Day 86: The Hospital Farewell

Some of the students from the neurology class

Today was my last day of classes with the hospital. Tomorrow they have an optional time slot to come in and ask questions, but no one I talked to said that they were going to go. We finished up with two classes, one on three subjects: coreas y balismos, distonias, and mioclonias, that is to say choreia and ballism, dystonia, and myoclonus, and the second class was on headaches and migraines. It was interesting but a lot of writing super quickly. I think I earned the croissant that I bought for myself during the break. I had burned a lot of calories writing so quickly.

After class I took the subway home, picked up two slices of pizza and ate them with a salad and some pear. Very yummy. 

At about 4.00p I headed out and about, I walked along Avenue Santa Fe, where there are a lot of shops and a giant bookstore. The bookstore is called el ateneo and is inside a former live theater. All the original seats have been removed, and there are shelves covering the ground floor. In the balconies are shelves along the walls and comfy seats for reading and people-watching. The stage has been converted into a chic restaurant and bar and there are escalators that you can take downstairs one level to the kids' book section. There is also a section for music. Now, the place is officially a book store, but from what I have heard most people just go to eat/drink something or chill with a book for a while. Betty is suspicious about the continued funding, she has her theories. The place is spectacular, with a domed ceiling that is painted and gold ornamentation throughout. 

After walking some more back along Santa Fe, I walked over to Paula and Andrés' house since I was planning on meeting up with Paula later. I did not really expect anyone to be home, and my backup plan was to go to the nearby park and read for a bit, but Andrés was there, so I went up and we talked for a while. Paula came home after a bit, but had to go see an aunt and so she could not go to the giant book fair with me that I had hoped to visit. I was a little bummed, so I stayed with Andrés for dinner and used the time to convince him to go with me. In the end it worked and we went for about an hour. 

Paula gave me an alfajor

The book fair was in this gigantic building, hard-to-describe big, with millions of books. Businesses had a huge variety of stalls that ranged from what looked like a corner of Barnes and Noble, to just a little book shop. Some were very modern, with fancy lighting, modern displays, music, television screens. It was great fun to browse around. Prices were wide-ranging, from pretty good deals to quite expensive. I did not buy anything, but Andrés made (an amusing for me) purchase of two papyrus leafs with his name in Arabic written on them from a stall selling all sorts of the-streets-of-Cairo paraphernalia. I do not know how it related to 'books,' but the woman was there and made 10 pesos from us. 

Entrance

Guards at door

El Eternauta from the book Germán gave me

Andrés is a great mind too

No idea the significance of the dinosaur

There was a Waldorf section at one stall

Since I do not have the hospital tomorrow morning, I can sleep in!

Chao.

Days 82-85: The Final Weekend

Once again, I will apologize for not posting over the weekend. My schedule is always less structured then, and things seem to get in the way. 

The picture of the subway-riding dog, as promised

I have not had a huge amount happen in my life over the last few days, things seem to be winding down, but since I do not leave until Friday, I have tried to organize this week with a few last minute activities to keep myself occupied. 

Last Friday there was only one class, that was called 'images,' but really just covered identification of certain tumors and growths in a cerebral scan. So for the title, the class was quite specific and brief. What I did learn was interesting, though. I had some pizza and salad for lunch. 

In the afternoon, I took it upon myself to go out and explore a little on my own. I went to the Abasto, a shopping mall nearby since it is a large complex and I had been told before that it was worth seeing. It was quite nice, very much like the standard mall (an infrastructure not high on my list of vital attractions) but there were a couple of amusing and interesting encounters.

That is right: Kosher McD's in Buenos Aires

After the mall I went Tango-ing, and I shared the class with two porteños, who despite their fully Argentinean existences, did not know how to Tango at all. It was quite the experience to be better (a very relative term in this instance) than a native at this so very Argentinean activity. It was enjoyable, we had some laughs and I got to feel a little satisfaction when I realized I had learned a small amount of that difficult dance. 

That evening I went out with Paula, Andrés and one of Andrés' friends to a party. It was my last night to go out for the evening and so I was really glad to spend it with those two friends of mine. We had a blast, laughed and danced our way through the night. 

Self-timer shot before heading out

Waiting in the biting cold outside the party

Saturday was pretty uneventful since I slept in super late, and Sunday was likewise quite sedentary. I broke down and did a little bit of packing, of the old school stuff (papers and books of which I amassed quite a pile) as well as newspaper clippings and other mementos that I want to bring home to help remember the trip. I had tentative plans on both days, but neither day things worked out as I had hoped. "Flaky" is a terrible term, but I have come to realize that there is a large portion of the world that does not share my (apparently hypersensitive) attention to plans. Maybe it is weird that when a plan is proposed, I actually think that it will happen, yet it has happened repeatedly.

I was happy to have the hospital to go to this morning, although my body protested the early wake-up. Today, the students gave presentations. They had been split up into two groups last week and given cases (in English) on which they were to present today. The idea was to focus on the relay of information and the process of data collection and synthesis than an actual diagnosis or suggested treatment plan, but that was not disallowed. So, I got to hear two very differently styled group presentations. It was fairly hard for me to keep up with parts, since the students in general talked in the expected, nervous-state accelerated speed, but it was interesting. One of the groups had prepared a PowerPoint presentation, the other used the chalk board to illustrate family history and patient information. 

I had made plans for the afternoon with a friend, but after waiting for the entire afternoon, things fell through. I apologize, I was/am a little peeved still, so it is hard for me to write completely objectively about it all. However, I have confirmed plans for tomorrow, and I am very excited for what is going to happen. It is down to the tricky stage, monetarily, where I want to be careful in my spending/withdrawing since I do not want to be restricted in my last few days, and yet I would prefer to not change a large amount of Pesos when I go to Guatemala. 

I have heard a little bit about how my time in Guatemala is shaping up to be, and it promises to be exciting and very different from my last few months here. Naturally, climactically it will be significantly warmer (bittersweet), but also I have a couple of volunteer possibilities so that I can keep myself busy, useful and also meet new people. I am quite interested to see how the Guatemalan Spanish differs from Argentinean, since I have heard a couple of different opinions as to accent and for example the usage of 'vos' or 'tú.' 

Thursday, I am hoping to have a little dinner here at Betty's house with a couple of friends, just to have one last time to say 'thank you' to everyone and say my good-byes. I leave at midday on Friday, so there will be no real chance to see anyone then. I am really looking forward to it; it should be very good closure to this chapter in my life. 

Alright, coming down to the final Argentinean posts, I keep saying it because I am trying to come to grips with the reality. This is first time I have spent this length of time separated from my family and the native language of English, it will be interesting to shake up the routine a little.

Chao.

