Dias 2 y 3 - First Day of School, First Day of School!

It's been awhile since I've had a first day of school experience, but Monday was certainly a REAL first day of school as I've never taken classes outside of the US.  The school where I'm taking Spanish (aka Castellano) lessons was recommended by Dan O and was super easy to set up.  

Diego went with me the first day to (according to Tia) check that it wasn't sketchy, because almost everything is sketchy or dangerous in BA (according to Tia).  :)  It was great.  I'm taking 5 hours of class each day (M, T, W, F).  2.5 are spent on grammar, like conjugating verbs properly, and the other 2.5 are spent in conversation.  Also, there won't be class on Thursday because it's a federal holiday and federal holidays basically shut down the whole country.  So...20 hours for the week and I already feel like I'm getting my money's worth.

There are 2 guys and another girl (Diogo from Brazil, Fabian from Germany, and Fiona from England) who are pretty much at the same level as I am.  And our maestra is super cute (and according to Diego, Tio needs to take me to school to check out this particularly good looking young lady...Mom, maybe Uncle Scott should go too!).  

After class on Monday, Diego's other aunt and uncle (Pochi and Goni) picked us up to take us out to lunch.  It was 2pm, a bit late for lunch, but everything is much later here.  We went to a fantastic restaurant called Happenings.  And boy was it tasty!!!  We had chorrizo, different types of fried cheese with salsas, bread, more meat, and salmon.  Notice that there's really no mention of vegetables.  I did have strawberries and cream for dessert though.  I'm going to be DYING for green things when we return to the states.

(I have to interject here that as I'm typing, I keep trying to write in Spanish.  :)  That's SUCH a good sign because it means I'm spending less time and energy translating and I'm understanding.  It can only get better from here!)

Here are a few pictures of the drive we took with Tios around Buenos Aires.

This is where Abuelo Emilio Vicente used to live.  

And here Pochi, Goni and I are taking a walk along the river, just outside BA.

Monday night, we took Diego to the bus station for his overnight trip to Cordoba.  I'd been nervous about this because it would be the beginning of my time alone with Tios, but it really has been great.  More on that later.

Let's see...I'll just give you highlights from Tuesday - 

- I was in class until about 3pm. 

- I had a GREAT taxi ride home with hilarious driver, who kept telling me I was pretty and that I spoke great Castellano.  HA!

- Tia and I chatted about my fellow students and my family; we went on a walk around their neighborhood, Recoleta.

- We stopped at La Biela for coffee, medialunas, chatting (more about my uncle.  Tia LOVES Uncle Scott).  

During this whole time, there were not too many crazy looks from Tia at me (really, this is a HUGE improvement) and she even offered a few tips on grammar and vocabulary.  

I'm starting to really and truly understand what it is about this city that Hubster loves so much.  Not that I didn't know before. 

Day 1 - No Me Digas...

You don't say!

Buenas dias.  Hoy es martes, mi tercer dia en Argentina. :)

Good morning.  Today is Tuesday, my third day in Argentina. :)

Our flight from Lima to BA was quiet.  Oh, and here's that picture I promised from the Lima airport:

Hoooooooray Recycling!!!

I drifted in and out of sleep.  That is until we were woken up for breakfast.  At about 3am.  It was really weird and I'm still not 100% sure of what we ate as I know I was half asleep.

When we got to EZE (the international airport in BA), we made record time going through immigration, getting luggage and then through customs.  We were like 5th in line and our bags were waiting for us.  All 4 of them.  Nothing lost, broken, stolen.  This has NEVER happened in the history of Vicente travel.  (Duely noted: we must be in an alternate universe).  We actually got through so quickly that we had to wait about 20 minutes for Tios.  

After the trip back to Av. Austria (la casa de Tios), we planned bus trips (to and from Cordoba) and talked about food.  Then we had our mandatory 5 pounds of meet for late lunch.  But how can anyone turn down chorrizo???  Mmmmm.

Sunday evening we went to see Abuela, Hubster's grandmother who turns 101 on May 3!  

