My time here is dwindling down to nearly nothing...I can't believe that I have been here for two months already. I feel very sad about leaving. I've made my bucket list with the last couple things that I want to do before I head home. My flight leaves next Saturday at 9 p.m. I will probably be freezing and very depressed the whole way home...I guess I better make the most of it while I'm here.

On Tuesday, Aidi and I went searching for this burger place after school, but it was closed. We went window shopping and tried on boots at a few stores...the thing here is like colored tie-up military style boots. I really like these red ones, but no one has my size. But its fun to check out all the shoe shops and see what kinds of goodies they have. :)

As you already know, last Wednesday we went to the Evita museum. This time we had an even better tour guide who was very thorough in his explanations of Evita. I really enjoyed what he had to say and I was very interested in the things he had to say. The girl we had last time left a few things out, so its a good thing I snuck into the second trip, huh? I took more pictures of Evita's dresses and things...she had excellent fashion, and she was tiny, too.

I know that I used to be pretty hard on Evita because I figured that she slept her way to the top and she used her social works programs as a way to ensure her spot at the top, but being here has shown me that there is a lot to Evita. I'm not the only one with mixed feelings...a lot of people around here love her for some things but blame her for others. I've really learned to respect her, because no matter how she came to be the first lady, she was a strong, powerful, confident woman. She paved the way for women in politics...she won women the right to vote here in Argentina, and she herself had a very strong role in Argentinian politics during her time as first lady...not only was this a first for Argentina, but for the whole world. She was so respected that she went to Europe after World War II to meet the pope and provide assistance to rebuilding countries after the war...this was a first. She has done a lot of amazing things, and as a woman I have a lot of respect for the fact that she started as an illegitimate daughter in the country to one of the most powerful woman in the world during her time. Being here has made me wonder what would have happened if Evita had lived longer...maybe Argentina wouldn't have had so many hardships. Hard to tell.

Afterwards, Aidi and I went window shopping, again. This time for clothes...which is fun, but I basically want just about everything I see in the window. Hahahaha. I know I've said this before, but I just love their boots, sweaters, scarves, and coats. We don't dress nearly as cool as the people here.

On Thursday, I got to eat a real, authentic U.S. style cheeseburger. Aidi and I skipped out on dinner with our families to go to this place called The Office. It was opened by a man from California and its American style burgers...and I loved it. We had these delicious cheese fries with bacon on them and of course, a cheeseburger. So good. After that, we were invited to a house party. A kid in my class lives in an apartment with two other boys, and they were having people over. It was actually really fun. It's funny because he technically lives in a home stay, but his señora kind of makes a business out of hosting international students, so she lives on the first floor with the girls, and the boys live alone on the sixth floor. They go down to her apartment for breakfast and dinner. I guess she heard some of us and she came up to see what the heck was going on...the whole thing was pretty comical. Some kids were hiding in the closet, and she like used her spidey senses and opened the door and was like, "What are you doing in the closet?" and they laughed and she laughed. She really didn't care that the boys were having a party...she just said turn the lights off when you guys all leave. Haha.

Earlier on Thursday, we went to my new favorite place in Buenos Aires, The Tea Connection. Their tea is SO good. They come in the cutest little pots and they have all kinds of flavors. I love it. I also worked on my project for my class...a girl in my class, Tina and I chose to do Cristina Kirchner.

Friday marked the day of my presentation about Cristina Kirchner...I was kind of nervous because my teacher likes her and I didn't want to offend him or anything. I guess we did alright...Tina did history and presidency and I did her like social life and new campaign. I talked a lot about her fashion, the magazines she has been in, her plastic surgery, and things like that. My teacher didn't like that part...although I find her clothes and makeup fascinating. He told me that people here don't really care about that...so I guess I fucked it up. I feel kind of bad that he didn't like it because I was really excited to talk about it and everything and I love him and his class and I feel like now he hates me. But I guess I will get over it.

After school Aidi, Tina, and a new friend Jessica headed over to the movies to see Harry Potter!!!! I cried, I laughed...it was amazing. I have to see it again when I get home...it was so good. I just love Harry Potter. :)

Friday night we went to some kid's apartment. It was actually really lame...it was supposed to be a "house party" but there was NO ONE there. Sooooo it was weird. And they made fun of how I speak Spanish, because they are from Colombia and I speak Spanish the Argentinian way. So, I just kept my mouth shut the rest of the night so as not to deal with it. A lot of people are very critical of the castellano dialect...but I think its cool. I love the way they speak here.

