Life at an Ashram

After leaving Buenos Aires, we spent 10 days living at an Ashram in the small town of General Rodriguez, which is about an hour outside of the city. We kept a simple schedule of garden work, eating, meditating, and doing yoga...I wrote the following in my notebook during my time there:

This life is simple…and straightforward. We work, we eat, we mediate and we do some yoga.

On the work…I try to assign goals to my work, or make it a game. “Lets see if I can weed this patch in 3 minutes…” or “How many weeds are in this row?...winner gets a drink of water!” These mind games keep me somewhat focused.

On the food…the kitchen is ‘spiritually clean’, if not quite ‘actually clean’. I was really grossed out by the flies at first. But I haven’t died, or gotten sick. I suppose it’s making my immune system stronger.

On meditation…quite frustrating. I find that it doesn’t ‘still my mind’, but only gives me an opportunity to think about EVERYTHING. And in no particular or practical order. My mind is like that monkey swinging in the tree…from branch to branch to branch, oh wait- look a leaf!, then another branch, eat a bug, branch, do a flip, another branch, so on and so forth…I suppose that’s the challenge in it. I think I need more practice. Maybe I’ll like it when I’m older…like vegetables.

On yoga…Yoga is okay. Sometimes my back hurts, and sometimes I feel quite un-flexible; like a piece of toast in a room full of pretzels. Oh well, I do like the part when we lay on the floor at the end of class.

But I think what I really like about this place is the space. It’s so uncomplicated and minimalistic that suddenly there is time to think, to feel, to reminisce, to sort out. Yet I seem to have gotten little ‘productive thinking’ done. I feel like I can’t really relax and take it all in, since I’ve got all this stress I’m carrying around with law school applications. But maybe it’s important to make a distinction between relaxing thought and productive thought. I think I’ve come to realize that this isn’t really the place for ‘productive thought’, at least how I would define it. True productivity would be writing an excellent personal statement, securing 2-3 letters of recommendation, filling out applications, etc. But of course, none of that has begun. But then again, maybe it doesn’t need to. Like my friend Nikki said yesterday “don’t worry about what you haven’t done, just focus on what you can do.” I think the purpose of this place isn’t to be productive, but to take away a certain understanding. To realize the need for moderation- in consumption and in thought-, For simple tasks, quiet space, and a peaceful mind. A space for mindfulness and calm-tranquilo.

The Cabo Polonia Orchestra

Never have I been in a place that is so silent and so deafening at the same time. Life here is quiet. Vegetation is sparse, and people are sparser. The wind, however, is constant. Frightfully forceful. Fearfully ferocious. This wind tries to fill the void left by the absence of voices, cars, and general commotion…but instead it only whips across the wide beach, around the whitewashed shacks, and away to the endless, sugary dunes. The locals occasionally accompany the wind with drums, gourd string instruments, and bare feet dancing on sand. The sea lions' solo is ones of whoops and barks, echoing off the mossy rocks. And the lighthouse keeps time with its constant, steady spin. Some would call this place barren, desolate, or empty. But if you stay awhile, swinging in a hammock on the porch, you can truly appreciate the symphony of sounds.

Along the Coast of Uruguay

After Iguazu, we decided to explore the often forgotten little country of Uruguay…and boy was it fantastic. If anyone wants to do a ‘South American vacation’, I would highly recommend Uruguay. It has so much diversity and culture, yet it is contained in a relatively small area- it was great! . Here is a brief summary of our wonderful trip through this country:

Day 1: We took a ferry from Bs. As., across the Rio Plata, and landed in Colonia after only 1 hour. This waterfront city looked like it was straight out of the colonial era (hence, the name.) The cobblestone streets, old churches, and city gate (complete with moat and drawbridge) really made this entire city seem like a postcard. We spent the day exploring the city, and taking lots of pictures. For dinner we had some delicious seafood paella, but the best part was that we ate in an old-fashioned car! It looked kind of like an old Model-T, except the inside had been gutted and replaced with a table and floor pillows.- pretty cool.

Day 2: We took a bus to the capital, Montevideo. We rented antique red bikes (complete with wicker baskets) and biked around the historic city center and along the sea wall. It was a perfect day- bright sun shining, cloudless blue sky, breeze off the ocean…totally picturesque. That evening we bused onto Punta del Este, found our hostel, and settled in for the night.

