You people are going to scare away Santa Claus!

We just got back from a wonderful Xmas at the beach. We rented a car and just headed south down the coast, stopping at every town to have a look. It was a bit like Goldilocks and the 3 bears- "This town is too small, this town is too big, ahh this one is just right...", only with no wild animals rousting us out of bed in the morning. We stayed in a town called Villa Gesell. It is located about 4 hours south of BA and is about half the size of Hilton Head. Our hotel,Hotel Merimar, was right on the beach, it had a pool, and breakfast was included with the room all for about US$60 a night! The owners and staff knew a bit of english, and we knew enough hand gestures to get us through check in. Our room was huge and had the biggest balcony overlooking the ocean. Literally we could have had 15 people over for cocktails.
On our first night we walked into town and ran across an outdoor ampitheather where they had a choral Christmas concert going on. We found a great restraunt within listening distance called La Delfina and Brent did a fantasic job using his spanish to communicate some pretty difficult concepts, such as how the music was nice and could he have a toothpick. Overall a great night had by all.
Christmas Eve began with a shopping excursion to buy a cooler and some beach mats. Originally we were going for chairs, but even the most rickety uncomfortable chairs ran about US$40- are you kidding me? You could, however, purchace one on layaway for about $3.50 a month. Who does that?!? Next we were off for a day at the beach, where even with #15 sunblock I was fried. Still it was great and very crowded.
Right as we began to think about Xmas eve dinner, it began to rain. Since we were walking, we ran into the first restraunt we came to- mistake. The food was easily outshined by the ambiance; and the ambiance consisted of plastic chairs, florescent lights, and kids from the only other occupied table running around and screaming. Needless to say we ate as fast as possible and then bee-lined it to an icecream shop so we could feel good about humanity again.
When we returned to our room around 11:30, the rain had stopped and the fireworks were begining. Everyone down here shoots off fireworks, from 3 year olds with Roman candles to 80 year old guys with m80's. Its crazy. I have never heard so many explosions in my life. This went on until 3am. It got to the point where you were like ok, I know its really pretty and sounds pretty cool but enough already!
On Xmas day we went to a cafe for lunch and to mess with the internet. Then we went to Mar Del Plata to go see the port and the wild sea lions who live there. Let me tell you, those guys stink! Still they were cool to see, and Mar Del Plata was pretty huge. I was not expecting a Miami type town down here.
Ok, final thought, I know this ran a bit long. One of the best things about going to the beach here in the Summer is that because it is south of BA, it is cooler. It is great to get out of the hot city and go to the shore and not feel like you jumped out of the frying pan into the fire.
Later!

Pato? I thought that meant duck!

After a long night and morning of sleeping I was able to motivate Brent to get off the sofa (in his defense he is reading a really good book) and go on an adventure. We rented bicycles without any ID in the park near our place and headed off to the nature preserve, Reserva Ecologica Costanera Sur. Now on the map, this place looks fairly close by, but in reality, which included about 3 stops along the way for Brent to explain to me that we were going the wrong way, it took about 45 minutes to get there. It was well worth the trip! The reserve is beautiful, with birds and marsh and beautiful views of the river. There is a loop trail that you can walk or ride that is lined with benches and great places to lay down a blanket for the day. To add to the excitement, we saw someone feed a 2 foot long lizard a hamburger! The only drawback was the fact that while I did remember spanish flash cards, somehow sunscreen slipped my mind. I am a wee bit crispy.
After turning in our bikes we walked thru the polo fields for a short cut home and discovered Argentina's national sport- Pato! I know you thought it was soccer, but we learned differently today. Pato is like a cross between basketball, polo,and soccer, all played on horseback. We stumbled into their semi finals and let me tell you, these fans are as rowdy as any Boca Jr fans! In fact, after a questionable call that resulted in a player falling off, a 60 year old lady leapt out of the stands and ran onto the field to express her displeasure to the ref. It took 3 people to get her off so play could continue! The finals are tommarow- I wouldn't miss it for the world!

Horses and lions and tutors, oh my!

Brent was able to get the money problems rectified Friday afternoon, thank goodness! So with pesos to burn we began our fantastic weekend. Friday afternoon I went to the stable for my first lesson. I was a bit early, so I sat and watched the lesson before mine and got to meet the wife of one of the students in the ring. She and her husband are in Argentina for a year and plan to see and do everything- including learning how to ride. We have plans to meet for dinner this week.
My lesson was soooo much fun! Maximo is a good instructor and speaks english great, but I told him I needed to learn horse words in spanish and he said he would help. I got to ride a nice horse and got to jump. The only drawback was how incredibly sore I was the next day.
On Saturday Brent and I took a train to a city named Tigre. It is located about an hour outside of BA on a river delta. I really don't know why anyone would ever want to leave this country; every place I have been, I have loved! The train station let us out at a river that is lined with trees, grass and a walking path. You can catch a boat tour of the area, or if you know where you are going, they have water buses. Brent and I grabbed something to eat by the water and then took the 1 hour tour. The area is beautiful and I took lots of pictures because it is really hard to describe. All in all, we had a full day outside the city with train transportation, food, drinks, and a tour for a grand total of 70 pesos! (A little more than 20 bucks!) We will be going back!
On Sunday, Brent and I went our separate ways. Brent went to play golf and Jo and I went to the Luhan Zoo. We took a bus to get there, and after about and hour and much confusion, the bus dropped us off on an exit ramp off the highway in the middle of nowhere. As we stood there looking around I noticed a chain link fence and some rather large birds behind it. We were there! The Luhan Zoo!
This was the strangest zoo I have ever seen. For $10 each we got to ride an elephant, hold a baby bear, get inside the cage and pet lions and tigers, sit next to a thousand pound bull seal, and have a full grown monkey jump on your head! Seriously, this place would not last an hour in the good ol'USA before somebody sued!
The zoo itself is like going to somebody's farm. Everything is dirt paths and chain link. If you wanted, you could camp overnight and grill out. They even had a swimming pool. I told Jo that it wouldn't suprise me if they unloaded a dozen otters into the pool while you were swimming. It was just that kind of place. Amazing.
Today we had our first real spanish lesson with Carlos. He is very good and laid back. He has a good way of explaining things and Brent and I both feel we will get a lot out of the lessons.
Today I will be trying to find a cheap rental car to drive down to the beach for Xmas. Wish me luck!

