Poopy Pants

Buenos Aires is definitely not a city that lacks creativity. One thing that I have been particularly drawn to has been the variety of fashions. There is no one trend here- it’s everything and anything. Although there are some people who follow certain looks, for the vast majority they make up their own unique style. One of our favorite pieces is our self-proclaimed “poopy pants,” which is a variation of a baggy pair of pants, but with a lot of extra fabric that falls around the buttox area (and literally appears as though they’ve got a poopy pair of pants). These pants are very popular here and we still can’t understand the appeal of this item because it is absolutely not attractive even on the skinniest individual. Besides that, there are a lot of people who would fall into the hipster category and sometimes I can’t help but admire their sheer ingenuity in fabricating something completely out of the ordinary. On the other hand, many girls here have a masterful sense of style. I often find myself doing a double take when a girl walks by with a sensational outfit far more than I do for guys. They are also blessed with either amazing genes or maintain very healthy diets because they are all stick skinny. I was very surprised to see how trendy people are here and it is definitely reminiscent of some European cities, rather than what I have been exposed to in parts of Latin America.

On another note, politics are starting to get a little chaotic here. Kirchner is now trying to control the free press, which has resulted in a wave of protests. They have also raided multiple areas of production for Clarin in Buenos Aires claiming that they are a monopoly and there were certain tax concerns. The government later issued an apology for their actions, but the act itself cannot be described as anything other than intimidation. The government further alleges that they are acting on behalf of the average worker by regulating Clarin’s role in the free press in Argentina, and thereby, allowing other companies to enter into the market. Recently, the Senate passed a bill that places new restrictions on television and radio ownership that will probably enable the government to buy out Clarin, which is one of their sharpest critics and the majority holder of Argentina’s radio, television, and cable licenses. From what I am able to make out in the papers, the government has remained silent to all the protests. They maintain it is to offer more opportunity in press coverage to others, but is this not just an example of a healthy, profitable company? Obviously, this is a facade for their real goal to hide the vast criticism that they are receiving, especially as Argentina sinks into a recession. It will be interesting to see how this pans out considering that Kirchner has another two years in office.

Most people I have met are largely unsatisfied by Nestor’s time in office, but they now proclaim that politics have reached an all time low with his wife. Cristina is being compared to the likes of Chavez and many people have told me their concerns that Argentina is slowly moving towards a dictatorship. During the couple’s time in power, they have far outstretched their control and many people worry the masks of democracy are being overused in order to feign some sense of legitimacy. There are fears that they are conducting private investigations to determine their major enemies and opponents to their regime. Many assert that Hugo’s example is spreading throughout Latin America and Argentina will be the next country to fall to widespread corruption under an illiberal democracy similar to that found in Venezuela.

We’re off to an asado and happy to say we can finally begin working on our tan. Used our terrace today for the first time and all we need is a little hammock and it will be the ultimate location to spend these hot days.

If you are interested in hearing about Dubai, check out Christina’s blog here. Absolutely love it and I am sure you will too if you want to hear about a different set of experiences on the other side of the world!

Channeling Our Artistic Energies

Even though Karlyn and I both have not had much experience in the kitchen (well me for that matter), we will be returning to the US with a whole repertoire of traditional Italian cooking. Today, we went to our second cooking class and learned how to make pasta from scratch. I was amazed at how easy it was- not just one pasta dish, but three, with sauces included. They also were anything other than the ordinary dishes you can find at every other Italian restaurant in town. They were works of art and that’s why I think half the struggle of cooking goes into presentation. I’ve always considered myself a terrible cook, but in truth maybe I just lack the practice? Karlyn and I have sworn to try out our new dishes on our upcoming visitors and (hopefully) wow them with our adept presentation of Italian cooking in Buenos Aires. See descriptions below to get a good idea of the masterpieces we created today.

After stuffing our bodies full with a full course of hearty pasta, we continued our quest to find the best vintage stores in Buenos Aires. Usually the Internet is a very valuable source for this type of information, but it has been entirely unsuccessful here. I’m a sucker for great vintage stores, but more than not I end up finding them the day before I head off for a new city. So this time we are trying to start early and be able to take the visitors when they arrive.

