Christmas with the staff

First thing on Boxing Day, I'm putting my work clothes on and I get summoned into the bathroom by the other lady that lives in my apartment. Pointing at the sand left by someone clearly OFF on Christmas Day and enjoying themselves on the beach, she looks at me accusingly... no, I didn't leave the fucking sand in the fucking shower, in fact I was the ONLY one working on the friggin holiday! So you can piss off with your lectures about cleanliness. Pissed me right off.

So it was off to work, for the second public holiday, and I was feeling the fatigue. All the going out after work was getting to me, and again it wasn't super so I kept thinking about how tired I was. And I knew with the Erm coming in tomorrow, I wouldn't be getting any more sleep.

Had a couple of rides, nothing spectacular, in fact writing this blog a couple of days later I remember so little of that day it really shows how boring it was. I remember having a whole family of English people who really enjoyed their ride and complimented me on my guiding, but gave me no tips. Bought me a drink at the bar, at least!

After work, I was able to go home to change for this staff Christmas function they planned at Seaside. Everyone came and looked nice, such a change to normal! Some people I had to look twice at, they looked so different.

We set up the tables all together, there were some kids there too, and everyone was chatting and laughing. It was really nice, people from all around the world exchanging stories about Christmas in their countries. For me it was nothing different to have a hot day, but for most it was unusual.

R and A gave us all a bottle of the milky rum I'd drunk with J the day before, Ponche Kuba, a local favourite. And those that were full-time staffer got an envelope with some cash in it. I only got a small amount as I'm new, and I think they thought I wasn't sticking around much longer after my comments to them about missing my boyfriend too much. Then we ate a huge selection of Christmas foods - of course I was first to the table and a frequent visiter thereafter. Ate way too much.

We had some dancing and everyone was enjoying themselves, but we called it a night around 9pm as most had to work the next day! I had a day off but had to prepare everything for E's arrival, so I knew I'd be up early. But the evening was really lovely and it was the first they'd had - in previous years they hadn't had the funds to do it but obviously business is picking up, which is good to see. N took some nice pictures but unfortunately the wind blew away her memory card the next day, so we lost them all! :(

Unsuccessful advances

Another day of hard yakka for little miss deLightful yesterday... which involved me walking from hostel to hostel trying to gather troops for the ill-fated Pub Quiz that evening. Problem was, most of the people here for the Easter long weekend had left and some hostels I couldnt find ANYONE to talk to!!

I had my 2 new English friends from my room in on it, and eventually found another guy from Hostel Inn up the road...but that was it really. I walked to the bar next to the Ritz with these 3 and it was dire. Almost too embarrassing. V, the new manager at the Ritz who I also worked with in Iguazu, had her first taste of the Pub Quiz...not sure if it is really gonna continue all that long. I told them it was silly to have something so un-Argentinian instead of some more traditional thing as a drawcard.

But anyway...I had a nice sit in the sun in the nearby plaza - the same one that had tango the other night - with the English girls and after a refreshing glass of vino, headed to Hostel Inn to rustle up these peeps.

At the bar, they instead gave my 3 friends some free tickets to a club and I had some drinks n dinner with my workmates while they tried to stay awake after their flight from England. I knew it wasnt gonna be a massive night, so we ended up just going to the hostel bar upstairs and playing some pool. At least that way I got staff priced beer and a chance to chill with my new Columbian amigovio as well as the other guy I want to sleep with that works there. Man, talk about shitting in my own bed.

After a chilled drink at another bar across the road, I bid the others goodbye and went back to the hostel with the Columbian, where he had found me a private room to chill in until he could come and make fun times with me. I fought off sleep until said event occurred, then tossed n turned waiting for the time I had to leave before the cleaners arrived. Had a weird dream involving chavvy kids, but I think thats cos of the convo I had with the others before I slept...

The walk back to the hostel was a little depressing... I noticed in my semi-zombie state just how dirty this city is and how many unattractive people live in it (an advantage I am sorely missing from Iguazu)... and how shit the action from the night before had actually been. I decided that walk was just a product of misplaced hormones. I love my life. Stop complaining!!

I wanted to go to bed but I knew that morning I was meant to motivate people to join the free walking tour from the hostel. But, as normal, I was told different things by different people, and upon walking into the hostel at 7:30am, the manager said, oh yeah I suppose you can help rustle up people from breakfast. To which I groaned inside and trooped upstairs to wash my hair while people actually came down to breakfast... I was praised for my eagerness and early arrival though - whether or not he knew I hadnt actually gone home was another thing.

Of course none of the few people I talked to wanted to go on the tour, and when my roommates came down they booked the other paid tour so I was able to join them last minute for free. Probably my favourite part about the tour was the guide...hot little skatey dude from BA. Often caught myself staring at him inside of the monument behind, and often forgot my sunnies werent actually obscuring my eyeballs and he could see my probably half-open mouth staring vacantly at him.