Holy crap! We are broke!

We began the day normally; we both ran , took showers, ate lunch, messed around on line. We had a spanish lesson scheduled for 3, so we decided to take a walk and go get some money to pay our tutor. When we got to the ATM, Brent put in his card and nothing. Card invalid. Ok, maybe a faulty machine, maybe his card got zapped somehow. We go back home, get my card and I go to a different machine. Card invalid. Interesting. Flat broke in BA. ba
It turns out that our bank is changing systems and is mailing us new cards. Seems like we should have the new cards before they cancel the old, but what do I know, I'm not a banker.
Our tutor, Carlos, shows up and we explain our situation. He is the nicest guy ever. He drove us accross town to American Express to see if we could get a cash advance, but the office had already closed. Then he drove us all the way back and loaned us $100 pesos to get us through till tomarrow. Needless to say we will be taking lessons from him and recommending him to everyone we meet. I don't know if he can teach, but he sure is nice!
Brent is at Western Union today picking up money wired to us from our bank. They say they will have the problem rectified shortly.
Assuming Brent will return with some cash, I have a riding lesson at 5 that I am really excited about. Brent and I checked out the barn and the horses look great. Brent may play golf this afternoon, and we are supposed to meet friends for a night out at 9. Keep your fingers crossed, otherwise it is looking like scrambled eggs and alot of bad spanish tv all weekend!

It's like we live here!

It only took a week or two, but we are finally settled into our new apartment. I know where the grocery store is, and have stocked our kitchen. I have cooked a few meals, and done the dishes. Brent has found a local bar about one block from here to watch the upcoming bowl games. He found a barber and got a haircut. So all in all, it's just like being at home. Well, kind of.
Sunday I went running and found the stable where hopefully I will start riding lessons this week. Lesson barns are the same everywhere. There were about 5 kids in the ring while I was there, learning how to trot. One kid had it down and was grinning ear to ear. Then you had the cryer in the middle, and the one boy who kept kicking his pony while the instructor's assistant tried to keep the pony in the ring. Take away the spanish and I could have been in Georgia.
Monday we attempted to go to the zoo with our friend Jo, but couldn't figure out what bus to take. Instead, we had a wonderful lunch at Las Cholas. The food is cheap, plentiful, and delish! They also serve the world's coldest Stella beer. Yum.
Today we hooked up with some friends and went to see a part of town called La Boca. We took our first subway (called Subte). Cheap and easy way to get around if you can stand the heat and armpits. La Boca is the home of one of the Argentine football clubs (read soccer team). We went in search of tickets for Sunday's upcoming game, and took a peak at the stadium. The area itself is very touristy but very colorful and fun. Brent and I bought mate cups from an artist who put our names on them while we waited. Well, that's all for now!

Just a quickie!

Check out the pics of the apartment and a few from our night on the town for Fran's birthday. Gotta take my computer to the bar across the street so we can watch the SEC Championship. I hope to get some free beer out of letting them use my laptop to show the game in the bar!!

later, oh, look for our new friend Guadelupe in our pics!!

The sky is falling! No! A cat is falling! (Could also be called Cats always land on their feet, they just don't always walk away.)

Today Brent and I looked at our final 4 apartments and we found a keeper! It is pooless (sp?) but is in a great neighborhood called Las Canitas on a quiet street that dead ends into the polo club. Brent can walk to golf and I can walk to a stable where I'm going to start riding lessons. It has a great balcony and comes with a bike and a maid once a week. All for $150 under our budget!
There is a legend (leyendo) in BA that if you shop for a new home on the last day of your 30's and a cat leaps off a high balcony into your path, then you get to be 39 for one more year- but only if you move into the next home you see. So that pretty much made our decision and I will be looking at 40 same time next year!
Seriously though, a cat really did jump off a balcony and landed about 20 feet from us. It was horrible. Apparently it was after a bird. The doorman from the building called the owner who came down. It was horrible. Needless to say I was in tears. It really was just horrible.
On a much lighter note we went to dinner last night and met a couple who just arrived 3 days ago and are living here for six months. They were nice and Brent is excited to have someone to potentially watch NFL with. We are going to meet them and a friend from school for drinks and a movie on Friday. Just when you think you are doing something unique, reality smacks you in the face.
We will be moving tomarrow so we will try to get some photos of our new digs this weekend- if I'm not too busy watching a polo match from my new balcony. Don't worry, I won't chase any birds.

Solo Espanol hoy, por favor!

From the moment Fran and I woke up this morning we only spoke spanish to each other and anyone else we ran into. Consequently, as we strolled to look at a few apartments, we spoke quite a bit less to one another. We both agree that it is a fine thing to do and we may increase our mandatory spanish only days to two per week after we get through this first one.

Since we have no car here, we are putting some serious miles on our shoes. I would guess we walked 6 miles today so far round trip. Tomorrow we will see at least four more apartments. At least our first appointment has two apartments to show us and has offered to take us by car to the second one, which is very close to our third one. We would like to have this wrapped up by days end tomorrow. If not, we will have to abandon the search and go directly to the beach! We will rent a car for a few days and just drive down the coast until we find suitable housing for a few days. To be honest, we will probably do that anyway once we throw our bags in the new apartment.

I have also found at least two people that have offered to play golf with me asap. If I can wrap things up early Friday, I have been invited to join a threesome at 2:30. I really want to do that!! But fear not my friends, I expect to complete 18 in Buenos Aires very soon. Done for now, more on the way, perhaps some pics of the new apartment, or maybe the beach, who knows at this point.

So many decisions, So little time.