As we tried to fight off the rain clouds since we forgot our rain jackets, we searched our first destination: Juan Perez. It was a messy collection of hilarious assortments. It was the perfect spot for crazy Halloween costumes, but seeing as how Halloween isn’t widely celebrated here we need something that’s a little more obvious that our “costume” is not our daily guise. Karlyn came across two adorable jackets both with skeptical top-notch designers. None of us felt our designer investigation skills were up to the level necessary to outweigh the hefty (even in pesos) price. Besides that, we left with a few mouthfuls full of dust and completely uncertain as to our upcoming Halloween costume.

Afterwards, Karlyn and I stumbled across an American bookstore to our surprise. We have had some difficulty finding anything other than American classics (which we have both read most of), crime thrillers, and the overstocked bestsellers. As two avid readers, we spent a half an hour trailing the various bookshelves filled with only books in our native tongue. I am on the hunt for a Pablo Neruda book of poems in English. I am currently attempting to translate the book of 100 Love Sonnets. However, it’s been a little difficult to interpret the overall message in my broke down translations and I’ve been running into each bookstore I come across desperately hunting for an English version. Karlyn is the lucky recipient of my daily-convoluted translations and I can’t say that she has taken too much from these poetry recitals. The book remains to be unfound, but we did stock up on some interesting new reads and Karlyn was able to purchase her first book to help her with Spanish! She has conquered a few essentials, such as basta, which will hopefully prove handy in our food servings (but rather unlikely).

With our new collection in hand, we ventured to our last spot: La Quinta Avendida. This location was a gallery filled with small stores with a blend of random items. We lacked the energy to rummage through the jam packed collections and vowed to return another day. I still have yet to find my go to vintage store and if anyone has any advice, please do share, so the search can come to a halt.

Other than that, we had the pleasure of having an asado with an entirely French and Argentinean group. It was hilarious to hear the variations of French, Spanish and English all pulled into one. Most people in attendance only spoke French or Spanish, so as far as Karlyn was concerned she was out of luck. She tactfully managed (or feigned she did) to understand the conversations. Most of the people there, were working for companies in Argentina and it was fascinating to hear about their experiences cross-cultural work experiences. Many of the people had worked in multiple countries, so they gave us amusing renditions about how it was to work in each country. In the background of this hodge podge group, we had a boy trying to dj on soundboards, people randomly taking candid shots with a massive Polaroid camera, and others trying to tell us about their work in fashion. It was quite an artsy clan and we felt inspired, but disappointed in our own lack of obvious creativity. We may have also met the last piece to the puzzle of our future plans- we shall see. However, check out this site to see one of the girl’s latest collections: http://www.facebook.com/pages/MONA-AMOUR-chemises-de-nuit/47949491622?ref=mf.

We’re off for the night. Please feel free to post any comments you might have. We do LOVE hearing from you. BESOS

Today’s Masterpieces:

1) Pici alle Briciole - Pici with Breadcrumbs - Siena

Pici, or pinci, is “poor people’s pasta”, is a thick, irregular, hand rolled strand pasta, usually served with a simple sauce or seasoning. Today we cooked this particular pasta with a simple garlic, red-pepper, olive oil, and bread crumbs sautéed sauce.

2) Baked Anglotti

Anglotti are made from two thin, square pieces of pasta that are sandwiched together around a filling. Egg-based pasta dough works best for this form of pasta. Today we filled the anglotti with a provolone cheese and then baked them inside the oven until they were glden brown. For the sauce we made something a little spicy and modern: a central American style salsa of pureed tomato, green pepper, green onion, garlic, jalapeno peppers, cilantro, lime juice, and salt.

3) Langanelli con I Ceci - Irregular whole wheat Pasta - Non-traditional recipe

For the whole wheat pasta, we cut these into I Celi shapes which resemble a trapezoid type shape. For the sauce, we sautéed chickpeas, onion and celery together with olive oil, and added the pasta directly into the pan.

Mother's Day Adventure

It’s the little things in life and yes, it truly has been. Here, it’s all about the small details and actually taking the time to relish these moments. As irritating as the Argentine system can be, I think it all comes from their dedication to seriously enjoying oneself with friends and family and not letting a time schedule inhibit that experience. That’s why you may often sit down to lunch waiting over an hour before they take your order or idly wondering what exactly was so complicated that the waiter can’t bring you change in less than ten minutes. I think that it’s our American expectations and biases that often get in the way of us sincerely taking in the culture- so Karlyn and I have finally learned to adapt this slow pace and RELAX. One prime example of this lovely custom, is that we still remain unclear on exactly what time it is right now. The Argentineans have not yet decided if they will implement day light savings time and you are inevitably left with hordes of people working at their own preference of timetables. We’re hoping they’ll finally decide one soon because it’s making it hard to catch a movie.

