The week the boys spent here was phenomenal and very caloric. On Monday, we met up with my friend Kelly to see La Bomba del Tiempo (an improv drum band concert). The show was wonderful until some random lady started singing and ruining each piece. Around that time, we decided to head back home. On Tuesday, I decided to let the grupo loco go out without me because I wanted a quiet night at home -- something that is extremely hard to do when you´re in a city like this because there is always something else that you could be doing. On Wednesday, without other plans, we did what any sensible person would do -- we went on the Buenos Aires Pub Crawl. One word: Wow. Brazillians dominated the group because this is the time of year when they come to Argentina to take a break from the heat, but they were all pretty friendly with us since Eric speaks a bit of Portuguese and almost all of them speak a moderate level of English. *DETAILS HAVE BEEN EXCLUDED* because, as I told my dad the next day, what happens in Buenos Aires, stays in Buenos Aires. On Thursday, the boys met up with me to go see the Madres de Plaza de Mayo. If you don´t know about the tragedy, you owe it to yourself to read about it (on Wikipedia, at least...). I then went back to work for a bit and returned home at the usual time. Then, we had a laid-back night and went to a restaurant around the corner from where I´m staying. The food was great, very tastey and very reasonable. For their last night here, Friday night, we had a very packed evening. First, we went to a Chabad Kabalistic service for Shabbat. The Rabbi then took us into his home and invited us to dinner, along with 20 other people (from all over the world - including Argentines, other Americans, Brazillians, and Israelis). I guess it just goes to show you that the song is true...¨Everywhere you go, there´s always someone Jewish.¨ After engaging with Jews in Argentina, we went to Mandarine, a club located at Punta Carrasco, an area right on the river. It started off super slow, but it picked up rather quickly. We stayed there for a while, and it seemed like the boys had a great time (mostly because of the ridiculous girl-to-guy ratio). The next morning, we went to Murillo, the leather district, and I helped the boys buy gifts for their friends and family. Geez, I have never seen so much leather in my life. As Jerry put it, SENSORY OVERLOAD!!! After shopping ´til we dropped, we went to a parilla and split a gigantic piece of steak...still not entirely sure what cut. We also tried their pancetta and some of their empandas. Yum. At that point, it was time to say goodbye...o, chau chau. The boys left for the airport, and I had a timely reunion with my bed, since I was starting to get sick.
After spending all of Saturday night in bed, I woke up early on Sunday morning for a little excursion to Tigre and San Isidro. The former is an area about 30km outside of Buenos Aires, and several people live on the Delta, which is only reachable by boat. Thus, there are entire industries that exist by boat in Tigre - Supermarket Boats, Taxi and Bus Boats, Police Boats, etc. Crazy, no? All the while, I was explaining everything that the tour guide was saying to the Chinese woman next to me because she didn´t speak any Spanish. I then did some shopping in San Isidro, the Argentine equivalent of Highland Park, before heading to the antique/artisan market in San Telmo, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Argentina. Upon finding some bargains, my Chinese friend and I stumbled upon a man making fresh-squeezed orange juice, a rarity in a country like this that doesn´t believe in vegetables or fruit. For being her translator, bargain-maker, and acquaintance, my Chinense friend bought me a glass of his juice...which turned out to be the very best orange juice I have ever consumed. I then walked 3 miles in the rain (probably not a good thing since I was sick to begin with) and arrived home. At night, I drank maté (Argentine tea that is super bitter and consumed in a really interesting fashion) with my friend, Daniel, and finally saw The Blind Side. It was a good way to close out the week -- relaxing and watching an awesome movie. That was, of course, until I remembered that I had to finish my applications for On-Campus Interviews for when I return to the U.S. Oops!
Since the week is almost over, I am going to leave my updates about this week until tomorrow.
Enjoy.
Besito,
A
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Another week gone by, including several legendary nights.
Since I last updated, life has been flying before my eyes. It seems like I blink and then a day has gone by. Before I lament the passage of time in a wordy, philosophical passage, I might as well tell you what I´ve been up to.
Last week, I went out more than I have in a while. On Wednesday, I went out with my soccer team to a party that was thrown in honor of all of the teams in the different soccer leagues. The female team from my office ended up winning third place as well as MVP of the League (to Delfina). As a result, we received immense amounts of presents (I took away a plate and some silverware - - relevance to fútbol? Ni idea!) as well as a copa (the trophey) for Third Place. In addition to the awards ceremony, the party was complete with an open bar, endless food (empanadas and a steak station) and several desserts. Pretty sweet stuff.
Thursday was rather unremarkable - work was difficult both substantively and physically (mostly as a result of the previous night´s activities), and I spent the evening preparing for Eric and his friends to arrive in Buenos Aires.
On Friday, the grupo loco arrived, and we spent the day paseando tranquilamente. I took the boys to one of my favorite lunch spots, where we all shared budin de pan casero - think Flan but with better texture. After a small siesta, we ate dinner at the #1 restaurant in Buenos Aires (La Cabrera) where I somehow got us a free bottle of champagne. Despite the intense food coma we were all in from the immense dinner we consumed, the group ventured to the always ridiculous boliche - Kika. Several hours later, around 4 am, we returned to Suipacha, where my apartment is, to sleep until 1pm the following day. Prying ourselves out of bed after the sleep of all sleeps, we visited the Museo de Evita and the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA), where we saw some rather ¨interesting¨ exhibits including several photographs of masochism and sadomasochism. We then had a rather relaxing evening because we needed to rest up for a trip to Colonia, Uruguay the next morning.
