After I got back home from Buenos Aires, I did some hard-core job hunting. But it was a little hard since I would only be around for about 7 or 8 weeks before heading back up to Philly so I figured the restaurant industry was probably my best bet. I started working at this European-style bar and coffee house near my house. I worked there a few summers ago as a hostess but decided to try serving to try to make a little more cash. This quite possibly was a big mistake. First of all, we're open from 10AM until 3AM every night, which makes for abnormally long shifts. This also makes us a hot spot for the post-clubbing crowd and things can get pretty crazy. We also happen to have the most extensive drink menu in Atlanta which the servers have to know pretty well. So basically it's a lot of hard work for not a ton of money. But it's not so terrible because the people I work with are pretty cool. Everyone helps everyone out, there's a laid-back atmosphere and we all kind of joke around together. It's a little disconcerting doing this while I'm hearing about all my friends working in DC, NY or Philly at career-related internships, but at the same time, it's kind of refreshing to do something unrelated to my field of study for once. Plus, it's been cool meeting people who are so interesting and different from the people I'm used to hanging out with. I'm not necessarily just a Penn student majoring in IR and Spanish, in fact, most people have never even heard of Penn. Unfortunately, it's also the type of job that puts a damper on my social life since I work a lot of nights and weekends, but I thoroughly enjoy my days off. I usually go out with my sister or other friends and have discovered that Atlanta has a pretty fun nightlife too!

Back to the real world

Hello all! So I just recently got back home after being in Buenos Aires, Argentina for a month working on my research project. It was very different being there compared to when I was studying abroad last fall; I was much more independent, completely on my own schedule and without a program or support group. I also wasn't with my same group of friends that I spent a lot of time there with before, since most of them were students from other US institutions. But it was still a great learning experience. I was able to get in touch with a political think tank/consulting group who let me use some of their resources and did a lot of really interesting interviews with various NGO leaders, congressmen and other politicians, and academics. I was also there for the local mayoral elections for the City of Buenos Aires which were interesting to observe. But luckily it wasn't all work and no play. BA is a great city with so many resources and things to do. I went shopping, running through the parks and rose gardens, went to movies, and went out to bars or clubs at night with friends. And I felt so lucky to even have the chance to go back so soon after very reluctantly leaving last winter.

Unfortunately, that didn't last forever, and now I'm back in Atlanta looking for a temporary job to make some money since I did such a good job of spending it the past month. I'll probably go back to waiting tables or hostessing at one of the restaurants where I've worked past summers. More updates to come!