So what do you do?

My two jobs with Madi

Some wonderful Clients! 

     I've been in Buenos Aires for nearly 6 months and people have recently been asking me what exactly "I do". Well, I don't have a typical 9-5 job. I am lucky enough that I get to work several jobs. My schedule is always changing, every week is different. Some days I work all of my jobs while some days I work from home. Here is a little preview of my life.  I teach English at least 6 hours a week one on one to students. I work in a clothing store at least one day a week all while working for BA Cultural Concierge and Send Love BA (more on that later) and volunteering in marketing for Teatro Ciego. I get to meet a ton of people everyday and am able to see so many sides of Buenos Aires like learning how to sell clothing in Spanish or exploring different restaurants in the name of "work research".

    I am working for an American entrepreneur named Madi Lang who has been living in Buenos Aires for nearly 3 years. BACC is her brain child, she spotted a need for a customized concierge service where attention is 100% devoted to the client and she turned this opportunity into a business. Through hard work, word of mouth marketing and terrific online reviews her business has taken off. 

    For BA Cultural Concierge I get to plan vacations and then help others live them. I have been so blessed to find a job I love in Buenos Aires. I enjoy the time I spend teaching and working in the clothing store but my most fulfilling job is working for Madi with BA Cultural Concierge and Send Love BA. I find working beside a young entrepreneur inspiring and rewarding, I get to see my efforts and energy make an impact in her company and I get to face new and exciting challenges everyday. 

    I met Madi back in November at a dinner with my friend and roommate Caroline. They had attended the same university and were in the same sorority but 3 years apart. At dinner Madi told me a brief description about what she does and projects she was working. From the get go, we hit it off and I offered, without hesitation, to be her intern and help her in anyway possible as long as I could learn from her. 

    Last month I got to plan my first itinerary for a low mobility man in his 80's and his younger son. Not only did I plan their trip but had the great luck to accompany them on nearly everything they did. We went to estancias (ranches), brunched at the Four Seasons and Alvear Hotel, saw tango shows and went on a tour of the city. Sometimes it takes seeing Buenos Aires through the eyes of a visitor to truly appreciate the spirit of this incredible city. 

    Send Love BA is Madi's newest company. It's a carepackage delivery company that delivers customized carepackages to expats and study abroad students living in Buenos Aires. The company circumvents the horrendous Argentine postal system to deliver a product that can't be sent from home but contains all the comfort foods from home. After being away from peanut butter, marshmallows, home made chocolate chip cookies for a long period of time expats tend to crave foods we often take for granted. I work at developing marketing to grow the business as well as work as a delivery girl. The best is seeing the excitement on peoples faces when I hand deliver fresh baked cookies, bagels, peanut butter and balloons, it makes all the detailed planning worthwhile. My favorite delivery was seeing a grown man overcome with joy and happiness after I delivered two jars of Skippy's peanut butter and fresh made bagels. The hardest part is self control on the way to delivery. You always hope that special person you are delivering a chocolate cake to someone that likes to share. 

Losing Sight

  When I first arrived in Buenos Aires I was invited to a performance called A Ciegas con Luz  at "Teatro ciego" which means "The Blind theater". It is a dinner and performance that is done in complete and total darkness. Entering the room, you follow a waiter by putting your hands on his shoulders as three people trail behind (kind of like doing the locomotive at weddings). You are seated at a table of four in a pitch black room. The waiter, who is blind, instructs you where you can find your wine glass, dessert, and dinner in front of you. Eating in the dark was a really unique experience, especially not knowing what you were eating. While eating the food our very skilled waiter served refreshments both red and white wine options. Then there was a lovely woman singer named Luz who sang songs from all over the world as a blind pianist accompanied her. At the end of the performance she lit a candle and the room was illuminated in an eerie way, the room illuminated felt very different from how I had imagined it in the darkness. 

    Last week I took my parents to Teatro Ciego, worried that they would be overwhelmed or uncomfortable in the complete darkness. But alas they surprised me and adjusted to the drastic lack of sight quite quickly. We went to the same show  A Ciegos con Luz which has been modified since the last time I was there. There were many added smells like rain, coffee, grass as well as sensations like being misted by rain water and sound affects to help imagine the performance in your mind. You had to use your imagination, but all my other senses were heightened in a way I wasn't used to and the full body experience was delightful. The menu had also recently changed, again serving finger-licking good finger foods as well as an edible bread basket. On top of everything, the manager, Martin, and his girlfriend and star of the show, Luz, couldn't be kinder people who speak very good English and are very accommodating to English tourists. I highly recommend anyone who visits Buenos Aires to take the time to visit Teatro Ciego, the only theater in the world of its kind. teatrociego.org