As it turned out, Colonia was a disaster. It started to rain cats and dogs (and maybe some elephants) even before we boarded the ferry. Once on the ferry, it rocked back and forth so much that upwards of 30% of the passengers got sick. For me, despite everything, the experience was hilarious. A woman who couldn´t have been more than 4´10´´ sat next to me, and, as soon as the turbulence started, she said that she was going to jump everytime there was a giant wave because, that way, she wouldn´t feel it so much. Five minutes later, she got sick. Yikes! When we arrived in Colonia, the weather was much the same, lots of rain. We saw the city from inside a van because the weather was not nice enough to do a walking tour. So, we spent most of the day in chachkah shops buying tonterias (stupid things). We headed back early and relaxed while watching some How I Met Your Mother. During that time, I found out that I had been selected for Law Review, so we decided to go out to dinner to celebrate. We tried the #10 restaurant, La Pampa Picante, which I will remember more for its ambience than for its food, though the food was also satisfactory. We then headed to Sunday School, an event held at Tazz Bar in Palermo, where people go out on Sunday -- something that is extremely uncommon in this part of the world. After beating Jerry and Brad in pool and staying out until 3 or 4am, we came home, and that was that. The weekend was over.
In any case, I have many more details and stories to share, but, for now, I leave you with a besito. Chau chau.
Last week, I went out more than I have in a while. On Wednesday, I went out with my soccer team to a party that was thrown in honor of all of the teams in the different soccer leagues. The female team from my office ended up winning third place as well as MVP of the League (to Delfina). As a result, we received immense amounts of presents (I took away a plate and some silverware - - relevance to fútbol? Ni idea!) as well as a copa (the trophey) for Third Place. In addition to the awards ceremony, the party was complete with an open bar, endless food (empanadas and a steak station) and several desserts. Pretty sweet stuff.
Thursday was rather unremarkable - work was difficult both substantively and physically (mostly as a result of the previous night´s activities), and I spent the evening preparing for Eric and his friends to arrive in Buenos Aires.
On Friday, the grupo loco arrived, and we spent the day paseando tranquilamente. I took the boys to one of my favorite lunch spots, where we all shared budin de pan casero - think Flan but with better texture. After a small siesta, we ate dinner at the #1 restaurant in Buenos Aires (La Cabrera) where I somehow got us a free bottle of champagne. Despite the intense food coma we were all in from the immense dinner we consumed, the group ventured to the always ridiculous boliche - Kika. Several hours later, around 4 am, we returned to Suipacha, where my apartment is, to sleep until 1pm the following day. Prying ourselves out of bed after the sleep of all sleeps, we visited the Museo de Evita and the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA), where we saw some rather ¨interesting¨ exhibits including several photographs of masochism and sadomasochism. We then had a rather relaxing evening because we needed to rest up for a trip to Colonia, Uruguay the next morning.
As it turned out, Colonia was a disaster. It started to rain cats and dogs (and maybe some elephants) even before we boarded the ferry. Once on the ferry, it rocked back and forth so much that upwards of 30% of the passengers got sick. For me, despite everything, the experience was hilarious. A woman who couldn´t have been more than 4´10´´ sat next to me, and, as soon as the turbulence started, she said that she was going to jump everytime there was a giant wave because, that way, she wouldn´t feel it so much. Five minutes later, she got sick. Yikes! When we arrived in Colonia, the weather was much the same, lots of rain. We saw the city from inside a van because the weather was not nice enough to do a walking tour. So, we spent most of the day in chachkah shops buying tonterias (stupid things). We headed back early and relaxed while watching some How I Met Your Mother. During that time, I found out that I had been selected for Law Review, so we decided to go out to dinner to celebrate. We tried the #10 restaurant, La Pampa Picante, which I will remember more for its ambience than for its food, though the food was also satisfactory. We then headed to Sunday School, an event held at Tazz Bar in Palermo, where people go out on Sunday -- something that is extremely uncommon in this part of the world. After beating Jerry and Brad in pool and staying out until 3 or 4am, we came home, and that was that. The weekend was over.
In any case, I have many more details and stories to share, but, for now, I leave you with a besito. Chau chau.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Taking it all in...
I am going to try this again, but I just wrote out a huge post that somehow got deleted. Blarghhhh!
After dowloading and archiving all of the SEC filings between 1998-2010 for numerous companies, I am taking a much-needed coffee break.