Well let me begin by saying that although there were no turkey sandwich leftovers, and no pumkin pies, we had a truly wonderful Thanksgiving! The burgers were delish, as were the mashers (prepared by an English girl -I think that's what she called them), the corn (purchased by two very fit swiss brothers from the produce stand all the way down the hill), and the mate (supplied by a native Barilochian who thought she was just stopping by before her date). Before the food festival all our our guests were required to say what they were thankful for- entirley in Espanol! Ten people from all over the world with varying levels of vocabulary and all kinds of accents trying to express themselves after many, many toasts -let's just say it wasn't perfect spanish but it was a perfect evening.
I was surprised to find myself truly sad as we boarded the bus back to Buenas Aires. The peace and beauty in Bariloche is hard to beat.
And now that we are back in the big city the questions begin to pile up. Where are we going to live? Do we want to go to the beach for xmas? Should I go through the school for a spanish tutor? How can I maill all this unnecessary crap that I brought with me home? What are these chips? How can they be so delishious!?! I know that is not really a decision, but Brent just handed me a mediterraneas sabor chip and it blew me away!
Anyhow, we looked at an apartment today. It was very affordable ($700) but no AC. We have three more apartments to see this week. One is in a building with a pool. I have my fingers crossed for that one. They all are in Palermo near the parks and I cannot wait to start running through them!

No more teachers! No more books!

Brent and I rapped up our final week of school today! I think the American Turkey God was watching over us during our tests because we scored a 97 and a 93! I'll let you decide who got what, but keep in mind Brent eats a lot more turkey than I do. This is the first of several holidays coming up where we will be far from home and our many traditions. Tonight we are going to grill out hamburgers and do a general cookout with the roomies and anyone else who cares to join. Not quite Mom's stuffing and gravy but you do what you gotta do. We are out of this beautiful town on Saturday and I have to admit the quiet and the scenery have grown on me. I am sure I will miss this place especially compared to the heat and noise of BA. Brent may attempt some fishing tomorrow before we head out  and I may go climb one more mountain. To everyone- Happy Thanksgiving! Don't forget to truly be thankful for what you have, but don't stop dreaming about what could be!

Off Road Ralley's and Goin' Gaucho Style!

Are you serious? Really? No, I'm not joking here! All I have to give you is $60 and promise to pay you $2,500 US if I wreck it? Fran and I rented a car in Bariloche this past Saturday to drive around the "seven lakes" area and do a bit of site seeing. The rental car guy showed us the map of the area and suggested our route. " If you take this road, you will spend about two hours on the dirt road through the mountains and lakes." For me, it translates like this - " Give me $60 and you can race our car cross country, in an area with fantastic views, on dirt roads, with no police and no speed limit. If you wreck our car and don't die in the process, you will owe us $2,500." Here is your money, where are the keys!!

The trip was truly breathtaking. The scenery went from jagged mountains and rushing rivers, to rolling hills and green pastures to desert areas with rivers. We saw cows, horses, and sheep just roaming around on the roads and roadsides. Made me thankful we were not traveling at night! In the desert section of the trip we saw pink flamingos and three huge deer. The total trip took us 6 hours and the last section back home there are good roads and no speed limit. I got to race some locals. By the way, we named our little rental car the Chevy "Chipmunk" because of it's size, but it could move buddy!

On Sunday, we went horseback riding on an "estancia" that raised sheep. Fran was in heaven!! We were part of a group of about ten and we rode for about 2.5 hours through some cool terrain. We saw huge rabbits, a fox and two deer that were, no joke, both 10 pointers or more. We had lunch of lamb shank and lamb sausage included with a bottle of wine too. We met some great dutch girls we will likely go out to dinner with this week. All in all, a very good weekend.

Help! I'm trapped in Granola Land!

We have been in Baraloche for three days and I feel like I must have climbed Mt. Everest about 10 times- and that's just getting to and from school. The brochure says that it is a short walk from your lodging to class they just don't mention that it is all uphill! Although I have to say that most of the students here don't mind the hills at all, in fact after class they generally go in search of even more strenuous  hills to climb just for fun. The views here are really stunning and we have been lucky with the weather. This weekend we will try to explore the area by horseback, I say let the horses do the work! We are also looking into renting a motorcycle to tour around the surrounding mountains, and possibly going fly fishing.

The students here are very nice but all seem to have that serious save the planet, I'm going to raft every river in the world, climb every mountain, speak multiple languages, and in my free time teach indigenous people to read kind of vibe. Surprisingly it is a pleasant change from the party every night, see how many clubs and discos I can go to, how late can I get to sleep mentality of Buenas Aires students. I just don't want to drink to cool aide, I like being a city girl! 

Class here seems easier and I hope I am learning as much as before. Brent thinks it is easier because he can finally understand the teacher's direction. Tonight we will go with the school to a micro brewery (that's more my type of activity) to sample some local beers. It will involve riding the bus which could be a challenge but since there are only 3 routes (non of which go by our house) it shouldn't be too scary.

Also, sorry about the lack of new photos. We have had a few technical difficulties, in other words, I forgot to recharge the camera so we could get the photos downloaded. 

Hasta luego!

We made it to Bariloche!

Wow, a lot has happened in the last few days. We had our test last Friday. Guess who received the higher score, Brent or Fran? I'll tell you at the end. Anyway, after our test I hung out with some classmates and had a few beers while Fran went to visit the Eva Parone museum. The museum was closed so Fran, a classmate Jo, and our roomie Penny went to Puerto Madero instead. I think they just had a few drinks too. Fran met me at the bar where we were having happy hour, all the cervesa you want from 6pm to 9pm for 20 pesos, less than $10! Unheard of in the states. Needless to say, I had more than one. We then went back to the apartment for a quick shower and we were off to San Telmo to meet some people from the school for a birthday party. The instructions we got before leaving were to meet at a disco between 11pm and 2:30am. We got there around 11:20 and were then told the party did not START until 2:30am. So Fran and I went to a little club with live music and talked until 2:30 and then went to the disco. We did a little dancing, a little drinking, and ended up getting home around 5:30am. I was in rare form according to Fran. Reference the picture we put up tomorrow.

