Day Fifty-Six: What Brings You to BA?

Future soccer starsI take a long walk this afternoon, check out the MALBA museum and stroll through the parks. 

Lots of dogs in BA.Dogs appear to have a great life in BA.  I bet Lyla would love it.  I wonder what she is doing.  I picture her romping around in the countryside.  I miss her.

Fernando emailed me on ASW and invited me to a dinner with other ASW people at La Fonda Del Polo in Las Canitas tonight.  He is a polo instructor and I am taking a lesson with him tomorrow.

A Small World is a great network to plug into for traveling.  You meet all kinds of people from different places.  At dinner I sit across from Michael.  He is a journalist currently producing a pilot for show about ex-pats in BA and other cities around the world.  I tell him about where I am staying and suggest that he check it out.  It is the perfect place to find a few interviews.

Denidsia and Desislava are sitting across from me.  They are from Bulgaria and played polo at Fernando’s farm this afternoon.  Desislava tells me that in Bulgaria you need to pick your major before you finish high school.  She studied business administration and then realized she hated it, but she was stuck.  “What do I do with it now?” she asks of her degree.  She wanted to travel and she saw the Emirates was hiring so she became a flight attendant.

Denidsia and DesislavaAfter dinner I meet Kike and pals at Wherever, Kike’s friend’s bar in Palermo.  I meet Consuelo.  She is 26.  She married when she was 22 and is now divorced and lives with her parents 50km outside the city.  Consuelo is one of many twenty-something Argentines who lives at home.  Pato also lives with his family about 30km outside the city.  For Argentines, everything revolves around family.  You live at home until you get married.  In Consuelo’s case, you move back home when it doesn’t work.

Pato, Kike and Consuelo and WhereverKike tells me about his band, Misticos (see website).  He is from another time and place.  London in the sixties.  The Beatles or the Ramones. 

KikeWe head to Franks, Kike’s new favorite spot. 

The telephone booth to get into FranksI am talking to Consuelo and Pato and somehow we get onto the subject of Ninja Turtles.  They are my age and grew up with the same cartoons as me.  He-man, Ninja Turtles, Thundercats.  It’s surprising.  They grew up a world away but we watched the same television.

Sergio’s sister, Laura, helps me with my Spanish.  She uses Italian as a bridge and it’s really helpful, although I start to confuse the languages.

I’ve met so many people in BA from all over the world.  Everyone has an interesting story about how they ended up here.  It’s a diverse city.  I’m really excited to see what the weekend has in store.  See more pictures.