Since I last wrote, I enjoyed a wonderful long weekend in Buenos Aires. Last Friday was Independence Day in Argentina, which I celebrated by going on a Pub Crawl with Kelly on Thursday. We enjoyed the shots of Fernet and Coke that greeted us at each bar we visited before ending the night at a boliche (nightclub) in Palermo called Kika. What a cool place! It reminded me of many of the places I used to frequent when I lived in Madrid. Kika was divided into two rooms - one for Rock and the other for Reggaeton. Kelly and I rocked out in the Reggaeton room, enjoying ourselves save for the sketchy Argentines who kept grabbing us. After dancing with a select few, we were joined by my friend Facundo and his lawyer friend Tomas. Around 5am, we went for some pizza bajon - the technical name for eating pizza after you have spent all night and the early hours of the morning at a boliche. Because of the Thursday night festivities, I spent some much-needed hours catching up on sleep before meeting up with my friend Alex, a lawyer and professor of law in Colombia. We went walking around Puerto Madero, an area that originally served as a way to unload cargo to be distributed in and around the Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires. Nowadays, it is an area full of beautiful vistas, including the Puente de las Mujeres, and wonderful restaurants and cafes as well as some American imports (namely, Cinemark, Hooters, and TGI Fridays). After walking around for some time, Alex and I stumbled upon an artesan market where I ended up buying an antique perle broche. We also decided to share a piece of cake that I´m told is typical for Argentine Independence Day. The cake had two layers of filling, one with yogurt and clementines and the other with something akin to dulce de leche and nuts, surrounded by cake and topped with merengue instead of icing. As is the case with most food in this country, I´m sure that it had very few calories. Then, Alex and I decided to go off in search of a movie, but, alas, he wanted to practice his English by seeing a movie that wasn´t dubbed in Spanish, and we couldn´t find one that fit our schedule. Instead, we shared a meal and another paseo in a mall in Palermo, a cool neighborhood in Buenos Aires, before calling it a night. On Saturday, I relaxed and rested up for a night of festivities with Kelly and the group of Colombians (and one Italian). We met up at an apartment, hung out for a while, and then went to another Boliche. Fun was definitely had by all! Around 4am, I headed home. The following morning, I went walking from Retiro (where I live) to the furthest point of Palermo in order to meet up with Rene and her friends to watch the World Cup final between Spain and Holland. Unfortunately, I momentarily forgot the address, walked 15 blocks in the wrong direction and ended up in a part of town where I did not want to be. Luckily, I found a cab and all was right again. As it turned out, I hadn´t even really missed anything - the game was still scoreless and would eventually end up going into overtime before Spain finally scored the game-winning goal against Holland. PUDIMOS! Afterwards, I returned to my apartment to rest up for another week in the life of a summer associate in Buenos Aires.
For now, I am off to a party, celebrating my soccer team and the rest of our league - if I haven´t mentioned it yet, WE WON THIRD PLACE!!! (AND I PLAYED). I am sure that tonight will be warrant another post later this week. Until then, un besito.
After dowloading and archiving all of the SEC filings between 1998-2010 for numerous companies, I am taking a much-needed coffee break.
Since I last wrote, I enjoyed a wonderful long weekend in Buenos Aires. Last Friday was Independence Day in Argentina, which I celebrated by going on a Pub Crawl with Kelly on Thursday. We enjoyed the shots of Fernet and Coke that greeted us at each bar we visited before ending the night at a boliche (nightclub) in Palermo called Kika. What a cool place! It reminded me of many of the places I used to frequent when I lived in Madrid. Kika was divided into two rooms - one for Rock and the other for Reggaeton. Kelly and I rocked out in the Reggaeton room, enjoying ourselves save for the sketchy Argentines who kept grabbing us. After dancing with a select few, we were joined by my friend Facundo and his lawyer friend Tomas. Around 5am, we went for some pizza bajon - the technical name for eating pizza after you have spent all night and the early hours of the morning at a boliche. Because of the Thursday night festivities, I spent some much-needed hours catching up on sleep before meeting up with my friend Alex, a lawyer and professor of law in Colombia. We went walking around Puerto Madero, an area that originally served as a way to unload cargo to be distributed in and around the Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires. Nowadays, it is an area full of beautiful vistas, including the Puente de las Mujeres, and wonderful restaurants and cafes as well as some American imports (namely, Cinemark, Hooters, and TGI Fridays). After walking around for some time, Alex and I stumbled upon an artesan market where I ended up buying an antique perle broche. We also decided to share a piece of cake that I´m told is typical for Argentine Independence Day. The cake had two layers of filling, one with yogurt and clementines and the other with something akin to dulce de leche and nuts, surrounded by cake and topped with merengue instead of icing. As is the case with most food in this country, I´m sure that it had very few calories. Then, Alex and I decided to go off in search of a movie, but, alas, he wanted to practice his English by seeing a movie that wasn´t dubbed in Spanish, and we couldn´t find one that fit our schedule. Instead, we shared a meal and another paseo in a mall in Palermo, a cool neighborhood in Buenos Aires, before calling it a night. On Saturday, I relaxed and rested up for a night of festivities with Kelly and the group of Colombians (and one Italian). We met up at an apartment, hung out for a while, and then went to another Boliche. Fun was definitely had by all! Around 4am, I headed home. The following morning, I went walking from Retiro (where I live) to the furthest point of Palermo in order to meet up with Rene and her friends to watch the World Cup final between Spain and Holland. Unfortunately, I momentarily forgot the address, walked 15 blocks in the wrong direction and ended up in a part of town where I did not want to be. Luckily, I found a cab and all was right again. As it turned out, I hadn´t even really missed anything - the game was still scoreless and would eventually end up going into overtime before Spain finally scored the game-winning goal against Holland. PUDIMOS! Afterwards, I returned to my apartment to rest up for another week in the life of a summer associate in Buenos Aires.
