Tuesday, January 26, 2010

A bit of this and a bit of that/Siglo XX Cambalache


















I'm a bit behind with the blog, and most importantly, I'm a bit fed up with being behind with the blog, so I have decided to write a general overview of the past week into the one post, and get up to date this way. So, quickly, quickly, here it comes.
Parque de la Costa with Matias. It's an amusement park. I love amusement parks. I love rollercoasters. I can't get enough of them. Or couldn't at least. I think I'm getting old. I got on everything once, but refused to run around like crazy for the last 15 minutes before the games closed to get on the green rollercoaster 4 times in a row like Matias did. What's wrong with me? Once seemed enough, how bloody boring I've become! And not to mention the motion sickness, ME, who could not comprehend how people could get motion sickness from amusement parks!!!!!
Bohemian Dr. I saw this Dr in his 50's, and after I told him I was traveling around he told me about how he used to be a hippie, a bohemian, in his youth and then decided to study medicine and have a serious job. But how he has always planned that at 70 he will leave everything behind, grow a beard, and go hitchhiking. We talked about philosophy, books, and traveling. And I walked out feeling great, thinking I wanna go hitchhiking when I'm 70, but hopefully without having grown a beard.
Update on contact lenses. I finally found a shop that called their distributor while I was there and said they would have my 4 boxes of contact lenses ready to be picked up the next day, and would call me when they received them. 3 days later they hadn't called me so I called. They said they have 3 already, cause they sent 1 with the wrong garduation so had to send it back. Will get the remaining one in 2-3 days. Which means today or tomorrow. They haven't called yet. I'll call tomorrow. So close yet so far...
And Linda- I'm still trying to find your sugar bowl mate. I went to a shop last week which said they would have it custom made for me and would call me back later on the day with the price and date it would be ready by. They haven't called, I'll go and see them again this week.
Devoto jail. I work in a jail in Australia, so I was interested in having a look in a jail here in Argentina. I got a visit organised by a friend's father who used to work there. It was excellent, I spent all day there. Remand and sentenced inmates. Male. Maximum security. 1700 inmates. I first spent a few hours walking around the place with 2 officers, went into some pabellones and modulos (kinda like the blocks and pods back in Australia, but not really, very different setting and layout), workshops, classrooms, library, gym, kitchen, yards, spoke to some of the inmates. I then spent a couple more hours with the team of psychologists, lawyers, sociologists and welfare officers- talking about their job and mine, comparing notes and how things work. And finally I spent some time talking with the jail's Director, shame he had to go and couldn't talk longer cause it was really interesting. Everyone was great, I learnt a lot, and I left with some interesting ideas. Some things are done very similarly, others are done very differently, in some ways they are behind, in other ways they are ahead. I love to be traveling at the moment and quite content to not be working right now, but being again in a jail for a day, I felt again that passion and enthusiasm I feel at work and it feels good to know I am doing what I love and enjoy.
Saturday arvo I went to my grandparents house. Stayed there for a few hours. At night went to Ana and Fernando's house. Watched a movie called Troupe Elite- about the military police forces incursions into the favelas in Rio de Janeiro. Lots of blood. Such an underworld.
Sunday we went to Lujan. To a shooting range. Fernando has guns, different sorts. Big and small. We had a go at firing 5 of them. Some I enjoyed and some I didn't. I don't like the ones that... whiplash back too much (uhm... I know whiplash is nowhere near the right term for it, but I have no clue what it's called...). I like the ones where your hand doesn't jerk back after you fire. But I was pleased to see that I hit the red paper man basically every time, I was expecting the bullets to end up hitting the side walls. But I gotta say: been there, done that. Although it was heaps of fun to try it once, I don't think I'll be doing it again. Not my thing. And after that, with the car loaded with firearms, we went and had a look at the very famous and very imposing Basilica de Lujan (a big church). Oh, the ironies...
Just got a phone call: the contact lenses are ready to be collected. YAY!
Back to the story. After a much needed nap, Carolina came over to visit, with her daughter Juli. Caro is a friend of Ana's, they are 8 years older than me, they used to be best friends when they were teenagers and so I used to see Caro a lot. Caro and I got back in touch recently via facebook, gotta love facebook! And today we realized we hadn't seen each other in about 15 years... insane! And she looks just the same.

