Miercoles - Busy Day

Class in the morning was painful. It was so early and the teacher is hard to understand. It's a combination of her mumbling and the room having awful acoustics.....but I still think I am learning a lot.

After class I met up with Alex and we went to go pick up the tickets we booked last night for the bus to Iguazu. We had to take the Subte, then transfer lines, and then walk to the Bus Station. Its actually a nice building, but the area it is in is kinda iffy. We found the ticket booth for our bus company and spoke with the agent there to print out both our round trip tickets.

We left and only had an hour and fifteen minutes to get back to school and get lunch before class. We made it back to our area and then stopped for lunch at that really cool book store/restaurant we had eaten at a while back. I enjoyed a great steak sandwich and was stuffed. We hurried to class and made it with five minutes to spare.

The Idea of Latin America had half as many kids as the first session, and today the professor discussed modernization and dependency theories along with the Pre-Hispanic history of Latin America. It was all interesting, but a little boring. After class I wondered with Alex a little and ended up going to the bookstore to buy my Spanish textbooks.

I came back home, read some news, and dropped off my laundry at the laundromat. I then took a great nap for two hours. Woke up, showered, got dressed, cleaned my room, and now I am waiting for Patricia to get home so we can have dinner. Later, I am going out for Part 1 of my birthday celebration.

Tomorrow I don't have class so I am going to sleep in, and get a lot of stuff done in the afternoon. I started writing to-do lists, which for me is a sign of the semester starting. Today was good, tonight should be a lot of fun, and I am looking forward to tomorrow.....and then the trip this weekend.

Look back for an update about tonight tomorrow. Peace!

Martes - Hace Calor!

So today was a beautiful weather day in Buenos Aires. As I walked to school today I had to take off the coat I was wearing since it was so warm and I was sweating....it was a great feeling I haven't had in a while.

Classes today were good. I had my first Cultural Icons class, and it was really interesting. The class is pretty full with students, I would say around 30, and the class is taught in Spanish. The professor is animated and speaks moderately fast but crisply. I can understand a lot, which I was really proud of myself for being able to do. For my last class being my junior year of high school, being here two weeks has really expanded the amount of Spanish I can take in and comprehend. Although I wasn't really ready to raise my hand and share my thoughts, I felt comfortable that the class was in Spanish. It is going to be a good experience and the material is very interesting. At one point the class, she showed us a ten minute clip from a movie. She showed us a scene from the American film Moulin Rouge. I have never seen it, and I was more confused by the movie in English than I was by the professor in Spanish. Not sure if it was because we only watched a short segment....but that might have been one of the weirdest movies I have ever seen.

After class Alex, Kate, Elise and I sat at a cafe and used the WiFi on my computer to look up buses and hostels for Iguazu Falls for this upcoming three day weekend. We found exactly what we wanted, but I needed my passport to book the tickets and make the reservation. My battery died, and Kate needed to leave to get to class, so we departed. I walked with Alex for a while down Sante Fe Ave, and for some reason forgot that I needed my passport and thought that the only reason I didn't already book the stuff was the fact my battery died. After 20 minutes of looked for another restaurant that had a power outlet I could use, I realized it was stupid of me to even have looked. The place we ended up at was fittingly Freddo, the competing ice cream store to Volta. I had to try the arch enemy to my beloved Volta, so Alex and I shared a small dish. The ice cream was good, but I really do think that Volta is better.

I got back to my house and wrote myself a to-do list. I started crossing stuff off as I got it done, and before I knew it, it was already 10pm. Patricia had told me that she was going off to eat with some friends that were only in town for one night, and had prepared me a plate that I needed just to heat up. This worked fine with me since I wasn't really in a talkative mood anyway. I ended up watching ESPN in Spanish and eating by myself....it was great.

By the time I finished eating, I had been changing channels and stumbled upon Clear and Present Danger on TV. I love that movie, so I had to watch some. Half an hour later, Santiago walked in and I was still in front of the TV in the kitchen. We talked for a little bit, and then he went to the bedroom as I went back to my room.

I need to find a good place to celebrate my birthday tomorrow night, since I can sleep in Thursday and have class Friday morning. Santiago said that he would come out for a drink with me to start the night, so I just need to find a good place to go for my big night.

Right now I am hustling through my to-do list and actually feeling like I have been productive tonight. I am looking forward to tomorrow's classes and the night that will follow. Life is good.

First Day of Classes

So today I started classes for the semester. It was a weird feeling since orientation has made being here feel more like a vacation then an academic activity. This semester is going to be really fun and also very productive.

I started off this morning with my Spanish class for two hours. We only reviewed some basic info and gave little speeches about who we were and where we were from etc.... The teacher seems a little challenging, which I think I like. I can tell that I am at the top of the class, which is fine for now, but if in the future I dont feel challenged enough I am going to ask to move up a level. I am really happy with where my Spanish is now, and it should be getting better as the semester continues.

After Spanish class we go straight to Culture class, which is one of the three components of Spanish. This class is taught by another professor, whom I really like, and talks about different aspects of Argentine culture. He speaks great Spanish, which for me means slow and crisp. Today he defined the elements of Culture and then gave a brief political history of Argentina as a background for our class. I was really into the talk, and might have been the only one enjoying it. I learned a lot in that brief lesson to help navigate the history of Argentina a little better.

After 4 hours of straight Spanish I left and met up with Alex and Kate for lunch. It took forever, but it was nice. After lunch we went to the bakery for a little treat, and they went to the travel agency to discuss plans for this coming holiday weekend. I had to go back to school for another class at 2.30pm.

My next class, the Idea of Latin America, is taught in English, so I think it will be much easier. I am pushing myself in the other class I am taking since it is in Spanish, so I think this one easy class will serve me well, since I can focus the majority of my time and energy into my Spanish. The class is filled with a lot of people I know, and the material is somewhat familiar to me since I have taken a relevant class at GW.

After class I went with Emma to go shopping for some school supplies. I needed notebooks and pens and got both at a little boutique paper store. I then tried and get my textbooks at a local bookstore, but they were both out of stock. I need to go back to this bookstore stat, since it might have been the coolest one I have ever been too. It was an old theater that has been converted into a bookstore, so the grand room has three levels with booths on the sides. I will go back soon and take lots of pictures for you at home to enjoy.

I took my new notebooks and sat down for a tea at a local cafe to copy the notes I had taken today on scrap paper into their respective new notebooks. I think that when I need to do homework, this is a nice venue since it is quiet and relaxing while not being locked up in my bedroom.

Back at home I realized I wasn't feeling well, so I got in bed and sat with my laptop while I Skyped with Lauren for a while. It was exactly what I needed, since now I am feeling much better.

I am going to have dinner, take a shower, and get to bed so that this stomach ache doesn't continue past tonight.

Tomorrow I have another Spanish class, and then my second class through IES. The class, Cultural Icons as Global Commodities, is about the Tango in Argentine media and how it is represented around the world as the Argentine identity. It is taught in Spanish, so it will push me to learn faster, and is also an interesting topic. I am looking forward to it tomorrow, although it is four long hours. For now, I have a lot to look forward to for the semester. My ceramics class at the local art school doesn't start for another two weeks, so I have some time to get situated before I have to start that.

Sorry Ive been so lazy about posting, Ill try to be on top of it more this week.

P.S. Check out the link to my pics on the right side of the page. I uploaded some more pics of this past week including some really good ones from my walk on Saturday. Enjoy!

The Last 5 Days

Well, where do I start? I know its been a long time since I posted, but not THAT much has happened. It was a combination of laziness and being busy. I will do a short synopsis of what went on the last few days.

Wednesday: Took the second part of the Spanish placement exam for my exchange program. It was an oral exam, in which the teacher asked questions and you were required to answer. I think that because the same teacher has seen me throughout the week she had a sense of my level, but I guess this formality was still helpful. After the exam I went to a very cool restaurant for lunch. It was called Modern and Classic Cafe, and was a bookstore and restaurant build in together. The food was great and the atmosphere was even better. As we finished our meal the rush for lunch started and the place got busy and the piano player showed up. I will definitely try and go back there again. After lunch I went home for a well needed nap. A few hours later it was time to go and get a criminal clearance with the police for my student visa. This process was very easy, the hardest part was getting to the police office.
After dinner I went out with Nell, Nick, and Jane to a very cool trendy bar called Milion. The building was an old mansion and was renovated to house a very swank bar for locals and wine and dine in style. After the bar we landed in Volta, the local famous ice cream joint, and tried the divine ice cream. Dulce de Leche con Brownie was amazing. Enough Said.

