My, How the Table has Turned

I know, it has been a little over a week since my last blog entry. I've been spending a lot of time by myself this past week. Reason being, Jackson started working last Monday. He pretty much works all day, and I don't see him until 8:00 pm. However, I do meet up with him in the afternoon, whenever he has 4 hours to kill in between classes.

It has definitely been a nice change from working to not working. I have gladly taken on the role of stay at home mom, preparing meals, doing laundry, walking Zoe, reading, messing around on the internet, all fun things of course. Cooking, primarily, has been the most fun as well as a great learning experience. I've always known how to cook but it always included chicken or some kind of meat. Since becoming vegetarian/near vegan, Jackson has always been the one preparing the meals because of my lack of experience in vegetarian cooking. So, now that I've been the one staying home, I look through our Veganomicon cookbook for some tasty recipes. Last Monday, I prepared cholent which is basically beef stew, minus the beef. The meat is substituted with soy meat which we were lucky to find at Lotus, a health food store/restuarant on avenida Cordoba. I've also learned how to prepare spinach empanadas and pizza. So far, all my cooking has been a success. Even though Jackson misses being in the kitchen, he's delighted that he is trying out some new vegan dishes.

Aside from cooking, I've been replacing my non-existent running with walking. I walk EVERYWHERE. Last week I walked to El Ateneo, a huge, majestic bookstore on Avenida Santa Fe. This bookstore is beyond words. It is by far the most beautiful bookstore I have ever seen. The bookstore is located in a restored old theater which totally blew me away when I walked in. The balconies were reading areas for customers, and the stage was converted into a café. This place is a must see, even if you're not into books.

At Ristretto Café last Thursday, Jackson and I met up with a very nice chica, whom we met online. Anne is a delightful photographer from London, who's here for tango. The three of us spent hours in the café talking about everything from health care to collectivos to politics. Anne came to our apartment for dinner and tea. She also met Zoe, who was very fond of her. Since Jackson and I had such a great time with Anne, we met up with her again the following day at Olsen. This time, however, a whole bunch of other expats joined us. We met a lady from Lebanon, another lady from Singapore, a student from Bolivia, a couple from New Zealand and Finland, a lady from Poland, and a couple of New Yorkers. The night was fabulous! Everyone was interesting, and we all got along well. Once Olsen kicked us out, a few of us went to a pricey Italian restaurant for dinner. Afterwards, we went to Nicole's apartment drinks. What an evening!! I had a blast!! Sometime in the next couple of weeks, we are all going to a tango show. I can't wait!

This past week in Buenos Aires has been great. I'm coming out of my shell and exploring the city on my own. I'm meeting interesting people, who I'd like to keep in touch with. I'm enjoying all my free time. Not working is not only fantastic but it rejuvenates your soul. Working as a nurse for five years really took a toll on my body and mind. I'm catching up on some over due sleep and finding myself less stressed out than before. It's nice to wake up whenever my body feels good and ready to do so. Even though I'm enjoying doing absolutely nothing, I'm going to start applying for some jobs. Jackson can't be the only one bringing home the bread. I think it's funny though how he's the one waking up early now, while I wake up whenever and do whatever. My, how the tables have turned.