We happily woke at 9:30am on Saturday to pack our bags for the bus trip to Bariloche. We brought so much CRAP that we had to pack TWO bags to leave with our friend Jo in Buenos Aires. Jo, if you are reading, thank you very much! We will see you in two weeks. So we made it to the bus terminal, 5 bags and a garbage bag full of clothes in tow, in plenty of time. The bus was phenomenal. We each had seats on the top level of the bus, and our seats reclined totally flat and a leg rest came out at your feet, so we could recline with our feet up the whole way. They served snacks, wine, champagne, whiskey, hot meals for dinner all while truckin' it across the Argentine countryside. They showed three movies and had excellent service. I think we could make this business work in the US! A party bus from Atlanta to Vegas, you party when you leave Atlanta, you sleep at night when there is nothing to see, and then you wake up in Vegas. Our tickets cost $100 American.

We got into Bariloche at 10:30am and we got into our house at 4pm. We had to leave all of our bags in the back yard because all the roommates had gone away for the weekend. A father and his two sons had gone to Chile for the weekend, two Swiss guys had gone trekking and camping for the weekend, and I don't know where the girl was. The house is big and nice with a nice back yard, living room, etc. Since the majority of the tenants are young men, the place is not as clean as it could be, but our room is clean, the bed comfortable, and the company is pretty good.

Our Spanish class is Bariloche is small. Fran, and Swiss guy name Beat, and me. Our teacher is very nice, very enthusiastic, and I think we will learn a lot here. The school is much smaller, the classes are all in the morning from 9-1, and it is a lot less hectic in general in Bariloche.

We will describe the town, post some pics, and talk about our way to school tomorrow. Fran got a 79 and I got a 79.5 on the Spanish exam. World scholars we are!

What the hell is a hippodrome?

If you don't already know what a hippodrome is then I will give you three guesses and tell you the right answer at the end of the post for today. Your guesses are: the area at the Buenos Aires zoo where they bathe the hippos, a horse racing track, or the name of the "all you can eat" buffet also near the zoo?

What ever your guess is, we walked by it today when visiting our favorite neighborhood to date. The barrio is called Palermo Viejo and I will give the three reasons it suits Fran and I best. #1, it is where the polo fields are, #2, it is where the golf course is, #3, they have MASSIVE parks that go on forever there! Oh, and the zoo is close by, the horse racetrack is close by, and there are plenty of restaurants and bars there too! Dios mio, I hope we can find an apartment in our budget. A round of golf on a weekday, after 2pm is twenty pesos, that is less than $7 folks, and the course was beautiful! I cannot wait to play it, take some pics and show you where I will likely spend a good deal of time when I get back here in December. I may even play golf on Christmas if they will let me, ooh, Fran may have to approve that too.

I think I may have come up with the perfect plan. Perhaps I can become a golf instructor here in Buenos Aires from November to May and then back to the states from May through October! Fran could do the same and become a riding instructor! Could we make enough money? Do they need a rep for Mizuno in Bs.As.? Anyway, Fran and I walked through a lot of the parks today and guess what we saw in plain sight? A hooker striking the classic pose where a car drives by and she slides the skirt up her leg! It was perfect until Fran said we may be walking through an area of the park she read about that was populated with transvestites. So, since Fran would not let me get that close, I really don't know if it was a woman or a well dressed tranny. Funny none the less! There were tons of people exercising, running, doing yoga, martial arts, running little training courses set by their personal trainers, using stretchy things to strengthen their muscles, rugby guys giving piggy back rides to each other to work their legs, it was amazing. It must be were everyone that exercises in Bs.As. goes to do it, because I feel like a freak running around the small park close to our apartment. No one else is exercising in our park and here I am trudging around the park 10 times. Anyway, that is probably enough for one day. We have a Spanish exam tomorrow. Fran is studying, I am blogging and drinking beer. Tomorrow will suck for me! I may skip the exam and go bet on the horses at the hippodrome.

Trials and Tribulations

The last two days were somewhat mundane except that Fran had a particularly bad day at class. We started a new section of verb conjugation called preterit imperfect and it is a little confusing as to when you use it and when you use preterit idefinito. We also had to go to the travel agency 3 times to get our tickets to Bariloche, all our fault. One day I did not bring the credit card, the next time Fran forgot her passport, and the third time was the charm.

We went to a new section of town for us called San Telmo. It is the heart of tango, has many markets, a nice park, and some really great antique shops. We thought is was a little "close" for us. The sidewalks are very small, the streets were small, and everything just felt a little to close together for us. We prefer a little more space and air. I think we have decided when we return from Bariloche we will try to get a place in the Palermo area of town. It is close to the polo fields and many great parks.

Overall, I think we are becoming a lot more comfortable getting around, grocery shopping, telling cab drivers where we want to go, ordering food and making small talk with the waiters. We still have a long way to go and may try to get a private tutor a couple of days per week when we return to BA. I am missing football a little bit. I have not taken the time to see if the Dawgs are doing ok. We had an opportunity to go to a bar for half price beer and Monday Night Football, but the game would have run from 11pm to 2:30am, and I am not THAT big a fan.

I am looking forward to the trip to Bariloche. It is 20 hours on a bus, but get this, the buses down her have a class called "super cama" because they have full size beds that lay completely flat, serve hot meals, have dividing curtains, etc. I wonder if they serve adult beverages? I may have to pack a cooler!

Later!

Consulea kidnapped!! along with my purse.

Well as it turns out we had another beautiful day this Saturday with the forecast rains no where in sight. We both began the day with a run and then took the computer down to the coffee shop to start looking up apartments to rent. It looks like there are plenty of nice ones available in either of the two neighborhoods (Recolleta and Palermo) that we are interested in. We found many listings on Craig's List AR. Since it was so nice we decided to do the tourist thing and go to the Recolleta Cemetery.  The place is huge and I'm sure our photos do not do the many mausoleums justice. Apparently each family has their own building where they intern the caskets. Then the surviving family members bring flowers and go inside and hang with the dead. I told Brent, "Once you are placed in the coffin you are dead to me. There will be none of this going and spending a perfectly good Saturday sitting next to a dead guy!"

