Argentina Day 3- Cargill, Intel, High Tea, and Tango

Wednesday was a busy but productive and educational day.

Our day began bright and early as Kate and I woke up early to do a WOG (half walk half jog) of the local area in search of some more American coffee. We finally located a McDonalds after looking in several other storefronts but not seeing much of anything. I ordered an espresso doble and was greeted to 8oz of straight espresso-coffee-ish deliciousness. I was surprised to see the employees wearing uniforms made of jeans and the McCafe attendees in very cute professional attire. IN South America the coffee stations are completely separate from the food counter and house a wide assortment of pastries and desserts and the areas finest coffee sensations. After we indulged in our treats we went back to the hotel to quickly shower and scarf down some breakfast. It was a bit of a walk from the hotel to Puerto Madeira where our meetings were held but I just adore this cute riverside community. The buildings and infrastructure in this area is all new, there are sailboats and yachts docked in the port, and fabulous restaurants and cafe's along all the streets. If I were to live in BA, I'd definitely want to live there!

Our first meeting was with Cargill's Argentina (BA) office. Cargill is the largest privately held (by the Cargill family) company in the US and the 34th largest company worldwide with over 131,000 employees worldwide and $107B in revenues. I was particularly interested in this meeting as Cargill is a big supplier of food and products for McDonald's and we are one of their largest customers. A global leader in food and agriculture Cargill has a long history of leveraging its ability to connect expertise around the world to various businesses. Beyond the business discussions we had with the CFO and 1st Manager of the Argentine office I was particularly interested in the economic and political discussions that we had with these candid people. My feelings about these topics were further reinforced when we met with Intel's VP of CSR for Argentina later in the afternoon. Intel, the worlds largest semiconductor manufacturer, generates over $43B in annual revenues and employs of 83,000 people worldwide. I was also rather pleased to learn that Mariana from Intel was a WF graduate who went there on a golf scholarship! Small world! Both of these companies portrayed the harsh realities of operating companies in a environment characterized by risk, uncertainty, and volitilty. I have many thoughts on this topic, but I am saving my full analysis of the Argentine economy and political atmosphere for when all our meetings are finished.

After our meetings Kate and I joined one of her contacts for High Tea at the Palace Hotel Alvear. What a treat this was! I'd always wanted to do a high tea and had not been able to squeeze it in during any of my travels. We enjoyed finger sandwiches, champagne, white tea, and lots of little dessert bites. It was definitely a fun girls day out event! For dinner last night we went to Bar Sur in the area of San Telmo where we sat in a quaint little bar and watched live Tango performances from professional dancers literally right in front of us. They had traditional tango music played by an in house set of musicians and an incredible singer. For anyone traveling to BA in the near future I highly recommend you make reservations for this show. During a few of the interludes the dancers would come out and pull audience members onto the floor and give them lessons. I was lucky enough to be one of these people, and despite my apparent inability to dance, I had a fabulous time trying! I must also note that I believe the Latin men have a liking for me as it seems like every event we go to I end up being dragged on stage and smothered with attention by charming Latin men... tough life! (sorry, Mark ;) I can't help it they adore me! Ha!) The concert pianist took a particular liking to me and proceeded to demand quite a bit of my attention for the rest of the night, VERY entertaining! After a late night of wine and the show we decided to return to the hotel to get some much needed sleep before a big day Thursday with meetings at CAEMe, the BA Stock Exchange, And Merval Economists.

Please enjoy the pictures I have posted with this entry and for those that want to see more I have many many more pictures posted up on my FB page.

Besos!

T

Argentina Day 2 - La Estancia

Our second day in Argentina was a trip to La Estancia, a fairly large ranch about 120 KM from Buenos Aires. On the way there we passed the River Plate and were amazed at the sight we saw, a river that stretched wider than the eye can sea and had waves the size of the sea. River Plate is one of the widest rivers in the world reaching over 210 KM wide at its largest point. For those that need a frame of reverence, that is wider than Lake Erie. For a river, pretty insane.

