Buenos Aires - Director's Cut (A Tribute From Ferdinand- THANKS FRANZ!)

As my time in Buenos Aires slowly comes to an end, I have the great honor to post a little entry on Karlyn and Jessica's blog so followers get a little more in-depth insight on how life in Buenos Aires really is, uncut.

Our joint adventure began with a Saturday night out and some follow up drinks on a Sunday. Mentioning that I am looking for a place to stay for 3 weeks in a Bar at midnight, I was offered a room around 2am after Karlyn and Jessica must have thought they are dealing with a more or less decent guy, followed by a late night apartment viewing with rooftop drinks at 5am. It was probably the easiest and most enjoyable way I have ever found a place to live.

After I was so proud to have found a room and new friends, I noticed my fortune changing after my first night. The building next door seemed to be being demolished and not a tone had been mentioned that any sleep post 8am is blatantly impossible. Luckily the demolition ended after a week, however my roomies have this incredible ability to set alarm clocks for early mornings and NOT respond to them. I am a big friend of the snooze function myself, but rarely have I seen people use it for over two hours while refraining from showing up at work. But instead of calling it a Duvet Day early, it is absolutely necessary to have an alarm clock going off in the entire flat for at least two hours before showing any kind of reaction :)

That actually brings me to a next great topic: WORK. When Jessica and Karlyn arrived in Buenos Aires, Jessica had a job and Karlyn was still looking for work. I never really understood what Jessica was doing (and still don't), but it was called "My special book". Now MSB to me seems to be an even harder sale then selling sand to the Arabs or ice to inuits. I am guessing that Jessica's track record in selling MSBs might prove my point. Luckily, she gets paid on a full commission basis. But Jessica has come to senses and is getting first hand experience in: How to I negotiate a better salary (or any salary at all)? and How do I quit politely although people at work are so nice? Karlyn had managed to find a job in the mean time as a real estate marketing "director" (titles in Argentina are very important). It sounds like a lot of fun and meets her skills and interest, and also pays the rent. So the girls swapped roles in who gets to go for late breakfasts with me before I head out to my Polo adventures, and the sunny outside mornings were definitely a highlight with both of them. I am sure though that Jessica will find a work worth her while in no time...

Never having lived with two girls at once, this was also proving as an interesting experience for myself: Cold water showers, hour long dressing sessions and no beer in the fridge. At the same time: Clean baths and kitchen, fresh towels and smoothies. The cleaning lady definitely helps making this much easier for all of us. All in all I can say we lived pretty civilized. One fact I also found astonishing was that despite American satellite TV, it was not once turned on during my three week stay.

Obviously one topic that cannot stay untouched in my little post were our nightly trips to various Buenos Aires clubs: While Karlyn and Jessica are both surprisingly able to hold their drink, they did sometimes need to forfeit to the German crowds excessive behavior (thanks Tanksi). "Una mesa con alguna botellas" led to many wild nights and new acquaintances. No evening ended without at least 10 new guys surrounding the girls (I am not sure their phone memories still have capacity for new numbers), but they honestly behaved and came home every night (except for once where I am sure there is a perfectly legit explanation, right?!).

All in all, I must say I am impressed how these two American girls manage to survive so well in Argentina. By now, they have made plenty of friends, found and lost jobs, are traveling from North to South and are also improving their Spanish (go Karlyn...). They know Buenos Aires much better than others who lived here for years and are making sure not too miss out on any event that sounds like a party. One thing that they are still missing is their first Polo lesson. Please don't leave without at least having tried once... and don't fall off the horse.

At this point, it is time for me to pack my bags and continue going West. I want to thank you both so much for making my time in Buenos Aires even more memorable and wish you all the best for your further stay here. Stay in touch and I am sure our ways will cross again.

All the best, F

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.