Olavarria weekend

This past weekend was medio quilombo (a bit disastrous) but lots of fun.

It all started Thursday. Leti and I went to the terminal to buy a ticket to Olavarria. 

(My friend Anna and I were planning to go visit two of our exchange friends (really nice girls from the United States) in Tandill, but things got complicated and we ended up going to Olavarria to meet up with some of our German friends then the girls from Tandill were  supposed to come visit us there.) 

So of course with my luck and lack of timing there were no buses direct to Olavarria. After a few calls I decided to go to buenos aires meet up with Anna there than we would go to Olavarria together. So I bought my ticket to buenos aires. 

If you know me you know I love to eat and I'm basically always hungry and Leti just happens to be the exact same way. 

We walked into the centre and got to the cafe at around 7:30 pm (btw it gets dark here so soon now! I really can't believe it!)   We were really pushing it because we needed to be at my dad's vet shop for 8 o'clock. We didn't know what to order, I remember really wanting French fries but I knew they would take a little longer. So we decided on dessert. Always a good choice! 

On the sugar packages there are always, sayings, jokes or quotes. This one says "Remember that for every Monday, there is a Friday". Whenever girls go to the cafe they always take a picture of their favourite and put it on snapchat. 

Friday! 

My first bus left at 7 am nice and early! 3 hours later I arrived in Buenos Aries at the Retiro. Ok so here is the thing. Retiro is kinda dangerous and even more for young girl especially if we are traveling alone. I've been here many times but I've always had someone there waiting to pick me up when I got off the bus. This time I didn't because my friend was in school and her parents were working in San Isidro. She told me that I had to take a train to San isidro and that her dad would pick me up there. Ok then, but wait a second where is the train station? I ask a girl on the bus and she said that I could take a train from Retiro. But I couldn't find any sort of trains so I went up and asked in information desk. They guy there told me I had to leave Retiro and walk to my right. So I leave and start walking to my right thinking this place is going to be easy to find. So I walk into this place and even texted a picture of it to my friend and her teacher told me it was te right place. I mean it says Retiro, maybe that's what the girl on the bus meant. So I walk in and I don't see San Isidro on the board at all but I ask for a ticket anyways and the man there told me I have to walk more. So I continue walking and finally find this old build

I walk in and I don't see San Isidro anywhere on the board but I ask for a ticket anyways and I'm in the wrong place. The man told me I had to keep walking so I did and finally found this old building and took a train. 

When I was getting my ticket I heard a young couple behind me speaking French. I asked them if they wanted help and I'm glad I did because it was obvious that they didn't know any Spanish, they must feel like I did when I first got here. 

On the train I say down with all the bags and my suitcase I was carrying and prayed that a girl would sit next to me when this older women from Venezuela came and sat next to me. She was really nice, I could tell she wasn't Argentinian because she had a different accent and spoke using other verb forms. We talked the whole train ride until she got off. It was nice because even though we speak two different spanishes and mine isn't perfect we could still easily understand each other and could have a long conversation. This was her third time in Argentina and she had 7 months left here until she could become a citizen. She came from Venezuela because of the economic crisis and left her family, home and everything behind. She had to close her restaurant (she cooks mediterranean food) and came to Argentina with her cousin. I felt so bad for her, I could tell she really missed home and wanted to be there. She didn't really want to live in Argentina but the problems back in Venezuela are too big right now for her to be there. 

Anyways after a 30 minute bus ride I was finally in San Isidro. My friends dad came and picked me up, durning the car ride to pick up my friend he told me his whole life's story. I learnt about how his parents wanted to go into economy but he wanted to be a lawyer and how everything came together in he end. 

We picked Anna up from school went home and the dad went back to work. We made cheesy noodles and ate leftover chocolate cake. (We are fatties and we don't care).

We gad some trouble getting Anna permission to go to Olavarria but finally at 10pm we were on our way! 

We arrived at Olavarria at 4 am. Where your friends David (Denmark), Jakob (Germany) and Johannes (Germany) picked us up. We walked from the bus station to David's house. I thought they were crazy! Walking home at 4 am! You are asking to be robbed and beaten! But I guess this town didn't have as many problems as mine because the boys said that they walk home all the time at night from night clubs or from one house the the other.

We ate something,talked a little, Johannes and Jakob went to their house and we went to bed. The boys had pushed 2 single bed together to make one kinda big bed for Anna and I to sleep on. It was kinda in the attic so it was cold and we were glad we could snuggle and keep each other warm. 

Saturday

We were invited to Martin's (France) house that was in another city. 

