arrival.

let me start by saying that i have attempted to write this about 3 or 4 times and each time have felt like such a tool that i stopped before completing a single sentence. let me also say that i am in no way trying to be poetic or clever in these journal entries so don´t judge me. that said, i also wont be giving a minute by minute account of my time in south america, i am writing these entries, as much for myself as for anyone else, to try and capture the general feeling i have about a certain place and time.

i arrived in buenos aires on tuesday and was struck by how hot it was. i had assumed that the weather would be similar to a san diego summer but i was very wrong, and the heat (and lack of any form of air conditioning in the hostel) has been the primary oppressor of my spirits. milk was a bad choice. i am currently stayin gin the up'and'coming neighborhood of palermo, and i spent my first day wandering the streets around my hostel. palermo is everything i had imagined it could be. the streets, many of which are cobblestone, are lined with trees on either side which, though they do lend a feeling of tranquility to the area they provide little relief to the heat. there are open air cafes on literally every corner, all of which are filled with beautiful argentine women sipping on green tea and picking at small croissants and other pastries. at night many of these cafes serve alcohol and are packed until past 3 in the moring, even on weekdays. after reading and drinking alittle bit by myself in the hostel i mustered up the courage to go and sit at one of these bars. i was ready to get into full sulk mode when a british girl next to me sitting with her probably boyfriend asked if i was argentine. to me that was a question that you would only ask of someone that you knew not to be argentine, but it made me feel good nonetheless to think that perhaps i was blending in with the locals. i talked to these two, emily and some guy, for a couple hours and we exchanged emails. after awhile i stumbled back to the apartment, dizzy and in high spirits.

the following day i explored a part of palermo that i hadnt seen yet and discovered that they had a very nice gym and an american style supermarket, both of which made me feel more comfortable in my new surroundings. i stopped to read candide in a cafe that came highly recommended in my hedonist´s guide book, and it did not disappoint. the place was called bar 6 and had some sort of modern art vibe, i wish i knew how to describe it but i am not cultured in that way. i ordered a green tea and media luna from easily the best looking girl i have ever seen in my life. i have promised myself that i wont leave buenos aires until i am officially shot down by this waitress, and will inevitibly return to bar 6 way too frequently and tip way too much in an attempt to bolster my chances. this is why i came to argentina: to sit in a cafe and be ignored by attractive, slightly rude waitresses and bartenders.

pardon my punctuation, argentine keyboards make no sense and im not going back to change anything.