Mugged!!!!!

Yes, I was mugged yesterday in the park! When it's sunny, I'll go to the park and do my homework. I thought I had noticed this guy watching me. Well, he made his way over to try and start a conversation, but all he really wanted was my bag and the bag is what he got! Especially after he pulled out this little makeshift knife. He cut me on my left hand, but it wasn't bad at all. I'll miss that backpack, complete with all of my spanish work, my camera, money, and  dedit card. I'm sure he's going to have a spending spree this weekend! Well, YAY for him!

As for me, I guess I won't be doing homework this weekend.  UPDATE: Now, I'm starting to think that I just wanna go home and wrap this "expedition" up? What do you guys think?

The BA Breakthrough/My Two (Argentenian) Pesos

I met my friends, Mentrail and Tyrone in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was such a great feeling to see some familiar faces from home -- especially from two people that I have become so close with.

Buenos Aires is absolutely stunning. I adored the architecture, the food (the empanadas, the Mendoza wine, and the ice cream were heavenly - wow!), the San Telmo Market on Sunday morning; And of course, the famous Recoleta Cemetary where Eva Peron is buried.

The trip was a great experience! However, most everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong. The hotel that we reserved, overbooked and sent us to another one that was out of the way. Since Mentrail and I were staying together in a separate hotel from Tyrone, we got lost and couldn't find him. When we finally did, Tyrone became terribly ill from food poisoning and needed medical attention. I really didn't get a chance to hang with him but for a few hours. And to make things even more unpleasant, it "seemed" like the local Argentenians didn't take to us too kindly. They would stop and stare at us in the street like we were from Planet Zoogaloo or somewhere! I guess to them, maybe we were. Argentina is way down on the map, right? (Thinking back, I think they were just curious). Unfortunately, I think I allowed all of this get the best of me. I could just hear myself being so negative, and the more negative I became, the worse things seemed (and it wasn't bad AT ALL except for Ty getting sick).

Mentrail had this book in his luggage that he had just read on his flight down to Argentina. It's called, The Secret: The Power by Rhonda Byrne, and he let me borrow it.

In a nutshell, the book states that you get what you give out. You give off negativity, you'll get it right back. It's the basic law of attraction. If you're even finding yourself thinking negative thoughts, you must find a way to combat that by immediately thinking of things that you love. Make a list if you have to. Love conquers all. After reading this, I'm a changed person. I want to continue to show love to my family, friends and even strangers. I WILL show love toward things that I want out of life. I WILL learn to speak Spanish, I WILL have a loving partner, and I WILL have a career that I love. I MUST stay positive.

After reading most of  The Power, I was tested. I was waiting to board the flight back to Quito from BA. The ticket agent announced that the flight was delayed two hours. I sighed a bit, but I was starving! I went to get something to eat a few steps away in one of the overpriced restaurants. I must have been gone about 30 minutes when I saw that same ticket agent run over to the restaurant area shouting "The flight to Quito is departing!" I jumped up and immediately ran to the gate where I saw the plane rolling back on the tarmac. I was devastated!!!

I remained calm and remembered "you get what you give out, stay positive and imagine yourself on a plane back to Quito". The flight employee was all geared up to argue with me (because he was definitely in the wrong). I simply asked what I needed to do. He replied that I was going to have to purchase a new ticket downstairs. I remained firm that he said the flight was delayed a total of two hours. He kindly walked away, but an extremely kind manager, Diana, saw the situation and came up to me and told me that she would help me. And help is what she did. She changed my flight for the next morning, walked me back through immigration, helped me with all of that paperwork and finally, reserved a car service to take me to one of the most fabulous hotels that I've ever stayed in. Meals were included. The next morning, a driver was waiting for me to take me back to the airport. I felt like a superstar! LOL.

So this entry isn't really so much about the trip to Buenos Aires. Rather it's about how we as a people can continue to grow and love. The book wasn't telling me anything I didn't know, but it was a friendly reminder (intervention maybe?) that was right on time. You get what you give out. Here's to love and positive thoughts. And that's my two pesos...

Recoleta Cemetary

Recoleta Cemetary II

Recoleta Cemetary III

San Telmo Market on Sunday morning

This is How We Dooo It!

Remember that song, by Montell Jordan? Ooops! I guess I'm showing my age, right?

Quito is a fairly cheap place to live, but things can still get out of hand if you don't watch your spending. As far as eating goes, I tend to imitate the locals. I eat fruit and yogurt for breakast, a sizeable lunch around 1:00, then I'll just snack in the evenings.

Attached are pics of daily menus at various restaurants. A three- or four-course lunch (almuerzo in Spanish) costs anywhere between $1.50-$4.50. A typical lunch always includes a soup, a main course, a dessert and a natural fruit juice. My favorite restaurant is a vegeterian restaurant called El Maple. They seem to put a lot of thought in their dishes. I usually go to El Maple when I want to treat myself and splurge for lunch at a whopping $4.50 for four courses.



A typical creamy-based soup with spinach, potatoes and other veggies



Sour then Sweet

It's funny how something can seem so horrible one moment, and then the next moment something really good comes along.

Yes, I got my money back. All of it! It took some arguing and threatening to call the police, but I got it back.

My bags were already packed and ready to go. My wonderful tutor, Alba, was determined to help me find a place in the middle of everything and also convenient to her home. The touristy, happening area is La Mariscal in Quito.

In La Mariscal, we were actually headed to a hotel that I found on a bulletin board listing in the South American Explorer's Club. However, the address that was provided was incorrect. Ironically, enough though, the "incorrect" address was of a brand new hotel that had just opened. Still thinking it was the hotel that we were intending to see, Alba and I went in to see what it was all about. It was fabulous for Quito standards. The manager, Juan, was super pleasant and as an incentive for me to stay there, he offered me two free weeks, daily internet service, and even threw in laundry service. I snagged it! Alba and I were thrilled.

Sour then sweet...