Day 81: The Sleepy Dog

Today was quite excellent. Everything seemed to go well today, and the weather was gorgeous: just a little cool with the breeze, but sunny. I had two classes this morning, both on strokes. They were taught by Dr. Vega and Dra. Santoro and were enjoyable. Of course the topic is not exactly light or overly happy, but I enjoyed the lessons. It was probably the hardest of the days for me, though, comprehension-wise. There was a lot of new vocabulary and even more abbreviations that I need to translate.

On the way home, I shared the subway ride with two other students who I had not talked too much with previously, but who were really very nice. They were heading to the Facultad (I felt happy knowing the place where they were heading) for another class later in the afternoon. When we entered the subway it was empty since that station is the end (and beginning) of the line, but there was this street dog just sprawled on one of the seats. It was the funniest/cutest thing. As more and more people poured into the train, with all the horns going off and everything, the dog was completely peaceful and unperturbed. It was still lying there in essentially the same position when I got off the subway, almost on the other end of the line.

I took the subway into the Recoleta area where I met up with Martin and Marcelo for lunch. They were heading off to Córdoba for the weekend, but we decided to meet up before the left today. We split two giant milanesas, which are thinly cut pieces of meat in a egg and bread crumb batter, with a fried egg on top and some french fries. Very Argentinean. Very filling. Very large portions. We hung out for a while more in Marcelo's hardware/electronics store before they left for the airport.

I returned home and rested for the afternoon. For dinner, Betty, Luke and I had some pasta with pesto sauce that tasted super good. Simple but delicious. We had a really nice conversation (of course it was in Spanish, never doubt my abilities). After clearing up, Luke went out to have some coffee with friends. Betty mentioned the idea of ice cream, and even though it was quite cold outside, I liked the sound of the idea. So, I jumped downstairs and bought a couple of little ice creams in cups. We had a great time talking over the desserts, on a huge range of topics. It was very comfortable, family-like. It will be weird not to be living with Betty when I leave.

There is a huge book fair in Buenos Aires that I really want to check out this weekend, as well as two parties with the group of people from the trip to Mendoza, so I will have to do some planning to figure what (and when) I can do everything.

Now, however, I am going to imitate that dog from the subway and go right to sleep. I will add a photo of the pooch tomorrow when the connection is stronger.

Chao.

Days 79-80: The End Is Nearing

The last two days have been very routine and ordinary without any changes or wild adventures. I think that I have become accustomed to living my life as a mock-Argentinean without finishing up my time as a tourist. I feel like because I have either had classes or hospital time, I have not toured throughout the country or the city for that matter in the same manner I would have if I had been here on a more simple schedule. I have no regrets for how I have organized and spent my time, on the contrary, I am incredibly happy with how everything has gone. I will just have to return again to see more of Argentina and the rest of South America.

Yesterday I did half a morning of observing Dr. Mazia with a patient consult, and then we both walked upstairs for the class that he was teaching on vertigo. Dr. Mazia started off the lecture with the film trailer for Hitchcock's Vertigo, which earned quite a few laughs from the group.

I felt oddly sleepy, as I have for a few days now, so I did not go to tango yesterday. I have been getting plenty of sleep, eating and drinking regularly and healthily, so I am not sure what the deal is, but Betty and a few of the other students have voiced similar opinions, so maybe it is a climactic thing. It has felt like it is going to rain for the past few days, although we have yet to see a drop.

I watched the program called Mujeres Asesinas again last night, it is about real stories of women who commit murder, and each episode is individual, unique, and the three I have seen have been very powerful. Good acting and the characters are close to unbelievable. Last night it was the husband who was the pain in the booty. He was so insufferable that Luke (who came and watched it with me) and I were sitting there just waiting for the wife to snap. Yes, so it is a morbid show concept, but it is entertaining and excellent Spanish practice. Plus I only have one more week to see it.

Today, there was a class and a half. Yes, I mean that. The first class we had was with a new doctor, called Dra. Losavio. She was very nice, quite personable, but she presented for ever and a day. She had a 57-slide presentation (compared to the formally 'long' presentations of Dr. Mazia that were mid 30s). She taught a lot, and it never got too boring, but the class was too long. We went right through our break and into part of the time slot for the second class. They still, very nicely, gave us a little break after the class (on neuron synapse diseases). I went out onto the terrace and chatted with a few of the students, enjoying the gentle (still morning by my standards) sunlight.

We had just begun the second class on headaches when we were interrupted by a herd of doctors all in white lab coats. Apparently, our classroom was the only remaining available room for their conference. So, after some momentary confusion, we were kicked out. We are either going to continue the lesson tomorrow or next week Tuesday.

I did not go to Tango either today. I would have, but I had made plans to meet up with Martin. Unfortunately, at the last minute the university called him needing his attendance for something or other. What ever it was, he could not make it around, so I was left Tango-less and friend-less. So, I just chilled on my own and did some more reading.

Alright, enough rambling for the last two days, I am just living these last few days as they come, trying to enjoy the moments I have left of this awesome experience.

Chao.

Day 78: The Facultad de Medicina

I arrived at the hospital at 08.10 per normal and met Dr. Mazia in the entry hall. He did not say much about his trip except that he was tired (from having arrived last night), and that he was not overly impressed with the city of Toronto in general. It turned out that he was teaching the classes today, so walked up to the room together.

He gave three lectures today, one more than has been the rhythm. They were pretty good, full of information, but he did not talk to loudly and with the open window (due to the desire for a nonexistent breeze on such a humid day) there was a lot of background noise. Still, I understood a fair amount from each lecture.

La Facultad de Medicina

I was pretty burned out after the classes, and there was not practical today, but a fellow student asked me if I wanted to drop by the Facultad de Medicina, which is the central building for medical students in Buenos Aires. There are other private medical schools in Buenos Aires, but the Facultad as it is known, is the major public one.

The building is very large, over 15 stories tall, full of classrooms, a library, a cafeteria, and the biggest jewel of the building is a large lecture hall with operatic theater seating for hundreds of people. Above the lecture platform there is a large painting with a group of men standing in the same room. It was very rich, the seats all a deep red that matched the wooden trim well. I wanted to take a photo, but there was a cardiology lecture in process and I did not want to disrupt.

My 'guide' showed me the library and then I left when she went to the cafeteria to eat something before her class. There are 7 years of medical studies here in Buenos Aires. The first 3 are only in the Facultad building. The 4th through 6th are in different hospitals around the city, and the 7th is more specialized and the location depends more on the individual. Still, all 7 years are in general medical studies; after graduation they study further to specialize. As I think I mentioned before, the students with me are in their 5th year, and some still have other classes in the Facultad. My 'guide' had a Medical Law class this afternoon.

I went home to rest a bit, have a little something to eat, and I wanted to go to the class of Tango at 6.00p, but there was a problem. The subway, only my line (linea B), was closed. No explanation, no indication of when it might reopen. I tried to take the number 24 bus that goes right along the route of the subway that I normally use to go to the classes, but I waited for 20 minutes and the two buses that passed the stop were full of people. So, I returned to the apartment. There was a class at 8.00p as well, so I figured I would attend that one. I left with ample time to make the 10 block walk to the other subway line that runs east-west to the south of the apartment.

