Tirate un memoir

Here's a 6-word memoir for every DJ who's ever fulfilled a song request for a certain little cumbia group from Argentina...

 Played Wachiturros; the whole club hissed.

As I write this, the top comment for this video on YouTube reads: "Estaba viendo este video cuando entro mi mamá. Cambié a porno porque era mas facil de explicar." Translated, it means "I was watching this video when my mom came in. Changed it to porn because it was easier to explain."


I've found shame and/or scorn are generally the only appropriate reactions whenever somebody admits to liking the Wachiturros. It's a bit like the Rebecca Black "Friday" phenomenon, but worse because they're actually touted as legitimate performers. 

ahí, hay, ¡ay!, ai caramba

Saw this the other day on facebook and it made me happy for at least two reasons:

1. It is funny.

2. I am finally getting jokes in Spanish on a regular basis.

I went out with my classmates from the department of psicopedagogía (psychopedagogy) a few weekends ago. Great times were had, although I think I may have danced with a brazilian male stripper to the oober popular Brazilian pop song "Ai se eu te pego" on stage in a boliche thing filled with 100 lovely Uruguayan strangers. 

To clarify, he didn't take actually take any clothes off. BUT he was a little too good at body rolls and shimmy-ing... Actually, it didn't even occur to me until the following Monday in class when my classmates told my professor what happened (yeah that happened). 

To clarify once more, the whole experience was a lot less wild than the picture I've painted thus far. There was a live band in the bar and at one point they started asking for volunteers to dance on stage. First it was anybody who had a birthday. Then it was anybody lucky enough to be surrounded by 10 or so people pointing fingers at them because they're foreign. I was in the latter group.

Yes, somebody in the group took a video. No, I do not have said video. But take comfort in the knowledge that it is out there and that my already tenuous prospects for a political career have been dashed.

Mi feliz cumple!

Better late than never?

Here are a few of the pictures from my 21st birthday, which was April 25th. I realize it might look lame from what you see here, but I prefer the term "low-key." At the time I was fresh off the buquebus (a bus-boat combo trip that takes you from Buenos Aires to Montevideo and back on one ticket) from our trip to Tandil for the long weekend, so a semi-surprise dinner party at home was just perfect. 

Captions will explain what you can see of the dinner below, but here's a rundown of what else happened that day:

• Care package from home! Yes, mom, it took well over a month to arrive, but that's okay. Really. American peanut butter + craisins + the clothing I ordered online at the beginning of February = surprisingly wonderful birthday presents. 
• Lost in the park. The group from Trampolines was meant to go on a field trip to the amusement park and I was meant to meet them there. It turns out that during the school day amusement parks on the beach are a very popular spot for school groups, and so I spent about 2 hours covertly following various hordes of children dressed in white smocks (all of them basically have the same uniform at that age) NONE of which were my group. For how long is it socially acceptable to semi-stalk groups of small children as a single white female of 21 years and average height? One simply never knows. 
• Walk in the park. Using glass-half-full logic, I wasn't lost in the park--I was simply enjoying a nice stroll along the Rambla and Parque Rodo. It actually was a beautiful day, so I can't complain about the stalking-against-my-will part too much. 
• Skype-a-thon. Thanks so much to everyone who joined me for the late-night wine skype, and the family skype after that, and the breakfast skype the next morning. If you're not among those implied above, let's fix the fact we haven't skyped in so long: N-gela is my user name. Add me.

Left: Everybody waiting in the kitchen to surprise me. They almost pulled it off completely, too! My host mom's poker face gave way that morning when she asked me for either Erica or Merelise's phone number "to ask how their apartment is going." Oh, Cuca. :D

Right: They made me french toast!! ....and pizza! Really great stuff all around.

Left: I somehow ended up with two cakes (or 1.5?), both dripping in dulce de leche. They also gave me a Peñarol jersey, which officially makes me a fan of one half of the biggest sports rivalry in town. 

Right: Lily says it's a tradition in Chile for the birthday boy/girl to take the first bite of cake...from the whole cake. Naturally, this was my response. 

Both: Not really birthday-related, but Mary bought an excellent shirt at the Tienda Inglesa close to where she lives. Featuring poorly-translated English flanked by leather sleeves. Oh boy. 

Cuando juega Ururuay

"When Uruguay plays," like TODAY at 3:00, it is best to get in the zone with a little Jaime Roos. The Uruguay national team faces off against Venezuela this afternoon en el Estadio Centenario, which will kick off the next round of South American qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

I don't have tickets to the game, so I will be watching it from the comfort of my kitchen table. BUT you'd best believe I'll be reppin' the Celeste. I see a win for Uruguay, all biases aside. ¡Vamos arriba Uruguay!

Will keep you updated if I somehow score tickets that don't cost an arm and a leg to the Peru vs. Uruguay match next Sunday.