i´m happy

Arriving in a new place is always an interesting mix of emotional ups and downs (and this arrival has been no exception), but you know, right now, I´m pretty darn happy. I mean, today I woke up in Buenos Aires, without anyone expecting me to do anything. So what did I do?

- Went for a run-walk-jog along Avenida Santa Fe, through the Botanical Gardens, past the Zoo and the Japanese Gardens, along a different avenue, through a plaza, and back home again. The entire outing lasted an hour and a half, and I didn´t get lost, not even for a second.
- Enjoyed sunshine and a 50-something degree day. (That´s my kind of weather. I´m a big sweater, but here I don´t sweat so much.)
- Ate a late lunch at home after a hot shower, a warm cup of tea and a good journal writing session.
- Wandered back outside and to an internet cafe, where I started planning with my two lovely Ithacan roommates who will be visiting in six short weeks.
- Strolled over to a pizza place/cafe that had big cozy booths along one wall, and spent a good couple of hours sipping my cafe con crema, munching on the little chocolate stick-cookie that accompanied my mini-coffee, looking over a map of the city, plotting tomorrow´s activities and reading one of my favorite books.
- Entered my first supermercado to buy shampoo, mouthwash, granola and yogurt, and discovered some fantastic little gems, like 40s of Stella and Budweiser, large slabs of pre-packaged cheeses and meats at very reasonable prices, and endless shelves of wine, also exceptionally priced.
- Chatted in the kitchen with Lourdes about our boyfriends (aww) and families.
- Cozied up on the couch for some more reading.

Yes, a good day indeed. And though I´m not complaining about having all of this free time, I´m also looking forward to beginning teaching and getting into some resemblence of a routine... my teaching start-date is still up in the air (I´m writing that off to South American style), but I have been told it should be ´soon.´So, until then, I shall wander, sip, write, run, sleep, practice Spanish, and enjoy having the freedom to spend my days as I please.