For now, I am off to a party, celebrating my soccer team and the rest of our league - if I haven´t mentioned it yet, WE WON THIRD PLACE!!! (AND I PLAYED). I am sure that tonight will be warrant another post later this week. Until then, un besito.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Wow, I suck at this...
To Everyone (including myself):
I am sorry! I have been really bad about updating on this blog. I planned on being better about it, but it seems like my time here is flying by so quickly that I barely have time to sit down and write. Suddenly, work has really picked up. I've been busy doing lots of document review which is boring and time-consuming. Still, I have found ways to keep it interesting - such as looking for documents that have dates that are special to me or that are holidays in the U.S. While I am already starting to be sad about the thought of leaving this place, it's becoming increasingly difficult to imagine not hanging out with the chiquis (girls from the office) and Justo. They have been the defining features of my summer, and I am so grateful for having them in my life. The chiquis told me that I had to stay through the rest of the year in order to play in their next season of soccer (since I was such a hit during our recent game, in which we won 7-2, garnering 3rd place in the league). Justo told me that I had to stay so that he could keep having so much fun and being distracted while practicing his English with me. Gustavo told me that I needed to stay so I could re-learn the Karate that I used to do - he is a member of the Argentine National Karate Team. As you can tell, I love the people that I work with, even if the work itself is not my cup of tea.
In addition to work, I have been spending a lot of time running around. Last weekend, I went to Lima, Peru to spend the Fourth of July with Hallie, my roomie from senior year of college. The weekend was simply awesome...exactly what I needed. We lazed around and caught up on Friday, before heading to sushi at Osaka to celebrate my arrival and Hallie's roomate, Annie, finishing undergrad. It was so great to eat something other than meat. Don't get me wrong, I love meat, but I have been craving seafood for a while now, especially sushi. After hanging out at a swanky bar and downing some Pisco, we went home and had a "tranqui" night. The next morning, we walked around the city and went to a Spanish-influenced area of the city to watch Spain and Paraguay on the big screen. We took some great pictures with policemen, giant inflatables, and other things, before venturing into the markets to buy trinkets. I ended up deciding upon a chess set with the pieces being Incas versus Conquistadores - pretty sweet and only 20 soles, the equivalent of $8 USD. Later, we snacked on Salchipapas (hot dog and fries with condiments) and also anticuchos (cow heart). With energy up, we went to do some more shopping at another market before returning to the house to rev up for a night out. Dressed to impress, we ventured to Baranco and ended up hanging out with some of Annie's university friends. What crazy chicas! Aside from the cat calls from the Peruvian men, the night was a lot of fun, but I would advise anyone going to the bars not to order a Gin & Tonic...it is only Gin and quite unappealing looking. Regardless, it was a great time, despite having my first sighting of a prostitute...jeez. On Sunday, we walked around again and decided to grab some coffee at a Middle Eastern restaurant. We made friends with the bartenders and even got to pet a rabbit before we decided to march onward. At that point, we visited a point that overlooks the ocean - what a vista! We walked down the side of a cliff/small mountain and ate dinner at this amazing restaurant that was surrounded by water on all sides. It felt like what I imagine the Titanic felt like, minus the drowning and tragedy. After a tremendous dinner, we returned to Miraflores (where the house was located) and celebrated the Fourth by indulging in a Peruvian delicacy - tres leches - at an American institution - Starbucks. Good times! The following morning, I bid farwell to Hallie and Annie, dwelling on the fact that the weekend came and went all too quickly, but I guess that's just what happens when I've had too much fun.
In any case, I am about to head out for the night, but I must update more and will probably do so tomorrow about Argentine Independence Day, the Colombian lawyer, etc. Until then...un beso.
I am sorry! I have been really bad about updating on this blog. I planned on being better about it, but it seems like my time here is flying by so quickly that I barely have time to sit down and write. Suddenly, work has really picked up. I've been busy doing lots of document review which is boring and time-consuming. Still, I have found ways to keep it interesting - such as looking for documents that have dates that are special to me or that are holidays in the U.S. While I am already starting to be sad about the thought of leaving this place, it's becoming increasingly difficult to imagine not hanging out with the chiquis (girls from the office) and Justo. They have been the defining features of my summer, and I am so grateful for having them in my life. The chiquis told me that I had to stay through the rest of the year in order to play in their next season of soccer (since I was such a hit during our recent game, in which we won 7-2, garnering 3rd place in the league). Justo told me that I had to stay so that he could keep having so much fun and being distracted while practicing his English with me. Gustavo told me that I needed to stay so I could re-learn the Karate that I used to do - he is a member of the Argentine National Karate Team. As you can tell, I love the people that I work with, even if the work itself is not my cup of tea.