Looking at the calendar has made us realize how fast time goes by- we were completely dumbfounded that it has almost been two months since we have been here. We wish time would just stand still. We’re sick of hearing questions about what are you going to do with your life? Where will you live? Who will you marry? When do you think you will have kids? What is it that speeds up the controls of time immediately after you graduate college? We just want to stay in this moment- live and be young. It’s a scary thought when you start thinking in seven years when I am thirty, where will I be? That’s why I think it’s so important that we have this time to just sit back and think. What do we really want to do with our lives- what are our passions, goals, etc. and then make a decision we know will make us happy.

Yesterday, we celebrated mother’s day here the best way we know how. A delicious pizza lunch sitting out on a sunny block filled with family’s lovingly embracing and recanting old stories and memories. Not to mention, vendors carrying huge baskets of pink roses to be awarded to each mother present that day. Karlyn and I stared on while enjoying a bottle of white wine as we observed the interactions of those next to us and the uncanny resemblances of the different members in each family. After relishing a delicious bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, we were awarded two bottles of champagne on account of it being mother’s day. Even though we aren’t moms now, there’s no reason they can’t let us celebrate too. We decided to take our bottles of champagne to go and head to the tracks.

At the tracks, we tried to make sense of the mess that was the race schedule. I don’t know if it was the language barrier that prevented us or just our own stupidity. The races were quite the spectacle- not to mention in construction with the area in front of the arena torn apart. We were amazed to see how fast and with such vigor the horses ran down the path. Only for a short instant were we able to make out the winning number, horse four, definitely not what we were expecting, but at least we didn’t place any bets.

After watching one race, we eased ourselves off the betting scene in an attempt to get some much-needed exercise. We were in the mood for walking and a good bit of it- over forty blocks working our way across the city from Las Canitas to Recoleta. We figured the two bottles of champagne would ease us along and we would reward ourselves, as we got closer to our destination. Before we were even a block away, we came across a “special sale” for Ralph Lauren. Could we be much luckier? Karlyn was able to find some great steals for unbeatable prices! With bags and bottles in hand, we made our slow approach taking in the beautiful apartments down Libertador eyeing and taking pictures of the ones we wanted for our own. At times, it seemed like we were walking through a major boulevard in Paris because of the incredible European influenced style of architecture of these majestic homes and apartments- including the American embassy which was as grandiose as you can get. Currently looking a way to snag this lucky position!

We managed to come across two perfect spots to enjoy our ultimate thirst quencher. The first was in the middle of a park with the moon reflecting off the roof of the old remade in which we were sitting under. It would have been the perfect spot for an evening dance. We certainly could have easily been presumed to be lovers to onlookers, but that didn’t stop us from popping champagne bottle number one and singing our own rendition of Van Morrison’s “Moondance”. As we issued cheers with our plastic glasses of champagne, we reflected on just how lucky we were as the moon stared down at us.

With a little struggle, we got up from our beautiful location (with a mental note for future suitors) and continued our journey. The location definitely offset our lack of prudence in our shoe choices and kept us going until we found ourselves in another park a few blocks from our destination. There, we had another round of toasts and brought our full glasses with us as we made it the last few paces of our trip to meet our friends for a good old game of baseball. I know the dads will be shocked at our dedication and wonder what exactly would compel us to watch a game of American baseball in a foreign country- some answers will always remain unsolved. Let’s say it was a marvelous holiday and we were able to appreciate the best sides of both Argentinean and American culture with a few of our favorite delights thrown in.

Anyway, we are now off to an asado with some French friends an hour late- right on time in Argentina. Updates to come! We are very excited for our first visitors who arrive this week and our upcoming trip to the land of our dreams…

Tips: if bored, check out this for all fashionistas that want some inspiration.

Or, click here for great music finds to create your own personal playlist.

Buon appetito!

Jessica and I have taken on a new quest today:

A 10 week Italian cooking class, "The Color Palate of Italy", an introduction to Italian cuisine, that starts with the learning of core ingredients and works its way through the classic parts of the Italian table.