Estoy un poco atrasada con el blog, y los mas importante, estoy un poco cansada de estar atrasada con el blog, asi que decidi escribir un pantallazo general de la ultima semana en un solo post y ponerme al dia de esta manera. Asi que rapidito, rapidito, aca viene.
Parque de la Costa con Matias. Es un parque de diversiones. Amo los parques de diversiones. Amo las montanias rusas. No me canso. O al menos no me cansaba. Me parece que me estoy volviendo vieja. Me subi a todo una vez, pero me negue a correr como loca durante los ultimos 15 minutos antes de que cierren los juegos para subir 4 veces seguidas a la montania rusa verde como hizo Matias. Que me pasa?? Una vez me parecio suficiente, me converti en una aburrida! Y ademas las nauseas, YO, que no lograba concebir como a alguien le podian agarrar nauseas por un parque de diversiones!!!!!
Dr. bohemio. Vi a un medico que tenia 50 y pico de anios, y cuando le conte que andaba viajando me conto que el era un hippie, un bohemio, cuando era joven y que despues decidio estudiar medicina y tener un trabajo serio. Pero que siempre planeo que a los 70 anios va a largar todo, dejarse crecer la barba, e irse a hacer dedo. Hablamos sobre filosofia, libros, y viajes. Y me fui sintiendome feliz, pensando que me gustaria irme a hacer dedo cuando tenga 70 anios, pero ojala que sin que me haya crecido la barba.
Ultima info sobre los lentes de contacto. Por fin encontre un negocio que llamo al distribuidor mientras yo estaba ahi y me dijeron que iban a tener mis 4 cajas de lentes de contacto para que las busque el dia siguiente, y que me avisaban cuando les llegaran. 3 dias mas tarde no me habian llamado asi que los llame yo. Me dijeron que tienen 3 cajas, porque una se la mandaron mal asi que la mandaron de vuelta. Les van a mandar la ultima caja en 2-3 dias. Lo que significa hoy o manana. Todavia no me llamaron. Los llamo manana. Casi, casi pero no...
Y Linda- todavia estoy tratando de conseguir tu mate azucarera. Fui a un negocio la semana pasada que me dijeron me lo iban a mandar a hacer, y que me llamaban mas tarde ese mismo dia con el precio y fecha de cuando estaria listo. No me llamaron, esta semana voy de nuevo personalmente.
Carcel de Devoto. Trabajo en una carcel en Australia, asi que me interesaba ir a ver una carcel aca en Argentina. Me organizo una visita el papa de una amiga, que trabajaba ahi. Estuvo excelente, pase todo el dia en la carcel. Carcel de procesados y condenados. Hombres. Maxima seguridad. 1700 internos. Primero pase un par de horas recorriendo el lugar con 2 oficiales, entre en algunos de los pabellones y modulos (algo asi como los blocks y pods en Australia, pero muy diferente distribucion/esquema), talleres, aulas, biblioteca, gimnasio, cocina, patios, hable un rato con algunos de los internos. Despues pase un par de horas con el equipo de psicologos, sociologos, asistentes sociales y abogados- hablando de su trabajo y del mio, comparando lo que hacemos y como funciona todo. Y finalmente pase un rato hablando con el Director de la carcel, una lastima que se tenia que ir y no pudimos hablar mas porque estuvo muy interesante. Todos la mejor onda, aprendi un monton, y me fui con algunas ideas interesantes. Algunas cosas las hacemos muy parecido, otras muy diferente, en algunas cosas estan atrasados, en otras adelantados. Me encanta estar viajando ahora y estoy feliz de estar sin laburar por el momento, pero entrando otra vez en una carcel por un dia senti otra vez esa pasion y entusiasmo que siento cuando estoy laburando, y me sirve como recordatorio de que amo y disfruto mi trabajo.
El sabado a la tarde fui a la casa de mis abuelos. Me quede ahi unas horas. A la noche fui a lo de Ana y Fernando. Miramos una pelicula que se llama Tropa Elite- sobre las incursiones de las fuerzas de la policia militar en las favelas de Rio de Janeiro. Mucha sangre. Un submundo.
El domingo fuimos a Lujan. Al tiro federal. Fernando tiene armas. De distinto tipo. Grandes y chiquitas. Probamos de tirar con 5 diferentes. Algunas me gustaron y otras no. No me gustan las que... te tiran la mano para atras cuando disparas (no tengo idea como se dice). Me gustan las calmaditas, las que no te mueven la mano para atras. Pero me encanto que le emboque al hombrecito rojo de papel casi todos los tiros, pense que las balas iban a terminar en las paredes de los costados. Pero tengo que decir: ya esta, hecho, listo. Aunque estuvo muy divertido haberlo hecho una vez para probar, no creo que lo vaya a hacer de nuevo. No es lo mio. Y despues de eso, con el baul del auto lleno de armas, fuimos a la famosa e imponente Basilica de Lujan. Que ironico...
Me acaban de llamar: los lentes de contacto estan listos para que los vaya a buscar, yay!
De vuelta a la historia. Despues de una merecida siesta Carolina vino a visitar con la hija Juli. Caro es una amiga de Ana, tienen 8 anios mas que yo, eran mejores amigas cuando eran adolescentes, asi que la veia seguido a Caro. Caro y yo nos pusimos en contacto hace poquito de nuevo por facebook, aguante facebook! Y hoy nos dimos cuenta que no nos habiamos visto como en 15 anios, una locura! Y Caro esta igual!

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