We were taken around the various important parts of Buenos Aires... Plaza de Mayo, where a million protests about various shortcomings of Argentina were in progress. Apparently there are always several in action there, as its the point all the influential people work at and gets the most media attention. There is also a protest near the Ritz Hostel that has had people camping in the middle of the main road for 5 months, and just a few days ago saw them move into the middle of the road for more attention, henceforth blocking the traffic through the main street of BA. I swear when you look at most of the protesters, though, they are having a grand old time singing, playing guitar, smoking weed...what a life, eh.

We also went to a memorial museum of Eva Perron, and an 80 year old Perronist got teary telling us about the time he saw Eva speak in the street with millions of supporters waving their hankerchiefs in excitement. It almost made me cry, seeing him still so emotional after all these years...

At one point, the guide asked if I had partied a lot the night before...always slightly offending but it was kinda true I looked like a wreck. I told him I hadnt gotten much sleep but didnt go clubbing, he got the joke and said, SCORE... that was the closest my flirting got to him. At lunch after the tour, I made my intentions clear to the other guide (who was trying to get me to promise he could watch and or join in if he helped me get this guy...eww hideous) and found out the party they were going to. I thought if I saw him that night, he would have been told what I said and could either just go for me, or not, in which case it would be obvious he wasnt interested.

That night came, and I chilled in the hostel bar for a few drinks, waiting for my mate who I had run into at lunch - the same guy from a few nights ago I put half of Columbia up my nose with - but he never showed so I just left with my Guatemalan friend and some Argo guys who worked in the tourism industry doing something I couldnt quite catch but who knew the guys from the hostel. We had a dance but it never really got that full and - and this I guess is the biggest make or break - I didnt see the hot guide anywhere and there was NO ONE else I was attracted to.

Oh, my mate ended up being there waiting for us saying he had slept through when we were meeting at the hostel bar... but that was it. No one good-looking. I just couldnt believe it. So I was out. That was it. Also, aforementioned mate had made a pass at me when we were smoking in a park, and I didnt want him to get the wrong impression if I stayed behind with him and didnt leave with my Guatemalan mate.

The night wasnt a complete success, obviously, but it meant I got home at a reasonable hour and not drunk... we wanted to smoke when we got home but couldnt find any papers, and I was annoyed when I found cute Brazilian barman still on his laptop in the bar playing video games and ignoring my advances. Cunt. Thats the last time I try. Ahh, who am I kidding... I will try again.

Ride 'em camels!!!

When I woke yesterday, I did not think that by the afternoon, L and I would be perched on the two biggest camels at the farm, riding them all on our ownsies through the deer park. Nor did I think we'd finish the long day a little drunk after several bottles of wine at J's house for a belated bday celebration for W. But, as so often happens here, it turned into a wonderfully random day enjoyed by all :)

Having started the day extra early (urgh) to make the English class G wanted us to come along to, and having had a shitty sleep from a certain someone's alarm clock going off constantly from 3:20am for some reason... I was in no mood to be ticked off. G unfortunately decided today was the day to trick me into thinking she'd accidentally tucked into the cake we laboured over yesterday for J and W, and I stormed off in a gust of frustration, putting that extra bit of force into each pile of horse poo I shovelled... Only at breakfast did we check the cake to see it untouched - G said, "I was joking haha!" Not funny.

Things got a little better after that, jumping into the car to head to M's house for the English get-together. We had pastries, tea and cake (already things were looking up) then some sparkling wine. Boom. M's house was gorgeous and her two dogs were so cute. I miss dogs.

Afterwards, we went to E's house for another tantalising tour of the tastebuds, this time her homemade spag bowl, and of course the inevitable dessert (she whipped out the profiteroles again, knowing how much we loved them last time... choc sauce poured over, whipped cream... just divine) and more sparkling wine. G had joined us again by this point, and swiftly took us back to the farm after it all.

I was hoping we were going to ride a camel today because she'd moved the special stairs out the day before, but I didn't want to expect too much. It was only when she asked us to get in just 1 horse from the paddock that I knew we weren't riding horses today... And we could not stop the smiles stretching to the corners of our faces.

I warned L that it would probably be just a leading expedition, with G up front, but nevertheless we were excited just to be going out into the forest on the camels. I guessed at Halif (the safest one) and Sky (old and reliable) being our steeds for the day - slightly off target with Sky, instead G asks me to put a halter on Mustafa, the biggest one and also the one I'd recently had an alpha battle with (former stallion, y'see). I crossed my fingers hoping I'd be on him.