Thursday: I was able to sleep in late and enjoy the morning in bed. Around lunch time I arose from my warm slumber and ventured outside for lunch. I had a great salad, the first one since I have been here, and treated myself to a croissant with dulce de leche for dessert. I adventured into Palermo for the first time and walked around some shopping areas and around the zoo and the park. I had some free time to spare before I needed to be at school at 5.30pm. I got to school a little later that afternoon for registration. The line was really long, so instead of waiting, Alex, Kate, and I went for some coffee and tea to warm us up. We returned, registered for the classes we needed, and departed home for dinner. After dinner I went out with Alex and Kate to Milion, since they had not been there the night before. I had another nice night there and enjoyed myself. On the way back I persuaded Kate to stop with me at Volta for another amazing ice cream experience.

Friday: The last day of orientation was an optional field trip to an estancia (more or less a ranch) outside of Buenos Aires. An hour bus ride got us to Rodizio Campo, a giant ranch with lots of animals, field, bikes, etc. We were treated with a buffet of empanadas, cheese, and crackers and I was content. After it was all done, they announced that lunch would be served in 30 minutes. I was dumbfounded. I thought that was lunch! So for the 30 minutes before lunch I tried to work up a hunger while I rode a bike around the fields. I rode Circe 8's around a group of ducks and watched them squirm out of the way, and was very amused. Lunch was a non-stop meat-fest. A traditional Asado, meat was brought out on skewers and served to eat table. Many different types of meats came out, each one better than the last. Im not sure if I have ever eaten more meat in one sitting in my life. It was grand. After we digested a little, we formed a futball game on one of the fields. I played for a while, had 2 assists, and then volunteered for goalie service. It was fun, and took up the majority of the afternoon. That night, since a lot of people were tired, I ventured out with a new group to a restaurant for a drink. This new crowd was not my cup of tea, so I left before they moved onto their next destination. A quiet night was a good thing, since I needed to catch up on some sleep.

Saturday: I woke up late and then relaxed for the majority of the day.....after talking to Lauren for a while on Skype and after a long calming shower I walked and wandered into the Recoleta Cemetery for a little while. I was there for a long time, and took some awesome photos. I was really interested in the way the sun was setting and the shadows it created among the tombs. Afterwards, I walked around the fair and along the Law School and the Buenos Aires Flower. It was beautiful outside and the walk was very pleasant. I met up with Nell and a few friends of hers from GW. We ended up going to see The Simpsons Movie in Spanish. It was good practice, and although I did get the majority of the jokes, it wasn't that funny. I got home, got dressed, and met up with Alex, Kate, and Elise at Bar Gran Danzon, a very nice wine bar/restaurant. We had a great meal and I stopped at ice cream on the way home. We were all a little tired, so when we left dinner at 1.30am, we called it a night.

Sunday: I woke up early to go on the BiciTour of Buenos Aires with our program. The bike tour was fun, although it was really cold and I wore shorts. After the tour, I went to Martin's house (an Argentine orientation leader) with a few other people to hang out and order pizza and empanadas. We had a really late lunch and I ate soo much. It was great practice for Spanish and I had a great time. I left around 6 and headed home. Later in the night I met up with Kate at a cafe a few doors down from me with internet access so she could surf the web. We sat and talked for a while, and then headed out to a bar to make an appearance at someone's brithday party. It was a nice relaxing day, and a great weekend.

Martes - Part 1 of Placement Exam and Trip to I.U.N.A

Today started off with a placement test for all students in the program. Everyone was given the same test, so it was quite difficult, and the results are going to be a factor into what Spanish class you are going to take. Tomorrow is the oral part of the exam. I thought the exam was fairly difficult, but I think I did a decent job of showing the knowledge that I already have, while also showing what I have left to learn and master, which is a significant amount.

After the test was over, around 10.30, Alex, Kate, and I went out to a cafe for a little break. I had a tea and some toast that was really needed since I did not have any breakfast. Afterwards, we all went to the travel agent to discuss some possibilities for trips around South America and Argentina while I am here. We looked into a few trips and spoke with the travel agent about different options.

Afterwards, we went to a bookstore that specializes in tourist info and travel guides and researched a little bit about the places we had looked into traveling to. I had to leave early since I was going to go with the IES Program to visit the art school in Buenos Aires, I.U.N.A, or Institute of the University of National Art. It took a while to get to the school on the bus, but after 40 minutes on a packed bus we finally arrived. We walked through the very artistic hallways and sat in a classroom while some women talked to us about the school. It is located in La Boca, a very cultural area of Buenos Aires, and the trip was nice. After the info session, the women addressed individual issues. I got on the bus home and felt a little tired. When I got home I needed to just relax and sit around my computer for a little bit. I did some research about the trips we had looked into and checked up on a lot of American political news.

I went and bought another international phone card and tested it, made some calls, and then sat at a cafe and planned out my semester over a cup of tea. I planned out which trips I would take on which days and with whom. I did a lot of planning for the future today. I got home and just vegged out in front of my computer for a while. I watched a lot of videos from The Daily Show and Colbert Report online, and felt up to date with the craziness of American politics.

Dinner was at 9:30pm and Patricia and I enjoyed some mini-meatballs over white rice and leftovers from last nights Roast Beef and roasted vegetables. We talked about my travel plans, my home in the US, and a few other topics. I learned a little about her family's background and what her family does.

After dinner I met up with Pete for a little. We hung out over one drink at a local bar. We had some good conversation, and were both really tired. I got home around 12.30am and now I am updating the blog before I go to bed. Today was definitely productive, but not that exciting. I have the oral exam tomorrow and then most of the day off in the afternoon. This week is going by very fast, and I am excited for classes to start and to get into a normal routine. Buenos Noches!

Lunes - Long Walks and Great Pictures

Today was all about the afternoon. After a quick class in the morning than another traveling activity to the Plaza de Mayo and the museum that is under the Casa Rosada, it was noon and I had no places to be the rest of the day. I eat lunch at a really nice cafe on the corner of the Plaza de Mayo with Elise, Kate, and Alex. We sat for a long time and enjoyed lunch. Our conversation went everywhere, including some crazy college party stories.

After lunch Kate, Alex, and I walked down to Puerto Madero to see the waterside neighborhood we had quickly driven by on our CitiTour on Saturday. We walked alongside UCA, a local university, and other buildings on the water. We came upon the Puente de la Mujer, or bridge of the woman. This elegant white bridge that connects the two sides of the water channels. It is meant to be a piece of art and was crafted to represent the sexy women who dance the tango. We walked on the bridge and I took some pretty cool pictures.

We headed back towards the downtown area and pasted the Communications Secretary's building which was very grand. From there we needed to stop and make copies of Kate's passport, since Kate and Alex had an appointment for their criminal check, a step we all need to take to get student visas. My appointment is for Wednesday. On the walk to the agency, we stopped at the Cafe Tortina, a famous cafe that was decorated very nicely. After a tea and some little cookies it was time to drop them off at the agency. After we found the place, I decided to take a walk down Av 25 de Mayo to the Congressional Building. I had wanted to go there for some time, and this seemed like a perfect afternoon to do so since I had no where else to be.

From where I was it was a good 15-20 minute walk down Av 25 de Mayo, but it was really nice. This area of the city I had not yet explored, so it was a new adventure for me. I finally reached the Palacio de Congresso and took lots of pictures. I walked around the entire building. It is strange for me to be able to get so close to such important pictures after living in DC. The subway station is directly underneath the Congress, and to me that seems very unsafe. The subway station in the Plaza de Mayo was also directly under the Casa Rosada. It is sad that in this terrorist age I must worry about subway stations being close to important government buildings.

