Dear mrs.staraw I didi not rip your shirth plzzzzz belive me you can ask the people that were next to me I didn’t even noticed your shirt was riped. I think you are a great teacher why would I want to rip your shirt . aand how would I do it!??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????plz plz plz plz don’t hate me !!!!!!plz plz pl mrs strawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!plzplzplz now do you belive me .
I know you are an intelligent teacher and if you think well how someone rip your shirt? How was your weekend? Bye love ya tonz!
Nana banana I
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
busy
I guess I haven't written about anything since Argentina for a whole month. I've been pretty busy getting wedding and moving stuff done, making seating arrangements and packing lists, ordering flowers and giving away old clothes, looking forward to what's ahead and already missing Barranquilla. In hindsight it may not have been the best idea to plan a wedding while moving to another country, but so far things are going smoothly and I'm semi-quickly checking things off my to do list.
Today we accomplished something big: we bought a car. An Indian car. I guess we haven't actually purchased it just yet, so really, we've just agreed to buy a car.
In Barranquilla we get around in taxis, but there are no such things in Chennai. Apparently, the only form of personal transportation there is auto-rickshaws, three wheeled contraptions with a roof and no sides. This in itself didn't sound too appealing and we've also read that bargaining with auto-rickshaw drivers can be emotional and intense. So, when we got an email about a car for sale by some departing teachers, we jumped on it. It's a cute little silver Suzuki and it comes with a highly recommended driver, which by all accounts is entirely necessary. It felt sort of strange to buy a car without first being able to kick the tires, but we feel good about knowing that when we get to Chennai we'll have a car and a driver waiting for us. I'm hoping it will make the transition a whole lot easier.
My other big task this week has been trying to book a place for our rehearsal dinner. You would think that this would get accomplished faster than buying a car, but then you would be wrong. At first we wanted to have our rehearsal dinner at Kuyaba, but that ended up being ridiculously expensive, so now I'm trying to get a hold of the people at 3 Dives, which I did....once, long enough for me to ask about a party and a man to say hold on. Then I heard the man shout for Lydia, a dog barking, someone cough, three men enter the room, someone shouting at the dog to shut up and finally just the steady drone of the TV in the background. No Lydia. After my skype credit ran down to almost nothing I finally decided to hang up and try again. It's been three days now and I guess their phone is still off the hook, because no matter how many times I call the phone just rings and rings.
And until I get this accomplished I just don't have the strength to move on to the next big task: signing up for dance lessons. So to all the wedding guests/ readers out there you should know that Brad and I had big plans for our first dance, but don't be surprised if on the big night you just feel awkward and uncomfortable watching us try to get through the song.
Today we accomplished something big: we bought a car. An Indian car. I guess we haven't actually purchased it just yet, so really, we've just agreed to buy a car.
In Barranquilla we get around in taxis, but there are no such things in Chennai. Apparently, the only form of personal transportation there is auto-rickshaws, three wheeled contraptions with a roof and no sides. This in itself didn't sound too appealing and we've also read that bargaining with auto-rickshaw drivers can be emotional and intense. So, when we got an email about a car for sale by some departing teachers, we jumped on it. It's a cute little silver Suzuki and it comes with a highly recommended driver, which by all accounts is entirely necessary. It felt sort of strange to buy a car without first being able to kick the tires, but we feel good about knowing that when we get to Chennai we'll have a car and a driver waiting for us. I'm hoping it will make the transition a whole lot easier.
My other big task this week has been trying to book a place for our rehearsal dinner. You would think that this would get accomplished faster than buying a car, but then you would be wrong. At first we wanted to have our rehearsal dinner at Kuyaba, but that ended up being ridiculously expensive, so now I'm trying to get a hold of the people at 3 Dives, which I did....once, long enough for me to ask about a party and a man to say hold on. Then I heard the man shout for Lydia, a dog barking, someone cough, three men enter the room, someone shouting at the dog to shut up and finally just the steady drone of the TV in the background. No Lydia. After my skype credit ran down to almost nothing I finally decided to hang up and try again. It's been three days now and I guess their phone is still off the hook, because no matter how many times I call the phone just rings and rings.