I got my wish, and soon enuf we were slung over the camels, reins in one hand, whip in the other, and looking down to the ground about 2m below. Strangely, I was not one ounce scared - probably just too excited - and just wanted to get moving!! We went through the deer park, led at first, then got the go-ahead to go solo - and we went wild, hollering, whipping, kicking... in the end, G had to tell us to be quiet! haha... good times.

I have to say, although it's comfy being nestled in between the humps on what is more like a woolly mammoth than anything else, it does get tiresome digging your heels into a giant teddy bear that really does not want to move. Sometimes I forgot I was on a camel at all, and at one point G asked if I was suicidal because I was just about to wander down the path unaided by her, that the camels usually run down. I didn't know!

Still on our high, we ended the ride and thought that was it for the day but no, we saddled up some more horses, I jumped on my fave, Creo (which I now know means "I believe" in Spanish - cute), and we went out again into the forest. Horses are so easy to ride after camels!!

Mucking out the stables afterwards, I was called by J who asked when she would come over to pick us up. Having kinda forgotten about our arrangements, I stuttered and said, uh 7pm (45 mins away). I waited a little to tell L then casually said, "J is coming in half an hour". "Half an hour??!" she said arm-deep in camel poo balls. haha... I'm so cruel.

J came, G asked to meet her, I felt like I was introducing my new boyfriend to my parents, then we left giggling like school girls for the next village. G had warned us on our way out "don't get drunk" (yes mum), but we laughed it off... a few hours and bottles of wine and beer later, and I guess she was more right than we knew. Haha... mid-week piss-ups rock.

Seeing Austria through my champers glass

Today brought with it more English and more delicious food... as I sit here typing my stomach is about to burst from eating the leftovers for dinner (there's still some left in the fridge).

I did the morning work in record time (2 hours) - without even meaning to rush! - and thought I'd have a quick nap before being picked up at noon by one of G's friends for lunch and some help with English learning. Seems it wasn't to be, as I found things to keep me busy until I was rushing to change clothes in time to be picked up.

Now, still having not had any nap time, I need to go to my room and try to rest my brain before making it sleep. I've been having a hard time shutting off lately, there is so much going around my head and I am not as exhausted as usual so I can't just pass out anymore. Damn my body regulating to this routine!!

Lunch was awesome, some meat rissoles (I taught E the word "rissole" and it sounded so funny, colloquial English coming from an Austrian), mashed potato, creamy sauce and a variation on the traditional sour potato salad they always seem to serve here. Mmmm.... even with my full stomach my mouth waters at the thought of it.

We went across the st (literally, across the road) to a young boy who was learning English at school and talked with him and helped him with his exercises. After a while, it does start to drain my brain, all this thinking about what I'm saying. I'm not meant to think about what I say!! I'm me!

After that, and a couple of glasses of champagne (sweeeeet), I was driven the scenic route home and tried to stop myself from lapsing into an alcohol-spurred slumber to enjoy the views. We went through lots of little villages, all with their pastel-coloured Austrian houses with little designs around the windows, plantations of Christmas trees and dustings of snow from the last couple of nights. Actually, it was snowing softly this morning when I was feeding, a really light snow that fell ever so slightly onto the ground. My favourite kind.

The scenery really is so stunning here, the area is world heritage listed because it is so pretty and has so many ruins and castles around about. I didn't see any today but we often drive past one... it's like oh, hey, there's another 1000-year old building. Sweet. Next!

On another note, my Spanish friend can't come to Vienna anymore and another friend I had invited just quit her job so I doubt she wants to splash out on a city break... here's to hoping my other mates don't dog it! Oh well, I will just hans solo. I need to sort my visa to Brazil anyway...

Everyone wants a piece...

I vetoed riding today as a slight rain continued to dampen the already slippery as hell (would hell be slippery? Probably not) ground, and the horses built up a larger vat of energy to expend on me next time I clambered on.

Straight after the morning feeding and mucking out, I rushed to join the weekly English class G and her friends held, this time at the farm, and helped to explain and translate some stories. It was hard work! Then I shared with them the poem I wrote for my mates' wedding, trying to get them to see a different way of applying English to creative writing. Found 3 spelling mistakes as I was reading through - embarrassing much??

The animals - mainly horses and cat called No Name after years of no one naming it - were staring at me to give them attention, let them out, just do SOMETHING other than rush past with coffee cups and tea thermoses. That cat has just gotten way too damn used to our morning cuddles. But apparently it's the first time it's done that with anyone, so I guess that's nice.

Other than that, I have kept pretty chilled today. It was that just-wanna-feel-cosy kinda weather, and I didn't want to push myself too much. I have to get up before 6am tomorrow (hating life) to get finished earlier to accompany E to her English class as a special guest native speaker. They're milkin' me, that's fo sho!! Ha! But G said I was the best helper so far with English classes because I understand the mentality of the environment the best. Maybe she's just buttering me up with all these compliments so I work harder... haha... nah... I really am awesome.