Feet

Illogically huge building in Puerto Madero


This Post is Dedicated to Feet:
Special thanks to Ben Powers for donating and inspirational pair of shoes to my trip.

A lot of people have feet. Some don't. They're certainly not worse than anyone else, although possibly less pedantic . . . someone should do a formal study to find out.

I'm quite fond of my feet, and I enjoy walking. The difference between me and a pedophile: Lust for children. The Greeks certainly lacked foresight in some of their naming. They use two similar roots for two very dissimilar things, yet they had a very specific and identifiable verb for a human being turned into a tree.

If I had MS Paint I'd highlight the callouses and mosquito bites. But I don't, so consider yourselves lucky.

My foot is getting used to BA very quickly. I'll tell you one thing, it was HARD at first. These shoes were made for walking, but holy crap were they an impediment (pun intended) at first. I felt like they'd never become broken in, I felt like I'd never be able to live here, never get used to the language, never get out and see the city . . . and so on. But the shoes have molded to my feet like I have molded to the culture, the language, and the transportation. When these shoes wear out I'll probably have to leave.

A cool little veranda near the river

My Brazilian roommate Thiago and I walked around San Telmo, Centero, and Puerto Madera on Thursday. These only comprise a small portion of the entirety of Buenos Aires but still made for about a 10 mile trek.

Some pictures of things we saw and stepped on are scattered throughout this post.

Peaceful protesting regarding sovereignty over the Falklands, unsibsidized power, other issues.

Headphones in South America

I've got a whole lot to be thankful for here. Buenos Aires has been incredible. Everything just keeps getting better here. I've networked my way into an English teaching job, I've met a great group of friends, I communicate sufficiently well with most of the locals, and I found my lost headphones.

The Food is Getting Better:

The food here tends to be incredibly boring and they don't use or sell spices in any local stores. Yes, the beef is cheap and decent quality, but that seems to be about all the Buenos Aires has to offer. Regardless, I'm finally able to combat this. I met one of the very few and elusive Indian people living here. We decided there are probably about 5 Indians in BA, and that only they know where to get decent herbs and spices. Either way I have access now, and they're cheap.

Barriers to Communication:

All of these are dissolving very quickly. The local accents and dialects sound more familiar now, and I communicate mostly in Spanish. Not bad, considering I haven't had any experience in the Spanish language since 3 moderately informative years of study in high school.

Things are looking good.

More early impressions

Picture of me and my housemates (I've currently been without rest for almost 2 days).

Main Impression, Overwhelmed:

So this city is huge. Just really, really massive. There are always things happening and there's no way to keep up with it all. I'm glad that my roommates are pretty cool, and that I have someplace decently homely to collect myself in between my ventures outside.

Trying to Make it Work:

The conveniences here are all just a little bit less convenient than in the US. The internet is ungodly slow, and I have to be extremely patient when watching the news and searching for activities and jobs online. Sadly these are the things that I NEED to do in order to stick with my original plan of living here without bleeding money out too quickly. I figure I’ll do what I can, and I’ve heard work is much easier to find around March anyhow (although I’d have liked to have had a chance to travel around South America in that time). Either way, I'll just roll with the punches. Story of my life.

Rumors:

I've talked to a lot of people about places I should go and things that I should see. The people in the house are talking about going to Montevideo or Colonia, and I'd really want to, but I don't know if I should be spending money that freely. Everyone here seems to be on a bottomless budget and most of them aren't even thinking about getting work. Either way, I'm thinking way too much here, and trying to communicate in Spanish is making my brain hurt just a little bit more than I'd like. TIME, I need TIME, but time is money . . . and all that crap.

The Beginning

(Picture mostly unrelated, it was the only one I took before I left, so it'll have to do)

So, those that have known me a long time know that (by choice) I pretty much don't do anything, ever. I'm perfectly content with that lifestyle; however, in this world we all need something in order to maintain comfortable living.

Income.

When I have a job, I don't have a problem going to it, completing my responsibilities, and almost without exception being an exemplary employee. But that's where that ends. When I don’t have work, I DESPISE looking for it. I hate the borderline dishonesty that goes along with the application process, the bureaucratic garbage that stands in between you and actually getting considered for an interview. All of it. I wish that everyone just had a factual job performance history tattooed to their forehead. That way I'd either stand out, or understand completely when I don't end up at the top of the ladder. Regardless, as things are, job hunting is the mental equivalent of digging through a pile of manure in search of the house key. You REALLY don't want to do it; you probably won't find it; and even if by some twisted miracle you happen to grasp it, you'll likely realize that you probably never really wanted it. Long story short, instead of continuing my manure diving, I've decided to take a gamble with travel. Sometimes foreign manure appeals more than what's available at home. Some people eat bat guano.

I've had this on my mind for a long time (travel, not bat guano), but planned on the very, very short term. I'm fine with that. Others aren't. I think that fundamentally those two types of people make up the vast majority of the population. People that are afraid of the unknown, and people that are intrigued by and attracted to it. I used to fear pretty much everything . . . crowds, darkness, commitment, raisins . . . you name it. I'm very consciously breaking out of that mold.

Now, I can't say that things have never been better, but things are good, and I have high hopes. Even though nothing has really fallen into place (except that apparently Radiohead is playing in BA soon). I haven't found any fantastic work opportunities, I'm far from capable of navigating this city, and there isn't a single pair of headphones in South America that will satisfy my audiophillic needs. But for no particular reason, things are looking better every day.

My main source of optimism: Almost every surprise has been a good one. The average person here is very aware of international politics, and they can reinforce their opinions with concrete evidence. A dissenting opinion wouldn't flag you as the Buenos Aires equivalent of un-American(a truly strange word to see written). Different opinions stimulate deeper conversation rather than the abandonment of it. Long story short, people should talk about everything, and it seems like they do that here.

But that doesn't mean that BA isn't ridiculous for a slew of other reasons. It is. Five hours after I arrived here, we were roasting heaps of meat and emptying bottle after bottle of local beer and wine. This only lasted about . . . seven hours before everyone moved on to the bars. After all it was only 5AM. Yes, 5 in the freaking morning, that time that I can't remember being conscious at during any other point of my life. And that's when they decided to go out. I didn't. Not yet. Even more than I like sleeping during the day, I like sleeping at NIGHT, when the sun is down. When 95% of other mammals decide instinctively that they'd be better off not jumping between tree branches, navigating cliff faces, or crossing the street in a city has collectively agreed not to obey traffic laws.

My roommates came home at 8 AM. Breakfast was around 4PM, and everyone else looked miserable. Jetlag (similarly to how I'd imagine menstruation) not only exists, but can wielded powerfully as an excuse for engaging in healthy activities. That's all I've got for today, a few of us are going to bed while the others are out again making more shockingly un-mammalian decisions.