After walking around the Congress and enjoying the area, I sat down for a little at a cafe so I could use the bathroom. I read the travel section of the local paper that Patricia had given me last night that was about skiing in the Mendoza mountains. This particular article was about dropping out of helicopter and skiing down uncharted snow. I left this area and decided to walk back down Ave 25 de Mayo until I hit Av 9 de Julio. I wanted to go see what I could about the Teatro Colon, the famous opera house in Buenos Aires. It is under construction now and closed, but they do have tours. I walked around this building and tried to look around. I realized that the big temple in BA was only a block away, so I decided I would go and check it out. I found the beautiful temple and walked up to the security guard outside. I asked him if I could go inside and look around. He asked where I was from. I told him I was from New Jersey, America, and wanted to check out the temple since I was Jewish and interested in coming to services. We said that the temple was only open for tourists to look Tuesdays and Thursdays, and that I would need to bring my passport to get in. I was very surprised, but he said it was for security purposes. I asked when Shabbat services were, and he told me, and reminded me even for services I needed to bring my passport to get in. I think I will go soon, it seems like an interesting place and I think it would be a great experience.

I left the temple and walked to the IES Center. I spoke a little with Sebastain about my weekend and then although I needed to make copies of my passport, I didn't have it on me. I left shortly thereafter and walked to the bus station. The line was ridiculously long, so I figured it would make more sense to walk. I didn't want to walk straight home, so I decided to take a long route down to the southern areas of Recoleta which I had heard were very beautiful. I walked down and passed a few embassies, a few of which I took pictures of since they were so nice looking at night with the lights. This area was known for housing the mansions of the very wealthy at the turn of the century, but most of the mansions have been turned into museums or hotels at this point. I walked along the streets and took in some of the amazing architecture. It was a nice walk home.

I got home and check some email and started uploading my pictures. Santiago came home and we talked for a while about his weekend and mine, and then showed him some of my photos that I had taken earlier in the day.

I spoke to Lauren on skype for a little while, which was great. When Patricia came home, she walked into the room and spoke for a quick moment to Lauren over the camera...it was a cute moment.

I am planning on studying a little tonight since tomorrow is the placement exam for IES Spanish classes. I am not worried about the test, but just want to review some grammar and vocab before I take the test.

Tonight I realized how much I enjoy eating dinner with my new mama. Patricia is so great to talk to about life and Buenos Aires. We somehow have these great conversations about fairly complex ideas and I am able to communicate. I feel no pressure when I talk with her, and I think that really helps my Spanish. I am off to study for my exam tomorrow.

Check out the link for my pictures on the right of the page....that link gets updated every day. I have lots of new pictures up from today. Enjoy!

Sunday - A day of recharging my battery

Not much to talk about for today. Sundays are quiet here in BA. Most people sleep and get stuff done around their house. Pretty much all shops are closed, and only some restaurants are open during the day. The biggest thing to do is go to one of the craft fairs in the city, the closest to me is the one in Recoleta. I had gone last week, and it was really nice.

Today I slept in really really late. I ended up not going to the soccer game, but will go another time. I was in bed until 4pm. I got out, showered, finally got my internet to work, updating this blog from the last few days, and headed out across the street for a bite to eat. I tried the pizza and it wasn't that bad. It hit the spot for what I needed. Kate joined me while I ate and then went to find internet. I decided to come home and take it easy. I have been online and reading/surfing the web. Getting ready for the week and resting up for an exciting time.

Although this week went really fast....I feel like I have been here a long time already. I know my way around this area of the city really well. My Spanish has certainly improved since last Sunday, but I am excited for how fast it will get better when classes start. As for now, it is 9pm, so I can expect to eat dinner sometime in the next hour and get a good night sleep.

I only have great adventures ahead of me.

Saturday - I got there on time in the morning!

I woke up on time and snoozed until I was running late. I took a really quick shower, and downed a few glasses of water to help wake myself up. I left and booked it to the IES Center. I made it to the IES Center walking from my house in 12 minutes, record time.

I got there exactly at 10:20am, and we actually started loading the bus at that point. I was very surprised, since nothing so far has started exactly on time until this point.

We got on the bus and found out we would be doing a bus tour of the city, and be getting off at three different locations. This sounded perfect, since the bus was comfortable and no one wanted to move in the morning. We drove first to the Plaza de Mayo. This Plaza is the center of the city, having the Pink House on one side, and a few other important places surrounding the square. This was the location of the famous Evita speeches from her balcony at the Pink House, and other events like the Women and Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, the women who would protest the kidnappings of their sons in the square during the military leadership. From the square, there are two main streets leaving the area, and down each one respectively you can see in the distance the obelisk and the congressional building. It was a really cool place I definitely want to come back and explore for a much longer amount of time.

From there we drove down through different neighborhoods and saw Puerto Madero, the new up and coming rich trendy area, as well as some other sights. We passed the Plaza de San Martin that we had been to a few days before, and passed the Retiro Train Station. We drove along the parks in Recoleta, and all the way down to Palermo. We drove back to Recoleta, and got off in the Cemetery, a famous attraction that is only 4 blocks from my house. We walked around and saw some of the famous people’s graves, including Mercelo T. Alevear and Eva Peron.

From there we got back onto the buss and drove down into La Boca, and passed the stadium that I will hopefully be going to tomorrow, La Bombonera. We got off at the Caminita, the downtown waterside area that is the home of dancing tango in the streets. Although this is not the real Boca, it was a nice tourist attraction.

From there we went to the restaurant Carlitos, right next to the Boca Stadium and enjoyed a feast of food for lunch. They just kept coming with lots of different plates of all different foods and even dessert.

From there we took small vans to the IES Center, and then I decided it was a good time for a nap. I met up with Pete, another kid who lives only 2 blocks from me, and we decided to take the bus back instead of walking. We found a bakery that would give us change with coins, since you need coins to pay for the bus. We figured out the bus system, and for the 80 pesos flat fee, we got home quickly. Pete and I went home to both sleep, and decided we would meet up later for a drink before dinner.

I got home and went right to bed since I was still really tired from the night before. I slept from 4-7pm. It is a really weird feeling waking up from a nap when it is dark outside and dark in your apartment. Usually if I nap at all at home or school, it’s during the day and it is still light outside when you awake. Here, in the winter, it gets dark sooner, and I felt really confused when the alarm went off at 7pm and it was pitch black outside and in my apartment. I took a nice, long, hot shower to wake up. My internet is not working at the moment, and Santiago had warned me about this spotty service. I am writing about the last two days now, since I have not had a chance to with all of my activities. I just spoke to Lauren for a little, which was really good, and I really hope that she will be able to come and visit. I think she calling card expired, and since I can’t call the US, and my internet is down, I have no way of talking to her and letting her know that I am still waiting for her to call back.

I am going out to dinner with a few friends around 10pm, and we will see where the night takes us. Check back soon for the update about tonight’s adventures, as I am sure they will be fun and exciting, at least for me.

UPDATE: Kate, Alex, and I canceled our fancy steak house reservation, since it was really early for dinner and none of us were that hungry. By the time we figured out dinner plans, everyone else had as well, so the three of us met up for dinner around 10pm at this little modern nice looking restaurant a few blocks away, inbetween where Kate and I live and Alex lives.

After two bottles of wine for the table and a very slow but luxurious dinner, we checked our watch and it was 1:30am. In my entire life, I do not think I have ever eaten dinner until 1,30 in the morning. After dinner, Alex departed back home and went to bed. Kate and I started walking back to our neighborhood, and I thought we would head over to that cool trendy bar that I had gone a few nights ago with Jenny. I had found out the name of it was Deep Blue. As we are walking in that direction, all the sudden I hear my name being called on the street and we see Emily and Jenny walking towards us. We say hello and find out they were thinking of going to that bar as well. We walk together and finally get to Deep Blue. When we walk in and ask for a table for 4, we notice that there are three guys from our program already at the bar. Emily and Jenny had hung with them before, so we all went and sat together. We ordered a round of drinks and Jenny and I ordered a halfhour of a pool table. Jenny ended up winning cause I skratched on the 8 ball....she got lucky. Once our game was over we ordered the check and the three guys that were there before left. We paid walked out and found them trying to hail a cab. The screamed a name of a club they were going, so we got into the next cab and went there. The name they told us was more of a area than a club we found out, since it was a few different buildings within a compound. We walked to the biggest one with a ton of people waiting outside. There were two lines, and we chose the shorter one, and asked the girl in front of us where we were and what the difference in lines were. We talked to her for the entire wait on line, and even saw her inside after. For 20 pesos charge for me and 10 for the girls, we got in and all headed to the bathroom. The place was packed. It had a balcony that was empty and was most likely VIP. The dance floor was really busy and there were two stages on either end of the dance floor. Emily and Jenny waited on the line for the coat check and Kate and I didn't see them the rest of the night.

