Vacation within vacation-PART1

PART 1-Punto del Este (reporting on Dec 11 at 6:10pm from BA)

Where do I start... 5days in Uruguay were amazing... Agustin, the argentinean guy who had a place in Punto del Este, Johnny whom I met at the bar, his sister and Lucia, the English girl I met at spanish class took the ship from Buenos Aires to Montevideo on Friday night... Bringing lots of booze and positive energy with us, we reached Montevideo 3.5hours later, drunk and ready for fun. Then we took a bus to Punto del Este... The ride was as I remember around 3hours... but who knows. 

Punto del Este is a rather touristy part of Uruguay. It reminded me alot of Meditereanne... A main road along the coast filled with restaurants and bars, a young crowd taking naps at the beach  during the day and partying all night... Food is also amazing... chivitos are the Uruguayan main dish. It has everything... literally.  Churrasco beef, bacon, eggs, mayonnaise, olives, mozzarella and tomatos, served in a bun with side of fries. Yumm!! We rested at the beach as soon as we arrived Saturday morning, ate some chivitos and then did the coast walk taking pictures... We chilled at a side bar called Soho (of course!) and had the Uruguayan beer: Patricia, Zillertal y Pilsen.. My favorite is Zillertal I think... After our long walk and explorations, we stopped at a Disco (main grocery store) and bought food to cook at night. Or mostly, Lucia cooked and we helped her by drinking wine and watching her cook =)...

After an amazing and fairly cheap home cooked meal, two bottles of wine and some shots of tequila, we left the house to hit the "happening places" of Punto del Este... I had a question in my mind at this point: When did being 20years old become cool and so widely popular? I thought whatever age I am would always be cool! Well, needless to say, lots of young adrenaline surrounded us at the barteques (I cant call them bars or discoteques.. it is something in between) 

After a late night, we slept in till about 1pm...We decided to take a side trip to an other town called La Barra. It is only 20min away by car and around an hour away by bike... So as soon as everyone was talking about riding a bike from one town to an other, I had goose bumps. I came out of my closet and told them they I learned how to ride a bike only a year ago and maybe had done it for 5times in my entire life. They had high hopes for me. So, I sucked it up and said ok. In the end, I was the only one who didnt have a problem with the bikes. Two of the bikes broke down, Sarah hitchhiked half way there but we had looots of fun. I am proud of myself! Thanks to my teacher, derya!

La Barra was a small nice town... We had couple hours at the beach, drank Mate (I am soo argentinean!)) and walked around... Had more chivitos before we returned to Punto del Este. This time, we rode along the beach, by the highway. I am a bike expert by now! =) We went home and cooked more. We had pasta with wine, moved on to the amazing greyfruit vodkas that Sarah prepared for us... After showers, getting ready and chilling at the house, we left for an other night out.  We met some crazy Uruguayans, danced, drank, had fun... Monday was also a late morning... 

We returned the bikes and went to the bus stop to find out that Lucia and I only had 2.5 hours left for the bus that was leaving for Punto del Diablo... Everyone else had to go back to BA for work that same evening... So we spent our last hours doing my favorite thing: eating!! we packed and said Hasta Luego to Johnny,Sarah and Agustin.

Beginning of December

Couple days ago, I had a dream... I was in Turkey suddenly and couldnt understand how I got there... I was panicking in frustration... I was screaming.."But I should be in Buenos Aires... I wasnt done yet!" and woke up to peace... Hence... I am happy here and not ready to leave it yet.

"The question" that people do not hesitate to ask here: "Cuantos anos tienes?"   o "Cual edad tienes?" -That is how old are you? I might have heard it more than "Como estas" How are you.  !!! 

I have been dancing and partying a little bit.. Hence, sorry for not writing... I know that there are at least two people following my blog... =)..

Couple days ago, I met some very cool dancers from Montreal and New York... Here are some photos with them from a very nice get-together at a gorgeous apartment... We ended up turning the "get-together" into a mini-milonga! This is what dancers do.. It is somewhat annoying to those who dont dance I assume.

What else is happening these days... Well, have I mentioned that I did my first photography gig with Urbanicos... I probably have huh.. It went pretty well and they called me again for an other. But i was busy with tango.. Also, I decided to create my own photography portfolio if for noting, for fun... So I put up an ad for models on craigslist and received 3 responses so far... I will keep you all posted about how they went.

