Snapshot without camera

Posted on December 1, 2012 by noruegaenargentina

I so wish I had a photo of this! Some guests were arriving in the madrugada after a canceled flight, and I just welcomed them to the hotel. I basically slept until they got here and as soon as security told me they were at the gate, I headed to the hotel in a little golf cart that we sometimes use to get around the estancia. One of the dogs, Maxi, absolutely loves the golf cart and is constantly wanting to come for a ride. So there I was, at 3:30am, riding a golf cart down a moonlit road, with a very happy dog next to me. He waited patiently as I checked in the guests, and then rode just as happily back with me. I have never been much of a dog person, but he is pretty nice!

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Neblina en la mañana

Posted on November 27, 2012 by noruegaenargentina

It is gorgeous here in the morning. These are all taken from my front door. Divino!

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Mi casita

Posted on November 25, 2012 by noruegaenargentina

I live in a little apartment close to the stables. I have a wonderful view when I wake up!

 

 

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Abierto Argentino de Polo – the Argentine Open

Posted on November 21, 2012 by noruegaenargentina

This tournament is of course the major, major big deal of the year in polo, in Argentina and in the world, really. People come from all over to see the matches. There are two weekends of intro rounds and then two weekends of more intense games. I went on the first Sunday, November 18, to see La Aguada vs. Natividad. It was a very close and good game, lots of speed, and it was exciting to the very end.

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Some shots from the Estancia

Posted on November 18, 2012 by noruegaenargentina

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What do I do here?

Posted on November 17, 2012 by noruegaenargentina

I have probably focused a lot on polo, but my actual job is that I work as a guest host at an estancia and polo club outside of Cañuelas, about one hour from Buenos Aires. I have always enjoyed tourism – I have planned trips for friends, written articles about travel – and I love hosting dinner parties or weekends, so it is basically a perfect job for me. I am also learning a lot about running a hotel and a hospitality business – there is a lot of work and a lot of things that go on behind the scenes!

My job has several functions: I take reservations and handle our systems. I answer all sorts of inquiries about reservations, events and polo holidays, on email and on the phone. I plan out our rooms and help with promotions. I welcome guests when they arrive – there is a nice custom here of receiving the guests outside with cold drinks and pastries – and basically help them with anything they need, such as polo lessons, trip planning, getting transportation, anything to make their stay more fun and more comfortable. I take guests out riding, and sometimes watch polo matches with them. I also eat with the guests, and make sure that they have what they need and that there is always someone around who speaks English and Spanish. (If I am not here, the hotel manager usually is.)

After close to three weeks I am really quite happy with the job (knock on wood!), it is a lot of work but fun and varied. The main thing I miss about my old job (after my sweet colleagues of course) is IT support! I want to just dial 1111 and get instant help with any problem! Life in the country side entails power outages and constant Internet problems…

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Days off

Posted on November 16, 2012 by noruegaenargentina

I have had some fun too! Here are a few shots:

Posted in Buenos Aires, Personal | 1 Comment

A funny thing happened on the way to the polo field

Posted on November 15, 2012 by noruegaenargentina

A new place is always a cause of amusement, but I have had my fair share in my less than two weeks here. The highlights include getting locked out of my apartment and entering and exiting through the window for 2-3 days, having my studio apartment completely flooded, and, less funny, splitting my head open when I ran into a tree in the dark. Not even on a horse, mind you!

The key incident could have been funny – except that it happened as I was returning to my apartment after working all day. I was going to take a nap before going back to work in the evening. Instead, I spent the whole time trying to get back inside, and ended up having to ask one of the guys who works here to enter through the bathroom window and then open the kitchen window for me. So until they could get someone to change the lock, I spent a few days going in and out of the window. Especially fun when wearing a skirt! I was very happy when I got a key again, and I made sure to leave a copy at the hotel reception, so that I always have a way to get back inside.

Ironically, the flooding also happened at afternoon break time. The water had been gone for 24 hours, and when it came back, it was in full force, and somehow came out from under the sink. My apartment was completely flooded with about one centimeter of water. It took well over an hour to get the water out; it seemed to never end! But my floor is now squeaky clean! I should have squirted some soap in there! Two other apartments flooded at the same time; in one of them, the water was bursting out of the bidet in a gigantic fountain that went all the way to the ceiling! My brave neighbor ducked in to turn it off…

My poor head suffered the main blow, literally. It was late at night and I was running outside to give something to the boss. I was looking down at the walkie-talkie and because it was so dark, I didn’t see the very knobby branch… I ran head first into it and was thrown back at the ground. I cut my forehead open badly and was really quite shook up. It was bleeding and throbbing and I ended up with a headache for about a week. It made it difficult and painful to try to use my new polo helmet!

I sure hope things slow down now, enough excitement for my second week…

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Noruega en Argentina – now a polo player!

Posted on November 11, 2012 by noruegaenargentina

I now have my very own personalized polo helmet!

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From winter to summer to fall

Posted on November 9, 2012 by noruegaenargentina

So my first week in Cañuelas has gone by very fast! I arrived safe and sound very early Monday morning, when it was completely dark, so of course I didn’t see anything. I slept for a few hours and woke up to an absolutely gorgeous place – large polo fields, well-tended stables, a beautiful club house and a welcoming, country-style hotel. I met lots of people – there are close to 30 people who work here – and spent my day  getting to know the place and the people. The staff is quite international, with both Argentines, Europeans and a South African. The guests are also from several continents.

Tuesday and Wednesday I was learning about my new job, and on Wednesday I rode a polo horse for the first time! It was so much fun! They are very responsive and just fun to ride. Holding the mallet and hitting the ball was a lot more difficult, though, but I will keep practicing. I rode again yesterday (Thursday) and can’t wait to go again tomorrow.

The headline refers to the fact that I left the US when it was winter, came to 32 C temperatures here – and then it abruptly changed today; we have had strong rains, thunderstorms and cold temperatures all day. It was a nice break, though, from the heat of the first few days. Wearing pants and long-sleeved shirts also keep the mosquitoes awat – and they are horrible! They bite through clothing even, and seem to quite like Off…

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