February is the worst

So I gave up on posting for a while... because February happened.

I had told my friends in Garzon that I don't like February, even though it is my birth month. Bad things always happen to me in February. Gabi told me that it wouldn't happen this time, and I thought for un rato (a while) that he was right until...

I needed to leave Uruguay before the end of February because that was when my 3 month visa was up, so I decided to go to Buenos Aires in Argentina for a few days. Plus, Nacho decided to go those same days to Bs As to get his truck from his sister's house. So perfect, I had a travel companion.

Oh, right. The reason I chose these dates in mid February was because I was already going to be in Montevideo to see the Rolling Stones with a bunch of people from the restaurant. They all had to go back the next day for work, and Nacho and I would head to Bs As.

The Rolling Stones were really fun. I'm not a huge fan, but I know the hits, plus we listened to them a lot in the kitchen in the time leading up to the concert. Even though our group had tickets in different parts of the stadium, we all managed to get into the lawn area together. At the concert, Nacho let me get up on his shoulders which was awesome, since I could see everything from up there and almost nothing from the ground since I'm short. All in all, they put on a good show for being oldies! And people went wild for it. It was a big deal that they came to South America.

Anyway, Nacho and I hopped on the ferry to Bs As the next morning. We walked around the city a little bit that afternoon and then looked for my air bnb that I had booked because I needed a night totally alone and quiet. The next day I would meet back up with Nacho and stay with his family. Anyway, it was a lovely night solo. The apartment was in the micro center of the city on the 17th floor with a great view.

The next day Nacho and I planned to meet at the Japanese Gardens at 2 pm. I estimated it was about an hour walking, which I had no problem with. I was taking my time, enjoying the sights etc. Stopped at a park with this giant moving flower sculpture (not unlike the lotus that is near the asian art museum in SF). While I was there... my iphone was stolen. I don't want to get into the specifics since I've put it all behind me, but unfortunately the moral of the story is don't trust anyone in Bs As. Seriously. Later, Nacho and I went back, and he asked a guy who was selling sodas outside if he knew anything about people stealing things there, and the guy explained that yes, it happens often, with a team of two people who work together, though you only see one. Anyway, that's what happened.

This left me in a not great place mentally, since I was already super tired and cranky from working so much in Garzon. But I kept it together enough to get to the gardens. Plus, I knew that all in all, while it was an expensive loss, I was actually very lucky. Because in the very same pocket was my wallet, which he could have grabbed. And of course, I still had my passport. So it was just a material loss. (I just needed to keep repeating this.) But of course, I had to give myself a little time for self pity, too.

After we met back up, Nacho asked if I wanted to register it with the police. Of course the chances of this helping were almost zero, but we figured it couldn't hurt. Plus, I figured it would be an interesting experience to go to the police too. I have a copy of my statement, which maybe someday I'll be able to read. Then we headed to his sister's place, in the burbs of Bs As.

The next day was dedicated to getting his truck up and running and legal, and then the following day we drove back to Garzon.

When we got back Garzon, Euge (la bebota) told me that she had some bad news for me... my bed had broken. I eventually learned the full story, which was that my other roommate and one of the boys were using my bunk (or maybe the bunk above mine, not clear and didn't really want to know) for obvious reasons and it broke. I immediately was scared though because I had hidden my computer under my bed in my messenger bag. I pulled it out, and sure enough the screen of my poor macbook pro was cracked. However, it started up and seems to work fine. Occasionally the camera doesn't work, but everything essential works. Anyway, at that moment I almost lost it. I had to leave immediately and go walk alone so that I didn't take my frustration out on anyway. Obviously no one knew that my computer was there. I was more upset just because it felt like a violation of the tiny space that I called my own. But once again, I just had to remind myself that it was only a material thing.

It seemed like the world wanted to cut off my communications and once again teach me that I can't always have control over everything. So I gave myself a break from posting anything (and then just got lazy) and talking with as many people back home. Tried to be more present. Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't.

But February did end well. Nacho and Gabi had a little surprise party for me at midnight on the 28th when it turned to the 29th and made me an awesome chocolate cake. It was very sweet. And on the 29th, I got the f out of Garzon for 2 nights. Stayed at a cute hotel in Jose Ignacio, which is only 40 minutes away, and it was a little expensive since I had to taxi to and from Garzon, but for me, worth it. Plus, leap year only happens every four years, and me being in Uruguay for leap year is even more rare.