The Caring of the Engine
Trip Start
Feb 10, 2006
1
8
32
Trip End
May 31, 2006
Buenos Aires,
Argentina
Tuesday, March 7, 2006
With Ed we promised each other to start going to the gym again, and after a few months of searching for a suitable gym, we got a good deal at a huge gym/club only a couple of blocks from the office. So last week we started training, everyday with an average of 2.5 hours a day. That meant that on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we could hardly move a muscle. That included walking up and down the stairs, getting in or off a bus, sitting down or standing up.....basically all movements included in our daily routines. Despite this, we still went to pump iron the entire week
01 Ed's pee
. Our goal is to be in good shape for our trip. Getting rid of extra pounds and toning muscle that's been inert for about 5 months (which was the last time we stepped inside a gym)is something that's never in vain. Besides, we'll probably need the extra strength to carry our backpacks everywhere. We're both vegetarians so we have a natural tendency to take care of our healths. I myself try not to eat anything that's been too processed or deep fried, I don't eat any dairy products or eggs, I do however eat fish which is the safest and healthiest meat available. Due to the fact that I don't ingest dairy products, my doctor recently discovered I have a calcium deficiency in my hip (a condition usually found in elderly women past menopause) so we put together a diet that thankfully does not include dairy products, but does include foods with a high percent of calcium such as sardines (believe it or not), broccoli, spinach, sesame seeds, seaweed and tofu. He also recommended exercising with weights since that helps fix calcium to the bones. He also found low levels of iron in my blood which is easier to revert though. I've always been careful with my diet, but now I realize I have to be extra strict and disciplined with what I consume. I don't want to break my hip while trying to get my backpack on! But seriously, these are things I really don't want to have to deal with when I'm travelling so I am determined to deal with them now, and to make sure the situation does not appear again. We were also told of a medical center downtown that has a service called Medicine for Travellers
02 The Human Foutain
. It's actually a clinic specializing in infectology, but what they do is basically ask you where you plan on travelling, if the manner in which you travel is of high or low risk....e.g it's not the same staying 5 star hotels than staying in hostels or guest houses where you have to share bathrooms, etc. So with this information they put together a preventative plan, which of course includes vaccines and hygiene recommendations, where to drink the water and where not to, what foods to avoid in certain countries, epidemics and diseases we might have to be careful from. They also have a monthly newsletter you can subscribe to, where they e-mail you all the valuable information concerning medical care and medical risks of the country you're in. We thought it might be perfect for what we're about to embark on so I quickly booked an appointment for both of us this Friday. I believe it's easier and better to prevent than to cure, so my aim is to be in an absolute perfect physical condition when I leave Buenos Aires. I am such a health enthusiast that my friends tease me about it constantly...whenever I start giving them healthy eating tips, I get the usual "here we go" or "yes, pray tell, Dr. Lucia M.D, Oxford University graduate" or my personal favorite "FASCINATING!". I let them kid all they want, but when they separately come asking questions about a certain food or ingredient, I know all my reading has paid off. What will you all do without me, I ask?? :)
Anyways, I am also one step away from having perfect teeth, since I am almost finished with my dental appointments
03 Sergio and Ed in MALBA
. After the terrible surgery ordeal 3 weeks ago, I am now pain free and have continued my treatment. Thank god for my dental insurance!On a different note, this weekend Ed's cousins, Sergio and Andres, came to visit from southern Argentina to go to the U2 concert. We were able to do some sightseeing with Sergio over the weekend, and I actually got to go to the Zoo which I hadn't been to since I was very little. I was surprised at how old the zoo was. Although any caged animal saddens me (reason why I've stayed away from the zoo so long) I felt like a little kid vociferating my enthusiasm when I saw a cute animal, such as a baby elephant playing with an old tire, or baby ducks forming a single file after their mom. I also saw a little baby duck trapped in a fountain, he was trying so hard to get out I was tempted to jump the fence and pull him out (I was also tempted to put him in my purse and build a home for him in my bathtub).
My favorite part of the Buenos Aires zoo was the constructions for the animals in each cage. Each cage had what I called their little houses, but they weren't little at all, they were small buildings, original in their construction, imitating ancient architecture. I did find the zoo to be a little run down and it was obvious it was lacking the funds to preserve it in the excellent shape it deserves. One thing everyone knows about this zoo though, is that the animal keepers and vets deeply love the animals here, and although they may not look happy being stuck in a cage with a million screaming kids pointing at them and camera flashes blinding them, they at least have the love and respect of the ones who take care of them
04 The Trapped Ducky
. I am grateful for them. It was a tiring weekend but it is with much regret I start again my weekly routine. I find it harder and harder to get up for work, go to work and stay concentrated at work. It has been a difficult task these past few weeks, and I only assume it will get more difficult as the parting date creeps up, but I did promise to continue to do my best at the job I am being paid to do until the day I leave. Neither Eduardo or myself have broken the news to the company (I hope none of our managers run into our travel log before we tell them we're leaving, and if you did....SURPRISE! heheh)but we plan to give them enough time to find our replacements. I might have to train someone to do my job so I will need more time to find someone and train them well enough to leave my old tasks in good hands. Maybe the company will leave this up to me, or maybe they will have someone else train them...either way, I myself want to give them enough time to be able to make this decision, without having to rush into things. The company has been very good to me and so have my IT managers so the least I can do is show them my appreciation by extending my notice from the typical formal 2 weeks to a month and a half.
So on this note I am off to bed to prepare for another long day tomorrow...hope not half as long as today. Till next time.....
