hey there friends and family! this is going to be a quick one for you guys. it looks as if my travels have come to an end. but at the same time a whole new journey has just begun. well shoot that phrase seemed kind of lame and cliche.
im back in chicago right now, and at this moment i am spending toime with the mom sad and brando. i'm soooo happy to be with them :)
i cant say that the adjustment process has begun or anything. the culture where i am is so different as than where i live in chicago. im completely thrilled to be back in the states. but at the same time i really miss the thrill and excitement of where i have been during the passed year of my life.
really i think countless hours about the life journey, places and amazing friends i have in the south america. i'm really missing it right now. i also cant express how great it is to be with my family. and how amazing it has been to see and know that i am back with all my amazing cats in chicago.
maybe ill keep the posts flowin a bit, but for now... just know that im super happy and im around and im ready to get this life back in the states moving better than ever before.
peace my friends
ben diez
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
i spilled my mate
and yet again it has been many moons since the last update. very well, ive been living and not really wanting to update. but please be rest assured, i'm definitely not nearly half as busy as you guys ;)
with that being said, to save your time and mine i'll keep this to a quick note...
so here i am, in lovely ole bogota colombia. ive been in colombia now for about 3 months. this wonderful country has shown me how wonderful life really is (though i was well aware), beautiful landscapes, wonderful food (aborrajados son lo mejor), super smiley people, and just great kindness shining from almost everyone throughout this country. only bummer i must state, i discovered an extreme dislike for salsa dancing here. the hype behind it, and the overwhelming arrogance that it is impossible for any "gringo" to dance salsa properly. though this thought could just be out of bitterness :)
lets see, while in colombia i've been able to discover such cities as Cali (home of salsa and aborrajados), Armenia (origin represent, tons of coffee farms), Medellin (home of the cartel and pablo escobar), Bogota (the capital, and my personal favorite city), Cartagena (legendary port city and super hot), along with a strong number of super small cities in between.
a large number of these cities i was able to discover, happened to be with my best friend dave kulacz who popped on down to colombia for a solid month and a half. hey look here we are takin a rest from practicing neat things
this picture is compliments of my neat friend andrea. she was kind enough to accompany us at the parque periodistas (3 blocks from my apt).
and so it goes, dave and i were getting ancy and decided to take a little trip which turned out to be huge. given the fact colombia is the size of france and spain combined. we hopped a solid 40 hour bus ride to caracas venezuela. this was an unforgettable city, really unfriendly people, complete chaos, sooooo hot, and garbage covering every corner of the city. pardon my spanish, pero caracas venezuela fue una mierda!! look that up if its confusing. we ended up spending 4 nights there which was more than plenty. fortunately we were able to meet up with my italian friend barbara, who for some odd reason decided to live in caracas. between, getting hassled and almost robbed by every police officer and military official, she was a shining light there. along with a super neat neighbor hood dave and i stumbled upon
this foto is dave and i's favorite barrio in venezuela called petare. and yes this picture is from dave, and same with the rest of the fotos that follow. supposedly this is a dangerous place to be, but for dave and i we found it to be the happiest place in caracas. filled with the most smiles and best energy that shined through the blazing heat.
as for the fear factor. i think peeps need to relax. i'm a huge target out here and i cant go one day without someone expressing to me how dangerous it is outside. especially in poor neighborhoods. we got to stop living in so much fear, and realize that there is progress and good people out there. but keep that balance straight and be aware cause for sure theres messed up people. living and playing on fear just creates problems and gives reason to that way of life ...in my opinion of course.
we escaped la mierda and headed off towards cartagena. immediately stepping into colombian land, dave and i felt a weight rise off our shoulders. the border peeps who give you the stamps (at most borders the treat you like the folks at the DMV) were having a laugh around with dave and i. they were sooo nice and even gave us 90 days, truly i cant express to you how good it felt to be back in colombia.
i dont have any snappys from cartagena. though this city was quite the place. i feel like it gets a bad wrap. tis true, its super hot, very dirty, tons of street sellers, and pretty dirty beaches. though through this despelote (craziness) i fell in love with cartagena. i really love being in super super hot weather, the street food and juices were so good, yet again really nice and very beautiful people, and finally i mean shoot ...its a beach with the carribean in front of you. its dirty but does the trick, i was able to spend countless hours each day practicing break on a beach ...soooo nice. with that said, cartagena is amazing. and dont let the tourist factor bring ya down. there is a lot there (really not many), but shoot just go to Buenos Aires and there youll really see what a touristy place is like.
next stop was a quick 14 hour bus ride to medellin. We ended up spending a solid 7 nights in that wonderful city. it truly is the city of eternal spring. while in medellin dave and i soaked in the city vibes, and cooled off in the 85 degree weather. in medellin they have a nice subway, along with gondolas (cable cars) as part of city transit to reach the neighborhoods in the mountains. dave and i hopped a cable car up to the mountains to a neighborhood san javier. a poor community that we were strongly advised about not going to. haha.
to get an idea here is a picture dave took of san javier as the sun just set. while in san javier i think i met the kindest people ive ever met in colombia. dave and i passed a couple days there. playing with and beating up little kids, along with drinking coffee and mate with a few families. the kids were super sweet, it was incredible how they found us and wanted to be our friends. none of them wanted to fight, and they were so good with sharing and being kind to one another. they all took care of eachother.
one boy who we consider to be the ring leader, is named santiago. santiago, introduced us to his mom and brought us in two his tin roof shack to watch tv and hang out. though instead his neighbors saw us and brought us into there home to share a coffee. we all hng out for severla hours sharing cultures and having a good laugh. the next time dave and i went back i brought with mate for everyone to try. it was a funny experience cause it tases a litle weird. needless to say we fell in love with san javier, and medellin. the kids were utterly sad to see us leave and we were super bummed to say bye to them. ohhh saudades!!
our travel came to an end. we were back in bogota, it felt good being back. i almost had that feeling i get when i see the chicago skyline from a distance. when i saw the bogota mountains and one tall building i felt so so good. dave and i definitely had a quality trip, some experiences ill never forget.
as of now, daves back in chicago. and im out here kickin it with my peeps in bogota at times. though im really kinda keepin to myself for once. it feels really nice. you guys might be wondering what im actually doing here right now. well let me inform you.
during the week i take 2 little buses to the very south of bogota where i work with displaced kids and teens. there i beat up the little kids, and mentor teens along with teaching breakdance classes. and shoot i feel funny teaching sometimes cause we are about 2800 meters up. breakdancing at this altitude takes the wind out of me, and these kids dont even notice it!! anyways barrio san nicolas can be tiring and intense and at the same time a really neat place to be.
when im not at the community center, im pretty much kickin it fresh. teachin an english class here and there, drinkin some mate, and most likely at pargue periodistas practicing some new things.
lastly i cant forget my super great friend felipe.
i met felipe through dave when we were in costa rica. felipe lives here and reigns from bogota. felipe has been nothing but an over the top friend for me. he took me into his place when i first got here, helped me get used to the city, helped me with spanish, and also guided me into finding an apartment to rent. my hat definitely goes off to felipe!!
well so much for the short journal entry. i always (every email i send, and journal i wirte) state how im going to type a little bit and not write a novel. well i made the mistake once again.
im down to less than 2 months in SA. the plane ticket back home is already purchased. life is so nice, and i cant wait to be back home. i also send a shout to my friends in Brasil, i have big time saudades!! i miss you guys a ton, and cant wait to see you all again!! and to my BA crew, los extrano mucho, cada dia pienso en ustedes, y estoy ahorrando 5 abrazos fuertes para cada pesonna!!
my love is sent to all you friends and family, keep on layin it down fresh!!
