coffee, conversation, and city

Hola from Buenos Aires!
 I've been here for 3 weeks and 4 days and have decided it is time to begin blogging about my new life and the adventures that ensue. I was resisting the idea of a blog for my time here because between my journal, twitter, facebook, and skype, I felt that I would be spending more time relaying my memories than making them. While my journal is for my reflection, this blog will be for others to hear about my life here because it is very different than anything I've done before. Better to begin late than not at all!

Cafe Culture
I love the cafe culture here! It is more than normal to meet up with a friend, or sit by yourself, at a cafe for a quick cup of coffee. But that's the catch. It's not a quick cup of coffee. You can sit for hours even if you get only one cup. The waitress won't bother you or even check on you. If you want the cuenta (check), you'll have to ask for it. Today, I sat outside with my friend Jackie at a cafe for almost 4 hours. We chatted, enjoyed the sunshine, did homework, and even gained some wisdom from our sugar packets. 

Some people drown in a glass of water and other drink the water and sell the glass. 

There are many worlds and we are in this one. 

The snail walks slowly but he's got his own house. 

It's so pleasant to be able to enjoy your time alone or with your friend and not feel any kind of rush at all. My time here is just like the cafe culture- free of rush and full of the simple enjoyment. For one of the first times in my life, I don't have a job or obligation. I do have classes and homework but that is such a small fraction of what I can do with my time. Just as the porteños (name for people from Buenos Aires) sit in the cafe and take the time to enjoy their coffee, conversation, and city, I plan to enjoy my time here by taking it all in, simplicity included. I admire the ability to take the time to relax in the middle of such a bustling city.

The Same But Different
It has only been three weeks but I can already feel myself changing. Not a monumental change but the little things that make up a person. I'm learning lessons here that aren't simply about South America or cultural differences but rather small details about myself. For example, I've spent my entire life in a city. I went from D.C. to New Orleans to Buenos Aires. While that is the same about me, and may appear that I'm sticking to what I know, Buenos Aires is a world different than NOLA or D.C. I'm living on my own for the first time in my life. I can't cook but I'm learning little by little due to necessity. There is no jet lag here as it is only one hour ahead of eastern time but there is a different schedule that has adjusted my internal clock. For instance, dinner is at 10 p.m. most nights and no one goes to boliches (clubs) until 3 a.m. and they don't leave until around 7 a.m. Most people only get 5 hours of sleep, with maybe a short siesta (nap/rest) during the day. Thanks to maté (herbal, strongly caffeinated, bitter tea), which is consumed on an almost hourly basis, no one is even tired the next day. Breakfast is not the most important meal of the day here either. Breakfast hardly exists. Though the delicious asado (grilled steak) from the night before will probably keep you full until lunch. These are the little things that make me realize the customs I'm used to. Without the reference point of experiencing other customs, I wouldn't even know my own.
I have a lot of free time to think, whether in my room, walking mi barrio (my neighborhood), or riding the colectivo/bondi (bus) to school. Before coming here, I never gave myself enough time for myself, to just think things through. Studying abroad is about self-discovery. Some things I have learned come from the other students in my program. The students from Tennessee, California, and Florida see this city much differently than I do because just the city-living is a huge change for them, not just the South American aspect.