The week is flying by and it's already Thursday! I had my first nightlife experience in BA and went to the amazing restaurant/bar,
Milion (check out the website and turn up your speakers, the site has some amazing music! I'm actually listening to the music from their site while typing this) The building is a restored mansion in the nice barrio of Recoletos and when you walk into the back, you step into a courtyard with a grand-staircase leading to to the upper-level bar. I was there for my roommate Bibi's birthday along with our diverse group including 12 people from Holland, a Brazilian, a Serbian, 2 Brits and an me, the lonesome American :) We were joined by several Argentinians and Brazilians that were friends of Bibi and Lotje throughout their time in Buenos Aires. The place is amazing and the ideal bar to try a new cocktail (their drink menu is bigger than the actual menu!) Like all good restaurants, the place didn't get too busy until 11:00pm and by close, it was packed! This is one place I would put on a "definitely visit" list when coming to the city and want a nice place for a drink before a night out! At 2:00 I headed back to the apartment since unlike most of those attending, I had the intention of heading to class in the morning! Those that stayed out went to Asia de Cuba, a nightclub they all highly recommend and a top spot in Lonely Planet, the tourist Bible.
Getting back "early" paid off since no one else showed up for the first 2 hours of my class and I essentially had a private lesson. Classes have made me realize how much my grammar needs to improve; I definitely regret not taking spanish in school or keeping up with my few years of French! My newest exciting find in the city is the vegetarian buffet on the same street as my school on Calle Suipacha. You have at least 20 options including a salad and fruit bar, empanadas, tofu and noodles prepared in a myriad of ways and a few things I couldn't quite identify but looked good! You grab a plastic container and just attack the tables. The most I've paid is 13 pesos ($3.25) and that's for a fair amount of food!
After school I went with Maude, a British student I also live with to an orphanage her College partners with on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. Last year Maude came with a dozen classmates and helped rebuild, paint and plaster a new building to house more children as well as completed several other projects. She wanted to go back with a few gifts (they made calendars for the kids using pictures from their time there, so cute!) and I thought it'd be great to go along and check out. Not exactly realizing how far away it was, a 5 minute Subte ride, 45 minute train ride, 15 minute bus ride and 10 minute walk later, we arrive at Hogar El Alba, an absolutely gorgeous orphanage. They have goats, cows, dogs and lots of land for the kids to play. All the staff we talked with were incredible and the kids were great-almost all of them remember Maude and were genuinely excited to see her. I happened to notice some kids playing basketball so for the next 30 minutes I played the Argentinian version of 'twenty-one' and after learning the rules which tended to change a little depending on the score, I managed to dominate. Don't let former athletes tell you otherwise; if it's been awhile since you played, it's a rush to beat someone less than half you age...
A few games later and my dignity restored, Maude said a few more goodbyes and we headed out. I was really glad I went and with no more than a brief first impression, I was impressed with the kids and the facility. Maude mentioned that all the kids are trained in certain skills (working with the animals, sewing, carpentry, etc) so they can support themselves when they become adults. To me, that's essential or the result is simply another person who is dependent on handouts and aid as an adult through no fault of their own. The relationship with outside schools and organizations Hogar el Alba has also gives it a huge step-up with others invested and interested in the welfare of the children and I'm sure many, and hopefully all of them will go on to be independent and educated adults!