In addition to work, I have been spending a lot of time running around. Last weekend, I went to Lima, Peru to spend the Fourth of July with Hallie, my roomie from senior year of college. The weekend was simply awesome...exactly what I needed. We lazed around and caught up on Friday, before heading to sushi at Osaka to celebrate my arrival and Hallie's roomate, Annie, finishing undergrad. It was so great to eat something other than meat. Don't get me wrong, I love meat, but I have been craving seafood for a while now, especially sushi. After hanging out at a swanky bar and downing some Pisco, we went home and had a "tranqui" night. The next morning, we walked around the city and went to a Spanish-influenced area of the city to watch Spain and Paraguay on the big screen. We took some great pictures with policemen, giant inflatables, and other things, before venturing into the markets to buy trinkets. I ended up deciding upon a chess set with the pieces being Incas versus Conquistadores - pretty sweet and only 20 soles, the equivalent of $8 USD. Later, we snacked on Salchipapas (hot dog and fries with condiments) and also anticuchos (cow heart). With energy up, we went to do some more shopping at another market before returning to the house to rev up for a night out. Dressed to impress, we ventured to Baranco and ended up hanging out with some of Annie's university friends. What crazy chicas! Aside from the cat calls from the Peruvian men, the night was a lot of fun, but I would advise anyone going to the bars not to order a Gin & Tonic...it is only Gin and quite unappealing looking. Regardless, it was a great time, despite having my first sighting of a prostitute...jeez. On Sunday, we walked around again and decided to grab some coffee at a Middle Eastern restaurant. We made friends with the bartenders and even got to pet a rabbit before we decided to march onward. At that point, we visited a point that overlooks the ocean - what a vista! We walked down the side of a cliff/small mountain and ate dinner at this amazing restaurant that was surrounded by water on all sides. It felt like what I imagine the Titanic felt like, minus the drowning and tragedy. After a tremendous dinner, we returned to Miraflores (where the house was located) and celebrated the Fourth by indulging in a Peruvian delicacy - tres leches - at an American institution - Starbucks. Good times! The following morning, I bid farwell to Hallie and Annie, dwelling on the fact that the weekend came and went all too quickly, but I guess that's just what happens when I've had too much fun.
In any case, I am about to head out for the night, but I must update more and will probably do so tomorrow about Argentine Independence Day, the Colombian lawyer, etc. Until then...un beso.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Catching up
So, it's been quite a while since I last updated, and I apologize for that. Life has gotten really busy all of a sudden. Since I last posted, I have been extremely busy - so much so that today was the first day that I've actually done nothing, which, by the way, felt amazing! In any case, since detailing the extent to which I lazed around today will likely be of interest to so few of you, I figured I might catch y'all up on the more eventful days I've had recently.
Work has truly picked up. I have tons of assignments and lots of things to do that are really interesting. Starting tomorrow, I am going to be working with another lawyer in the firm in order to draft a response to a complaint filed by the Argentine equivalent of the SEC against one of our clients. So, as you can tell, I'm being included on decently cool projects - which excites me because that is the whole reason why I came here.
Other than work, I have been traipsing around the city, meeting new people and exploring new barrios. On Tuesday, I played on the firm's female soccer team and was told that I held my own, which allayed my fears that I would be seen as the stereotypical American who sucks at futbol. On Wednesday, I went to the Universidad de Salvador and saw a movie called La banda perdida, which is a story about an orquestra from Egypt that gets lost in Israel. It was a decent movie with many hidden elements, but I wouldn't say that you have to hurry to watch it right away. On Friday, I went on the Buenos Aires Pub Crawl - a must-do tour according to everyone I have met. We started at Run Bar with endless wine/beer and pizza and then traveled to three other bars in the area before ending the night at some crazy disco. I met some interesting people, including a girl named Kelly who is in the process of moving to Buenos Aires for good to be an English teacher/volunteer coordinator. She reminded me a bit of my law school friend Kim because she is from South Carolina and is also a Gamecock. After chatting with Kelly and dancing at the club until 4am, I decided to call it quits. I came home, talked with my doorman (the sweetest man ever), and passed out. Yesterday, I spent some portion of the day hanging around, watching the USA World Cup Team play like a bunch of 4th graders in AYSO and just taking in the beauty of free time. At night, I went to an event called Spanish at a bar called Club V. The idea is that you spend 10 minutes talking to a given person, 5 minutes in English and 5 minutes in Spanish. In this way, you each practice languages while making connections with locals. Afterwards, everyone hangs out in the bar for the great happy hour prices that you get as a result of attending Spanglish. I met some really cool guys from the United States, Argentina, and Ecuador, and I plan on keeping in touch with them and maybe even doing a little bit of traveling with them in the coming weeks.
Anyway, that's enough blogging for me for now...
Un beso a todos...and, as for Argentina's soccer team, VAMOS VAMOS!
Work has truly picked up. I have tons of assignments and lots of things to do that are really interesting. Starting tomorrow, I am going to be working with another lawyer in the firm in order to draft a response to a complaint filed by the Argentine equivalent of the SEC against one of our clients. So, as you can tell, I'm being included on decently cool projects - which excites me because that is the whole reason why I came here.