The A line is the original, oldest, line. The trains were so quaint, with wooden interiors, real lights with bulbs, and manual doors. The seats were fashioned out of strips of wood and faced each other in groups of four seats (bench style) like actual trains. I got a kick out of the experience. The A line actually dropped me closer to the studio than the B line normally does, so I arrived with time to spare.

The teachers arrived a little bit late, and there was only one other older gentleman there so it was almost a private lesson. I really like these instructors, they are both so friendly, and happy. We laugh a lot, which makes a difference to me.

Anyway, I returned home quite tired from the walk in the humidity and ate dinner with Luke and Betty, some rice and a cheese and apple omelette. Luke had arrived last night late from his weekend trip to Uruguay. There was such a storm last night. Hail pieces the size of softballs came pelting down in some areas. The girl who took me to the Facultad told me that in her house they came in through the roof! There was one 14 year old boy killed by a falling billboard. It was quite a dramatic night. The weather here really changes moment to moment. Today it was humid, but sunny and only partly cloudy.

It is already late, although I am not feeling it having only eaten a little while ago (in true Argentinean fashion), but I am going to start getting ready for bed.

Chao.

Days 75-77: The Penultimate Weekend (!!)

Friday was a long day. I went to my last day of medical classes, or what I think was my last class since Dr. Mazia is returning Monday, and we had two lectures on Epilepsy. During the second class that was more focused on treating epileptic attacks and the urgency of rapid treatment, Dra. Santoro digressed slightly and talked a little bit about how important it is to educate the family (not only the patient) on whatever condition the patient has because it never effects the patient alone. During the pause between classes I talked with one of my classmates about the US. It is always interesting to hear peoples' perceptions of my home country, especially the things that come first to mind. With this girl it was not a celebrity, or a president that she spoke of first, but of some obscure video she saw on the website YouTube about a circus act on a California beach involving large rings or hoops. She seemed a little disappointed when I told her that I had never heard of that specific event, and I tried to explain how there is so much that happens in the US of which every citizen is not aware.

That evening I did not have a Tango class, since I had finished off my hours for the week on Thursday, and so I went around to Paula's house at about 11p. There were a bunch of other people there, Flor and 6 others. And save one they were all a lot older than me. Now, really, they were only in their early to mid thirties, but that gap spans quite a lot further for a conversation than is immediately obvious. We had made plans to go out and meet up with Andrés and Martin, but Flor wanted to just stay at Paula's house and hang out with her friends since she works a lot and does not have a chance to see them casually as often. I just felt a little out of the loop in that company, so I called a taxi and went out to meet up with Andres and Martin. I think it ended up working out well, I had a really great night out and I think the folks at Paula's house did too. Saturday I slept in, but not as much as I had planned. I went out and bought another big salad (I cannot write those two words without thinking of Seinfeld) with a slice of pizza. I also caved  into my sweet tooth and bought two little pastries for dessert from the bakery that is (un?)conveniently placed between the pizza restaurant and the apartment.

That evening I met up with Paula again and after eating some pizza with two friends we met some more friends at a club. Now, I just want to give a little description of the club because it was quite unique. The building itself was very sleek and modern, but they were featuring a sort of mini circus act with jugglers and other performers. I was quite surprised, and amused, and impressed. They were really good. I took a short video clip that I want to share, but it is taking a while to upload with the connection here. The only downside to the night was that I was tired. There was a lot of dancing, everyone in Argentina dances, but the music was only reggaeton and cumbia so after a few hours I started to reach my limit. Still, I had a great time. I am continually asked why I do not drink a lot when I am at a club here, but although I will taste a new drink or have a little beer with pizza, I am actually glad I am not as interested in alcohol because the mornings afterwards would be even harder. I already struggle just from sleep deprivation. I guess I am not fully Argentinean yet, their lives are active essentially 24 hours.

Today was the ultimate chill day. It was rainy outside, with spattered thunderstorms. While I was eating dinner there was a bout of lightening that was lighting up the whole city horizon. I had made no plans and I did not feel the obligation to be anywhere in particular, so I lounged around reading the multiple books in Spanish that I have started. The only problem is that each time I received a new one I started it immediately, so now I am in the middle of a few at once. I guess that is not too bad a predicament, really.

Well, hospital tomorrow morning, I do not know what to expect. I hope everything went well with Dr. Mazia in Canada and that his flights had no problems.

Oh, one final happy thought to leave you all with is that I finally had an experience I had been wanting to have for some time. I bumped into an acquaintance out and about. Now, that might sound pretty lame, but since there are so many people in Buenos Aires (says the suburban boy) that I had been hoping to just meet someone that I new on the street or somewhere where I was not expecting to see anyone I knew. Well, when I was out at the circus-y club (called "Fiesta Clandestine") I bumped into a friend from the Mendoza trip! It was very strange to see this woman away from the tour group, but it made me really happy.

Chao.

Day 74: The Good Day

The rain lifted slightly today, which was the first sign of a good day to come. It was only misting lightly when I dragged myself out of bed and to the hospital. I only got up half an hour later when I went to the Spanish school, and yet my body reacts as though it is four hours difference.

The first class was on Parkinsonismo which in English is Parkinsonism, which in understandable terms refers to the condition where nerves are degenerating and present the following four symptoms: tremors, rigidity, postural instability and decreased bodily movement. It was a difficult class for me because the teacher was Dr. Vega, who today was a little tired and spoke with a very closed mouth, quickly (as always) and quietly. Plus the topic was hard for me to follow since there are multiple subcategories of conditions that the umbrella of Parkinsonism covers.

The second class was on Demensia, focusing on Alzheimer's Disease as it is the most prevalent from that group. This class was with Dra. Santoro. I think that I had known more about Alzheimer's than a good portion of the rest of this course, but the lecture was still (or possible therefore) very interesting. Dra. Santoro also connected the statistics and diagnostic criteria with personal experience and commentary that really made the topic not just a condition that others have or work with, but a condition that is current, that exists and affects individuals and more importantly families all the time.

After our break, just enough time for a coffee and a pastry for those suger-driven Argentineans, we split up again for another short practical period. I was a little more lost in today's observational section because I find it harder to jump along in conversations than the native speakers and so the conversations started to escape me. Therefore I can provide less detail about that part of the day, but we looked at MRI scans of a patient's head before visiting her in the room. They tested her using several tests we had talked about in class previously, so it was nice to see the tests in action and view real results with patients that actually have a neurological condition. Unfortunately, again, there was only one patient for us to visit, so we were dismissed around noon. I rode the subway back with one of the students who gets off the station next to mine and we talked about the classes and I asked her a couple of questions I had about abbreviations and definitions.

