This past week was one of firsts for me. The apocalypse came and went, failing to meet most critics expectations, a sweltering Christmas, more reminiscent of fourth of July, has passed with good cheer, I scheduled my first work this week, and I prepared my first meal for friends in a foreign country. All in all an active, fun filled week, hardly reminiscent of the cold, snowy holidays I am familiar with in the wintry north.
I thought I would take this post to discuss the Argentine tradition of asado, a style of barbecue that is as much a staple of the holidays here in Argentina as barbecue on 4th of July or turkey at Christmas in the US. Fortunately for me I had the opportunity to try asado for the first time on Christmas eve, which is when Argentines typically hold the celebratory Christmas feast. The day before all the fiestas commenced, a friend of mine invited me to his place for the Christmas celebration. Since I would have otherwise spent Christmas alone in the apartment with Titan I could hardly turn down such an offer.
Boy was I in for a treat! To tell the truth Christmas here has more similarities to the fourth of July than to Christmas in the states. Everyone barbecues, the weather is hot and humid, and fireworks go off at midnight, lighting up the Buenos Aires skyline with beautiful reds, golds, and blues, and of course accompanied by a thunderous roar.
But my favorite part was definitely the asado. Here is a photo I took of my friend's parilla (Argentine style grill for asado).
Unlike in the states, where a barbecue will seldom consist of more than burgers, a few sausages, hot dogs, and sometimes a steak or two, the parilla is packed with a variety of enormous slabs of meat, sausages, and intestines. All the meat in the photo above was for five people. Yes, just five of us! The first to come off the grill was the chorizo, a Spanish style sausage that is a staple for almost all asados. You can also find chorizo as a typical snack food sold by vendors throughout the city in little sandwiches called choripan (chorizo with bread). The second delectable food to come off the grill was the asado, the slab of short ribs.
Both the chorizo and the asado, and most of the other meats grilled, could be accompanied by a sauce known as chimichurri. Every Argentine will make their chimichurri a little differently, but mostly it consists of garlic, olive oil, vinegar, parsley, onion, tomato, and whatever else the chef wishes to throw in. The flavor is refreshing for those used to A1 and worcestershire sauce. I guess chimichurri is to asado what barbecue sauce is to grilling in the states. If you have never tried it Asado Argentina has everything you need to know about asado and chimichurri and everything affiliated with the tradition. Click here for a general chimichurri recipe that you can easily adapt to the ingredients you have on hand. As long as the base ingredients are there you can add spices and flavors as much as you wish. The room for creativity is endless!
The the two types of meat that I tried next were the morcilla and chinchulin. Morcilla is an Argentine blood sausage. It has a deep and very rich flavor, and a little goes a long way. It was definitely worth trying and I ate my fair share of it but I'll probably save the morcilla for those festive occasions. Chinchulin is what we would call tripe in the states. It is a very tasty part of the small intestines that is grilled along with all the other meat. The flavor of chinchulin is difficult to nail down, but to me it most closely resembles eating buttery popcorn and melted Cabot extra sharp cheddar cheese, both at the same time.
Overall asado is fantastic, and sets a new standard to barbecue that rivals many of the best barbecue establishments in the states. Argentina may not be known for its culinary genius, but when it comes to barbecue you will be hard pressed to find a more satisfying barbecue experience than the asado of Argentina.
Kyle - Writing after a fabulously asado filled Christmas!
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Monday, December 24, 2012
Life with Titan
I now share an abode with Mark Twain reincarnate. If only as a little fluff ball gatito named Titan (pronounced Teetawwwn). For background I'll explain the back story. I was supposed to move to Palermo in late December where I was planning on living and working permanently. However two weeks ago a friend of mine emailed that she would be going away and that I could house-sit until February, and for part of that time monitor Titan, the cat I have dubbed as Twain.
Tell me there isn't a resemblance!
Titan and I get along well. At least I think we do. I'll often catch him peering at me from around a corner or behind a chair. I think he's still not quite sure who I am, although I think he's beginning to warm up to me. As he has been here longer he has taken on the leading role in the household, and I have informally acquiesced. Why, one might ask, should I allow a cat, no, a gatito, manage the household? Well for starters he is Twain, of that there is no doubt. I see it when he gives me those contemptuous, highly critical, and bemused stares as he sees I have no idea what I am doing half the time.