As I'm sure you have all learned from reading our blog, Jessica and I have come to consider ourselves pretty big food connoisseurs of the cuisine here in Argentina (especially since we tend to eat, well, A LOT of it). Since we have now been here 8 weeks (56 days) and have only used our kitchen twice, we decided it was time to tighten our wallets and get down to some home cooking. After deciding to start cooking at home we came across another problem: the fact that neither Jessica and I know how to cook very well! Therefore, we turned to our favorite go to food bloggers here in Argentina, SaltShaker, and signed ourselves up for their private lesson classes. Tom, the man behind the blog, runs a restaurante de puertas cerradas, or closed door restaurant, which are actually very common here in Argentina. Basically what these chefs do is open their homes to the public for a private dining experience and an amazingly delicious and unique experience. Tom and the fellow Saltshaker crew also blog about the restaurants here in the area and since our arrival, Jessica and I have found ourselves frequenting their site before trying out new places ourselves.

Today we had our first class which started out with an olive oil tasting, learning the difference between the way they are made, the difference between virgin and extra virgin, and how the US is the only country that refuses to follow the National Food Standard for olive oil... therefore we learned the olive oil produced in the US doesn't even need to be made of olives!! (So check those labels when you're at the grocery store and don't settle for any old olive oil...) Next we moved to the kitchen where we did a tasting of some different herbs (parsley, mint, rosemary, basil), garlic (sauteed, fried, fresh, poached), and cheeses (provolone, mozzarella, pecorino, and parmesan). Next we were taught how to make our very own homemade ricotta cheese which was absolutely amazing (tastes nothing like the store-bought!).

Next on the agenda came the cooking.... On the menu for today:

- An egg omelette filled with the fresh ricotta, parmesan, and parsley, topped with a fresh tomato, garlic, and basil sauce

- Pasta with an olive oil sauce made with onions and chilies

- Caprese salad with a homemade pesto sauce

MUY BUENISIMO!

Find our entire class schedule below:

October 13 – Core Ingredients – herbs, olive oils, cheeses, garlic – an intensive tasting, plus a lunch featuring these – plus knife sharpening and basic knife skills

October 20 – Pasta – basics of pasta making followed by a lunch of our efforts

October 27 – Pizza – from piadinas to grilled pizzas to Sicilian style to focaccia – it’s a bit of a carbo-loading day, but delicious

November 3 – Grains – working with risotto, polenta and farro, the classic whole grain dishes of Italy

November 10 – Contorni – we’ll work on four classic vegetable side dishes that will make your main courses shine

November 17 – Fish & Shellfish – a trio of recipes from the sea, some of our favorite cooking

November 24 – Poultry – if it flies, it’s fair game for this class – one of our past students’ favorites

December 1 – No class

December 8 – Beef & Pork – we can’t pass up these staples of both Italian and local cuisine, can we?

December 15 – Game – this class always depends on the season and what game is available, and is one of the more creative classes of the series

December 22 – Offal – a little nose to tail dining, with a look at some of those “parts is parts” – always a surprising class, usually because no one expects to enjoy it, and then they do!

Argentina At Its Finest

Little by little Karlyn and I are slowly being exposed to the real world of Argentina. It is pretty easy to manipulate it in your mind to be this picture perfect world when you are a tourist. After being here for over three weeks, I think we are finally coming to grips with the reality of the day-to-day life here. Not that it isn't all picture perfect here for us, but there are so many problems ingrained in the structure of the government, politics, and society.

Karlyn and I were able to face this head on while coming back from Iguazu and we experienced a bumper to bumper standstill on one of the major freeways coming into Buenos Aires. Startled by the interesting commotion we didn't know what to think at first. As we slowly creeped our way up through the lines (creating our own road so to speak) we finally encountered the reason for the chaos. There, we saw a makeshift line of men with their faces covered standing across the road with their cars strategically placed to prevent any access from cars or people. At first, I was very startled and immediately thought back to the wild wild west movies where the horse drawn carriages are attacked by random assailants as they make their way down a treacherous road. Our driver, a three year Argentine veteran, consoled us explaining that this was a typical occurrence and it was completely peaceful, just meant to boldly broadcast their overall goals. It turns out these men were protesters from a nearby factory of Kraft who were unhappy with the recent layoffs at the factory and would not end the freeway standoff until all the protesters were able to resume their previous jobs. I was baffled by the fact that the police refused to intervene and that they were able to maintain their post for over two eight over periods that lasted two days. Due to some strategic persuasion from our driver, we were able to take an extreme detour on back roads following a random car with GPS throughout the countryside using trial and error techniques to evade the blockade. I felt like we were straight out of a movie and the car grew silent as we drove down one dirt road to the next only to finally reach an unbarred highway over an hour and a half later!

