Parties are a little different here in Argentina than I'm used to in the States. Don't get me wrong, they are still a blast, but just culturally very different. On Friday night after getting back from Mar Chiquita, Laura invited me to a party at a high school. Wait... translation problems? It must be a party with her friends from high school. Sure, I'll come!
So I get to her apartment at 10:30pm. I have to ring the buzzer for her apartment outside of the complex. Evidently it is a speaker kind of thing and they can buzz you in. I have absolutely no clue how to use it though. Yes I can push the button, but besides that, I'm lost. Do I need to keep it pressed? Is it like a walkie-talkie that you need to release the button to hear them talk? Do you have a conversation outside before you are let in? I still have no clue. I pressed the button a couple times and tried to ask for Laura. Turns out she was in the shower... and none of her friends call her Laura. That surely made things easier for me!!! Finally someone else from outside opened up the gate for me. Thank you!!! Then I bumped into some of her friends just inside the gate who told me where her apartment was: last one with the door open with people inside.
I walk down to the end, and there are two doors open. The last one didn't have anyone inside that I could see. So I poked my head into the second to last one that had two people sitting at the table. Mani? (That's Laura's nickname that I only knew because of her email address.) Yes! They know her!!! They invite me in and share the obligatory mate with me. Eventually more people arrive and soon everyone is there, except Laura. I feel like I held my own with Spanish. Yay, I'm getting somewhere!!!
After everyone else in the apartment slowly changed out of their clothes and into going out close, I no longer blended into the crowd. Oh well! That's one great thing about being a foreigner... it doesn't matter how much you stick out, as it is just kinda expected. hehe (I didn't bring any going out clothes with me in my small bags to come here. Perhaps a shopping trip will be in order!)
By 1:30am we finally made our way out of the apartment and to the party. Geesh, I kept debating whether it was a good idea to go to the party or just head back if it was going to be such a late night. Laura wasn't going to work in the morning, yet I was. I figured I couldn't back out after meeting all of her friends. I also really wanted to have a great night and finally experience some of the night life here.
We arrived at... a high school for the party. Strangest thing ever. I still don't quite understand it. It used to be a high school, or still is, but it is also a boarding school, or used to be? I don't know. Then the party was a fundraiser for the hungry by a priest.
Enter the party: After walking through a short hall, double doors opened to a patio and an airy auditorium. Now, imagine a typical frat party (well, cash bar instead of free booze) complete with people doing beer bongs (cabeza seca) with slightly less people than the cattle packed freshman parties. Yep, I almost felt at home. JK. It was a lot of fun though. All the music was Argentinian and I even picked up some of the dances.
Oh, another note to add is that like mate, all drinks are passed around as a social affair. Drinks came in liter cups and were passed around to everyone in our group. I can't imagine partying like that much, as if I stuck around as late as everyone else did, I would have had a hard time working the next morning. (I left at 3:30am, got to sleep at 4am and woke up for work at 6am. Yay me!!!) Most people don't leave parties and clubs here until 8am. Ouch!
So there's my little party story. Sorry, I didn't bring my camera with me, so I don't have any pics. I've got a busy morning tomorrow so nighty night and wish me luck! I love and miss you all!!!
So I get to her apartment at 10:30pm. I have to ring the buzzer for her apartment outside of the complex. Evidently it is a speaker kind of thing and they can buzz you in. I have absolutely no clue how to use it though. Yes I can push the button, but besides that, I'm lost. Do I need to keep it pressed? Is it like a walkie-talkie that you need to release the button to hear them talk? Do you have a conversation outside before you are let in? I still have no clue. I pressed the button a couple times and tried to ask for Laura. Turns out she was in the shower... and none of her friends call her Laura. That surely made things easier for me!!! Finally someone else from outside opened up the gate for me. Thank you!!! Then I bumped into some of her friends just inside the gate who told me where her apartment was: last one with the door open with people inside.
I walk down to the end, and there are two doors open. The last one didn't have anyone inside that I could see. So I poked my head into the second to last one that had two people sitting at the table. Mani? (That's Laura's nickname that I only knew because of her email address.) Yes! They know her!!! They invite me in and share the obligatory mate with me. Eventually more people arrive and soon everyone is there, except Laura. I feel like I held my own with Spanish. Yay, I'm getting somewhere!!!
After everyone else in the apartment slowly changed out of their clothes and into going out close, I no longer blended into the crowd. Oh well! That's one great thing about being a foreigner... it doesn't matter how much you stick out, as it is just kinda expected. hehe (I didn't bring any going out clothes with me in my small bags to come here. Perhaps a shopping trip will be in order!)By 1:30am we finally made our way out of the apartment and to the party. Geesh, I kept debating whether it was a good idea to go to the party or just head back if it was going to be such a late night. Laura wasn't going to work in the morning, yet I was. I figured I couldn't back out after meeting all of her friends. I also really wanted to have a great night and finally experience some of the night life here.
We arrived at... a high school for the party. Strangest thing ever. I still don't quite understand it. It used to be a high school, or still is, but it is also a boarding school, or used to be? I don't know. Then the party was a fundraiser for the hungry by a priest.
Enter the party: After walking through a short hall, double doors opened to a patio and an airy auditorium. Now, imagine a typical frat party (well, cash bar instead of free booze) complete with people doing beer bongs (cabeza seca) with slightly less people than the cattle packed freshman parties. Yep, I almost felt at home. JK. It was a lot of fun though. All the music was Argentinian and I even picked up some of the dances.
Oh, another note to add is that like mate, all drinks are passed around as a social affair. Drinks came in liter cups and were passed around to everyone in our group. I can't imagine partying like that much, as if I stuck around as late as everyone else did, I would have had a hard time working the next morning. (I left at 3:30am, got to sleep at 4am and woke up for work at 6am. Yay me!!!) Most people don't leave parties and clubs here until 8am. Ouch!
So there's my little party story. Sorry, I didn't bring my camera with me, so I don't have any pics. I've got a busy morning tomorrow so nighty night and wish me luck! I love and miss you all!!!
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