Kate and I headed to the bar, got a drink with our cover charge ticket, and then walked to the dance floor. I saw the stage had an opening, so I got on and pulled Kate up. We owned that stage for a good amount of time. The music was a mix of Reagatonn and Techno, and it was fun to dance to. A few songs later the stage was getting crowded, and Kate and I were dancing too close to the edge to be comfortable. We got off the stage and made our way to the middle of the floor in front of the DJ booth. We danced for a while longer there, and then saw there was an outside area and headed there for some fresh air. Once we got outside we realized that the club was right on the water. The outdoor tiki tent structure was right along the River and was beautiful. I think in the summer this club is going to be amazing outside. We danced for a while outside under the tent, and the music here was more salsa. By 4.45am Kate and I were both tired and ready to leave. We made our way outside and I texted Emily and Jenny to let them know. Once we got outside we found that the line to get in was enormous and really long. I don't know how they fit all those people in that club, but the line to get in was still large at 5am.

We got a cab back to Kate's place and I walked home. At this point I still did not know what the deal was for the Boca Juniors game on Sunday. I had spoken to Santiago about it earlier in the week, but since then I had made no definite plans. I had texted him earlier in the night and set my alarm for 10.30am to see what the deal was. My internet was still down and I was really frustrated. Since I have come to expect internet access in my room, when it doesn't work it really bothers me, since it is the only way to communicate with the US at this point.

My night was fun, and it was the most expensive night I have had so far. My night including a really nice dinner, two bottles of wine, three beers, half hour of pool, cabs, cover charges, etc. cost me around 110 pesos (only 30 dollars). If this is my most expensive night going out, I am definitely cool with that. It was a really fun night, and a good experience.

If you haven't noticed by now, this city knows how the party.....and party really hard.

The First Friday - and the start of the weekend

I was a little late to school in the morning, since I pressed off on my alarm instead of snooze by accident. We were supposed to have another field trip activity, but since it was raining, it got cancelled. We broke for lunch, and I ended up going home for something, and then needing to eat quickly on the walk back. I stopped at the Burger King a few blocks from my house. It was the biggest nicest and cleanest BK I have ever been in. The food was actually really good, since they use local beef for their burgers. Comparatively to other lunches I have eaten, it was actually really expensive.

Back at the school around 1.15pm, we had a chance to meet and listen to the teachers of the classes taught in Spanish through IES. After my advising meeting, I thought I should go and talk to all of them to see if I could comprehend what they were saying and if any of the classes sounded interesting. I stopped by most of the classrooms were the teachers were holding little briefings about their classes, and the most interesting and favorite teacher of mine was a woman teaching a class called Cultural Icons as Global Commodities. This class is about the tango dance in Argentina culture, movies, plays, and media. It is a very interactive class that studies the history of the dance, its place in the Argentine self identity, and how it is portrayed across the world in different forms of media. I am really excited to take this class since I think the topic is interesting, and my Spanish will get challenged, which in turn will help me learn much more.

After meeting with the professors, I walked to the IES Center since I was hoping to talk with the advisors. The other half of students had meetings with them, so it did not happen, but I bumped into Alex, Kate, and Elise on my walk there and we ended up just kinda hanging out for a little while at the IES Center. After a while Kate and I started the walk home, since we live so close to each other. We took our time and poked into a lot of different stores, and Kate finally bought a pair of boots that she had been looking at the entire time. We walked into some really interesting stores, the coolest of which was a leather jacket place. I tried on some of the coats and looked really good in them. I have always wanted a leather coat, but have never actually bought one. Im not sure how often I would wear it, but I think I would like to have one on hand if I wanted to wear it. The guy at the store didn’t have the color and style I like best in my size, but said that if I paid in cash, he would have in made for me in one week. I told him I would think about it and come back later. Not sure if I will do it, but for a really nice leather coat priced around 545 pesos (182 dollars) I definitely need to do some thinking.

I walked Kate home after a while and then went home to do some things. I then went to the closest locutorio, a phone booth internet store which are very popular here. I couldn’t get through to a lot of people, but I was able to talk to Blaire for a while. We actually talked for about 25 minutes only in Spanish, and the conversation was really good!

I left there when my 10 dollar card expired and I went to meet Nell for a drink. I walked the 15 minutes to her area, which is beautiful. It had a much different feel then my area, but I liked it a lot. On our walk from her apartment to a café we passed a few gorgeous mansions that used to be home for the rich and have been converted to museums or hotels.

After a few drinks and an afternoon snack for me, I went home again to check my email and have a little down time. Around 10:00pm, Kate, Elise, Nell and I all met up for dinner at the same little restaurant that Kate and I had drank the bottle of wine at the night before. The same guy greeted us at the door and sat us at the same table with the same waiter. He came over and we ordered the same bottle of wine. We ended up having a really nice meal, and although the place was relatively expensive, it was 12 dollars each for a nice meal and two bottles of expensive wine for the table.

We left the restaurant and decided to meet up with other GW students that are in Buenos Aires for the semester on another program that Nell knew from her trip in the summer. We had the address of the bar they had, so we got a cab and gave him the address. He was very interested in us, giving us tips of places to go and asking how we liked the city. On the way, we passed through and area with 4-way stop intersections, which obviously no one in this country stops at, and came to the quick stop to avoid another cab coming from the other road. It was a very awkward silence in the car after that. We got to the place that the GW kids were, and we got out of the cab. It cost 10 pesos (3 dollars) and took us from one end of the city to the other. The bar that Nell had the name of looked really empty from the street, and we decided to go to the one nextdoor because we could hear some live music coming from it. It ended up being Bar Seddon, a good bar that I had read about in my travel book. We got into the bar, and found a table somewhat close to the band and ordered some drinks. The band was awesome. The guys had a good sound and were playing mostly American covers with some latin improv on top of the music. The lead singer and guitarist loved me, since I was the only one in the bar singing along to Steve Miller Band, Led Zeppelin, and Eric Clapton. It ended up that Deepa and Nick, Nell’s friends we had hoped to meet, were in the basement of the bar downstairs. They came over and sat with us for a while. After a few drinks, Deepa and Nell left to go to a club two blocks away that they had heard really good things about. Nick, Kate, Elise and I wanted to stay for a few more songs.

The four of us left a little later and made our way to Club Museum. The cover was 25 pesos, and I didn’t get any drink tickets like the night before, we entered through the metal detector and walked into a giant hall with thousands of people dancing. The entire place had black walls and two levels of VIP balconies. It looked to be about ¾ as long as a football field, and a little less wide. It was really big. Althought it was a really big club and a lot of people were inside; it was not that hard to walk through the crowd to the opposite end towards the bathrooms. After reconvening in a few minutes, we headed to the bar. There were two lines, and of course I got on the wrong one. The system was made so that you paid someone at the register at the bar, they handed you a receipt, and you gave the receipt to the bartenders, who served you the drink.

I ordered two Quilmes, the local beer I have come to really enjoy, with the guy at the register and got a receipt. I handed it to the closest bartender I could find, and he gave me two wine-spritzer-esqe drinks. I tried to argue with him to get two beers, but I didn’t make any progress. I decided to suck it up and drink the fruity girly drinks for now.

The four of us started dancing and quickly found Nell and Deepa, along with a few other faces I recognized from GW in the middle of the dancefloor. Not sure how we found them, but it was pretty lucky I think. We danced for a long time, and I was having lots of fun. Around 4.30am I started to get a little tired, and realized that I had to be awake soon, since I needed to meet at the IES Center at 10:20am for a city tour the next day. We ended up leaving around 4.45am, and the four of us from dinner caught a cab back to Recoleta. We first stopped and dropped Nell and Elise off, since they live really close to each other, then we ended at Kate’s apartment.

I walked home and got back around 5am. By the time I fell asleep, I was determined to wake up on time and make it to the city tour by 10:20.