Tango today was possibly the best lesson so far. I had a new couple as teachers, and there was only one other woman who showed up after 30 minutes to join the lesson, so it was essentially private. Both of the teachers were young, friendly, supportive and very instructive. We worked on individual steps, and progressed adding more and more together until we had a little sequence. It is very satisfying to think back on the lesson and see what I learned. It was challenging, but still fun. And that is what I am here for: the challenge, and a good time. Unfortunately, the two of them will not be teaching at the studio any more, but they gave me the address of a different studio where they have an open house on Saturday for free dancing, so I might check that out.

Had some pasta tonight for dinner with Betty, Luke went out to meet a friend. I had a moment at the dinner table when I realized that I was understanding everything that Betty was saying, even the little "ums," "I means," and those little parts of conversation. When I first arrived, I understood sentences by identifying a verb or a noun and filling in the blanks. I felt like I would never be able to hold my own in a conversation, but now I can, even making jokes on the subject. It makes me incredibly happy and so glad that I took this opportunity to immerse myself in another language.

I am sleepy and I am looking forward to a busy weekend so I would like to finish off the week without a sleep deficit if possible, so will end my commentary here.

Chao.

Day 73: The Stranded Subway Experience

Today the cool weather persisted, along with the rain. So I bundled up in the warmest clothes that I brought with me (which are not that warm).

There was only one class today, on Parkinson's, with the doctor that I followed yesterday in the ER, Dr. Vega. After the class, during our little break, I went down to the bottom floor (underground) where there was the hospital cafeteria that essentially had coffee, tea, pastries, candies, and yogurt. Oh, and water. But if you were looking for anything substantial, you were out of luck. But there is where the other students in the class hang out, so I got to know a few of them, and I also got the opportunity to forget a lot more Spanish names. There was a Pablo, a Brenda (!!), a Ferdando, a Malina (I think). Anyway, it was nice to talk to them, even though it is hard to relate completely to their situation; they are all 5th year medical students (5 out of 7 total), and so are in their mid- to late-twenties. Still, they were curious about my situation and all, and it was good practice trying to understand them since they all talked super quickly.

After our break, that was only about 15 minutes long, we had a short practical observation where we split up and followed one of the neurological doctors, I followed Dra. Santoro. We went into the ER again (I was wearing pants today) and all huddled around the foot of one of the patient's bed. The patient had a pretty complicated and serious condition, that involved facial paralysis and brain issues, atrophy was visible on a scan, but that stuff is not as interesting for a blog. Two other students went into a different room and saw the same electromyogram machine that I saw before. There were no more neuro-patients today, so they dismissed us just a bit before 11.00 and so I went home.

I stayed in my room, not wanting to do a lot for the rain that was constant, yet not very strong all day today. In the afternoon, at about 4.00p I met up with a fairly new friend called Martin and a friend of his called Marcelo. After eating a bit we went to where Marcelo works, which is a hardware supply store, and sat in the staff area and talked for a while. Later we went out for a bite to eat again. It was kind of nice just to hang out with a couple of Argentinean guys, and I have made mostly female friends so it was nice to just talk with other guys. The conversation topics are different. Not better or worse, but definitely different.

We were up in the Recoleta neighborhood which is north and a bit east of where I am staying and Martin was going to take the subway with me since he needed to go in the same direction initially as me, but we were talking and accidentally got on the wrong direction and when we got off at a stop that had a platform in the middle (so we could change directions without paying again) the last train for the night had passed. The city-bound trains stop promptly at 10.30p whereas the outwards-bound trains continue a little bit longer. It was not too bad for me, because a taxi could go fairly directly to my house, so we split a cab fair to my house where Martin was able to catch a bus to the microcenter from which he is now taking a van out to his house in the suburbs.

Now I am very excited to go to bed (however oxymoronic that seems) because I love being warm in bed when it is cold outside. It is only bad when I have to get up in the morning...

Chao.

Day 72: The Dress Code Violation

Rain. That is what formed the day for me. I woke up and it was sprinkling. I went to school via subway as usual and got to class with a couple of minutes to spare. Today the first class was hereditary ataxia, the second on the group of diseases that all involve demyelination. The sky was very overcast, and with the constant dripping everyone was slightly more sleepy today. For the second class I had a different doctor; now I have had Doctora Salutto and Doctora Santoro, tomorrow there will be a third who I think I know but I am not positive. The second class, for me, was more interesting, Dra. Santoro was a very good presenter, involving the students with questions and examples. She really talked using her own words and did not use the slides as the only information given during the class.

After the classes were over, Dr. Santoro asked me if I would like to shadow one of her subordinate doctors in la guardia, the emergency room. Whenever a patient comes into the emergency room (which is not as much of an 'emergency' room in this hospital since it is an investigational institution) and the patient has an already identified neurological condition, they call a doctor from that department to attend that patient. I saw a woman who had a long-standing history with the hospital, and who currently had the left half of her face paralyzed. Her current complaint, though, was that a week ago she had experienced pain in the paralyzed area as well as in her left ear, accompanied by hearing loss.

The doctor who I followed was a little younger, he was very friendly and down to earth. The only issue with my experience there was that I had not anticipated staying after the classes, and I had worn shorts to the hospital. That is a taboo in any circumstance for a hospital visit, but I figured that if I was just in the classes I could do a load of laundry... Just my luck. I did not want to say "no" to the chance of visiting another part of the hospital, so I donned the customary white coat and withstood the several 'tut-tut's that came my way from a couple of doctors and the head of the emergency room. Needless to say, I picked up my laundry, and I will be wearing jeans tomorrow.

I had a private lesson in Tango today, it was a little less structured, and I am feeling the difficulties of grasping this style of dance. It is hard for me to explain my problem, but I will give it a stab: the dances I have learned previously (ie Salsa, Cha Cha etc.) all have a cyclic pattern in the choreography that is obvious at least at a beginner level. The Tango is much more of a linear dance, not in a rigid sense, but in that the dance is more independant (while not more distant) from the melody/music. There is much more room for creativity and for errors on my part. The instructor gave me a list of 30s and 40s Tango groups (those decades are considered the classic times, some hold the opinion that the music from that time is superior to any other) as well as some modern groups. I am excited to look up the names and hear more of the music; hopefully that will help my process of grasping the Tango.

I can still hear the drizzle outside, and the hiss that the cars make while driving through the wet streets. And although I am tired, I plan to make the trip out to see Paula tonight and watch Mujeres Asesinas a television program that is excellent. It is an Argentinean program about real stories of female murderesses. Quite exciting.

Also exciting is that tomorrow there is only one class before a three-way split into groups for some practical observation.

Chao.

