The Congo Chronicles: Introduction

So here we go! Friday night, in my castle, candles lit, vino tinto by my side, cafe del mar lounge music accompanying me...shall I dare to start? I came home from the office with so much energy after the mate (Argentina's national drink, a stimulating herbal infusion part of a social ritual) which I had with Lu this afternoon, and since I don't have any plans to go out, I decided to just go for it, and make a start to what is probably the most difficult story to share with you, none the less because it is so dear to me. I just read the entries in my diary from my one-week stay in Congo, and my throat is closed off with emotion, tears forming in my eyes.

How can one share what is so close to one's heart, without being afraid to give oneself, vulnerable, almost naked, to the eye of the reader? But then again, the only way writing works for me, is if it comes from the heart, uncensored, freeflowing, giving, honest.

The consultant in me had already thought about a logical way to organize my blog and pictures: background about Congo, politics, economics, family, daily life, and off course my grandmother, the central theme in my diary, memories, heart! But...to hell with logic! I've decided to just start writing, and see where the inspiration of the moment takes me, just the way I would like to live life, in the here and the now, guided by this incredible faith that everything will be allright and is exactly as it is supposed to be. Hopefully you'll be able to follow me, as I so much would love to share with you what I felt, Emotions with a capital E, which probably boil down to one universal theme: that BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER!

Gang bang...in Puerto Madryn



Puerto Madryn Picasa Web Album

 Just reading the title of my last blog, "Three months"...Funnily, it's been exactly three months since that last blog, and honestly, since I've discovered Facebook, I'm even more confused about whether I should be posting pictures on my blog, or just on facebook, but then the wall posts are just not suitable for stories...And God knows I've got a hundred stories sitting in me since my trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo! But somehow, that experience was so big and profound, that I dread putting these first words on paper, I need to let it all sink in a bit more...So, for those of you who are dying to "meet" my incredible grandmother (Kaku! in Tshiluba), to step into the vibrant daily life of the Congolese in Kinshasa, to taste and smell the african cuisine, to feel the incredible hope the population has vested in one of the candidates for November's presidential elections (a first Spring revolution in Sub-Sahara Africa?)...patience!!! I swear it will come, I've already started sorting through more than 350 pictures and video footage of my one-week trip...;-)

Allow me to start with something smaller, easier to swallow and digest. One week in Congo has definitely woken me up! I came back with the promise that life is too short to just let it pass by, and looking back at my first six months in Argentina, I noticed that I've barely seen anything from this beautifyl country! Work and lots of stress are barely a good excuse! And since one never knows how much longer this experience will last (especially me with my short-term contracts), I've decided to venture out more, starting with the first weekend since my arrival, which happens to be a long weekend!

A twenty-hour bus ride south from Buenos Aires, Puerto Madryn is a small port town, entry point to northern Patagonia, which counts Argentina's biggest aluminium factory, but more importantly, has the luck to host some of the world's largest mammals on their annual breeding tour, the Southern Right Whales (Ballena Franca Austral)! Those of you who know the author of this piece, the city-girl born and raised in Brussels, are probably already chuckling internally: how on earth can Rose now be so lyrical about a bunch of whales (after last year's dolphins in Mozambique)...

I'm writing this piece from Yoaquina, a cosy beach-front cafe, with a view on the emerald green and deep blue Gulf Nuevo, where I was greeted again by four or five whales just off the coast on a solitary and glorious morning walk! Amen to the solemn sandy beach, the wind playing in my hair, the sun making my little brother's gloves and scarf (no idea how these got in one of my boxes in South Africa, Tom) just perfect to ward off the polar cold, and amen to these incredible creatures who are putting up a show again for the third day in a row!

