bedroom apartment with shared bathroom and kitchen in the upscale Recoleta neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Literally steps from Avenida Santa Fe (prime shopping!) and tons of restaurants, bars, etc...in Recoletta and nearby Palermo.
Length of Stay: 3 weeks

Classes have started this week and I have to say, I´m still enjoying learning more Spanish, but it is quite different to learn in another dialect. Argentine´s speak very different from Chilenos and I frequently have to ask the teacher to repeat or slow down so I can understand what she is saying. Once I get used to the differences in dialect I should be better, but it is really challenging right now. The school itself is nice and I´ve met some nice people so far, again from all over the world! I was also excited that another new friend I had been put in touch with before I left for this adventure, Melanie, was going to be overlapping with me in BA and signed up for the same school...and we are in the same class!! It´s been great to have an automatic friend right away. Unfortunately they don´t seem to have as many social opportunities or excursions planned like the school did in Buenos Aires, but we have met some cool girls who are up for exploring the city, meeting new people, going out, etc.. so I´m sure we´ll create plenty of our own fun. I´m looking forward to the rain stopping and exploring the city this week and weekend!

Besos!!!

Breaking Routines

graduacion de Ecela en Santiago

One reason I had a desire to take a career/life break and travel abroad was that I felt like my life had become too much of a routine, not quite a rut, but things felt very planned, very structured and maybe I kind of freaked out that I wasnt ready to call that my life as I know it.....yet here I am again, having lived in a city for nearly 1 month and feeling sad about moving on to the next phase of my adventure. Old habits die hard and I´ve most certainly developed my own sort of routine here, albeit an awesome one, it still is a routine and I need to break it. I´m not sorry I stayed in Santiago for this amount of time as it was really important to get a good basic grasp on Spanish and it was nice to have a more grounded start to this ambiguous trip. It´s certainly bittersweet to say goodbye to new friends and a comfortable life here, but I know it´s time to move on and I´m really excited for the upcoming itinerary! First, a few weeks in Buenos Aires (via bus through Mendoza) to practice more Spanish and return to a city I loved so much the first time, then on to a Peruvian adventure, followed by beach partying in Brazil and then....it´s still undecided. I think I´ll plan to keep the undecided part open for a while to see if I can truly break my old type-A shell and go where the mood takes me, after all, that´s what backpacking in foreign land seems to be all about. Chao Chile, encontramos otra vez pronto....Ahora vamos a Buenos Aires!!!

In Memoriam

I´d like to take a brief break in my normal type of postings to share some thoughts on my Grandmother, Martha Taylor, who recently passed just last night. Martha, or who all referred to as M, fought a strong battle against a disease that ultimately was too powerful against her body. It is that strength that I think about though as I reflect on her life of raising a family of 9 children and countless grand and great-grand children. M was a loving and caring woman who valued family number one. My fondest memories of spending time with her are during christmas eves, many of us there to gather around the large dining room table for a delicious meal. When I was little, my sister and cousin and I would spend time in Decatur during the summer, playing in the river, investigating the house our parents used to call home and trying not to taunt the animals too much. From hearing stories of the past, to helping prepare a salad for lunch, I valued the time I spent with M, because as we know, life is all too short. I also like to think that my love of yoga comes directly through my blood as M was an avid yogi, even teacher, for much of her life. My thoughts and prayers today are with the entire Caulkins/Taylor/Mulligan/Barry family, and although I can´t be there to grieve in person, I know I am in spirit.

Namaste Series: Om is the same in all languages

The other day I realized it had been nearly 3 weeks since I had practiced yoga and it surprised me, why had I not experienced my usual craving for the practice. When living in New York, I often found I would experience a craving, almost like a human need, that I had to get to a class...why not here, not now? I took some time to think about this and realized that the driving force behind my feelings of need to practice yoga primarily came from the fact that going to a yoga class was like therapy for me; a mental break from the day, a time to focus on myself, relax, unwind, perhaps bring up any feelings that might be bothering or affecting me in that moment. Since I´ve started my journey abroad, I think that this whole experience is similar in many ways to the mental side of my yoga practice. Selfishly, I am devoting a lot of time to myself right now, I´ve been able to relax, unwind, open my mind to new experiences and relationships and I have the luxury of time each day to reflect on all of it. Whatever is going on with my head though, my body definitely missed it, so I decided I would need to find some alternative intentions for my practice and seek out a studio before I left Santiago. Luckily for me, there happens to be a yoga school within walking distance from my house which is great since it offers many classes per day and is super cheap!

