Friday, July 22nd, 2005, 11:13 a.m.
Well, the apartment sucks. Hah! It's actually pretty amusing in that really annoying, awful way. After multiple conversations with my Mom about how nervous I was about going to Buenos Aires because it was going to be winter again, and how I didn't really care what our apartment looked like or had as long as it had my two non-negotiables, hot water and heat, guess what the apartment doesn't have? You guessed it! Hot water and heat. Oh yeah, and the oven doesn't work, which has been inconvenient because we can't make things like frozen pizza.
AAAAARRRRGHGHGHGHHGHGHGHGHGH.
So, technically the apt does have heating, which says it goes up to 30 degrees C (roughly 86 F) but there's no fucking WAY it's even close to that. Most of the time we have to go around wearing hats inside the apartment because it's so cold. And the hot water is not hot - it's either tepid or scalding hot then freezing cold. It is a very pretty, yet useless and frustrating apartment. On my end, I think I'm getting sick again from waking up cold and having no way to warm up (i.e. hot shower). I just can't believe that I learned my limits in BCN and am now re-living them. I KNOW what makes me unhappy; I KNOW what I want to avoid, and yet somehow, here I am doing it again. I think my new lesson is to see that just because you are paying more money for a place doesn't mean it's going to be better. I would honestly rather be in an ugly apartment with green shag carpeting, no television, and far from the city center than a cute, cold one where you are afraid to step in the shower because you'll come out chillier than you were when you went in.
So we wrote to the apt people and they sent a plumber yesterday, who apparently was supposed to fix both the oven and the hot water heater (btw, wtf, who knows how to do both?). No such luck. Neither the oven nor the hot water work. They dropped off two extra blankets, though, and supposedly are coming by today with one space heater. We shall see. I am just disappointed and frustrated because I specifically asked about both the hot water and the heater, and they said they worked just fine. Lies. They can take their apartment contract and shove it.
OK, enough bitterness! In good news, we went shopping yesterday and were pretty successful: I got some cute lingerie, Beth and Marina both got new shoes, and Em got a nice new scarf. I think this was worth paying the price of a crappy food court lunch, don't you?
Also, we took a trip down to Iguazu, some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world. This was a three-day excursion adventure including two 18-hour bus trips. Just want to repeat that real quick: two EIGHTEEN-HOUR BUS TRIPS. ok. The falls were truly astounding and we even took a boat trip where we got to go under them (in the most liberal sense of the term). Ironically, though, I think my favorite parts of the trip were being silly with my girls on the bus (beth having an affair with vin diesel, f***, chuck, or marry) and sleeping for 15 hours in our very warm hotel room, after a hot shower.
Our language spot today comes from a local flyer on AIDS. I know it doesn't sound like a very amusing topic (and isn't), but I think it illustrates quite gracefully the need for a good translator. Don't be surprised if this makes your head hurt:
CASES OF AIDS
They were detected in but of 40
step in the entire world; according
to the experience could
to be proven that in all
the forms of
transmission of the virus is
the same ones, not
they would see according to
the place geographical.
The travel to Paris
New York or Haiti not
it represents any difference
in connection with the AIDS, or the
Peace, anyway never
it should be discarded the methods
of prevention.
Oh, and one last thing: A story on the value of being sick and tired, by our very own Christina, on her latest experience in Capetown, where she is an RA for American kids doing an exchange program:
"i think you ladies will find this amusing, although the story is much more amusing if you know the kid (Carter). he goes to Phillips Exeter, and is so pretentious and spoiled and whiny and republican--annoying all around.
it's the last night before the NY kids leave. all except 15 kids are gone; they're still there because south african airlines screwed up their flight, making it leave 2 days after the program officially ends. so i have to entertain them while trying to get ready for the next batch of kids that are arriving the next day...oh, and all this on an average of 4 hours of sleep the last week.
Ronalee and i have each barely gotten any sleep the last few nights, surprise, surprise. that last day we let them just hang out and watch movies, play games. I'd offered to take them on a hike or into Simonstown, but nobody was really interested in that. only Carter--ah yes, dear Carter--decided to bug us the entire day about going into Cape Town to watch a movie, etc. we actually tried to see if we could make that work, but with the liability involved with taking riki taxis, that idea was nixed. so dinner is wrapping up, and Ronalee, Taiwo and I and a bunch of the kids are still talking up in the eating area. Carter has already asked me if we can go to 7eleven to get fixings for s'mores. i say i don't know, but i'll discuss is with Ronalee. he decides i've taken too long to discuss, and asks Ronalee in front of everyone in a very Carter-whiney way, adding, "come on, you guys have made us stay here all day and we haven't been able to do anything." So Ronalee says no (because he asked so poorly). with that he whines some more. i'm tired, and we've been working on trying to get Session 2 stuff ready while still entertaining these kids, and i get increasingly annoyed. he whines some more. then he finishes his tirade with an exasperated sigh and says, "if i'd only known we weren't going to do anything! i wish i'd gone back with the Atlanta group." and with that i said, "so do i." ooh, shit. i covered my mouth, and was shocked as soon as i realized that i'd actually said that aloud, and to a group of about 10 people. Carter didn't know what to do--neither did Ronalee or Taiwo, who just stared at me, really surprised and trying not to laugh--and then he walked away. so that's my story of the week."