The First Day I Was Warm in BA

I didn't get out of bed until 8.30, it was just way too cold. By the time I got out and dressed, I knew today was going to be much colder than the last few. I remembered that I had all the parts of my winter coat, but just had brought them individually. I put it all together fast, and departed with my hiking socks on, heavy sweater on my back, and my winter coat on. It was the first time since I have been here I was not a little chilly on the street, and at one point in the day I actually was so hot I started to sweat. It was a great feeling.

Spanish class this morning was tough. We really didn't do anything fantastic, just go over and talk about the answers from yesterday's scavenger hunt. A few people hurried into the class late, and I everyone could tell they must have been out late. Around 10.30, we departed on another out of classroom activity, and took the Subway, or Subte, down to the Plaza de San Martin. General San Martin is what George Washington is in America, the most admired leader and general that led the people out of oppression from Europe. The Plaza was really nice and I enjoyed walking around. It was very open, with lots of trees and green space. It was really pretty, but I held off taking pictures since I am going to wait for a really beautiful sunny blue-sky day. We met again around noon in front of the Hotel Plaza with our teachers, they collected our papers, and we had off for lunch. There was an optional session at 1pm to meet the teachers that give the English classes for IES. Since I know exactly which classes I need, I did not think I needed to go. I walked with Alex and Kate to the Cafe Plaza, on the corner of Sante Fe and Carlos Pelligrini, and had some lunch. I finally found a place that has the Quilmes Red Amber draft, and I enjoyed it with my chicken-fried-steak local delicacy. The restaurant served a bread basket and a plate of mini-empanadas when we sat down, and it was very excellent.

After lunch, we had some free time until the academic advising that Kate and I needed to go to. The three of us ventured back to the Plaza de San Matrin and then down la Avenida de Florida, a pedestrian shopping area. This seemed like a great place to walk around and do some shopping, but we had been warned the prices were jacked up for tourist, and that the same goods were available for cheaper if you knew where to look. After peaking in some shops, we entered the Galerias Pacifico, a famous mall in Buenos Aires. It was very nice, the dome in the middle of the mall was handed painted. The building seemed to be a little older, but refurbished and now looking like a trendy shopping area. I accompanied the girls into a few shops, and my time with Mom and Blaire have definitely raised my tolerance for shopping with girls. After looking in a few shops, I found something that seemed cool in a store, and tried on a very hip jacket. Lets just say I looked really really really cool in it. I mean, really cool. I should have taken a picture.....I might go back. I had no intention of buying it since it was really expensive, but I wanted to see if I could pull off the look. A few stores later we entered a store just for men's clothes, and I looked around while the girls sat in chairs in the store. We all laughed since the roles had been reversed, and I played along and took my sweet old time.

We left the mall and headed for the IES Center. Kate and I wanted to get in line for advising and Alex needed some help figuring out which bus to take home. Once Kate and I got to the IES Center, we got numbers for the line, and got 23 and 24 respectively. It didn't take that long, but we sat and hung out for a good while. I was pretty tired and kinda in a chill mood. They called my number and I got my stuff together to be advised.

My meeting was with the director of the program and the new assistant director. I spoke Spanish to them and understood what they said in Spanish for the most part. Overall, the meeting was very flattering since they were both confounded when I told them the last Spanish class I took was junior year of high school. After a while talking about what classes I needed she recommended that I take classes not in English, but in Spanish. I thought it was a great idea, but I wasn't sure I was going to be able to keep up. She said that I should go to the first classes of both English and Spanish and see if I can understand the professor, and then decide then. I thought this was a brilliant idea, and the thought of taking classes in Spanish is very interesting. I think this challenge would really give a big boost to the chances of coming back fluent. Also, we discussed taking an art class in the local art school, I.U.N.A., or the local private liberal arts school, U.M.S.A. She said that it depended on what experience I was looking for. I decided that the I.U.N.A. school is best for me since it is in La Boca, a hotbed of cultural activity, and I will be able to interact with a much more diverse group of locals since it is a public university and it is free for Argentinians.

After the advising session I walked home with Kate down Sante Fe Ave, since we realized we lived only two blocks away from each other. When we got to our blocks, she decided she would do some shoe shopping and I would just go home and take a nap. When I got home, I was still thinking about all the classes and the advice of the program director. I spent about 40 minutes looking into all my options and writing them down so I can have an easy guide when it comes time for registration. I am really excited for the opportunities that I am going to have studying here, especially in Spanish as well as with locals.

After some research about the classes, I took a nap from 6ish to 8.20pm. It felt very weird waking up at 8.20, since it is dark and late in US standards. It took me a while to get up, but once I did I was fine. A quick shower cured any sleepiness I still had, and now I am ready to go out tonight.

I had dinner around 9.45 with Patricia and we talked about my day with the advising. We then started to talk about food, and which foods I like to cook and that my family cooks. I told her about how often we use the grill at home, and that I like to cook a lot at school. She asked if any of my roommates cooked, and I told her how Steve would always bring in some New Orleans inspiration to all of his dishes. I also told her that Yoni's mom would freeze food for use from home and then send it to us. She thought that was really funny for some reason.

I am now sitting at my computer after dinner getting most of this journal entry done before I go out. I am going to publish it early, and then update it for tonight either later tonight or tomorrow.

I am still waiting for some culture shock, but so far everything has really been a smooth transition. I got really lucky with my homestay, and I think that helps a lot. I have not had any problems adjusting to the culture or the traditions of the Argentinians at this point, and I don't anticipate any big problems in the future.

For now, I need to pick out a fashionable shirt for the bar tonight so I blend in with the trendy Portenos. Look for an update later to hear about my first big going out night......

THURSDAY NIGHT UPDATE: Kate, Alex and I decided that Thursday night would be our first going out night. Alex was still having problems with her phone, and ended up not coming out since communication got confusing. Kate and I met up at a local restaurant around 11ish to start drinking some really nice wine. We asked the waiter for his recommendation. He suggested a local Malbec red wine made in Mendoza, Argentina. We got that bottle, which happened to be the second most expensive on the menu, and it was only 27 pesos (9 dollars). It was really good. The kind of red wine that was sweet enough to taste good, but not so much that it left a weird taste in your mouth. It was the perfect selection for our needs.

Kate and I talked for a long time over this bottle, and we had a lot to talk about. We have many of the same shared experiences since we both are in serious long distance relationships. After the shop started turning people away at the door, we asked for the check and decided to go to a bar that other students had talked about the night before that was really close.

We walked maybe four blocks to The Shamrock, the Argentine version of an Irish Pub, but there was a long line outside and neither of us wanted to wait. We had read about a bar called Milion, a converted mansion of a wealthy family into a night club, that I thought was close, so we decided to try and find it. After walking to the block I thought it was on, we couldn’t find it, and when we asked two younger Portenos smoking on the corner, they couldn’t help us either. It was a joint decision to go back to Shamrock and figure out how to cut the line. Back at Shamrock, the line had gotten bigger, and we were hoping to find some students we knew at the front of the line so we could sneak in. After standing around the entrance for a while, I told Kate that if she just flirted a little with some guys on the line, we could get in. Sure enough, after talking with Juan and Juan for 30 seconds, they told her to jump in line with them. She motioned to where I was standing and called me over, and introduced me as her boyfriend so that they weren’t expecting any special treatment in return for letting us get in line with them. The plan was completed perfectly. It was 20 to get in for me, 10 for Kate, and we entered the crowded bar and headed straight for the bar. After muscling our way there, we then had to get the attention of the busy bartenders. I saw the man next to me pay for a drink with the tickets we got at the door when we paid the entrance fee, and it turns out they were drink tickets. 20 pesos to get in and you got 20 pesos worth of drink tickets….great success. I finally got the bartenders attention and got drinks for Kate and I, which were all paid for by the cover charge. We left the bar and looked around the small bar to see if we could recognize any other American students. In the side of the bar, there seemed to bar a group accumulating around a staircase to the basement, so we wanted to check out what it was. When we got there, we saw it was an entrance to the club downstairs. After sneaking and flirting our way to the front-ish area of the line, we got the nod from the bouncer to go downstairs. There is was a totally different atmosphere, and the Irish pub upstairs was forgotten and we welcomed a trendy hip dance club. Rays of lighted came randomly from the ceiling as floor panels lit up with different colors sporadically. We again moseyed our way to the bar downstairs and got some more drinks, again paid for by the cover. We spent the rest of the night downstairs, drinking, dancing, and talking. The funny moment was when I was ordering another drink and an Argentinean guy was trying to talk some game to Kate. After a while of him attempted to hit on her, she had enough, pointed to me and told him, “That is my boyfriend.” He responded with, “oh my god….I am sooo sorry!” and ran away. Later while we were dancing, I noticed he looked our way and must have understood from the distance in between us that she was lying. Oh well.