I met for coffee with an other "Couch Surfer" on Tuesday. We had a good conversation about cultures, politics and societies... He was from Australia.

I am going to Uruguay tonight with John, Sarah, Agustin y Lucia! 5days of beach, drinking and fun! So if I dont write, don't blame me =) First Punte del este by boat+bus and then Punte del Diablo by bus... mm, i can smell sun lotion =)...

A new Month!

Time goes by so quickly and with each moment, I feel the sense of loss more... Losing time that is. Not utilizing it in the most productive and satisfying way... Hoping that it would stop to take a breath and give me a break. Hoping for magic has always been my forte. 

I need a balance in my passions... All seems to require effort and time. I am willing to give both to achieve "above average" results the least. I have my schedule set for tango classes this week. I have been going to many milongas last week. Hence I haven't been writing at all. I need a week of writing camp to get back into shape. Its absence is a heavy weight on my shoulder. 

Saturday night was a long night... I went to work at the bar at 9pm... I left early, around 3:30am... Apparently I missed the biggest fight of the year by doing so. It was between my boss, Patrick, whom I always suspected having a mood problem and a german client who refused to pay his month long tab. Client was drunk, boss was intolerant; resulting punches, blood, broken hands and black-eyes. Would be a great photography scene... 

After I left, I went to a club.. "Bahrein" for my other job... I took pictures for two hours, got back home to upload them-which took about 2 hours!!!- and went to bed around 8:30am. It was a good experience overall and my pictures were posted already by the time I woke up. 

(you can view them here: http://urbanicos.com/events/view/93) -under  fotos, Sab 29,11,2008)
 

Sunday started later... around 3:00pm... I had dinner with co-workers and listened to the details of the previous night's fight; celebrated one's birthday and then went to the milonga at La Viruta... Came back around 5am to my comfy pillow!...

And it is already December!

Noviembre 26-27

More sub bathing by the pool, zero time spend writing... Lots of dancing and work on Thursday night...(Extremely busy night!) Did I mention I bought a hookah? Melanie and an other friend came over to smoke hookah and drink wine on Wednesday night... We then went to the milonga at La Viruta... Great night for dancing... We closed the milonga(about 4am)... Thursday was more chill... I went to work around 8 and was there until 4:30am... I had no time to even say hi to my friends... A very cool band was playing... They "rocked!"...

Noviembre 23-24-25

I have not been able to write for couple of days... Not that I have not felt like it... I have simply been preoccupied or tired. But here I am, though tired, ready to write a brief summary of the past 3 days...

Sunday, November 23rd

After a late/early night out on Saturday, I was able to wake up (with an alarm and a phone call) around 2:00pm. I quickly got ready and sipped a coffee before leaving the house... Around 3:20 I was in the train to Tigre with John and his sister Sarah. (Sarah's second day in Buenos Aires) After an hour long train ride with nice conversation, we reached Tigre. Tigre is a small and very cute suburb of Buenos Aires. There is a street market where furniture and jewelry is sold for much cheaper than anything you can find in the city. Hence, we walked around, bought some stuff (a ring and a mate bag for me) ate and drank Quilmes, went to a coffeehouse where I have tasted a piece from heaven... The most perfect chocolate cake ever! (Below) 

Monday November 24th

After trying to run errands such as extending my lease to Feb 1st (as far out as I can extend since my place is already rented by someone else for the month of February), trying to go to the bank, pilates etc... I came home. There was a Turkish guy -a Couch Surfer( Couch Surfer is a website for travellers all over the world... It enables a traveller to meet, stay over, have coffee, get advice with/at/from at a local's house for the exchange of interesting stories and friendship) who contacted me over the weekend to see the availability of "my couch". So I told him that he could stay with me for two nights.  He came over at 6:30. Nebil is from Antakya and he is a very interesting, genuine guy. He is a biologist and a musician. He plays an instrument that I have never seen before. It has an extremely powerful, melancholic sound to it that creates nods in your throat when you listen to it. 

Nebil and his santur

After our 6hrs conversation with music, I left him at home and went to a milonga with Melanie and Lee(my friends from Chicago) and came back around 5am.

