Learning to Say No

It's my third day in Buenos Aires, and I think I'm finally in the swing of things. The jet lag is gone, and I've adjusted to the climate change. I'm even slowly getting used to the longer hours. (An early night here is 3 am.) The next step then is going to be learning to say no. As in "no thank you grandma, but I've already got 17 other plans for today, I don't think I'm going to be able to make it to afternoon tea with your bridge friends." I'm trying to see everyone, but I can tell it's going to be a little crazy trying to make plans with so many different people. Actually, this is the moment in the movie where after some introspection I realize that so many people driving me nuts with plans means that there are so many people that love me and want to see me, and I become extremely grateful for the family I have. And I am.

The other good news here is that many plans have been interesting. Yesterday I went to my grandparents' apartment to have lunch with them. My grandfather told me all kinds of stories about his work at the office, which my grandmother assured me were not true, and my grandmother ordered enough ice cream from the local creamery to feed an army. Yes, it is phenomenal ice cream (the company's name is Freddo, and anyone looking to open up a store in L.A. should seriously consider this as a franchise http://www.freddo.com.ar), and I do love the food here, but that was a bit excessive. Jewish grandmothers and food I guess.... My cousin Lucas stopped by a little later to say hello.I can't believe how much he's changed! The last time I saw him was two years ago, and it seems that he hit a pretty massive growth spurt. He and I went for an hour walk around the city, just catching up with each other's lives. It felt so good to walk around the streets of Buenos Aires, to people watch, to blend in with the other Argentines leading their daily lives. We ended up at the Centro Recoletta, which is a multi-functional area. It's primarily a cemetery for the aristocrats. Evita Peron is buried there, and tourists from all over the world come to view the tomb and take a guided tour of the premises. It's also got a beautiful park that plays host to an arts and crafts fair every weekend. All the local artisans come to showcase their merchandise there. There is also a cultural center on the grounds, where there are concerts and art exibits. That's where we found ourselves near the end of our walk, and bought tickets for a jazz festival taking place there tonight. I'll have let you all know how it goes.
Photo: http://mclaren.frenzy.com/~scotti/5-Argentina/4-Buenas_Aires/Recoletta_cemetary.jpg

Eventually I took a cab back to my grandmother Perla's house (herein known as Base Camp), and got dolled up to go the theatre. My grandmother, her gentleman friend Ubaldo (the cutest man I've ever known), and myself went to see the Argentine version of the play "I love you, You're Perfect, Now Change." It was excellent. Very funny. I think I may have missed some jokes with local references, but great nonetheless. We went out for a coffee afterwards, and got back at 2:30. And this is with seniors as chaperones! I feel like an old lady.........