After returning home, I was very intrigued and perplexed by the whole situation. As I read through the paper, I saw many similar stories of strikes all throughout the city in protest to the government. As a seriously garrulous individual, I find every reason to talk and I am always very interested to learn about people's opinions on everything and I mean everything. From what I have learned, most people hate President Cristina Kirchner here. Some even claim that she is the worst president that they have ever had before. She is a Peronist leader and acts as a figure head while her husband, Nestor Kirchner, the former president here maintains power.

Throughout her time as president, she has crippled their primary product of beef by implementing a huge tax on all farmers for their cattle. This has resulted in Argentina having to import cattle from other countries for the first time in over a century and has simultaneously encouraged farmers to kill of their cattle in order to refuse the vast tax inflicted on them in a very dry season. Many people claim this will consequently trigger a major crisis, greater than the one now, in ten to fifteen years. She has also placed a huge tax on grain that normally is not maintained in bad seasons, like the previous year.

She was able to be elected because the Peronist party represents mainly the poorer sect of Argentina, which encompasses the majority of the country. They are often paid off for their votes and their livelihood virtually depends on it. Many people here receive some type of work pay (I am not sure of the name) and for this they receive an amount to "work". However, they are often not provided with work, so they are given an amount to live without doing anything. These people will not receive these contributions unless they continue to support the particular candidate who has the power to distribute them. Therefore, the majority of middle to upper class individuals are overpowered in vote size and cannot sway the overriding force of votes to counteract the Peronist tendencies. The vote often goes to those who are uneducated on the subject or are voting because of bribes. In fact, many also claim that she intentionally pays the majority of picketers here in Buenos Aires in order to bring about chaos in the city and portray the image that people from Buenos Aires are deeply unsatisfied with their government. She does this because her party and decisions constantly come in contention with the mayor's demands and the two have faced political standoffs since their time in office. Not to mention, a share of everyone's taxes go to the small city where Nestor is from in Argentina, which is definitely not a coincidence as his wealth has gradually accumulated throughout their time in office. (I apologize if I am slaughtering the politics here or wrong in any sense. This is just what I have learned from talking with other people.)

So this is the current state of affairs and I am fascinated to see what will happen. It's interesting to be right in the forefront of it all since the majority of the economic and political life in Argentina lies in Buenos Aires. For some reason, all of these events are a little too reminiscent of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. I keep thinking back to the images of unrest she described when the US came shattering down and it seems like she seriously could have been using Argentina as her inspiration. From everything to the locals tearing up railroad tracks to secure the bus system to getting severance for doing absolutely nothing, I think many could gain a great deal of incite if they were to read this book. I, too, would like to read it again just to see the many similarities.

On the other hand, Iguazu was absolutely incredible. As Karlyn mentioned, it's hard to put words to something so vast and amazing. It is a masterpiece of nature and the pictures do not do it justice. We stood in awe as we crossed one bridge to the next constantly perplexed how they were able to build the bridge in the first place. We still have yet to figure it out and I would love for someone to explain how you would even go about starting a feat like that. In addition to Iguazu, we were also fortunate enough to see much of the Argentine countryside. It was beautiful and many pictures to come to illustrate this. However, the rest of Argentina is much poorer than Buenos Aires. I was truly able to feel the huge difference between the two parts as we drove through the small towns and I finally got the feeling that I was actually in a third world country. I am sure El Calafate will have much to teach us as well about the country, so much to come after the weekend.

Anyway, time to get back to the festivities. The birthday girl is just waking from a little snooze and it's about time we continued on with the festivities. I do believe tonight will be her fourth night being sung happy birthday. Needless to say, she is not very happy about this. I'll make sure to make it nice and embarrassing for her.

scrumdidlyumptious

When one thinks of BA a few common words come to mind: tango, nightlife, reggaeton, and many others. Little did we know that the number one thing that would constantly be on our mind is FOOD. We have literally been eating our way through the city, one bite or big mouth full at a time. Since we spend a vast majority of our time dining, we thought it would be worthwhile to document these culinary delights. Also, we can provide wisdom for all different types of people considering that Karlyn and I have very different eating habits. She likes red meat and I like fish. I like white wine and she enjoys red, it goes on and on.... However, we do always seem to share an affinity for desserts and they are never missed in our household! With this in mind, we think any fluctuation in our weight is completely necessary because we're doing it all for the sole purpose of documenting the hot spots for tourists. Therefore, we will just let it be known that no comments should be made upon our return to the States- especially since we're sacrificing ourselves on behalf of our avid viewers. From now on we will try to provide pictures of all dishes for future postings, so that you too can understand our fascination for Argentine dining.