For example, for the past several days Titan watched me in bemused fashion as I tried desperately to fix the broken internet connection. I knew the connection needed to be fixed because that is my primary means of communicating with my employer, students, and family. I called the internet company, desperately trying to bumble my way to a solution in beleaguered Spanish, endeavoring to correct the horrible mishap. Many times I looked to Titan in envy as he sat in calm repose, staring at me. I could imagine him asking me "what is it exactly you are trying to do? Don't you know you are taking this all too seriously friend?" He would give a half smile and dismiss me as a hopeless cause, as one not worthy of any extra efforts on his part. Well, thankfully with the help of the building's manager I was finally able to correct the faulty internet, and now for the most part life is sanguine.
I am beginning to take on some of the cheerful ambivalence that Titan exemplifies so marvelously. Often, in periods of relaxation, I will venture to the beautiful balcony that commands a wide view of the city. From there I can do everything from reading Twain, take a cat nap, or observe the rooftops of other people doing exactly the same as I. Apparently you can even see the fireworks from there on New Years - that'll be a treat!
Here are a few photos of the view from the balcony. I'm off to a traditional Argentine asado tonight to celebrate Christmas. I'll be making a potato salad to bring along - yes it's very American, but I felt since I am American it is only fitting.
Enjoy the pics.
Kyle
Tell me there isn't a resemblance!
Titan and I get along well. At least I think we do. I'll often catch him peering at me from around a corner or behind a chair. I think he's still not quite sure who I am, although I think he's beginning to warm up to me. As he has been here longer he has taken on the leading role in the household, and I have informally acquiesced. Why, one might ask, should I allow a cat, no, a gatito, manage the household? Well for starters he is Twain, of that there is no doubt. I see it when he gives me those contemptuous, highly critical, and bemused stares as he sees I have no idea what I am doing half the time.
For example, for the past several days Titan watched me in bemused fashion as I tried desperately to fix the broken internet connection. I knew the connection needed to be fixed because that is my primary means of communicating with my employer, students, and family. I called the internet company, desperately trying to bumble my way to a solution in beleaguered Spanish, endeavoring to correct the horrible mishap. Many times I looked to Titan in envy as he sat in calm repose, staring at me. I could imagine him asking me "what is it exactly you are trying to do? Don't you know you are taking this all too seriously friend?" He would give a half smile and dismiss me as a hopeless cause, as one not worthy of any extra efforts on his part. Well, thankfully with the help of the building's manager I was finally able to correct the faulty internet, and now for the most part life is sanguine.
I am beginning to take on some of the cheerful ambivalence that Titan exemplifies so marvelously. Often, in periods of relaxation, I will venture to the beautiful balcony that commands a wide view of the city. From there I can do everything from reading Twain, take a cat nap, or observe the rooftops of other people doing exactly the same as I. Apparently you can even see the fireworks from there on New Years - that'll be a treat!
Here are a few photos of the view from the balcony. I'm off to a traditional Argentine asado tonight to celebrate Christmas. I'll be making a potato salad to bring along - yes it's very American, but I felt since I am American it is only fitting.
Enjoy the pics.
Kyle
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Reading, Ramblings and Rain. Cooking and the Woefully Unemployed
Much has happened here in the past week that bids for my attention. Each event calls out, yearning to be recognized, and I must give weight where needed. I have taken to long periods of focused reading, Twain that is, which I share my time with other mendicant pastimes. Upon entering the ranks of the unemployed here in beautiful but economically deprived Buenos Aires, I find it necessary to hire interests. Such interests have been of great use to me in surviving my mendicancy and I will discuss them at a later juncture.
In case it has escaped your notice until this point, or you haven't stopped to question why my writing has taken on a slightly cynical, always sarcastic, and utterly distinguished tone, let it escape your attention no further. I am writing in the current of one of North America's most distinguished writers of novels and traveling works. Yes he, the writer of such works as Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, and The Innocents Abroad. Yes, only Mark Twain himself could conspire such humorous and fascinating works of literature.
