love the taxistas

Just thought I might take a moment to shout out some love for the cab drivers here in Baires...
I feel as if every time I am either going to/returning from a massage, my happiness level skyrockets. Perhaps it's the hablar-ing in Spanish, or maybe it's the brief glimpse into a strangers story...whatever it may be though, through it I find contentment. Connecting with this taxi drivin' population of porteños has provided much entertainment. Exchanging stories. Talking authors, elections, culture, weather- the whole shebang. Often times with taxistas you've got to be the forward one and throw at them the "¿Cómo te va tu día?" and from there, well, most are elated to chit chat it up for a while...but every now and again I'll receive the short, blunted answer that leaves me hanging...I suppose ya can't win em all.

what i would give...

My days are void of blues and greens, of dirt and leaf, of tank tops and flip flops. Hearing from all ya'll back home speak of days spent in the mountains, on the sand, and in the water...it doesn't digest well! While I stand on congested avenues throwing my body out into traffic to snatch a cab, you people sit lakeside sipping on brewskies and eating guacamole. While I throw on my fleece and alpaca cap to brave the brisk morning walk to the gym, you people strip down to your bikinis and board shorts and hit the beach for a little wave riding and sun worshiping. While I look outside my window and see a brick wall, you people look outside your windows and see warmth. I'm throwing myself a major pity party here, no denying that one... :) And really, it's not all that bad...I like to be dramatic at times, especially when it comes to this city slicker-in-the-winter lifestyle that I am taking on. It's plain and simple though- I am craving summer. What I would give...to breathe crisp montaña air, to cruise on a bike, to stretch out on sand! I suppose it's time I get myself up out of this mayhem and back in touch with good ol' Madre Naturaleza. Cheers to that.

markets, bars, & wellness brought to you

So, ever since we arrived in Baires, we've been a bit over the top (typical) about exploring our health food store/restaurant & farmer's market-style options...and naturally, the search has yet to come to a halt (note: I find it necessary to enter every single "dietetica"- natural food store, to ponder the selection even though each store basically sells the same items for basically the same amount. It's too much, I know.) A few weeks back we discovered one hidden gem that must be jotted down: El Galpón. Open just two days a week, this marigold painted, barn-like market can be found nestled next to/behind the train station La Estación Lacroze- a sketchy area no doubt, rough around the edges, but delightful nonetheless- a true diamond in the rough.

A pot of gold at the end of the road.

Due to the small size of the building, the setting is intimate and communal...and the vendors are absolute characters! My favorite is probably the dairy man who can usually be found sporting a cap, scarf, and grin. A vibrant wee man he is, always ready to dish the biggest, baddest testers of all time- we're talkin' hunks of whole butta atop a little pan, or even better, scoops of dulce de leche. He doesn't mess around. Best part is, he has black and white xerox copied photos of his farm, including the animals that produced the product you are about to purchase..."That milk right there...you can say thanks to Margarita!" he says, pointing to the photo of his prized vaca. Can't get enough of the guy.

He wins my heart each and every week...

Oh and then there's the spunky marmalade lady, Rosa, who reminds me a bit of my mom, chattier than all get out. Her spreads are to die for...some of her featured flavas: cherry w/walnuts, carrot & kumquat! Offering everything in it's organic form- from olive oil to wholesome yogurt, fresh produce to raw honey...El Galpón gets me thoroughly stoked on food.

I think that all of the vendors, including dear Rosa (above), have come to know Col and I as the foreign chicas who are always on the prowl for testers.

In other news (though still related to nourishment), Col and I have been running a Lara bar factory right out of our home, producing some of the best all-natural raw goodness I have ever eaten in all my 22 yrs. Seriously. If you are like me and fancy little energizing treats of the sort, I urge you to run on down to the mercado to pick up some dried fruit and nuts, and get crackin'- you won't regret it. For some inspiration, featured below are a few of our creations:

• La tierra: 1 cup pitted dates (the stickier the betta) . 1/2 cup finely chopped cashews . 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts . 1 cup sliced dried apples . 1/2 cup raisins . lil' nutmeg (little goes a long way) . cinnamon . flaxseed (optional) .

• El choco-coco: 1 cup pitted dates . 1/2 cup finely chopped cashews . 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts . 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate . 1/2 cup shredded coconut . lil' nutmeg . cinnamon . flaxseed (optional) .

• El sueño pacana: 1 cup pitted dates . 1 cup chopped pecans .

