Un otra dia en BA

 Today was amazing. I woke up and spent the morning helping Matilde create a blog (after finding out I had one and asking to make one-she also created a facebook after i explained what it was to her). She was so happy that she had the opportunity to publish her writings (she has hundreds over many years) that she cried after she posted something she wrote when her husband died. Matilde kept saying "Quiero aprender!" which translates to "I want to learn!"

I cannot express how lucky I am to have such an amazing host women. We are having a great time together and I am learning a ton about how to approach life. The rest of the day was spent walking the city with my guitar singing and playing as I walked all over the city. Literally all over. We got Churripan at Puerto Madero (check!) and walked to San Telmo for the famous antique market (check!). I will be returning every sunday to practice my tango in the streets with live bands, and experience this amazing city. I was talking and walking with my friend Josh about how amazing this place is, and we decided that: minus the poop on the sidewalks, lack of easy transportation, pollution, and a little bit more variety in ethnic food, this place would be perfect. I really love it here and am deeply enjoying my experiences. I'm learning a ton from Matilde and my spanish is getting better. mucho amor y mas en el proximo,

~MAX~

the little things

Hola! Lets talk about the little things in Buenos Aires. First- there is dog poop everywhere. walking down the street is quite difficult, as there as land mines everywhere- and if you're walking home after a night of drinking, you're probably doomed to get the dreaded "stink-foot." Did you know that they haven't invented napkins in Argentina? turns out they're still using wax paper in the restaurants, so bring you're own napkin or paper-towel if you spill (sorry Nonnie!). Ok, earmuffs for those who can't talk about sex. I just started my Tango class, and have recently learned that Buenos Aires is a city of sex. Let me explain. You know the men's magazine Maxim back in the states? well its more like a porno here, and they have it at every newstand, on every corner, along with sex videos and promotions for strip shows. At first it was a little weird to see every 5 minutes, but i've gotten used to it- Did you know that the women here are gorgeous?! Well they know it too, and thats why Argentine men and women make out everywhere. EVERYWHERE. I asked my Global Icons teacher why (i thought it was because they couldn't do it at home, since they stay at home with Mommy till they're 30), and it turns out they just want you to see them in love. Its a celebration of sex, all the time, everywhere. Which aint too bad after you accept it. OK. you can take the earmuffs off. Life is great here and theres TOO MUCH TO DO. and everything is just as cool as the other thing, so its hard to choose. but thats what life is right? making choices and seeing where you come out? well so far i've come out on top every time, its hard not too in this amazing country, with these amazing people, and in this huge city. Well until next time, and remember, watch where you step!

~MAX~

Iguazu= WOW

Words cannot express how amazing this weekend was. After our 18 hour bus ride north to Puerto Iguazu, and an afternoon lounging in the sun and pool, we spent the entire next day walking across the jungle and viewing the Iguazu falls. They were massive. Unbelievable. No artist, architect, or builder could even get close to designing something so beautiful. Only God could grace us with such an amazing part of nature. I wish yall could have been there. YOU NEED TO GO BEFORE YOU LEAVE THIS LIFE. it truly was amazing. we took a boat into the falls and got completely drenched, and i spent about 30 minutes in silence and my mind raced when viewing the devil's throat (google la garganta del diablo and you'll know why). our bus broke down on the way back and we barely made it back in time for class (don't worry mom, I made it), and i look forward to my schedule of spanish, culture courses and my favorite, TANGO CLASSES! we'll see if the Einsohn DNA carries a dancing gene. sorry to be short, but theres so much to do in this place! pictures coming soon.

~MAX~

el fin de semana

Hola! this weekend was great- went to temple, enjoyed shabbat dinner with Matilde (my host mother's-see below- family), enjoyed BA nightlife, toured the city, played guitar at a fair in a park, and tried to sleep. Theres so much to do in this city its crazy. But I am loving it all and feeling more comfortable each day with the language, vibe and culture. I added pictures of Matilde and my homestay, so ya'll (see i haven't forgotten where Im from) can see what kinda place im living at. Que mas? Im enjoying the people on my program and am working to connect with Argentines. Tomorrow is El Bombo del tiempo- a percussion concert/rave/dance party- ive told everyone about it... so im stoked! Ok, sorry for the short post, but gotta get some sleep so I can continue to enjoy this amazing place? did I mention i love it here?

Dulces Suenos!

~MAX~

IES y my familia

Becuase I have too much to write, this post will be in English. Well I have started my program, met wonderful, excited, students like me, and am enjoying exploring BA. I have moved into my homestay- a wonderful, enthusiastic Jewish widow who is taking her 34 years without her husband out on me...through food. She said shes going to make me fat, and I might let it happen. She has thousands of stories about her amazing life (literally- ask Nancy and David who came over for dinner...for three hours), and she is a smart, talented artist, painter, writer, and of course... talker. I´d say that I couldn´t have found a more perfect situation for me in BA. I am enjoying speaking spanish with her, even though she wants to practice her English, and my program orientation is very informal, and sometimes a little redundant. I will be choosing classes tomorrow and beginning my independant study volunteer opportunity soon.
OH... sorry if I have not communicated as frequently as I did when I started this journey. the internet is a tricky thing, and I am TRYING (not so well) to balance out meeting people and going out, with getting things like skype and the internet connnected. I have a list of a million things to do (as we all do) and I plan to work on it this weekend. Im going to temple tomorrow for my first shabbat in Bs.As! I am excited to experience something new, yet mine, and connecting with the Jewish community will be nice too. I have been enjoying myself with some people from California I met in my hostel last week, and really enjoy MOST of the people in the program (theres 150 of us, im bound to not connect with everyone). I will try to post more photos of the amazing sites I have been seeing- street art and performers, political demonstrations (the mothers of the plaza de mayo), che grafitti, amazing architechture, and thousands of Argentines bustling through plazas and large avenues. Once again I must say this place is amazing, and I know I´ll say it again. Untill then,
-MAX-

food update

So I realized after speaking with my family that I haven't yet spoken about the amazing food in this amazing place. I have been living off empanadas, sandwiches and of course, amazing, succulent, perfect steak. All I have to say is the steak I had the other day was so tender I could cut it with my fork. The meat is cheap and delicious- and they have great bread too. I haven't tried any soft drinks- though I hear they taste different (better!), only aqua con gas (like perierr), vino tinto y muchas cervesas. Word on the street is that they have amazing italian food and pizza- I'll have to do some research to confirm. Untill then,  

Que lo disfruta!

~MAX~

A new day

And another day to look forward to! Now, Buenos Aires will be a different experience. I have reconnected with friends of past as we all find ourselves drawn to this lovely country (for various reasons), and I'm excited for the opportunities at hand. Two students on my program arrived last night- I actually woke them up from a nap (I was too excited to wait to see them)"Welcome to Buenos Aires!" and I enjoyed the night with a friend for camp (back in the day-its been about 5 years). So now I have friends (other than the ones i've met here) to experience BA and other places with. This means that BA will be a different experience, one of experiences with friends that will forever remain in my mind. I know that this opportunity will connect me with these people in immeasurable ways-FOREVER. and thats pretty damn cool. So had a good time last night- plus- i played some music for some people in the hostel (international fanbase!) and they were digging my style and songs, so I think i'm going to try and play a little gig at the hostel one night, and hopefully play somewhere in BA over the next few weeks. I have not yet connected with my host family- i guess i'm too busy exploring BA and talking with random travelers and workers from ALL OVER THE WORLD. I love hearing all the differend accents, and look forward to NOT hearing English soon. Solamente neccesito hablar en espanol! 

Shabat Shalom y mas en el futuro.

Suerte!

~MAX~