Now however, he has passed the flame on, the passion for writing, to following generations and, in honor of him and his essays, which I am now daily laboring through with the utmost vigor, I dedicate this post to his writing style and realm of expertise: Travel.
I will begin with a few peculiar habits, or interests, which I have hired to facilitate my mendicant ways and achieve some semblance of normalcy in my daily bouts with the world. Firstly I wish to draw attention to my daily wrestling matches with Hollywood. It appears that in an individual's absence from their culture of origin they experience what is now termed a "culture shock." I believe I have been hit with it in a rather odd way.
As of late I have grown quite fond of Hollywood. In the states I never expressed much love, or held a passion, for the pastime of movie going. I think now, however, the moving screen serves as a balancing elixir. Such a magical potion serves to occupy some of my vast reserves of unoccupied time, while also connecting me to a cultural heritage of the mother country.
A second interest I have so dutifully employed is one of a more artistic bent. Not that films aren't artistic, but more of a personal artistry. I hired cooking as a means to express my innermost emotions in an oevre representative of my entire being. I throw mind, intellect, soul, and passion into the pot and in return I am awarded a splendidly prepared dish which I can subsequently devour heartily. I will give an example.
The other day I took a ramble to find some fresh produce with which to make one of my startling creations of culinary genius. I take these rambles quite often, and I find on every occasion I am either greatly impressed with what I find, or greatly troubled. On this particular occasion I was troubled in a very good way. My mission was a few apples and tomatoes with which to prepare pasta and omelettes. I was confronted with typical prices at my local produce stand. $10 for two tomatoes and $10 for two apples. I respectfully inquired in broken Spanish if I could purchase one tomato and one apple, however something obviously was lost in translation as I received the largest bags of tomatoes and apples I have ever seen for only one individual and all for the $10 pesos each I had inquired about.
Now I faced the most insurmountable of questions. What to do with 4.5 lbs of slightly over-ripe tomatoes? I only wanted two, I thought to myself. Heck, paying $2.50 US for 4.5 lbs of tomatoes is an investment to be proud of, why not make tomato sauce that I can use for my pasta?
So I set my culinary genius to work and concocted a pasta sauce of delightful comportment and hearty flavor. I added four cloves of garlic, a handful of salt, a few heaping spoonfuls of red pepper, oregano, and a dash of apple vinegar. Twas a wonderful way to pass an unemployed afternoon. In the previous sentence I use "unemployed" in only the strictest sense of the word for, in a less strict sense, I was employed, as you can see below.
Happy Holidays from the Galerias Pacifico
In case it has escaped your notice until this point, or you haven't stopped to question why my writing has taken on a slightly cynical, always sarcastic, and utterly distinguished tone, let it escape your attention no further. I am writing in the current of one of North America's most distinguished writers of novels and traveling works. Yes he, the writer of such works as Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, and The Innocents Abroad. Yes, only Mark Twain himself could conspire such humorous and fascinating works of literature.
Now however, he has passed the flame on, the passion for writing, to following generations and, in honor of him and his essays, which I am now daily laboring through with the utmost vigor, I dedicate this post to his writing style and realm of expertise: Travel.
I will begin with a few peculiar habits, or interests, which I have hired to facilitate my mendicant ways and achieve some semblance of normalcy in my daily bouts with the world. Firstly I wish to draw attention to my daily wrestling matches with Hollywood. It appears that in an individual's absence from their culture of origin they experience what is now termed a "culture shock." I believe I have been hit with it in a rather odd way.
As of late I have grown quite fond of Hollywood. In the states I never expressed much love, or held a passion, for the pastime of movie going. I think now, however, the moving screen serves as a balancing elixir. Such a magical potion serves to occupy some of my vast reserves of unoccupied time, while also connecting me to a cultural heritage of the mother country.
A second interest I have so dutifully employed is one of a more artistic bent. Not that films aren't artistic, but more of a personal artistry. I hired cooking as a means to express my innermost emotions in an oevre representative of my entire being. I throw mind, intellect, soul, and passion into the pot and in return I am awarded a splendidly prepared dish which I can subsequently devour heartily. I will give an example.