Sidenote: Measurements are all a bit rough...just try and keep it equal parts dried fruit and dry ingredients, all of which can be mixed & mingled a su gusto (other nice additions to experiment with: almond butter, seeds, oats, honey, dried apricots...) No holdin' back folks...get creative. "Go on get!"

Tasty lil' suckers.

The whole bar kick-off really got fired up because Col and I posted ourselves on craigslist (no surprise here) offering a "Wellness Package." You can pretty much have anything and everything delivered to your doorstep here in Baires (medication, groceries, ice cream till 2am- no joke)...so why not deliver a bit of wellness? SAMATHA ("stopping, calming, breathing" in Pāli) is the title of our service :) ...bringing people a 2-hr session of pilates, massage, and of course, the homemade bars paired with a calming tea. Heavenly right? All we need now is the clientèle...

a few nice lines

"A man needs to travel. By his own means, not by stories, images, books or TV. By his own, with his eyes and feet, to understand what he is. To some day plant his own trees and give them some value. To know the cold, to enjoy the heat. To feel the distance and lack of shelter, to be well under his own ceiling. A man needs to travel to places he doesn’t know to break this arrogance that makes us see the world as we imagine it, and not simply as it is or may be. That makes us teachers and doctors of what we have never seen, when we should just be learners, and simply go see it."

Amyr Klink

smuggling georgie

Kate sadly bid us adieu a little over a week ago, but I thought it absolutely necessary to feature two absolutely incredible photos of her...the first is a head shot that makes me chuckle every time I look at it. Oh I miss that girl! The second is at the San Telmo Sunday street fair, where Kitty bonded with a colorfully clad Native Indian from Peru. He asked her out on a date for later that evening...

Post-Kate's visit we found ourselves with an unexpected guest: Mr. Georgie. We first crossed paths with George in Florianopolis, Brazil, through the family with whom we couchsurfed. He graciously played our tour guide for a day and we were instant friends. A brief low-down on Georgie: real name "Jorge", Bolivian-American, U.S. home base = Los Angeles, film producer, yogi, vegetarian, extremely clean, can't stand the cold, nomadic tendencies... Given our ridiculous "no guests for more than one night or else we'll make you pay" apartment situation (don't get me started,) we had to be super suave about sneaking Georgie in and out of the building. I am not quite sure how we managed to keep our guest a secret, but we pulled it off. We failed with both Jodie and Kate and were tagged with the $200USD fee. Frustrating. Just a few other things worth venting about: 1. Our neighbors (who we never see) complain that we shut the door too hard (what?!?) 2. Leo, the awkward doorman, his sister Roxanna not only cleans our place once a week, but she is also secretary to the owner of the apt! All eyes on us. 3. New rule imposed: $500USD fine for noise complaints after 10pm. Hard to abide by when the walls are paper thin- and although we have come close, we have yet to get our first warning. Fingers crossed. Anyway, having Georgie here was great fun- lots of cooking, good conversation, and speaking Spanish (he was a wonderful influence...kicking our desire and need to speak Spanish with one another into full throttle.) Looking forward to seeing him soon as he will be settling down in BsAs for a while after his trip to Bolivia...

Georgie expressing some raw emotion at the ArteBA exhibit.

Me, Col, Mauro (Georgie's friend), & G at "Bomba del Tiempo"- a Monday night percussion showdown that really gets ya movin'.

"katarina" comes to town

The lovely Miss. Kate Elliott has blessed both Col and I with her two and half week visita . She has taken on the name "Katarina" while here in Buenos Aires, and when introducing herself, the name bolts out of her mouth with Argentine flair, rolling "R" and all. She also finds it natural to throw a kitty hiss or two into her sassy intro, only inducing a case of serious hysteria in both Col and I. We simply cannot get enough of her. Our activities thus far have included endless wandering the streets of B.A., heaps of mint tea and mate, and a benefit concert featuring the one and only Shakira...

We scored the tickets through a massage client of mine who was in B.A. on business...I found out mid-massage that he was a manager for musical artists including Latina diva Paulina Rubio, who was also performing. The benefit concert was put on by Fundación ALAS, a non-profit organization that strives to "give wings to the children of Latin America."