After the cemetery we strolled around the area and looked in some shops. Afterwards, we (imagine this) sit at an outdoor cafe and enjoy the day. One of our classmates stopped by with some of her friends for a snack and beer. She is from Amsterdam so we were interested to talk to her about her home since that is where we would like to live next.

We decided to go get some real dinner so we headed towards home and stopped at a pretty fancy asado (restaurant where they grill meat) and ordered a mixed grill. The restaurant was outside on a patio. Brent and I ate some weird and overall tasty meats last night. The only thing I didn't like was this thing called blood sausage. The texture on the inside was just a bit to creamy for me. Tripe, on the other hand, was really good and crispy.

Anyway, we finish dinner and we get our check and alas! my purse holding Consulea and few other things like my credit cards is nowhere to be found. I am sure the criminals only took the credit cards because they were in the way. I know their true target was Consuela and I am awaiting the ransom note! Brent decided to go ahead and cancel the credit cards anyway just in case. They will be sending new cards to the school Wednesday.  

El fin de semanna! (the end of the week)

Wow, we have made it through our first week of class and we had to celebrate with our first nice dinner since arriving in BA. After class today we headed home to make a call to Fran's parents via Skype. I still think Skype is the coolest thing! We spoke with Fran's parents for a little while describing the tango show and how things have been going and then our internet connection quit. Since we are getting it for free from the business below our apratment, I guess we cannot complain. Anyway, after the call, I slugged out on our very short and uncomfortable couch while Fran went out to shop. I began to get concerned after about an hour, since she only went out for running shoes and she knew exactly where to find them. (By the way, she thought she packed her running shoes, but only found one when she got here, hee, hee). Well when she returned she had running shoes, some fancy brand of flip flops and some note cards(to make flashcards for spanish vocab and verbs). Well, when we went out for dinner, I find out she went into 3/4 of the shops between our apartment and the restaurant too.

Our dinner. It was the first nice dinner we have had since arriving in BA. All the other nights we have had a sandwich, pizza, or an empanada while we drank beer and people watched. So to celebrate making through the first week of class we decided to splurge a little. We found a well lit place that was well decorated, had many tables with comfortable looking chairs and was fairly well packed. The menu was huge, but we both knew pretty much what we wanted. I wanted one of the famous Argentine steaks and Fran wanted something close to weinersnitzel. I had what they call the bife de chorizo Buenos Aires and Fran's was called Milanesa Italiano. The service was slow to start. We ordered draft beer, called Chop in BA. It took a while to come out so, as expected, we went through them pretty fast. We quickly order a litre of Stella asap and they bring out special glasses and put this huge bottle of Stella in a bucket of ice to keep it cold. Nice. So my steak comes out with two pieces of bacon and a fried egg on top with a grilled half onion and tomato along with sauted onions, small boiled potatoes and a delicious banana pepper on the side. Fran did not have as many side items, but the portion was more than she could finish. We made bets on the total bill while enjoying dinner and each other's conversation, asking the words for knife, fork and spoon and were surprised when the bill came. Fran bet $240 pesos, I bet $160 pesos and the bill was $124 pesos. So with tip we spent about $40 American(what we usually spend just on drinks in Atlanta). It was a nice dinner and a good night.

So today, Saturday, we don't have class and Fran has already gone for a run. I am next. We then plan to make our flashcards and maybe see a movie as it is supposed to rain later today.

Hasta manana!

I am now a genius.

Brent and I have completed our first and hopefully hardest week of school ever! I have learned so much it is ridiculous and I still can't speak. I don't know how my brain will be able to continue absorbing so much without molting and getting a bigger shell! 

Last night we went with our classmate Jo (an unfortunate name for a proper twenty something girl in a land where they pronounce their J's like an H) and our roommate Joespf to Cafe Tortino. This place was amazing! The building was about 100 years old, all marble and very French looking, or very much in the Vienna Style if you believe Josepf - who is from Switzerland, is older, and definitely knows more about these things. The show itself was more like a play, or a variety show with a theme running through it. There were dancers and singers. There was a 5 piece orchestra. There were even 2 guys who had long strings with golf ball sized balls at the end who stomped while they swung them! Overall a riproaring time and I am thrilled I went! 

I knew I was gaining confidence today after class when I told Brent I was going shopping for replacement running shoes, and when he said he didn't want to go I was relieved. It was a very successful solo outing. New running shoes! In the right size! Surprisingly, the sales girl was much less intimidating than the sales people in Buckhead. Since Brent was not with me I also popped in to a few other stores and came away with some new Havaianas flip flops for around $10. I have mastered "Por favor, puedo uso una tarjeta de credito?"!

small victories

The first thing I have discovered since moving to another country is that you have to celebrate the muy pequeno victories during the day. My first may seem like a walk in the park, but for me big deal. Brent stayed at the apartment while I did indeed take a walk in the park, and then.... ta da!... I went and bought a hair dryer and some diet coke! I know it seems small, but trying to understand that I had to buy the diet coke first (this was in a grocery store/electronics store- I know, go figure) and then the hair dryer took a little doing.

Our second small victory happened in class today. We broke into groups of two and had to pretend we were interviewer/interviewee for a magazine. Brent was George Bush and we actually made it through the exercise sounding somewhat proficient! I can only guess at what great accomplishments we will have in the future.

Before class we took a long walk through the city and ended up in a section called Puerto Madero. It is beautiful, with tons of restaurants and kicking condos right on the water. It was probably 4 miles from our pad. During the walk I saw nothing scary or even unpleasant. We passed by about 5 parks which were all great and way cleaner than ours in the Atl.

