So for those of you who thought that studying abroad was one fiesta/siesta after another...when one chooses to "study" abroad (as oppposed to "party" abroad) it can get kind of hectic!! So, after having submitted my thesis on Argentinos Juniors for a grade, I took a couple of days and went to the beach to relax!! Mar del Plata is located in the province of Buenos Aires along the coast line but much farther south. In all it was a 5-6 hour trip to get there.
It's definitely a city that just happens to have beaches (think Miami or Los Angeles) and has loads of other life other than the beach. That had its good side and its bad side. The good side was that the city was still very much alive even though it's not yet prime beach season here in Argentina, and the bad side is that it wasn't exactly the serene beach get-away that I had anticipated.
I stayed in a hostel called the "Hostel Urbano", and for 85 pesos a night (a little more than US$20) I had my own room plus a private terrace! Granted I didn't have any parties on that terrace or anything, but it's still something cool to say. Hahaha. So basically for three days I did what I wanted when I wanted and just relaxed. I got there Monday and walked along the coast a little before taking an EPIC nap. I got tickets to a ballet at the Colon Theater (and no, Mom not like colon your intestine... :-P) which was good! Let's just say it's one of the few ballets that have kept me completely interested the whole time. I'm not qualified to judge the dancing but it did peak my interest.
After, I met up with this guy that drove the taxi that took me from the bus station to the hostel and he invited me out for dinner. He was a nice guy and overall he made me feel pretty comfortable, considering I had never met him, until he suggested we go back up to his place. He had originally wanted to eat at his place, but since I would never ever do that I convinced him to eat on the beach. We had pizza on the beach the first night and he kept saying like "Why don't you come up for a while?" and then I knew it was time to leave. Interesting conversation but like I'll only take certain risks when traveling alone.
Tuesday I roasted out on the beach for a while. It was soo nice but REALLY windy. To the point where I left covered in sand like I'd been buried but all I had been doing was just sitting. Got a little bit of a tan though. Then I read a lot of my book "The Death of Artemio Cruz", and wrote some of my novel. At night I walked along the coast and found a good place to eat. I met this Argentine-American family, the daughter, the mother, and the grandmother were dining there too. yeah...they sent the gnocchi back TWICE because it wasn't how they wanted it and spent the rest of the time complaining in Span-glish about how horrible the food was. I personally had a GREAT meal. EPIC, I would say. Appetizer, wine, fresh squeezed orange juice, a plate piled high with sea food, and a delicious dessert. On the way back I REALLY had to use the bathroom, so I stopped in the casino thats right along the coast. The guy wouldn't let me past even to use the bathroom w/o ID! Luckily I brought my military ID with me. When I showed it to him he was like "Oh my god you're american!? I spent 3 years in NY where are you from? What are you doing here? How do you speak spanish so well?" I was like, sir, nice thought, HOLD IT TIL I USE THE BATHROOM. Ha. I did talk to him afterwards though.
Wednesday it poured so I slept til kingdom come. It was glorious. Then when it cleared up I walked around and saw some of the city!! Went to a museum and inside 2 churches. Then sat on the beach a while and read some more. I'm on page 98 of a book completely in Spanish. Yay!
Thursday I slept, did all my souveneir shopping, and walked along the beach some more. I love the beach. The waves are just soooo peaceful. And my bus left at 2:30PM. Didn't get back to Buenos Aires til 8:30...AND...I was almost robbed going from the bus station to the train station. Horrible neighborhood to be in at night, but I didn't have change for a 100 peso bill and Argentines are VERY touchy about breaking hundreds. So I risked it. They didn't get anything, it was something they try on tourists where they spill something on you (in this case a CRAPLOAD of mosquito repelent in lotion form) and while you're disoriented trying to figure out what happens they either approach you offering to help clean it or just pick pocket you in the process. Luckily I realized what it was right after I turned around and just started walking as fast as I could. They didn't get anything, but managed to cover the back of Natalie's vest in mosquito repelent. Needless to say Igot some very interesting looks on the train ride home.
And...what more do I have. Due to the decrees of the head of the Latin American Studies/Spanish department I will not be able to use the 31 pages I wrote on Argentinos Juniors for my thesis. This woman is, to put it lightly, difficult. Rather than fight her (because she was going to be my thesis advisor for this work) the whole semester, I moved to chose my topic so I could work with someone else. I am now researching whether or not the Union Patriotica in Colombia could be considered a legitemate political party or if it was just another branch of the FARC, Colombia's most powerful terrorist organization.
Fascinatingly deep topic. Will require another semester's work. Ugh. Oh well. Can't win them all, and at least I don't have to work with this lady.
The Buenos Aires Jazz Festival began last night and I'm off to hear some great jazz tonight! 7 more days, so look out for some fun-packed entries!
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