Here's one for you Mara: 

Can you believe that??  Her eyesight and hearing aren't spectacular but otherwise, she's fit as a horse.  Mom, Abuela is VERY excited to meet you.  She remember

s stories about you from Mara and wedding photos. :)  

I'm also very thankful that my camera has a video feature.  I got about 7 minutes of Abuela talking about her husband, dancing, and singing.  I'll have to figure out how to post those - y familia, enviare los videos a todos.  :)

Tia Nilda, Me, Diego, Abuela, Tio Roberto

Alright, it's time to get ready for the day - my first without Hubster here...should be interesting!  I'll try to post again this afternoon about my first (and second) day of Spanish classes and our lunch and mini trip with the other Tios.

Hasta Luego!!

Peru, for a moment

We're sitting in the airport in Lima, Peru.  Exhausted.  Excited.  A little in shock, I think.  At least I am.  I know I've said this probably 100 times, but I can't believe we're finally doing this!  Hubster and I have been talking about this trip, in theoretical terms, for over a year.  Wow.

So, this morning we dropped off our cars at Vike's house.  Before leaving them, Peter (our nephew, almost 3) told me he'd miss me.  :)  I have SUCH a soft spot for those boys and I can't wait to live so close next year.  

We got to DCA and our flight was about 30 minutes delayed but other than that went off without a hitch.  We made it to Miami in just under 2.5 hours on a pretty smooth flight.  

For those of you who don't know, I don't enjoy flying.  I used to.  And then 9/11 happened and I went skydiving and I flew directly over Manhattan all within a few months.  I'm not sure if it was some combination of these events or what, but my imagination goes wild now when I fly.  It's not good.  I pray (a lot sometimes), read, watch movies or whatever I can to distract myself.  So, all in all, the trip to Miami was smooth and therefore good.  

We arrived in Miami with less than an hour to make our connection to Lima.  Not a big deal, right?  Ha.  No.  We ended up at the wrong gate and when we figured it out, had to run (bum knees and all) across the airport.  Plus it was hot and we had 3 layers of clothes on each.  Add to that the ever present inability of Latinos to understand this American's need to be on time and we have a recipe for disaster.  At the LAN counter, we had to recheck in (we had originally received all of our boarding passes in DC, but apparently that didn't count for much) and then make it through security.  

Here's where the bump in the sweaty road came for Los Vicentes.  I had one set of boarding passes - for the Lima to Buenos Aires leg.  Hubster had the ones for Miami to Lima, the ones we needed.  Well, the security guard grabbed the ones I was holding from my hands and when I told him those weren't the right ones, he got REALLY pissed and said "well miss, if you want to make your plane, you'd best do what I want."  Grrrrr.  I almost hit a 40+ balding sweaty man in the Miami airport.  It's a good thing Hubster was there to step in.  Anyway, we eventually made it with time (and a few mumbled curses) to spare.  

FYI, LAN airlines is GREAT. We had a fantastic beef meal, free wine, and loads of blockbuster movies to choose from.  I watched Twilight and Four Christmases then played some games. Pretty cool.  And really good for someone who needs distraction.  There wasn't a ton of turbulence, but enough to make my stomach churn.  Ugh.  

Now that we've had a beer and an empanda in the airport, we're just hanging out waiting for the next (and final!) flight.  I'm going to try and sleep on the plane some so I'm not completely out of commission when we get into BA tomorrow morning.  

Have I told you how excited I am????? :)  

Also, we're happy to take bets on whether or not our luggage arrives with us tomorrow.  My vote is no.  It's the Vicente way!

Before I go, I have to tell you all the shock of the trip so far.  I've never been to Peru, so I have no idea how progressive they are as a society.  However, South America is not known for its environmental consciousness; so when we walked into the terminal here in Lima and I saw recycling (bottles, cans and paper!) containers.  Just have to say WAY TO GO PERU!!  Do you think Argentina has changed that much in the last year and 3 months?  I think I'll not bet on this one.

Ciao todos!!  Hasta luego!

Day 0 - And We're Off!

Good Morning.  Or afternoon for all of you sane enough to be reading this after spending a morning warm in bed.  :)

It's rainy and cool which means I'm all the more ready to head south.  I'm kind of in shock that this day is finally here; it's been so long in the making!  And for six weeks.  Really? Six weeks? Crazy!  

But I'm going to miss my bed.  It's an amazing bed.  

I know that empanadas and speaking Spanish and gelato and family and adventures will all make up for it though.  Times a bazillion!