After we both had enough, we made our way back up the stairs and walked home. Since Kate lives only two blocks from me, I walked her home, and then ran back to my place since I had to pee really badly. I got home, went to the bathroom, and got in bed.

It was a really good first Buenos Aires bar and club night. We got a taste for the atmosphere and the way to sneak into a club without standing on line.

All in 1 Day: The Obelisk, Political Banners, and My First Bus Ride

I walked a new way to school this morning, and saw some new things that I didn't know where so close. On the walk to school I passed two schools of UBA (explained later): Economic school and medical school. There were some students outside those buildings even though it is vacation time for them. There was also a park I passed where many dogs had been put. The owners seemed to have staked the leashes to the ground and left the dogs. It was interesting, and I forgot to ask about it at school. Overall, I think I like this walk better than the route I had been taking on previous days.

The most learning I did today was during my Spanish class in the morning. We went over the questionnaire we did for homework last night, and then spoke about each answer in Spanish. After the class, all of the students were given a scavenger hunt. The teachers gave us sheets with some information that we needed to collect from walking to the obelisk and talking to locals on the street. It was very cold and windy, so after going to the obelisk and standing there for a moment, a few of us decided we needed to find a cafe quickly. We found one really close to the main plaza where all of the students were starting the hunt. We sat down, ordered some drinks, and enjoyed the warm environment. Around noon, we needed to return back to the school, so we left and walked the 6 blocks back to La Salle.

Today, for the afternoon, there was an optional trip to a local university for students interested in registering for classes in that university. I had nothing better to do, and the next mandatory session didn't start till 4, so I decided I would just go to the school and explore while the other students registered. This ended up being a great decision.

As a group of about 20, we started walking to the bus stop to pick up the bus to take us to the school of Filosofia y Letras (FILO) in the Univerisdad de Buenos Aires (UBA). This was great since IES paid for all of us to go on the bus, and I was able to take the busses, colectivos, for the first time. The bus was interesting because it was very very crowded. People in the middle of the day must use a lot of public transportation for some reason. The bus ride was about 30 minutes I think, and we got off in a neighborhood called Caballito, literally "little horse". I asked some of the orientation leaders about the area, and they said it was mostly a residential area and that is was mainly middle class. It seemed nice, and as we walked from the main street to the school, we passed some old cobblestone streets that reminded me of Boston.

I was surprised when we got to the school since it looked very grungy from the outside. The other schools of UBA that I had seen on my walk to La Salle were grand buildings with fantastic architecture. This school was covered with posters and other stuff on the outside. Inside the front entrance, it looked much the same with big posters and banners hanging on every inch of wall space possible. The students are still on winter break, and start school in two more weeks. We walked up to the second floor to start. The school is shaped like a big "U" with the main staircase in the middle and three flanks of classroom hallways. While the other students met with the head of the program for exchange students, I wandered around the hallways of the school to see what I could find. I wasn't worried about taking out my camera since we were inside a school, so I was able to take some cool pictures of the political posters and murals on the walls of the school. I thought GW was political active, but this made GW look really apathetic. There are political propaganda posters everywhere in the classrooms, in the hallways, in grafiti on the walls, etc. All the different parties were represented with posters: Socialist, Peronist, Communist, etc. I ventured outside for a little and saw some of the surrounding blocks.

After a while, the group was done so we again started walking back to the bus stop. At this point it was raining in Buenos Aires. It was funny to see the locals miserable since it was sooo cold and raining, and us students just excited to be here. The bus ride home felt very long, and the bus was even more crowded this time around. I realized that it was 3.15 and I had not had lunch yet. When we got back to the school, I went with three new friends for a bite to eat at a close cafe. We enjoyed a long lunch and talked about a lot of things. It ends up that two girls that I ate with go to University of San Diego. I named the only girl I knew that goes there that went to my high school, and it was actually their best friend and one of the girl's roommate. We talked for a while about this mutual friend, since it is such a rare coincidence to actually name someone at a school that the person you are talking to knows.

We left there and I started walking home when I ran into some other IES students on the way. We talked for a little in the street, and then decided to go to another cafe for some drinks and to sit down. I told them about the little cafe next to my apartment that has good draft beer and wi-fi for their laptops. We walked the few blocks to the cafe and sat down. In a little while, another student that lives in the area came and joined us. We sat for a while and talked a lot, and it was nice.

I got back to my home to find that my mother and some of her friends were praying together in the living room. It was really interesting since my mother is a Buddhist. I sat in my room and listened to the hymns as I checked up on my American political news.

Dinner was also really nice. Some pasta and bits of bacon were a nice lighter meal since I had eaten a late lunch. Patricia and I sat alone, since Pepin is still sick and Santiago was with his fiance. Patricia is great to speak to, since she is always so eager to learn about my day. She speaks slower when Im around, and she helps me when I falter with Spanish. She knows a good amount of Enlgish I think, since when I get confused, she can usually either guess what I need to say or translate what I say into Spanish. It is perfect since she never speaks to me in English, but I know that in bad situations, she would understand me.

I am writing this early tonight since I am heading out to the bar in a little for some drink before bedtime. I don't think that I will go out till 6 in the morning like Argentines do in the weekends, but a few drinks at a local bar should be fun.

More to come later. For now, I am going to try and jazz up my blog so it is easier for others to read.

p.s. Check out the link to the right for pictures from my first week in Argentina including the pictures of the political banners I saw at the school today.

Chao!

UPDATE: Last night I met up with Jenny for a drink at a local bar. I had seen this really trendy bar on my way home a few nights ago that was really close to my house, and I wanted to check it out. We got to the bar, and it was surprisingly empty. We sat at a little bar table and ordered a local red wine, which was excellent. We noticed that the booths at the bar had a tap for beer built into the table. I definitely want to go back and sit in those booths.

We enjoyed the bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Andes in Mendoza, and it was great. We talked for a while, and it was very pleasant.

We left around 1.30am and I walked her home, since she lives very close and the streets were a little empty. After I dropped her off at her front door, I basically power walked home as fast as I could since I really needed to use the bathroom. I ran upstairs in my building and fuddled with the keys before I made it inside and in the restroom. After relieving myself, I got ready and went to bed very shortly. It was about 2am at this point, and I had had a great night.

Learning the dialects of Argentina

Today started out as many of my days at school in the United States do, me waking up late and needing to hurry to make it out of the door on time. I got to the bathroom late, and knew that I needed to take a quick shower. It was there that I encountered a problem. The drying rack for laundry is hanging in the opposite corner of the bathroom than the showerhead, but there is no specific place for the shower. The entire bathroom acts as a shower, since the showerhead just pours water on me as I walk around in the bathroom. I didn't want to soak that clean clothes that were drying, but I needed to shower quickly, so I decided to be safe, I would drape my towel over the drying rack to make sure none of the clothes got wet. It was a funny and quirky way to start my day.

I left the house around 8.30am and headed for a local bakery that Patricia had recommended last night. I found it ok, and when I walked in an asked for two medialunas, the guy gave me a weird look. I thought I had said something wrong, but instead he handed me a basket with a tong, and pointed to the wall of pastries on the other side of the shop. After picking out what I wanted, I paid for the two sweet croissants (1,20 pesos) and was on my way to school. The walk is very short and know that I know the area a little better, I walk faster since I do not need to look around as much to get my bearings. It only took about 12 minuets from the bakery to my school. There, the classes didn't start until 9.30, which was very frustrating. I think I just need to get used to Latin American time.

