बूएनोस एरेस पोर फिन!

I am finally in Buenos Aires! After a 26 hour bus ride I am here and it is everything I thought it could be and more. Of course, I am only human and after so much travel I came down with a nasty cough and cold and was completely out of commission yesterday. I feel much better today after a full day and night´s rest and even applied for a job today with Berlitz language institute and went for a run around the city center. I started my run off in the morning, climbed a tree and did some yoga in the park. I was finishing up my little yoga session with my IPOD blaring when a man with a bunch of dogs walked by and said something really loud to me. I couldn´t hear it on account of my ipod but I think he thought there was something wrong with me because I was lying down in the park. I just told him Estoy practicando yoga and caught my breath (he really scared me--hehe). I continued my run and finally made it home in one piece. I´m so happy to be in a place where I can excercise again. What a thing of beauty! I´m planning on finding a job teaching English at a language institute and a part-time job teaching yoga or pilates. I really miss teaching and I´m so glad that I´ll have the opportunity again. I´ve thorougly enjoyed traveling about but I´m ready to be busy and productive again. At home I always have 3 jobs and go to school so not having that has made me a little stir-crazy in my head. I think after a year of 12 hour days at UCI and student teaching at the high school I deserved a bit of a break. Anyways, today Noel and I went to the only Marriott in Argentina (a partner hotel of the Ritz Carlton where I work) and found out that we can get rooms for $59. Not bad. I´ll look into that later when I make some money. We explored the banquet rooms and gave it the once over. I was impressed. The hotel is over 100 years old and in the heart of the center of town. We also went into a mall that is the equivilant of South Coast Plaza in Orange County. Wé´re talking lots of dough here. I love Buenos Aires but ít´s a bit hard to get used to the sticker shock after Bolivia. I´m definitely happy to pay extra for modern conveniences like hot showers and toilet paper (how civilized!). On our walk home this evening we decided to stop off at an outdoor cafe (how Parisian as my mother would say) and have a cappucino. After a few minutes we were greeted with a fireworks display. We made our way over to the central plaza and found they were having a huge rally to pass a Ley de Medios (Law of the middle class). I asked someone what it was all about and they said that over 80% of the population is middle class and they are trying to get the courts to pass a fair tax act for them. It reminds me of back home except their rallies were extremely well attended with people drumming, babies holding banner and grandmas holding Che Guevara flags. Everyone who was anyone in Buenos Aires was there tonight. It was wonderful to see such a public and peaceful outcry. I am sitting back at my lovely hostal looking for jobs on every possible internet avenue and reveling in my day. I´m thankful for my rejuvinated health and know that it´s a sign that I need to keep working out and drinking lots of water. After today´s run and yoga sesh I feel renewed and happy again. I will keep you posted on the job and apartment hunt. Hope all is well at home! Don´t forget to FOLLOW THAT LLAMA now that it has an official residence- La ciudad de Buenos Aires!