Chapter 2.1

SHOOOOT! Hey ya'll. I have a dilemma. I don't think I can leave Buenos Aires. I'm sorry I've been such a procrastinator, but I've been swept away by the sight, sounds, and soul of this city. I'm well past the culutre shock, tourist, and even traveler phases, and I think I'm getting a little too comfortable here. Thus far I have been to: An afro-latino boliche (night club), the Killer's concert!, a drag-queen musical, a jazz concert,swing/tango/and blues dances, countless ferias artesanos (open-air fairs), quite a few parks and malls, and took a week of spanish classes to top it off. I now live in an apartment in Palermo (it's the Argentine equivalent of New York's Soho). I am surrounded by upscale cafes, restaurants, bar, and tiendas de moda (designer clothing stores). I am missing the grunge appeal of the hostel life, but I it's safer and cleaner here. Tessa and I moved in with Matilde on Thursday. Matilde is a 72 year-old Portena (Buenos Aires local) with a corazon dorado (heart of gold). She cooks for us, gives us adivce about men, and doesn't care what time we come home...if we come home at all...teehee. I am paying about $12 a day for room and board. It's cheap, but my money is going fast. I'm going to need to find a job here pronto. I've started looking for a position teaching English, but most places require certification...which of course will cost me. Today I am on the hunt for a good private spanish tutor, a vocal coach, and a public swimming pool. This city is huge, so the search is overwhelming. I am actually completely lost right now, so I've stopped at a cafe to get my bearings and write this blog. I am dissappointed by my progress in the theatre scene here. I have not met a single actor, and though I've passed lot's of theatres, I can't bring myself to pay admission to a play I won't understand (because it is in Castellano). The power of language is astonishing. It IS possible to overcome the restrictions of speaking a different language than the locals, but it takes more energy than I am sometimes willing to put forth. I am currently reading the book "Eat, Pray, Love", a book I never thought would hold my interest. Surprisingly, it completely pertains to my situation here, and has played the role of my therapist and mentor. It advises me to be patient with myself while learning a language,traveling, and in life, advice which I feel I have followed rather successfully. If I come back to the states learning only this lesson, I will be satisfied. Impatience was one of my biggest weaknesses before I came to Argentina. It is time for me to get off my rump, my faithful followers. Please feel free to share your adventures and advice with me. LE EXTRANO USTEDES! Chau Chau K.C.H