We arrived at La Estancia and were greeted by ranch hands dressed in traditional Gaucho attire, warm fluffy beef empanadas (DELICIOUS), and an open wine bar. I am starting to understand the tradition of Vino (wine) in argentina as it seems to flow continuously and is a standard for all meals.... I have no complaints about this so far! We roamed around the ranch and took in the beauty of the land that surrounded us. Argentina is a very furtile and green land and is quite beautiful. We wondered over to the horse station where we got to ride horses with the Gauchos. In my broken spanish I made friends with the head Gaucho, Carlos, and asked him if I could run with my horse. Carlos said absolutely and next thing I know, he has a hold of my horses reins (we were near the back of the pack) and was escorting me to the front where we promptly took off, leaving the group behind quickly. Carlos and I ran with the horses for quite a way before turning around and heading back to catch up with the group en route to the stables.

Lunch was a traditional Gaucho meal of bread, salad, and lots and lots of beef (various cuts). There again were more bottles of wine, ice cream for dessert, and the traditional post meal Cafe. The coffee here in Argentina is interesting, it tastes almost as strong as espresso but does not seem to have the caffeine effects we are accustomed to back home. After lunch was a show with folk tango dancing and music. The dancers pulled random people from the trip up on the stage to dance and before I knew it a hand was extended to me and I was twirling around the dance floor with one of the Gauchos! Quite Fun!

Finally we headed out back to the horse show area where the Gauchos put on an INCREDIBLE horse show for us. They demonstrated hunting techniques with these neat lasso ball things and spears, flying by a fake Ostrich on the horses and flinging their weapons at it. They did all kinds of tricks with the horses and the best Gaucho in Argentina, Martin, put on a show that I will never forget. Martin had tamed a rescue horse and taught it all kinds of remarkable tricks. He was crawling underneath the horse, standing atop, at one point he seduced the horse to lay down and even cuddled with it (picture below). Martin's portion of the show was quite exceptional and my only regret is that I did not video tape it to show you when I return home.

After the horse show we all had an opportunity to take photos with the Gauchos and their horses. My good friend from school, Kate, and I decided to take a picture and we approached the horses and the men to take our photos. Before I knew it, Martin has whisked me up onto the horse with him insisting we take a picture together and not wanting to let me down when we were done! (photo below).

The trip overall was a big success and we all enjoyed a look at life in Argentina outside the big city. I have posted below a few of my favorite photos of the day, although there are many many more that are equally as good.

Wednesday is our first day of meetings and we are scheduled to meet with Cargill and Intel and then attend a Tango Show in the evening. I will post photos of that as soon as possible.

So far it has been nice to be away from the stressful life of work and school. I am enjoying my time in Argentina and am actually excited to start the "learning process" hands on and explore the country's economic and political environments.

xo

T

Argentina Day 1

I have always loved to travel.... there is something about venturing off into an unknown land not knowing what to expect, a step outside your comfort zone, exploring a culture, people, and tradition far different from what you are accustomed to. My love for travel began at an early age when I ventured through the UK and other parts of Europe. As I've grown older I've made it a priority to continue my worldly education with trips to new places as often as possible.

For the next ten days I roam South America (Argentina and Chile) with a school class from UC Davis. While this trip certainly is NOT a vacation and lots of work and preparation went into organizing the trip, we expect to have a good time... thus far we have not been disappointed.

The trip here was long, we left Sacramento at 3pm sharp on Saturday and did not arrive to our hotel until 11:30 PM on Sunday. Having had no real meals in a day we settled for some bar snacks and a generous pour of Malbec to tide our bellies until we arose Monday. We slept in, very tired and weary from our travels, and finally awoke around noon upon which we met up with some other classmates and walked around Recoleta, a small part of the inner city of Buenos Aires. We walked around a tall flowered sculpture that was a massive piece of steel. At sunset it closes and lights up pink, kind of neat!

Around 2 we hailed a cab and went to the "hip" area of Palermo where we sat down to a fabulous lunch outside under the shade trees. Apparently it is customary for meals to be served with wine here and our lunches were accompanied by tall glasses of the vino tinto or blanco of our choice, how could we complain or turn this down? My lunch was spectacular, a chicken dish which is pictured below:

After lunch we roamed some shopped and walked all over various parts of the city. My pedometer says we walked over 14,000 steps... cleary after such exercise we would need a good meal so we headed to Cabana Las Lilas for THE VERY BEST steak dinner I've ever had. The plates of meat just kept coming and in large quantities. The prices were a small fraction of anything in the US and the flavor was far superior. I ordered a the equivalent of a petite filet and was greeted to about 15 oz of juicy melt in your mouth goodness. Between the meat, the never ending supply of Malbec, and the numerous side dishes we left fat, full, and very very happy people. To anyone visiting BA in the futre Caban Las Lilas is a MUST TRY, its a gorgeous restaurant on the water front near the port, and you can get a table overlooking the river. The setting is great, atmosphere terrific, and the food outstanding.