Day 3: Today we rented scooters and motored around the city and surrounding areas. We went north and crossed a ‘wavy bridge’, which was literally like going on a roller coaster- fun! We visited a sweet museum (Museo del Mar) and saw giant whale skeletons, dolphin skeletons, lots of shells, some big turtle shells, and a pirate exhibit too! It was a pretty amazing collection, considering it all belonged to just one guy! (He said he started collecting shells when he was little, and then ended up spending his whole life traveling the globe, snorkeling and scuba diving, amassing this incredible collection.) After the museum, we had ‘chivitos’ for lunch- a really yummy steak sandwich of sorts. After feasting we drove south of the city to “CasaPueblo” (you might have to Google image this one.) It’s an incredible house built by the artist Carlos Paez Vilaro. It was originally his home, and is now a museum and hotel. The structure is 9 levels, built right into the hillside- it’s painted all white and has no straight lines…kind of like a giant adobe castle. It was a fantastic place to watch the sunset on the ocean, which we did.

Day 4: Bused onto a little town called Cabo Polonio. We had intended to stay just for the day, but learned upon arrival that there were no more buses leaving that day…no choice but to stay over night! It’s hard to explain the remoteness of this town…our bus dropped us off literally in the middle of nowhere. There was a little ticket booth and a few trucks- that was it. We bought a ticket for a truck ride into town- this is the only way to get into town! We rode in the back of the truck through some forests, which gave way to huge sand dunes (no roads, only sandy paths!) and finally to the huge beach. In the distance, you could see some ‘houses clumped on the hill’. Turns out these houses are more like shacks, and there really isn’t much more to the town than that.- no internet, no electricity, no nothing…just LOTS of wind. As soon as we got off the truck, we were approached by a guy named “Pancho” (which means hotdog in Argentine slang, haha) who offered us a place to stay in his ‘hostel’- which turned out to be a bright orange shack right on the beach. “We’ll take it!” we said J After settling in, we explored the rocky shores, the lighthouse, and visited the sea lion colony (2^nd biggest in the world!) On the way back, we passed a group of ‘hippies’ (for lack of a better term) playing drums, gourd instruments, and dancing. They invited us to join in, and we did! We had a great time jamming and drinking mate with the locals, but after awhile we headed back to our hostel. That night we feasted on shark (tastes like chicken) and had crepes with dulce de leche for dessert- yum! And the stars that night were incredible…it felt like you could just reach out and touch them…

Day 5 & 6: Left Cabo Polonio and bused back to a small town called Nueva Helvetica, which is a small village with a very strong Swiss heritage. We stayed at a small country house/hostel called “El Galope”. We had intended to go horseback riding, but it was so incredibly windy that we decided to pass. Instead we got to brush and feed the horses. We also played with the dog (named Tupac), bottle fed the baby sheep (named Dorothy) and took a few nice walks in the countryside. We also tried ‘cow stomach’ for the first time…actually quite tasty. It was a really relaxing visit, and a nice ending to our Uruguay trip.

Day 7: Caught the ferry back to Bs. As., with a few souveniers and some awesome memories of an incredible little country J

Iguazu Falls

Paint a picture of Niagra Falls in your mind…imagine you can hear the immense pounding of water as it falls. Imagine you can feel the mist as it sprays your skin. Imagine you can see the rainbows hovering above, shifting as the sunlight filters through the water. Now take that image and times it by about one hundred…and that ‘s Iguazu Falls. We decided to visit this ‘Niagra Falls on steroids” with our good Australian friend, Christian. After an 18 hour bus ride, we finally arrived at Iguazu, which lies on the border of Brazil and Paraguay. We checked into our sweet hostel (awesome pool!), had some dinner, and hit the hay. We spent the entire next day exploring the falls. We hiked all around, and saw lots of butterflies, tropical birds, and little raccoon like animals called ‘Coatis’. These little creatures are very brave- during lunch, one of them stole a ketchup packet right from my hand! I wasn't too happy, since it was real 'American ketchup'! Anyways, we hiked all around the falls- pretty much in awe the entire time. We also took a boat ride to the bottom of the falls, which was pretty epic. You could really feel how powerful the crashing water was…even if you couldn’t see much once you got up close, since the spray was so strong. (We joked that we could have sprayed each other in the face with a garden hose and gotten about the same experience, haha.) Anyways, the day concluded with a BBQ and poolside dance party back at our hostel. It was a pretty fantastic way to spend the weekend…and apparently Iguazu Falls is up for voting to become one of the ‘New 7 Wonders of the World’. I would definitely vote for it!