Chapter 2

Como Andan Chicos?! The excitement begins. I am now sitting in the living room of my new abode (for the next 3 days at least). Hostel Mantengase is a Bohemian joint in the antique yet trendy part of Buenos Aires known as San Telmo. I have met guests from Chile, Portugal, England, Sweden, Germany, NEW ORLEANS, as well as an abundance of Argentines who seem to be bunking here for an indefinate amount of time. A man with a disheveled, salt and pepper afro is sitting next to me painting on newspaper. While 3 other Argentines with terrible haircuts sketch, roll cigarettes, and drink mate. We are all watching Hannibal. I left Lomas De Zamora one day early. For the past 2 weeks, Vanessa (the project coordinator) and I have not had the greatest relationship. Abroader View seems to think that volunteers should work 40-50 hours a week, and should not have the opportunity or the time to go out and have fun. Any time I asked to do something other than go to work or the internet cafe I was presented with restrictions, curfews, and scoldings. I believe volunteers should be allowed and encouraged to explore what Argentina has to offer. If the volunteer does not know what lies outside of work, and does not have the opportunity to make friends, he will remain ignorant of the culture and bored out of his/her mind. I also have strong reason to believe that Vanessa's daughter read my journal, and reported my personal thoughts to Vanessa. This invasion of privacy along with the tension between Vanessa and I led me to sca-daddle. Never-the-less, I had a fantastic last day with kids of Coy Aike yesterday. After some theatre activities we ended our time together by making friendship bracelets to remember each other by. Each teen took turns telling me what they learned from me, and thanking me. I won't deny that I teared up a little. Those kids are really special people, who know how to turn bad/difficult situations into positive ones. I will visit them again before I leave. I already got a text message from the head of Coy Aike, asking me if I would like to have lunch with him in the city tomorrow, and I will probably be going camping in Cordoba with them the beginning of January.There was a blackout today in San Telmo for a good 5 hours which forced me to get in touch with nature. I met 2 guys from Nantucket, MA and a girl from Seattle, Washington in the hostel common room. After participating in a sing-along to the 4-Non-Blondes' song "What's Up" played on Ukelele, we all went to a park and played UNO. The MA boys took a midnight train to Uruguay, so I don't know if I'll see them again, but they were a good time. Later, a man I met at Spanglish last week picked me up to go again tonight. Spanglish is a program where native english speakers and native castellano (argentine spanish) speakers get together in a bar or restaurant and have one on one conversations 5 mins in english 5 in spanish, and then you switch people. It is similar to what I would imagine speed dating to be like, but it's only to practice the language and meet people. However Miguel and I never made it to Spanglish because he got lost. But we got ice cream, he showed me where the big theatres are (Young Frankestein and Phantom of the Opera are playing now), and brought me to Puerto Madero along the river. We made a rule that I could only speak in Spanish and he in English....................I lost internet connection as I was writing this blog. It is now Thursday, THANKSGIVING. I had a great day in the city yesterday with Daniel (from Coy Aike) and Tessa. Though I feel quite dirty living in this hostel, it is liberating. Yesterday Daniel took me to La Boca, a tourist trap, but beautiful none the less. We ate asado, which is basically just meat on a grill, except it's the best meat you've ever had. I ordered some sort of pork and it tasted like delicious cheese that melts in your mouth. Daniel invited me to go with him and the other workers of Coy Aike to the mountains in Cordoba the beginning of January. It will be a 10 day camping trip, and I think my spanish will be good enough by then to really enjoy the company. I went to some bars with a guy from England named John, and a local named, Fede. At one joint, a band played with a chick on bass (I'm fascinated by girls who play bass). Fede is a swing dancer, and started teaching me some moves. Budding romance? Could be. I hope all you North Americans have a fantastic Turkey Day. I will be eating bread and apples, considering I've spent way to much money these past few days. Paz, Amistad, Amor Katie

The Great Escape

Mi Cariños, Mira, me voy Lomas la semana que viene! (translation: Look,I leave Lomas next week!) This is good news. Me encanta Argentina, but I need to get the hell out of Lomas De Zamora. I went to Buenos Aires today and made reservations at a trendy lil´hostel in San Telmo for next Wed, Thurs, and Fri. I´m so pumped to be out of this strange little boredom trap. "I wanna be where the people are, I wanna see, wanna see ´em dancin´(tango)"-La Cerenita (The Little Mermaid). So, I only have 4 days left of volunteering. I´m gonna miss the little rascals so very much. Even the one who bit my finger. By the way, I now have sensation in my pinky, but when I touch the spot the "nene" bit , my finger gets all tingly. Maybe he is radioactive. But seriously, I hope I had as much impact on the kids of Lomas as they did on me. I´m especially sad to leave the teens at Coy Aike. Never in my life have I seen a more loving, funny, and accepting group of adolescents. Every time I walk in the door I receive a complimentary hug, kiss, and smile, accompanied by a "Ah Kah-Tee, todo bien?!". They´ve been participating in my crazy acting workshops week after week, even though it is intimidating, and most of them have no interest in being an actor. At least I´ve opened there eyes to acting as a career option, and to some of the customs of a foreigner. There are no travelers in Lomas,and I am the first volunteer at Coy Aike, so I´m probably the only outsider they´ve met. AND, Thanks to the package my mom sent, they are going to experience the wonders of Sour Patch Kids, Starburst, and Reese´s...:sigh: America :) I don´t have set plans once I leave Lomas. I am going to a Killers concert next Thursday, though! I´m buying two tickets, and then I´m going to post a flyer in the hostel in hopes of finding someone to go with me. Today I went to check out the concert venue and along the way I saw: The HUGE hippodrome (racehorse track), the polo stadium, a giant mosque which the king of Saudi Arabia paid to have built, and a beautiful park. Some things that might interest you about Argentina: 1. There are no lanes in the roads, and the drivers are insane! 2. All the "Y´s" and "ll´s" are pronounced "juh". 3. It takes an average of 5 years to get a bachelor´s degree, not four. 4. The fist gay marriage will take place the December 1st. 5. Rude or mean people don´t exist here. There are a billion interesting facts, but I don´t remember which ones I already mentioned. I´ll add more soon. BTW...it costs me less than a dollar a minute to call the U.S. from the internet cafe. If anyone would like me to call just post a comment with your number. I would love to hear your voice! Miss you all tons! Yours forever and always, KATEMEISTER