B
with that being said, to save your time and mine i'll keep this to a quick note...
so here i am, in lovely ole bogota colombia. ive been in colombia now for about 3 months. this wonderful country has shown me how wonderful life really is (though i was well aware), beautiful landscapes, wonderful food (aborrajados son lo mejor), super smiley people, and just great kindness shining from almost everyone throughout this country. only bummer i must state, i discovered an extreme dislike for salsa dancing here. the hype behind it, and the overwhelming arrogance that it is impossible for any "gringo" to dance salsa properly. though this thought could just be out of bitterness :)
lets see, while in colombia i've been able to discover such cities as Cali (home of salsa and aborrajados), Armenia (origin represent, tons of coffee farms), Medellin (home of the cartel and pablo escobar), Bogota (the capital, and my personal favorite city), Cartagena (legendary port city and super hot), along with a strong number of super small cities in between.
a large number of these cities i was able to discover, happened to be with my best friend dave kulacz who popped on down to colombia for a solid month and a half. hey look here we are takin a rest from practicing neat things
this picture is compliments of my neat friend andrea. she was kind enough to accompany us at the parque periodistas (3 blocks from my apt).and so it goes, dave and i were getting ancy and decided to take a little trip which turned out to be huge. given the fact colombia is the size of france and spain combined. we hopped a solid 40 hour bus ride to caracas venezuela. this was an unforgettable city, really unfriendly people, complete chaos, sooooo hot, and garbage covering every corner of the city. pardon my spanish, pero caracas venezuela fue una mierda!! look that up if its confusing. we ended up spending 4 nights there which was more than plenty. fortunately we were able to meet up with my italian friend barbara, who for some odd reason decided to live in caracas. between, getting hassled and almost robbed by every police officer and military official, she was a shining light there. along with a super neat neighbor hood dave and i stumbled upon
this foto is dave and i's favorite barrio in venezuela called petare. and yes this picture is from dave, and same with the rest of the fotos that follow. supposedly this is a dangerous place to be, but for dave and i we found it to be the happiest place in caracas. filled with the most smiles and best energy that shined through the blazing heat.as for the fear factor. i think peeps need to relax. i'm a huge target out here and i cant go one day without someone expressing to me how dangerous it is outside. especially in poor neighborhoods. we got to stop living in so much fear, and realize that there is progress and good people out there. but keep that balance straight and be aware cause for sure theres messed up people. living and playing on fear just creates problems and gives reason to that way of life ...in my opinion of course.
we escaped la mierda and headed off towards cartagena. immediately stepping into colombian land, dave and i felt a weight rise off our shoulders. the border peeps who give you the stamps (at most borders the treat you like the folks at the DMV) were having a laugh around with dave and i. they were sooo nice and even gave us 90 days, truly i cant express to you how good it felt to be back in colombia.
i dont have any snappys from cartagena. though this city was quite the place. i feel like it gets a bad wrap. tis true, its super hot, very dirty, tons of street sellers, and pretty dirty beaches. though through this despelote (craziness) i fell in love with cartagena. i really love being in super super hot weather, the street food and juices were so good, yet again really nice and very beautiful people, and finally i mean shoot ...its a beach with the carribean in front of you. its dirty but does the trick, i was able to spend countless hours each day practicing break on a beach ...soooo nice. with that said, cartagena is amazing. and dont let the tourist factor bring ya down. there is a lot there (really not many), but shoot just go to Buenos Aires and there youll really see what a touristy place is like.
next stop was a quick 14 hour bus ride to medellin. We ended up spending a solid 7 nights in that wonderful city. it truly is the city of eternal spring. while in medellin dave and i soaked in the city vibes, and cooled off in the 85 degree weather. in medellin they have a nice subway, along with gondolas (cable cars) as part of city transit to reach the neighborhoods in the mountains. dave and i hopped a cable car up to the mountains to a neighborhood san javier. a poor community that we were strongly advised about not going to. haha.
to get an idea here is a picture dave took of san javier as the sun just set. while in san javier i think i met the kindest people ive ever met in colombia. dave and i passed a couple days there. playing with and beating up little kids, along with drinking coffee and mate with a few families. the kids were super sweet, it was incredible how they found us and wanted to be our friends. none of them wanted to fight, and they were so good with sharing and being kind to one another. they all took care of eachother.one boy who we consider to be the ring leader, is named santiago. santiago, introduced us to his mom and brought us in two his tin roof shack to watch tv and hang out. though instead his neighbors saw us and brought us into there home to share a coffee. we all hng out for severla hours sharing cultures and having a good laugh. the next time dave and i went back i brought with mate for everyone to try. it was a funny experience cause it tases a litle weird. needless to say we fell in love with san javier, and medellin. the kids were utterly sad to see us leave and we were super bummed to say bye to them. ohhh saudades!!
our travel came to an end. we were back in bogota, it felt good being back. i almost had that feeling i get when i see the chicago skyline from a distance. when i saw the bogota mountains and one tall building i felt so so good. dave and i definitely had a quality trip, some experiences ill never forget.
as of now, daves back in chicago. and im out here kickin it with my peeps in bogota at times. though im really kinda keepin to myself for once. it feels really nice. you guys might be wondering what im actually doing here right now. well let me inform you.
during the week i take 2 little buses to the very south of bogota where i work with displaced kids and teens. there i beat up the little kids, and mentor teens along with teaching breakdance classes. and shoot i feel funny teaching sometimes cause we are about 2800 meters up. breakdancing at this altitude takes the wind out of me, and these kids dont even notice it!! anyways barrio san nicolas can be tiring and intense and at the same time a really neat place to be.
when im not at the community center, im pretty much kickin it fresh. teachin an english class here and there, drinkin some mate, and most likely at pargue periodistas practicing some new things.
lastly i cant forget my super great friend felipe.
i met felipe through dave when we were in costa rica. felipe lives here and reigns from bogota. felipe has been nothing but an over the top friend for me. he took me into his place when i first got here, helped me get used to the city, helped me with spanish, and also guided me into finding an apartment to rent. my hat definitely goes off to felipe!!
well so much for the short journal entry. i always (every email i send, and journal i wirte) state how im going to type a little bit and not write a novel. well i made the mistake once again.
im down to less than 2 months in SA. the plane ticket back home is already purchased. life is so nice, and i cant wait to be back home. i also send a shout to my friends in Brasil, i have big time saudades!! i miss you guys a ton, and cant wait to see you all again!! and to my BA crew, los extrano mucho, cada dia pienso en ustedes, y estoy ahorrando 5 abrazos fuertes para cada pesonna!!
my love is sent to all you friends and family, keep on layin it down fresh!!