This is all I have time for right now because dinner is in like 15 minutes and I'm going to be late, but I will try to update again soon!!!

Buckle your seatbelts y'all, this is some Indiana Jones shit!

So, I know its been like over a week since I’ve blogged. I promise I have a legit reason for this…my computer is shot and won’t connect to the internet and I don’t really know how to fix it. So, I’ve decided to document my adventures in Word and put them up when I have internet access…it really sucks. Today I almost started crying because I haven’t been able to use the internet for like a week. Its hard because I haven’t really talked to my mom or anyone…I started crying because I feel like I can’t get in touch with her, and it really sucks. I’m going to ask some people if they know how to fix the problem. Today Aidi had it working at Starbucks, but I don’t know how to make it work. I can use the ISA office’s computers but they close at 6…so for now this is what I have to do.

As you all know, last Monday was Fourth of July. A very special day for all of us Americans. Surprisingly, Argentinians don’t really care that much about our holiday, and I still had to go to school and yadda yadda yadda. That afternoon, however, I started celebrating in style by stopping at my favorite ice cream store Volta. On Mondays, its 2 for 1 kilo day and Aidi and I decided to buy a kilo each of ice cream. Its actually cheaper to buy the kilo than to buy a smaller size…you can’t pass that up. So, I started eating mine right then on there walking down the street and on the colectivo, etc. People gave me funny stares, but I figured I’m an American and I was just celebrating the holiday…who cares. I had American Cookie (sticking with the theme) and Chocolate Suizo. Unfortunately, I didn’t finish it all…but I will say I ate a good portion of it. Probably not something to be proud of, but I am.

After that, I came home and napped for a bit because we had big plans for the night. All of us were going to head to El Alamo for drinks and celebrating. Some girl spread a rumor that the embassy had fireworks and things like this, but in reality they were just “opening their doors” to Argentinians to obtain visas to the States. What a crock…nothing for us Americans who happen to be in Argentina for the holiday. But that’s okay because we still had fun. J

Jorge went so far as to play the national anthem for us. He is so precious. He originally played it while I was napping, and when I woke up he said, “Te falta. Yo toque el cancion de los Estados Unidos. Te falta.” Basically, this means you fail I played the national anthem and you missed it…but that’s okay. Because he played it again! He has some old dvd from 1996 of the three tenors (I don’t know who these people are) in concert and they start with the Star Spangled Banner. I’d say that was pretty American of him to do for us. What a sweetie.

There were a ton of people at El Alamo…we learned how to take the 152 bus to this bar. Saves us money for the taxi…like a true porteño!!! Interestingly enough, there were lots of porteños at the bar…it was a really happening place. I made lots of new friends and was able to practice my Spanish. I’ve said it once, I will say it again…Spanish is easier when you’ve had a few drinks. I made two Brazilian friends…one who speaks English, Marcela, and one who speaks Spanish, Gui. We talked and shared drinks and exchanged names and numbers. I enjoyed getting to know them…and everyone got to practice their castellano and English!!! We plan to keep in touch via Facebook and someday maybe I will visit Brazil! They also plan on visiting the United States, but they are thinking of going to New York. I told them that was a very good choice. We left the bar at 4 when they closed the place down…I finally went to bed at about 5 a.m.  

Tuesday I was very tired…as I had to wake up at 9 a.m. for class. Wahhh. However, I survived and then I met Aidi and some girls from her old class for Starbucks at 4:30. Then, we went to buy more minutes for my phone and went to the Club Manhattan so Aidi could have a snack before dinner. I like our waiter friends Rocky and Ariel…they are very good to us. After this, I came home and had dinner and crashed.

Wednesday I had much to prepare for as Thursday was a very big day for me. I studied for my test a little bit and packed for Iguazu Falls. Also, I received a package with a book from my mom and two packages with gifts for my host family from my grandma. Since they sent them in padded envelopes, I didn’t have to trek to the fricken correo central to retrieve my packages. How nice. We also had our orientation for the trip to Iguazu…I’ve been waiting for this for over a month!!! Many of you may not know that Iguazu made the new list of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World. Niagra Falls looks like a bathroom sink faucet in comparison…no joke. It became clear to me that this was going to be a very jam packed trip…yikesabee!!! But I was very excited. J I took money out of the bank, packed, bought snacks and plenty of water…and let me tell you…Iguazu does not disappoint. Iguzau is Guarini for big…by the way. Just a clue at the size of these falls.

For our goodbye dessert, Mercedes had the maid make us flan. How sweet…literally.