Other than work, I have been traipsing around the city, meeting new people and exploring new barrios. On Tuesday, I played on the firm's female soccer team and was told that I held my own, which allayed my fears that I would be seen as the stereotypical American who sucks at futbol. On Wednesday, I went to the Universidad de Salvador and saw a movie called La banda perdida, which is a story about an orquestra from Egypt that gets lost in Israel. It was a decent movie with many hidden elements, but I wouldn't say that you have to hurry to watch it right away. On Friday, I went on the Buenos Aires Pub Crawl - a must-do tour according to everyone I have met. We started at Run Bar with endless wine/beer and pizza and then traveled to three other bars in the area before ending the night at some crazy disco. I met some interesting people, including a girl named Kelly who is in the process of moving to Buenos Aires for good to be an English teacher/volunteer coordinator. She reminded me a bit of my law school friend Kim because she is from South Carolina and is also a Gamecock. After chatting with Kelly and dancing at the club until 4am, I decided to call it quits. I came home, talked with my doorman (the sweetest man ever), and passed out. Yesterday, I spent some portion of the day hanging around, watching the USA World Cup Team play like a bunch of 4th graders in AYSO and just taking in the beauty of free time. At night, I went to an event called Spanish at a bar called Club V. The idea is that you spend 10 minutes talking to a given person, 5 minutes in English and 5 minutes in Spanish. In this way, you each practice languages while making connections with locals. Afterwards, everyone hangs out in the bar for the great happy hour prices that you get as a result of attending Spanglish. I met some really cool guys from the United States, Argentina, and Ecuador, and I plan on keeping in touch with them and maybe even doing a little bit of traveling with them in the coming weeks.
Anyway, that's enough blogging for me for now...
Un beso a todos...and, as for Argentina's soccer team, VAMOS VAMOS!
Monday, June 21, 2010
In the meantime...
I have to post stuff from this week, but, in the meantime, I thought y'all might enjoy seeing a map of where I've traveled in my life...
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Turning it around...
Since I last wrote, work has picked up a bit. I´ve researched U.S. law pertaining to Gift Cards and Argentina law, as captured in the Civil and Commercial Codes, pertaining to the legal representation of corporations. I also analyzed a contract for a potential real estate investment that one client is considering. Relatively interesting stuff. As I write this, I am trying to put off continuing to research the gift card market but in Argentina this time. It´s funny the way that the Argentine versions of Westlaw and Lexis are like bad photocopies of their American equivalents. Anyway, enough about work...
Since I last wrote, I have grown closer to the posse of girls in the office, and I have made friends with a guy named Daniel, who goes by Dani. He´s a nice guy who I practice English/Spanish with, but I´m not sure how much more time I want to spend with him. He seems to believe that I am misleading him when I correct his English, which is quite strange seeing as I am the native speaker. In the meantime, I have arranged other language exchanges with people who seem much more interesting, including one with a law student from Bs As on Friday.
Sorry for the short entry...not too much to share. Still, look forward to my next entry which will likely include some interesting commentary on the events that will transpire tonight during my first tango lessson. Haha.
Since I last wrote, I have grown closer to the posse of girls in the office, and I have made friends with a guy named Daniel, who goes by Dani. He´s a nice guy who I practice English/Spanish with, but I´m not sure how much more time I want to spend with him. He seems to believe that I am misleading him when I correct his English, which is quite strange seeing as I am the native speaker. In the meantime, I have arranged other language exchanges with people who seem much more interesting, including one with a law student from Bs As on Friday.
Sorry for the short entry...not too much to share. Still, look forward to my next entry which will likely include some interesting commentary on the events that will transpire tonight during my first tango lessson. Haha.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Creando amistades...
So, while work is still not anything noteworthy, my experience in Buenos Aires has radically improved. On Wednesday night, I met up with a friend of a friend from law school, and we saw a movie called Matrimonios Arreglados (Arranged Marriages), a movie about the custom of having arranged marriage as seen through the eyes of the two protagonists - an Orthodox Jew and a Syrian Muslim. The movie was followed by a debate between an Orthodox Rabbi from Buenos Aires and some representative of Islam.
Since Wednesday, I have spent most of the time hanging out with girls in the office - lawyers, paralegals, and secretaries - who are closer to me in age than the people I met last week. We eat lunch together, practice English/Spanish, and generally hang out. One of them took me to the Bolsa de Comercio de Buenos Aires (BCBA - the Argentine Stock Exchange), and we were able to go onto the trading floor because I am an American. Love it! It was quite entertaining to see a 90-year old man sitting in front of a computer on the trading floor, perusing Facebook. Genial! Not too bad, considering that everyone else was watching the World Cup.
Tonight, I am meeting someone for a language exchange and some dinner...should be a good time. Will write soon.
Chau chau.
Since Wednesday, I have spent most of the time hanging out with girls in the office - lawyers, paralegals, and secretaries - who are closer to me in age than the people I met last week. We eat lunch together, practice English/Spanish, and generally hang out. One of them took me to the Bolsa de Comercio de Buenos Aires (BCBA - the Argentine Stock Exchange), and we were able to go onto the trading floor because I am an American. Love it! It was quite entertaining to see a 90-year old man sitting in front of a computer on the trading floor, perusing Facebook. Genial! Not too bad, considering that everyone else was watching the World Cup.
Tonight, I am meeting someone for a language exchange and some dinner...should be a good time. Will write soon.
