Palermo Chico

The first days of spring

Democrats Abroad Party

We watched the presidential debate.

Near my apartment

Have you seen this website?

It’s www.livestrong.com When I looked at it I thought to myself how much I agree with what it says.

First, I really like the name – Livestrong. No one says livestrong in English, but it is a great name that, in my opinion, successfully gets across a complex message - all in just 10 letters.

Then there is the trademark of the website “Dare to” followed by what they dare you to do: get healty, be active, eat well, find balance, and stay young. The word dare is what I really like here. I think this fits the description of the idea that they are getting across perfectly.

It is so easy to make every excuse in the world why a person is making unhealthy decisions. When it comes down to it, we all make decisions everyday that decide whether or not we are going to Livestrong or whether we are going to take another route.

I do think what they are challenging you to do is difficult, but I think the things that are really worthwhile in life are harder to get and in turn that makes them more valuable.

It's official...

I had to request my criminal record from the FBI because I am applying for a Visa here. I don't have any...for now! (-:

Pasta Party with elkilometro.com

Along Sante Fe Avenue

Do you have someone that inspires you?

Is there someone in your life that makes you stop and take notice? Or makes you want to be a better person? Or makes you want to say what the woman said after Meg Ryan faked an orgasm for Billy Crystal while they were sitting in a restaurant in the movie When Harry Met Sally, “I’ll have what ever she’s having.”

I hope you have someone like that, because I sure do.

There’s Herman Cortinez, my running coach, who always stands near the 200 meter mark while his group runs repeats, constantly cheering us on, yelling “¡Dale, dale!” and ” ¡Vamos, vamos!” He is so positive, so friendly, and so consistent. I’ve been running with his group for some time now, and I’m hoping some if his attitude rubs off on me.

There’s Nora, one of my neighbors. She’s about 80 years old, sometimes she doesn’t remember my name, but she always greets me with “Mi amorrrrrr” and has her nails painted a beautiful shade of ruby red every week. To me, it’s her nails that really get me; to me they are a symbol that she is still in the game, even at her age.

There’s my friend Brad, who lives in Texas, and whom I’ve known for about 20 years. He is one of the funniest people I have ever met, always cracking jokes and making me laugh. He is always so positive and has a great outlook on life. He recently went through a divorce, is now taking care of 2 kids on his own, and has just started dating someone (what a coincidence) from Córdoba. Even after his divorce, he hasn’t given up on love.

There’s another one of my neighbors, Hector. He’s 54 years old, ripped as all hell, good-looking as can be, always dressed to perfection, and is an Ironman. Yes, I did say that, an Ironman, with a tattoo of the IM logo on his leg to prove it. I think he has completed 3 Ironman’s at this point. I just think to myself, Geez, I wish I could even finish one of them, let alone 3! He’s really something remarkable.

I have lots of people that inspire me. When I think about them, I think they all have something in common that I find attractive.

They haven’t given up on life.

You know, I was talking to another one of my friends the other day, who also just went through a divorce, and she said she felt like she was damaged goods. I told her that fact is that pretty much after the age of thirty, we all can be considered damaged goods.

The people that inspire me are the ones that go out there and are giving it their best shot no matter what has happened to them in the past. They look on the brighter side, they are open to love, and they accept themselves and people for what they are, flaws and all.

In essence, they get up and face the world every day with an attitude as shiny and bright as the ruby red nail polish that Nora puts on her nails every Tuesday.

Te mando besos,
Jenn

Near my apartment

Wow!

In Los Bosques de Palermo

Carteneros

Drunk

I was walking along Sante Fe when this guy started talking to me. He was drunk and had vomit on his coat. He asked me for my phone number. (-:

Autoservicio

I was surprised to find out that this is a grocery store. For the first year I was here, I thought it was a garage where you can get your car fixed.

Costanera Sur

Top 10 reasons you know you’re almost a porteña…..

10. You think nothing of eating 10-12 oz of meat for dinner – and nothing else.

9. You don’t blink an eye when it’s only September and you’re shopping for a new spring item and they tell you that “No hay stock”.

