School was good today. Nothing brand new, exactly, but we moved forwards in the book that we take our lessons from, which is exciting. We have many more books to go...
I am getting used to the exciting experience that is simply walking from the school to the subway station. The pedestrian road that I walk is full of people, artists, vendors, with all of the shops pouring air conditioning out their doors, enticing costumers inside. Both in the morning and the afternoon, there are people handing out small cards with store promotions, sales, and advertisements for shops, bars and clubs. There are two daily papers, one of which I usually pick up on the way to school right outside the subway exit.
It was quite warm, per usual, when I got back to the apartment, so I did not do much for a few hours, I had a little siesta. But, I had the idea of going for a run in my mind all day, so at about 8.00p I walked over to the Parque del Centenario with my iPod. The temperature was quite nice then, still warm and humid, but it was essentially dark, so I did not have to worry about being fried on the go. I walked a lap, ran a lap, walked one, ran one and then walked half, stretched and then ran the rest. It was very nice, the total distance was bout 4.6 miles (7500 meters) and it felt very good. Of course my body is not accustomed to running, so tomorrow I will feel like a weak decathlete. But, I would like to start running regularly. It is a great environment, as well as fantastic exercise.
I did have a very interesting, new, experience when I was entering the apartment building on the ground floor. I must say, to start with, that it is hard to explain the entire situation without it sounding extreme. I felt, however, remarkably calm throughout. So, I was closing the door behind me, when a kid (no more than 16 or 17 years old) blocked the door and started to talking to me rapidly in Spanish. He was wearing quite dirty clothing, and I quickly picked up that he was asking for money. Now, I only had my keys and iPod on me, and so I repeated multiple times that I had nothing on me. He was, however, quite insistent, and he pulled out this little butter knife with the tip cut off square. I raised my hands, and eyebrows, and repeated that I really had nothing on me, sorry, and he patted one of my pockets and felt that it was quite empty. A second later, he backed off, saying something along the lines of "alright, ok" and he turned around and left. The entire exchange took no more than 1 minute.
I told Betty and Judy about the experience afterwards, and Betty suggested that every time I enter the building, that I should call up via the intercom, so that whoever is above will know that I am about to enter the building. Apparently, those kids have learned that some foreigners live in the area. I have never felt unsafe though, and at the park, the streetlights illuminate everything and there are lots and lots of people all around. It was an interesting experience, and I think I learned from it: that it does not just happen to other people, not just a quick cut of the strap or swipe of the wallet on the subway or in a busy market. I could easily have lost my iPod had he patted my other pocket. Not that the loss would have been too horrible, and iPod is just a thing, nothing essential. I think that the reasons that I was such a bizarrely tranquil experience, was that he was just a bit younger than me, and that he was not using any drug (that was directly obvious) that might have provoked a more violent encounter.
Well, I hate to end a blog on such a strange note, but I guess I can change the subject by saying that I had some chocolate torta tonight. Betty keeps it in the freezer, and the chilled chocolate is ridiculously good. I really should get the recipe...
Well, I am going to end here, because the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Olympics are going to start in under a half hour, and I am eagerly anticipating the events in the next couple of weeks. I just hope the times are not only during the afternoon, so I can watch some in the evenings next week. I suppose I need to support Argentina, but I think that I can compromise by supporting the United States in the Olympics, and then supporting Argentina during the soccer World Cup later this semester.
Chao.
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