La Semana Tres

AY CHE! My head is spinning. It's insane how humans can feel so many emotions at one time. According to my research, a human starts feeling two emotions simultaneously around age 3. That explains why at age 22 I can feel 5 at once. I haven't decided if this blog is going to be a happy, sad, angry, angsty, or tranquil one. It's hectic in this "casa". Vanessa's daughter and mother have arrived along with another volunteer. There are now 5 people in a 2 bedroom apartment. Volunteers in one, vanessa and her hija, Constanza, in the other, and abuela sleeps in the living room. Constanza (Connie, Mally, or Conicita) is a rad 17 year old. She's a tiny Chilean hipster with tattooed arms and gages. I dig her. Tessa is a volunteer from Beverly Hills. She is 18, is going to school in Scotland next year, and is into theatre and dance. Her half sister is a well known tango dancer in Buenos Aires. Tessa arrived Tuesday and we've already taken the 45 minute commute to the capital twice since she's been here. Although she is having a tough time due to homesickness and culture shock, it's much easier to go out in the city with a companion. I'm a wee bit jealous of her for two reasons. 1. Tessa has a sister who has lived here for 4 years to help her out. 2. Constanza is going to volunteer with Tessa, so Tessa has someone to help her plan activities and translate to the kids. I can't say I'm home sick, but I'd cut off my pinky finger to have a friend or family member here, or to have help at my volunteer project (Tessa and I work at different community centers). Speaking of pinky fingers....I had a little accident. While prying a toddler off of his peer, as to not witness a homocide, the little rascal managed to bite my "menique" with great force. I now have no sensation in my left pinky finger. It's been 3 days, and still nothing. I'm no doctor, but it looks like a severed nerve to me. I love kids. I really do like my volunteering gigs, but I'm itching to escape to the capital. It's really an amazing city from what I've seen so far. I stopped by 3 different hostels today in an area called San Telmo, all of which looked SWEET! For a single room, rates are around $20 U.S, and for a dormitory setting, rates are like $8 a night! The subte system is really easy to learn, but the union workers go on strike about once a week, so subways don't always run. They are also jam packed like sardines. One must always be quite careful of their belongings. My indefinite plan is to stay in hostels around the capital, attend spanish classes, and check out the theatre scene as much as possible. I also have the contact info for this woman who lives in Patagonia and teaches rock climbing. That's a must. However, for the next 13 days I'm stuck in Lomas de Zamora and I'm getting antsy. The charming man from the internet cafe and his girlfriend are bringing me to a concert, and then to a place called Puerto Madero on Saturday night. I am forever indebted to these people who go out of their way to make the foreign girl feel welcome. THANKS MATIAS AND INES! I need to get some sleep jefes. Keep the comments coming! They fill my heart with apple pie and ice cream. Miss you!