Here are a few of the spots we have tried in the last few days:

Sottovoce: This is one of the incredible Italian restaurants of BA. It was a favorite of our two year veteran we met for dinner who ended up staying after a random visit to the city following her graduation from college. She now has her own real estate business here and dates a local. Who knows if we too will have the same luck? The staff was very attentive and the restaurant had a classic, elegant style. I had an amazing fish that was seasoned to perfection, nestled on a platter of vegetables and mushrooms. Karlyn enjoyed the "mozzarella, basil, garlic, yummy concoction" on a bed of penne pasta where she devoured every morsel on her plate.

Itamae Sushi: Enjoyed the Buenos Aires roll-salmon, lobster, cheese, mango and sesame sauce, and the Tex Mex roll- salmon, guacamole and some other deliciousness. Karlyn even gave the rolls a thumbs up commenting that she could barely taste the fish! Karlyn had the vegetarian roll and we shared stuffed chicken appetizers. We did not receive the girl's night out discount because our roomie came with us, but they did provide us with free champagne following dinner.

Miranda: Neighborhood joint that reminds us weirdly of Houston's. They have waffles here that we have yet to try, but are eagerly awaiting this culinary adventure. We did have the ricotta and spinach ravioli, which was very tasty. However, not the best we have had yet here. One must be critical with the abundance of Italian restaurants in our midst. We did relish every bite of our apple cobbler that was topped with vanilla ice cream!

Bakana: One of our favorite places for lunch or breakfast. They have an amazing breakfast menu, but we have yet to make it there for the special. All of their bread is freshly baked and could not be more incredible! They also make a delicious homemade berry lemonade that is to die for! Karlyn ordered a quesadilla (an Arizonan necessity) that was topped off with caramelized onions and some amazing cheese that featured a very spicy sauce (even for our spicy tastes!). I had a chicken sandwich that was on a crumbly whole grain with lettuce and fried tomatoes and a side of potatoes with a delectable spicing.

Las Cabras: This is a must see restaurant. It is nestled on a corner in our neighborhood and always seems to be jam packed. We had to wait 20 minutes before being seated, but it was well worth the wait. They have a beautiful setting that features candles throughout in a very simplistic environment. The restaurant is bustling with food and people and we were lucky enough to enjoy some wine by the kitchen in order to see a variety of the many amazing dishes they have to offer. I had a white fish on an avocado and tomato salad. The fish was good, but I think many things on the menu were better. Karlyn has an incredible lemon chicken that came with a Caesar salad. The chicken was cooked to perfection and the salad satisfied all our American desires! They also give you crayons to play with while waiting, so needless to say we had some very interesting designs at the end of our meal!

Besides eating, we are trying to become more active to combat our indulgences. We have found a great yoga studio here. It is right in Palermo Soho and reminds us of our favorite establishments back home. The only problem is that the classes are in Spanish, so you have to sneak the occasional peak to the neighbor to make sure you are in unison with the rest of the class. Luckily, we were able to make it through the class, unlike some of our neighbors, and are proudly feeling the effects of our hard workout today. On top of exercising, we have come across an amazing selection of stores right in our neighborhood. Both Karlyn and I were lucky enough to come across some amazing treasures. We now both have a mental note of the locations of all our favorites and even some gift ideas for friends and family for the holidays! At first we were a little disappointed in the shopping, but now it's a constant temptation as we stare adoringly into each store window. On top of all this, Karlyn has found a job! I will let her describe it in detail in her next post, but we are proud to now both be working ladies.

We are also helping to create a business plan for a company here and hopefully will be partners if we are able to acquire some funding and successfully launch the company. We are creating a company that manufactures advertising signs that you would see in supermarkets, streets, etc. The three men we are doing it with all come from a history in sales and manufacturing for a variety of the major name brand companies here. They have a vast contact list that we are going to bring together, organize, publicize, and sell for them on our down time. Since the peso is so cheap relative to the dollar, it offers a great competitive edge to American corporations. Not to mention, there is a huge need for these services since there are only two major companies here and they refuse to cater to smaller clients. It should be an interesting experiment and we are pretty sure this will be one of the many projects we take on while here. Argentina has a plethora of opportunities and it's our duty to take advantage of them!

