The great migration

Dear readers,

If you're still out there checking this site for signs of life, thank you for your loyalty!  Café & Mate has moved to WordPress where you can find new posts and content.

The original Café & Mate will remain up on Blogger as the migration process did not properly format past posts (also, I like monopolizing the travelswithnic URL).  For adventures in Argentina and all content from January 2010 to January 2011, please browse the archives here. 

For all new posts from August 2011 onward, visit the new site, http://travelswithnic.wordpress.com. Hope to see you there.

Buen viaje!

Nic

Why yerba needs mate

It might look like coffee, but there's a green hue in that brew

It occurred to me, that I have never really explained the blog's title.  Café is the Spanish word for coffee, and mate (pronounced mah-tay, not like an Australian buddy) is more or less the Argentine national beverage.  Dried leaves from a holly-like plant make up the herb (yerba), which is typically served with hot water in a hollowed-out gourd (calabeza).  Because the gourd is filled with leaves, a filter straw (bombilla) is used to prevent any prickly bits from traveling down your throat.

Bag of yerba and a silver mate

As Lonely Planet put it, Argentines and Uruguayans people carry their mates the way we tote around our Starbucks in the United States.  But unlike your favorite skinny caramel frappaccino, mate is a communal drink that is meant to be shared with friends, colleagues and even ESL teachers.  To say that mate is an acquired taste is an understatement.  Most nonnatives would rather drink swamp water than the bitter beverage, which I can only describe as green-tea-meets-smoked-tree-bark.  Call my taste buds tasteless, but I kind of enjoyed it, and so did a few other expats.  But then again, we liked fernet too.

The Yanqui way uses a tea ball

Before leaving Argentina I finally bought my own gourd (I had been mooching off my students) and stocked up on yerba.  But instead of investing in a sturdy, more modern vessel, I went for the traditional, decorative model.  Big mistake.

The paint has stained my fingers, and the inside of the gourd has given rise to a  bacterial jungle.  Apparently my knowledge of drinking mate does not extend to preparing it.  Today I decided to try an unconventional approach that would make a seasoned drinker cringe: I used two tea filters to make mate in a coffee mug.  It might be borderline blasphemous, but until I can find another calabeza, it's my best bet.

Have tunnel, will heist

Feliz Año Nuevo to any dedicated followers who are still checking the blog after weeks of inactivity.  After Thanksgiving in Florida, I stayed put for the holidays, which was a nice respite from the previous year, which involved traveling around Virginia for Christmas and flying to Argentina on New Year's Eve. 

It's hard to believe that one year ago I was visiting the riverfront suburb of Tigre and making my first trip through the giant San Telmo Market.  To make things even more surreal, one of my closest friends just began his TEFL program in Guadalajara, Mexico, so I get to dole out advice while vicariously experiencing the adventure again.

Right now I'm having an internal debate as to whether "Café & Mate," should continue as a travel blog or whether I should create a new one (theme: to-be-determined).  Readers, if you're out there, please share your opinions in the comments section.

"How they reached the booty," courtesy of Clarín

In the meantime, I bring you this gem of a news story: Thieves robbed a branch of Banco Provincia by constructing an underground tunnel from their rented building to the vault.  Following the financial crisis in 2001, many Argentines began to keep their money and valuables in security deposit boxes rather than their bank accounts.  One-hundred thirty-six of these boxes were swindled, and for that I sympathize with the victims.  But following the shooting of a pregnant woman and several other equally violent robberies, I must credit the tunnel crooks for their nonviolent plan... and their architectural know-how.  Apparently the 100-foot tunnel had lights and a ventilation system.

Certainly this incident doesn't bode well for the country's chronically shaky economy, but its lack of brutality is a bit reassuring. 

Carry-on limitations are really hurting readers

To the point that one traveler is smuggling Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in his pants.

Not only did I dodge a full body scan and gate groping, I also got to enjoy some book bums.  Literally.  At the very least, airports are still hilarious.

RRT is finished, time to consult my checklist

Thirteen days after embarking on my brilliant/unusual/foolhardy/pick-your-adjective Resume Road Trip, I returned to North Carolina and my fluffy bed.  Time flew by during my travels, and I couldn't have asked for a more enjoyable experience.

