Updates

So, it has been a little while, but now that I've been down here for 2 months, I figured an update on matters that I've posted previously was not only appropriate, but obligatory...

First and foremost, I can now safely say that I no longer have a US-based mobile phone... SWEET!! Not only am I no longer throwing money in the tubes, but I learned the verbs (yes, in Spanish, there is more than one verb, depending on the context, obvio) 'to lock.' When talking about a door, window, car, etcetera, the verb is 'trancar' and is conjugated as a regular verb (for those of you linguists in the audience). When talking about a 'digitally-oriented' mechanism that requires codes, passwords, etcetera, the verb is 'bloquear' and also has a regular conjugation. However, 'bloquear' also means 'to block' whereas, a incoming call that does not have an associated telephone number (caller ID) comes in as 'bloqueado' (blocked). Likewise, 'desbloquear' means to unlock/unblock, so again, you run in to similar linguistic questions regarding contextual use and multiple meanings, as is common... I must give credit to two friends for this wisdom - Juan, for unlocking my iPhone, and Sasha, for being a smartass, as is also common...

For those of you who have Facebook, and I'm assuming most of the readers are already friends of mine on FB, have been able to see a few more pictures of my 'experiences' here in Buenos Aires, so I've clearly gotten the whole camera/upload situation sorted out. If you are saying to yourself, 'man, he looks like he's having a great time'... You're right! This place is totally incredible, and you should definitely be jealous that you (likely) are sitting somewhere in Northern Hemisphere, where it is cold and nasty, and I'm down here having a blast.

On a more serious and personal note, I can't remember the last time that I have been this happy, have had this much fun, and been so sure of a 'large' decision that I've made for myself... The friends that I've been making are great, and despite the fact that a handful are in the process of moving along on their own adventures, the time we've spent has certainly been quite memorable and I certainly won't be forgetting them (the people AND the memories).

Hasta próxima vez...

Zé