my first full day in b.a. was more practical than anything else. we ventured our way downtown to get our bus tickets to central argentina & ferry tickets to uruguay. the downtown is far from original - loud, smelly, and busy - definitely not my favorite part of the city. but, we got the tickets that we needed & learned that we did not feel the need to return to that area.
after an exhausting afternoon of downtown mayhem, phil went to play a game of squash with his cousin & i went on an expedition for groceries. you may be thinking to yourself, miranda, we don´t care about grocery shopping, how utterly mundane, but, alas, there is a point to this inclusion. whilst innocently shopping along, desperately trying to remember all of my high school food vocabulary words, there was a deafening racket in the streets outside. yelling, drum-pounding, a pure cacophony. i was upstairs in the supermarket so was unable to see what was going on outside, naively assuming it was a parade or something of that sort. oh, how wrong i was. within minutes that racket was in store and then upstairs with me. as it turns out, it was a demonstration against the grocery store because the workers felt they weren´t being paid fairly. it was an exciting site to behold - lots of jumping, yelling, singing, drumming & a torrential flinging of flyers. what a mess! it was an exhilarating & unique experience, to say the least!
once out of the store unscathed, i returned to the apartment to cook dinner for phil & myself, delicious if i may say so myself. that evening we attended a gathering of friends at the apartment of the daughter of the ambassador of argentina to canada. a girl whom phil had met while still in ottawa. they were wonderfully welcoming & entertained us in a beautiful apartment. again, i was able to practice my spanish & this time i ventured further into politics and economics - learning new words at every turn. i made some new friends and am hoping i can someday return the hospitality. i didn´t return home until 4:45 in the morning - indicative of the wonderful friends & wine i enjoyed that evening.
the early morning miranda.
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2 comments:
Hi Bud,
Happy Birthday! (one day late i know) This was probably the best birthday ever...not at home and far far away from anywhere you have ever been. We miss you so much and can't wait for you to come back, but we are happy that you are having the experience of a life time!! Kyle has put a reminder on his outlook calendar to make sure he is always checking out your blog...that is true devotion!! ok that is all for now, but be safe and come home in one piece...LOVE YOU!!!
"Travel pushes my boundaries. When you travel, you become invisible, if you want. I do want. I like to be the observer. What makes people who they are? Could I feel at home here? No one expects you to have the stack of papers back by Tuesday, or to check messages, or to fertilize the geraniums....Travel releases spontaneity. You become a godlike creature full of choice, free to visit the stately pleasure domes...sketch a bell tower. You open, as in childhood, and-for a time-receive this world. There's the visceral aspect, too-the huntress who is free. Free to go, free to return home bringing memories to lay on the hearth" -Excerpted from A year in the World, by Frances Mayes
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