New House, New Neighborhood

My first week in Buenos Aires was kind of a whirlwind of trying to find my way around, figure out my job, and settle into my host family house (while trying to decide whether I was going to stay there past the two weeks I had reserved)... only to learn a few days ago that they had already rented my room to someone else starting in mid-September, so I was going to have to find a new place one way or another! After seeing a few places and getting a better idea of the city, I ended up deciding on a place yesterday and moving today. I am renting a room in a house owned by a young Argentinian couple in their late 20s. There are also two other foreigners living here, one of whom is a French girl who isstudying here, and the other an American girl that I haven't met yet because she's in Bolivia at the moment. I really like the architecture of the house, and although it isn't in amazing condition, I love the neighborhood -- and the Argentinian couple and the French girl are really nice. And I'm expecting to love the American when I meet her, too! The whole situation seems great and so much better than my old place, so I think the move turned out to be a great idea.

The door on the left is the entrance to my new place!

This is my new bedroom. It's pretty basic, but it is comfortable! I'm planning to decorate a little bit so that it's more cheerful.

This is the view from the top of the stairs, looking down on the living room. You can see a skylight (at the top of the picture). I also really like the architecture of the stairway... it sort of has a maritime theme. :)

This is the front room on the ground floor and one of two seating areas. I'm not sure that anyone really ever uses this room, but I guess we'll see....

And this is the other living room on the ground floor.

This is the dining room. We also have a little seating area in the kitchen, so I'm not sure anyone really uses the dining room either....

And here is the kitchen. Speaking of the kitchen table, it's behind me in this picture so you can't see it. Sorry! :)

My new house is just a few blocks away from the one of the trendiest areas in Buenos Aires, called "Palermo Soho." The neighborhood in general is called Palermo... and they call this particular part "Soho" because it reminds them of the SoHo neighborhood in New York. A few years ago, all the fashion designers in Buenos Aires started opening boutiques in this neighborhood, and now it is full of really interesting boutique stores!





This is another of the stores. So many of the stores look really posh and I thought this picture captured that feeling. It's funny because lately, Buenos Aires has a reputation for being a real bargain. I haven't found that to be the case in general (food and housing here are at least as expensive as in Michigan), but really high-end things are definitely way cheaper here than in the states. So I guess if you want to shop at designer boutiques, you'll get a lot of bang for your buck in Buenos Aires! :)

One of the things I really like about my new neighborhood is that there are a ton of people out and about. It was kind of a zoo around here today, which might be partly because it was the first day of good weather in a long time. There were tons of people eating at outdoor cafes, shopping, pushing strollers, and walking their dogs. It feels like a really active and fun area!

This is a picture of me at my desk at ACIJ, the nonprofit where I am working. It's sort of a joke that I'm wearing my coat and scarf (I took the picture when I was about to leave), but actually sometimes the office is really cold and I really do wear my coat!

In addition to moving, the other cool thing that I did this weekend was go to a dinner party at my friend Samanta's house. Here is a picture of us from the party! Sam's friends are all really interesting political types, and although it was a struggle to understand their nuanced discussion of third-party Argentine congressional candidates, it was cool to be there for the discussion! Maybe I will read up on the ins and outs of Argentinian politics before Sam's next party, so I'm prepared and better able to understand what they're talking about! :)

Anyway, that's daily life in Buenos Aires! Until next time....