The other day I took a ramble to find some fresh produce with which to make one of my startling creations of culinary genius. I take these rambles quite often, and I find on every occasion I am either greatly impressed with what I find, or greatly troubled. On this particular occasion I was troubled in a very good way. My mission was a few apples and tomatoes with which to prepare pasta and omelettes. I was confronted with typical prices at my local produce stand. $10 for two tomatoes and $10 for two apples. I respectfully inquired in broken Spanish if I could purchase one tomato and one apple, however something obviously was lost in translation as I received the largest bags of tomatoes and apples I have ever seen for only one individual and all for the $10 pesos each I had inquired about.
Now I faced the most insurmountable of questions. What to do with 4.5 lbs of slightly over-ripe tomatoes? I only wanted two, I thought to myself. Heck, paying $2.50 US for 4.5 lbs of tomatoes is an investment to be proud of, why not make tomato sauce that I can use for my pasta?
So I set my culinary genius to work and concocted a pasta sauce of delightful comportment and hearty flavor. I added four cloves of garlic, a handful of salt, a few heaping spoonfuls of red pepper, oregano, and a dash of apple vinegar. Twas a wonderful way to pass an unemployed afternoon. In the previous sentence I use "unemployed" in only the strictest sense of the word for, in a less strict sense, I was employed, as you can see below.
Mmm, the pasta was amazing!
I will be moving apartments on December 22 and am looking forward to a change of scenery. The place I will be staying in is on the top floor and commands a sweeping view of the city. I will present myself tomorrow at an inquiry into some teaching work which I hope to obtain in early January. It will be a nice respite from my unemployed state and I think it is worth noting that working seems often to be less work than not working.
Kyle as Twain
Happy Holidays from the Galerias Pacifico
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Graduation!
After a final week of long hours and arduous work the day finally came. I graduated yesterday!!! All of us, me and my fellow TEFL trainees, are now certified English teachers. Here are a few pics of us at our graduation party.
This top photo shows Simon and Jess, two TEFL trainees, with our professor Michelle.
All of us together with our diplomas.
(From left to right) Kristina (Austria), Kyle (USA), Simon (UK), Jess (UK), Michelle (the professor from S. Africa) and Maika (UK). I don't think I could have asked for a better group to do the course with.
Did I mention the wonderful food?! Brad, our other professor, used to be a professional Chef.
However while one step in the teaching process may have ended, the next step is just beginning. How do I go about finding my first job? I guess I have already started to a certain extent. I have begun applying to a number of English institutes and have been in contact with several of them and have had two interviews so far. I will probably only find part time work, at least until March, so I may have to work for a number of institutes to get the hours I need. I think I will really start pushing early next week to nail down some work if not for December than at least work beginning in early January.
Now that I have no more lesson preparation to do (at least until I start working) and no more classes to attend I have really taken up cooking. Now I'm not talking about elaborate and gourmet meals, I'm talking about deep fried southern goodness. The other night I had a craving for some fried southern food, and since I'm wary of the chicken down here (the chickens are enormous!), I decided to fry up some calas and hush puppies.
These were simply heavenly! Fried hush puppies and rice calas. Although I'd hate to know the nutrition facts behind them.
I am also on the hunt to find the best and most cost-effective way to make a remoulade sauce to compliment this meal. Remoulade consists of a mustard and mayo base with creole seasoning, vinegar, and garlic. Finding the spices for the creole seasoning will be challenging enough, and I've concluded I'd rather make my own mustard than spend through the roof for a tiny jar of imported mustard.
I have also been in search of the best ice cream in Buenos Aires, and I think I found it. I've visited three places so far: Jauja (Patagonian ice cream), Volta (Buenos Aires helado chain), and Vanshelato (Italian gelato). I think I have to hand the quality to Jauja. Nothing else I have found can beat the creamy and savory goodness or the unique flavors of this Patagonian specialty.
The Jauja in Palermo.
