¿Cómo lo hice? Bueno, yo zafé…

Looking back on my time spent in Argentina, I would have to say that “zafar,” or “to get by,” captures most perfectly my evaluation of the experiences I have had.  This semester was by no means an easy one.  I had my camera and wallet stolen the third week I was here, and my phone a few weeks after that.  I unintentionally took a senior-year art history class at a local university.  I got a first-hand look into the Argentine healthcare system when I developed a kidney infection.  And I can’t even begin to count the number of times I found myself wandering the streets without my Guia – T or an umbrella. 

But, despite all of these misfortunes, I still got by.  There’s not a doubt in my mind that the friends I have made here helped me with this, particularly when I had to borrow $300 pesos to pay for my visa so I could stay in the country while I was trying to live off a $100 pesos the week I was waiting for my new debit card, or when they used up all of their cell phone minutes to text me rather than talk via internet when I lost wireless service in my apartment half way through the semester. 

My host mother Cecilia threw me a bone every now and then too, like the time I locked myself in the bathroom for over half an hour, or when she had to answer the door at 4 AM because someone forgot her keys.  She never spoke a lick of English to me, and for that I have to thank her because I probably learned the most Argentine Spanish and history during our discussions over her somewhat interesting if not creative culinary concoctions (my personal favorite being the salad of rice, tuna, shredded carrot, eggs, and mayonnaise, a staple of the Argentina café menu).  And despite the language and culture barriers, which seemed to be a mile-high wall that first week I was here, I still managed to get by.

I know most people spend their last week or so wallowing in their fears that they didn’t do enough, that they never saw or experienced the real Argentina, didn’t have enough nights out, didn’t eat enough steak and empanadas, didn’t meet enough people.  Rather than wasting my time thinking about the “what if’s,” I’d rather take stock of all the accidents, the mishaps, the unintentionally offensive words and misunderstandings, the struggles, the challenges, and even the near-death experiences, all of the quilombos that my life in Argentina has accumulated, and thank God that I made it through alive, with most of my health, most of my sanity, some of the most amazing people I have ever met, and some of the most life-changing experiences I will ever have. 

The Argentine’s have another phrase that they use: ya fue. It’s used when to say that something bad has happened, but it’s time to forget about it and move on.  All of the experiences, both good and bad, have happened, whether I wanted them to or not, and while I certainly will try not to forget them, I know that this chapter of my life is coming to a close, and it’s time to prepare for the next one.  I came, I got by, I survived, and I’m ready for more.   

That one time that Cory & Dennis came to visit...

... was AMAZING.  I really enjoyed having them here, and not just because I knew they were taking me to Mendoza.  Having to act as a translator wasn't a new experience for me as I had done the same in Salta on some of the excursions I went on for the people who didn't speak Spanish, but having to do so for my parents was a whole different situation.  It made me feel a lot older, and definitely gave me more confidence in my Spanish skills so far.  It also confirmed my suspicions that Buenos Aires can be a very difficult place to get around if you do not have any sort of prior Spanish knowledge.

My parents also chose a pretty exciting week to come visit me, as on Wednesday the 27th, the second day that they were here, former president and first husband Nestor Kirchner died.  We found out when we ran into some of my friends in Colonia, Uruguay, which we went to visit because Wednesday was the National Census Day and therefore everything was closed.  This is a huge deal, as he was running again for president (in Argentina, you can be president for as many terms as you get elected, but you cannot run for consecutive terms, hence why his wife Kristina Kirchner is the current president - people thought that they would be able to maintain control of the presidency by just running back and forth), and now the current party in power has NO idea who is going to run in his place.  Colonia itself was beautiful, and was a good place to spend about half the day, although I almost didn't get let back in to Argentina because I forgot to bring my student visa with me and my tourist visa (which lasts 90 days) was almost up.

While they were actually here in Buenos Aires, my parents and I visited Plaza de Mayo, the Recoleta Cemetery, the MALBA, Embassy Row/Circle, the Evita Museum, Palermo SoHo, and San Telmo, which gave them a taste of just about the entire city and all of its variety - or at least the variety that I'm familiar with.  I realized that there are still so many neighborhoods that I have never been to and will probably never go to, but remember that as I am only here for four months there are places like these other neighborhoods that I have no need to go to because I'm not that kind of resident.  If I was living here for a year or so, I'm sure I would go to Almagro or Once more to go shopping for example, but as I'm neither a tourist nor a real resident, I'm perfectly content with the lovely mix of touristy and non-touristy places and routines that I've created.

Sunday through Wednesday we went to Mendoza, the major wine-producing region of Argentina, where they grow and produce the famous Malbec.  I was really glad that I went with my parents, as both of them are amateur experts on wine and were able to guide me through all the wine tastings and vineyard tours we went to.  I learned so much about the entire production of wine from both them and the tour guides we had, particularly from our tour guide at Pulenta Estates who was a girl from St. Louis, MO who had studied abroad here and decided to come back after graduation (she spent a fair amount of time trying to sell Mendoza and ex-pat life to me on the tour).  Aside from just drinking wine all day, we also spent a couple hours hiking in the foothills of the Andes, had some absolutely phenomenal meals (especially at this one restaurant called Azafran that had a molten chocolate cake with olive oil ice cream for dessert), and we even began our trip with a much needed trip to the spa for some massages.  This trip definitely increased my interest in learning more about wine, and also gave me yet another thing to look forward to when I return home in December - the three crates of wine my parents ordered while we were here :)

Sending my parents off to Ezeiza airport when we got back from Mendoza was both sad and shocking, as I realized that I only have three weeks left on my program.  That's 21 days that I have to figure out exactly where I am going to travel once the program is over, and for how long, and when I am going to come home, and when I am going to visit friends at GWU and my brother at Emerson.  I need to do all of those things before Christmas breaks start, as I won't have a chance to do them again until May.  Oh, didn't I mention - I'm studying abroad again next semester in Santiago, Dominican Republic.