Day 71: The Neurology Class

I had my first experience as a medical student, and it was all in Spanish. I attended two classes today, with a 15 minute recess between. The first was on central nervous system infections and the second on tremors. It was fairly hard in the beginning, I was overwhelmed with new words and the speed at which everything was presented. I quickly how much I relied on listening to the teacher while I wrote notes during high school, and how much harder that was to do in a foreign language. Well in reality two foreign languages since medical language is never easy for natives of any language to understand. But by the end of the first class I had settled into a pretty good rhythm of taking simple notes and listening to the language as well as the content.

The group was fairly small, there were maybe 13 (with a few absent from the roll sheet), and the room we were in had seating for about half as many again. The teacher was one of the doctors I had seen in practice before, not the one I had thought it would be, but as it turns out quite a few doctors are taking turns teaching the 20 classes (plus practical time and two seminars) that are in this course. She was very brisk and confident in her presentation, adding personal notes to the PowerPoint information. She came over and talked with me briefly during the break, which was nice of her, and asked me if I was understanding anything. I told her I was. I think she was surprised/disbelieving. 

I got a little sheet with the different lectures during the course so I think that I might ask to sit in a couple more that interest me later on during my time in Lanari.

When I got home I looked up a couple of the acronyms that were used in the presentation that I had no idea of their meanings as well as 2 or 3 words that I wrote aside. I then researched (for personal interest) meningitis and encephalitis some more since they were talked about in the class and I wanted to hear more. The students all have text books, so I will have to make due with the internet. 

I had lunch at home, I bought some pizza from the pizzaria right across the street, and talked with Betty. She has been feeling a little under the weather recently, but she is taking vitamins, drinking and resting lots and I think she is on the recovery. I also dropped off my laundry when I got back since they are not open at 07.50 in the morning when I am dashing off to class. Therefore I will pick up the clothes tomorrow when I return from school. The whole deal is slightly inconvenient, but not a bother. 

I took a group Tango class this evening at 6.00p. I had the same two teachers as last week Thursday, Natalia and Gonzalo, who are very friendly and very sure of what they want and how badly I do all of it. It is good, though, because when they compliment they mean it, and when they criticize it always constructive. The hardest part for me, and this is slightly strange, is how freely the Tango is danced. There is a 'basic' step, but even that is extremely variable and for every pattern taught there are an infinite amount of variations. It makes it great fun to watch, very difficult to learn, and (for me as a novice) super challenging in that I am thinking of a million things all at once. It is fun, when I finally get it right. 

I think that I will be taking a class tomorrow (Tuesday), not Wednesday, and then either Thursday or Friday. How fitting that I was just talking about the freedom of expression in the dance, and I just realized that is exactly how loose my schedule has become. There are many options for times and teachers, so I will just decide based on what else I am doing during the week when I will take classes, not minding who instructs the classes. 

Just finished up some pasta for dinner, ravioli some filled with cheese and others with chicken and veggies. Very good with sauce and parmesan. I am going to bed right now because I am typing sleepily and I must be attentive for tomorrows topics of heredoataxias and enfermedades desmielinizantes. Oh boy, oh boy.

Chao.

Day 70: The Chill Sunday

A store with too funny a name to not be recognized

Quite the opposite from yesterday, today's events were very quiet. I slept in quite late, despite having done nothing the night before. As is my custom for the majority of my excursions, I went to Paula's house in the early afternoon and met up with a new friend of hers, Pitu (a nickname, I cannot remember his full name).

Together we all went to the Plaza Francia again and sat on the grass listening to live music, drinking mate, and munching little cookies with jam centers. It was very relaxing and enjoyable. Afterwards we went inside the Cultural Center that is located right on one side of the park, the very same complex where I visited the childrens' science museum. We went to a different part, though, and we saw some amazing photography (among other art). There was an exhibit of an artist with images from the shanti towns, very poor areas in the city of Buenos Aires, as well as a little film. There was another exhibit that was a small room covered on all the walls and the ceiling with black and white drawings. They were all slightly contorted, of all sizes and topics. Very cool.

Pitu and Paula

Paula

After leaving the art exhibits, we walked back to Pitu's house, and after dropping by a grocery store, cooked up some pasta and cream sauce for dinner. He had a great apartment, full of artwork and very homey. I took some photos from his balcony that stretched the full length of the apartment. Because of the darkness they are long-exposure shots and I like the lights.

Paula on the balcony

Nothing more really happened today. I am going right to bed now, actually I only need to close my eyes since I am writing this (as is my habit) from my bed. I have to get up rahther early tomorrow morning for 08.15 classes at the hospital. I bought some munchies for the break between classes since I know that I will get hungry. I may not be a drinker or smoker, and thereby save on those costs, but being continually hungry does have a hefty price on the wallet.

Days 68-69: The Busy Friday

To start this post off I would like to explain a little about what is "mate." I think that it is important enough to deserve this paragraph. The drink mate is an herb, actually called yerba mate, that is dried and crushed and sold in packages like sugar, flour or salt. The container from which it is drunk is a hollowed-out gourd (sometimes with decorations and/or stand) that has a special metal straw that also acts as a filter. The yerba is poured into the gourd, called 'the mate,' and then hot water is poured in just so that it reaches the level of the yerba. Supposedly for the best mate experience the water should be as close to boiling as possible, while not actually boiling. Sweetener can be added to preference and different flavors of yerba (ie the fruit orange) can be purchased in stores. The bombilla, the developed straw, is made from metal and acts to filter the yerba pieces. It is placed into the mate and not moved or stirred. There are a few customs associated with drinking mate, two of the more important being that you drink all of the water in the mate before refilling or handing it back to the preparer and that you only say gracias when you have had enough mate. It is a caffeinated beverage and is usually drunk in the morning or mid-afternoon.

Mendoza mate drinking (Diego, Flor, and me)

Okey-dokee enough of that. If you really want to hear more, wikipedia actually has a pretty good article on mate.

Yesterday was a rather full day. I went to the hospital in the morning, as planned, and that was probably the slowest part of the day. I was following two other neurology doctors since Dr. Mazia was flying out that day and we saw very few patients. There was a little farewell celebration for one of the rotating doctors who is going to join Doctors Without Borders for a while. We had some tort and coca-cola.

Germán with Estudiantes' victory image (below)


After the clinic experience, I dropped home for a little while before heading out once again. I dropped by the Spanish school to say hi to some of the teachers, and to take a photo with Germán. At about 4.30p I walked the goodly ways to the Tango bar for a 1.5 hour private lesson. My instructor was really nice. He definitely did not look like the stereotypical dancer, more of an office worker if anything, but we worked on the subtleties that make the tango the Tango. He also taught me some basics that I could use to navigate a crowded dance floor.

Yes, she died her hair.