Academia Chilena de Yoga

The school follows a Hatha yoga style of practice, and although I prefer more of a vinyasa style, it was great to get in a studio and stretch it out...not to mention doing the whole thing in Spanish of course!  I definitely took for granted how much I rely on the guidance from the instructor. Although I could understand body parts and simple directions in Spanish, and I had experience in all the poses before, I really missed hearing the thoughts and wise words that I´m sure the teacher was sharing. It wasn´t the most difficult class physically, but it certainly was probably one of the most mentally challenging classes I´ve had in a while as I was completely alone with my thoughts and had to rely soley on myself to stay present. One thing I did love was that the class ended in, what felt like, a 20 minute shavasana which we did in a restorative pose with lots of props. It was super comfortable and relaxing and I definitely left the studio feeling clearer and more refreshed. Namaste.

Where I rest my head: Valparaiso, Chile

Ever since I caught a glimpse of Valparaiso during my trip to Viña del Mar a couple of weeks ago, I knew I had to return to explore more of what the beautiful coastal city had to offer. A friend at school, Anna, said she´d be up for joining me so we set out after classes on Friday for the 90 minute bus ride towards the ocean. Upon arrival we managed to navigate the public bus system and Ascensor up to the neighborhood of Cerro Concepcion where our hostal was located. Alas, the real adventure started when we tried to check in and there was no record of our reservation. When I pulled it up on my email, I realized I had actually booked us for Monday-Wednesday of the following week, perhaps it had been a late night before....regardless, they had space for us for the night in a mixed dorm room, which we happily took. My friend Will, who had previously lived in Valpo for a few years, had given me another recommendation for a hostal in the area, so we set out to find that one and ensure we had a place to stay on Saturday. Lucky for us, Will´s recommendation turned out to be this fantastic little place made up of all private rooms with balconies overlooking the harbor, we were ecstatic to have an awesome bed booked for the following night.

Where I rest my head:
Location: Hostal Casa Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile. This was a very adequate hostal in a perfect location on Cerro Concepcion. The staff is super friendly and helpful and we met up with a lot of like-minded travelers who wanted to explore the city and the nightlife together. The free breakfast int he morning is the best I´ve seen at any hostal, including scrambled eggs and juice!
Length of Stay: 1 night

Outside of view of Hostal Casa Valparaiso

Dorm room in Hostal Casa Valparaiso

Location: La Maison du Filou, Valparaiso, Chile. A very quaint and comfortable hostal with just 5 guestrooms also located on Cerro Concepcion, this was the perfect place to get a little more quiet and a really nice room while still on a budget. The manager was a bit odd at times, but super friendly and helpful all the same. It wasn´t social at all though, so we were happy to have made some friends the first night that we could hang with for the remainder of the weekend.
Length of Stay: 1 night

La Maison du Filou room with a view!

Aside from our hostal mishap, the rest of our trip continued perfectly. The weather was perfection and we spent both Friday afternoon and Saturday day walking though the city, exploring the amazing winding roads and spectacular street art, taking in the impressive views at the top of the Cerro´s and even setting out on a short boat ride around the harbor with some of our new hostal friends. We also had the pleasure of visiting one of Pablo Nerudo´s houses up in the hills of Valpo which they´ve turned into a bit of a museum complete with audio walking tour. Of course being next to the ocean ensures some delicious and fresh seafood meals. On Friday night, we treated ourselves to an awesome fish dinner and a bottle of wine at a restaurant we had read about in Lonely Planet, Caruso. The staff was friendly and the fish, baked in foil with tomatoes and onions was muy rico! On Saturday afternoon, we stopped for, yet, some more fish for lunch at a recommendation in one of the plaza´s near the Port. Saturday night, we really wanted to try to eat at this super trendy spot, Pasta e Vino, but being a budget traveler, and the fact that it is super popular and had no available reservations, ensured we didn´t blow our whole weekend´s $$ on the meal. Instead, we asked if we could sit at the bar for a glass of wine and entrada, which was perfect since we were able to chat with the bartender, take in the ambience and have more than enough to eat on a budget! Following dinner, we met back up with some new friends from our first hostal for a night on the town, which was a blast and I ended up being the only American in the group which was certainly a first, it was like the United Nations with friends from Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Chile all together... and like Santiago going out in Valpo means dancing until well past 4am....it was wonderful to have a lazy day Sunday to rest and enjoy some sunshine before heading back to Santiago for my final week....I can´t believe it, I´m so sad to leave but I know there are some amazing adventures upcoming!

winding streets filled with graffiti art

a fun boat ride around the harbor

out on the town!