Thursday could not go by fast enough…I took my test, which went very well. I got my results back and I got a 92 percent which rounds up to a 9.5 out of 10. Not too shabby…I would just like to say SUCK IT DR. KLAUS…thanks for not signing my study abroad form because you didn’t believe I could handle the course load, because I think I kicked this course load’s ass. Sorry, I had to get this out of the way. Then we had more school…and finally 6 p.m. rolled around…time to head to the falls!

Our mode of transportation to Misiones (the province where Iguazu is located) was this strange and fascinating vehicle called the bed bus. We’re not talking a Greyhound bus here…we’re talking a full on two story bed bus. It’s very lush inside and it seats 42 passengers quite comfortably. We’re talking plush seats, leg room, reclining seats, pillows and blankets, televisions, and meals. I sat next to Emi, which made my day because I had not seen her in two weeks because her class starts two and a half hours later then mine and it is on a different floor. I missed her very very much. We had salad, crackers, a roll, cheese, crude ham, beef and pasta, and flan as our dinner for the night. Honestly, this stuff was pretty delicious. I was very pleased. Before dinner we watched “The Killers” and after dinner we watched “50 First Dates.” It was a pretty good selection…I forgot how much I loved “50 First Dates” and I could stare at Ashton Kutcher all day. After that, I curled up in my little bed on the little bus and slept. It wasn’t as peaceful as I hoped, but it was better then the overnight flight here. It’s strange traveling in Argentina, though…we didn’t drive on like highways or anything…its just like two lane roads straight through. You go through cities, forests…you really cover all of Argentina. No wonder the ride takes 12 hours…more or less. At about 6:00 a.m. the little bus attendant turned the lights on and woke us all up for breakfast…crackers and two medialunas. We arrived in Posadas at 7 a.m. where we were allotted fifteen minutes to use the restroom to freshen up. What a joke. First of all, you have to buy toilet paper at this rest stop. Second of all, it was filthy, Third of all, it was 7 am in the morning…too early to be doing anything. But we managed.

Then, we hopped a normal Greyhound bus and met our tour guide for the weekend and our driver. Margarita and Mr. Ant. Don’t really know why that’s his name…it just is. Margarita has the same birthday as me…ironically. We had to sit on this bus for an hour because some kids had to ride a different bed bus because our whole group would not fit on one, and the other one was running behind. Finally, they showed up and we started our weekend adventures.

First on the agenda were the Jesuit ruins. This is a huge complex that was built by the Jesuits and the Guarini people lived there and learned how to hunt, cook, weave, etc. They also went to church. Unfortunately, at some point the king of Spain decided he didn’t want the Jesuits influencing the Guarini people anymore so he expelled them from South America and ordered the complexes destroyed. Now, all that remains are the ruins…which are still very very impressive. The dirt in the Misiones province of Argentina is red…the ruins are also tinted red. A good movie for everyone to watch about this is “The Mission” with Robert DeNiro…I will have to watch it when I get home. We had a tour guide walk us around and point out the important things…I took lots of pictures, which I will be sure to share when I get the chance. J

After this it was off the estancia, which is basically a plantation/farm/country house. This is a very common part of life in Argentina…in fact there are tourist trips to estancias from Buenos Aires. You can sign up to visit a farm for a day where there is asado, animals, and relaxing outside of the city. This estancia was very nice. They grow mate and black tea here and also they served us excellent asado. Guillermo told us that we would be eating a lot on this trip…he wasn’t kidding. First, we ate until we thought we would explode. To drink, we had fresh squeezed lemonade…it was like heaven. Choripan, empanadas, ensaladas, y asados out to wazoo. This is some of the best beef I have ever eaten in my whole life. So juicy, tender, and flavorful…I’ve read its because the cows feed on lush, green, Argentinian grass rather than chemicals, steroids, and all the other crap Americans feed their cows. It was so delicious…I can’t even describe it. We also tried “sweet bread.” That is the American term for it, I’m unsure of what the Spanish word is, but it’s the cow’s gland, which is roasted and served up. Here it is considered a delicacy. It was good…kind of crispy on the outside, but very tender on the inside. After this, I was totally stuffed. So, naturally, they made us walk it off with a trip through the plantation to see the mate factory.