August-September is the mating season, and thanks to Sebastian, our passionate guide on yesterday's tour of the Peninsula Valdez (Huinca Travel, I can really recommend!), I feel like I know all about these big blubby sociable beings. So, the female (hembra) is, with 15 meters and weighing 50 tons, the bigger of the sexes, and the dominant one! Upon her call, she attracts four or five males, ready to follow the female in the mating dance. For hours, they will circle around the female, a gang of brothers cooperating to try and get her into the right position, but she leads them on and on (not tonight honey) and wears them out (part of the selection), until finally the persistent males get a chance each to inseminate her (which lasts just a couple of seconds), after which the real selection is based on the sperm's quality!

Upon my arrival on Saturday, I witnessed two groups playing already from the beach. But yesterday's boat trip brought it all up close (and personal?)! Amazing, what I liked best is that our captain was not trying to follow the whales, but that the whales decide whether or not they would come close to us! How blessed a spectator I felt to see their enourmous callous heads spray up water, their big backs swirling in and out of the water, and, cherry on the pie, the jumps and tail fins gliding back into the water, surrounded by subwoofer stereo sounds! Amen to Nature, when you get so close and almost under my skin, you take my breath away! Thank you!

Three months...

It has been three months now since I arrived in Buenos Aires, so I had to leave the country to renew my entry visa...

Excellent excuse to visit the landlords of my apartment, Rosita and Ovidio, in their farm in Uruguay, near the awkardly Swiss town of Colonia Valdense...Colonia is probably the most visited town by foreigners living in Buenos Aires who need to cross a border for visa-purposes...just hop into the buquebus ferry, and one hour later you´re in Uruguay!

So if you´ve seen the pictures of my apartment, you will no doubt understand that this old farmhouse has been restored with exquisite taste by Rosita, one of the most creative and giving souls I have ever encountered! Good vibes, nice family atmosphere with their 2 little blond angels Ovidito and Beltran and Malingo the little dog, and the real outdoors..so nice to leave the city for a weekend! Even though the wheather was not really playing along, I managed to accompany Ovidio and Beltran to feed the 60 calves - one of which is tenderly called the "crazy calf" and gave rise to some discussion between Ovidio and Rosita as Ovidio has grown a special attachment and does not want to sell his beloved friend; Violeta the sheep who thinks she´s a dog; their two horses; the geese...Driving their truck to the neighbours to pluck kaki (fruits) from the trees with the kids...Long discussions about the act of creation and life over lunch and dinner...Watching a family movie with the kids...Playing football on the beach 20 minutes from their house...Food for the soul with this beautiful family! I surely will be back!
https://picasaweb.google.com/rose.vervenne/ColoniaOvidioYRosita?authkey=Gv1sRgCP_ElayzmbPBhwE#

Saturday Night Live...

A new Saturday night ritual has come to life here in Buenos Aires: cooking nights with my gourmet friends Luis, Angel and Milton! Always a surprise what they will be cooking, as the menu depends on whatever fresh produce they come across in the Chinese neighbourhood! And for some reason, even the most basic dish reaches another, spectacular level with Milton and Angel, like the guacamole, mixed with some South African peppadew "sweet and picante" peppers - brought to me by my colleague Charlotte during her short holidays in Buenos Aires...

The menu this time ensured fully operational saliva glands again:
- Fresh guacamole on heated chicharron bread (fried pork rinds)
- Consome of chicken with milk piglet
- Pate of chicken wings with mushrooms
- Chickpea stew with beef
- Entrecote with duo of potato and leek creme and glazed peppadews with garlic
- Pure hot cocoa foam with cinnamon - imported and prepared the traditional way by my Colombian friends Marcela and Carlos, who demonstrated some salsa steps as well...

And the best part about hosting these dinners at my place, is that I get to keep the leftovers...hehe!
I am thinking now about a Belgian-Colombian specialties nights with Marcela and Carlos, so any suggestions of Belgian dishes are welcome!

Some more pics of our dinner via the link below! Buen provecho!

https://picasaweb.google.com/rose.vervenne/CenaCastillo_7DeMayo?authkey=Gv1sRgCIz38ab5w8nrsgE#

Zeg het in het Afrikaans...