The program split into different classes, but I found out that I was placed in the lowest level, since the only knowledge they have about my Spanish is how many semesters in college I have taken (a big fat zero). My teacher, Silvana, was very animated and was really good at speaking slowly so everyone could understand. I really enjoyed listening to her talk and focusing on understanding all of the Spanish. The class took a break after an hour and a half of her telling us the differences between Spanish taught in the US, and the Spanish spoken in Buenos Aires. At this point, I went up to the teacher with another student, Patricio, who also seemed interested in talking to her about renting bikes to ride around the city. After a quick talk, she told me that she thought my Spanish was good enough to advance to the next level, but to be sure I should wait till tomorrow to see. I was very pleased with that, since I didn't talk that much during the class. I must have one of the lesser confused looks on my face while she was speaking.

We then reconvened in the basement for a slideshow of famous people and places of Argentina. This was very helpful to know, since the people we discussed have plazas and streets named after them. It was the first history lesson of Buenos Aires I think we will receive. We finished this a little faster than the other classes, so we got off for lunch around 11.30....and needed to be back around 1.30pm. A few of us headed down the street to find a cafe for lunch, since we had such a long time. We found a small cafe with sandwiches and pizza, and we sat down for lunch. We had ordered two large pizzas to share with four people, and that was plenty. We had tried some exotic pizzas, including one with anchovies, one with only onions on bread, and one with mushrooms. All of the slices had a giant olive in the middle, and the olive had a pit you couldn't eat. Lunch was a good time to get to know some new people and talk about each others homestays and residence halls. For lunch and the drinks we shared, it was about 5 dollars each.

Back at school we went into a class that discussed the possibility of taking a class with a local university. These introductory presentations are really bad, since they are in English and I am not learning Spanish, as well as the fact they just read the words off the PowerPoint slides. This lecture did have some interesting information, since I have been thinking of taking a dance or art class at a local university. It think opens many doors to meeting and interacting with locals, and the Spanish used in those classes is not very advanced.

The next lecture was about the rigorous student visa process that we need to go through. There are 3 steps with many gruesome details for each step. We entered the country on a tourist visa, and need to change to a student visa, so when the tourist visa expires, we do not become illegal immigrants in Argentina. Also, we were given information about some organized trips that IES has during the semester. There are a few trips included in the program costs, and I am excited to take advantage of those opportunities. For example, they have scheduled a two day and one night trip to Uruguay for October, and a one day trip to an Argentinian ranch sometime soon. There are also longer trips that they offer which are optional and are during our spring break. I do not think that I will participate in those trips, since I would rather travel with a small group than with the program. There is something to be said about doing it yourself when you have a chance like this.

That lecture ended around 4.15pm, and by 4.30 a group of us were walking down to Aveneda Sante Fe, a busy street with many shops on both sides. After a while of walking and leading the group in the right direction, Nell and I broke off from the group, since many of them are speaking English and walking very slow. I was on a quest to find a cheap watch, since I had no way of telling time besides looking at my cell phone, which is very inconvenient.

I didn't really know where to get a watch, so I had asked some locals at the school earlier in the morning, and they had recommended I go down the Sante Fe street and explore the many shops. I walked by a store that sold nice mens clothes, and paused when I saw how cheap the prices were. The store was having a very big sale, and nice button down shirts were only 29 pesos (around 1o USD) and fleeces were only 49 pesos (around 17 USD). I walked in and started to peruse the store. I was able to ask for basic help, and even asked how to convert American pant sizes with Argentinian sizes. When I left the store, I owned a new pair of nice gray slacks and a pull over black fleece, all for around 80 pesos (apprx. 28 USD).

The next store we stopped in was a shoe store for Nell, who was so surprised to see that the nice leather boots were only 100 pesos (3o USD). After a few stores, we realized how dangerous cheap clothing can be over a long period of time. It is very rare that I buy new clothing for myself, since I tend to wear clothes until they fall apart. But with cheap prices like these, what is not to love?

After a few stores that only had expensive watches, I saw a sign for "Relojeria". This little shop had many watches and seemed to be the right location for what I needed. I walked in and asked the man behind the counter, "I need a cheap watch only to tell time. Do you have anything for me?" He showed me a few options, and I choose a white analog watch with a nice metal chain. It only cost me 38 pesos ( 13 USD).

At this point I had accomplished my goal (plus a pair of nice pants and a fleece) and Nell had bought a new pair of pants. We decided we would go to the IES Center, which was only 3 blocks from where we were, so that we could use the free computers and sit and relax for a little. As Nell used the computers, I spoke with the orientation leaders about taking classes in local universities, the best brand for mate, and other things. I was so proud of myself for being able to hold my own with the locals when talking in Spanish. They definitely spoke much slower than usual, but it still was a pretty good conversation.

After we left the Center, we stopped at a bar for a few drink before we had to go home. Cafe Plaza was on the corner of Sante Fe and Avenida 9 de Julio, and was the perfect place to sit and talk for a little. When we ordered our beer, it came with three little containers of peanuts, potato chips, etc. as well as three little containers of tapas. There was one of cold chicken in a spicy broth, one egg potato salad, and one little spicy chicken wing. Nell and I gobbled up the tapas and enjoyed the local brew. When we ordered one more drink, the waiter came with all new peanuts, chips, and tapas. It was exactly what we had hoped for.

Around 7.45 we left and I started to walk home. It was cold enough where I could put my new sweater to use, so I wired my iPod up through my shirt, tossed on the fleece, and set out for another nice walk home at night along Sante Fe Street. I really enjoy walking the streets of Buenos Aires, and especially at night.

I arrived at my home, and hung out in my room for a little while. I knew that tonight would be an earlier night. After checking up on my US political news, and checking my email, I saw that Santiago, my host brother, had sent me an email asking if I would like to go to the Boca Juniors first home game of the new season this Sunday in the Stadio de Bombonera. I wrote back that I would be delighted to go. I am soooo excited to go to this soccer game. I have become friends with him very quickly, and this is soo perfect.

Pepin seems to have come down with a cold, and for dinner, I had some leftovers from last night and a taste of the meal for tonight. The meal was ground beef, with a thin layer of a mashed potato-esque substance. It was actually more flaky from the oven than mushy, so I actually enjoyed it very much. I sat with Patricia for dinner and we talked about a number of things from my day to how to make mashed potatoes.

It has been 20 minutes since dinner, and although it is only 10.45....I am very tired and ready to go to bed soon. Today was a good day, but besides the Spanish class in the morning, school orientation has been less than exciting. I know this information is necessary, but I really found myself enjoying the Spanish class in the morning today, which I think is a sign that I am willing to learn and push myself. Even when I am typing this entry, I find myself thinking how to phrase the next thought in Spanish. Today was a long day, but very efficient since I found a new pair of pants and a watch, both things that I needed.

I am looking forward to wandering and exploring new parts of the city that I have not seen yet. This city amazes me, and I have found myself very hungry for more information about the city. I am eager to learn more and experience more.

To recap my Spanish learned today: In Argentina, they do not use the tu form (second person singular)....they only use the vos form, which they do not teach in the US. It is still ok, since the vos form is very easy, and more irregular verbs are normal in the vos form. Also, I think today I really improved conjugating my verbs into the correct tense when I spoke. Again, I am not learning that much new info, but really improving what is already somewhere in the cobwebs of my brain.

As I told Patricia at the end of dinner.....I need to sleep a lot now, because when the weekend comes, I will be out partying with the locals till 6 in the morning.

Chao!

p.s. Today was another non-picture day. I have decided that I am only going to take pictures of this area on one day, since I am trying to blend in on most days. Carrying a camera and taking lots of pictures is a big clue that you are not a porteno (Buenos Aireian). I have realized that most Argentinians look just like Americans. Unlike other Latin American countries in which the people have a distinct look, when I see people on the street, I still expect them to speak English, since they look like they could be American. So, it should not be THAT hard for me to blend in as long as I can speak a little and not take pictures.

First Day of Orientation

Today, I woke up very confused. It felt as if the alarm went off ten minutes after I fell asleep, and wait, I am not dreaming....I am really in Buenos Aires. After a quick shower in my personal bathroom, I opened the door to meet the maid, Juana, who I do not think was expecting me to be in the bathroom. After a cup of tea and an apple for breakfast, I headed out for my first full day in Argentina.

