After a long but uneventful flight, I arrived to a nasty, nasty Sunday in Buenos Aires. So much for the city welcoming me with sunny skies and open arms. But just as in any locale, there are always icky days.

Well right out of the gate, almost literally, I’m a dumb American. The customs officer asked me my address in Buenos Aires and I pulled my meticulously printed itinerary out of my bag to realize that the only thing I didn’t print was the address of the place I was to stay here. Really, Aim? Following a little bit of panic on my part, they let me into the country with me hoping the people I was to meet would know where the heck to take me. Well, they did know where to take me but I didn’t even know the name of the woman who was hosting me – nor her number nor her address. We made it to the apartment and she wasn’t answering her doorbell. Well, luckily this dumb American also has a big smile and the voice of a small child begging for a treat. My driver nicely called my host and I finally got in. I’m now soaked, scared and a bit confused but I do have shelter. And my host – Virginia – is great! She’s a single mom in her 40s and speaks about as much English as I do Spanish. But crazily, we had about an hour-long conversion and really understood what the other was “saying”. I think we’re going to get along great.

Since it was pouring, my plans for the outdoor market changed. Virginia recommended I go to a nearby barrio (neighborhood) called Palermo – by bus to shop and eat and walk around – yes, in the rain. It took us – ok, me – about 20 minutes to figure out how to get there and I still got lost. But again, “Mi Espanola es mal” worked and along with pointing, I got to my destination, drenched but hopeful. This barrio is known for it’s shops and restaurants and tourists. I was in desperate need of una copa de vino blanco and came upon a small café that was almost full and seemed to have a good bit of personality – called Le Pain Quotidien. They also had a community table – which is nice for a solo traveler like me. I can sit surrounded by others so that I can people watch and listen to the language and I don’t have to take up an entire table. And they had WiFi! So there I sat with my glass of wine and in comes 3 people who happen to sit next to me at the end of the community table. The man – very cute 27-year-old Hernan, and I struck up a conversation. Seriously, these are the moments where I realize that I’m LUCKY! The kindness and friendliness was such a relief after the fear of the morning. And perhaps it goes to show me that the universe gives you what you need right when you need it.

Anyway, I ended up talking to Herman and his parents for a good two hours. He told me about some good things to do and see while I was here and his parents and I compared puppy photos – Max, they think you’re “funny looking”. I learned a little bit about their culture and they learned a little bit about mine and it was fantastic. Carmen and Giuseppe even bought me my lunch – so sweet and kind! And Hernan and I have a date scheduled later in the week. He’s going to take me to see some live jazz – somewhere that only the locals know about. Yay! And Giuseppe had Hernan give me his number so that I have it in case of emergency. Mom – please don’t worry – they totally treated me like I could be their daughter. It gave me a glimpse into the kinds of people I may meet here and I’m thrilled 🙂

I’m about to venture back out into the rain to take a very very much needed NAP. I have to be at the school bright and early tomorrow and feel like I could sleep for a week right now! A shower couldn’t hurt either 🙂

I’ll write again soon. Here’s to making TONS more memories just as good as this one!