I will rap this up with a random aside. Brent and I are both having strange dreams. I mark it up to stress but let me know your interpretation.  Brent was part of a think tank for the world economy (remember this was a dream) and he would have heated discussions and then fall asleep, only to wake up in the middle of a conversation. He then looked at his arm and found evidence of being given a shot. I don't have a clue. Mine was a little more realistic. I dreamed that me and a bunch of my friends were at a bar and Chad (not his real name...oh who am I kidding) walks in wearing nothing but silk boxer shorts. What does it all mean?

Later!

Day 3 in BA

What a day! Fran and I went out for dinner last night at a little cafe close to our apartment. We brought our spanish homework and did it over beers. Our dinner came, a mozzarella, olive, and onion pizza and we just chatted about how hard the classes are, the numerous people walking their dogs along the park across the street, and various passers-by. Today we woke up a little late and just did things around the house until it was time to walk the 20 minutes to school. Class today was tough! It is a "sink or swim" system and they do not speak ANY english during class or after. We are a little overwhelmed and had homework again tonight. So, as I think will be our pattern, we went directly from class to an outdoor cafe for happy hour, 2 beers for $11 pesos(<$4 american) and did a little homework and relieved the stress of class. Then to the supermarcado on the way home for a bottle of wine and a variety of six beers to put in the fridge. We freshened up and actually turned RIGHT out of our building(every other day we went left) and walked to one of the major boulevards (12 lanes of traffic) and sat at another cafe to finish our homework, eat baked chicken and potatoes, and two more tall Heiniken. It was very pleasant outside, we have a great view of the boulevard and a nice walk home. We are 3 hours ahead of the states, so the results are not in for the election. We have been discussing politics with our 2 roomates who are from Switzerland and Germany. We get american CNN on the tv, so we are watching the results and discussing the repercussions with our roomies.

We also got our AC fixed today, so I expect to sleep well tonight and go for a short run tomorrow. It is getting humid here, so the AC is welcome. Talk to you soon!

We made it!

After a 12 hour flight that was only slightly dampened by the knowledge of UGA's performance and the intermittent snoring of the balding man sitting behind us, we are finally here! We were picked up at the airport and whisked to our new digs. The drive into town took about 20 minutes and the views outside were nice. Lots of horses! I don't know if we drove through the bad part of town or not, but it was nowhere as bad as Atlanta's bad parts. Mexico this is not! After meeting with our school rep  to learn the rules (apparently they expect a much younger crowd as rule #1 was no alcohol abuse ie. drinking games, and rule #4 was no spend the night parties) we took a nap.

Fully refreshed we went out to get some grub (fabulous pizza with olive and egg) and do some exploring. We ended up at this huge park where they were having a spring festival with an artist market, puppets, a band and all kinds of food. Brent and I sat on the hill listening to the music. As a guy came around selling icy cold beer by the bottle, I looked at Brent and said, "We are 5000 mile from home and I couldn't be happier!"

Later!

Later Gator!

Today is the day! Brent and I spent yesterday running last minute errands and packing. We spent probably an hour out on the porch smoking cigarettes last night going over worst case scenarios. I know that sounds dreadful but it actually was nice to hear that Brent does freak out sometimes. While it is nice to have a partner who appears unflappable, it kind of sucks to be on the side of the equation that is always flapping! As far as our doomsday predictions went I think the winner was that we would spend so much time together that we would realize we can't stand each other and then would get mugged on the way to the lawyer for a divorce. Then because of lack of money we would be forced to stay together camping in the wilderness and both be bit by rabid bats since that is the only disease we did not get shots for. Anything short of that scenario will taste like victory!!

Well, wish us and the Georgia Bulldogs good luck. Hopefully we will be boarding our plane as UGA is running in the final touchdown to win the game!
Later!

Final WeeK!!

I finished the three day walk yesterday! That was my final commitment before getting on the plane. I have some truly disgusting blisters and my knee feels like crap, but I don't think I did any permenant damage. As hard as it was I really enjoyed walking with three super girls; Lisa G., Lisa R., and Donna! It was great to spend that last weekend really getting back in touch with the women who helped to form my adult personality in college. At least I blame them! Also before I move on, I have to say Brent and Jason (Lisa G.'s man) were amazing this weekend! Camp got rained out Friday night so Brent drove out to suburbia in rush hour traffic to pick up us 4 drowned rats. Jason stayed home and got the place ready for us. Then they fed us and put us to bed only to have to load us up again Sat morning and drop us off. To top it off they gathered friends together on Sunday and ran a cheering station on the walk route and cheered for all 4800 of us for about 4 hours! We are lucky girls! I'll try to get Brent to post some of the photos from the walk.

The final countdown and all I have left is to pack what I'm bringing, store the rest, pick up my prescriptions, and somehow say goodbye to all my friends, family, and most of all my dog Ramona. (She's the only one who is always glad to see me and likes it when I sing!) Then we are off!
Later!
Fran

8 days until departure

The bon voyage party went very well. We had nice weather, a lot of sun but still a little chilly, maybe 60 in the shade and 70 in the sun. It was held at Candler park in Atlanta, we reserved a little pavillion, brought ten pounds of pork barbeque, soft drinks, and some beer and the guests brought side items, desserts, and some games like croquet.

We entertained from about noon until 6pm. We had parents, sister, cousins of all kinds, work associates, and many friends. Many of our guests brought their children and Fran and I had a blast watching them play, run around, climb trees, throw balls, etc. It really was a great time for us and we are glad we did it.

So far we have sold our tractor and my car and a bunch of junk in a yard sale. I do not think we will be selling anything else. We raised about $10k towards our trip from things we no longer wanted or needed. Nice! We have also rented our home, and we now have a renter for the loft! Just as expected, 8 days from departure and people are fighting over it. I was emailed a contract yesterday and they were upset because they did not get it first. They wanted to make a better offer, but I told them I had already signed the new lease. The new tenant signed a year lease and moves in mid-November. He is also a friend of a friend, so hopefully things will go smoothly.