Day 1 was a big success. I am including some of my favorite pictures from Day 1 and I will try and update with Day 2 tomorrow... it was a VERY exciting trip to la Estancia!

I should note to all my FB friends... all photos will be uploaded there, so check daily!

A Beautiful Mind

"It is only in the mysterious equations of love that any logic or reasons can be found.

I am only here tonight because of you.

You are the reason I am.

You are all the reasons."

~ A beautiful Mind.

Inside Out Fitness

A lot of people don't understand the dedication and athlete and fitness lover has for their sport. I read this article by Amy Barnes, a truly inspirational woman/athlete/fitness coach, and I just HAD to share with you.

Enjoy :)

T

http://iofitnesstoday.wordpress.com/2011/03/02/from-500lbs-to-the-arnold-classic/
From 500lbs to the Arnold Classic
Posted on March 2, 2011 by iofitnesstoday

When I was 500lbs, I wanted to become a bodybuilder. I really couldn’t explain why at first other than their bodies were on the opposite end of the fitness spectrum than mine. I soon realized the discipline to a lifestyle of dieting, training, self motivation and commitment were the keys to bodybuilders success.
I purchased a magazine subscription to FLEX, Muscular Development, and Oxygen. I would read them cover to cover, and instead of having my fat picture up on my mirror or my refrigerator I had pictures of Monica Brant, Ronnie Coleman and Yaxeni Garcia. I dreamt of attending the Arnold Classic or Mr. Olympia one day. I just wanted to be in the presence of these athletes that I had admired for so long. At 500lbs, I dreamed of getting on stage. So I started on my journey. I became a member of bodybuilding.com. I was too embarrassed to have a profile on bodyspace, but I was able to read, research and train as if I were really going to be a bodybuilder. I had family and friends laugh at me when I told them what my goal was.
I did it. I am a female athlete. I competed in a fitness competition and I have been featured on the cover a few magazines. My life is consumed by my passion to teach others the lessons I have learned. I spend my days eating six or seven times day. I train for 2+ hours per day and along with my purse, I carry around a gallon of water wherever I go. I make sure I get my eight hours of sleep. Because of the sport of bodybuilding, I have LOST 350lbs!
My life as a female athlete is stressful enough, but I am also a mom, wife, and business owner. This is what I do in my “extra time”!! I have taken the best aspects of the sport of bodybuilding to help me change my body naturally (no enhancements). Open the biggest cabinet in my kitchen. Next to my children’s fruit snacks and poptarts, you’ll see a few bottles of CLA, surrounded by 3 huge containers of protein powder (to ensure that I NEVER run out), L-Glutamine and a multivitamin. Look around, staring back at you, on the countertop, is an enormous box of oatmeal from Costco… along with at least 4 more gallons of water, one for each member of the family… and yes they are labeled. Now open my fridge. Awww… were you looking for a soda?? SORRY, all I’ve got is chicken, Gallons of Lana’s Egg Whites, broccoli, and some steak for that special occasion. My idea of a good time involves a squat rack, leg press and a bucket for vomiting after each grueling set…
I know what it’s like. You are hungry and HAD to stop by McDonalds because there wasn’t anything healthier around? I understand. I would do the same thing… if I didn’t have a trunk-full of pre-made chicken with sweet potatoes and a purse-full of tuna packets with me at all times! On my hectic days, I eat 80% of my meals cold and usually in my car or in the gym waiting to train my next client. Does your lady run to the restroom to “freshen-up”? I do the SAME!! Except “freshen-up” means “down a shake” in my language — not “reapply mascara” as it does in hers.
Some like to refer to us women as training in a “girly” way with “no athletic ability. Just a bunch of “cardio bunnies” prancing around in matching workout clothes and leg warmers. I’m not one of those ladies. Why the bitter undertone, you ask? Come train with me — or better yet, spend a day living my life.
So what makes me want to train so hard? Do you think I want to have manicured fingernails and callused hands, wear a ponytail 90% of week or change clothes 3x per day? I train because I want to watch my body transform and I want to meet my goals and show others that anything you set your mind to… you can do. Old-school training does it best for me — Deadlifts, Squats, Rack Pulls, Barbell Rows and the good old Bench press. I bust my ass, lift over twice my weight in most of those compound movements I just listed. Yet somehow, when I told family and friends my goal…. They all laughed. The Haters! You know the kind. The ones who want to watch you fail, or don’t think you could ever do it. They drive me to be better. So thank you HATERS…for the motivation!
I learned a lot about who I am through my journey. I have determined that the iron, the treadmill, and cold chicken breasts have helped shape who I am and my love of the sport. I learned that I definitely do not give up easily! And hell, if I can lose those 350lbs or leg press 1045lbs for 10 reps… I sure will have no problem dealing with just about anything else life throws my way!
So the time has come. I have waited six years for this moment. I am attending the Arnold Classic this weekend. I will be in the presence of athletes that I have admired for so many years. I am not only going as a spectator and fan, but I found the courage to post a profile on bodyuilding.com/bodyspace and was featured in their book Body by Design. Bodybuilding.com has asked me to be a special guest at the Arnold Classic to be a part of their booth. Truly, a dream come true! I can not begin to tell you. I haven’t made the bodybuilding stage yet. I will….some day. A human body is a machine, controlled by the mind. If the mind believes it, the body will achieve it. At least that’s how MY mind works. You know — the mind of a female athlete!