8. Your point of view has changed from “Uhhhhh, everyone here has a mullet” to “They really rock the mullet here!”

7. You end all your words with “ito” or “ïta” for no particular reason.
“Voy a darte este papelito así que podés recibir tu remerito.”

6. Your shoes match your handbag AND your scarf.

5. You know exactly what bill to pay with in order to get back the most monedas.

4. When you write to your friends back home (in English), you find yourself ending every sentence with an exclamation! Or better yet, two!! Or three!!!

3. When you’re ending that email or letter, you think writing “Best” or “Regards” is just waaaay, waaaay too formal.

2. Instead of talking to people in direct sentences, you pose everything as a question. “¿Querés que nos vemos?”

And the number 1 reason you know you’re almost a porteña is……..

1. You can walk down the sidewalk, type a text message without looking and not step in dog shit because you now have a shit radar on both feet.

I say you are almost a porteña because the fact is you will never be a porteña. But, you just might one day look up and say to yourself, “Wow, I actually feel at home here.”

Te mando besos,
Jennifer

Every morning, the same thing

Kittens

Old men

Pretty

This is a sign right by my apartment. I've always liked a mix of blue, yellow and white

We're All in this Together

I ran the Nike 10k Human Race last Sunday. It was spectacular, with a race in 25 cities across the globe, over 750,000 participants world-wide, and 15,000 in Buenos Aires. I had a fabulous time. I could go on and on about it, but you have probably already read about it in the paper. What I really want to tell you about is something that I thought about the entire time I was there.

It’s something that a friend said to me about 14 years ago, something that changed the way I view the world and I think something that captured the spirit of the race.

I was in my first year of engineering school and I had just turned 18 years old. I had gone to class early and was waiting outside in the hallway for class to start. I was chatting with a friend, when someone else from our class asked him about the homework that was assigned from the day before. He began talking with this guy, answering his questions and talking him through any uncertainties that he had.

After a couple of minutes I thought he would begin talking with me again and we could finish our conversation, but I could tell that the guy still didn’t understand, so my friend continued talking with him. When the bell rang for our class to start, I realized that he had been helping him for a good 20 to 30 minutes.

I was a little surprised by this so I asked him if he knew the guy he was talking to. “No, I’ve never met him” he answered. “Wow! You’ve never met him and you helped him for that long with his homework?” I said, incredulously. What he said to me next, is something I will remember for the rest of my life, and something I keep as one of my core beliefs.

He said “Yeah, the way I see it, we’re all in this together.”

I probably sounded like David Chappell’s impersonation of Lil Jon after that (I think I said “What?” about 5 times) because what he said to me really rocked my world. I had never thought about life that way: “We’re all in this together.”

I think what really stumped me was the “this” part. I hadn’t figured out what “this” was yet.

Now, 14 years later, I think I have.

Even though we’re all different, in the end, we are all the same. We all have our fears, our insecurities, and our innermost thoughts when we are laying in bed, alone in the dark just before we fall asleep at night. We all have the need to be loved, to be accepted, and even though we different places in our lives, we all are looking for our happiness. In the end, we are all just trying to make our way through life, doing the best that we can.

The key part here is that if we can help someone along the way, then we can make the world a better place, for that person, for us, and for everyone.

And this is exactly the feeling that I felt while I was at the race.

First there were all the runners, 15,000 of them, of different ability levels, running different paces, everyone dressed in their red shirts, trying to make their way towards the finish line. Then there were the people at the turn-around near the Lago del Golf, blasting music to pump everyone up. Also, the fabulous Gatorade crew that made sure that everyone, from the fastest runners, to the ones bringing in the rear, reached their goal. And I can’t forget, one of the most important parts of any race, the people lining the streets, cheering us on as we made the final 200 meter stretch towards the end.

It was really something special. I felt a real sense of unity out there, like I was part of something more than just a race, something that is hard to describe.

I think the phrase “We’re all in this together” fits perfectly.

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Let me know your experiences, thoughts on the race.

Te mando besos,
Jen

Dorrego y Figuroa Alcorta