Before I went to school, I needed to stop at a local liberia to make photocopias of my passport to have for security purposes and for my student visa. I had thought out the dialog before I entered, so when I asked for the copies everything went smoothly. When it came time to pay, I heard the man say 20. So I handed him a 20 peso bill (about 7 dollars). He gave me a confused look and then pointed to the change he had in the cash register. It costs 20 centvaros (about 7 cents) to make the five photocopies! I almost overpaid by a lot! Good thing the man was nice enough not to rip me off....I wasn't even thinking when I handed him the bill.

I left the shop and started my walk to school. I had studied the map several times and received detailed instruction from my host mother. The school is about 7 or 8 blocks away, a very nice walk to start my morning. I got there in about 10-15 minutes. El Colegio de La Salle, the school in which most of my classes are being held this semester, is a very nice old building that has a beautiful mosaics for floors and grand architecture for walls. After meeting some of my fellow students, and their host parents that took them to school (some had much longer commutes than I did) the orientation started. I sat next to Nell, my friend from GW. We decided after today, we would try and speak Spanish to each other before we talked in English.

After a long and boring lecture introducing the program and administrators, we got a half an hour break before lunch. Nell and I decided we better go out to find a kiosk and buy some snacks for the future, since we both were starving for lunch at this point. After picking up some snacks, we stopped at a local cafe and sat down for a beer and some peanuts. It was nice to be able to sit and talk over a beer for 20 minutes in the middle of the day.

Lunch was served in the open air patio of the school. They set up tables with different quiches and empanadas. For desert that had a variety of local cookies that were flaky dough on the bottom, chocolate on the top, and dulce de leche inside. YUMMMMMMM

We had been given a schedule at the beginning of the day for the entire orientation process. It seemed very detailed and a little too organized for my liking. After one morning, I realized that the schedule was a rough guess at how long certain activities would take. Most lectures this morning that were scheduled for an hour and a half only took 45 minutes, leaving us a lot of extra time to sit under the sun in the patio.

The lectures today were all in English, so for a while I totally forgot that I was in a foreign place. They went over important safety instructions and other important information that is necessary, but not particularly interesting to listen to. After the last lecture, a group of us went over to the small cafeteria they have in the school and sat over cafe and tea. A medialuna , a sweet croissant(thanks Blaire) was the perfect snack to hold me over to our late dinner.

From La Salle school, the group walked together to the IES Center, which is approx. 10 blocks away on the main avenue of Buenos Aires, La Avenida 9 de Julio. The IES Center houses the administrative offices of our program, and the advising and tutoring offices. Since not all students brought their laptops, many of them tried to use the computers at the IES Center. Nell and I decided it was way too crowded to hang around the Center, but she wanted to use the free computers and I wanted to come back for a later meeting on local gyms I could go to. We again found a local cafe and sat over a beer and talked about the day. We both knew the day was necessary, but looked forward to the rest of orientation when we would be learning more Spanish and experiencing more Argentinian culture.

After a short time we returned to the center, and Nell checked her email as I spoke with one of the orientation liaisons about local gyms. He recommended a few gymnasios very close to my home stay which he said I should go to and talk with them to find out their rates and services.

Nell and I left the IES Center to meet with her friend Jane from home. We walked the few blocks from the IES Center to the MicroCentre, a downtown shopping area. The three of us sat down for cafe and tea in a small cafe chain called Cafe Martinez.

We left the cafe around 8:10pm and decided it was time to make our way home for the night. We all lived in the same general direction, so we walked back towards La Avenida 9 de Julio and down Sante Fe street. A few blocks in Jane and Nell took a right to their homes while I continues on Sante Fe. I was smart and asked to leaders of the program if it was safe to walk while listening to an iPod on the street, since we had been warned earlier of pick-picketers and other petty criminals. I was told as long as the iPod stayed in my pocket, and I wired the headphones through my shirt, there would be no problems. So I pulled it out, and rocked out to some music for the rest of my walk home.

The streets are very easy to walk, and the blocks are not as long as I am used to in NYC and DC. It was a very pleasant walk, and I was trying to notice all of the restaurants and shops that I passed for future use. After a while, I turned down Riobahmba Street, and headed to my home. I live three blocks away from Sante Fe Street, so it is very easy to walk home in a public area that is safe. I arrived to my home around 9pm. When I got home I had a lovely talk with my host mother about my day, and other things. I told her about my medialuna that I enjoyed so much, and she told me about a local bakery 2 blocks away on my walk to school that has fresh medialunas every morning that I will stop at tomorrow. I told her about the academic program that I was thinking of pursuing in my school and she was very interested.

I also talked to Santiago, my host brother, for a while about the local gyms. I wondered if there were any gyms that had basketball courts in the area. I have never been a fan of lifting weights, but keeping active and playing sports have always been fun for me. Although there are not gyms in this area with basketball courts, I do have some fine options in the area when it comes to gyms. I will venture out to these places in the next few days to inquire about prices and the such.

Santiago also showed me the best buses to use and what routes they take from our house to specific spots in Buenos Aires. The system is very easy to use, and only costs 80 centvaros (about 25 cents) no matter what distance you need to travel.

I had decided sometime during the day that I wanted to try and push myself and take a class in spanish in a local university. I have found that my Spanish is much better than I had anticipated, it being only my second day in Buenos Aires. I can understand a lot, and even speak enough to express myself in common conversation. With progress like this, I will be fluent in no time! For now, I think an art class in Spanish is best, since it will allow me to meet and become friends with locals, and push my language, but not be the most complicated vocabulary. I am thinking a dance class in the local art university could be a good option. I will be doing more research in the next few days.

Dinner was served at 9.30pm and tonight's meal was roasted chicken and roasted potatoes, carrots, and onions. It was great. I told my family that I was scared for the food in Argentina because I can sometimes be a picky eater. I told them I did not like beans and mashed potatoes, and they said they too did not enjoy those foods. This was a big relief for me. The entire family ate dinner together tonight, and I was active in the conversation during the meal. Pepin and I discussed his travels in America, since he was in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington DC. I described what both my parents did, and learned what my host family did for work.

The highlight of the conversation is when my host mother started telling me about Santiago's finance, and their upcoming wedding in December. My mother and father as sooo excited, and it was very obvious that Santiago was extremely happy as well. I told them I wanted to meet Rosario right away. They told me the wedding was December 21st, and they asked me if I would still be in the country. I said yes, and Patricia invited me to the wedding! I said I would love to go, but then I turned to ask Santiago if it was ok with him. The parents started laughing and it was a great moment.

This talk of dates led me to tell them my plans to travel during my spring break and after my trip. They have me useful tips and were very helpful. I then told them I had forgotten to do something last night, and I rushed into my room as they started to clear the table. I came back bearing gifts, and they were very excited. Santiago and Pepin loved their Jets paraphernalia. We all said that we would go together to the bar and watch the games wearing the Jets jerseys and polos. I taught them the J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS cheer. It was soo fun. Patricia was sooo impressed with the fancy dishtowels, potholders, and oven mitts. She also loved the candles. They all were enthralled with their gifts.

Santiago and I talked for a while about the Jets, and I somehow told them about the 1-15 season they had a few years ago, Joe Namath promising to win the Super Bowl and actually winning, and some other Jets history. We even talked about the fact that the Jets play in Giants stadium, and when the Jets play the Giants, they alternate who is home to see which fans can go see the game. At the end of the conversation, he told me: I am now a Jets fan....and you are now a Boca Juniors fan! The Boca Juniors, the favorite team of Buenos Aires, season starts in a few weeks, and I think I have arranged to go with Santiago to a game or two.

It is now after dinner and everyone has said goodnight. I am sitting here reflecting on a great first full day. My Spanish is really coming along, and I feel as if I have come to understand my part of the city quite well.

Tomorrow I start Spanish class at 9 in the morning, so I need to wake up at 8, and leave around 8.30. This is too early for Latin America, and hopefully I can schedule my classes for the semester at a later time. For now, it is ok.

I have just started to think a little in Spanish. I think this is a great sign.

p.s. There are no pictures from today because I left the battery for my camera in the charger this morning. Hopefully I will have some good ones for tomorrow.

p.p.s Tomorrow I will talk with a customer service agent to fix my phone so I can call the States. For now, if you want to reach me....send me an email and I will get it at night.

Hasta Manana