Tonight, we are heading to an event at the modern art museum. It's a black party and Karlyn and I have already begun searching through our closets for the proper attire. It should be an interesting group and we are excited to meet some new people from the Buenos Aires social scene. Our friend who took us to dinner at Sottovoce, Ariel, invited us as the guest of her and her boyfriend. She also promised us that at some point we would receive introductions from the celebrity polo players here. Until then, we'll let you share in on our excitement for the night's activities and update you on our pending state of affairs. Adieuuu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1jmhbw3JHw

El Calafate!!

Today Jessica and I are excited to announce that we have booked another weekend get-a-way! The destination this time is El Calafate, Argentina, a small town in southern Patagonia. Located in the Los Glaciaras National Park, we plan to spend our four days relaxing, taking boat rides to the bottom of the glaciers, and warming up by the fire with a hot cup of Baily's and coffee! We are going with our Italian friend Leonardo and a girlfriend of his who will be visiting. Another exciting aspect of our little excursion is that Leonardo and I are both born on September 24 and are really looking forward to celebrating our birthday's in style! We have put Jessica in charge of locating a couple of birthday cakes so we can blow out some candles on top of the glacier :)

Yesterday we went to a marvelous Italian dinner with a new friend Ariel. A fellow American, Ariel came down to Argentina for holiday two years ago and has managed to extend her stay indefinitely! Owner of a rather impressive Real Estate business, Ariel is a fun, young, enthusiastic person who we are so happy to have met! After dinner Jessica and I partied it up at Kika which seems to be becoming our tuesday night spot. Upon our arrival home from the bar Jessica and I found it very amusing to prank phone call a number of friends from the US via skype-- so if you happened to be one of the victims, well, we apologize. We thought we were very funny! Last night I also managed to make the first trip down the stairs- on my toosh. We knew a fall down our rather steep spiral staircase would be inevitable and last night I became the first to do so. I also lost have my toenail in the process which was rather painful this morning!! Tonight we are looking forward to having a sushi dinner at place called Itamae which is located around the corner from our house. The best part about it is on Wednesday's the restaunt has "Ladies Night" and gives all girls 20% of their meal (whoo hoo!) I have even promised Jessica that I will try a couple pieces of her sushi ;) I'll let everyone know how that goes!! For those of you who don't know me I do not eat seafood (literally- none) and Jessica doesn't eat red meat so our goal is to make one another try as much of each as we can. My hope is to return to the US a fish aficionado.... After dinner our 'roomie' is taking us to a new destination called 'rumi'. According to him this will be our new favorite wednesday night spot but we have been warned that it is not uncommon to bring ear-plugs (or purchase them there) because the music is so loud! We'll keep you posted on how this experience goes... Should be interesting! Besos!

Lost in Translation

As Jessica and I prepare for the expat bar-b-que we are attending this afternoon, I figured it was about time we updated you on what we have been up to since our last blog entry! I last left you with the fact that I was going on an interview for a job... After an offer to work for the companies sales force I have decided to turn it down because it just wasn't what I was looking for- therefore, my job hunt continues! Last monday Jessica and I traveled to the Pepperdine Campus located here in BA to meet with Rafael, the president of the University. It was a rather chilly and rainy day and it was more than reassuring when we arrived at this amazingly adorable Argentine style house that has been converted into a cozy home away from home for the Pepperdine students. Here, the abroad students have classrooms for their studies, a kitchen and dining area where they enjoy local meals, and cute rooms where some of the teachers reside. After a tour of the property Jessica and I were fed the authentic Argentine "beef stew" that had been home cooked by one of the men at the University. Our lunch with Rafael was more than informational, and in a way we feel like we made a life-long connection and friend.

Thursday day Jessica attended her first day of work so roomie Ferdinand and I roamed around Palermo Viejo/SoHo and I have officially discovered my favorite lunch spot. Kudos to Mike Lewis who recommended it to me! Mark's Deli is a modern NY style lunch spot and is perfect to get either a delicious (and FRESH) caesar salad, a ham and cheese sandwich, a cold iced tea, or to indulge in their delectable dessert selection! The American in me was also ecstatic to find a Starbuck's located right around the corner, and yes, it is walking distance from our apartment (Needless to say I think I've been there every day since this discovery)!

