Mis Aventuras: 1

¡Hola todos!

So much has happened since I left the U.S. on Thursday. I spent two nights in a hotel with 5 other people from the group. We all get along so well and I feel like I have known them for ages! We spent Saturday and Sunday touring all over the city, from the upscale neighbourhoods to the not as nice neighbourhood of La Boca (home to the football team Boca Juniors). It is a beautiful city with so much activity at all hours of the day/night. We experienced our first BA bus and subway ride over the weekend. In most areas there are no lines in the roads so drivers tend to drive where ever they feel like, making bus rides similar to roller coasters. I am slowly learning my way around the city using the transportation system as well as my own two feet and turning more into a porteño. The changing of the guards where San Martín is buried

Outside of the cathedral

Congress building

Puerto Madero, a very modern neighbourhood of BA

La Boca, with its colourful homes

A gift to Argentina from England

Saturday evening was our first night on our own, so we decided to find somewhere to have dinner and then go to a club nearby the hotel. The first battle was to get used to the custom of eating dinner between 9 and 10 in the evening. The second battle was to figure out how to find the restaurant. We knew where we wanted to go, but we kept walking in circles. It turned out we had already passed the restaurant once and had walked the best part of three miles and gone in a circle before we found it..it was only 2 blocks from the hotel. After dinner we went to The Shamrock to celebrate my birthday. There were two levels, one for socializing and the other a dance floor. The only music the DJ played was techno and the locals danced the robot. Needless to say it was an interesting experience and we won't be returning to The Shamrock. Roomies (L-R): Rebecca, Me, Jasmine

The group (L-R): Rebecca, Sarah, Alejandro, Jasmine, Bianca, Me

Sunday was my first day/night with my family. I have a mother and three sisters, the youngest being 16. They are a wonderful family and the girls are great and very patient with me if I need to look up a word I do not know. Two of the girls are learning English, but it's not very good, but that's better for me to use my Spanish. Within the first couple of hours after moving in, I wanted to leave. I've studied Spanish for about seven years, so I know it well, but they speak very quickly and in Argentina they use vos (a form I did not learn because most people use the tu form) as well using the 'sh' sound for 'll'. I didn't think this would be an issue but when they use it, it sounds like a word I have never heard of when in reality I know the word. Needless to say, it has been somewhat difficult to speak/understand what they are saying, but I'm starting to become accustomed to the accent and using it myself.

Yesterday we had a Spanish placement exam and orientation at the university. It was my first trip on the bus by myself and I didn't get lost, so I was pleased! The pace of life is slower in BA (except in the streets) and it's something to get used to. We had 2 breaks during the orientation, something I think could have been avoided in order to speed up the orientation process. Anyway, once we left we decided as a group to go on a hunt for a Sube card (re-loadable card for the train or bus, making it easier to travel). The only problem with this card is that within the last few months it has been difficult to find due to government issues and them not producing any more cards. We ended up walking all over the city (must have been the best part of 10 miles) going into different post offices to see if they had any, but no luck. We'll keep searching.

After our walking adventures, we had an even at the API office (the company I am traveling with). Instead of learning how to make the best cuppa, we learned how to make the best mate. Yerba mate is similar to tea which Argentinians drink with their friends. I tried it last semester in my Spanish class and didn't like it, my tastes hadn't changed. The weather quickly changed from hot and humid to chucking it down and with no wifi in my new home, I had no idea rain was in the forecast. Luckily, my house isn't too far away from API and there are many awnings for cover along the way. My only adventure on my way home included a taxi. The light said I could walk and when I was half way across the street a taxi driver from behind me decided he wanted to turn left, ultimately hitting me in my leg. Luckily he wasn't driving too quickly so I walked away in one piece.

Today, the group decided to meet at the national library for wifi, but we quickly found out they didn’t have it. How a national library doesn't have wifi I don't know. Anyway, we are currently in a local cafe catching up on Facebook, blogs, and enjoying dulce de leche (translation: sweet milk, a very delicious ice-cream). Today I have an interview with an advisor at the university about my classes -- we start school on Monday. Tonight we are learning how to make empanadas with API which will be fun!
That about covers my adventures for the last 4-5 days. I will try to update sometime this weekend. ¡Hasta luego!