Hello world. My journey out of Brooklyn and down here to Buenos Aires, Argentina has motivated me to start a blog. And though I’ve thought about starting one before, I’ve always been a wee bit scurrred to do so. But now, I’m all the way down here and your all the way out there. So that’s my point of inspiration. What you’ll find here is links to stuff I’ve deemed interesting, photos, personal anecdotes, reviews, and perhaps a poem or two. In short, stories of one kind or another that are somehow connected to me.

Shoutout to Erica, DJ Sunshine, and Edo who all have blogs that I read, and who have shown me the merits of bloggerdom. Back in Septebmer of 2008, when I was coordinating the Harvest Festival at Added Value, Erica posted the event to her site to spread the word. Her blog is the first I ever kept up with regularly. She is a gifted writer, has a wonderful eye, and is funny as hell. And Sunshine, who is a true groovemaster and humble teacher, shares some of his own bootylicious mixes and blends on his site as well as links to other great music pages and the like. I just came across Edo’s site recently and was like “wow, I want to be edo when I grow up.” Or at least write like edo when I grow up. So there it is. Thank you to ET, DJ Sunshine, & Edo. I’ll post the links to their sites below.

So last week, after many moons of planning and saving, and with help from my parents, I got on a plane to Buenos Aires—to live, work and learn down here until May 2010 when I intend on starting, or really, continuing another journey: to become an excellent teacher. It’s only a five month trip away from home, but for many of you out there raised in Brooklyn, I think you know how hard it can be to leave. Especially for a momma’s boys like me. I like being taken care of and in Brooklyn, I know I’ll always be (blessit).

As you can imagine this past week has welcomed a whirlwind of new experiences. The first four days I got here, I think I got lost pretty much everytime i walked out the front door. I missed buses. Got on wrong buses. Showed up to museums that were closed. It occurred to me the other night, as I scratched relentlessly at bloody mosquito bites that this bout of pain and suffering i was experiencing was well deserved. On two separate occasions, I joined my roommate out on the terrace in bball shorts and a tee and in two separate assaults, my arms, legs, ankles and feet got obliterated by mosquitos. Let the record show that: 1. I found myself in unfamiliar territory (summer time in south america); 2. I didn’t take the time to think about how my actions/expectations might have to be different in this new territory (bug spray needs to be applied and/or clothing worn); and 3. as a result, I got got (the mosquitos took advantage of my ignorance and did me in as if I was a gringo tourist walking down the wrong street in a city somewhere in south america…). See Mos’s classic “Got” for a more nuanced look at the ins and outs of getting got: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARvX7ROjrSg

I can handle getting ravaged by mosquitos from time to time, but as I begin this journey I am afraid of getting got in other, more major ways. But, at least in Buenos Aires, I can rely on my savvy street education to avoid getting got by individuals. It’s the system, I fear, that can really get you. One glimpse into Argentina’s recent history can reaffirm that. And that’s an extreme example. What about all the small ways we have to swim against the current in order to get what we want/need? I’ll spare you my list, but I’m sure you can come up with your own, both big and small.

When you are living in a city and you can’t communicate with depth and ease, it is as if all the mechanisms of the city become privy to your vulnerability. It’s not the people. No. They are your knights and knightesses in shining armor. I have already met so many angels since i've came here. I've visited this one particular Farmacia almost every day because the drug store owner (who reminds me a lot of my grandpa and who also happens to have a fox of a grandadaughter working behind the counter) has already become a friend, city guide and spanish teacher to me. No it’s not the people. It’s the organization. The system. And of course, it is me. No hablo espanol, guey. And that’s a major part of the problem.

So bottom line: I want to work hard to learn Spanish, get a job, make new friends, and avoiding getting got in any major ways.

Thanks for reading along on my first ever blog entry.

paz y amor,

PwLL

http://djmrsunshine.blogspot.com/

http://existenceet.blogspot.com/

http://oneprime.blogspot.com/