Today in the online Belgian newspaper, the presentation of ANNA, the first dictionary Afrikaans - Dutch! Especially for my friends in South Africa and Belgium, take the test...

"In het Antwerpse provinciehuis is woensdagavond ANNA, het eerste groot woordenboek Afrikaans-Nederlands, aan het publiek voorgesteld. Het Afrikaans is de aan het Nederlands verwante taal die in grote delen van Zuid-Afrika en Namibië wordt gesproken. Het woordenboek telt liefst 2.232 pagina's en 60.000 trefwoorden.

Afrikaans is een relatief jonge taal die zich sinds de 17de eeuw, toen Nederlanders massaal naar Zuid-Afrika trokken, geleidelijk losmaakte van het officiële Nederlands en een eigen karakter kreeg. Het spreekt bij veel Nederlandstaligen tot de verbeelding omdat ze het vrij goed kunnen begrijpen. Maar het zijn vooral de originele beeldende woorden en uitdrukkingen, zoals 'moltrein' (metro) of 'blokkiesvloer' (parket), die ons aanspreken."

Hoe goed is jouw kennis van het Afrikaans? Doe de test...
http://www.standaard.be/extra/afrikaans

...Party!

My friends know how much I love a good party, and even more so to throw a party! So, following my new philosophy, I decided to just set the date for my "Fiesta de inauguracion y cumpleanos", Saturday the 16th, and hope for the best! The big question for me was off course, how many people would show up, and, unlike Kate or now Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge, my biggest nightmare was not to show up naked at my own wedding, but rather to have only three or four people attending in this huge apartment of mine, watching the clock to see at what time it would be polite enough to disappear from a boring non-event... 

It turns out, twenty-five (25!) people showed up at my party - way more than at my farewell party in Johannesburg ;-) No, I didn't have to hand out flyers stating "booze for free" on the streets, but with some weird stroke of luck (or not), I made some new friends the Saturday before, at another birthday party - the first party I was invited to! Santiago, who studied anthropology with my friend Dorothy in London, invited me to his 50th birthday party in his house in Hurlingham, outside of the city. He arranged a ride for me with Luis and Angel, two of his old schoolmates, and our 1-hour drive including me having to read a map to get back on track, turned out to be quite some fun! And somehow that night, I was in an extremely great form, which means that I ended up entertaining Luis, Angel, Marcela and Carlos - a Colombian couple - with my stories about my great country Belgium, and so for hours tears were rolling from laughter, and we ended up closing the party without even noticing...Luis and Angel are gourmets, and so they offered to prepare the food for my party. So the next Saturday, Luis invited me for lunch at his house with this gourmet crew, just 5 blocks from my place, and then my new friends moved to my place for the party! Milton, part of the crew, is the creative chef of one of Buenos Aires' best restaurants (http://www.chilaweb.com.ar/), and he ended up cooking gourmet food all night for my guests, including specials for my three vegetarian friends! A real show in the open plan kitchen and living / party room, as you can judge from the pictures! We had a special chickpea stew, a huge fresh octopus a la plancha, a spectacular peruvian dish called "Tacu Tacu", and, especially for me, a pot of mussels in white wine, as I told them the weekend before that this is one of Belgium's specialties...I closed the door around 4.00 for my last guests after tea and cake, with a big smile on my face...And have since then been invited to the weekly informal gourmet cooking gatherings which turn out to be a lot of fun...

You'll find more pictures of my party and friends on the link below!

https://picasaweb.google.com/rose.vervenne/BirthdayEnBuenosAires?authkey=Gv1sRgCN-Uv_fP5LbRxQE#



Birthday...