Fran began the 3 day breast cancer walk today. They walk 20 miles per day for three days and camp in between days. I dropped her off this morning at 7 am and it was cold and raining. It is supposed to rain all day. I felt so bad for her and her friends. What a sucky day to start, cold and rainy. They raised a ton of money for breast cancer research and they all get my respect for that, but if they can maintain a positive attitude through this walk, well then Argentina will be a breeze.

I need to visit the Argentine consolate here in Atlanta to make sure there are no surprises when we get off the plane in Buenos Aires. The consolate is in a building with tough parking so I want to ride my scooter, but it is poring rain today. It may have to wait until next week.

I automated our bill paying and transferring of funds last night. I was a little complicated and may still need some tweeking once in Argentina, but overall I feel pretty good about how we will be able to still earn some interest on the money, be able to pay bills, and invest in the market in the U.S. during this unprecedented opportunity to buy low. If you are not buying stock every month right now in the U.S., you will kick yourself in a few years. I also look forward to learning more about the opportunities in the Argentine stock market, as it has taken a beating as of late too. Good thing the dollar just keeps getting stronger!

The hardest part of pre-departure is left to do. Fran and I still have to pare down again and pack for the next 6 months. How will we ever be able to carry all we want to bring? I expect tension. Leaving our dog, Ramona, will be tough too.

Our departure date falls on dia de los muertos, all saints and all souls day. It is a celebration of your old life dying and the new one being born. How appropriate. I guess we are now in the final throws of our old life and looking towards the new one!

ouch!

Well, we finally got the shots. It required a hour in the Fulton county health clinic for 3 of the 4 shots and then a drive to Roswell for the remaining one.  Poor Brent was a nervous wreck. He held my hand in the waiting room and I had to go first to show him it would be ok. Alright, I'll come clean. I went first to get it over with and Brent laughed in the face of pain. The shots themselves were not too bad, but the medicine is making both of my shoulders kill. Brent also got his driver's license renewed. Considering we woke up late this morning slightly hung over, went and worked out, got stabbed 4 times in 2 different doctor's offices, and it was raining, his photo only made him look a little bit, well, um, special. Enjoy that photo for the next 10 years!

Brent sold the continental on craig's list yesterday but we managed to pack the title somewhere in the attic and couldn't find it. I guess the guy who bought it will have to figure it out. We also may have our loft rented. That would be so awesome but I don't want to jinx it. Our party is this Sunday, hopefully we will have some fun pictures to post.

Later!

party plans

It is the week before the big bon voyage party and I haven't done a dang thing aside from invite people. There is really not a whole lot to do since we are on such a budget that we are requiring all our guests to supply their own food, drink, and entertainment. Basically all we are in charge of is showing up with bbq , and supplying a porta potty. So this week I'm in charge of finding the bbq supplier. I predict heartburn on the horizon! Well its turned into a pretty day so I'm off to the park to try to hawk my really expensive handcrafted dogcollars to unsuspecting frisbee dogs! later!

malaise

With our time here in the good ole USA coming quickly to a close, both Brent and I are running out of things we have to do and are reluctant to start anything new. We are handling this newfound boredom in our own ways. Brent has decided to go into training for Argentina's late nights by going to our local bar till all hours of the night and sleeping all day. I have never spent more than an hour on a computer at one time in my life up till last week. Now I find myself looking up old friends on facebook , checking out "More Cowbell" on utube or looking up how to make a diet coke bomb with mentos candy. Pure escapism, all so I won't have to contemplate the serious questions on the horizon, such as- "Does Buenos Aires carry Diet Coke or Coke Light?",( I know it is supposed to be the same but as any true dc in a can fan can tell you not even close!) or" Can I make my own peanut butter with some salt and a food processor?" Or how about where am I gonna live and how am I gonna make money for the next 6 months!?! So- have you seen that new video of the dog escaping out of the dog pen?

I have to pay for shots?

Hey this is Fran, Brent's faithful wife. I have taken over his blog because he doesn't write enough! We are getting down to the last few weeks before we are out of here. Today we found out just how expensive good health and peace of mind are. To get the recommended vaccinations we are looking at about $500 each! Are you kidding me? 4 pills for typhoid for $115.  Just how bad is Yellow Fever? I mean, is it like a bad hangover, or more like burning up in hell fire? As you can see, we have a bit to contemplate. On a happier note we think we have the tractor sold which will bring in some unexpected spending money. I find I have a lot of free time in this final countdown till departure. Occasionally, I break up the day with either very short and intense, or long and drawn out panic attacks. Nice to get that adrenilline pumping. Only 24 more days!!

Out of the house, yard sale done!

We have now moved out of the house and are staying with friends in Buckhead for our remaining 30 days in the states. We were able to get around $400 for various pieces of junk, clothes, computer parts and accessories, and a few books. The rest is being picked up by the Salvation Army tomorrow. I met a Congolese ecomomist at the yard sale. He was our best customer. I very nice man, woman and three childred. He told us interesting stories of how things were just as normal as they were that day of the yard sale and then people knocked on their door and asked if they were born in the particular area of the Congo where they were living. If you did not, you were asked to leave immediately. If you did not, then you were beaten, and they killed the family dog. So he taught economics at Columbia and lived in New York for the past 6 years. he now teaches at Emory. He and I have an appointment tomorrow at 9am, and he may buy my car. That means I need to clean it up today.

So we have transferred what we think we need for the remaining 30 days of fall in the states and what we think we will bring to Argentina to our friend's apartment in Buckhead. We may have gotten a little over zealous. We barely have room to sleep in the room now. We packed too much. I brought over about 50 pairs of socks for some reason and Fran brought about 35 sweaters. IT IS GOING TO BE SUMMER IN ARGENTINA FOR CHRIST SAKE. And I will bring my sock total down to about 10 pair, as I am sure they are not too expensive in Argentina.

It is nice at the apratment. There is a nice courtyard that has huge oak trees that have spread their great arms wide to catch the sunlight. Makes for great shade, and the morning sun in the east makes it pleasant for coffee in the mornings. The surrounding neighborhood is very affluent and there are nice manicured lawns to go along with the beautiful homes along my jogging route. I plan to be in top shape for my arrival in Buenos Aires. Eat well and exercise is all I know to do.

