Repeat after me: be flexible

So my amazingly cool, fun, interesting internship is turning out to be less than that.

It's not that the organization isn't what I thought it would be, but that the internship itself isn't.

This small little organization (in staff and space) has eight interns right now... no wonder all they have for me to do thus far is translate years-old World Bank documents from english into spanish.

Anyway, this is week two (although only day 3) and I am giving it until tomorrow after I work until I try to change organizations or pitch a fit, or both.

It's sad really that it's turning out this way because the organization could easily say no, we have too much help right now, any more interns will just clog up our office... On the other hand, I assume they get some kind of money for hosting us, so it's much less profitable to say no.

I'm sure there are other organizations much like this one in Buenos Aires dying for help, even if it is just menial work.

I, for one, do not want to do menial work... isn't that why I have a bachelor's degree? So I can move on from translating documents to say, helping write a grant proposal, work on a project, something?

Anyway, that's what I had expected, and the organization spun a good story the first day, so I still did expect it after meeting everyone... Unfortunately I assume all of the other interns want non-menial work as well, and that seems near impossible.

Other than the internship problems, my time here is going swimmingly.

I've become really close with two of the girls in my room and their friend who are all talking the TEFL course (teaching english.) We go out to fun restaurants, get lost, shop in huge expensive shopping malls, eat ice cream at the shop across the street, commiserate about the laundry situation (nearly everyone has had a garment ruined, it seems par for the course)... It's great.

I got to really explore the cool little barrio of Palermo this weekend while shopping with my Irish friend, Beatrice... We arrived at the Plaza Serano at 12:30 only to discover that nothing fun and cute was going to open for another hour or more. Argentine time, always later than you expect. So we sat at a little cafe and had wonderful cafe con leche and talked.

Basically it's amazing.. the city, the people, the weather (minus like 3 days of yucky, dark, cloudy, rain.) People joked that I would never want to go back, and in a few ways I don't, it's marvelous.

A lot of the girls that I'm with are staying for an entire year, lucky them! On the other hand they are all apartment shopping, and that seems a lot harder than it should be. We found a cool studio in Palermo only to find it was about $950 US dollars per month, ouch... It may be 'cheap' in some people's eyes, but I find that cheap is not the word I use for most things down here.

Yes you can get a fabulous dinner with three bottles of wine split between 6 people for around $10 per person, but other than that, all of us feel like we are bleeding our hard earned money out here.

It's something about the culture of always going out to eat, paying cover at some places, wanting to experience every cool thing. It sucks you and your money in easily.

Anyway this is week two and it's starting off pretty well, but we will have to see how I feel after I try to figure my internship things out!

This weekend there is a dance workshop at a gym in Barrio Norte, I haven't been able to contact either of the women on the flyer, but how amazing would that be!? Hip Hop in Buenos Aires, who knew?!

XoXo

Breezy

Lunes

Picasa Photos, Week One

Today I ran around the city with sweaty palms, clutching my beloved camera. But look  what came of it : )

I ran down to the Recoleta Cemetary which is one the of most famous sites in Argentina. There were numerous tombs, catacombs, cats, and old men in the labyrinth. It us honestly a bit of a maze, where one can get blissfully lost without any hope of finding the gateway back to BA. It's wonderful. I also adventured along Santa Fe, a busy street with little shops and stores very close to our house. Overall, it was a good day!

Besos,

Breezy

Recoleta

I'm here!

I made it safely from DIA through DFW to EZE, onto a World Taxi that was pre-arranged by my program, and to my beautiful, amazing, old apartment building.

The living situation is pretty interesting. The building is a huge old house(?) Maybe a house, but a nice two story little thing with white wash walls and pretty trim. It has winding wooden stairs (I of course live in the 2nd floor.)

I have two roommates, both whose names begin with C (I think!) I've met a tonnnnnn of people who live her or are friends with people who live here already. I think the majority of the kids (20 somethings) staying here are working on their TEFL certification to teach english... Some others are interning or volunteering with various projects. All of them are from all over the world, though most from the US, and all of them are amazingly energetic, fun, adventurous, welcoming, and most of all, involved in a love affair with this beautiful city, Buenos Aires. All in all, I think there are around 16 people here, and when the building is at capacity, there are 30.

I haven't been able to venture out as much as I like, but I did go to the grocery store and pick up some necessities!

My internship is still mostly a mystery... I don't start until Tuesday at 4. All I have found out is that I can work as much or as little as I want, the organization is young and fun, and that I won't be burned out unless I bring it upon myself.

Hmm... other than that... oh there is a serious closet/clothing situation. Please let me inform of you how many hangers I was provide with in my minute closet: 4. Four hangers. Are you serious? Great, now I can hang up half of my jackets, and nothing else. So I will be on a serious quest for hangars tomorrow on my (what is sure to become) grand adventure around the barrio.

Anyway, I am a little sleep derived and scattered, so I apologize for my lack of organization and witty commentary.

So yeah, it's 7 pm here, and I am now heading off to get ready so that at some point in the next 4 hours, we can hopefully go out and about!

XoXo

Breezy

Soon, so soon

Next Friday at exactly this time, it will be 11 pm in the fabulous Buenos Aires and I will be at some cute little cafe in Recoleta, eating dinner. (I will neeed to get used to the late food thing, we'll see how it goes.)

Today, my US program director Raissa called me to talk about a few things before I jet off. She gave me a renewed sense of excitement, hope and curiosity. She was so excited for me, for the fact that my internship will be with an amazing NGO, my residence is apparently the happenin' place to be, and she promised that I will not want to come home at the end of it. (Don't worry mom!)

Anyway what else... I have decided to attempt one, and only one large suitcase. I know, ambitious of me, right? Anyway, you would think I am being overly confident in my packing abilities (one suitcase for 3 months, for real?) you might be even more convinced after finding out that my suitcase(s) cannot be 70 lbs each, like I though, but 50! How will I survive?

And so the official sleepless countdown has begun... and it's probably a good thing I'm not sleeping or else I would be much less productive...

Besos,

Breezy