If you read this post and haven't wished me a happy birthday yet, it means that, yes - you missed a very important date!!! April 12th was just a regular Tuesday, actually a really busy Tuesday. I started my day with a meeting out of the office, and when I finally arrived at the office, Luciana and the guys from the foundation surprised me with a whole bunch of "facturas" - a term used for croissants and other morning (and afternoon!) pastries! Plus a HUGE box of artesenal chocolates - they must have picked up on my chocolate withdrawal symptoms...And then an even bigger bouquet of flowers and a bottle of champagne from my friend Heloise were delivered at the office...making quite an impression on the girls at reception - damned, I should have sticked to the "mysterious admiror" story!

All these attentions were so sweet...But still, I didn't have any plans for the night, so ended up working until 20.00 (yes, I know), when Alexander - a consultant with Dutch roots working on the same floor - decided that it was a NO GO for me to just sit at home by myself on such a day, and having been an expat himself, he invited me for dinner with his Greek wife in my favourite restaurant Petanque, a French brasserie close to my home, where I had an awesome Steak Tartare with frietjes and mayonaise, followed by a birthday cake with a candle I had to blow out and a glass of champagne! So, even though I had nothing planned, it turned out to be quite an awesome day...And the PARTY on Saturday was even better...as you'll read in my next post!

Fines de Semana

I used to look forward to the weekends, but here in Buenos Aires, the weekends or fines de semana are the most difficult times...Not just because I've ended up working most of the past weekends, actually more the contrary. The thought of spending 48 hours by myself, having to start conversations in shops or buses just to check that my voice is still working, is rather daunting...And this extra-long Easter Weekend is probably even worse...I called, texted, emailed, the few people I know, but they were either away on holiday, invited to family dinners, or just not answering...A last minute flight of the capital to San Antonio de Areco also came to an end due to fully booked hotels - that is, the few which still had some vacancies, did not want to reserve the room for me, as I required the room for only 1 night, and just for 1 person...Yes, as you can imagine, not exactly the best way to cure loneliness. But as always, after two minor days, I woke up today, the sun was shining, and I left the house with one of my two allies in these moments...my camera! My other ally - my piano - is waiting for me now, before I leave to have dinner at Luis' house - a new friend you'll read more about in my next post! All is good again in Buenos Aires...Beso

Milongas

I am officially in love! It turns out the Buenos Ayres Club (http://www.buenosayresclub.com/) is just two blocks away from my house - so I decided to check it out last night. Tango classes at 21.00, and the real milonga (a place or event where tango or milonga is danced) with live orchestra at 23.00.

So much fun! About 30 people showed up for the class, a mix of tourists and Argentines. Laura and the male teacher referred to as "El Gato" (the cat) led us through some stretches, basic postures, walking with the tango attitude, and some basic steps, which we practiced alone or in couples, changing partner with every exercise.

While waiting for the doors to open, I met Lucas, Porteno who speaks a very good French! We were joined by his three colleagues for the milonga, which totally filled up with local tango aficionados. Beautiful thirty- and fourtysomething people, some dressed up, others casually hip, difficult to keep our eyes of the sensual but strictly professional body communication between the pairs, so full of tension and unfulfilled attraction. And then the live music, performed by the 10-headed La Orquesta Tipica El Afronte, wauw! We quickly spotted our favourite figures on the dance floor: Crocodile Dundee without the hat; the girl with the superb red-heeled tango shoes; Woody Allen in Crocs; and then, the main cause of animation, laughter and entertainment at our table: the lambada girl, moving her hips way too much for a classical tango that I decided that she is officially inventing a new dance - the tangada. The author of this piece was also asked a couple of times on the dancefloor, and since according to etiquette you can't really refuse, I managed to stammer a couple of words to indicate that I am really really really a beginner. Being led over the dancefloor is pure magic! The Dj took over at the end, and was acclaimed for the typical Folklore songs from the North which stirred a type of inline dancing from the locals, known as Chacarera. What a beautiful night! I am officially in love with tango!

Que?!?