We still have quite a list of things to do before we leave: shots, supplemental insurance, RENT THE LOFT, find travel accomodations to Monzonia Mexico to see friends, learn more Spanish, finish the transfer of business to associates, have our Bon Voyage party on the 19th of October, etc.

Anyway, must get busy getting our house renter settled and my car cleaned for tomorrow.

Packing and yard sale prep

Man, we almost have the whole house packed up! I have been putting boxes and furniture in the attic for a week. I think I am actually shorter now. On the positive, we have had good, cool weather so it is not so hot in the attic while moving stuff.

I am having our yard sale of all the non essential stuff we own at a client's house to try to help them de-clutter their home too because it is for sale. We are having a combo yard sale/ open house. We hope someone shows up to buy a baby crib and walks away with a contract on the house, or they show up to see the house and walk away with a ping pong table.

It should be big fun. It is from 8am to 2 pm this Saturday and Sunday, the 27th and 28th.

What? You want an example of the things for sale? Sure, check it out:

Home For Sale:

4 bedroom, 2 ½ baths, four sides brick with granite foundation and full basement, huge, fenced back yard, deck off the basement, two fireplaces, great location, quiet street.

Yard sale items:

ping pong table, oak chest of drawers and black chest of drawers, large canopy tent, chests, chairs and folding chairs, home theater system, games and videos, lamps, nic naks, coffee makers, computer and flat screen monitor, scanner, laptop, books, planters, 6 disc cd player, vcr, wicker baskets, microwave and much more…rain or shine!

baby items: clothes, pack and play, highchair, stroller, car seat, toys, dining chair, baby crib with mattress and sheets, changing table, toddler gym, “never used” baby toilet.

Check out my helpers in the photo. That is Fran and her mom. They have done a fantastic job pricing things low and packing them up to take to 714 Willivee Drive for the sale. That is in Decatur if you would like to stop by and pick something up on the cheap.

We have to be out of our house on Sunday so the cleaners can do their job on Monday and get our renters moved in ASAP!! Only 5 weeks until we get on that plane for Buenos Aires!!

We will be homeless for a month. But thanks to Jason and Lisa, we won't have to sleep under a bridge. They are welcoming us into their home in Buckhead until we leave.

I still have to go through my clothes and decide what to pack away in the attic, what will go to Lisa and Jason's for the next 30 days, and what will go to Argentina. Should be interesting. I bet Salvation Army gets a big stack too.

I also need to line up some work in Argentina too so we can stay there. We have rented our home for the next year, so why not stay there until we have a place to live upon our return?

Send me a note if you have any job openings in Argentina or want to go to the yard sale!!

Gotta get our loft in Atlanta Rented!!

OK, we are getting down to the wire and need to rent our loft before we leave the country!! It really is a very cool loft in a very artsy area of Atlanta called Castelberry Hill. Way back when it was called "Snake nation" because it was essentially the red light district. Today it has a ton of galleries, restaurants, bars, etc. and is walking distance to great music venues like The Tabernacle and Centennial Park. It is also a short walk to CNN Center, the Georgia Dome for football and Philips arena for Basketball and Hockey. It is ready to move into and goes for $1,400 per month with garage parking and extra parking in a gated area for guests. Check the pics!! 2 beds, 2 baths, 20 foot ceilings and walls of windows, hardwoods, 1600 square feet of living space!

LINK to all the info and pics!!

Freaking out a bit

I booked my flight to Buenos Aires today and paid for the first months lodging and classes today. I have to move out of my house in 17 days. It is now real.

Banking and Cash Flow

My bank actully told me it takes the postal service in Atlanta between one and three weeks to get them their mail. Something is wrong with the postal service and something is wrong with my bank for allowing their mail to take so long!!

Why does it matter? Because we have three rental properties and our tenants were going to mail their rent checks to the bank for deposit each month. Well if the rent is mailed on the 1st but does not get to the bank for deposit until the 21st, then I have a cash flow issue!!!

One of the problems with moving out of the country.

Fran comes home today. We will begin hard core packing of the household items this week. We will also be getting the house in tip top shape, including the yard, gutters, bushes, etc. We will also begin hard core get-in-shape diet and exercise plans. Gotta look and feel good when you are starting over in a new country.

We will be making plans for the yard sale too. I think we will try to coordinate with one of my real estate clients so we can drive some traffic to the house for sale, have an open house, and get it sold at the same time.

We will also have to discuss plans for the Bon Voyage party. Yeah!!

Dealing with cars

Today my friend Jeromy Johnson is coming over to help me get the Lincoln in good shape so we can sell it before we leave. He is doing me such a favor!! He bought a new grill for my car with his own funds and is coming to my house to install it. You simply don't find friends like that very often. After today the Lincoln will be in good shape to sell come mid to late October. I don't expect much from the sale, but it may buy us a month or two rent when we hit Argentina.

Next on the list is packing up most of the dishes and getting them up and in the attic. It is so fun getting the house ready to lease it to complete strangers!!

Getting Started

My first blog as you will see. I am determined to learn how to work and develope this blog so my friends and family can have an idea what Fran and I are doing in Argentina and any other country we visit in South America.

We are flying to Buenos Aires on November 1, 2008. That means we are smack in the middle of preparations to leave our home, friends, family and business in Atlanta. We have to vacate our home on Oct. 1 so our renters can move in. They are renting our home for 1 year, we have a family renting our farm in Dawsonville for 3 years, and I need to get a renter for my loft close to CNN center.

I have been cleaning out the attic so we can store our persononal items, pictures, dishes, and some furniture inside while we are gone. I have a lot of stuff that needs to go in a yard sale. Anyone in Atlanta want to have a yard sale with me?

We have to also find something to do with our cars. Do we sell them or store them for some unknown period? We plan to be gone a minimum of 6 months, but if we find gainful employment or begin a profitable business while out of the country, what do we do then?