Once the lesson was finished at 6.30p I received a text from Betty telling me where I could find her at a march that was organized in the middle of the city. Originating at the Obelisco, a huge group of people gathered in protest of a topic I believe I mentioned a while before. There is a current conflict between the owner of the major newspaper Clarín owner and Las Madres of the Casa Rosada. The owner, a rich woman, has two adopted children who are suspect of being illegally adopted during the dictatorship. The children (now adults) are unwilling to take a DNA test and run the risk of losing their ties to the Clarín business. Anyway, the rally was against the Clarín, organized by a television program called '6-7-8' on Facebook.com. People were chanting/singing/yelling, jumping, waving banners and flags, handing out pamphlets, and there were some fireworks too. After finally finding Betty (a difficult business) we decided to leave after waiting for a while for the 'marching' part to start. So we went home and at some savory crépes while watching the protest on that night's show of 6-7-8 that was broadcasting live at that time.

After eating I went to Paula and Andres' department where we met up with three other friends and headed out for the night. It was a late one, but filled with a fantastic mix of American and Latin music.

This morning I was able to talk to my Grandma and my Dad. One via phone, the other computer. I almost forget sometimes that life is happening outside Buenos Aires.

I dropped by Paula's again in the afternoon and we went for a walk and listened to a live band in the park nearby. I had to rush back though at 8.00p for Betty's dinner. This dinner was a meal three days in the making. It started when her grandson asked how is the Jewish Easter dinner. She wanted to cook it all for the actual Easter Sunday, but did not have the time. For tonight, though, she created a complete meal with lots of traditional food including of course matza and kosher wine. We finished it all off with some of the same chocolate tort that I have raved about before since it uses no rising ingredients. It was super yummy.

My plans for tomorrow are pretty open-ended, I have nothing particular planned and I am liking that situation quite a lot.

Chao.

Day 67: The Second Tango

Today was Day 2 for the hospital and the tango classes. I arrived at the hospital this morning at 08.30 and I waited for a short while while Dr. Mazia finished some other work before the patients arrived. Today was Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Day, two of the three patients having this condition, the third something closely similar. With each patient we worked in a different room from his consultation room, one that had an electromyogram machine. This machine using electric stimulation to record nerve conduction. While trying not to make my blog into a sort of medical journal, the machine projects a wave-form graph along with a calculated speed at which the impulse traveled along the nerve. The first patient, an elderly male, jumped around quite a lot with each impulse of the test. The second (who was complaining of pain, not insensitivity in the wrist) was an adult female who whooped an hollered with each impulse. I began to think that this machine was emitting some sort of current equivalent to 10 electric fences or something similar. The third patient, an elderly wheelchair-ridden female, hardly reacted at all. No noises, no jumping around. I presume each reaction must have something to do with each condition because the responses were so varied. Dr. Mazia offered to perform the same test on me so I could understand the patient side, and of course I eagerly accepted.

First he pulsed a small current that twitched my thumb involuntarily and was less 'shocking' than an electric fence (I thought). The second test was with an impulse sent from the elbow joint and it twitched my entire arm. It is a very strange sensation to have muscles act without me "giving" the command. I did not experience any of the pain or shock that the first two patients did, so I think that my presumption holds true.  When Dr. Mazia measured the speed of the impulse, he told me that my nerves were functioning perfectly well and that I did not have carpal tunnel syndrome. Any speed over 50m/s is considered 'normal' and my reading was 66.9m./s.. That is about 150mi./hr., now if I could only translate that, somehow, into voluntary movement, I would definitely be looking to join the track team at Davidson College. I will have to work a bit on that idea.

Dr. Mazia had to go all the way out to the airport today to declare some of the equipment that he is bringing to (and back again from) Canada for the conference, an inconvenience since the airport is terribly far from the city center. He plans to be at the institute tomorrow morning for an hour tops, I will be following a different neurology doctor. The same one who will be teaching the classes I will attend this next week.

I am thinking about asking, in the future not tomorrow, about observing in other areas in the hospital just a bit. I am definitely enjoying the situation as it is, but since I currently have a large section of my afternoon open before the tango-ing, I might be able to work something else out for after I finish my time in the neurology department for each day.

I dropped by the Spanish school today and picked up my certificate from the program. I am going to share this with you all, not to boast, but so that you can all be as surprised as I was at the amount of hours I completed there: 170 hours in "group" classes (including the groups of 1 when I was alone) and 82 hours in private lessons (including the medical Spanish). I had no idea I had spent that long there. Two months sounds like a lot less. Well, I am very happy with how that all worked out, and I could not have asked for a better way to improve my Spanish.

The tango class today was at 5.00p with two different instructors. There are quite a few instructors that teach in the studio (for lack of a more appropriate term) on different days at different times. I talked with Ceferina and she had spoken with my program coordinator about the financial part of things, so everything is in place. I have the option to take 5 group classes each week, or 1 private (equal to 3 group classes in price) and 2 group. I think I shall do the latter since I will benefit from one-on-one attention. Hmm, how interesting how that configuration is exactly the same as my academic plan. I just realized that. The class itself today was great. The two teachers were very friendly, helpful and definitely knew there stuff and I was the only foreigner (which I liked). There was no English spoken (well maybe 3 words) and so I felt much better than yesterday when things were in Spanglish. After some exercises we started working with a short little routine of about 7 or 8 steps (it is hard for me to count the steps since they are all so new to me). It was definitely a challenge, but I think I stepped up and did alright. At least I made the barman smile. Yesterday he was actually grimacing at me. How embarrassing. The phrase of the night tonight was poco a poco since I had to keep asking questions about where is the weight, what is the position of (insert body part) etc, etc. Those two instructors are there every Monday, they are dropping the Thursday spot after next week, so I think I will make an effort to be there for their classes.

There is just one more, non-activity, thing that I would like to share tonight. I intended to mention it a few days ago, but I always remembered that I wanted to include it while walking, not while writing. I frequently think about how I am going to write up the days events in my blog just after they happen, or even while the are happening. The funny thing is that I am now so accustomed to mentally translating all my thoughts, or in the best circumstances, thinking them directly in Spanish, that I forget that for the blog I can use English. This is the only time in the day that I actually use English for more than a sentence at a time. I have also caught myself translating my thoughts, however random the are, during the day. I wonder how long, when I return to the U.S., that this custom of translating will continue even though it is no longer required.

Anyways, off to bed. I get to sleep an extra half hour tomorrow morning since the other doctor does not start until 09.00. So to not spoil it by staying up later, I will head to bed now without reading any of El eternauta.

Chicken for dinner, super yummy.

Chao.

Day 66: The First Clinical Day

Tonight the post will be shorter, since I have to get to bed earlier; I have to adjust my body to get up earlier than with the Spanish classes.