B
Sunday, July 27, 2008
almost there...
familia, i havent updated for many moons, sorry for that nonsense. during my travels ive lost my cord to upload photos, so ive been photless for a while. but through the neat ways of the net ive been able to scrounge up a couple snappies from my friends. not only did i loose my camera cord to upload, i also lost my garbage bag full of mate yerba in bolivia. shoot, 30USD of mate and 4 months of mate drinking down the drain. though, luckily in la paz and cuzco i was able to buy a few overly priced bags of mate imported straight from good ole argentina.
a quick update on the haps and a phot journey to follow. Im in quito ecuador right now. i left buenos aires on june 9, from there i visited my friends in sao paulo and rio de janeiro. after that i visited iguazu falls on the tri boder of paraguay argentina and brasil. from there i hit north argentina where i kicked it in the mountains for a while. from north argentina i went into beautiful, dusty, mountainous, and extremely cold bolivia. there i went to the salt deserts of uyuni, sipped mate de coca in la paz, and went to copacabana and chilled with food posioning for a lil bit.
after bolivia i popped into cuzco peru, met the folks for a glorious week. together we saw machu pichu and dove into the street markets of neighboring villages of cuzco. from cuzco i went to lima and spent 1 night with the folks before they returned to the states, this left me very sad. i stayed in lima 2 more nights and enjoyed the humid hot weather. it felt so nice to escape the month of dryness and cold in bolivia. from lima i hopped a 38 hour bus to quito ecuador, where i am right now. i hope to leave ecuador tomorrow or the next day, and arrrive in bogota where i plan to live until december. but first in colombia i want to visit the coffee farm that my dear friend natalias dad takes care of. im pretty jazzed about seein it with in the next couple of days.
here it is,
good old almirante brown, this is the street that i lived on in buenos aires. i grew to find a small spot for BA in my heart. i for sure have my barrio La Boca in my blood though, i fell in love with my barrio and miss the families and kids there oh so much.
id like to share some neat pics with you, or should i say to snappys with you. these are two snappys from my last night before i left for brasil. youll find my dear roommates sofie and bernal in these pics. theyre from costa rica, we all met there about a year ago, and met again in argentina. they are amazing people and amazing friends. i also miss them a ton and know ill be seeing them again!
so now onto to brasil, for those dont know. i fell in love with this country. everything from the people to food. i especially fell in love with rio de janeiro. right away that city gave me the same comfortable feeling that chicago gave me. first off i stopped in sao paulo where i crashed at my friend leticias house. what an amzing girl she is, she took care of me the whole time and helped me meet the culture and beautiful people within the biggest city of all south america. i miss leticia a ton, and i cant thank her enough for everything she provided me with. i also miss all of my other amazing friends that i had the great opportunity to kick it with. i cant forget the good old parks of sao paulo and the ever famouns avenida paulista strolls we would take from one apt to the other. sorry for now i lack photos of SP.
and then i arrived in rio, another city where i am lacking photos. in rio i met up with an amazing freind of mine who goes by the name paulinha. what an amazing women she is. right away her and her mom took me in to enjoy a fantastic dinner that i dreamed about days after. i spent time in rio going to the beach, and breakin on the small cement soccer courts when there wasnt a game being played. this city gives you so much inspiration to dance and live.
from rio i cruised out to ihla grande with paulinha. there we met her friends, all 10 of them.
we all rented a small house on this island. during our time on the island we all kicked it at the beach or himing around the numerous trails this amazing island had to offer. also during the night there was a music festival in support for eco preservation going on. that was always a great way to close out the day.
check it out here are a few of my neat friends.
starting from me going to the right you can find my amazing friends paulinha, lu, and felippe. such great people my friends are. they all really took me under there wing and showed me the brasillian ropes. i cant express the amount of suadades i have for every one back in brsilll.
last brasil thing, on my last night we went to the casa rosa in rio. probably one of the best places ive been to. amazing music, and just good vibes all throughout the joint.
if you look directly in the middle of this picture you can find my boy milton. what a great guy he is, he let me crash the night with him at his parents house. and remember felippe, really amazing dude, he drove me to the bus terminal, that saved me a hassle and a half. ohh how i miss brasil and my firiends. my friends from brasil. rmemeber my chicago doors are open for you all.
from rio i went to iguazu falls. they were amazing, it was so great to feel the natural energy of this earth. literally could take your breath away. sorry i lack phots for now off the falls. i was able to enjoy them with my colñombian friend who goes by the name of johanna. she is a great dancer indeed, i miss the salsa in cuba libre. enjoy argentina while youre there.
shoot from iguazu i met my beautiful friends sheliza and stephanie in north argentina. and im lackin photos of this venture aswell. we had a great time hiking and seeing more beauty of south america. from north argentina steph sheliza and i crossed into cold bolivia and had a whirlwind of uncomfortable crazy busses all throughout that amazing country. im so happy i could share it with them.
finally we arrived in uyuni bolivia to enjoy the salt deserts. there i befriended some amazing argentines. i was so blessed to meet them and spend a week with them in bolivia. seriously they are so amazing and i really wish we were friends when i was in BA. i cant express how much i miss them and the crazy times we had in the salar, la paz and copacabana. check it out here we are jumping for joy in the salar
the salar of uyuni brasil is the biggest salt desert in the world. it is a dried up lake now... obviously. the sun is bright during the day, and at night its freakin freezing. definitely a desert, the extremes are huge.
from the salar i took a dusty, and bumpy 11 hour bus ride to la paz. the capital of bolivia. there i met up with the argentines the next day, and steph and sheliza 3 days later. if you didnt know, la paz is the highest up major city in the world at about 3500 meters. which means walking and physical activity is a task in itself. not to meniton, la paz is all hills, ha!
theres carolina myself and pablo takin a break on our walk up to the park in la paz where you can see the whole city. needless to say we were winded for sure. though you cant see, we definitely broke into the mate there to get the enrgy level back up.
right on from la paz. sheliza, steph and i cruised into copacabana. there we enjoyed the beatiful lake titicaca. i think this is the largest most elevated lake in the world. unfortunately i couldnt escape bolivia without food poisoning. there in copacabana something came over me. i became the coldest man alive, no apaetite and a terrible stomach ache. man i hat wimpin out on things. but for 24 hours i was a gonner. luckiliy i bounced back and was doin back flips the next day.