Chau chau.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Sitting in the office, looking at the sky(line)...
I apologize to all of you (read: all two of you who follow me) that I haven´t updated in the past few days, but there truly hasn´t been much of anything to write about.
I went to the Colombian party on Friday after work, and it was pretty boring. Most people came as couples, and the people I approached seemed to think that I was trying to flirt with them. So, after a few hours, I grew tired of standing alone and decided to go home. I should have gone to sleep right then, but I have become obsessed with The Good Wife, which led me to watch a few episodes before I finally decided to retire around 5am. The next day, I woke up around 3pm and had no idea what day it was! I took a shower, cleared my head, and decided that I needed to focus on finishing my note for the Journal Competition. Once I started, I kept running into the fact that the topic was of no interest to me. Bluntly stated, it sucked. I spent all of Saturday, Sunday, and Monday writing the note, not even leaving my apartment once during those three days. Even though my note was not my best work, I´m simply glad that it´s over. I feel like I can finally start to enjoy my time here in Buenos Aires and not have to think about all of the obligations that I left at home.
That being said, I am sitting in the office, doing nothing but staring at the skyline. I helped Justo craft the language for a particular section of this public offering of bonds that he is working on for the Province of Buenos Aires, but, other than that, I have not been too busy. I truly hope that things pick up a bit because I know that I can be an asset to the firm if they just give me the work to do.
Otherwise, I´m excited about going to a movie tomorrow night with a friend of my law school friend, Pam Swanson, and hanging out later in the week with some of the girls in the office. Until then, besos.
I went to the Colombian party on Friday after work, and it was pretty boring. Most people came as couples, and the people I approached seemed to think that I was trying to flirt with them. So, after a few hours, I grew tired of standing alone and decided to go home. I should have gone to sleep right then, but I have become obsessed with The Good Wife, which led me to watch a few episodes before I finally decided to retire around 5am. The next day, I woke up around 3pm and had no idea what day it was! I took a shower, cleared my head, and decided that I needed to focus on finishing my note for the Journal Competition. Once I started, I kept running into the fact that the topic was of no interest to me. Bluntly stated, it sucked. I spent all of Saturday, Sunday, and Monday writing the note, not even leaving my apartment once during those three days. Even though my note was not my best work, I´m simply glad that it´s over. I feel like I can finally start to enjoy my time here in Buenos Aires and not have to think about all of the obligations that I left at home.
That being said, I am sitting in the office, doing nothing but staring at the skyline. I helped Justo craft the language for a particular section of this public offering of bonds that he is working on for the Province of Buenos Aires, but, other than that, I have not been too busy. I truly hope that things pick up a bit because I know that I can be an asset to the firm if they just give me the work to do.
Otherwise, I´m excited about going to a movie tomorrow night with a friend of my law school friend, Pam Swanson, and hanging out later in the week with some of the girls in the office. Until then, besos.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Oh, and before I forget...
I love the funny things that happen in this city. From today alone,
1. I saw a store called Mr. Sweater that only sold women's clothing.
2. I saw a store called Plan B - and it was a children's store.
3. I somehow got lost on the way home from work and found my way because of the obelisk that is in the middle of the city - who do they think they are, Washington D.C.?
Getting lost...and then found again.
As you'll notice, there is no post from yesterday. I spent most of the day catching up on sleep and then running around Buenos Aires trying to find a bank that would allow me to take out USD instead of Argentine Pesos and not charge an outrageous fee. Unfortunately, I walked several miles only to find that there is no such thing and miss lunch in the process. As they say, no pasa nada - don't worry! After that, I came home, chatted with friends from home, and prepared myself for Day 1 of my summer job.
So, that brings me to today. I decided to try my luck with my converter and blow dryer and ended up looking worse than when I got into the shower or as though I had put an entire jar of hair gel on my head. Gross! Anyway, it was already time to leave, so I had no choice but to just go with it. I then walked a bit over a mile to work and enjoyed the looks I got for not wearing a coat. I actually ended up taking off my suit jacket because of the heat, even though it was only about 60 degrees around that time. Finally, I arrived at my summer office. I was greeted by some lovely receptionists before speaking with several of the firm's most prominent names. It seemed like every person knew and admired the University of Illinois, probably due to Cabanellas' influence, and, so, I became an instant celebrity. I spent most of the day translating a contract from Spanish into English and distracting my office mate, Justo Segura. He seems like a really great person so far. His sense of humor is very dry and witty, and he likes to ask lots of questions. He received his LLM from the University of Michigan (yes, Muck Fichigan, I know...), and he practiced at a law firm in NY before returning to Buenos Aires. So far, I like everyone. They are all concerned that I have a good time, and I am pretty sure that I will, mostly because of them.
Anyway, I must get some rest for a party that my realtor is throwing for Colombian students that participate in his study abroad program. I'm sure there will be great stories from tomorrow (night).
On that note, besitos and chau!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Llegando a Buenos Aires despues de 20 horas de viaje - Obrigado!
I left Chicago at 9pm on Monday. It was Memorial Day - the day when most gather with their families at a picnic or a bbq to remember those who have fallen and those who continue to fight for our country. I, being quite the world traveler, spent most of the day re-packing and otherwise preparing to leave the country. Oh the irony!