Good news! I am no longer working all by myself at the office! And even though Luciana only joined me last week, it feels as if we've known each other for a long time!

A feated journalist, published by several national newspapers and magazines, smart and witty, and with a good sense of social involvement, what a pleasure to work with! Needless to say that my Spanish is finally also starting to improve now.

Today, we decided to no longer communicate after 5.30 pm, because for some reason, we end up having parallel conversations in castellano. A snapshot of today's conversation, around 5.30 pm indeed:
Rose: "So, where are we meeting Javier for lunch on Wednesday?"
Lu: "He only has one hour for lunch."
Rose: "I thought we agreed to meet at 1.30 pm already?"

Que!?! No entiendo!
Welcome Lu!!!

Trojan Horse

Sorry, dit kon ik niet laten...
Met dank aan Heloise voor de continue stroom jokes en twijfelachtige humor ;-)

Home

This is the official start of my new life in Buenos Aires. As I came HOME twice over the weekend.

First, on a physical level, how nice to finally have a place I can call home. My suitcases finally unpacked. A working kitchen. The old pinewood floors cracking under my feet, the six meter high arched ceilings and the antique furniture taking me back into time. I love every inch of this place, and it looks like there is a good vibe in the community living in this Pasaje, as I found out on my first night. Ovidio, the landlord, came by with a set of extra keys, and promptly invited me over to his best friends in the Pasaje, taking a bottle of red along with us. I found three French guys playing cards (stronten!), in the one apartment which includes a turret as extra feature, so I guess that this is the official castle in the block.

Second, how nice to come home to myself. I spent this first long weekend in Canuelas, on an advanced meditation course in silence organized by the Art of Living. Blissful, peaceful, relaxed, I am sporting the biggest smile I've ever had on my face, one that comes from within. I was in desperate need of this, as the stress of the move and all that comes with it was slowly taking the best of me. I started having restless nights, worrying, stressing, and the fact that I was going through all this by myself certainly did not make it easier (hint: I really welcome your emails and calls ;-)). So, this is a new and fresh beginning: I'm ready for the big challenge ahead, of making our first Latin America chapter a big success, and of building a happy life for myself here.

Anyway, as promised, here are some pictures of my castle, enjoy! Oh yes, there is one added surprise in my castillo, which you can't see on the pictures, and which is making me soooooo happy! If you can guess what it is, you get priority on the visitors list ;-)

https://picasaweb.google.com/rose.vervenne/ElCastillo?authkey=Gv1sRgCOKxyNXv7Nq4zQE#

And the winner is...

Experience should have thought me that for every bad day, two good days would typically follow! And yet my mind seems prone to forget these things.

Now, Friday wasn't exactly the best day in my life. It started when I found out after a long email correspondence that none of my bank cards, credit or debit, could be accepted to pay for the meditation course that I wanted to follow next weekend. International cards don't seem to be Argentina's favourite fare. So I find out that Banco Frances, which has a branch in front of the office, changes traveller cheques without charging a commission - a welcome alternative to the ATM withdrawals which cost me eight USD for every transaction, and off course limit the amount one can withdraw in one day, making sure that I need to use this service more than I would like to in this efectivo (cash)-prone economy. Anyway, cash in hand, I venture to find one of the "Rapipago" branches, which is the only alternative to pay for the course. While my cash is certainly as good as everyone else's, the fact that I don't have a local DNI or id-number seems to be yet another stumbling block. For 20 minutes, I try to come up with alternatives with the very friendly girl assisting me, like using a fictional DNI, or hers, but then how will the course be able to identify me as the person who paid the course? So we leave it to this and I return to the office only to find out that the bank transfer for the guarantee and broker fees for the apartment I'm supposed to move into on Tuesday, hasn't happened! The bank in Canada simply forgot to process the wire transfers. Hence follows a long string of emails with my colleagues in Canada to get proof of payments, with the broker, the landlord, while in parallel looking for a plan B (extending my stay in the studio, offering to use one of my traveler cheques as a guarantee to the landlord). And all of this on a day which was full of bureaucratic procedures to open a company bank account, establish a legal entity, not exactly my cup of tea.