heres a snappy from the day i was doin back flips. from the left, the guy in the red is willy dick wermeister who hails from england, gosh i love his british name. great guy, speaks funny spanish, and loves to dance. next you see pablo, such a sweet guy and amazing cook. next to pablo you can see juli with some dazzling blue eyes, we really hit it off, what an incredible personality, she taught me oh so much more spanish aswell. next to juli theres me little ole rojito. and to my left is the beautiful carolina, my armenian sister, both of us sharing the armenian background and our golden personalities we sparked right away. ohh mis argentinos les extraño mucho! truly wonder folks, ive just been blessed deeply along the road to colombia.
almost done guys, ha! from copacabana i hopped a bus once again with steph and sheliza to cuzco peru. sorry i dont have snappys of these wonderful girls. i dont take all that many pictures, so i let them do all the picture taking. ill steal theres once they put them on line. in cuzco i met my family, and we went to the incredible machu pichu. this trip with my folks is a story in itself. just know i had such an amazing time with the folks, machu pichu blew my mind, i miss my fam dearly.
the fam and i got to lima. there we said our good byes. then i said bye to steph, and then 2 days later i said bye to sheliza. and then i became alone once again, ha! so i picked up my boot straps and hopped a 38hr bus to quito ecuador where i am now. everything here is closed in cluding the bus company that i plan to buy my tickets from. so now im using this lazy sunday to send a note to all you guys.
tomorrow or the next day, i plan to leave quito and arrive in armenia colombia to visti my friends coffee farm. ill prob be there on my birhtday. then around august 5th. ill be in bogota. there im going to find a job, a reliable NGO, get my salsa dance on, and keep my breaking turned on high gear. whe knows maybe ill find a group to break with there.
overall family, im healthy, speakin spanish smoothly, breakdancing better than ever, lovin life, and excited to see whats thrown my way. i hope all of your lives are cruisin along ohh so nicely. send me a shout if you get the chance. i´d love to hear from you guys. im sending tons love, ill catch you guys next time. hopefully sooner.
ben
a quick update on the haps and a phot journey to follow. Im in quito ecuador right now. i left buenos aires on june 9, from there i visited my friends in sao paulo and rio de janeiro. after that i visited iguazu falls on the tri boder of paraguay argentina and brasil. from there i hit north argentina where i kicked it in the mountains for a while. from north argentina i went into beautiful, dusty, mountainous, and extremely cold bolivia. there i went to the salt deserts of uyuni, sipped mate de coca in la paz, and went to copacabana and chilled with food posioning for a lil bit.
after bolivia i popped into cuzco peru, met the folks for a glorious week. together we saw machu pichu and dove into the street markets of neighboring villages of cuzco. from cuzco i went to lima and spent 1 night with the folks before they returned to the states, this left me very sad. i stayed in lima 2 more nights and enjoyed the humid hot weather. it felt so nice to escape the month of dryness and cold in bolivia. from lima i hopped a 38 hour bus to quito ecuador, where i am right now. i hope to leave ecuador tomorrow or the next day, and arrrive in bogota where i plan to live until december. but first in colombia i want to visit the coffee farm that my dear friend natalias dad takes care of. im pretty jazzed about seein it with in the next couple of days.
here it is,
good old almirante brown, this is the street that i lived on in buenos aires. i grew to find a small spot for BA in my heart. i for sure have my barrio La Boca in my blood though, i fell in love with my barrio and miss the families and kids there oh so much.id like to share some neat pics with you, or should i say to snappys with you. these are two snappys from my last night before i left for brasil. youll find my dear roommates sofie and bernal in these pics. theyre from costa rica, we all met there about a year ago, and met again in argentina. they are amazing people and amazing friends. i also miss them a ton and know ill be seeing them again!
so now onto to brasil, for those dont know. i fell in love with this country. everything from the people to food. i especially fell in love with rio de janeiro. right away that city gave me the same comfortable feeling that chicago gave me. first off i stopped in sao paulo where i crashed at my friend leticias house. what an amzing girl she is, she took care of me the whole time and helped me meet the culture and beautiful people within the biggest city of all south america. i miss leticia a ton, and i cant thank her enough for everything she provided me with. i also miss all of my other amazing friends that i had the great opportunity to kick it with. i cant forget the good old parks of sao paulo and the ever famouns avenida paulista strolls we would take from one apt to the other. sorry for now i lack photos of SP.
and then i arrived in rio, another city where i am lacking photos. in rio i met up with an amazing freind of mine who goes by the name paulinha. what an amazing women she is. right away her and her mom took me in to enjoy a fantastic dinner that i dreamed about days after. i spent time in rio going to the beach, and breakin on the small cement soccer courts when there wasnt a game being played. this city gives you so much inspiration to dance and live.
from rio i cruised out to ihla grande with paulinha. there we met her friends, all 10 of them.
we all rented a small house on this island. during our time on the island we all kicked it at the beach or himing around the numerous trails this amazing island had to offer. also during the night there was a music festival in support for eco preservation going on. that was always a great way to close out the day. check it out here are a few of my neat friends.
starting from me going to the right you can find my amazing friends paulinha, lu, and felippe. such great people my friends are. they all really took me under there wing and showed me the brasillian ropes. i cant express the amount of suadades i have for every one back in brsilll.last brasil thing, on my last night we went to the casa rosa in rio. probably one of the best places ive been to. amazing music, and just good vibes all throughout the joint.
if you look directly in the middle of this picture you can find my boy milton. what a great guy he is, he let me crash the night with him at his parents house. and remember felippe, really amazing dude, he drove me to the bus terminal, that saved me a hassle and a half. ohh how i miss brasil and my firiends. my friends from brasil. rmemeber my chicago doors are open for you all.from rio i went to iguazu falls. they were amazing, it was so great to feel the natural energy of this earth. literally could take your breath away. sorry i lack phots for now off the falls. i was able to enjoy them with my colñombian friend who goes by the name of johanna. she is a great dancer indeed, i miss the salsa in cuba libre. enjoy argentina while youre there.
shoot from iguazu i met my beautiful friends sheliza and stephanie in north argentina. and im lackin photos of this venture aswell. we had a great time hiking and seeing more beauty of south america. from north argentina steph sheliza and i crossed into cold bolivia and had a whirlwind of uncomfortable crazy busses all throughout that amazing country. im so happy i could share it with them.
