Cheesecake Fail

• I've never made cheesecake in my life, so while reading a blog written by an expat living here, I came across her recipe for cheesecake using Oreos for the crust instead of graham crackers (which you can't find here)
• judging by the pictures, you can see that my oven and I are still getting to know each other...it just gets so darn hot!

at the time, this was the only option for buying Oreos at the grocery store

bonus buy...chocolate and white Oreos, and boxed unrefrigerated milk!

just a little crisp around the edges....

berries and whipped cream make everything better

Disco Lights and Tanned Bodies...at the gym

W 5.2.12

• went to my first fitness class at the gym tonight
• class was called Calistenia; translation: calisthenics; dictionary definition: gymnastic exercises designed to develop physical health and vigor, usually performed with little or no special apparatus
• I arrived a little early...there were only a few other women and one man...I assumed this guy could be the instructor  
• by the start of class, the room had filled to almost 30 fellow-exercises...all women around my age or older, plus the one guy
• one older lady with leathery tan skin, bleached hair, unnaturally sized chest, and anorexic-looking legs (her xs spandex capris were loose on her for goodness sake!) was right in front of me, closest to the front mirror so she could primp her hair (NOT in a ponytail) and pout her lips in the mirror at herself...this was entertaining for me both before and during the class
• all of the sudden, a super tanned, super toned guy with short shorts came running in greeting his students and getting us "pumped up"...he made his way to his mini-stage and we began
• the music started up, and with it 80's aerobic-style movements.  This was the warm-up; the rest of the hour class was filled with rep upon rep of various muscle group movements using light dumbbells
• with about 10 minutes left, Mr. Muscles turned off the lights, leaving on a few flashing green disco-type lights
• we stretched and at the end of our last breath...everyone began clapping
• it was all very weird; and my muscles were sore for at least three days after...all those reps really got me!

Pasta de Mani

• cost of peanut paste from Disco: 25,59 pesos = US$5.66
• made peanut butter cookies using this stuff; little different but not bad

Some Firsts

• FIRST official Spanish lesson last week Tuesday!
• I am taking private lessons with this great Argentinean woman who teaches out of her home.  I go Tuesdays and Thursdays before school, 9:30-11:00am.  She has a great way of making me feel good at Spanish...AMAZING because normally I feel like an idiot!
• FIRST Argentinean Road Race was on Sunday, April 22nd.

kinda dark...but that's us pre-race...gear check in the background

• We ran the Fila Real 10K, and despite the awful struggle we Jake had signing up (just take our money already!) the race of 10,000 runners was surprisingly well organized and a lot of fun!  We finished in around 47 minutes...not horrible for not really having trained...just good to get out after not running a race since the Turkey Trot (good grief!)  The route wound its way through and around the docks of Puerto Madero giving us mostly good sites...and giving us a delicious idea for a post-race meal (we were especially hungry because there was no post-race treat...no bananas, no bagels, nada! you know how I felt about that...)  One big difference from races in the States is that all runners were required to wear their race shirt for the race.  Glad Jake caught that small detail before we left the house!  

holy sandwich....gotta love my FIRST bondiola topped with a fried egg!

• FIRST pizza, faina, and moscato
• the above combo. is supposedly a "must try" while in Argentina...so we gave it a whirl after the International Book Fair on Saturday evening...hit up a place called "Kentucky" on Santa Fe...got 2 slices of mozzarella pizza, 1 slice of faina (chickpea bread) and a glass of moscato (a sort of darker white sweet wine) all for 19 pesos ( ~US$4.30)...great snack!

• FIRST workout at the gym tonight! 
• I joined Jake's gym for the month....my mushy muscles are thanking me after not seeing hand weights and machines for months!  Maybe now we can knock some seconds off that 10K! Plus...I can't wait to discover what the following classes are like: Body Pump, Local Swing, Ritmos Latinos, Aerolocal, Localizada...among others.  Where's yoga and spin?  

Venting Session

WARNING: please don't read this unless you too are in a terrible mood and want to join my pity party....


My poor husband always has to hear me vent...maybe I should let out some frustrations here instead...

• went to three stores to find the right size coffee filters - unsuccessful and was late for work
• I hate grocery stores here...better bring a book to read while you wait for hours in line
• I kept a student too late today for coaching (aka tutoring) because I forgot what time it ended...wasted 15 minutes of my planning time
• it's Friday...wanted to leave on time to get home and relax...meeting took way too long than should have and did not go all that well...definitely have some things to work on
• I need to re-do all of my report cards, including comments
• currently on the terrace trying to enjoy a glass of wine...why does our neighbor need to be using a power saw at the same time?!
• I hate avoiding dog poop with every step I take
• the store-bought pasta I made one night for dinner this week had bugs in it.  I ate it anyway, Jake was smarter and did not
• I feel like sometimes people think that we're just here on vacation.  Yes, we're having fun...seeing new things...experiencing a new culture, but we are LIVING here, not just visiting.  We had to find a place to live on our own in a crazy real estate market...we both go to work every day...we wait in lines to pay our bills...we cook, clean, do laundry, and run errands just like everyone else.  Yes, we're extremely appreciative of the experience, and for that we have no complaints, but I think we're still allowed to get frustrated at times.  Every moment isn't glamorous/exciting/exotic/adventurous... remember, there are many times that I envy your "normal" life back in the States where things are familiar and where you can be near family and friends
• I guess people are always needing to adjust, as life is always in transition

Thank you for letting me get that out.  Time for an improved weekend. Cheers!