We ate lunch, took showers, got ready and left. Martin told us to take the bus at 2:45 that said his cities name on it. There was only one bus at the station at 2:45 and it had his city's name on it so we took that one. 

Unfortunately it was te wrong bus and we were lost. So we got off called Martin and started walking to the church. First we stopped to buy some chocolate at a gas station.

Eventually Martin came and picked us up at the church with his dad. They had a really tiny car so us 3 were squished in the back. 

Later Jakob, Jojo and Till (also Germany) met up with us. 

This isn't the best photo of us but it's the only one we have. 

We just hung out for a bit, talked, listened to music, played soccer with the little brother, drank tea and mate. Then we made pizza and after dinner went back to our houses to get ready for the night. 

Now I have no idea how this happened but we invited some of the boy's friends over and made previa until 4 am. It was a little late to go out but we did anyways and the club closed at 6 am. 

Our friend Till is a break dancer and inside the club we met his dance teacher's son who of course is also a dancer. So when the right song came on they both started dancing together and it was pretty cool. It's really hard to go out dancing in a big group because you all get seperated so we made pairs and as long as we were with one person it was ok. Anna and I were stuck together like glue and at the end of the night we met back up with Jakob, Till and Martin. Jakob told us that David and Johannes were already back at David's house so we started walking back home. Halfway through our walk I hear Jakob yell at Till in German that the taxi leaves in 5 minutes and they take off running. I look over and Anna and we knew that there was no way we were running wearing high heels. It was kinda funny because Martin also started running with the German boys but couldn't keep up but he was still way ahead of us. Anna was so mad! We didn't know how to get back to the house and they left 2 young girls alone in the streets at 6 am. But I knew we were close and I'm sure I had seen Martin turn the corner so we turned the same way and found the boys. Jakob, till, Johannes went home. Martin slept over with David and Anna and I went to bed. 

Sunday

We set an alarm for 12:30 the next morning/afternoon. We ended up sleeping through the alarm until 2 pm when lunch was already on the table. We ate, talked with the family, watched a movie and in the evening went to the centre because there was a concert thing happening. 

It was really nice! Te music was awesome! Plus we ended up seeing 2 girls we met on the north trip. Lisa from Germany and Rapha from Canada! Yup another Canadian! I will really have to go visit her in Quebec! 

Of course Anna and I got hungry and since I never got French fries Thursday I really wanted French fries. We walked through this really cute night market but it wasn't food, it was art and clothes and handmade things. So we bought Pringles (the first Pringles I have seen in Argentina) and Toddy cookies (the best cookies Argentina has). Sadly still no French fries. 

As we were walking through this night market at the end a bunch of black birds flew over us and honestly at first I thought they were bats. We didn't get pooped on thankfully but what I didn't realize was that Till was walking a bit behind us and he got poop in his mouth the poor guy. 

The cookies were really good but there wasn't one Pringle that was a full chip, they were really really broken. 

Later after soaking up more music we went to Johanne's house. He has the cutest cat in the world! It's gun steal gray and tiny with cute green eves. Adorable! 

Everyone ate Asado (you know the famous Argentinian meat) but the mom made me some amazing cannellonis. Later we went back to David's house and watched a movie. David's house is the perfect movie pace because the floor is raised a little and it's basically a huge sofa with pillows and blankets. 

The movie ended at 2 am, the boys went home, Anna went to bed and I started packing. At 3 am when I had everything ready to go so I could get ready as quickly and as easily as possible in the morning I went to bed. 

Monday 

At 7am we got up, got dressed, grabbed our things, bought some pasteries for breakfast on the bus and went to the station. We bought our tickets to buenos aires (another 5 hours). Said our goodbye's and Jakob, Anna and I were off. (Jakob had gone Thursday to visit) 

We saw the sunrise from the bus, it was really red and beautiful. We talked a little and fell asleep in really uncomfy positions then woke up again for more laughs and a snack break.

An older women came and talked to us. She said "I'm sorry to bug you guys but I heard you speaking English and I just couldn't believe it! It's not often you hear people speaking English around here!" Her voice seemed really familiar almost as if it was the voice of my grandma back  in Canada. I asked her where she was from "I live in Canada!" she replied. I was super surprised, she didn't really sound that Canadian, she kinda had a Russian accent. Turns out she is from Argentina but has lived in Toronto for the past 26 years and came back to visit for a little while. 

When we got to buenos aires I bought a ticket that left in 20 minutes for San Nicolas so I quickly said goodbye to my friends and I started my 3 hour voyage back home.