Livin la Vida Finca

The word ‘finca’ means ‘farm’ in Spanish, and I truly have been ‘living the farm life’ for the past week here at Eco Yoga Park (an Ashram about 2 hours outside of the city.) Nakita and I decided to check into an Ashram partly to experience this way of life, and partly to detox from the meat, party, shopping life that is Bs. As. So for one week my daily schedule was this: wake at 7:30, breakfast at 8:00, work in the garden from 8:30 until 1:30 (15 minute snack break at 11:30), lunch at 2:00, free time at 2:30 (we usually took a nap, read, or wrote in our journals) yoga and meditation at 4:00, snack at 6:00, dinner at 8:30, movie at 9:00, bed at 11:00...and repeat the next day. My work in the garden usually involved weeding (aka digging out snarly vines from the cabbage patch), watering (this usually turned into a water fight), tilling (aka breaking up big dirt clods into smaller dirt clods), and planting (make a little hole, place seed in the hole, cover, repeat). At first, I hated this work.- it made my back sore, my neck got sunburned, the weeds itched my arms, my shoes got muddy etc. etc. (all the typical city girl complaints). But after awhile, I didn’t mind the work. I even started to enjoy it. The simplicity of it was relaxing. The repetitiveness of it was soothing. And plus, it was really rewarding. Did I mention that all the food was vegan or vegetarian? And that most of it came straight from our garden? There something pretty cool about pulling carrots, beets, and lettuce in the morning, washing them in the afternoon, and eating them in a stew for dinner. And the yoga and meditation aspects have been very beneficial as well. I’ve always enjoyed these practices, but never had time to dedicate myself to them on a daily basis. I really enjoyed just having the time and space for personal reflection, and this new-found stillness has spilled over into my everyday life. For example, I noticed an ‘ant highway’ and followed it all the way across the farm. I napped in the sun on the grass. I practiced my balancing by ‘slacklining’ (tying a rope between two trees and walking across, like tight rope walking). This place has turned out to be more than just a ‘detox’ from the city. I’ve learned to appreciate the simplicity in life, and to always find time-even just a few minutes- to calm your mind and your spirit. I plan to carry these ideas with me for the rest of my travels. I know I will see and learn many things, but I will try to set aside time to just relax, reflect, and truly appreciate all that I experience.

Soy Sapukay! Vamos Sapukay!

While here in Buenos Aires, I decided to get involved with the local ultimate Frisbee scene. After practicing with a few teams, I decided to join a team called “Sapukay”. This name is an indigenous war cry from Northern Argentina, and it translates as “let’s go, let’s fight!!” I chose this team because they seemed to have the most “family feel” and just seemed like a genuinely nice group of people. And this initial feeling proved to be most accurate- this team really has become like my family here in Bs. As. From practices, to tournaments, to picnics and parties- we always have a blast. My team is comprised of a few fellow Americans, (here on study abroad,) some Columbians (among them is my housemate, Gabriel), and of course some Argentine locals. We practice every Wednesday and have league play on Saturdays. We also had a weekend tournament in Tigre (a resort city outside of Bs. As.), in which we came in third place!! This was really an achievement for us, considering we haven’t been playing together for very long and we had to beat the former champion team along the way! What I love about the sport of Ultimate Frisbee is that it draws the same type of community no matter where it is played. The players are competitive, but also highly value the spirit of the game. The passion, the intensity, and the community-vibe are all the same- although learning the terms and rules in Spanish has been very different. Overall, I feel really thankful to be able to join this team, to play the sport I love, and to develop a family of “Sapukanos” here in Argentina.

