All Black Everything

  A Bucket List is one of things that everyone has, whether they know it or not. Whether they call it a bucket list or a list of things to do before they die, it's an almost constant factor of our DNA. Whether you're watching natural phenomenons on TV, tweeting about your dreams or liking Instagram pictures of paradise locations, it all accumulates towards the hypothetical holy grail of your own personal 'Bucket List'.

Just like watching Uni Varsity...

  Before coming to South America I identified a few items of my personal Bucket List that would be achievable across my Year Abroad. We're talking things like visiting Christ the Redeemer, seeing a glacier, watching a South American football match and witnessing Iguazu Falls (see Chasing Waterfalls to see how that went). There were other items on my list that were put aside for a later time in life, considered unrealistic whilst in this corner of the World: run a marathon, see the Northern Lights, watching the Haka performed live by the New Zealand rugby team.

  Little did I know that, fast forward only a couple of months into my adventure, and I would be standing front row of the local crowd watching the All Blacks line up to perform their enigmatic war cry. We were up against the gated fencing that lines Argentinean stadiums and listened to the autonomous hush of the audience, as an incredible aura of respect circulated around the Estadio de José Almafitani. The black uniforms lined up and the Haka was performed in a way that - predictably - triggered the emotion of awe and admiration that comes when witnessing the elite.

  See the All Blacks perform the Haka live - Tick.

 This wasn't all though, we still had a game of rugby to watch and the crowd went frantic in support of their own Pumas (the known name of the Argentinean rugby team). Predictably the All Blacks dominated the first half and raced into a healthy lead by half-time, show-casing their skill, speed and precision with quick inter-play and clever set-pieces. We stood a mere 5 metres from the try line and subsequently we breathed the action. As a major sports fans even details such as hearing the world-class players discuss tactics wet the palette. We just needed the Pumas to put up a bit of a fight.

The All Blacks dedicating a try to the blog..,
I hear they're big fans. 

  Well someone heard our wishes as the All Blacks had two players sent to the sin bin early on in the second half and the Pumas roared back into life with almost constant territory within their opposition's 22. This so happened to be our end again so we continued to be in the thick of it. The crowd roared and chanted in delight and fury in a way that only South American fans can. The chants of 'Vamos Pumas Vamos' growled the home team on whilst verbal bullets of 'Puta Madre' (Google it) were shot at maligned individuals of the All Blacks. It was a tornado of emotion and adrenaline that was rewarded with 3 home tries and the final score was a respectable 36-17 in favour of the visitors.

  Having negotiated an eventful bus journey back to the hostel, we celebrated our experience in the only way a few English and one Polish guy know - with booze. Having participated in the hostel's Drunk Olympics we headed to an electronic bar (no Cumbia appreciation) in a big group of mixed nationalities that only a hostel can bring together. That's all I can really tell you, as afterwards tequila and cerveza put wheels on the night and it skated out of our control.

  The next thing I remember was waking up in the hostel's laundry room on a comfy pile of linen - a logical place to (All) black out, no? Anyway, my bed was only in the next room so obviously I rejected the proposition of moving there and plonked myself on a communal sofa instead. The next thing I knew I was being woken up by my roommates (a group of Germans I think) asking if I was okay. I played the whole 'keep it cool just act like you meant to be there' act and finally moved to my bed where I passed out for a third time fully clothed. It was a really great night. 9/10 I'd say.

This is supposedly 'art'.

  The next day I awoke after a strong 2 hours sleep and checked out of the hostel in the same clothes as the night before. It was a true ' I woke up like this' situation, but I was too hungover to care. Me and fellow still drunk/hungover mess Louise (top gal) decided the best way to beat this situation was to head to an Art gallery (arguably the opposite of a me thing to do) so we went to the famous MALBA (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires).

Disclaimer - This does not
now make me sophisticated and
artsy....

  In the depth of the giddy phase between drunk, hungover and exhaustion, we thoroughly enjoyed the art on show even if I wasn't sure as to some of its meaning (e.g. an empty water bottle displayed alone on a podium). The showpiece was the highly-regarded Yoko Ono exhibition, which really hit you in the feels. A mixed bunch of heart-breaking testimonies from abused women, the promotion of world peace through interactive displays and - inevitably - some art appreciating the naked body made for quite an experience. It was a really enjoyable way to spend an hour though, and definitely got me thinking about more than how much alcohol I'd consumed the night before. My respect for old Y.O. definitely rose somewhat.

Me and Yoko at one with
eachother... 

  My weekend was topped off with the re-purchase of the after-shave (that the airline had stolen from my bag when I lost it), a beer with the boss of the hostel and a chat about his old life as a socialite in Miami and as I got on my minibus home, the driver greeted me with my name and already knew where I wanted to go. That's one way to feel integrated. The positive vibes of the weekend even led to me giving a busker some pesos and lending my SUBE card (their Oyster card) to a fellow passenger in distress. I was saving Buenos Aires one person at a time, but two was my limit for that particular evening.

A weekend in BA is the
Best Kind of
Weekend

  This weekend only enhanced my love for this city, and I was really feeling at home. When you can hop on a bus without much thought, work out your metro route without checking a map or pop into a barbers for a quick trim (solid 9/10 job), that's when you start to feel like you've got things set out nicely.

  Anyway, I'm loving it and I still have two and a half months left to explore and maybe tick off a few more surprise bucket list selections - hopefully the Northern Lights might pop down to one of the most southern countries in the world? Either way the future is bright and the fuel for the blog is showing no signs of running out (which is may bring a cloud of darkness for some of you) so I hope you're enjoying it and as always, thanks for reading.