Week 2: living, eating and breathing Chile

I can´t believe that two weeks in Santiago have flown by so fast. On the one hand I hate that my time here is moving so fast, on the other, it feels as if I have been settled here for quite some time so I can´t really complain that I am truly enjoying life right now and am so thankful for this opportunity I have created. This past week was filled with so many great experiences and excursions that continue to make me feel as if I truly am getting a taste for living in Chile. I am learning my way around, the people are nice and welcoming and the city is muy bonita! One thing I am absolutely in love with is the whole experience of trying to learn a new language. It´s frustrating and challenging for the most part, but the feeling of understanding someone in Spanish or, even better, being able to respond is pretty exhilarating. I nearly forgot the feeling of my brain feeling tired from studying or concentrating on something so seriously, but at the end of the day, when I go to purchase a bus ticket or ask for directions and not only does the person understand me, but I understand their response, it makes it all worth it. I still have a long way to go, but I notice an improvement every day and I have to say the best practice tends to be at a bar or nightclub at night, so really going out is just an excuse to improve my Spanish skills.....

As my language skills grow, I find myself being able to engage more deeply in conversation with my host family, which I really enjoy. In Chile, I have noticed, they don´t shy away from topics that we might consider inappropriate to discuss with strangers in America. For example, politics, religion, money...all fair game and people are truly interested in your opinions. I´ve been having conversations with my host parents ranging from my job and family to political views including abortion laws, my thoughts on 9/11, the war in Iraq and literally everything in between. It´s engaging and not only a chance to learn a lot more vocabulary in Spanish, but also provides a really interesting perspective on how foreigners view the States, our government, our culture....really, all very fascinating. Through these discussions with my host family, and even my teachers, I´ve also been learning about Chilean life and culture and the many differences between us.

The past week (give or take a few days) I´ve had the opportunity to explore a multitude of sites in and around the city. I´ve climbed up Santa Lucia (a beautiful park/hill in the center of the city), visited an artisan market, cheered on U de Chile at a futbol game, tasted Chilean wine at a local vineyard, ventured outside the city to Cajun del Maipo for rafting and went on a walking tour of the entire city centro.

Santa Lucia

Toasting at Undarraga Vineyards

Futbol

getting our gear on for rafting

One of my favorite excursions of the week, and certainly one where I felt least like a tourist, was going out to a local Cumbia club in the heart of Bellavista (a popular nightlife spot I would equate to the East Village of NYC). Cumbia is a style of music, originally brought over from Africa during Spanish colonial times, which spread throughout South America (specifically the Andean region). The live band we danced to at the club included several percussion instruments, saxophones, singing....the club was crowded, sweaty, loud...all in all, an incredibly awesome night! Big shout out to Dave and Zach, some new friends who introduced us to this. I was fortunate enough to share the fun night with my friend Leah (also a NY girl who is taking classes at the school) and  my friend, Lori, who met up with me in Viña del Mar. Lori came through Santiago for a quick view of the city and we had a great time. She even accompanied me to a vegetarian restaurant I was dying to try as eating here has probably been the hardest thing for me outside of learning a foreign language. Vegetarian doesn´t necessarily mean you don´t eat chicken, etc... so being specific is key and people don´t understand why in the world you wouldn´t eat meat...that has also led to some interesting discussions I may or may not have understood in Spanish. Regardless, most of what I eat on a normal basis includes bread, eggs, avocado, cheese...certainly not winning any nutritional awards, so seeing tofu for the first time in a while was pretty special.

OMG, tofu!

So between the eating, walking, touring, wine-tasting, rafting, dancing (and even a little sleeping) I´m feeling good about making the most out of my short time here. Next weekend, I´ll be traveling back to the coast for some additional time in Valparaiso and then only one week left in Chile!!! (for now). I´ve been researching some volunteer opportunties to potentially return towards the end of my adventure....
More to come soon, Chao!