Today I arrived at the hospital at 08.30 and the first patient entered the room about 5 minutes later. He was a Myasthemia case that was not yet too severe. Myasthemia is a disease that affects the neurotransmitters that are located inside the voluntary muscles. Simply put, the immune system produces what are called antibodies and they block off the nerve passageways, stopping the signals from reaching the muscles. In extreme cases the muscles that control breathing can be affected, and essentially stop working. I did some more research this afternoon to better understand what I had seen and heard during the day. The guys is participating in a study being conducted from the University of Alabama of global cases of Myasthemia. There are 12 cases in Buenos Aires currently, and Dr. Mazia is heading the case study here. He sent a sample of blood off to the United States because when the antibodies block or destroy the connection between muscles and nerve, the change is visible in the bloodstream. Dr. Mazia and another female doctor conducted some other muscle resistance and strength tests. The patient today was not a very advanced case and from what I understood he was not getting any worse while taking the study's medicine.

Apart from that there was only one other patient during the day. This patient had quite the mouthful of a condition: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) which is also commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease after the famous baseball player who died from ALS. That was an interesting case in which the neurons slowly stop 'working' and muscle control drops along with muscle atrophy. The patient had had tracheal surgery and could no longer talk or control some of the mouth movements, particularly the lower lip. He had to frequently use a kleenex to dab at the saliva that he could not prevent from exiting his mouth. The rest of his body seemed to be functioning well enough, he only had complaints (voiced through the assistance of who I believe were his wife and daughter) about his right arm which was weaker than the left and had a more limited range of motion.

Dr. Mazia is currently writing a book, so an illustrator stopped by towards the end of morning to discuss the first of a few images he wanted to include along with his writings. His topic was related to Myasthemia, but I am unsure of exactly what other topics it is to cover. I only was able to glance at the first page, where the image is supposed to go. Dr. Mazia is leaving tomorrow afternoon for a conference in Toronto, Canada for next week, so my schedule will be a little different from expected, although I do not know now if it will be better or worse:

While Dr. Mazia is out of the country I am to observe in some of the classes offered to medical students in the hospital. I met with the teacher, a doctor, today briefly and she told me that there would be two classes every day except Wednesday. I am quite interested to see how much (if anything) I will be able to understand in these classes; I do not know at what level they will be. No matter what, I am looking forward to the opportunity.

Alright, to talk a little about the Tango class. There were only 3 students: another beginner girl from California and an Argentinean guy who as slightly more competent. The class was 1.5 hours long, with two instructors who were both super nice and helpful. I learned quite a lot and learned that the Ballroom dancing that I know will not really help me at all here. The comment I received most was to drop the posture I had learned to adopt for dances such as the Waltz. Quite the opposite here. But I had fun, which is most important, and I feel like I really will learn a lot. The only problem (yes, as always there is some problem) is with the payment for the classes.

The man who arranged my visit, the school, the hospital, the dancing, made some sort of communicational error. The owner of the studio was expecting some 'Dylan' to take classes between the 15th and 26th of February. I have no idea who that was supposed to be, definitely not me since the receipt that I was given after paying for the program said that I would be taking classes during the month of April a long with my time in the hospital. So... somewhere something went wrong. I just hope it can be resolved without too much fuss and I can just take the lessons, I am really not ready for a bunch of complications.

Alright, off to bed shortly after sending a message to the program coordinator. I am tired, it is late, and I have to get up at the snap crackle and pop of dawn tomorrow. I think I have just invented a fantastic new expression. I plan to use it more frequently, and I give all of you readers full permission to use it if you so care. I do not know if this post was exceptionally short, I guess I had plenty to say.

Chao.

Day 65: The Double Blowout

I woke up a little later than I had while going to school as my meeting at the hospital was scheduled for 10.00a. I got to take the subway in the opposite direction since the hospital is located almost equidistantly to the west from the school. I found the hospital with essentially no problems, I only had issues with finding the doctor. After waiting outside what turned out to be an empty consultation room for a while, I was finally directed to a different office. Doctor Claudio Mazia is a neurologist, and we met today after talking briefly via email. He was very nice, from what I understand he speaks some English, but I am proud to say that my comprehension skills are now such that we conversed sin problemas in Spanish. It turned out that I could not start my practical today, but instead I am to arrive earlier (08.30a) tomorrow to start my observation. Apparently the man who coordinated everything for me did not tell Dr. Mazia that I have not yet started medical school. I think that was a bit of a surprise. So, after less than 2 hours I left the hospital.

I had planned on spending longer there, naturally, so I decided to go for a little bit of a walk. I followed the route of the subway and walked a good ways, past a cemetery and through new neighborhoods. It was quite freshly cool today outside, so it was a very nice experience. The woman with whom I had contact for the classes in Tango that I am going to be taking told me that I could meet with her after 4.00p, preferably 5.00, to discuss hours and times per week of the classes.

After a small snack after midday, I studied a bit of vocabulary (how nerdy, I know, but I felt obligated somehow) and read some of a comic "novel" I must call it since it is so substantial that I was given by Germán on my last day, El eternauta.

At essentially 4.30p I headed out to the studio, which turned out to be a bar/restaurant that has a dance floor and hosts classes during the week. The woman I had talked with, however, called Ceferina was not there having gone to the doctor. She was supposed to return at 6.00p, but knowing Argentineans and their concept of punctuality, I knew it would be later. I hope nothing is seriously wrong with her and it was just that she forgot about the appointment when we last talked before I left for Mendoza. Anyways, I decided to go for another little stroll through the city. I walked east and then north and went right past the school about half an hour later. I rang the bell to see if on the off chance that someone would be there, but there was only the cleaning woman.

I decided to take the subway line that is closer to the school and change lines on the way home, a variation on my routine that I made off and on while at the school. There is a square near the subway entrance and as I was about to enter I heard the sound of bagpipes being played in the from the other side of the square. I could not see the player, but the music was great, and so I followed it around the statue that is in the middle of the square. I sat down on some steps and listened to the man playing the bagpipes for half an hour. It was really nice. I love how unique the sound from that instrument is. Anyway, I left after he played the song that to me is the classic 'bagpipe' song, I do not know the name, but every time I think of bagpipes, that's the song that comes to mind. It really made my day.

I came back home, ate some empanadas and I just finished watching a terrific television program in Buenos Aires that is a series about female murderers, all real-life stories. The acting is great, and it is a really good opportunity for more comprehension practice. I have seen two now, two weeks in a row; apparently the show runs every Tuesday.

Now it is off to the bed with me as I have an early start to what will hopefully be a busy day tomorrow.

Chao.

Days 59-64: The Semana Santa en Mendoza

So, I got back this morning from a fantastic weekend in the province of Mendoza. I want to share lots about the trip, but I will aim to be brief enough as to not be a bore.

I met Flor at the assigned gas Shell station on Wednesday at 6.30p where we waited for quite a while for the bus to arrive. We were a little frustrated at the start of the trip with the lack of punctuality, we left the station a good hour later than scheduled. Our other complaint, that really was the only lasting issue was the volume of the music that was continually played in the bus. At times the music was great, for energy and a feeling of excitement, but there were many times when sleeping was difficult because of all the noise. The bus was fun, however, Flor and I sought to get the front seats on the top floor (double-decker) and we did so, with only one exception, every time. There we had lots of leg room and next to us were Carolina and Lucas two very friendly and quite hilarious people with whom we bonded over the trip.

