One of the classes I sat in on at the UAP was ¨Ciencia y Religion¨- Southern´s equivalent of Earth Science, which I never took. So I learned some new things (at least partially learned) about tetonic plates and dinosaurs and volcanoes. The teacher is really passionate about the subject matter, so the recent volcano in Chile was an exciting thing to talk about in class.

But not so exciting in real life... I had heard that some flights out of Buenos Aires had been grounded by the volcanic ash, but the news predicted flights today would go out as normal, and I had heard that flights yesterday afternoon left as well. So last night at midnight, I boarded a flechabus to Buenos Aires. I arrived early this morning and spent the day exploring the city, blissfully away from internet and news. I got to the airport extra early just to make sure all went okay. When I tried to self-check in, the machine couldn´t find my itinerary. That´s when I noticed the long line of red ¨cancelados¨flashing on the screens. The next flight they can put me on (hopefully) leaves Sunday night - 3 days from now.

Since this is the weather´s fault, the airlines don´t help with anything. Hostels and affordable hotels are full all over the city. Ultimately, it´s cheaper for me to take a 6-hour bus ride back to la Villa tonight (in 6 days, I will have spent 4 nights on a bus), spend a few more days there, and come back to Buenos Aires again later in the day Sunday.

I was really looking forward to coming home today. I´ve enjoyed this trip so much, but I´m tired - physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally. I feel like I just want to sink into a big, soft bed of comfort - effortless communication, friends who know me well, jokes that I get, and just having the things around me be familiar instead of unknown.

I hear that I´m supposed to adapt in times like these. Well, I don´t really have a choice. The clock keeps on ticking, whether I´m happy or not. So I´m going to try to be happy:

• I have 12 pesos left in cash (about $3), but I have a free place to stay at the UAP and free cafeteria food (which is not bad, actually. My last post may have made the food situation seem worse than it is. There is some food here I like a lot, like chipas and orange-flavored soy milk!)
• I have to ride the bus again tonight, but this time it´s cama (last night it wasn´t).
• This complicates my upcoming trip out West, but at least I´m driving instead of flying, and hopefully Jones will wait a day for me...
• I´ve had a lot of extra practical opportunities because of this to stumble along in Spanish.
• Although some people in the airport were not helpful (in fact rather difficult), I found many others who were, like the guy who gave me his map today and the airport security guard who walked me to Retiro when we returned after dark.

If you can´t tell, writing this is my way of giving myself a pep talk. As much as I wish I were on a plane to Miami right now instead of in an internet cafe in the bus station, these next three days of life are still a gift, and I will try to find things I enjoy in them.

People had warned me that the food here is a little boring. Many Argentines have German or Italian heritage, so the food here reflects the cuisine of those countries. But I think the spices were lost on the journey across the ocean. The food doesn’t taste bad – it just doesn’t taste much at all. The most common flavoring agents are salt and vinegar, and if someone likes to cook, maybe oregano and a little garlic.

I hear that the meat, on the other hand, is world class. Too bad I don’t eat meat. (You can imagine how, if I can’t keep the names of different meats straight in English, I am completely lost in Spanish.) The option sin carne is typically pasta. Since I’ve been here, I’ve had gnocchi, ravioli, fettuccine, cannelloni, and some kind of giant ravioli called “quesonudle” or something Spanish/German-sounding like that. The pasta is often homemade, and sometimes it’s not bad. But I get bored eating pasta twice a day.

Thanks to Krista, I found some places to eat in la Villa that serve other vegetarian food, and then they fixed the oven in my apartment so I could cook for myself. Unfortunately the principle of supply and demand governs the spice aisle in the local supermarkets; there are only a few options, mostly mixes for marinating meat. So my home cooked meals have been fairly bland as well.

Some of my classmates have ventured further than I have to shop for groceries. The other day the Careys went to a Walmart about 45 minutes away. They told me it’s a little different from the Walmart at home. For example, they lock up your purse in a bag until you pay. But they said that mostly, it was still Walmart.

Last night, I had a dream that they invited me to go back to Walmart with them. But it was very, very different – more like a cross between Costco and an arcade. The store was dimly lit, but the ceiling had all these red and green and yellow neon lights zigzagging across it. The air was filled with beeping noises and clashing electronic music. Instead of the regular straight aisles stocked with cans and boxes, there were different stations haphazardly placed throughout the store. At each station, there was an attendant with big hair, gaudy makeup, and a flashy costume. The attendant would let you play a little game in order to try a sample or buy something from her station.

Most of the samples had meat in them, but eventually I played a game that let me into a lighter, more peaceful section of the store where a few people were sitting around a bar. On the counter were little egg-shaped coasters with samples of Indian food on them. I tried one, and then another, and then another – they were so flavorful! Eventually, with my coaster of curry in midair, it hit me that if they had samples like this, they must also sell the ingredients! I raised my eyes, and sure enough, there was a lovely aisle of spices stretching before me. Each glass bottle glimmered like a spotlight was shining on it, and I could read the pretty handwritten labels - cumin, ginger, cinnamon, basil, red pepper flakes, even citrus grill! This may sound like your average spice aisle in America, but it was so beautiful. Past the spices, there was a section of curry pastes, and beyond that were mixes for other kinds of Indian food. And everything only cost about 3 pesos (around $0.70).

It was too good to be true! I kept asking my companions (who now included Chris Clouzet, a girl I met in Argentina, and Richard Parker in a raincoat) if I was dreaming. They assured me that it was real; I could buy any of these items that I wanted.

Sadly, I woke up before I made it to the check out line. When I walked into my kitchen for breakfast this morning, I was greeted by a lonely packet of finely ground black pepper on top of the microwave. No curry for me today. My taste buds will have to be patient for one more week.