Hasta Luego

Dear Friends,

I'm leaving to go to Argentina in approximately 7 hours. Trying to fill waiting space, so I figure, why not write a goodbye letter of sorts. I think this whole blogging thing is a pretty good idea. I'm not great with writing letters. It's not the writing part but the mailing that I never feel like doing. So anyway, a-blogging I will go! Until I actually find things to do with my time and stop.

I don't know too much what to expect. In the program that I'm going with we don't choose classes until after we arrive. I do know where I'm staying. It's right on a very main road, across from el Jardín Botánico (botanical gardens) and the zoo in the Palermo neighborhood. I definitely lucked out there. I tried calling my host, but was unsuccessful. However, from some skillful googling I think I know a little about who I'm staying with. :

Breakfast by the park
Case 7. The fantasy of waking up in front of Buenos Aires Jardín Botánico (Botanic Garden) is quite attractive. For Marta Molinari it is an everyday reality in her apartment at 3900 Santa Fe Ave. In March 2002 she thought she could sell that nice feeling to foreign tourists. That's why she now rents two rooms. Marta thinks she made a good decision 3 years ago: "Tango lovers are very special people, they have a positive energy. Besides, as they are plenty of time dancing or sleeping they mean less work than other kinds of tourists". Her enterprise is called B&B Botánicos, referring to the expression Bed & Breakfast.

I'm not so nervous about going to a strange place. I was in China for 3 weeks without much anxiety. I think it's more about making connections, navigating the culture, actually speaking the language. It just recently hit me how on my own I'll really be. I've been missing people a lot over this extra-long break and I imagine that will be magnified. But I expect that eventually, at some unknown point within the next 4 months, Buenos Aires will become my home away from home, and that's very exciting.

So, until whenever, hope you're doing well and I'll try to write soon from Argentina!

Lots of love,
Sarah