I wanna be a part of BA

Buenos Aires, Big Apple. Well readers, my apologies for not having blogged at all this week. Time has flown and the crowd here stays out really late and I'm forgetful. I pulled in from the overnight bus that left from Porto Alegre, Brasil on Monday. My friend Anders hooked me up with a place to stay so I immediately called but no one was home. I only waited an hour or two before getting through then it was off to Cata's apartment. Nice work on befriending only Colombians, Anders. I feel really at home here (Everyone knows Colombians are cooler than porteños) (Porteños are people from BA and they have stiff upper lips). So at once Cata and I went out to Puerto Madero for a lovely walk that lasted until la Calle Florida which is a pedestrian shopping zone full of leather and tango. Later we met with other Cata, Monica and Tati--two more colombianas and a brasilera. Everyone was laughing because they hadn´t met a gringo who speaks Colombian sayings. Points for me. The following day was more miles of walking, this time in la Boca (tango´s birthplace, kind-of) (Carlos Gardel was Uruguayan if you want to argue) and later in Palermo and historic San Telmo. We went that night to the despedida (farewell party) of an Italian girl who had been studying here and had an incredible apartment in hip Palermo. The following day was more walking mixed with shopping. Cata advised me of a student´s travel agency and essentially saved me a bundle. How much? About six hundo. Seriously, I almost bought a 1200-dollar ticket online out of desperation and deception. So that night we went to Juan´s apartment, yet another colombiano. This one was a musician with an aparment full of instruments and equipment but devoid of much talent. Sorry, I said it. It´s a tough industry, okay? We are now on Friday. Friday was more walking except this time I was lost. Cata and I were going to meet another colombiana (imaginete) but I got separated. I just took a cab to the meeting point. Said point was the Papeleria, a fantastic hipster-run place that sells homemade paper products like sketchbooks and prints. Later I met up with other colombians (duh) while Cata was in class. Like any normal colombians we go out every night so we circuited some bars and I drank my fill of Quilmes cerveza. Saturday Cata and I walked along the paved coast of some river that seemed like ocean it was so big. We finally met up with the colombians and went to a few more places. Now it´s Sunday and time to get out of bed becuase 2 pm seems late and I usually get up at 1. Sidenote, I´m taking the overnight jet to New York! It hasn't hit me yet. One, that I´ll be in New York tomorrow, two, that this marks the end of the South American experience. I have been in this damn continent for eight months. I´m ready for the dollar.

Bueno, amigos, que pena por no haberles escrito. El tiempo aqui ha volado y la gente se acuesta tarde y yo soy distraido. Llegue el lunes desde Porto Alegre, Brasil. Mi amigo Anders arreglo donde quedarme--el estudio aqui hace un año. Llamé pero nadia estaba pero despues de esperar una hora ya llego Cata y me fui de una a su apartamento. Bien hecho, Anders, por solo tener amigas colombianas. Me siento en mi casa (todos saben que colombianos son mas bacanos que porteños). Allá fuimos a Puerto Madero para una caminata linda que duró hasta la calle Florida, una peatonal de shopping llena de tango y cuero. Luego encontramos con la otra Cata, Monica y Tati--dos mas colombianas y una garota. Todas estaban cagando de risa porque nunca habian conocido a un gringo que habla dichos colombianos. El dia siguiente fue mas kilometros de caminando, esta vez en la Boca donde nacio el tango (Gardel era uruguayo si quieres discutir) y despues a Palermo y el historico San Telmo. Aquella noche fuimos a la despedida de una italiana que habia estudiando aqui y quien tuvo un apartamento bacano en Palermo en la parte como ´hip´y artistica. El dia siguiente era de mas caminata mezclada con shopping. Cata me consejo de una agencia de viajes para estudiantes y esencialmente me ahorro seis cientos dolares. Imaginense, casi compre por internet el pasaje de ida en mil docientos dolares por desesperacion y decepcion. Entonces aquella noche fuimos al apartamento de Juan, otro colombiano. Este era musico con el apartamento lleno de instrumentos y equipos pero vacio de talento. Que pena por decirla, pero es una industria dura. Ahora estamos en el viernes. Era de mas caminata aunque me perdi. Cata y yo ibamos a encontrar con otra colombiana pero me separe de ellas. Igual tome taxi al lugar donde ibamos a llegar que era la Papeleria, un almacen bacanisimo de hipsters y artistas quien hacen papel y cuadernos y serigraphes. Luego me encontre con mas colombianos (aparecen en todas partes, no?) mientras Cata estaba en clase. Como colombianos normales, salimos cada noche y fuimos a bares y yo tome mucha cerveza Quilmes. El sabado Cata y yo caminamos por la costa de un rio que se parece el mar es tan grande. Finalmente nos encontramos con los colombianos para ir a otros bares. Ahora es el domingo y ya tengo que amanecer porque son las 2 y estoy acostumbrado de despertarme a la una. Otra cosa, yo volo a Nueva York esta noche!! No lo puedo creer. No puedo creer que estare en Nueva York y tampoco puedo creer que ya se acabo la experiencia suramericana. Ya llevo ocho meses en ese maldito continente. Estoy listo para el dolar.