Long Time, No Blog

So, I believe an apology is in order for not writing in so long. I’ve been traveling and without reliable access to internet, so I’ve been ‘blogging’ in my notebook. But so much has happened since I last wrote, sitting down to type it all up has seemed a daunting task. Anyways, I'll do my best to get you up to speed…

El subte: the city beneath the city

It's not often that a subway system warrants it's own blog post, but this is an exception. I have found my share of terrors and treasures in this city beneath the city, and it's definitely necessary to share them here. Firstly, the cars themselves are works of art, both inside and out. As the trains speed into the stations, you see only a blur of bright colors...but when it slows, and then stops, you can see the immense murals of graffiti- a seemingly incomprehensible mess of perfectly arranged composition. And some of the train cars are very old (potentially originals) and it shows on the inside of the cars through the detailed woodwork/paneling, velvet seat covers, and little tea lamps hanging from the walls. Aside from the cars themselves, the people are also something to see. People from all walks of life use 'el subte', so it is prime people-watching...you see mothers with children, businessmen, young hipsters, tourists, hobos, and couples (of all ages) kissing and making out (this is actually the norm EVERYWHERE in Bs. As., and it gets kind of annoying.) But anyways, I think the diversity of the subway is best explained by two personal experiences; each story highlighting a very different aspect of this underground city. The first story happened today, when Nakita and I took 'el subte' to go shopping at the San Telmo market. We arrived at the station, disembarked, and began walking up the maze of stairs and hallways towards the exit. We stopped to look at a big poster advertising a human rights film festival, and Nakita pulled out her Blackberry phone to make a memo of the date/location. Suddenly a man came up behind us and grabbed her phone from her hand. He was definitely drunk or drugged up on something (we have since nick-named him 'Crazy Eyes') because his eyes were glazed over and all of his movements were slow/off-balance. After he grabbed the phone he started to run, and of course, being two feisty and rather naive girls- we started to chase him. We yelled and yelled, but the halls were suddenly, terribly, absolutely- deserted. Soon we caught up to him and I grabbed him by the collar and we began to struggle back and forth. I had him by the shoulders and pushed him against the wall, and he tried to push me off by grabbing my throat. After a few moments, he thew the phone down in frustration and took off. All that was left was a (luckily still working) phone with his smudgy fingerprints on it, and a small scratch on my neck. In hindsight it probably wasn't wise to chase and fight him, but in the moment you don't think about it...it's still such a blur. An experience like that really leaves you shaken, and feeling violated and vulnerable. We continued on to the market, but carried a feeling of uneasiness with us.
But not to worry, there are good things about the subway too. Today there was also a jazz festival in the subway- each station featured a different jazz band. We rode to one station and joined in a group of about 200 people singing and dancing to 'the best of Sinatra'. The music itself, as it echoed down the halls, was captivating. And the energy of the crowd- all drawn together by this music- created a powerful feeling of inclusiveness and community. I've also witnessed harp concerts, live theater, impromptu jam sessions, and strangers debating soccer (futbol) on subway rides. It's the idea space...of random people thrown together in a small car flying down the tracks...going together, leaving together...it's a very interesting opportunity for culture and conversation to grow...it's a meeting point and a crossing point...it's a buzzing beehive; a city under a city.

Volunteering...Tough Stuff

Yesterday marked my first day volunteering here in Buenos Aires. For the next 6 weeks I'll be spending approximately 12 hrs./week working at a children's home in the neighborhood of Baccar. The house is home to 15 children, aged 1 to 15. They all come from tough family situations (usually one or both parents are in jail and/or drug/alcohol addicts) or have been removed from abusive homes. It can be really tough to hear about their histories- the baby, who is 18 months old, was abused by his mother since he was 2 months old and is now mentally handicapped, nearly deaf and blind; he also can't yet walk or talk. Nonetheless, he is now a happy little baby. I got to hold him for an hour today; he was kind of fussy and left a ton of spit on my shoulder, but his little blue eyes and small, grasping hands were so adorable...it was a really special time. Aside from that hour of calmness, my time at the home has been pretty chaotic. All the kids are very active and love to run, jump, and yell. We've taken them to the park twice, which is a great way to run off some energy. We play on the swings, see-saw, and slides, bake 'tortas con dulce de leche' (sweet cakes) in the sandbox, and play catch, futbol, or just run around on the grass. Today 3 of the older girls (ages 11-13) decided to 'run away' from the park, so I had to follow them around the block. They were essentially just 'testing the limits' of the new volunteers, which is to be expected. Once they discovered I could out-sprint them a few times, the chase was no longer fun, and they returned with me to the park. I guess that frisbee/track training really is useful outside of sports :) I'm really looking forward to getting to know all the kids more, and also I'm hoping to implement some sort of arts programming, since their time right now is pretty unstructured. Should be fun :)