ALAS is a movement dedicated to the children in Latin America. Founded by Latin America's most influential artists, intellectuals and business leaders, this unique non-profit organization strives to launch a new social movement that will generate a collective commitment to comprehensive Early Childhood Development programs for the children in Latin America. Latin America has 54 million children age 5 and under and no less than 32 million of them are currently living in poverty. A catalyst for change, ALAS will work to improve the children's lives by creating a social movement that delivers effective health, education and nutritional programs during their most influential years of development through comprehensive Early Childhood Development. http://www.alasthemovement.org/default_en.asp

The concert was quite a treat...especially because these past few months Col and I have been saying how sweet it would be to see Shaki do her thang live. I about lost it when one of my personal favorites, Wyclef Jean, came out for a little "Hips Don't Lie" collaboration. I was in heaven.

Coller and Katarina workin' it out.

Kate & Col ran a marathon this past Saturday (above they fight over the prized medal). I, on the other hand, opted out of the race as I am not a fan of running with the masses...makes me a bit anxious :)

Nuevos amigos: Adrian, Martin, & Ariel.

Tea time with Kitty Bean.

soy masajista

"...And her job situation?" The thought might have crossed your mind a time or two...or perhaps it hasn't. Well, in any case, it goes something like this: Before coming down here, I was hoping to find an English teaching position (what most foreigners do in B.A.) as well as find work as a massage therapist. The fact that I am without a work Visa only worried me a wee bit (I had heard it would be an advantage to have one, but it was not a necessity.) About a week or so after we arrived, I began emailing spas around the city, introducing myself and my desire to work in B.A. as a massage therapist. I received two speedy replies, did the whole interview bit, and soon thereafter found myself suiting up for my first day as a working massage therapist at Bella Club (hooray!). Let me note that this "outfit" I have to wear, yeah, no no...we're talkin' a white, midriff bearing, 3/4 sleeved, mini-smock of sorts, and the pants, let's just say they were way too short and incredibly uncomf- thank God I was able to switch up the pant situation! Anywho. Other than the get-up, the spa is great. And I will admit, I have always been a bit "ehh" about working in the spa environment and have forever known that I wanted to practice massage in a more personable, private setting. But, with my desire to get things going in B.A., the spa route was the first to present itself and I wasn't about to turn it down. Bella Club is set in an old, beautiful building downtown...high ceilings, lots of light, nice and breathable. On the first floor you've got reception and the fitness area, and on the second floor you've got the spa (w/sauna, tub, and deck.) The gals at the spa are really sweet and super patient with me, always helping me out. Good vibrations. Another plus is that I don't feel as if I have to mold my massage technique to any specialized, brochure-defined style. Each of the therapists has the opportunity to bring his/her own style and employ what they know about bodywork. I like that.

In other job-related news, just a little over a week ago I made the big purch: my first massage table. It was a steal- only $290 pesos (less than US $100.) From the little searching I did, I have come to the general conclusion that table quality here- not so top notch, but what can ya do? I located the best one I could find (which just happened to be off of an eBay-esque website,) went to the factory (which just happened to be the massage table-maker's living room,) and thought to myself, "This search of mine could go on forever, put aside your indecisive ways Linnea and just go for it." And so I went for it. And having thrown down a pretty peso for my new camilla, I was not about to throw down more money to simply jump in a taxi and head home, stress free. No, no, no- I was going to be stubborn with money (I get it from my papi) and save those pesos...I was determined to get that thing home via Subte (the metro). Oh you should have seen me hauling that beastly piece of equipment across B.A.! I about killed myself.

So now that I am fully equipped for this outcall based massage business, I have been networking with other therapists, posting myself on Craigslist (what would we ever do without cyberspace?!) and tomorrow I am actually having business cards made! It has really been a fun endeavor... especially with the opportunity to work in a personable environment where I can more thoroughly connect with the individual, one on one...so much more my style. I have been most approached by English speaking people who are either ex-pats residing here in the city, or travelers who are just here for a week or so and are hoping to receive a massage while on vacay. Between speaking Spanish and serving the porteños at the spa, connecting with fellow Americans within the comforts of their homes away from homes, and teaching a few English classes throughout the week at a language institute right here in Las Cañits, I am finding a nice balance among it all. I feel incredibly blessed by the flexibility these jobs have to offer, as well as by the ability to mix things up a bit- a little of this, a little of that. It keeps things interesting you know, not so routine...and this is certainly how I hope to keep things rolling. And alas, a little money flowing in the opposite direction!!! After almost 4 months of spending heaps and making nada, this is some much needed supplement for the well-being of mind, spirit, and bank account.