finally we arrived in uyuni bolivia to enjoy the salt deserts. there i befriended some amazing argentines. i was so blessed to meet them and spend a week with them in bolivia. seriously they are so amazing and i really wish we were friends when i was in BA. i cant express how much i miss them and the crazy times we had in the salar, la paz and copacabana. check it out here we are jumping for joy in the salar
the salar of uyuni brasil is the biggest salt desert in the world. it is a dried up lake now... obviously. the sun is bright during the day, and at night its freakin freezing. definitely a desert, the extremes are huge.from the salar i took a dusty, and bumpy 11 hour bus ride to la paz. the capital of bolivia. there i met up with the argentines the next day, and steph and sheliza 3 days later. if you didnt know, la paz is the highest up major city in the world at about 3500 meters. which means walking and physical activity is a task in itself. not to meniton, la paz is all hills, ha!
theres carolina myself and pablo takin a break on our walk up to the park in la paz where you can see the whole city. needless to say we were winded for sure. though you cant see, we definitely broke into the mate there to get the enrgy level back up.right on from la paz. sheliza, steph and i cruised into copacabana. there we enjoyed the beatiful lake titicaca. i think this is the largest most elevated lake in the world. unfortunately i couldnt escape bolivia without food poisoning. there in copacabana something came over me. i became the coldest man alive, no apaetite and a terrible stomach ache. man i hat wimpin out on things. but for 24 hours i was a gonner. luckiliy i bounced back and was doin back flips the next day.
heres a snappy from the day i was doin back flips. from the left, the guy in the red is willy dick wermeister who hails from england, gosh i love his british name. great guy, speaks funny spanish, and loves to dance. next you see pablo, such a sweet guy and amazing cook. next to pablo you can see juli with some dazzling blue eyes, we really hit it off, what an incredible personality, she taught me oh so much more spanish aswell. next to juli theres me little ole rojito. and to my left is the beautiful carolina, my armenian sister, both of us sharing the armenian background and our golden personalities we sparked right away. ohh mis argentinos les extraño mucho! truly wonder folks, ive just been blessed deeply along the road to colombia.almost done guys, ha! from copacabana i hopped a bus once again with steph and sheliza to cuzco peru. sorry i dont have snappys of these wonderful girls. i dont take all that many pictures, so i let them do all the picture taking. ill steal theres once they put them on line. in cuzco i met my family, and we went to the incredible machu pichu. this trip with my folks is a story in itself. just know i had such an amazing time with the folks, machu pichu blew my mind, i miss my fam dearly.
the fam and i got to lima. there we said our good byes. then i said bye to steph, and then 2 days later i said bye to sheliza. and then i became alone once again, ha! so i picked up my boot straps and hopped a 38hr bus to quito ecuador where i am now. everything here is closed in cluding the bus company that i plan to buy my tickets from. so now im using this lazy sunday to send a note to all you guys.
tomorrow or the next day, i plan to leave quito and arrive in armenia colombia to visti my friends coffee farm. ill prob be there on my birhtday. then around august 5th. ill be in bogota. there im going to find a job, a reliable NGO, get my salsa dance on, and keep my breaking turned on high gear. whe knows maybe ill find a group to break with there.
overall family, im healthy, speakin spanish smoothly, breakdancing better than ever, lovin life, and excited to see whats thrown my way. i hope all of your lives are cruisin along ohh so nicely. send me a shout if you get the chance. i´d love to hear from you guys. im sending tons love, ill catch you guys next time. hopefully sooner.
ben
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
lo sabes
its been over 6 months of living in buenos aires. im outta here in 5 days now, off to a brand new type of land. after spending half a year here, i can´t help but be filled with a whole bunch of new thoughts and in short a changed boy.
in my last post i touched on this a lil bit. but what im going to mention is ohh so ever evident in buenos aires. just as evident as it is in chicago. these thoughts im going to mention maybe didnt touch me as much as they have since ive been here. going to a new land without a program or a plan with an open mind. and being stuck in a brand new city, language, and culture can cause you to think on life a lot. first, note how i said with an open mind.
i want to touch on urban living in this post. in chicago i was well aware of the social differences, urban planning, which train will take you to a certain ethnic zone etc... in chicago i was surrounded with beautiful friends that shared my awareness of chicago. so in turn i wasn´t loosing sleep over my neighbors lack of knowledge about cultural zones and reality with in the city. i had my friends to lean on when i was having a hard time.
in BA i had to start over. i had to search out like minded people who have the same passion as i. unfortunately i cant really say i completed this task. i found some cool peeps, but i was never really able to fully express my inner feelings, this being said i had a lot of time to think and write about whats happening. so here is what im saying:
i have a favorite place to grab some food in my hood. the guy running the empanada stand asked me if i liked buenos aires. i´m not a good person to ask this question to. the fact of the matter is, i dont like this city. but on the other hand i like my hood a lot. and in the same hand my hood has some horrible problems. how can i be in love with a place with so many problems. i think because my heart was to involved with people and community i was surrounded by. though a ton of problems i was all there and thats why i love it. this ? can be asked to another person who lives in belgrano (wrigleyville), palermo (lincoln park), or san telmo (wicker park). everyone i encounter loves this city. these folks i meet that love BA have not seen my hood. yet they have heard of my hood. i get these responses ¨you live in la boca, why? isnt it dangerous there¨.
here it is evident to me. people that live in a city, but dont see it the same way i do. they can be here for years, and not really know where they live. maybe this is why i cant kick it for to long in palermo (lincoln park). i´m surrounded by the clubs, stores and fancy restaurants. not to say this is bad. its just not something that is real for me. i feel like im living a fake materialistic life when i am there. i think about the reality and corruption behind this city. and to put it lightly i am completely pissed off. its incredible to me, that though i can live in the same city as my neighbor i might not be living in the same place at all.
that is what im saying. same with in chicago. i can live in a city with a person who claims to be a chicagoan, but the fact of the matter is we dont live in the same place at all.
ughhh this thought is a tough one for me to take in. the thought of living in lincoln park makes me feel sick to my stomach. not to say its wrong to live there. i just cant be surrounded by beautiful red brick and dolce y cabana (sp?) sunglasses all day. if i could handle that and know the reality of chicago (which i am still exploring, but what is reality? whole new thought) then i would kick it up there. but the truth is, i´m passionate. and if i put my heart into something, its there and im going all out yo!
more thoughts friends, cant wait to see sao paulo and rio de janeiro ...5 more days!!
ohh yes so i dont have a functioning compy. to get my music fix i spend time in the local locutorios listening to songs on youtube i miss oh so much. this is a jam that i love oh so much, and i hope you all can have fun with it to. give it an honest spin yo´s.
much love
ben diez
ps i think im to scattered brained to really express anything on a blog, ha!
in my last post i touched on this a lil bit. but what im going to mention is ohh so ever evident in buenos aires. just as evident as it is in chicago. these thoughts im going to mention maybe didnt touch me as much as they have since ive been here. going to a new land without a program or a plan with an open mind. and being stuck in a brand new city, language, and culture can cause you to think on life a lot. first, note how i said with an open mind.