It's seven p.m. by the time I leave the office. I may be in Buenos Aires, but I'm just too exhausted to even think about doing something fun. So I spend the evening like most of the others, watching the endless run of American series on TV, a pizza as comfort food this time.

Late Friday night, the first sunray of the day finally comes through. An email from the landlord who is somewhere between Brazil and Uruguay, acknowledging my efforts and telling me not to worry - "just come over on Tuesday, I'll get the money whenever it gets in my account." Ouf (sigh), because honestly, it's been four weeks now since I arrived, and I can't bear yet another week without unpacking and living as I do now in my studio. Then on Saturday, lunch with Eleonora in her usual hangout, this time we are joined by her daugher Augustina. Great company, and immediate click with Augustina, who seems to share the same passion for independent traveling (she's going to Prague and Berlin in April!), music, old buildings with a soul, and checking out cool places. This morning, I treat myself to a nice breakfast at the patio of Como en Casa, and on my way back I bump into an Express Carrefour (yes, open on a Sunday!), where I pack enough fruits (mango!) and vegetables (rucula! avocado!) for 2 days, and two Stella's which will keep me company during tonight's Oscar celebration show. So, enough positive energy to catch up on some work right now, with two cold beers waiting for me later tonight!

Just another Friday afternoon at the office

Friday afternoon, yet another week gone by. Alone in my corner office on the 4th floor. Cappuccino from the vending machine. The sun is shining, but it's cold inside. Moment of loneliness, should I go to the movies tonight, again by myself? Sign up for the meditation class next week over the carnival holidays? Start tango classes in the Confiteria Ideal? I wish I knew more people here...

Luckily, my thoughts are interrupted by loud drumming from outside. There's always something happening on the streets in the centro. Another protest march. Even though I'm not sure what this small group is marching for, I welcome the distraction. Maybe I should just go home early tonight...

Revolución de las Papas Fritas

Today Belgium has beaten Iraq's world record of 249 days without a government! This item made it even to one of the Argentinean newspapers. After the Jasmin Revolution in Tunisia, we have the "Frietrevolutie" in Belgium, or the "Revolución de las Papas Fritas". Magritte may be dead, but Belgium is still the universal centre of surrealism...

(cartoon (c) Stift)

Spanish

I guess that one of the skills one is forced to learn when living abroad, is not to take oneself too seriously!

Every night, I crawl into my bed exhausted, having had to read - speak - think in Spanish all day! But I know that I'm getting there! My work notes are still in English after two years in South Africa, but I found myself scrabbling some bullet points on a restaurant napkin (yes, I know, the famous organized bullet points - even my first attempt to a travel journal was a list of bullet points ;-)) about some courses I'd love to start in Bs As - in Spanish!

Tired of the gluten- and calorie-rich lunch diet of sandwiches, Burger King (dios mios, there's one not too far from the office) and other such franchise stuff, I ventured out to find an alternative on internet - an art gallery which serves lunch specials and salads. I happily located the Hippolito, and tried to look like a local who's about to enter her favourite lunch spot (with large windows and glass door opening onto the street), when I made a total ass of myself, pushing and pulling that door, with no effect! Luckily, one of the waiters came to my rescue, and opened the door with a big smile, which is when I understood the meaning of "puerta corredera"...sliding door! After which I had a very attentive service - the young waiter doing his best of speaking Spanish in slow motion, "GA-SE-O-SA", so all in all not such a bad experience?

The other night, pride got the better of me, as I refused to ask the waiter in the restaurant to explain to me what that ingredient is which featured on 80% of the meals on the menu. Needless to explain my relief to find out that "albahaca" means basil when my order arrived!