And until I get this accomplished I just don't have the strength to move on to the next big task: signing up for dance lessons. So to all the wedding guests/ readers out there you should know that Brad and I had big plans for our first dance, but don't be surprised if on the big night you just feel awkward and uncomfortable watching us try to get through the song.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Argentina: Ampora Wine Tour
Mendoza
Day Eight
On our last day in Argentina we went on the Ampora Wine Tour, another wine tour, but this one was in a vehicle. Good, because our butts were still sore. They took us to four different wineries.
Clos de Chacras
Here we got a lot of basic information about the wine making process from the vine to the barrel to the bottle. In one hallway they just had stacks and stacks of unlabled bottles all piled up on the floor. At every winery we had a tasting at the end of the tour. Here, after the first swirl and sniff the tourguide asks, "What do you smell?" I proved my sophistication to the group by answering, "Ummmm.......vinegar?"
Bodgega Finca Decero
Our next stop was a place closer to the mountains, owned by a Swiss millionaire. It was stunning. There were the vineyards of course, all set against the backdrop of the Andes. The building was completely modern and designed to fit right into its surroundings.
Inside the winery everything was steel and shining. The whole place was set up for efficiency, even the handrails on the staircase served the double purpose of carrying water to all the vats. The winery features one special wine that they make totally by hand, but I thought that was kind of a silly thing to do with all their modern equipment, but like I said, I'm not a very sophisticated wine drinker. I just like the way it tastes, and how it makes my tummy feel warm. All wine at this winery is exported, so I'm sure you could find it in the States, but I'm guessing it's pretty expensive. They didn't skimp on any of the details when building this place.
Ruca Malen
Our next stop was for lunch, but before eating they led us into an aroma room, a huge space filled with little scented boxes that supposedly covered the range of smells found in wine. The smells were organized by categories: fruits, vegetables, herbs, minerals, animals, spices and so on. We smelled every single one and I have to say I think it really improved my wine sophistication. After that someone asked me, "What do you smell in this?" And I was able to honestly answer, "Smoke and berries." But I'm still not sophisticated enough to answer any follow up questions like, "What kind of berries?" Or "Anything else?" Two smells is my limit.
Bodega Benegas
The last stop of the day, Bodgega Benegas, was by far the best. The owners of this winery used to own Trapiche but lost the busniness during one of Argentina's economic crashes. A few years ago one of the sons came back to Argentina, bought back some of his family's old vines and started up a new winery. But it's not really new I guess, because they do things the old fashioned way.
It could have been all the wine coursing through me, but I just loved this place. And Brad fell in love with our tourguide. She was really cute. She told me that everyone in the wine industry saves their money for new teeth and a new liver. I wanted to be Barranquillera about it and say, "And what about that little pooch around your middle?" but remembered that we were in Argentina, where things like that might sound rude.
The wine we tasted here was so good that we bought three bottles, which made it back to Barranquilla safely but have since been almost entirely drunk. We have one bottle of chardonnay left and I'm guessing it won't last long.
So, that was our last day in Argentina. For now anyway. It was too terrible to leave, we'll have to go back.
Day Eight
On our last day in Argentina we went on the Ampora Wine Tour, another wine tour, but this one was in a vehicle. Good, because our butts were still sore. They took us to four different wineries.
Clos de Chacras
Here we got a lot of basic information about the wine making process from the vine to the barrel to the bottle. In one hallway they just had stacks and stacks of unlabled bottles all piled up on the floor. At every winery we had a tasting at the end of the tour. Here, after the first swirl and sniff the tourguide asks, "What do you smell?" I proved my sophistication to the group by answering, "Ummmm.......vinegar?"
