Movies, Ice Cubes in the Urinals, Playing Bass, and Travel Plans

So I know I just updated about 10 hours ago, but I want to blog about this before I forget about it.

I saw How to Train Your Dragon with Rochelle, and it was completely in Spanish.  We were able to understand it save a few words here and there, and it was a nice treat enjoying kettle corn in a theater.  (The popcorn in movie theaters here are either salty or sweet, and there's no artificial butter flavor like back home)  It was a really cute movie and I'm glad we saw it.

And then I had another interesting toilet experience.  All of the urinals inside the men's restroom of the movie theater had ice inside them.  It was such a weird thing seeing my pee melt the ice in the urnial slowly, kind of like the Wicked Witch of the West that melted when the sun came out.  Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me to chronicle this, but I will definitely make a trip back for this sole purpose.

Since traffic home would have been crazy when we were getting out at 6:30 we decided that we would kill some time walking around or getting some coffee.  Right off to the side of the movie theater when I stepped out was a guy with a bass.  I told Rochelle right away I had to talk to him and see if he would let me play.

So I went up to him and introduced myself and asked if I could play.  Benjamin offered graciously (no bow, so I just plucked a tune by hand) and after a minute or so I went to give it back to him and thanked him.  But then he told me to play a song with his friend Johnny who had a harmonica and was blind.  They told me that it was in the key of G, and away we went.  I am more of a classical player, but I did a pretty good job of walking a bass line seeing that I have virtually no jazz training.  Rochelle played along on the tambourine, and Johnny alternated singing and playing the harmonica.  A small crowd gathered, and a few people snapped pictures.  One guy had his camera set up and recorded us.  Again, I wish I brought my camera!!!

After the song was over I thanked them, and they told me to come back and visit them another time.  They hang out at the same place each evening, so I am planning on going back next week with my bow too.

As we stopped for me to recharge my cell phone, the clerk and a guy waiting chatted with us.  They obviously noticed we were gringos, and they chatted with us a bit about where we were from and what we were doing there.  They laughed as I told them I wanted to put 10 luca (which is slang for 10,000 pesos, like saying 10 bucks) on my phone, and Rochelle and I threw in some more slang as we talked with them.  It put a smile on my face and I wished them a good evening as we left.

And then to top the day off, I got some great deals for airfares thanks to LAN Chile.  Instead of paying 400 bucks to fly directly into Cuzco to visit Machu Picchu, we are paying about 140 bucks to fly to Arica (in northern Chile and only about 25 km from the border with Peru) and then taking a bus from there.  It actually works out better, since Colca Canyon (which is bigger than the Grand Canyon) is actually between Arica and Cuzco.  I got a ticket to Temuco (south of Santiago probably about 8 hours in bus) for 80 bucks.  They have hot springs there as well as a volcano that you can climb, so that will be fun.  And last but not least, I booked my ticket to Easter Island for September.  Travel guides tell you to expect to pay up to 800 bucks, but I found a round trip flight for 416 bucks.  Yes, it's a lot of money.  But when else am I going to have the chance to visit a place that is so completely isolated from civilization?

That's all for now.  I'm glad tomorrow is Friday.

School, My first music video, Mendoza adventures, and more toilets

This was my first week at school with a set schedule.  It is a nice feeling to know where I am supposed to be and what I am supposed to be doing, and I also feel like a big weight has been taken off my chest without having to teach classes on my own.

I am starting to get to know some of the students´ names (from 7th to 12th grade I am working with about 400 of them), and I had them make up nameplates and fill out an interest inventory so I can get to know them better.  They really liked the nameplate idea and got pretty creative with their artwork on it, and on the other side of the nameplate they wrote their nicknames.

The classes I am working with vary greatly.  One thing I´ve noticed is that there is no such thing as advanced classes, so you get students of all different levels of English in the same class.  Some classes are really well behaved with kids with high levels of English, and in one class I had a few kids asking me about US politics and why people don´t like Obama as well as conspiracy theories in relation to 9 11 (In English).  Other classes were really talkative and disruptive that it was hard to even begin to know what their level of English was.

It seems like little things at the school are really interesting to the students.  I spiked my hair for a change, and I got so many comments from them about how I looked bakan and fleite.  They also seem fascinated by my clip on sunglasses.  I personally think they make me look pretty dorky, but maybe the concept of dorkiness is cultural.