The rest of the journey there was a bit of a blur, we drank mate that Flor had brough with her, an action that was repeated daily, stopped at a gas station for dinner, and I slept in and out of consciousness throughout the rest of the 13+ hour journey across the country.

Before arriving at our cabins, we stopped at a winery, a Bodega, called Eclipse where we got to observe different stages of the wine-making process. We also sampled grapes and of course different wines.

We continued on to the cabins that were situated in the foothills of the Andes mountains. The place was gorgeous; well kept vegetation in a very arid environment and cozy wooden cabins. I shared a cabin with 8 other people, including Flor, Carolina and Lucas. I hate to admit this, but there were 57 people on in the group and I failed miserably at learning names. Everyone immediately learned that the "yankee," pronounced shankee here, was called Dylan since the only other non-Argentineans were 3 French guys. I, however, was overwhelmed with foreign names all of which sounded too similar.

The next day we went rafting on the Rio Mendoza, a fast-paced river that was quite the ride. We occupied 8 rafts, and despite the very cold conditions I had a great time. There was a girl in my raft, called Paula (how confusing) who fell out not only once, but twice. The first time she fell out but was rescued as she swept by the stern end of the raft by the instructor. I grabbed her paddle as we moved past it. A short while later when we were going over a rough patch with another raft right alongside, she essentially bounced right from our raft onto the other! We all had a moment of shock, and then a good laugh. I sat in the bow of the raft and got many a smack in the face by the waves, but I did not lose a contact, so everything was fantastic. Afterwards we had some snacks and warmed up inside the little cafe at the rafting business.

The following morning a bunch of us walked down to the riverbed that is right behind our cabins and sat by the little amount of water that was moving through. In the afternoon we went to do trekking as they call it, a little hike up into the mountains in front of the cabins. We walked 12km (c7.5mi), 6km up and, naturally 6km down the mountainside. We had some gorgeous views and stopped to rest halfway next to a little stream that was flowing down by the path.

I opted not to go out partying that night, as was offered by the group. The Argentineans have a warped perspective of time and sleep and I knew that if I went out between 02.00a and 06.30a I would be smashed for a wake-up call at 9.00 the next morning. So, instead, Flor and I stayed and played (well, I learned how to play) the local and very popular game of Truco. Truco is played with a special deck of cards (which have the faces of 'cups,' 'gold,' 'clubs,' and 'swords' and the numbers 1-7 and 10-12) and involves lying, luck, skill, teamwork and a bottle of wine preferably with some cheese. There are a ton of rules and nuances that I think I now know, but I am sure that I do not, but the game has similarities to Poker, B.S., and even Go-Fish. I hope to buy a deck to bring home and continue playing. If anyone remembers my blog from a while back where I took pictures of men playing a game in the Parque Rivadavia, they were playing Truco.

The next morning, we all jumped into the van (the majority wearing sunglasses and wincing at loud noises, but not me...) and enjoyed the first music-less journey to the base of the highest peak in Mendoza, Aconcagua. The peak is some 6962m tall (c22,840ft) and is regarded as the Argentinean Mount Everest, requiring oxygen supplements for those who attempt to climb the full height. Needless to say we did not climb the entire mountain, rather we did a nice little loop at the base that was full of photo opportunities. There was some water there, and so the whole experience was a mind-blowingly beautiful (if you do not like the use of mind-blowingly as an adjective than that is just too bad). Again the wind was the only negative issue, blowing fiercely across the hills and freezing off our warm-blooded behinds.

Before heading home we stopped at a second location called El puente de incas where there was a little crafts market. There was a little canyon that had beautifully colored rock walls, ancient structures built into one side and a natural bridge spanning the gap. On the other side was a church that was the only remaining building after a disastrous landslide wiped away the rest of the structures. In the market there I picked out a gift of  membrilla which is a gelatinous jam that is sold in square blocks and has a thin dusting of sugar all around for Betty. We had had some during breakfasts during February, and Mendoza has a bit of a legacy for the stuff.

That night was the costume party. Flor and I dressed up as tourists, since I had no 'normal' costume attire with me, and adopted brutal American accents for the evening. There were all sorts of costumes that night, from bunches of grapes, to a Gaucho (the Argentinean equivalent of a cowboy), to cowgirls, Little Red Riding Hoods (yes, there was more than one...) and one of my favorites was Lucas and Carolina's: Megabytes. They had printed out sheets of paper with binary code and covered themselves in the 1s and 0s. We had a great time dancing the night away to Cumbia music. I learned how to dance Cumbia, with Flor and Carolina as instructors, it is very fun and can be ridiculously fast and yet always remains relaxed and happy.

On our last day we visited a monument to San Martin before heading home. The monument commemorates General Martin who freed multiple South-American countries from the rule of the Spanish. The monument was set atop a giant hill and was appropriately large. We all took pictures and heard a little history and explanation as to what and who were represented. It was quite a significant stop for the Argentineans. However, not to ever remain too serious, we sang a song on the steps of the monument and made a little film of our choreographed dancing. There was this song called 'Y Apareciste Tu' by Los Reyes del Cuarteto that is crazily catchy song and it was played close to a million times during the bus trips. We all had it firmly in our heads, had learned the choreography to the chorus during the costume party, and so we filmed the whole group dancing along under the gaze of San Martin. I think he would have approved. I still have the song in my head, I have been singing it all day long. It is way past the point of ridiculous.

Today we arrived at about 7.00a back at the Shell station in central Buenos Aires and I took the subway home. It was weird to be moving about solo, not thinking about where everyone else was. It is also weird to be back in the city. I cannot believe I was only gone for 4 whole days. I had a super breakfast with Betty and Ana (the housecleaner who visits biweekly and much more of a friend than an employee). I took a nap today, read a little, and uploaded the 219 photos that I took onto my computer. Betty cooked a delicious meat dish with rice and we had some flan for desert.

I should mention that the food in Mendoza was also spectacular. The cook was a Chilean called Fernando who did a fantastic job of cooking fresh, flavorful food for all of us with hot meals for lunch and dinner. We all ate massive amounts.

As mentioned above, I have a large amount of photos that I have uploaded onto the website Facebook.com. I believe that the following two links should provide access to these photos:

This has the first 200 photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=404228&id=802990315&l=d414cf05f2

The other 19 that did not fit in that album are here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=404268&id=802990315&l=482a42cee8

I cannot possibly add all the photos to the blog, not only would that be a horror to load, but inconvenient to view. Leave a comment if the photos are not accessible and I will add a couple 'best of' pictures in my next post.

I am off to the hospital tomorrow morning, and I will be stopping by the Tango studio to arrange my schedule there as well. I am very excited for this new segment in my time abroad!