Quilmes, Lattente, Mundolingo, 9 de Julio

Hi folks,

I've been back in Buenos Aires for nearly a month and realized I haven't written a blog post in a very long time. I've been busily organizing my schedule, no easy feat when you give five students a number potential class times and they all choose the same one. Thus the organization has been a headache, but now all of that is wrapping up and I'm getting into the routine.

Amazingly, despite all the scheduling difficulties, a few power outages, and rising inflation, I have been extremely relaxed about everything. I haven't really felt stressed at all, which is perhaps because I tend to avoid stress as I would the plague. But I recall leaving Buenos Aires in November and, at that point, I was probably the most stressed I had ever been in my life. Which goes to show what a few home-cooked meals can do for one's health.

I've been participating in a number of social activities since my return. I joined a new gym, which I like much more than the old one because the people there are always very friendly to me and helpful.

I also sometimes will go with my roommate, Hernan, to visit his family in Quilmes, which works wonders for my Spanish as we usually will talk for hours. The last time we went by motorbike, a first, and very thrilling, experience for me. We even got frisked by the police at one point, though they were probably disappointed to find only the pancake mix and maple syrup, which I cooked up later (the temperature was of course 90 degrees).

Pancake making + 90 degrees

I can also say I've been served coffee by the national champion barrista of Buenos Aires for 2013. Lattente, a cafe in Palermo, has hands-down the highest quality Colombian coffee you will find in Buenos Aires. It's located in Palermo and is worth a visit for anyone with a sophisticated coffee palate, or who enjoys sitting outside along a quiet street, talking for hours with friends and sipping on a coffee, iced or hot, both are excellent here.

I also began going to Mundolingo. It is a program similar to Spanglish but the difference is you don't have to pay $50 pesos to get in. All you need to do is show up and choose the flags of the various languages you speak (I take the American and Argentinian flags).

Spanglish is great because it is done speed-dating style where you speak for 5 minutes in Spanish and 5 minutes in English. While at Mundolingo you have no formal structure, which means it can be easier for expats to not practice Spanish and just speak in English the entire time.

Church on Belgrano y Defensa

Last Sunday was beautiful, and my friend Simon invited me to go out to enjoy the day and have a coffee. We walked along the iconic 9 de Julio avenue, which I live on now, and we found a quintessential Buenos Aires cafe to stop in and have something to eat. While we were there a car drove by us with no one inside. We acted quickly, realizing that the break was probably not active and the car was free rolling down the road. After stopping the car and stuffing some newspaper under the tire the car stayed in one place, but only meters from the intersection.