a girl in the world

finding beauty, pleasure and grace on the road less traveled

We went to a traditional asado (barbeque) today, at a gorgeous estancia (ranch) in the Argentine countryside.  Wine, picadas, and bottomless steak.  The meat today was so tender it was like slicing through butter.  The knife bled with juicy, warm, moist goodness.  And the crackle!  The crackle!  Salty with the tang of meat smoked over a fire all day long.  Skin never tasted so good.  Are you salivating yet?  Today was a most convenient day to turn carnivorous!  Can a recovering vegetarian die from meat overdose?  Meh.  Who cares?  Estoy muy satisfecha.

My time in Argentina is slowly drawing to a close.  SEVEN WEEKS have gone by since I landed here in late October.  I can’t believe how quickly they’ve gone.  It’s a very short time to feel settled in a place and I’ve only just begun to get the feel for the city, the country and its people.  But there are other journeys to pursue and Argentina and lovely Buenos Aires can wait just a little longer.  I got a feel for Castellano, ate more food than I have in the last 5 years of my life and have had so much wine that I’m likely no longer the lightweight I was when I first came.  It has been a relaxing, freeing, soul searching time and I feel very refreshed.  Seven weeks to JUST BE have been a real gift.  And now, there are new things to learn and other corners of the brain and heart to test and examine.

Next stop on this adventure: the Philippines.

This time in the Philippines is a special one.  It’s the first time in over a decade, and only the second time since we immigrated to Canada (when I was 5!), that we will be going home as a family: just the four of us.  It’s a time for family.  It’s a time to go back to the roots I hardly know anything about.  It’s a time to be thankful for the opportunities we had to leave and to return again.  Whereas the last few months of travel were definitely meant for inward discovery, the next month will be the opposite.  There will be cousins and aunts and grandparents to get to know again.  And lots of sharing, giving, talking to be had.  It is overwhelming to think that there will be 200 of us, all related by blood and heart, together during this very special Christmas.

My time in Argentina was so fruitful because I made a conscious effort to set some specific goals to accomplish.  To learn (as much) Spanish Castellano (as possible), to do some design work, to tango, to pursue some different biz ideas.  I was able to do a bit of all these things!  And so for the Philippines, I’d like to do the same: attempt to accomplish some interesting things before the month is up.

Things to do:

  • Push myself with Portrait Photography (there won’t be a shortage of subjects to be had)
  • Create a first-draft plan of a scholarship fund that Mum and I have been talking about
  • Implement a family Dragon’s Den
  • Create a top-notch reunion program
  • Run/walk/sports for at least 30 minutes each day (this is my attempt to recover from all this Argentine eating I’ve done in the last month!)
  • Learn to cha-cha-cha
  • Eat lots of mangoes, rambutans, coconuts and adobo =)

“Buenos Aires es un quilombo!”. This is one of the first “slang” phrases I learned when I got to the city. Buenos Aires is a mess! I real mess! [The literal translation of “quilombo” comes from Africa and means “an orgy of a mess”]. And after living here for 8 weeks, I can understand why Porteños will say this. It’s huge, it’s crowded, it’s polluted, it’s chaotic. And I love it! The madness and craziness of this place is what makes it so charming. It’s a mix of the old and new, the very poor and the very rich, of all things beautiful (design, language, the arts) and all things tragic (poverty, failed politics, corruption). It is REAL. It isn’t Parisian perfection nor Canadian cleanliness. It’s not Italy’s la dolce vita, nor is it the other-wordliness of ancient places like Marrakesh. It is here, it is now, it is raw. The economy is hurting (like everywhere else), people work hard for a living, there is crime and theft and a growing desperation and neediness, but somehow in the chaos, even in the mess of things, everything works out. In the last month there have been floods and subway strikes and citizen protests. Cabbies can scam you, the police may rob you, and beggars will always ask for more than you’re willing to give. It’s like any big metropolis.

But oh there are treasures to be found. Beautiful boutique shops on cobblestone laiden streets in Palermo. Sophisticated cafes in the “grown-up” neighbourhood of Las Cañitas. Ancient hidden coffee shops in Caballito. And breezy riverbank terraces in industrial Puerto Madero (pictures below). There are quiet bookstores and granny-kitchen eateries. And there are trees, trees, trees. Everywhere! They rain purple blossoms on the streets and provide an atmosphere of quiet simplicity to a city that has suffered its history’s changes and tragedies.

It’s easy to get caught up in the tourist traps of the place: the tours, the commercial tango lessons, the restaurants and shopping. It is world-renowed now as “the Paris of South America”. However, if you take the time to stroll, to smell, to let the atmosphere of the place engulf you, you will discover so much more than the souvenirs and the photo-ops and the great shoes. You will find a city rich in all things that matter: the love of family, the camaraderie of friends, and the space and time and importance behind a shared meal on a warm lazy night in a street-corner cafe. Good food, great conversation and an ease and peace that washes over you unlike at any other time before.

Hi, I'm Denise. I'm a writer, artist and photographer. This is where I share what I'm seeing, learning and making.


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