As you can see, the theme of this blog is 'Lost of Translation' not only because Jessica and I found ourselves at a German speaking get together in the middle of Argentina last Thursday, but because my inability to speak/understand spanish really does make for some entertaining experiences. One of the photo's featured in this blog shows you the name tags we received at the German/Argentine bar. My name reads CAROLINA (which is how my it is repeatedly pronounced here) and Jessica's reads JESSICKA, and sounds a bit more like HESSICKA when spoken aloud here.

While Jessica spent her second day at work on Friday I headed out for a day on the town ALL ALONE! I will say that it was a rather intimidating experience because I am usually comforted by Jessica's spanish abilities when traveling around. Not only did I know that I would have to buy a new subway pass, but I knew that if I were to get lost I wouldn't know how to ask for the way home. However, despite the fact that I tried using 'fake' money (which I guess can be rather common and you really have to look out for it) my daily adventure went great! I walked around for a bit, traveled to the Patagonia store for a new raincoat (their winter really does bring on the rain!), and even ventured downtown. That night Jessica and I met my family friend Sheldon for an amazing dinner in Recoleta. Sheldon is a worldly man full of amazing insight and guidance. Jessica and I were lucky enough to be given a first hand depiction on what life and business is all about; as the saying goes, "Under promise & over produce!" After dinner Jessica and I spent night #2 at Asia de Cuba for a farewell party to two Venezuelan brothers whom we met through our Italian friend Leonardo. Needless to say we ended up shutting down the place (at 7:00am that is....)

Saturday was another rainy winter day so I decided to take Jessica to Mark's Deli, my new jam! Needless to say she also fell in love with the place and I think we will be frequenting this particular spot. After lunch we wandered the area before meeting some friends at a nearby Hookah Pub to watch the Argentina vs. Brazil futbal match. Unfortunately, Argentina was beat 3 to 1, but Jessica and I vowed that we will definitely work up the guts to go to a futbal game one of these days!! After the match we went to a place called Fetish which was conveniently located three blocks from our a house. Fetish is a lounge/bar which was opened by a couple of Israeli guys, one of whom is a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend... Just kidding.... But we did go to meet this guy named Zohar whom I was introduced to through a friend in the states. Day after day we are making connections all around town and despite the melting pot of different origins, we sure have been able to meet an amazing group of friends here in Argentina! Tonight after the bbq we are actually going to watch another friend we made play at a local jazz bar.

Meet Our New Roommate!

Name: Ferdinand Schmidt

Born: 1984

Brief History: Ferdinand, a native to Bonn, Germany, and the youngest of a family of 3 has found himself in Argentina on a trip around the world. After attending school in Switzerland, Ferdinand began working for a financial firm in London before recently deciding to go back to school for his MBA. During these months between work and school, Ferdinand purchased an around the world ticket and Buenos Aires just happened to be on his lists of countries to visit among those such as the USA, Hong Kong, China, Australia and more! He is now a three week resident at our place and contributing money to our travel fund. His interests include: German rap mixed with folk music that he claims is the new "it" thing, Gossip Girls and is an adamant lover of Penthouse girls he randomly finds in Miami. Please consult for the necessary photos. Fernando, Franz Ferdinand or whatever other name we like to call him is our resident body guard and promises to make some delicious German pancakes for us and knoedel. He is still waiting for the call from Oma, so he can show off his refined formal German dialect. Franz too enjoys a good glass of wine on a rainy day and doesn't mind a little Miley playing in the background.

Welcome Home!

Today was quite an eventful day filled with a mouthful of Spanish words with a level of Italian

boisterousness that will soon be our native tongue. We arrived at our apartment with six enormous bags, not to mention our over sized carry ons, that left the entire airport crew with wide eyed expressions of amazement that we weren't packing a family of seven in our bags (note picture to the left of our closet). Needless to say, we managed to make it safe and sound to the apartment to be greeted by our lovely landlord and Andres, the manager of the property. The landlord could not have been cuter and we went through the inspection after sharing a cup of coffee and galletas with her. Afterwards, she managed to direct us to the grocery store where Karlyn and I slowly made our way through the aisles trying to recognize some the basics we came to love at home. One of our favorites was the non-refrigerated milk that the grocery store man tried to persuade us was skim milk. We'll soon find out. We are getting ready to head out the door to a neighborhood joint, Jangada, that could not be more adorable (pictures yet to come). We are meeting two of my friends from Peru and being quite the socialites meeting a group of Argentine boys I know from Vienna and then a whole group of expatriates. Details to come. Viva Argentina!

Check out the restaurant here