At "Pride" Cafe

Hola! I'm going to try to update my blog really frequently because I dont really have a permanent place of residence and need to let people know I'm doing well.
SO!
Right now I'm at Pride Cafe in San Telmo, helping Sara with her Spanish homework. I just had a really good sandwich with celery (which I just discovered is "apio"), cheese, walnuts, chicken, and green apples. It was fantastic.
I just took some pictures outside. It's the BEST weather!!! Dark sky but bright..... seriously. My favorite. I went out and took some pictures, and I'd like to take some more so I'll try to make this quick.

Yesterday I woke up, packed up my stuff, brought my huuuge suitcase to Kiosco's house to leave there (so I don't have to think about it for a while). I picked up laundry, said goodbye to Steffi (who's back in the states now) - sad face - went to do a photo shoot of becca in plaza italia/ that botanic gardens place with a ridiiiiculous amount of cats, then later brought my stuff over to Veronica's house (where I'm staying now). From there, I took a bus to La Boca, and had dinner at El Obrero, a little Argentine restaurant in the middle of an awful neighborhood. It was a good thing that I made the executive decision to not bring with my camera because I definitely was in the ghetto (I'm sure momma is real happy reading this). Anyways, I had dinner with Silvia, Chiara, and Ilya (who I already knew, Italian friends working here), a Colombian, Jorge, an Australian, I think Emily?, and a girl from Denver named Heather. We were quite the eclectic bunch. After, we went to a bar in San Telmo which was nice. We're in that weather right now that it's hot and humid during the day but the nights are just INCREDIBLE.

I got back home at around 4 in the morning to Veronica's, where I'm sleeping on a mattress on the floor. When I got into bed, her little pup Lara hopped on and curled herself into my arms. It was kind of the cutest thing everrrrrr.

Veronica is this really nice chick that I actually met through couchsurfing.org. I made an account, searched people in buenos aires with a sofa, found her, and sent her a message. Immediately, she replied, "SI!!! VENI A MI SOFA!!!" (Yea! Come to my sofa!) We met about a week ago and I just cannot believe how nice she is! We even met up the other night and went to some boliche (club) in una provincia (like 45 minutes out of the city?) with her and her friends. Seriously, I have been so fortunate with the people I've met in this country. Well, I've met some kind of icky boys, but also a lot of nice people. I met this guy a couple weeks ago and we went out for coffee and emailed yadda yadda and then a couple days ago he sent me a message, "Te molesta que tengo una novia? =)" (Does it bother you that I have a girlfriend?) Um yes. Yes it does. Whaaatever. I've still been meeting a lot of nice people. A few weeks ago I met this really nice dude named Kasper from Brasil and I hung out with him and some of his friends from Colombia the other day who are just super nice. I'm excited to meet locals here this summer, but at the same time I feel a little anxious from the lack of structure or go to people. So many of my good friends are leaving! It's weird.

So much of my experience here has felt like the twilight zone. So much- hoooold on a second..... I'm in Argentina??? I'm speaking Spanish????? These next few months I'm going to be just bumming around a lot, maybe finding a job if I'm lucky. Hopefully this time to think will give me an opportunity to make sense or reflect on this first semester, on how I've changed, and about what I want, in general. I feel like I've grown so much but I've also been feeling really off lately. Like...... confused as to what I should do with myself. Whatever. My tango professor just gave me "El Beso de La Mujer Arana" - the kiss of the spider woman - in spanish to read so maybe I'll do that.

It's 7:00 now. Veronica has an incredible courtyard/backyard so maybe I'll go there and write or read. At this time of day there's not much I can do as far as getting errands done. Tomorrow I'll try to figure some registration things out and check out a possible apartment in Villa Crespo. Also, I'm gonna try to print out more resumes.

Hope everyone is doing well! If you're a friend and reading this and feel willing to, write me a long e-mail about what's going on in YOUR life! I love letters :-)
isneezelikeamouse@gmail.com
Besos y abrazos a todos, Meli

PS: Here's a few photos for your blogging pleasure....

me and Sara NOT studying

... and here's me and Jon, representing our soul patch (AKA "french tickler") love

Where's Waldo (Melissa) ???

Hellooooooo!!! Tending to this blog has proved to be quite difficult! Especially because I have my own journal in addition to this and I hate writing the same things twice. Anywayssss let's see how much I can summarize quickly.....

My program ended! Woohoo! This means exams are officially over which is super exciting but it also means my contract living situation is over. SO, Saturday morning I was BASICALLY kicked out of my homestay. Thus, time to ride the wave of sofa surfin. Right now I'm staying in the ridiculously nice apartment of two guys from my program, Richie and Jon. These kids are such comedians! For their tango performance they shaved their beards into handlebar mustaches, and Jon just decided to leave his. I swear, I do not know how than guy can walk around in public with that thing. Que pelotas!!! Right now I'm siting on their beautiful terrace/balcony thing, relajandome, because I caaaaan and beccause it's not snowing like it is in Minnesnowta and that's really exciting.

Now that classes are over until the end of January, I have some time to just meet new people and make art and relax which is sort of a twilight-zone kind of concept to me.... anyways I'm gonna go try to organize myself a little bit so I'm ready to head off to the next sofa tonight.

In short, yes, I am still alive and well. Peace, y'all.

Stella Artois

I would just like to take a quick moment to thank my beautiful parents for making it possible for me to be here in Argentina.

That being said, I'M STAYING ANOTHER SEMESTER!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Sorry I haven't been posting lately. Life is sooooooooooo exhausting! Okay I'm gonna post some pictures here real quick (to hold you over 'til next post) and then shower and then go to San Telmo and then hopefully get this Spanish presentation done. Good? Good.

In the suburb of Temperley, lunch in the backyard

Fresh arugula and oregano from the garden, eating fruit fresh off the trees

Day trip to San Isidro

Visiting house of famous Argentine author, Victoria Ocampo. Later found out that my friend Juan is distantly related to her. Small world........

San Isidro, young love

Bus home from San Telmo on Halloween. Spooooooky!

Another tango class at IUNA de movimiento

Well dressed man riding the 59 to work, Recoleta

Preparation.....

Product! Friend Mariano made agnolotti (spelling?) and it was probably one of the most delicious things I've had in this country

PorteNo mate addiction....

In Once (own-say) neighborhood, while practicing our choreography for our tango show- which no, I am NOT telling you the date of- this beautiful couple was practicing some tango as well.
Oh! By the way, tango is actually, finally, getting to be really fun. I've got once-a-week private tango classes and it's soooooooo great! Last week we danced to this tango-hiphop fusion thing. As much as I'd like to believe I'm actually getting to be really good, truth is that having a good lead makes ALL the difference. With my tango group in my class at IUNA, we have to create an 8 minute dance using one milonga song and one tango song. There are two guys (yankees), three argentine girls, and myself. For our milonga song we're using "Se dice de mi."
Here's a link to see the song done by the fabulous Tita Merello in the movie "Abasto:"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E82nc_sU85M

Entonces, time to attempt being productive.
Beso.