For cost I am so happy to have found Vanshelato. I passed it every day going to and from class so early last week I decided to pop in and see what they had. Their prices were remarkable. They sell 1/4 kilos for $18 pesos, about $4.5 dollars. Actually they sold me 1/3 kilo for $18, they just put the ice cream on the scale in front of me and weighed it in at .35 kilo but charged me for 1/4 - what wonderful service!
For those of you who don't know 1/3 kilo is about 3/4 lb of ice cream. Yeah, I ate that much.
As far as prices go Vanshelato wins out. Volta has good ice cream, it tastes about the same as Vanshelato, but it costs 2-3 times as much. Jauja is a little cheaper than Volta and it's ice cream is by far superior.
The ice cream industry is huge in Buenos Aires, with the small artisanal ice cream makers competing with the big chains for a share of the market. Overall I haven't been too impressed with the chains as they give out small, industrially measured portions, and charge high prices for them. The best places are the small local shops. They sell the same stuff as the chains, give out tons of free samples, and aren't strictly regulated when it comes to how much ice cream they dole out.
Thus concludes another update of my stay in Buenos Aires. I have a lot in store for next week, including job hunting, moving apartments, and finding out my Christmas plans so there will be plenty to discuss in my next post.
For now, I'm off to tackle the mustard problem.
~Kyle
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Week One Teaching Wrap-Up
Hey folks,
An exciting week of teaching has come to a close. I must admit that preparing for lessons and teaching was much easier than I thought it would be. Well, perhaps I should rephrase. Lesson prep is difficult and I do get nervous when we begin lessons but I always enjoy working with the students so after a while it stops feeling like work and I just enjoy my time teaching.
I taught three classes this week. My first class was with the grannies on Monday and I got to teach them about one of my favorite subjects... TEA! Since their English is fairly advanced we were able to hold a wonderful discussion on everything relating to tea including where it is grown, blends vs. single origin, cultural differences, and a bit of the history on the origins of Earl Grey. They are very opinionated so getting them to speak isn't very difficult and we were able to have a wonderful discussion on the inadequate state of the tea industry in Argentina.
My second class was a one to one class with an advanced student where I also got to teach about tea across cultures. The student knew a remarkable amount about tea and different tea ceremonies throughout the world and we had a wonderful conversation on the versatility of tea to bridge cultural differences.
My third class was on fears and phobias and, to tell the truth, I was surprised the class went as well as it did especially with everything that seemed off that day. I gave the class on Thursday. That morning I had woken up at 3:30 and was unable to fall back asleep so I just stayed up and did work. Torrential rains that day also messed with public transit so many of my students arrived late, missing the warmer and intro to the topic. While I was teaching a toxic cloud drifted over the city and gave off a smell reminiscent of synthetic popcorn which was rather distracting to say the least. For more info on the flooding and toxic clouds click here.
On Friday Michelle, our teacher, prepared a nice surprise for several of us since three of us had our birthdays during the course (Nov. 20, Dec. 5, 7).
An exciting week of teaching has come to a close. I must admit that preparing for lessons and teaching was much easier than I thought it would be. Well, perhaps I should rephrase. Lesson prep is difficult and I do get nervous when we begin lessons but I always enjoy working with the students so after a while it stops feeling like work and I just enjoy my time teaching.
I taught three classes this week. My first class was with the grannies on Monday and I got to teach them about one of my favorite subjects... TEA! Since their English is fairly advanced we were able to hold a wonderful discussion on everything relating to tea including where it is grown, blends vs. single origin, cultural differences, and a bit of the history on the origins of Earl Grey. They are very opinionated so getting them to speak isn't very difficult and we were able to have a wonderful discussion on the inadequate state of the tea industry in Argentina.
My second class was a one to one class with an advanced student where I also got to teach about tea across cultures. The student knew a remarkable amount about tea and different tea ceremonies throughout the world and we had a wonderful conversation on the versatility of tea to bridge cultural differences.
My third class was on fears and phobias and, to tell the truth, I was surprised the class went as well as it did especially with everything that seemed off that day. I gave the class on Thursday. That morning I had woken up at 3:30 and was unable to fall back asleep so I just stayed up and did work. Torrential rains that day also messed with public transit so many of my students arrived late, missing the warmer and intro to the topic. While I was teaching a toxic cloud drifted over the city and gave off a smell reminiscent of synthetic popcorn which was rather distracting to say the least. For more info on the flooding and toxic clouds click here.