We're off to finish a few last minute tasks (copying passports, GETTING COFFEE, parking the cars at Vike's - THANK YOU!!!, maybe vacuuming?).  Our flight leaves DCA at 12:45 this afternoon.  If you're the praying kind we'd appreciate prayers for a safe and uneventful flight.  We also accept good vibes, chocolate and wine.  

Let the adventures begin...

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Vote for my friend Victoria!!

Let's make her a winner!

Then go check out her blog!!

Tasty!

I really enjoy spending time in the kitchen, though it doesn't happen enough. I thought I'd share with you all (or you 3, whatever) a few of my creations and then some of my favorite food blogs.

A few months back, I made this lovely lentil soup. I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but I think soups always turn out better that way.


To go along with this cold-weather treat, I made this focaccia bread which turned out quite well! I think next time I make the focaccia, I will make it a little thinner and add sun-dried tomatoes. Mmmm...

Here's another soup creation. I'm not sure where the recipe is (and since it's not in gmail, it's probably in one of my amazing cookbooks...our friends gave thoughtful wedding presents :)), but it is some combination of navy beans, pasta and kale (which is MARVELOUS if you didn't know). Hubster helped me with the homemade hummus on top and the bread crustinies that we had with it. The hummus had a bit of a kick to it that melded well with the basic soup.
And I must admit that part of why I like making soup so much is that I get to use the beautiful and functional soup bowls that we received as a wedding present. L-O-V-E love the double handles.

To enhance your kitchenry knowledge and/or help you procrastinate:

Sassy Radish

Dorie Greenspan

The Wednesday Chef

And just for fun: The Good Apple

Have a lovely weekend all!

OH, and

Happy Spring!

Preview

The countdown has begun in earnest! Hubster and I leave in just 9 days! (Today and the day we leave don't really count :)!)

Here's the plan so far:

March 28-29 --> Travel from on capital to another: DC to Buenos Aires!

March 30-April 3 --> I'm taking Spanish classes for 4 hours each day in BA, staying with Tios; Hubster will head to Cordoba on the 30th or 31st.

April 6 --> Mom and Hubster's mom, Betty, arrive. And, in a total freak coincidence, they're going to be arriving on the same flight from Miami!

April 6-8/9 --> Mom and I explore BA and Colonia, Uruguay...woot!

April 9/10-14/15 --> Mom and I will head up to Cordoba via bus and spend time with Hubster, the three other awesome med students who are taking rotations there, and the sun. :)

April 15/16-18 --> Mom, Hubster and I head back to BA to meet up with Betty and Tios. There will be loads of food, exploring and a Tango show crammed in there before the Moms head back to the States on the 18th (although they are not on the same flight back, the Moms will be leaving within 2 hours of each other...crazy coincidence).

April 19-24 --> Hubster and I finish out our stint in Cordoba.

April 24-28(?) --> Head to Iguazu Falls to meet up with Dan O!! Craziness will ensue.

April 29(?)-May 9 --> Some combination of time in BA, Mar del Plata, and Moromar (the ranch, OH! the ranch) visiting family and friends; enjoying our last days in Argentina.

Then we head back to the States on May 10th - we'll get back to DC on the 11th.

And now, for your viewing pleasure:

L to R: Tia Pochi, Me, Abuela (about to be 101 years old!), Tia Nilda, Tio Roberto, Cousin, Hub, Cousin, Tio Goni

Government building in BA.

La Boca! Definitely the most colorful part of BA.

La Casa Rosada (Argentina's White House) in BA.

Statue of I'm not Sure Who in BA, at one of the big intersections.

Flower sculpture that opens and closes from day to night...so cool!

A ship docked on the river. Along the river there are cafes and ice cream shops and other great people watching spots. It's probably my favorite part of the city!

I promise to post updates here with pictures and stories of our adventures!

Please feel free to share with friends and family and leave comments along the way.

Snowed In

I love snow.  A lot.  Unfortunately, it's not the same here outside of DC as it is at home.  In the mountains of NC, the snow is clean and gives the landscape an other-world feel.  It makes everything quiet.  Until the kids head out to play (usually pretty early in the morning).  This snow makes me long for hot chocolate, chili and a wood burning fireplace.  At least I can work on the first two.  :)

Have a lovely (snow) day!