We have a dog!

Rusty came to live with Will and me about ten days ago from the East Bay SPCA. He's about eleven pounds and five months old, and we're guessing he's a corgi-chihuahua mix. He loves to play fetch, hide his treats and go on walks with us. He's a good lap dog but also has a lot of energy -- a very sweet puppy!

Last days in Argentina

The first pictures show Julia, Martina's mom and my fairy godmother in Buenos Aires, with Gaston and me. In the next-to-last last photo I'm saying goodbye to Ana Paula; then come my companieras from highschool in Mercedes, Marianela and Itati. It was wonderful to catch up with old friends -- and get to know new ones as well as if I'd known them forever.

On Monday I arrived in Sao Paulo to begin the next stage of my research for the summer. It almost feels like summer here, surprisingly enough -- in that regard SP wins over Buenos Aires any day! It's a very difficult city, however, so I'm struggling to adjust. The library seems great so far, and I'm confident I'll be able to get a lot of work done.

visiting Ana Paula in Rosario

Last Saturday I caught an early bus to Rosario, Argentina's third-biggest city and the location of the revered Monument to the Flag, to visit Ana Paula and her fiance, Federico. Located on the Parana River, the city is beautiful --much cleaner and more comfortable than Buenos Aires-- and I loved the chance to go for a walk with an old friend. They're doing great and we all had lots of fun catching up.

Ana's a psychologist and is working with developmentally- or cognitively-challenged children, and Federico is a civil engineer who designs and constructs asphalt. They're planning a wedding for September 29th, and I'm so bummed I can't be there. The quick visit was great, though -- I was so happy to see them!

visit to the Austrian ambassador's residence

This picture shows me with Bernd, a former colleague of my dad, and his wife, Gudrun, who is currently the Austrian ambassador to Argentina and Paraguay. They invited me over for a chamber concert on Friday evening. It was lovely to meet Gudrun and one of their sons, Florian (I'd met Bernd previously), and enjoy the music.

with Martina in Buenos Aires

My longtime friend Martina was here to visit her family at the beginning of my trip. It was tons of fun to catch up with her, since she lives in LA and we don't see each other very often any more, and I've loved getting to know her mom, Julia, and sister, Erica (pictured in the first shot above).

Mercedes: Juan and Silvina, the newlyweds!

While in Mercedes, I visited one of my few classmates who still live there (most have moved to Buenos Aires). He and Silvina just got married two months ago. Juan has a daily radio program that my host-sister, Clarisa, works on -- he's the desk man, and she's out on the street, calling in with interviews several times per show.

My apartment in Buenos Aires