Tuesday November 25th

Woke up around 12 and got ready to go to Lee's pool. Nebil was already gone for the day. I met up with Melanie and we shared a cab over to Lee's house. After a chilled day at the pool, I came back and met up with Nebil. We went to  close-by Syrian store to buy me a Nargileh and tobacco. Since he spoke Arabic, we were able to get a nice discount and make more friends. We came home and smoked the nargileh and chatted about our days. Later, I left him again to go to a Practica/Milonga. Came back earlier, around 3am. 

Noviembre 22

I think Buenos Aires has the best night life in the whole world. I just got back from a clob (It is 7:22AM) and it was still full of people dancing inside and outside to the sunrise... right by the water... Que linda! The club next door opens at 8am!!! WOW!

After a great work night (8hours of work and good tips) and 4hours of clubbing afterwards, I am ready to go to bed... 

Noviembre 21

"Nothing ripens to reality that is not rooted in memory, nothing can be grasped in the human being that has not been bestowed on him from the very beginning, overshadowed by the faces of his youth" 

Noviembre 20

"We can only know two things about people: What we wanna see and what they wanna show" which indicates that we can never,(or very rarely) "know" someone else (even for that very minute they are presenting or we are perceiving them. since we continuously change, we cant capture selves as we cant capture time) And we can only show certain parts of ourselves to certain people... never the whole. Only the parts we want to emphasize on...only the parts WE want to see as our selves. This is not a revelation of course, but a reminder to myself for  everyday that I hear someone tell me how friendly, melancholic, cheerful, independent, needy, fearless, unreasonable, emotional, heartless etc I am.  (nothing wrong with it. I psycho analyze constantly.)

The loner in my soul comes out very often these days. My dark side that wants to just block everyone out of my life as cold blooded as it might be. The feeling I get thinking that I never loved, cared for or valued someone else in my entire life. The humanly side that is yet considered unhumane.  I find a masochist satisfaction in being alone in this continent. Though often if not almost always, I think/feel/tell myself that not only I extremely value but also miss my friends, family and friends that became to be family; I am somehow more comfortable in a shell that i can bury my "self" under. Am I running away from a self-discovery, disappointment? -"Never underestimate the power of other people letting you down?" 

What does this "self' has to offer that i want to be alone with it so often to understand/ignore/accept?

~off to real things, things people wonder about,care about, are curious to find out... What did you do today?

I will leave my house with a void growing in my heart, a void i seem not to be able to content myself without. I am going to a workshop for the photography job I got... Not sure what it is. Then I will go to work at the bar... from 10:30 on... Meet people, make drinks, smile, try to blend in and make no mistakes. I will say no to people who want to hang out afterwards, because for some reason I love rushing to my "self" whose only plan is to be by herself for no reason. 

~came back a positive person... I love everyone and I am indeed cheerful at this moment... (but in a cool way=))

My photography workshop was great, met some cool people... I might have my first job this weekend. Casa was full, i didnt have a moment to just stand still. Around 90pesos of tip, 77 for me.  Now off to The Death of Virgil...Now he, is definitely a prosist!

Noviembre 19

Woke up a bit sick... Feverish... the throat ache continues as well... I have been working on a side writing yesterday and today. I feel like I need to get that out of my chest/heart/hands to be able to continue with the other story -the real one as I call it-

Last night was great. I felt like I was back in Chicago. I met up with several friends from Chicago who are here for the tango week. 

I am mad at myself for not studying or trying to speak in Spanish as much as I can. I need to do something about this! 

Went to pilates today at 3:00... I think I gained so much weight in the last two weeks!So I cooked steak at home. It was a damn good one too.. Olive oil is the secret!

I am gonna go watch tv for a while and lay until it is time to go dance...

Cat Power_ Maybe Not

Blonde Redhead_Falling Man

a bit depressed today?

Noviembre 18

i dont remember my dreams but I woke up on the wrong side...-the left side that is. I quickly moved to "the right" side

I have a dilemma... -Well I have more than one but in the context of "now", one is more apparent or intense- I have been thinking about this on and off for couple of days with no articulate answers... The story I have started to write is currently narrated in the third person. Though I have not yet come across a blockage that this would cause, I am not entirely sure about the effectiveness of this story in third person.  They each have their limitations...So what should I do? Still not sure. So I am unable to write until I make a decision.

And I realized the other day that I am not a writer... not a prosist at least... maybe a storyteller... so don't expect any pretty words from someone who doesn't know half of the words in the English Language.