A Sunday

• I think Jake's really on to something with this whole relaxing weekend thing...we really didn't do much this weekend, and it was wonderful!  Lots of sleep, lounging, eating, movie watching...realizing that life will not always be like this, we better enjoy it now!
• last night went to River Plate vs. Huracan futbol game with a friend
• we had been warned a bit about what to expect...crowds, rowdy fans, no booze sold in the stadium, etc.  so we weren't too surprised to go through three sets of security, only one of which checking bags and doing pat downs

• above you can see men to the left, women (and their purses) to the right.  Female security guards were in charge of checking the women...probably a good idea

• final check before entering the stadium

• the stadium is nothing fancy...a lot of concrete and barbed wire.  our seats were decent, we were fully covered by the overhang which was good with those rain clouds hovering...
• I wouldn't recommend using the bathrooms here as they look worse than what one might see in a prison...and BYOTP

• game on! not a lot of action in the first half...

• ...but some excitement in the second with TWO goals and TWO red cards, allowing the home team to come out with a victory!  HOORAY! no rioting in the streets

• the above video gives you an idea of the chanting fans

• we made the amateur move to leave our seats with about a minute left to "beat the crowd" well, we ended up joining the crowd as the opposing team's fans were escorted from the stadium by security guards while the rest of us had to wait

• this is us waiting...the guys to our left were smoking marijuana, which made for an interesting 30+ minute wait....standing like sardines...hoping to not get trampled.  great first futbol experience!
• the stadium is located very close to Chinatown, so we headed there after to grab some noodles and beer and wait for the buses to become less crowded

• today we overslept and missed church, ate french toast for breakfast, did a little cleaning then walked around the neighborhood in search of a cafe to do some reading and schoolwork (finally off my antibiotic = coffee back in my life!)
• Found a super cute place on the corner of Cabello and the zoo, Flor de un Dia...vintagey/organicy type of place.  And you should check out these lattes:

report cards and HUGE mug of latte!

like the antiquey plates

• biggest mugs seen yet in this city! (although did not come with complimentary water and cookie...)
• while sitting and planning, a couple of women walked by and were kind of standing around our table behind me.  My school bag containing my freshly refilled wallet and new camera, was hanging on the back of my chair (*keep in mind I ALWAYS keep my purse around my arm and on my lap when at restaurants especially in touristy areas because we have been warned! but this neighborhood was so quiet and there really weren't many people out...and it was "safely" between me and the wall...I thought it would be fine)
• ANYWAY...I felt the bag brush my arm, I turned around, and one of the ladies was holding my bag, I took it back from her, she said something in Spanish, then casually walked away.
• I looked at Jake...he looked back...and I said, "That was weird...I think she was trying to steal my bag."  Jake didn't hear what she said...and we watched them slowly walk away...was very confused, thinking at first she was trying to take our table or something...? I don't know...all very strange
• my bag is safe and sound...moral of the story: ALWAYS BE EN GARDE!

Semana Santa

• for Holy Week, both Jake and I had Thursday and Friday off - long weekend! Yay! Unfortunately I was down for the count until Friday...
• ...Argentina doesn't seem to like my body much.  Sick again, and again over a weekend...this time a long weekend (+ don't have to miss work, - it's my weekend!) 
• Thank goodness for the Buenos Aires version of a "minute clinic" aka la guardia, a branch of the emergency room.  For once, something went pretty smoothly for us here.  
• Thank goodness also for my husband translator who was able to explain all of my issues and get me the antibiotic I needed.
• I was determined to make the most of the rest of our weekend.  So on Friday we first visited the Japanese Garden.

• then we hiked it over to where we could finally get a good view of the river (besides Puerto Madero).  
• We first visited the Club de Pescadores.  The guard inside only gave us access to the dock because he wanted to talk about his recent trip to the U.S....perfect for us!

• We then walked along the Costanera Norte, a boardwalk that runs north along the river.  It was a nice view, a very long walk, and once it got dark, we were ready to go home.  Snapped some good shots though!

• For dinner, we went to a restaurant bar in the neighborhood we'd been wanting to try, Bakano.  It was pretty good.  The best part was the upstairs patio overlooking the corner intersection.  
• During dinner, we noticed a large group of people parading down the street behind us holding candles....Good Friday!  They were doing the stations of the cross.  Kind of neat to see.

• on Saturday we were invited by some friends to check out San Antonio de Areco, a small town about an hour north of BA  
• the town has a very peaceful atmosphere with colonial style buildings and cobblestoned streets
• once we arrived and had walked around a bit, we were ready for a little snack...beer and a picada...at this crumbly old building

• an old, beautiful church, pretty parks, gauchos on horseback, asados full of carne... 

• ...what's not to love?!
• We stumbled upon a little town museum that housed old farm equipment.  Can you read where this piece was made?

• could have ridden the saddle-less horses for about $10/hour...but had a skirt and flip flops on...maybe next time

can't get enough empanadas

see the $500 peso egg? That's about US$115

live folk music complete with town dancers

• on Easter Sunday, we slept in, went for a little run, and relaxed a bit before church
• After church I tried to recreate my family's traditional Easter meal of ham and potatoes with cheese sauce.  
• we found it very difficult to find a ham to bake...so we ended up paying around US$21 for about a pound a half of deli-meat-like ham...grr... 
• deviled eggs, potatoes, and homemade bread turned out, but as for the cheese sauce...let's just say we had to settle for a more "basic" sauce, as Jake called it...
• our friend from the States joined us for the meal...

• ...and she so kindly brought a large Havanna chocolate egg for us to share for dessert!

• there was more fun inside...a token, another chocolate egg, and chocolate covered almonds...what fun!

• Happy 2nd birthday to our goddaughter Alex!  So happy we were able to Skype with her and the fam...even got to watch her open her presents and blow out her candles!
• our long Easter weekend turned out just fine, despite the doctor visit...let's hope for many healthy weekends to come!