Anyway, the trip started off relatively normal. As per usual, my bags were each over the weight limit, and, also as per usual, the lovely people at United didn't say a thing. I guess it just goes to show you that "tu atras mas abejas con miel que con aceite." The aforementioned is Spanish for "you attract more bees with honey than with oil."
Once I boarded my first flight, a few things decidedly turned for the worst. Some random passenger decided to move to my row and take a nap almost on top of me. After I "accidentally" knocked into her, she reconsidered. At that point, I decided to do some reading using the overhead light. All was fine until the flight attendant somehow skipped me for the dinner tray, and, when he finally corrected his mistake, I bit into the food only to burn my tongue. I guess life just throws you curve balls sometimes, and you just have to make sure to laugh. Later, I began to drift and decided I should just go to bed, which would have been alright other than the fact that my light/assistance panel suddenly would not function. Oh well, said the flight attendants, and they proceeded to tape a piece of foil over the light in order to lessen its intensity. Somehow, I still managed to get some rest despite all of the nonsense that had transpired.
A few hours later, I landed at the airport in Sao Paolo, Brazil, a place that is only memorable for being the most confusing airport that I have ever been in. I found a fellow American, Stephen, who was quite the character. He was missing four of his front teeth, was diabetic and suffered from several other medical complications which meant that he had to take a different pill every hour. He was also unique in that he was traveling all the way from Iowa to go meet his online girlfriend who lives in Buenos Aires - someone whom he had never met before. Needless to say, we kept each other laughing during our four hour layover.
The flight from Sao Paolo to Buenos Aires was rather uneventful. Afterwards, I was met by my realtor here, Santiago, a friend of Nuria's, and he drove me to my new apartment while explaining things about the city and also about his job. We drove past Argentina's obelisk - which is very reminiscent of the Washington Monument, and Santiago told me about some of the historical buildings that we passed. As part of his job, dealing with students from abroad who choose to attend university at the public school in Buenos Aires, Santiago is busy scheduling social events for all of his clients, including a party for all of the Colombians (plus me, of course).
Now, I am sitting in my apartment and relaxing. The weather is quite perfect - high 50s, and I am watching episodes of The Good Wife online...procrastinating from moving forward on my note. Don't worry everyone...it will get done!
Anyway, I want to finish this episode soon and then go to bed at a reasonable hour. Santiago is going to show me some cool spots tomorrow. Until later...chau!
Anyway, the trip started off relatively normal. As per usual, my bags were each over the weight limit, and, also as per usual, the lovely people at United didn't say a thing. I guess it just goes to show you that "tu atras mas abejas con miel que con aceite." The aforementioned is Spanish for "you attract more bees with honey than with oil."
Once I boarded my first flight, a few things decidedly turned for the worst. Some random passenger decided to move to my row and take a nap almost on top of me. After I "accidentally" knocked into her, she reconsidered. At that point, I decided to do some reading using the overhead light. All was fine until the flight attendant somehow skipped me for the dinner tray, and, when he finally corrected his mistake, I bit into the food only to burn my tongue. I guess life just throws you curve balls sometimes, and you just have to make sure to laugh. Later, I began to drift and decided I should just go to bed, which would have been alright other than the fact that my light/assistance panel suddenly would not function. Oh well, said the flight attendants, and they proceeded to tape a piece of foil over the light in order to lessen its intensity. Somehow, I still managed to get some rest despite all of the nonsense that had transpired.
A few hours later, I landed at the airport in Sao Paolo, Brazil, a place that is only memorable for being the most confusing airport that I have ever been in. I found a fellow American, Stephen, who was quite the character. He was missing four of his front teeth, was diabetic and suffered from several other medical complications which meant that he had to take a different pill every hour. He was also unique in that he was traveling all the way from Iowa to go meet his online girlfriend who lives in Buenos Aires - someone whom he had never met before. Needless to say, we kept each other laughing during our four hour layover.
The flight from Sao Paolo to Buenos Aires was rather uneventful. Afterwards, I was met by my realtor here, Santiago, a friend of Nuria's, and he drove me to my new apartment while explaining things about the city and also about his job. We drove past Argentina's obelisk - which is very reminiscent of the Washington Monument, and Santiago told me about some of the historical buildings that we passed. As part of his job, dealing with students from abroad who choose to attend university at the public school in Buenos Aires, Santiago is busy scheduling social events for all of his clients, including a party for all of the Colombians (plus me, of course).
Now, I am sitting in my apartment and relaxing. The weather is quite perfect - high 50s, and I am watching episodes of The Good Wife online...procrastinating from moving forward on my note. Don't worry everyone...it will get done!
Anyway, I want to finish this episode soon and then go to bed at a reasonable hour. Santiago is going to show me some cool spots tomorrow. Until later...chau!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Countdown: 7 Days
Hey All! I've never done this before, but I figured that I might start a blog in order to keep track of all the crazy adventures I am about to have in Argentina.
With only seven days left in Highland Park, I am getting pretty anxious. I've started to look for things to do and places to go in Buenos Aires, and I simply can't wait. Until then...
Besitos.
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