I'm Here!

My first impressions of Buenos Aires are pretty good! It’s a little colder than I’d like, but I know I know, I’m heading into summer. Anyway, here are things I noticed – enjoy!

1. Timing is completely different. You probably know this, but everything is later. As one of my guidebooks says, the earliest you can go to dinner is 8pm, the earliest to a bar is midnight and the earliest to a club is 2am. Going any earlier is “simply not cool” – their words, not mine. So after waiting until 8:30pm to get dinner, I realized they’re right! To remedy the situation I slept until noon today, because I mean who wants to be “simply not cool”.

2. Looks are very important. I come from DC, where…not to be rude…but looks are not important. Have you watched C-SPAN? I mean, really. In BA, however, it is “socially unacceptable” to be overweight (guidebook, not me), women are dressed up always and appearances are kept. I haven’t really experienced this to the fullest, and I honestly don’t think people are any better looking here than in NYC, but it’s only been a day.

3. I will be a lot better at Spanish when I return to the US. I just will.

Much more to come, but I haven’t been able to find an appropriate adapter, so my computer will die soon.

Telling the Family: Round Dos

This may come as a surprise to some of you, but it was a tad easier telling my family that I was moving to Argentina than it was telling them I’m moving to Rwanda. I know, riiiiight? Friends and family all had some concerns as the decision was made somewhat quickly without much concern for “responsibilities”. The biggest concerns were as follows:

Do you have a job? Yes.

Do you have a place to live? No.

Are you subletting your DC apartment? Yes.

Will you have a job when you get back? No. But this blog now serves as my resume, so anyone in international development, read on.

Do you think you’ll ever be happy in one city? That sounds like a 25-year-old Nora problem.

WHY are you doing this? I mean, do you know me at all?

And finally, when can I visit? Anytime, once I get an apartment, of course.

That sums it up, really. When this was just a possibility I decided to tell my parents, rather than waiting, booking my flight and dropping the bomb. I managed to pump them up enough to get the excited about their daughter shipping off for a year. Sidenote: my parents live in Buffalo, NY. Buffalo = the snowiest place on earth. Do having almost an obligation to go to Argentina in the winter, fine by them.

Telling work was actually harder. I had happened to just have been promoted, which includes a raise, company-wide congratulatory email and cupcake party. But, you can’t take back those cupcakes. I deserved those cupcakes.

So, in conclusion, this time around things were easier. I can’t really surprise my parents anymore…the shock and awe factor is gone since Rwanda. Will I ever be able to get it back? Challenge accepted.

Friday Throwback: Cairo, Egypt

Last May I took a week long adventure into Egypt, which, oddly enough, is in Africa. I know. Actually while there, Egyptians said they consider themselves “Middle Eastern” rather than African. Sort of like how I consider myself from Buffalo, not “upstate New York”, but whatever works. Anyway, I went all over the country, but obviously the first stop was Cairo. This capital city is home to the Great Pyramids of Giza, which are absolutely incredible to see, reaching far beyond all expectations.

I went with my friend AJ, who is part of my France story (I’ll tell that in full someday) and also one of my former roommates left to cry himself to sleep at night getting over my recent move. We went to markets and such, which was sort of annoying because a. everyone thought AJ and I were married (giggle) and b. I was harassed like whoa. As annoying as it is to be harassed, bravo marketmen for knowing how to say hello, how are you, etc in so many languages. As I’ve said before in this blog, I feel so ignorant! I know bits and pieces of languages, and Spanish of course, but I’m astounded by what little children begging can say. Annoyed, but astounded.

On to the pyramids! They are SO BIG. Well worth the trip to see them! Alright, I’m going back to packing, so just look at pictures and marvel at them. Yes, they’re touristy, but hey I’m clearly not Egyptian (why thank you, I have been looking tan recently), so I am forcibly a tourist.

Napoleon ruined this shot.

Come, I HAD to

See! Look how big they are!

The Nile!

Cairo is great, as is the national museum there! So, just go already.