I know, I should buy myself a dictionary - a mini version for my purse, and a big one for the office - but I'm waiting to have a spot and locker assigned so that I don't have to carry these every day on the subte...;-)

El Castillo

Here goes the first real hint about "El Castillo" (The Castle) - which is how my friends here have dubbed my apartment...It is located in what we call here a "Pasaje", a block of buildings linking two streets with a private, internal passage way. Pasaje Santa Marina was built between 1902 and 1915 by the eponymous family and is part of the historical patrimonium of the city of Buenos Aires. It now houses over 30 apartments, and word of mouth has it that its owners range from artists over nobility to strange foreigners. Princess Maxima - Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands' wife - is said to own one of the apartments in the Pasaje. Good company???

It gets better! The owner of the apartment, Rosa, is an artist and polo (the sport with the horses) player. She obtained her arts degree in London, and - this part of her story as told by her husband Ovidio made me wonder most about how incredible lifes certain people live - for seven years she used to be the Princess of Burma's personal polo trainer (the princess was only allowed to have female trainers)! Sounds like a good character for a novel if you ask me... She and her husband (in their mid-thirties I would guess) recently moved with their two small kids to a ranch in Uruguay, amids horses (off course), sheep, crops...

Needless to say that the flat features exquisite antique furnishings, and some of Rosa's paintings are on display! The bar in the open plan kitchen and the mural piece are 200 year old wooden pieces which belonged to a gaucho ranch in the interior of the country! Sometimes, the place is rented by film crews who look for typical yesteryear Porteno style backgrounds...I leave you to marvel like me until the 1st of March!

Oh My God!

Oh my God Oh my God OH MY GOD!
I just signed the lease for the most divine place! I still can't believe it! And it has my name written all over it!

I may have shared with some of you that, during my last business trip to Bs As in October, I had the feeling that the project would go ahead, and that I even knew in which neighbourhood I would live...Well, San Telmo it will be!!!

You will have to wait until the first of March though to see some pictures - when I can move into the apartment! But until then, I will lift the veil about the place a little higher in each new post (of hoe zeg je dat in het Engels een tipje van de sluier lichten?), just to keep the suspense going...haha!

Today, from Wikipedia, a short description about San Telmo!

"San Telmo ("Saint Pedro González Telmo") is the oldest barrio (neighborhood) of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is a well-preserved area of the Argentine metropolis and is characterized by its colonial buildings. Cafes, tango parlors and antique shops line the cobblestone streets, which are often filled with artists and dancers."

I don't think I will be able to sleep tonight! And I really don't mind the fact that I will be camping in the tiniest and cheapest studio as of tomorrow...Everything will be taken care of, when you're on the right path (and I guess in my case, not afraid to jump)! Just a reminder to myself to think about how smooth the past 3 weeks actually went whenever doubt kicks in again: from the swift sale of my car and piano, over the last minute goodbye braai, to the encounter with the loveliest real estate broker, and now this place and its owners...! Thank You God!

Week 1

Sunday evening, time to review my first week in Buenos Aires! Strange to know that only last Saturday I was moving boxes to the neighbours in Johannesburg, and saying goodbye to the couple of friends I made and my South African family!

I arrived extremely tired on Sunday night, the heat and extreme humidity making the search for the few bare essentials that I checked in with Cargo in Joburg (ok, 65 kg ;-)) not exactly pleasant! My driver Ricardo was a good sport, and walked with me from the information point to the Airfrance office (the girls at the Information desk did not really master English, so 'airfreight' was misinterpreted and became 'airfrance') back to information and finally to the cargo terminal outside of the airport - only to get a surprised look from the security girl stammering as if it were a generic excuse, "It's Sunday" so customs does not work off course...Come back tomorrow as of 9 am!