On a completely different note but before I forget, I got to star in a music video.  Jason Milstein, a friend from high school, is in a really awesome up and coming band called The Medium.  I was the college professor handing out the diplomas to the students in the video.  Here is a link to it if you want to see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN4LHWE86WI

So this is my second trip to Mendoza so far.  I was asleep on the bus when I woke up hearing the tires squealing and the driving giving it full gas.  After looking out the window I was surprised to see that there was snow all over the place.  I didn´t think to snap any pictures at the time, but there was about a distance of about a foot between the bus and the edge of the precipice.
The trip almost didn´t happen, as I didn´t realize how difficult it would be to find a place to stay for Easter weekend.  I got an email from the hostel I was at last time that they didn´t have any spaces, and I went to a bunch of websites and called a bunch of places with no luck.  I got to the second to last place in my travel guide, and they had a room.  It is actually a hotel, but they have single rooms.  I was breaking the bank with the cost of 90 pesos (which is about 23 dollars) becuase I am used to hostel prices.

For the price it is actually pretty nice.  I have my own private room with private bathroom, and breakfast is included.  The downside is that is not a hostel, which means no public computers, no meeting random people to hang out with, and no kitchen to prepare my own meals.  But all in all not bad with a few days notice before Easter weekend:

So far in Mendoza I have gotten to do a good amount.  I took a mountain biking tour, and the views along the way were amazing.  I got used to go down big hills in the dirt and rocks and mastered the position of keeping your balance between both pedals while breaking slowly, and it was a great feeling climbing the hills and working up a sweat.  It reminded me of the mountain biking I did in Oaxaca about 6 years ago.  Here are some pictures:

I also explored the Plaza Independencia with lots of street vendors as well as the pedestrian area of Sarmiento.  I walked into a wine shop to look around and was pleasantly surprised when they offered me a free sample of a wine.  I tried a red wine (a Cabarnet I think) and it was really good.  After that, I stopped into a mini market to get a bottled water when I noticed that they sold bottles of wine as well as mini bottles of wine.  The smallest bottle was 6 pesos (about $1.50) and was probably about 1.5 to 2 glasses of wine.  The next biggest was about 11 pesos ($3.75) and it was probably about 3 or 4 glasses of wine.  I doubt that you could find any place like that in the States.

The next day I woke up early and went to the Parque General de San Martin, which is large and beautiful.  There are tree lined streets, areas to bike and walk, sidewalk cafes, a zoo, and some amazing viewpoints.  I walked all the way to the top of Cerro de la Gloria (a large hill dedicated to the soldiers who lost their lives in wars involving Argentina).

 On the way back I stopped at a cafe and got a hamburger with French fries and some juice.  I have gotten used to not getting a bun with my hamburgers in Chile, so I was pleasantly surprised to get one with this meal, especially seeing that the entire meal only cost 4 bucks:

I updated part of this at an internet cafe that is connected to a Subway.  I haven´t eaten at Subway yet in South America, so I decided to give it a try.  Let me just say that they don´t know how to make their meatball sandwiches here.  First off, there wasn´t any mozzerella OR parmesan cheese.  They used American cheese, and there was barely any sauce.  It looked so pitiful that I added some lettuce and tomato to it. 

I have found more notable additions to my previous post about toilets around the world.  Here is exhibit A, which is in my hotel room:

It looks like a normal toilet with one teeny tiny exception: IT HAS A HUGE METAL THING CLAMPED TO IT.  At first I thought it was some type of torture device, but I rejected that notion once my private parts were intact after using it.  I have yet to muster up the courage to turn the handle on the side or ask at reception what it does.

Then there is exhibit B, which is inside the internet cafe restroom:

This is what we call a minimalist toilet.  It is no nonsense and does not need luxuries such as handles to flush or a toilet seat.  If you look up, you will notice a tank of water overhead with a string to pull in order to flush it.  It is toilets like these that make me always bring a pack of tissues in my pocket and hand sanitizer with me wherever I travel.

After my experience with the minimalist toilet, I went back to editing this post and got a text from Allison.  It turns out she was in Mendoza also and was waiting to hear back from some friends about meeting up.  Her hostel was only a few blocks away, so we met up there and waited for Celine and Sonia.