But since this trip was more than a mere joyride, I must now utilize the left-side of my brain to analyze my success (or lack thereof).

Taking a shot while crossing the Bay Bridge in MD (don't try this, kids)

What a Resume Road Trip is good for:

• Getting to know new cities
• Finding out what businesses/industries are prominent in the area
• Determining whether you would want to live there 
• Determining whether you could afford to live there

What a Resume Road Trip is not good for:

• Going on job interviews
• Actually getting hired

The chaotic nature of such travels is not conducive with the playing-hard-to-get game of landing interviews.  Although I did meet with some prospective part-time employers, the real reward is knowing where I should be focusing my job search.  My top pick of the three is the Big Apple (duh).

Snapping again across the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge into NYC

New York City is the place to be for the artistically inclined and highly motivated.  I love that in a single day you can overhear more conversations in a foreign language than English.  I love that creativity seems to be a part of the city's DNA.  I love that I can eat ANY international cuisine, and it's always authentic.  The downfall of the City That Never Sleeps is, well, just that: The drive to succeed in New York means long workdays (think 9 a.m. to 7 or 8 p.m.); overly competitive peers; and sometimes cutthroat work environments.  Not exactly my ideal.  Also, the rent is too damn high!

Washington, D.C., is a close second behind New York in terms of relocation appeal.  Having interned  in the District two years ago,  I'm already familiar with the area and know where to find good food, economical apartments and squirrels that play tug-of-war over a peanut.  While the city might not be as exciting as NYC, there is no shortage of international flavor, museums and other 20-somethings.  The drawback of life in D.C., is the attitude.  Most businesses— whether they be lobby firms, publications or bookstores— revolve around politics, which many people take very seriously.  As someone who doesn't enjoy heated debates, I worry the pugnacious political culture would wear me out.  Out of town, that is.

Philadelphia didn't have much of a chance.  Of the three cities on my tour, Philly was the one I had not yet visited, and I only gave it one day to make a good impression.  Not fair, but in the interest of time, I decided to trust my instincts and discard it from the search.  The City of Brotherly Love has a plethora of history, old architecture and activity.  I'd like to go back and visit, but I don't think I want to live there.

For your Halloween viewing pleasure...

A Snookie Scarecrow,

As part of the Peddler's Village scarecrow competition in Pennsylvania. 

If you want to get the skittles scared out of you, I recommend Paranormal Activity.  Just be sure you're not staying in an apartment with creaky pipes.  Otherwise, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, is always an excellent choice.

RRT Part 3: Holy Cream! I'm in NYC

Check out the stadium seating in Times Square

Bright lights, Big city.  Although I assured everyone from my mom to my aunt to my friends that driving into New York City would be a piece of cake, my stomach was roiling with suspense. Surprisingly the drive was less stressing than the one from Maryland to Pennsylvania, and I arrived safe in sound in Brooklyn after passing blocks and blocks worth of 20-something hipsters— they're good for gauging the safety/sketchiness of an area.

The funky Hearst Tower

My last visit to the Big Apple was in 2008 during my senior year spring break.  At the time I felt overwhelmed, overcrowded and generally uncomfortable by the concrete jungle and its 8 million inhabitants.  This time has been completely different.  The city exudes excitement and possibilities and a bit familiar (I even ran into a friend from UNC who's now in law school).  I'm not sure whether this difference can be attributed to me, having been indoctrinated into city life in D.C. and then Buenos Aires, or whether it's the city.  Manhattan has created new outdoor piazzas in Union Square, the Flatiron District and even Times Square.  My friend says this is part of an attempt to give the city back to the people.  Whatever the reason, I love it!

Sharing the doughnut ice cream sandwich

The job search part is going so-so with success rate being about on par with D.C., which isn't bad but isn't wonderful either.  My mission before departure is to get one more interview or follow-up contact.  In the meantime, I'm savoring the hustle and bustle and the crazy foods... like doughnut ice cream sandwiches from Holy Cream.  Is this a potential competitor for another blogger's doughnut burger?