Bodgega Finca Decero
Our next stop was a place closer to the mountains, owned by a Swiss millionaire. It was stunning. There were the vineyards of course, all set against the backdrop of the Andes. The building was completely modern and designed to fit right into its surroundings.
Inside the winery everything was steel and shining. The whole place was set up for efficiency, even the handrails on the staircase served the double purpose of carrying water to all the vats. The winery features one special wine that they make totally by hand, but I thought that was kind of a silly thing to do with all their modern equipment, but like I said, I'm not a very sophisticated wine drinker. I just like the way it tastes, and how it makes my tummy feel warm. All wine at this winery is exported, so I'm sure you could find it in the States, but I'm guessing it's pretty expensive. They didn't skimp on any of the details when building this place.
Ruca Malen
Our next stop was for lunch, but before eating they led us into an aroma room, a huge space filled with little scented boxes that supposedly covered the range of smells found in wine. The smells were organized by categories: fruits, vegetables, herbs, minerals, animals, spices and so on. We smelled every single one and I have to say I think it really improved my wine sophistication. After that someone asked me, "What do you smell in this?" And I was able to honestly answer, "Smoke and berries." But I'm still not sophisticated enough to answer any follow up questions like, "What kind of berries?" Or "Anything else?" Two smells is my limit.
The lumch was delicious, but we were too busy eating to take any pictures. Brad took these outside while we were waiting for the crazy lady in the group to finish her cigarette.
Bodega Benegas
The last stop of the day, Bodgega Benegas, was by far the best. The owners of this winery used to own Trapiche but lost the busniness during one of Argentina's economic crashes. A few years ago one of the sons came back to Argentina, bought back some of his family's old vines and started up a new winery. But it's not really new I guess, because they do things the old fashioned way.
It could have been all the wine coursing through me, but I just loved this place. And Brad fell in love with our tourguide. She was really cute. She told me that everyone in the wine industry saves their money for new teeth and a new liver. I wanted to be Barranquillera about it and say, "And what about that little pooch around your middle?" but remembered that we were in Argentina, where things like that might sound rude.
The wine we tasted here was so good that we bought three bottles, which made it back to Barranquilla safely but have since been almost entirely drunk. We have one bottle of chardonnay left and I'm guessing it won't last long.
So, that was our last day in Argentina. For now anyway. It was too terrible to leave, we'll have to go back.
Argentina: Another Wasted Day
My excuse for the long delay between posts is that we had a great big gringo reunion in Cartagena where we all dressed up as pirates and then cruised around on an old pirate ship for a while. More on that later.....
Mendoza
Day Seven
Our second to last day in Argentina was Good Friday so almost everything was closed. We thought we would catch a bus to some hot springs, but ended up missing the bus. On our way back to the hotel we found a little tiny shop that was open and bought salami, cheese, bread and wine (you know, the essentials) and spent the day by the little pool at our hotel. Just like the hot springs, but much more private AND we didn't have to sit on a bus for two hours.
That night we went out to Mendoza's restaurant filled streets thinking we would hop from one place to the next for appetizers and drinks, but since we'd spent the day eating salami and cheese sandwiches we couldn't eat anymore. So we spent the night people watching while we sat over one half eaten taco.
Mendoza
Day Seven
Our second to last day in Argentina was Good Friday so almost everything was closed. We thought we would catch a bus to some hot springs, but ended up missing the bus. On our way back to the hotel we found a little tiny shop that was open and bought salami, cheese, bread and wine (you know, the essentials) and spent the day by the little pool at our hotel. Just like the hot springs, but much more private AND we didn't have to sit on a bus for two hours.
That night we went out to Mendoza's restaurant filled streets thinking we would hop from one place to the next for appetizers and drinks, but since we'd spent the day eating salami and cheese sandwiches we couldn't eat anymore. So we spent the night people watching while we sat over one half eaten taco.
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