La semana 2.5

My faithful followers, What a weekend! It all began Saturday night after a terribly frustrating afternoon at Coy Aike. I felt like I was standing in the middle of a tornado, with everybody spiraling around me. I had no idea what was going on for 4 hours straight. I went back to the apartment and had a minor break down. I needed some American love,so I came to the internet cafe and read your beautiful comments, and while there I meet a cool dude! The worker of the internet cafe always greets me with a glorious smile, so I attempted a conversation and.... SUCCESS! He ended up sitting at the computer next to me, and we typed to each other in google translator. I stayed an hour after he closed, and just chatted. I know what you´re thinking...a romance is brewing. No! He has a girlfriend and I´m not interested, but I really appreciate anyone who takes the time to communicate with me and make me feel comfortable. Twas glorious, but I had to run, because I was invited to a party Saturday night by a girl who works at Coy Aike, Ines. Parties here don´t start until 10 the earliest, so she picked me up at 10:30 in a car with 2 seats but 7 people in it. The party was in a small courtyard between two apartment buildings. The boys hosting the party had decorated the courtyard with colored lights, balloons, piñatas, and a big statue of Santa Claus (Papa Noel). Don´t ask. We were some of the first quests there, so it was not intimidating, and everyone wanted to talk to the foreign girl. They wanted to show me their English "skills", and by that I mean they say "Hello, Goodbye" and then crack up laughing. I made it a point to be as outgoing as possible. There ended up being about 60 people including a bartender, and a dj. The hosts (a group of friends that all went to high school together) put on a concert, and there was salsa dancing and confetti! Argetines know how to throw a party! I tried the local alcohol, called Frenet. It is made out of yerba (herbs), and you drink it with coca-cola. It is bitter, but delicious! I´m going to try to bring some home for everyone to try. I also met a boy there who preceeded to dance with me allllllll night long, and I mean all night, until 5:30 in the morning. Parties typically end at 6 or 7am. We couldn´t speak, but we communicated through dance...or so I thought. I obviously didn´t communicate well, because now he thinks he is my boyfriend. Oops, I did it again ;) It´s amazing that he danced with me for so long, because I was by far the worst dancer there. Latinos know how to groove, expecially the boys. So that was Saturday. Sunday, I spent my day planning lessons, but at night I went to my first concert here. It was a reggae concert, and probably the best one I´ve ever been to. It consisted of 8 people, guitar, bass, keys, flute, drums, singer/ 2nd guitar, and 2 percussianists. It was just like the reggae we know, but in spanish of course. People were smoking ganja in the bar and drinking 40s that they brought with them, and there were little children there. I guess the laws are pretty relaxed. Marijuana is illegal though. I would say 80 percent of the people there had dreadlocks or as they call them here "rastas". Sexy. Needless to say I now have an addition to my body! That´s right folks....Katie Howe has ONE dreaklock :) A man did it in 5 minutes for 8 pesos (2 dollars). TA-DA! What a great weekend! Today at work was difficult. Every child in the kindergarten cried at least once. There was lots of kicking, punching, hair pulling, spitting etc. If I could speak to them, I know I could help discipline them and influence them in a positive way, but as for now, all I can do is say "STOP" and "NO FIGHTING" and pull them apart. I seemed to have had a positive effect on one of the bullys, Thiago Paz. It´s ironic because his last name means peace, and he is chaos. He loves me though. Today he shared all his toys, and only hit when someone hit first. I was very proud of him. My theatre lesson didn´t go so well with the teens. Most were too shy to participate, and this one kid mimicked me the whole night. I did the best I could, and I was proud of my work. AHHHH I have to go because the internet cafe is closing. PAZ Y AMOR!

