Sooo I thought that I had been posting on this thing for a week now but apparently not. Anyways, with one week and one day down, this trip has so far been nothing short of ridiculous. There are so many things that are unbelievably different as well as surprisingly the same. So with that being said, I'm going to take a "lessons learned" approach to this blog.
Lesson #1: Being a vegetarian is a foreign concept here. If you order a dish, explaining to the waitress that you don't eat meat, expect to receive chicken.
Lesosn #2: You WILL eat carbs with every meal, salads included. After craving some vegetables in our lives, Shiwani and I ordered an "ensalada completa" at a steakhouse. Living up to its name, the salad was complete in that it included carbs in a variety of forms such as rice and potatoes. This is great if you're planning on running a marathon but not so much when every meal consists of bread and cheese.
Lesson #3: iPods aren't needed. American music will be playing on almost every bus and in every restaurant, grocery store, and bar. On the way to work, I found myself grooving to the pleasant beats of Keith Urban, Jimmy Buffet, and of course Justin Beiber. I also heard some of my coworkers singing some Lady Gaga... which is interesting considering they don't know English.
Lesson #4: If a porteno/a (person from Buenos Aires) is in a relationship, you will know about it from their incredibly public display of affection. Boob grabbing, straddling, canoodling, and the like are to be expected from a couple in restaurants, on the bus, in the subte (subway), on the street, and in every public place imaginable. But then again, who can blame them considering the people here are beautiful and ooze with sex appeal.
Lesson #5: Pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way. Be weary of speeding cars, buses, and taxis who often drive in the middle of 2 lanes because they will not stop. If the intense blaring of their horn is not enough to coax you back onto the curb and safe ground, then sprint as fast as you can to the other side of the road and hope that the driver doesn't want to end up with your intestines on their windshield.
Lesson #6: Just nodding and smiling and saying "si" is not the best approach when you don't understand something. Why? Because you may end up in your boss's office and awkwardly have to explain (in broken Spanish) why exactly you have nothing to show for 2 days of work.
Lesson #7: Traveling around the world is all about experiencing the culture and food. Thus, the best food we've had here in Argentina has been the Chinese food. And yes it was weird to see Chinese people speaking Spanish.
Lesson #8: The house wine is cheaper than the water. And a liter of beer costs less than $1.50US. Jealous? You should be.
Lesson #9: Be on the lookout for dog shit because if you're not paying attention, you will step in it and slip and bust your ass. Just as Shiwani :) However, in an attempt to put a positive spin on the situation, portenos say that its good luck. Yeah... ok.
Lesson #10: Make sure you know where the fuck you're going before you get into a cab because chances are 1) an American accent will piss him off 2) he doesn't really know where he's going 3) the combination of those two will make him drive around for almost an hour, driving up your bill and causing you to end up near the airport when all you wanted to do was go to a club (called a boliche here).
That's it for now :) Missing you all mucho
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