i want to touch on urban living in this post. in chicago i was well aware of the social differences, urban planning, which train will take you to a certain ethnic zone etc... in chicago i was surrounded with beautiful friends that shared my awareness of chicago. so in turn i wasn´t loosing sleep over my neighbors lack of knowledge about cultural zones and reality with in the city. i had my friends to lean on when i was having a hard time.
in BA i had to start over. i had to search out like minded people who have the same passion as i. unfortunately i cant really say i completed this task. i found some cool peeps, but i was never really able to fully express my inner feelings, this being said i had a lot of time to think and write about whats happening. so here is what im saying:
i have a favorite place to grab some food in my hood. the guy running the empanada stand asked me if i liked buenos aires. i´m not a good person to ask this question to. the fact of the matter is, i dont like this city. but on the other hand i like my hood a lot. and in the same hand my hood has some horrible problems. how can i be in love with a place with so many problems. i think because my heart was to involved with people and community i was surrounded by. though a ton of problems i was all there and thats why i love it. this ? can be asked to another person who lives in belgrano (wrigleyville), palermo (lincoln park), or san telmo (wicker park). everyone i encounter loves this city. these folks i meet that love BA have not seen my hood. yet they have heard of my hood. i get these responses ¨you live in la boca, why? isnt it dangerous there¨.
here it is evident to me. people that live in a city, but dont see it the same way i do. they can be here for years, and not really know where they live. maybe this is why i cant kick it for to long in palermo (lincoln park). i´m surrounded by the clubs, stores and fancy restaurants. not to say this is bad. its just not something that is real for me. i feel like im living a fake materialistic life when i am there. i think about the reality and corruption behind this city. and to put it lightly i am completely pissed off. its incredible to me, that though i can live in the same city as my neighbor i might not be living in the same place at all.
that is what im saying. same with in chicago. i can live in a city with a person who claims to be a chicagoan, but the fact of the matter is we dont live in the same place at all.
ughhh this thought is a tough one for me to take in. the thought of living in lincoln park makes me feel sick to my stomach. not to say its wrong to live there. i just cant be surrounded by beautiful red brick and dolce y cabana (sp?) sunglasses all day. if i could handle that and know the reality of chicago (which i am still exploring, but what is reality? whole new thought) then i would kick it up there. but the truth is, i´m passionate. and if i put my heart into something, its there and im going all out yo!
more thoughts friends, cant wait to see sao paulo and rio de janeiro ...5 more days!!
ohh yes so i dont have a functioning compy. to get my music fix i spend time in the local locutorios listening to songs on youtube i miss oh so much. this is a jam that i love oh so much, and i hope you all can have fun with it to. give it an honest spin yo´s.
much love
ben diez
ps i think im to scattered brained to really express anything on a blog, ha!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
2 weeks
Where does desire come from? A desire to progress, not as one man but as a community. Does it come from selfish ambition, ¨Watch me friends, I went from doing laps in my mar de plata. To removing my suit at 5pm and teaching swim lessons down on 87th.
or
Is it natural, pulsing through your lungs. Keeping you up late at night from a shortness of knowledge.
Why does my neighbor to the right insist on taking my trash? Maybe to provide for his wife and 4 children. What do I say to the 7, 8 and 9 year old kids huffing that come to watch me break in the dimly lit park? ¨Don´t do drugs, go back to school¨ with a small shake of my index finger. How come after it rains you can´t go outside because it smells of dog waste? Is it because the dogs that you actually see alive are the ones that provide mal odor and yet a best friend and a pillow to a kid on the street.
For me these answers just don´t suffice, these justifications don´t suffice, these thoughts don´t suffice. I am not more intelligent after seeing a flake of reality. Maybe I´m just a little less ignorant then my neighbor to the left who walks to work with his eyes closed.
It´s not all urban, environment is not reswtricted. Don´t come to my city for Spring Break, share a week of laughs with a child, and step back into your suburbian jungle.
¨Where´d you go spring break?¨ ...I went to the ¨inner city¨.
How brave you must be spend your holiday in the cities boca.
Urban areas have there own affairs. Let the people who live there, and will be around for a while touch their community. Be in the here and now, open your senses and touch your rural, suburban, or urban place of living.
And yes, thats right, Suburbia is a jungle. You have your own set of struggles. Maybe even more intense, they are more strongly masked throughout the long cement vines that transport you from one place to the next.
So check it... open your eyes, inhale, fill your body with knowledge. Forget the fashion of desire. Try for the first time to really live. And trust me, I´ll be ready for any 3am phone call yo.
....well that was pumpin through me, just some quick thoughts for you all. anyways peep this its me infornt of my apt.
yep its true, ive moved back to La Boca (the mouth). Ohh how ive missed my old apt and my community, ive been workin in la boca for the passed 6 months, i feel so much closer with the my friends here when im actually living there. For the passed 2 months i was living in the city center, I had some good times there, i got to experience all the buzz of this city. Unfortunately with all the buzz, the flavor was left out ...oh flavor, the best part.
also give this a spin. my days and life here have been revolving around the community center in my hood. just thought i´d share a couple snappys of the ole breakdance class thats been going on for a while.
so these are some of the attendees, wow theyre actually not going nuts, believe me whoever decided to take this photo, thank you. they actually were kind of still for a while. 
and there is Ariel and I, Ariel looooves hip hop and was all about learning as you can see by the expression on his face, ha! Ariel enjoys the likes of 50 cent and Calle 13, unfortunately these fake hip hop artists are all the rage with the pibes (kids). saddens me deeply.
Oh yes when i left the city downtown I decided to take a trip out the ole countryside. So i hopped a bus with my friend Sheliza from Canada, and 4 hours later there we were. Kickin it with my boy Jero out in his home town. Hey look there we are
oh man how i love jero and his entire fmaily. truly genuine people they are. its amazing all the work they do in there rural community. Jero and his family were able to raise enough money to rebuild a school and hire teachers for the kids with in the community!! The school will be up and running in 2 months, amazing!!!!
Soit was memorial day back home this passed weekend. and out here it was 25 de mayo!! hoooray!! though i dont really know what that means, but it was a holiday. with that said my landlord who ive gotten to know really well over the passed 6 months, invited me to enjoy a holiday meal with him and his family.
what a very kind hearted family, after eating some great food. we brought out the instruments, played and sang a lil tango. with a smooth mix of some costa rican classics aswell. twas truly great fun having some family time.
and yes it has been many moons once again since ive updated. and i can promise that i will not be getting any better. i hope you all enjoyed the read. looks like im outta BA in less than 2 weeks, my travels up to colombia begin june 9th. first stop brasil yo´s!! i hope you all enjoy the rest of your hopefully warm week!! let me leave you with a little lyrical quote from good ole immortal technique ¨the mind of a child is where the revolution begins¨
some jams i´ve been crankin aswell: Common - resurection, Blackstar - beautiful, DJ Siens - strictly break vol 2, O Rappa - pescador de ilusoes
B
or
Is it natural, pulsing through your lungs. Keeping you up late at night from a shortness of knowledge.