Lists

My Friend posted this on her blog today and since frankly I'm too tired to be much more creative I'll just follow her lead. Oh and for those of you who don't read hers, you should. Click HERE to see here blog, it is just SO cute!

praying for: sleep. loads of it. decades worth of sleep.

wearing: work shoes. Khaki pants. Black sweater.

working on: paying attention in this dreadful pricing class. It is actually a great class I am just SOOO tired. working on 16 hours today straight, and I have MONO.

eating: water, but I am starving and if I WAS eating It would be a turkey/provolone sammy on a everything thin bagel. MMMM. or strawberry Zabione from Palermos, heaven in a glass people.

dreaming of: sleep. summer. sleep. Maui in August. sleep. Tuscany in the Fall. sleep. Zabione!!!

realizing: my life is truly amazing...

impatiently waiting: sleep. and MJL to get here :)

anticipating: the need to sleep about 20 hours each day this weekend (oh wait, I'll have my nose in the books).

loving: my life. mono and all.

stalking: the perfect design for my backyard.

feeling: EXHAUSTED! I need more sleep!

What's on your list, people?

Beauty and the Beast ~ Ransomed Heart

When I read this post from one of my favorite daily readings I knew I just had to pass it along. Read it and enjoy it.

XO

T

Ransomed Heart

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

Beauty and the Beast

Now Beauty feared that she had caused his death. She ran throughout the palace, sobbing loudly. After searching everywhere, she recalled her dream and ran into the garden toward the canal, where she had seen him in her sleep. There she found the poor Beast stretched out unconscious. She thought he was dead. Without concern for his horrifying looks, she threw herself on his body and felt his heart beating. So she fetched some water from the canal and threw it on his face.

Beast opened his eyes and said, "You forgot your promise, Beauty. The grief I felt upon having lost you made me decide to fast to death. But I shall die content since I have the pleasure of seeing you one more time."

"No, my dear Beast, you shall not die," said Beauty. "You will live to become my husband. I give you my hand, and I swear that I belong only to you from this moment on. Alas! I thought that I only felt friendship for you, but the torment I am feeling makes me realize that I cannot live without you."

Beauty had scarcely uttered these words when the castle radiated with light. Fireworks and music announced a feast. These attractions did not hold her attention, though. She returned her gaze to her dear Beast, whose dangerous condition made her tremble. How great was her surprise when she discovered that the Beast had disappeared, and at her feet was a prince more handsome than Eros himself, who thanked her for putting an end to his enchantment.

It is the deepest and most wonderful of all mythic truths, unveiled here in the originalBeauty and the Beast, written by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. The Transformation. A creature that no one could bear to look upon is transformed into a handsome prince. That which was dark and ugly is now glorious and good. Is it not the most beautiful outcome of any story to be written? Perhaps that is because it is the deepest yearning of the human heart.

(Waking the Dead , 55-56)