an army of juan

*three course steak dinner for two, including beverages and tip - $18
*havaianas flip flops that new york fashionistas wet themselves over - $3
*"all you can wax" special at a fancy salon - $5
*learning that your little sister wrote six novels between the ages of 12 and 18, over $0.50 copas de viño - fucking priceless (well, just a few dollars)

I've now been traveling for six days, and it feels closer to six weeks. Whether it's the impending homeless/jobless/penniless doom I face when I return to the US, the excitement of being in the southern hemisphere for the first time in my life, or the fact that our hostel is a dump and a half, my sister and I have been spending all day, every day, walking all over this enormous city. My legs are consistently cramped in strange places and my sister's are covered in mysterious bruises, but it's ok. We've seen a lot of gorgeous buildings in every little nook and rundown cranny. Us two 5'10" blonde chicks are getting free lessons in Argentinian slang by just about every dude we walk by. And as humbling as it has been to do idiotic things like spread lemon pudding on my bread thinking it's butter while the Chilean lady next to me smirks, I am thanking the Good Lord that this trip is not even half over. As I lie in bed tonight cursing the music that's making my bunk bed rattle, I'll try not to think about the igloo I'll need to build for myself in order to live in NYC when I return, and to think instead about the Buenos Aires Rowing Team boathouse (and hopefully rowing team boys) we're visiting tomorrow, the horseback riding in the Andes we're doing on Saturday, and the copious amounts of piscola (pisco and coke) and homemade guacamole I'm going to consume back in Santiago. And if nothing else, I'm tan(ish)!