Why does my neighbor to the right insist on taking my trash? Maybe to provide for his wife and 4 children. What do I say to the 7, 8 and 9 year old kids huffing that come to watch me break in the dimly lit park? ¨Don´t do drugs, go back to school¨ with a small shake of my index finger. How come after it rains you can´t go outside because it smells of dog waste? Is it because the dogs that you actually see alive are the ones that provide mal odor and yet a best friend and a pillow to a kid on the street.
For me these answers just don´t suffice, these justifications don´t suffice, these thoughts don´t suffice. I am not more intelligent after seeing a flake of reality. Maybe I´m just a little less ignorant then my neighbor to the left who walks to work with his eyes closed.
It´s not all urban, environment is not reswtricted. Don´t come to my city for Spring Break, share a week of laughs with a child, and step back into your suburbian jungle.
¨Where´d you go spring break?¨ ...I went to the ¨inner city¨.
How brave you must be spend your holiday in the cities boca.
Urban areas have there own affairs. Let the people who live there, and will be around for a while touch their community. Be in the here and now, open your senses and touch your rural, suburban, or urban place of living.
And yes, thats right, Suburbia is a jungle. You have your own set of struggles. Maybe even more intense, they are more strongly masked throughout the long cement vines that transport you from one place to the next.
So check it... open your eyes, inhale, fill your body with knowledge. Forget the fashion of desire. Try for the first time to really live. And trust me, I´ll be ready for any 3am phone call yo.
....well that was pumpin through me, just some quick thoughts for you all. anyways peep this its me infornt of my apt.
yep its true, ive moved back to La Boca (the mouth). Ohh how ive missed my old apt and my community, ive been workin in la boca for the passed 6 months, i feel so much closer with the my friends here when im actually living there. For the passed 2 months i was living in the city center, I had some good times there, i got to experience all the buzz of this city. Unfortunately with all the buzz, the flavor was left out ...oh flavor, the best part.also give this a spin. my days and life here have been revolving around the community center in my hood. just thought i´d share a couple snappys of the ole breakdance class thats been going on for a while.
so these are some of the attendees, wow theyre actually not going nuts, believe me whoever decided to take this photo, thank you. they actually were kind of still for a while. 
and there is Ariel and I, Ariel looooves hip hop and was all about learning as you can see by the expression on his face, ha! Ariel enjoys the likes of 50 cent and Calle 13, unfortunately these fake hip hop artists are all the rage with the pibes (kids). saddens me deeply.Oh yes when i left the city downtown I decided to take a trip out the ole countryside. So i hopped a bus with my friend Sheliza from Canada, and 4 hours later there we were. Kickin it with my boy Jero out in his home town. Hey look there we are
oh man how i love jero and his entire fmaily. truly genuine people they are. its amazing all the work they do in there rural community. Jero and his family were able to raise enough money to rebuild a school and hire teachers for the kids with in the community!! The school will be up and running in 2 months, amazing!!!!Soit was memorial day back home this passed weekend. and out here it was 25 de mayo!! hoooray!! though i dont really know what that means, but it was a holiday. with that said my landlord who ive gotten to know really well over the passed 6 months, invited me to enjoy a holiday meal with him and his family.
what a very kind hearted family, after eating some great food. we brought out the instruments, played and sang a lil tango. with a smooth mix of some costa rican classics aswell. twas truly great fun having some family time.and yes it has been many moons once again since ive updated. and i can promise that i will not be getting any better. i hope you all enjoyed the read. looks like im outta BA in less than 2 weeks, my travels up to colombia begin june 9th. first stop brasil yo´s!! i hope you all enjoy the rest of your hopefully warm week!! let me leave you with a little lyrical quote from good ole immortal technique ¨the mind of a child is where the revolution begins¨
some jams i´ve been crankin aswell: Common - resurection, Blackstar - beautiful, DJ Siens - strictly break vol 2, O Rappa - pescador de ilusoes
B
Saturday, April 12, 2008
a good night of rest.
my peeps, what is good yo's!! the haps just keep on cruisin out here in the BA. to everyone back home i want to say sorry for my lack of emails, info, calls, etc... its probably for the better. i've become fully intertwined with happenings and life in this hectic, and at times, obnoxious city. though i have been lacking communication, you all that read this blog are constantly on my mind. i meet so many people who are interested with my life choices and where i come from. i cant help but speak of gold about my family and great friends in chicago who have pushed and influenced me to become the person i am. over these passed 4 and a half months i've been challenged with many life choices. not really having to many people with my same mind-set here, has left me to discover who i am through choosing the best option within certain scenarios. i am so happy with how i react, and feel so much stronger and confident about the person that i am.
a few weeks ago i made a journey all the way to the beautiful country of uruguay. i had to take a ferry from buenos aires to a city in uruguay called colonia. there in colonia i made the most of my 5 hour excursion sleeping on a bench for 2-3hours.
it was so nice to sleep outside. BA is incredibly noisy, colonia was a great place for me to relax in an almost natur-esque place. the bench over looked the classic rio de la plata. i probably would have slept longer, a stray dog came out of left field and licked my face. thus abruptly waking me up from some sweet sweet dreams.
colonia was pretty colonial if you will, ha. everything was straight up old and cobble stoney, with a hint of restoration. enjoy this shot of a classic colonia street. if this isn't cobble stoney i dont know what is!
so there it is, my five hour trip in uruguay consisted of sleeping on a bench, grabbing a quick (expensive!!!) bite, and several strolls through the cobbled alleys of colonia. this is me 10 min after waking up slowly making my way back to the ole ferry that takes me home to BA 
soooo why did i go to uruguay for only 5 hours? the answer is simple, i dont like to spend money, i have to work 7 days a week, and my argentine visa was going to expire. thus, i needed to flee the country and then come back to argentine in order to gain another 3 months in BA.
i wish i could say business is flourishing for me as a vendor of argentine wine. unfortunately i couldn't make a sale if my life depended on it. at times i make a game of selling, sales in english is one thing. but sales in spanish is a whole new ball game. i spend a couple hours of the day standing on the busiest street only for walking in BA called flrida st. there i try to recruit people shopping if they want to come into our store and taste some wine. when or if i have luck i get them in the store and try to chat up our selection of wine for a smooth sale, ha!
now friends please notice my oh so genuine smile. and then notice these men passing not taking the time to notice my hearty cheer. well i guess i cant blame them, i'd also deny someone like me too! the best $1.75/hr i've ever made!!
things have been picking up at the community center. i've been teaching a rowdy bunch of kids. i try my best to keep them moving and entertained throughout our classes. but the truth is you can only do so much.
so here are my kids, this is the beginning of class before they start getting wayyyyyy to ancy. well hey i have another photo of my class. take a look, my hair is getting pretty freakin long. i think i may have set a record for me. 