On Friday Michelle, our teacher, prepared a nice surprise for several of us since three of us had our birthdays during the course (Nov. 20, Dec. 5, 7).
Jessica, Kyle (ME!), Simon. The birthday students!
Birthday students and Kristina!
Friday was a chill day. We had a creative writing workshop and then discussed cultural differences that we noticed after being in Argentina for a time. Another successful week out of the way.
Kyle
Sunday, December 2, 2012
An Exciting Week Comes to a Close!
Hey folks,
Sorry to keep everyone waiting for this blog entry. Well, I'm only partly sorry. After all there is only so much time in a week, and when I feel like I'm running a marathon and the destination is the weekend the last thing I want to do is keep on running after I cross the finish line. But for you all I have chosen to keep running, well, a slow jog is perhaps more accurate. You deserve an update so here it is.
Last week was the second and last week of the grammar and practical inputs for the TEFL course. We spent much of our time preparing for the grammar test (which everyone passed!) and sitting in on classes, learning through observing other teachers at work. Last Tuesday I finally purchased a phone, which I will need to contact employers and students when I begin teaching in late December and January. It's nothing flashy, actually it looks like a relic from the '90s, but as long as it makes phone calls then I am happy with it.
Here is a pic of my new and purely functional phone!
I also began applying for work as a teacher at a number of local English Institutes. I have one job interview lined up and possibly a second. This is the exciting part and what all of my work so far has been geared towards. My teaching practice will also begin this week so I have been very busy preparing lesson plans for the four classes I will be giving this coming week.
Since my last post I have made a few exciting and remarkable discoveries. The first is that you can batter and fry dry pasta and it will soften that way. The other day I was at a loss for what to make for dinner so I decided to try blending a variety of random foods, which is what I do most nights, except that this time I decided to add dried pasta to the mix. Well I soaked the pasta in buttermilk and egg mixture and then doused it with flour. After this process I placed the pasta in the skillet and watched the breading and oil go to work. I mixed in some onion, tomato, the egg-buttermilk mixture, and potato after that for a not so healthy comfort meal that tasted like heaven on earth. Needless to say I've been on a pasta frying kick ever since.
My second great discovery involves the silver trail of confetti that I'd been finding nearly every morning tracing wild, fanciful, and indecisive lines across the floor of my room. At first these silvery transparent trails puzzled me. What could they be? I often wondered. But as the trails didn't bother me, or affect my nights sleep, I soon thought nothing of them. I just figured I had a guest or two during the night that would come in and make these trails while I slept.
Well, the other day, night actually, I figured it all out. I woke up very late a few nights ago with the grave understanding that I needed to use the restroom. I quickly rose out of bed and proceeded towards the door. When I was just about at the door I placed my foot down and in that moment the physical and auditory sensations were overwhelming. I had never stepped in something so horrifying, what made it worse was the lack of visibility. I couldn't see what I had stepped in. I frantically composed myself and reached for the light. My thought was everywhere. What could it be? Is there an animal in my room? Did I step in dog poop? What could have made that squish under my foot? Did I really want to know? I finally found the light switch and turned it on and discovered that what was now on the bottom of my foot was none other than a...
Wait for it...
A slug!!! Ugggggggghhhhhhh.
I was more curious than grossed out once I figured out what it was. Big questions soon emerged. Where did the slug live? Was it the same slug making the silvery trails every night? Were there more than one? Can slugs even live in a carpeted room for long periods of time? How was it able to avoid detection for so long? It's not as if they move very fast. Well, maybe my questions will never be answered, or maybe someone reading this will have better insights and knowledge into the life of slugs. Unfortunately the slug had expired before I could ask him these important questions, so if anyone can shed some light on this mysterious topic I would be much obliged.
