Bienvenidos, but leave your germs at home.

Carla:
The trip got off to an exciting start. Our first flight to Atlanta was oversold by 21 seats, so we volunteered to change flights in exchange for $400 in Delta Dollars...needless to say, we were pumped. Unfortunately the next direct flight to Atlanta wasn't until the next day, and we just couldn't bear the thought of heading home for another night...mentally, we were already on the road and needed to stay there. Audra had the great idea of asking where else they could send us...we didn't care where, as long as it was somewhere else!

We ended up with a 3-hour layover in Salt Lake City, followed by a 13-hour layover in Atlanta, which was great because it gave us a chance to explore the city. Other than the fact that it was obscenely hot, we had a great time wandering around and saw a fantastic exhibition called "America I AM" about the African American impact in America. It's a four-year touring exhibit, and I highly recommend seing it if you have the opportunity.

48 hours later and $400 richer, we arrived in Buenos Aires and were greeted with the news that the Argentine health department requires all travelers from North America to wear surgical masks until they leave the airport. Audra pointed out the inherent silliness in requiring us to contain our germs only until hopping in a taxi, at which time we were free to spread them among the general population.

We've stayed with Quique's family (my sister's former boyfriend), for the last couple of days and I have been immediately reminded of just how wonderful they are. We've been asked to cook an "American Breakfast", bacon, pancakes, and eggs a must, before we leave. The Spanish comes back quickly and I find the transition less painful each time I travel. Plans for the next few days involve finding a place to take an African Drumming class (for me), signing up for dance classes at a Brazilian club/dance studio, and purchasing copious amounts of reasonably priced jewlery. I love this city.

Audra:
I want to backtrack this story a little to tell about the insanity I faced trying to get ready for this trip. Less than a week before leaving, I decided to move out of my apartment and end my work in my lab. Also, my part time job had a bunch of deadlines, so my week between my Alaska trip and this trip was stuffed with crunching numbers, cleaning out my office and bench space, seeing everyone one last time, packing my room, and trying to get prepared for a long-term vacation to someplace very far away. The last night I was up until about 2 am packing all my stuff and moving it to Carla´s parents´basement for safekeeping until I find my way back. Then, as is my body´s preference, I was awake by 6:30 to greet the sun coming through the window. The point of this story is to convey that I was pretty exhausted by the time we left.

We waffled a little before giving up our seats, but our plans were definitely flexible and I was excited for the opportunity to see some more places! I originally thought we´d have 6 hours in Salt Lake City, enough to go eat dinner and look around, but instead we just had three and ended up spending it watching a movie (Nick and Norah´s Infinite Playlist, very cute). When we got to Atlanta, I was excited about life for about two hours until I realized that I´d averaged under four hours of sleep for two nights in a row. We spent most of our morning in Atlanta sleeping on the grass in Olympic park. And let me say, this was not a park where there were a lot of people sleeping, a la People´s Park in Berkeley. We got a few curious glances and one guy took a picture of us, which I sanctioned because it was for a project called ¨creative loafing,¨ a concept of which I approve soundly.

I had a great day in Atlanta. It was deliciously hot, reminiscent of my Texas days and a delightful preview of times to come. The trick is to always carry a cold beverage. I also took a certain sick pleasure in watching Bay Area-bred Carla suffer, bwahaha. We had a nap, we looked around, and we saw the spectacular exhibit Carla mentioned. Then we got a late start heading back to the airport, which coincided with the train we needed to take breaking down. Fortunately, as the little sister of our duo, I let Carla do the worrying as I sat calmly by, working Sudoku puzzles and feeling like things would probably work themselves out. No thanks to me, they did.

The second night on a plane was a bit rougher than the first, and there was a dismaying lack of good movies. Where is Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants II when you need it? As a result, once we got to where we were going in Buenos Aires, we slept pretty much all day (me till 2:30, just in time for lunch! and Carla until closer to 4).

I cannot say enough how lucky we are to know this family. I had lunch prepared by the mom, jammed on the guitar with the little brother, went for a run at a giant park a few blocks away, then we attended said brother´s band rehearsal, ate delivered empanadas with the band members, and jammed some more before heading to Quique´s apartment for a party... at midnight. As in, the party started at midnight. It was really fun and my favorite part was when the reggaetón started pumping at about 2:30 and Carla and I hit the dance floor with Quique, who was busting a major move. A bunch of other men joined us. Did I mention that the attendance at this party was us, Quique´s entire soccer team, and two really un-interesting American tourist girls who didn´t speak Spanish or enjoy dancing? So Carla and I had our pick of the fellas. Good times.

But of course by 4, when everyone else was just getting started, I was really, really ready to go to sleep. 2:30 wakeup time or no. I went home and...slept till 2! For the first time in... I can´t even remember the last time I slept till 2. Maybe after my high school graduation´s all-night afterparty.

Of course this means we once again woke up just in time for lunch, which was fantastic, and lasted for a good 2 hours of conversation with the family. Like Carla´s Spanish, my Spanish has returned with a vengeance and boy do I feel great rattling it off. Thanks to my semester in Chile, where people speak like they´re gargling marbles, I can understand pretty much anyone as long as I´m focusing. After lunch we took a walk, browsed a market, and read books in a cafe. In general, this trip has been a dream come true. Lots of sleep, lots of Spanish, lots of new friends, lots of Carla, lots of time to think and write and read and be. I´m so excited for the next several weeks!