Time Flies...

I can't believe that I'm nearly half way through with my stay in Buenos Aires. These last five weeks have been incredible, and I hope to make the next five weeks even better. I truly love everything about my life here: the culture, the city, the science, the pace of life, the food, the people... I never want to leave!

I did indeed whisper sweet nothings to my oocytes before beginning my experiments this week, and apparently they appreciated that, because the mysterious and worrisome results that I had seen last week disappeared entirely. It was a huge relief to get normal data again this week. Actually, I was able to collect some data that (I think) give us some very exciting and new information, so that's even better! I'm planning to show my results to the PI when she returns from a conference in a few days, and I'm hoping that she finds the data interesting as well. I feel very at home in the lab by now, and I'm really enjoying my project. Also, at this point I'm almost entirely self-sufficient, so it's nice to feel like I no longer have to bother the graduate students with endless questions.

I've been wandering around and exploring new neighborhoods a lot lately, so I feel like I'm starting to learn my way around the city pretty well. One thing that I absolutely love about Buenos Aires is the music. Many of the popular radio stations and convenience stores are still stuck in the 70's and 80's (a few favorite songs are "YMCA" and "Super Freak," for example), but the street and subway performers play a great variety of classical, tango, and jazz. I was very excited to find this traditional tango orchestra playing on the street in San Telmo:

And when I came across this group of dreadlocked, brightly dressed, drum-banging hippies, I was immediately reminded of my hometown in Oregon:

Now, for my World Cup update: The fútbol excitement continues to grow in Argentina, especially now that they won their second game. I went outside shortly after the match ended on Thursday morning and I was amused to see Porteños running through the streets with their bodies painted and wearing nothing but their country's flag. Nobody went to work on Thursday until after the game was over, and apparently all schools, from kindergarten through universities, cancelled classes in order to show the game. I have to admit that this World Cup fever is highly contagious, as I'm getting fairly caught up in the excitement myself. I can't wait to see what this week's match has in store!