Since she flies stand-by, her arrival was post-poned until Wednesday, which worked out for me, as I was stressing about the test I had on Tuesday and still working all week at the internship. I greeted her Wednesday morning, although I was off to my internship for the afternoon. That night, I made an effort to be a better hostess and took her to one of our favorite places in town, only to find out that they serve wings. HOT wings. Spice and fire is something we have missed being down here in South America, and this was the closest thing we found to tasting like home. Obviously, we indulged.
The next day we had a similar routine, but later that night we ended up at Crobar, which happened to have live music that night. It was packed and we got to see an awesome show, despite the wall-to-wall people.
That Friday marked Argentina’s Independence Day, so luckily I was off work for the afternoon. I took advantage of this and showed Brittany some sites around town. Our first stop? The Japanese Gardens; a place I had not seen yet. We met up with some fellow group members and headed over for the afternoon. We looked around at all the pretty landscaping surrounding a cute pond and Japanese-inspired bridges and other sites, but one thing did not seem right. Why was the entire park filled with Argentines dressed in crazy costumes? Hats, jackets, fangs, blue hair, chains, wings, you name it-they were wearing it. After following through the park and hitting up the restaurant in back, we were shown to a convention. An anime convention—I should have known.
After escaping the cartoon characters, we wandered over to Plaza Fancia to look around the market and grab a cheap bite to eat. Brittany was able to find a cute new bracelet and fake TOMS shoes (the same ones we all have purchased!). We were right next to the famous cemetery where Eva Perón is buried, so of course, we headed in for a free look around. After snapping pictures there, we decided to head over to see La Flor in the nighttime. However, when we went to leave the fair, Brittany realized her camera was missing. After living here for about two months, my fears of pick-pocketers has dropped, but I was quickly reminded that you can never be too careful. This was a huge eye-opener and an even bigger bummer for Brittany’s trip.
However, she didn’t let it ruin her time here and after looking long and hard and asking around in Spanish like fools, we proceeded to La Flor. It was beautifully lit up, however still not functioning properly. It is supposed to open at sunrise and close its petals at sunset, but all summer, it has remained open. Still an unbelievable site to see.
The next day we woke up a bit late and decided to head over to the other side of town to show Brittany around. Our first stop was the Casa Rosada, the equivalent to the White House at home. They offer free tours everyday, so after a check through our bags, we were in within a few minutes—not quite the security we are used to at home.
We had free reign of the bottom floor and even got a picture with a guard. After waiting in a short line, we were taken on the tour of the entire House. It was incredible to see where the Argentine President works everyday and it was even more unbelievable knowing that we got to see so much of it. How does she ever sneak in and out of there with all these people around?
After the tour, we grabbed some grub and walked around the centro a bit, near where I work. It was dead due to the Uruguay vs. Germany that was currently playing on every TV, so we made our way over to Puerto Madero. I showed Brittany where the Mizzou office is located and she really enjoyed the port of the Río de la Plata. It was perfect timing to see the sun setting right over the water as we were crossing the “Woman’s Bridge.”
Sunday was the World Cup championship, so we all headed over to the boys’ apartment for a watch party. After going into overtime, I was a bit nervous (I wanted Netherlands to win in order to help my bracket scores). However, in the end I watched Spain take the title. After the game, it was getting dark, so we headed back home (and took a detour through Plaza Francia, where Brittany found an amazing leather purse!). That night a few of us went out for an incredible steak dinner. Where else can you find endless amounts of bread, a small empanada, water, champagne, a steak the size of your head, French fries, and a huge scoop of ice cream for 20 American dollars? I love this country!
The next day, we headed to the US Embassy for a class visit and then I had to work for the afternoon. Once I got home, we researched some places to go and we were off to a place called La Puerta Roja for some dinner and drinks. A hostel group came through and we followed them through town meeting many characters along the way and ensuring a memorable night.
The week was a blast and it was nice having a little taste from home by getting to see Brittany. The countdown begins as I am approaching my final month here. Where does the time go?
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