Aside from those discoveries I had one other exciting event of the week. Yesterday I got invited to a birthday party! It was a wonderful Argentine birthday party with a mixed crowd of Argentinos, expats, and foreigners studying in BA. It was a wonderful time. There was cake, food, frisbee, and plenty of Spanish for me to practice. Before the party I met a fellow student at the TEFL program and her roommate and we shared fresh squeezed lemonade with mint. It was a refreshing way to culminate a long week.
Sorry to keep everyone waiting for this blog entry. Well, I'm only partly sorry. After all there is only so much time in a week, and when I feel like I'm running a marathon and the destination is the weekend the last thing I want to do is keep on running after I cross the finish line. But for you all I have chosen to keep running, well, a slow jog is perhaps more accurate. You deserve an update so here it is.
Last week was the second and last week of the grammar and practical inputs for the TEFL course. We spent much of our time preparing for the grammar test (which everyone passed!) and sitting in on classes, learning through observing other teachers at work. Last Tuesday I finally purchased a phone, which I will need to contact employers and students when I begin teaching in late December and January. It's nothing flashy, actually it looks like a relic from the '90s, but as long as it makes phone calls then I am happy with it.
Here is a pic of my new and purely functional phone!
I also began applying for work as a teacher at a number of local English Institutes. I have one job interview lined up and possibly a second. This is the exciting part and what all of my work so far has been geared towards. My teaching practice will also begin this week so I have been very busy preparing lesson plans for the four classes I will be giving this coming week.
Since my last post I have made a few exciting and remarkable discoveries. The first is that you can batter and fry dry pasta and it will soften that way. The other day I was at a loss for what to make for dinner so I decided to try blending a variety of random foods, which is what I do most nights, except that this time I decided to add dried pasta to the mix. Well I soaked the pasta in buttermilk and egg mixture and then doused it with flour. After this process I placed the pasta in the skillet and watched the breading and oil go to work. I mixed in some onion, tomato, the egg-buttermilk mixture, and potato after that for a not so healthy comfort meal that tasted like heaven on earth. Needless to say I've been on a pasta frying kick ever since.
My second great discovery involves the silver trail of confetti that I'd been finding nearly every morning tracing wild, fanciful, and indecisive lines across the floor of my room. At first these silvery transparent trails puzzled me. What could they be? I often wondered. But as the trails didn't bother me, or affect my nights sleep, I soon thought nothing of them. I just figured I had a guest or two during the night that would come in and make these trails while I slept.
Well, the other day, night actually, I figured it all out. I woke up very late a few nights ago with the grave understanding that I needed to use the restroom. I quickly rose out of bed and proceeded towards the door. When I was just about at the door I placed my foot down and in that moment the physical and auditory sensations were overwhelming. I had never stepped in something so horrifying, what made it worse was the lack of visibility. I couldn't see what I had stepped in. I frantically composed myself and reached for the light. My thought was everywhere. What could it be? Is there an animal in my room? Did I step in dog poop? What could have made that squish under my foot? Did I really want to know? I finally found the light switch and turned it on and discovered that what was now on the bottom of my foot was none other than a...
Wait for it...
A slug!!! Ugggggggghhhhhhh.
I was more curious than grossed out once I figured out what it was. Big questions soon emerged. Where did the slug live? Was it the same slug making the silvery trails every night? Were there more than one? Can slugs even live in a carpeted room for long periods of time? How was it able to avoid detection for so long? It's not as if they move very fast. Well, maybe my questions will never be answered, or maybe someone reading this will have better insights and knowledge into the life of slugs. Unfortunately the slug had expired before I could ask him these important questions, so if anyone can shed some light on this mysterious topic I would be much obliged.
Aside from those discoveries I had one other exciting event of the week. Yesterday I got invited to a birthday party! It was a wonderful Argentine birthday party with a mixed crowd of Argentinos, expats, and foreigners studying in BA. It was a wonderful time. There was cake, food, frisbee, and plenty of Spanish for me to practice. Before the party I met a fellow student at the TEFL program and her roommate and we shared fresh squeezed lemonade with mint. It was a refreshing way to culminate a long week.
The lemonade and mint. An amazingly refreshing beverage.
That's all for now as I continue preparing for another busy, albeit fun, week of teaching.
Kyle - Getting those teaching skills up to par!
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