La semana dos

Chicos! Muchas Gracias for your comments! They made me feel loved and missed :) Things are shaping up over here in Lomas de Zamora. I am now quite comfortable in the apartment I stay in. Vanessa, my host mother, treats me like a friend, and makes me laugh all the time. She made empanadas on Wednesday which were delicious. She was "ashame-ed" of them, but I thought they were a fantastic treat. Another volunteer came to stay with us for 4 days. Chad is a 31 year old from San Francisco. I thought maybe I´d make a friend/traveling partner, but no, he already left without saying goodbye, and without helping me with the kids one bit. However, I gained confidence out of the experience, because I realized how indepenent I am, and how quickly I catch on. Chad would never have been able to take the bus, lead workshops for the children in the community center, or even buy a bottle of water without me. He was the tipical tourist, taking pictures of people and places in worse shape than he is used to. He is off to the capital and then Rio de Janeiro for another week, and I can´t imagine how he is going to do it all himself. Buenos Suerte Chad! Anywho, another volunteer comes on Monday. All I know is she is an 18 year old girl who is staying for 3 months. Also, I met a German girl, named Daisy, who volunteers with me on Thursday nights. Her spanish is better than her english, but it is easier to talk with her than the locals, and she is definately a cool chick. Daisy and Ines (a worker at the community center) invited me to a party tomorrow night, where they will be singing Cher songs lol. I´m down! I will not be able to stay in Argentina a full 3 months if I do not find a traveling partner. It is just too dangerous on my own. Any takers?! Work thus far has been s-t-r-e-s-s-f-u-l. I worked way to many hours my first week, and had to put on a 40 minute work shop 5 times for children ages 3-5...IN SPANISH! We did some excercises (hop on one foot, touch your toes etc.), crawled on the floor and acted like different animals, ring around the rosy, duck duck goose (pato pato nieto), and I made up a version of the "Hokey Pokey" in spanish. My project coordinater and the people at the community center have this crazy idea that I am an expert with toddlers or something. They couldn´t be more wrong. Teaching, especially little children, is the last job I want to be doing. I would prefer picking up garbage, or bulding a stone wall anyday. I have cut my hours down from about 45 to 20 hours a week. This is not including travel time or lesson planning time, which I will be doing all day today. I think that is a sufficient schedule for FREE work. Enough about me. Here is some interesting facts about Argentina and Lomas de Zamora: ·The trash here is put in these raised metal crates about half the size of a normal trash can,and is picked up by a donkey drawn cart. ·Coins are more valuable than bills, and people hold on to them for dear life. ·The President is a woman, Cristina Kiershner (probably butchered that spelling), that only has a 20% approval rating. Her husband was president before her. ·There is a strike almost everyday, because unions here are very powerful.... teachers Wed., Subway workers Thurs, and Banks Today. ·Spiderman (El hombre de araña)and Power Rangers are very popular among little children, along with beating each other up. ·The word "Balulo" means big balls and can be used as a bad insult or as a greeting like "dude" Thanks for reading! Abrazos y Besos! POST A COMMENT! Appreciate America ya´ll. We really have it good.

La primera semana

Hola Chicos! I apologize for not writing sooner. It has been hectic here. My computer does not pick up internet here. I quess the wifi connections are incompatible, so I have to go to an internet cafe and use their desktop, meaning no skype. Let me give you a briefing on my life here. I live in a town in the greater Buenos Aires region called Lomas de Zamora. I stick out like a sore thumb. The clothes I brought are far too nice, and of course my red hair does not help. Nobody speaks english here, except for the woman I am staying with, Vanessa. Vanessa is from Chili and has only lived here a few months. She is a bundle of spectacular. She has the cutest laugh and a huge heart. Vanessa lives in a small apartment, but she has provided me with my own room. I have to take very short showers and use limited electricity. I also have to eat every crumb of food provided to me. Being a spoiled American, this is difficult for me, but it is definately a lesson in humility. Dang, we Americans are spoiled. I volunteer at a community center (a fort of cement with a kitchen but no bathrooms). I work 6 days a week for about 11 hours a day. The children range from age 3-16. None of them speak english of course, and a lot of them come from very difficult families. I don´t know all their stories, but I know one boy´s father makes drugs and one girl takes care of her 2 younger bothers and 2 cousins on her own. She works at a shoe factory, and she is only 15. They are all very sweet yet wild. Discipline is not as important here. About half of the kids have facial piercings, and they are allowed to swear and play fight. Most of the workers at the community center (Coy Aike) do not speak english either. So far I feel useless because I cannot communicate well, and I have been unable to help much. They want me to teach acting and singing and put on a play. This would be no problem in English, but it seems impossible to do when I don´t speak their language. I must depart for now. But I will be writiing regularly from now on. Besos Katie PS. Happy Halloween!