ohh dont they all look so happy!! haha! i think that i do an alright job keeping attention and keeping respect with the kids. i love teaching to them in spanish, it really puts a lot of pressure on my spanish. they all know i can barely understand them when they speak fast in spanish, or in some other native language to ...i dont know...paraguay. they think its hillarious when i cant understand them. well my favorite thing to do in those scenarios is speak english to my class. hillarious, everyone quiets down and class is restored. oh the power of english, ha!
im really stating to get connected at the community center called "los pibes" (the kids). i've built some great relationships with a lot of families, women, and kids there. as much as i am ready to leave BA and see more of SA. a lot of me really doesn't want to leave los pibes. throughout certain areas of BA i also have become friends with certain people on the streets, and certain people in shops that i frequent throughout the city. i feel like i cant go somewhere without bumping into someone i know. it's a good feeling, somewhat similar to my feeling in chicago. i think now i've finally made BA my city and i can say i have a lil bit of it in my blood.
there is much more for you all, but i will save it for a latter time. you are all in my thoughts, and i miss you guys dearly. sigue adalante chicos!!
benja
ps oh ya, i think ive watched the movie superbad maybe 4 times recently. i dont know what it is, but that movie cracks me up. the subtleties are amazing, i recommend it for dudes. sorry chicas, not sure if you'll dig it all that much. peace
a few weeks ago i made a journey all the way to the beautiful country of uruguay. i had to take a ferry from buenos aires to a city in uruguay called colonia. there in colonia i made the most of my 5 hour excursion sleeping on a bench for 2-3hours.
it was so nice to sleep outside. BA is incredibly noisy, colonia was a great place for me to relax in an almost natur-esque place. the bench over looked the classic rio de la plata. i probably would have slept longer, a stray dog came out of left field and licked my face. thus abruptly waking me up from some sweet sweet dreams.colonia was pretty colonial if you will, ha. everything was straight up old and cobble stoney, with a hint of restoration. enjoy this shot of a classic colonia street. if this isn't cobble stoney i dont know what is!
so there it is, my five hour trip in uruguay consisted of sleeping on a bench, grabbing a quick (expensive!!!) bite, and several strolls through the cobbled alleys of colonia. this is me 10 min after waking up slowly making my way back to the ole ferry that takes me home to BA 
soooo why did i go to uruguay for only 5 hours? the answer is simple, i dont like to spend money, i have to work 7 days a week, and my argentine visa was going to expire. thus, i needed to flee the country and then come back to argentine in order to gain another 3 months in BA.i wish i could say business is flourishing for me as a vendor of argentine wine. unfortunately i couldn't make a sale if my life depended on it. at times i make a game of selling, sales in english is one thing. but sales in spanish is a whole new ball game. i spend a couple hours of the day standing on the busiest street only for walking in BA called flrida st. there i try to recruit people shopping if they want to come into our store and taste some wine. when or if i have luck i get them in the store and try to chat up our selection of wine for a smooth sale, ha!
now friends please notice my oh so genuine smile. and then notice these men passing not taking the time to notice my hearty cheer. well i guess i cant blame them, i'd also deny someone like me too! the best $1.75/hr i've ever made!!things have been picking up at the community center. i've been teaching a rowdy bunch of kids. i try my best to keep them moving and entertained throughout our classes. but the truth is you can only do so much.
so here are my kids, this is the beginning of class before they start getting wayyyyyy to ancy. well hey i have another photo of my class. take a look, my hair is getting pretty freakin long. i think i may have set a record for me. 
ohh dont they all look so happy!! haha! i think that i do an alright job keeping attention and keeping respect with the kids. i love teaching to them in spanish, it really puts a lot of pressure on my spanish. they all know i can barely understand them when they speak fast in spanish, or in some other native language to ...i dont know...paraguay. they think its hillarious when i cant understand them. well my favorite thing to do in those scenarios is speak english to my class. hillarious, everyone quiets down and class is restored. oh the power of english, ha!im really stating to get connected at the community center called "los pibes" (the kids). i've built some great relationships with a lot of families, women, and kids there. as much as i am ready to leave BA and see more of SA. a lot of me really doesn't want to leave los pibes. throughout certain areas of BA i also have become friends with certain people on the streets, and certain people in shops that i frequent throughout the city. i feel like i cant go somewhere without bumping into someone i know. it's a good feeling, somewhat similar to my feeling in chicago. i think now i've finally made BA my city and i can say i have a lil bit of it in my blood.
there is much more for you all, but i will save it for a latter time. you are all in my thoughts, and i miss you guys dearly. sigue adalante chicos!!
benja
ps oh ya, i think ive watched the movie superbad maybe 4 times recently. i dont know what it is, but that movie cracks me up. the subtleties are amazing, i recommend it for dudes. sorry chicas, not sure if you'll dig it all that much. peace
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
la vista
it has been about 2 weeks since i just moved into my hostel ...or should i say my new home. everyday of the week i wake up at 7 am to prepare breakfast for about 50 people. really it blows my mind that about 50 people on vacation want to wake up at 8am for a very simple breakfast. to wake up at 10am ...understandable.
speaking of waking up ...how many of you are greeted by the sun and 7 sensual women every morning?
well that lucky boy is me, just check out this sweet view from my bedroom window.
each morning i like to look to the left
and then to the right
and shout out Buenos Dias Buenos Aires. then have a good stretch of the hips and groin. all that cycling ruined my flexibility in that region, ha!
life is flowing pretty well right now, i have a very small income and i rent for free. i've found a nice group of friends to kick it with, and this city is becoming easier and easier for me to navigate via bicycle. bus is a different story. now i'm starting to have mixed emotions about leaving BA in june/july. though im really itchin to get to brasil and the northern part of SA.
as for speaking spanish, i'm happy with how ive progressed thus far. time to kick it up to the next level and make my conversations a little stronger.
miss you guys a ton back home, keep on living life as freshly as you can. and stray away from any pressures that try to mold you into something you're not. love from below yo's.
speaking of waking up ...how many of you are greeted by the sun and 7 sensual women every morning?
well that lucky boy is me, just check out this sweet view from my bedroom window.each morning i like to look to the left
and then to the right
and shout out Buenos Dias Buenos Aires. then have a good stretch of the hips and groin. all that cycling ruined my flexibility in that region, ha!
life is flowing pretty well right now, i have a very small income and i rent for free. i've found a nice group of friends to kick it with, and this city is becoming easier and easier for me to navigate via bicycle. bus is a different story. now i'm starting to have mixed emotions about leaving BA in june/july. though im really itchin to get to brasil and the northern part of SA.
as for speaking spanish, i'm happy with how ive progressed thus far. time to kick it up to the next level and make my conversations a little stronger.
miss you guys a ton back home, keep on living life as freshly as you can. and stray away from any pressures that try to mold you into something you're not. love from below yo's.
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