So I arranged to have a driver pick me up from the hotel at 8, and to make a long story short, I came "home" with my luggage (and a broken suitcase) at 2 p.m., learning my first new Spanish word along the way, "tramites", which basically means administrative process, bureaucracy, terribly frustrating waste of time (the latter is my own interpretation). I probably lost 1 kg walking from oficina 1 to edificio corporativo (3 km away) back to officina 1, then oficina 2 - oficina 3 - oficina 1 - oficina 2 - oficina 1 - oficina 3 - the freight hall to inspect the goods - oficina 3 - oficina 1 - outside to pick up federico with a pass to load the luggage - freight hall - edificio corporativo...I kid you not! The consultant in me saw unbelievable potential for process optimization! And I know that my friends in South Africa sometimes complain about their country going to the dogs, well, the whole process in Johannesburg took less than 1 hour!!! Anyway, partner in crime Federico ("I am so sorry and so ashamed about my country") pointed out that at least I recovered my stuff and did not have to pay customs (unlike the young guy who was charged with USD 250 for importing a cell phone - categorized as a hazardous electrical equipment), so after a couple of deep breaths I was able to relax on the way to the hotel. A quick shower later and I jumped into a taxi for my 3 o'clock with the Accenture guy who helps expats to find apartments - no time for lunch...Needless to say I slept like a baby that night!

I pretty much worked from my little flat in Palermo Hollywood this week, a breezy place, with trendy cosmopolitan restaurants practically on every corner. My favourite - Osaka - makes the best peruvian sushi (an absolute must-try)! Except for the two Italians whom I met at the gym, and the Canadian businessman met at breakfast who happens to know the founder, CFO and Legal Officer in Montreal, I pretty much kept to myself - breakfast, lunch and dinner "solita".

So, Friday was the big day, my first social event, dinner with Luciana and Javier, brother and sister, whom I met during my trip October last year. A taxi drove me to Villa Urquiza, off limits from the regular Bs As map, and we had dinner in a typical local family restaurant - no frills, but packed! Off course around 22.30! And for those of you who have ever been in Austria, a schnitzel there would stand no chance against the milanesa which was brought to our table - too large for the three of us! It was an exquisite night, full of laughter, in mixed English - Spanish, the first time I really relaxed! And such nice people - you'll surely read more about them in other posts!

Today, I had lunch with Eleonora on the patio of the restaurant of the Evita museum, close to the zoo park, such a nice day as well! Eleonora is the CEO of a local foundation who supports youngsters to start a business. We met during all my business trips and she's already offered me to introduce me to her grown kids (her daughter is into photography and arts) and the rest of the family!

So, as I said, everything is only getting better since my arrival!

Hasta luego!

Bienvenidos en Argentina!

Hola! A new era started this week with my move to Buenos Aires, albeit temporary, and it feels good! So here I am faced with a major question: should I change my blog's name, Rose of Africa, since technically I will not be in South Africa for the coming weeks nor traveling on the African continent? But then again, my roots being in Congo DRC (ok, for 50% only), I decided that we can be a bit flexible, I'm sure you'll agree?

Anyway, as the challenge is now to develop entrepreneurship in Argentina, you will read more latin stories on this blog - I would probably not be lying if I just wrote "more stories". Hopefully I can share some personal experiences about the Argentinean vida y espirito from an outsider's perspective, and who knows become an insider pretty soon! You'll be able to follow my fight against the evil medialunas (croissants) and other hiphugging pastries, as well as against the best carne in the world. (I don't intend to fight the Malbec or other red wines though!). And boy, a hot summer it will be! I mean literally - 34 degrees the first day of my arrival, and even more so on the subte (metro) during peak hour...Just wish for me that this heat will help me get rid of some of the "Christmas kilos" which I seemed to have acquired even more swiftly than frequent flyer miles during my two week-long family visit in a snowed under Belgium.

Oh yes, as I will do my best to publish new posts on this blog, I just wanted to say that I do welcome comments of course...And you can subscribe as a follower to ensure you don't miss any new posts! Hasta luego! Rosa