It turns out Allison took over 12 hours to get into Mendoza due to the huge lines at the border, and she had spent the entire day by herself.  We hadn´t seen each other since we parted ways in Viña when I headed back to the hostel early while everyone else went out, so we had a lot to catch up about.

We got some soda while Celine and Sonia got settled into the hostel, and we became accustomed to the suprise we got when trying to pay with larger bills.  A dollar is about 4 Argentinean pesos, so I wouldn´t think much of having to pay with a 50 or 100 peso bill.  Apparently it is a big deal here.  Allison and I got used to the gasp and widening eyes as we tried to pay with a 50 peso bill for our 2 sodas costing 12 pesos.  After paying we sat and waited for about 10 minutes, and when we asked our waitress for the change she said we had to talk to the person at the register.  Going there, we learned that they did not have enough change to give us, and they were waiting for other people to pay with small bills so that they could give us our change.  Luckily it worked out a minute or so after that .

Then afterwards she had to break her 100 peso bill, so she got a bottled water at McDonald´s.  We thought it wouldn´t be as big of a deal there, but we got the same reaction.  Note to self: Next time ask for smaller bills when changing money in Argentina.

Once Celine and Sonia were ready, we all went out to get dinner together.  It was really cool becuase we all spoke Spanish well enough to speak in Spanish the entire time.  (Sonia is from Madrid, so we didn´t have much of a choice anyway)  When deciding where to go to dinner, I suggested Las Tinajas.  They seemed a bit hesitant at first, but I told them it would be worth it.

The food was great as always, and this time we got the additional experience of the butchers cutting meat and hacking it so hard that bones and pieces of the meat went flying in various directions.  I had always had some type of meat without bone before that, so this was a new adventure.  After getting more than our fair fill of food, we finished it off with chocolate crepes.  It was really nice to get to meet up with them, as I had been traveling solo for the entire time before then.

The next morning I woke up feeling a bit funky, and I think I ate something bad and was sore from all the walking the day before.  I tried to drink water and walk it off while doing some shopping, but it stuck with me.  I was able to talk to the company I scheduled a wine tour with and will be able to bring the voucher back on my next trip to Mendoza and use it then rather than lose the 50 pesos I paid.  I have been resting up and took some aspirin, and I am feeling better. 

Later on I got some McDonald´s to eat, and my stomach did fine with it.  I also bought some chocolate from a famous chocolate shop here called La Cabaña, and it seems like everyone was doing their last minute Easter candy shopping.  They don´t seem to be big on the Easter Bunny in Argentina, but they love their huevos (eggs).  They had all types of chocolate Easter eggs that were decorated with ornate designs and patterns, and they were of all types of varying sizes.  I had already bought some Easter candy back in Santiago, so I just got some assorted candies and some wine to bring back with me. 

In a few hours it is off to the bus station and back to Santiago.  It has been a good trip, and I know I will be back to Mendoza at one point or another.

International Toilets (You may not want to read this while eating)

So this has been something that has been on my mind lately, but I haven't had the time to post about yet.  I have actually had this conversation with David, another teacher in the program, and he also noticed these things.  I will try to find pictures to illustrate my points, but that might take some time.

Have you ever noticed that toilets are different around different parts of the world?

First off, you have our good old American toilets.  Their major defining characteristic is the whirlpool flow of the water when you flush:

Then you have German toilets.  They are very interesting, as there is a large platform or shelf in which your poo lands.  Then it stares at you until you flush the toilet, and a flood of water passes over the platform and pushes it down into the pipes. 

I have also experienced some rather interesting toilets in Spain.  The most memorable was at a placed called Cafe Futbol in Granada.  They had a porcelain thing that looked like a urinal, but you also had to poo there.  I had the pleasure of having too poo there.  It turns out that there is no place to sit down, and so I had to stand up while I took care of business.  This was interesting enough, but to add to the excitement they have a time sensor for the lights.  And the light switch is outside of the bathroom.  Unfortunately I do not have a picture of this one.

Toilets in Mexico and Argentina apparently do not have good piping systems, and so any toilet paper that you use cannot go into the toilet.  There is a trashcan in every restroom, and you put your used toilet paper there.  Let's just say these are not my favorite types of toilets.

