Snapshots

Plaza de Mayo, Buenos Aires

My sincerest apologies go out to all of my eager fans who have been anxiously awaiting my next post! I've just been so busy getting into the rhythm of my "real life" here (i.e., trying to remember how to do homework) and then this past weekend I was off adventuring in Uruguay (i.e., trying to forget about said homework). But to make up for it here are some photos/blurbs to illustrate my last couple of weeks...

LA BOCA

Two weekends ago a few of us spent an afternoon in La Boca, a barrio in the south of the city that's famous for its colorful buildings and... well, I'm not sure what else but I went for the colorful buildings. We enjoyed endured an overpriced lunch of questionable empanadas at a touristy restaurant (I was really hungry, OK?!), and then wandered through the area in search of photo ops. I'm definitely glad I visited so I can check that outing off my list, but I will most likely have nightmares about the creepy life-size statues for weeks to come.

DAILY LIFE

This is Parque Chacabuco, the track and green space 5 minutes or so from my house, where I like to walk/run in the mornings. There are always people there exercising and socializing (running clubs, high school sports teams, families), and on weekend mornings it's absolutely packed. To avoid drawing attention to my gringa self, I try not to wear t-shirts with many English words and I don't usually bring my iPhone to listen to music (I like to think it's an opportunity for introspection?). Acquiring this photo obviously required an exception to the lay-low strategy, but #noregrets.

I'm a big fan of this hidden-gem of a café. It's really close to la facultad (a.k.a. UBA-Filo), its cappuccino rivals the one from El Ateneo at half the price, and its American-themed decor features a cardboard cutout of Justin Bieber (not pictured, desafortunadamente). It is the perfect spot to read skim/highlight indiscriminately the texts for my literature courses, and the soundtrack is right up my alley. Also, pro tip: when attempting to order toast (because your tummy hurts), DON'T choose the miga or you may end up with two giant ham and cheese sandwiches. Or so I've heard.

URUGUAY

 

Then there was that time I woke up at 5am so I wouldn't be late and then got to the port 2 hours early took the ferry to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay para aprovechar the long weekend! We stayed in a really cool hostel and had a great time exploring the adorable town. There's not a whole lot to do there, but the laid-back atmosphere was a perfect break from bustling Buenos Aires. Basically we ate a ton of delicious food (above: a GIANT version of my favorite Spanish tapa from last summer, la croqueta, stuffed with rice/ham/cheese) and admired stunning views (waterfronts, artwork, sunsets, oh my!), all the while accompanied by a stray dog or two. Those who know me well probably won't be surprised to hear that I loved the bike ride I was peer-pressured into about as much as I loved being shadowed by stray dogs all weekend...  (#tbt to McSwain fam vacay in Maine anyone?) Let's just say riding on cobblestones/steep hills/the shoulder of a busy highway didn't make  for the most calm/cool/collected Malissa, but I survived and got a great profile picture out of it so what more can you ask for really? 

 On Sunday a few of us went to Montevideo, a 2.5-hour trip by bus (which may or may not have been the best part, the bus was so cheto!). We hadn't planned anything in advance so we just walked from the bus terminal to the ciudad vieja in search of a lunch spot. Along the way we encountered a street market featuring fruit, trinkets, and... puppies?! So cute but also quite disturbing. Though other parts of the city resembled a ghost town (almost nothing was open since it was Sunday), we finally found a conglomeration of like 50 restaurants where we ate a nice meal. We later realized  that no one was around because everyone was by the beach soaking up the scorching hot beautiful day! Though our pleasant walk along the water somehow turned into a grueling 5 mile journey, our spirits were easily lifted by our oreo/dulce de leche McFlurries-- so overall I'd definitely call our day trip un éxito!

p.s. the yearbook editor in me is freaking out about the inconsistent spacing of these photos but Blogger is stupid so I can't do anything about it.