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title from Traveling Alone by Tift Merritt
February 28, 2023
I'm not going to lie friends, February was a bit of a wonky month for me. It might surprise people to know but I work best with structure. As free spirited and go with the flow as I like to think I am in life, with work if I don't have some type of consistency I will lose all my motivation to do things and being out of the office most of January through the beginning of February had really thrown off my groove. It was hard to get on schedule and force myself back into the church offices knowing I wouldn't have too much to do for a while. That paired with a small bout of homesickness, and starting to deal with what my return to the US will look like, this month was certainly a trying one.
Classes at the school I work with officially started back up yesterday, and I have officially started doing the social media for my congregation which I am so excited for, but the majority of my February didn't have much to write home about. So I figured I would take this month's post to run down a couple small things I have been doing or enjoying recently like books, music, or activities that while they aren't exciting enough to warrant a ton of writing about, they have been a nice part of my month.
seeing the city
seeing the city
We all know that feeling of having so many plans and things to do for the weekend and then Monday comes and you realize you did absolutely none of them. I fell deep into that trap for a good month or so here, but now with realizing how little time I have left here I am determined to not let that happen again.
One weekend this month I headed out to La Boca, a barrio known for its colorful buildings and tango shows and got to visit Colon Fabrica, a warehouse turned museum that exhibits sets and costumes from shows performed at the historic Teatro Colon. I got to see some really incredible designs from ballets and operas over the past decade and learn a bit about the history of the Teatro. Afterwards I grabbed a late lunch at a parrilla nearby and stumbled upon a couple art galleries in the same area.
The weekend of Carnaval I went with the other volunteers in the city, and our friends Rocio and Julian to a festival in San Miguel. There was traditional Folklore music and dancing, and stalls with food set up.
Most Saturdays for the past couple months, if I don't have plans, I will spend the evenings at my favorite place in the city, Centro Cultural Recoleta, where I will bring a sketchbook, my laptop to write, or just hang out and stroll through the feria listening to the live music. Its been a great way to feel like I am not wasting my weekend, while also low pressure enough that it's not draining. I can sit back with my maté, and enjoy the chill summer evenings in the city.
books
books
This month I've been reading The Dream of Heroes by Adolfo Bioy Casares, a witty and poetic story set in 1930 Buenos Aires. I bought this book before coming out here, along with five others by similarly famous Argentinian authors, but I saved this one specifically to read in the summer. It centers around Carnaval where a young man wakes up to not remember anything that happened the night before, so it felt right that I read it during the month of Carnaval. I'm about 3/4 of the way through and so far I absolutely love it. Casares does so well blending the lines between realism and fantasy, taking the reader on a journey through this romantic and magical side of Buenos Aires just waiting to be discovered.
It's especially cool getting to read it while I am here as they mention train stations and streets that I see on a weekly basis. The characters are taking the retiro train, sitting in Palermo with a maté, having toast with dulce de leche as an afternoon snack, playing truco (a form of argentinian poker) to pass the time. It feels so porteño, it's like a love letter to Buenos Aires.
music
music
Since being here I've slowly been collecting songs recommended to me by people here, songs I hear places, and some argentinian artists that are pretty iconic, and have been placing them in a playlist. One of them has been Soda Stereo an argentinian band from the 80's who has been recommended to me by so many people here, even some of the high schoolers! They are such a true 80s pop/rock band they remind me a lot of groups like Hall & Oates, Joy Division, and The Cure.
I've also discovered Maggie Cullen recently when she performed at the Carnaval concert my friends and I went to! We found out afterwards she had been on Argentina's The Voice and she has some really pretty songs that will make you feel like you are the main character of a latin american rom-com.
I threw together a quick playlist of some of the songs that have been on repeat for me this past month or two, there is quite a range of genres though so be prepared for some musical whiplash.
retreat no.2
retreat no.2
Lastly, February brought our second cohort retreat, which was in Baradero, a town about two hours outside of Buenos Aires province. During the day we had sessions reflecting on our time so far and what we can bring into the second half of our year, and in the evenings we usually cuddled up to watch a movie. As always it was really nice to get to see the rest of the cohort, and have some time dedicated to just reflection and be thoughtful.
Thanks for joining me for this kinda weird post. February was a month muy tranquilo, but sometimes that's what we need and I am so excited for all the things I have coming up with projects at church, classes at the school, and some cool opportunities with friends here.
Peace, KLB
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