Yesterday for about four hours I had to constantly switch back and fourth between three languages to maintain a plurality of conversations. Yeah, I am bragging. All is well in Buenos Aires.

Yes, there was a bomb. I was not there, but Pasha was. By the time we have photos it probably will no longer matter.

Yesterday, after my Tango lesson, I went to Casa de Rusia, conveniently tucked away above and behind a real estate agency. Unlike its DC counterpart, it is not centraly located and does not have a large tri-color on display in full view. Still, inside it is a very nice space, complete with marble columns, shining parquet and portraits of famous ( Read more... )

Yes, today Argentines celebrated. It is a national holiday, which means that one can stay out extra late, till sunrise or so, on the previous night. Though I got home relatively early, I too stayed up till dawn, clebrating... sort of.
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Two foreigners stand on a busy corner in down-town Buenos Aires, haggling over door curtains, hand-made from coconut fibre. Both understand common Castellano well, yet both speak with effort. It is easier for the tall, thin but muscular Brazilian. He smiles with his eyes and his lips. Though with his dark skin he is the one who looks out of ( Read more... )

Back in the states I often visited my ex-Soviet friends and took a few of our common behaviours for granted. Even if it was a gathering of men who had known each other for a while and owed each other no favors, anyone in the proximity of the sink would automatically wash the dishes when they became necessary. Also, if alcohol was involved, often ( Read more... )

Two days ago I came back to Buenos Aires and already feel like I'm in my home city. At first it was again overwhelming, with many emotion-memories floating back to the surface, but now I'm in my place. My friends and former host family all received me as though it was a few days, not three months that I was away. Come in, make yourself at home. ( Read more... )

At any time of day while I am in the proximity of a radio, I am likely to be listening to NPR. By many, NPR is considered to be pretty far to the left in the spectrum of news/opinion media. Every once in a while (mostly in the boonies, where there is no NPR coverage) I stumble upon rabid righties, listen to them for a few minutes, and continue ( Read more... )

Ответы на вопросы заданые sezamusом ( Read more... )

Билет в Буэнос Аирес (через Сантьяго) куплен, почти вся фото-апаратура собрана, новый laptop заказан. 15-го Октября вечереом, если все пойдет по-плану, я прибуду в Аргентину. Там уже началась весна ( Read more... )