My latest international experience is with the Chilean waterfall toilets.  When you flush them, it is like a mini Niagra Falls coming to life.  There is a big rush of water that comes out of the top and shoots out to cover from one end of the rim to the other, and it will even splash out of the toilet a bit.  Oh yeah, and when you live with people in Chile you do not share toilet paper.  You keep it in your room and bring it with you each time you need to use it.

So that's all for my mindless rambling for now.

Last few days in Jersey and waiting at the airport

So the time snuck up on me faster than I thought it would.  My last few days included eating with family at Texas Roadhouse for the last time in a while, getting a free Grand Slam from Denny's, visiting friends and playing Wii and Dance Dance Revolution, Settlers of Catan, and visiting my school for a tapas event.

I was really stressed out yetsterday after seeing the weather forecast and was trying to frantically see about getting out on a flight for Tuesday instead of Wednesday, but the flight was full.  It was still on my mind while I was at school, but the tapas event was a nice break and was a good opportunity to see some of my students again as well as some of my teaching colleauges.

After I realized that there was nothing I could do to change my flight or the weather, I decided I was simply going to enjoy my last day before the trip and just take the flight one step at a time.  I had dinner with friends Tuesday night, and when I left their place around 7:45 it was already snowing, and it had accumulated quite a bit.  (Weather.com was forecasting it to start at 10 or so, so I was suprised that it came earlier than that.) 

Then I was off to another friend's to visit, and I stayed until about 11:30.  None of us bothered to look out the window at that time, but there was probably about 6 inches then.  Luckily I had brushes and ice scrapers with me, and I made it home safe and sound.

My dad and I ended up leaving around 7 in the morning, and luckily the weather had taken a break from snow, and we were getting rain.  The roads were mostly clear with a little bit of slush, and here is a shot from along the way:

We got to the airport around 9:45 or so, and by that time the weather had switched back to snow.  I found the window for TAM Airlines, but the woman was busy helping others.  So I decided to double check the weight of my bags.  A guy helped me use a scale at a window, and my bags were 54 and 60 pounds each.  He told me that the weight limit was 50 pounds per bag, which was contrary to what the airline told me of 70 pounds per bag.

I checked out a store in the airport that sold luggage pieces and carryon luggage, but a small duffel bag was $82.  So that started the Great Repacking.  I pulled out things for my dad to mail to me, and I started moving heavier items into my carryon pieces.  After about half an hour of that and reweighing bags, my dad was able to talk to the woman at the desk for TAM Airlines, and it turns out that the baggage limits for TAM were indeed 70 pounds.  So everything went back into my bags after all.

While my dad was waiting in line for the airline, he started talking to a woman also waiting in line.  It turns out that she is Brazlian but living in New York and is traveling there to visit family for Carneval.  She was also checking the weight of her bags, and it turns out she's on the same flight as me.  My dad and I and her got lunch together and got to talk some more.  She was giving me travel advice and even went as far as to call her son in law who lives and grew up in Rio.  She talked to him and told him about me, and he is willing to show me around over the weekend.  She even told me that she will be back for the entire month of September and offered to show me around if I wanted to visit her then.  I have her number there to call her.  Once they learn that you are visiting their country, the hospitality of complete strangers never ceases to amaze me.

This is completely off topic, but apparently men in the JFK airport need help with their aim in the restrooms:

The first urnial I went to looked like it had a dead fly in it, so I went to the next one.  Then I realized that every single urinal has a small fly painted on the inside of it.  I guess maybe other guys don't have such as good aim as me, and perhaps this cuts down on costs of cleaning the floors of the restroom.

So I got in line to check in around 12:15 or so, and it was time to say bye to my dad.  I'm going to miss him, and we got a picture together before he headed back:

I've claimed a small area of the floor next to an outlet, and my Ipod and camera are completely charged.  My laptop is plugged in now too.  I still have over 2 hours before I have to get ready for boarding.  It looks like my flight will be fine after all of my worrying, and asking all of my friends and family to cross their fingers and toes for me also helped out too.

Now hopefully my flight to Sao Paulo will go smoothly as well as making my connecting flight to Rio.

Countdown to departure: 3 hours 10 minutes