Steak, Jazz, and Markets

Steak and Jazz: two things I didn't know I liked. Markets: one thing I knew I liked... and now I love even more :) These three things are just a few of the activities of the past few days. (Others include navigating the public transportation system, touring an old shipping yacht, eating ice cream and pastries, meeting new Australian friends, clubbing until 6:30am, exploring the 'central park'...)

But the true highlights have been these three things:

1. Steak- as a former vegetarian, I didn't really think I liked meat...but that was before I tried Argentine 'bife de chorizo'. SO YUMMY. The meat is of course all ranch raised/grass fed and relatively local. Paired with olive oil/balsamic vinaigrette salad, rich malbec wine, and fresh baked bread...it just can't be beat. Plus, it's all so cheap!

2. Jazz- I've known jazz existed, but I've never witnessed it like this before. We found this dark, swanky little club called "The Thelonious Club", where the mojito drinks were cool and the jazz was hot ;) And not only was the jazz itself simply mesmerizing, combined with spanish rap and the crowd swaying back and forth...it was the complete experience.

3. Markets- I've always been keen on shopping, but this brings it to a whole new level. OH MY GOSH- this street market in San Telmo is simply awesome. At many markets you need to wade through lots of cheap/generic stuff to find the real treasures, but here everything is sooooo cool, and so inexpensive! From leather purses and jackets to miniature pot belly stove incense holders to feather earring and silver bracelets...it's all here. This market will be the death of me...or at least of my wallet.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

There are only two ways to really know a place: by it's medical system, and by it's food. I usually make a point to explore both in every place I visit, whether is getting emergency surgery in New Zealand or eating fried ants in Africa...which led to experiencing the Kenyan health care system...sometimes they go hand-in-hand I guess, haha. But anyways, I've only experienced the food of Argentina thus far- no hospital visits...yet. And the food is simply amazing. I guess I've heard about it, read about it, and tried to imagine it ...but absolutely nothing compared to the olive oil/balsamic vinaigrette salad, perfectly seasoned steak, and smooth red wine at Don Julio's Restaurant last night. And I don't even like steak! ...Or at least I didn't until I ate that. Its hard to describe, other than to tell you that I would count it among one of the best meals of my life. Maybe it was the atmosphere of everyone eating dinner at 11:00pm, or maybe it was the wink from our waiter, or the balcony seating...but whatever it was, it made the experience unforgettable.

In general, I feel like a hungry little caterpillar, 'eating my way across the city'. I've snacked on spicy hot empanadas (little meat pies), sipped cafe con leche at sidewalk cafes, enjoyed spinach/cheese/mushroom crepes, sampled the tiramisu ice cream at the nearest heladeria, and stopped by the local postreria for mini-cream puffs and flan. Needless to say, this little caterpillar has a little bit of a stomach ache :P

Getting There...

I used to think I liked traveling. Then I realized I enjoyed the "being there", but actually wasn't so much a fan of the "getting there." See, I made the very unwise decision to stay up all night before traveling for 30 hours...not smart. Everything is one hundred times harder when you are super overtired. Learning that your suitcase is overweight and having to empty and re-pack in the middle of the MSP airport seems deathly embarrassing, when it's actually just comical. Having your luggage lost in Miami goes from being an annoyance to a catastrophe. And when your head gets bumped by the stewardess's beverage cart, it seems more like getting smoked with by a garbage truck then getting bumped by a tin cart. And being told that you won't be allowed into Argentina goes from being a slight bump in the road to an insurmountable mountain...(okay, that part actually was kind of scary.) Who knew you could be denied entrance to a South American country just because you don't have proof of a return ticket??...well, now I know! I also know that if you have 'proof of funds and intention to not overstay your visa', (aka enough credit cards and enough pathetic tears), then you can enter anyways, which is just what I did. .But enough crying and moaning, I am in Argentina for goodness sake! Let 's just say I got to the hostel, slept for 12 hours, and suddenly everything seemed to be infinitely brighter.