This mate factory was very cool…kinda creepy because it would never be legal for 40+ kids to be walking through a factory that has the technology of the 50s, but I thought it was all very very interesting. There were trucks hauling mate in huge burlap bags. Then the workers had to separate the leaves and put them on the conveyer belt to dry. Then the leaves had to sit for a few days drying some more. Then its packaged and sent out…I’m not really sure if this is the totally accurate process, but its what I gathered. The mate was piled high in this factory…I mean everywhere you look…even in the attic of the farm where we got to go “play” in the mate for a few minutes. I took lots of pictures here, too, so they will be cool to show everyone. This only furthered my love for mate…its smelled so good!!!

We walked back to the main part of the estancia where dessert and mate was waiting for us. First, we tried mate cocido, which is like mate in a tea bag. Pretty delish…especially when you add sugar. Then, we had mandarin pound cake…so wonderful. I ate three pieces…but so did Sam and Emi. It was so light and sweet and perfect. After that, we passed around a legit mate cup like true Argentinians. It was a very nice way to relax for the afternoon.

At four, we packed things up and headed to Puerto Iguazu, which is still 4 hours away from the estancia. Obviously, I slept on the bus ride…my little eyes couldn’t stay open.

When we arrived at the hotel, I was so happy. We stayed in Hotel Saint George…it’s a very swanky joint. Complete with pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, all you can eat buffet, big, warm beds with fluffy pillows. It’s a wonderful place. It’s also warmer in Puerto Iguazu, so that was a nice change of pace. We ate dinner at 9:00 and then I took a shower and hit the sack…Friday was exhausting, and I was pretty sure Saturday would be, too. Wake up call was at 7:30 a.m.!!!

Let me tell you, 7:30 a.m. came too soon, but it was worth it to see the falls. We rode the bus about 20 minutes to the national park. We walked a ways and rode the train and eventually we reached the biggest fall…The Devil’s Throat. The Guarini people used to think that the devil was at the bottom of the falls with his mouth open sucking in all the water. Honestly, words can’t describe the beauty of Iguazu…I’m not even going to try. I will post pictures when I get home, but it is seriously the most beautiful place I have ever seen. The rainforest, beautiful falls, and hundreds of rainbows. I can’t wait to show you all…I literally had a smile on my face the whole day. We also walked along the upper and lower circuit, which are equally awesome.

At the end of the day, was the special treat…the boat ride under the falls!!! I kept calling it Maid of the Mist because that’s its name in Niagra…not really sure what the official name for Iguazu is, but it was fricken AWESOME!!! We took a speed boat to the bottom of the falls where we drove under them and got soaking wet…it was especially ballsy because just last May three people were killed in an accident on one of these boat rides…thankfully we lived to tell the tale!!! It’s really fun because if you get all pumped and yell and scream “Otra” or “Dale” the driver will go really fast and do tricks and get you very very wet from the falls!!! I loved it. J

After the falls, we visited Tres Fronteras…it overlooks Brazil and Paraguay…apparently Osama Bin Laden’s summer home is in Paraguay. Pretty close. It’s very beautiful…the river separates the three countries. I have pictures of this also. Basically, all of this you have to see for yourself. Sorry…

We had all you can eat buffet again for dinner. We also found this really great bakery, which sells wonderful treats at low low prices!!! I wish I could have taken this place home with meeeeee. Wahh. Plus, we went shopping at the little vendors around town…they have some pretty cool stuff. Also, very cheap. Honestly, all of Misiones reminded me of Nicaragua. Lots of poverty and very small town-ish. People playing music in the streets and dirty little children running around without shoes. Everyone has their doors open and they were far more friendly than the porteños. I enjoyed it, but I love Buenos Aires more.

Sunday morning we boarded a convey (no joke) and headed into the jungle to visit the Guarini village. The Guarini are the natives to Argentina…think Native Americans. They have pretty much the same sad story as Native Americans in the U.S. Forced off their land and now they live in poverty, holding on to their traditional customs. They speak mostly Guarini, but they also learn Spanish in school. A German ambassador founded and funded the school for this particular village. The village was straight up like Nicaragua…small tin houses, chickens running around in the yard, children with no shoes…the similarities were very scary. Our guide showed us some of their hunting traps and how they build their homes. At the end of the tour, a group of Guarini children sang for us. It was very sweet. We were able to take pictures and talk with them, but only if we left a donation. The whole thing is very commercialized and touristy. I was kind of disappointed with the fact that travel agencies exploit their poverty and culture as a way to make money. I understand that now the Guarini depend on donations from tourists, but to me its just very sad and unnatural. These kids sing everyday so that tourists will give them money…that has become their way of life. I kind of lost its sweetness factor when they brought out the donation bowl to take pictures…I just feel like their lives are exploited. But, it was still an experience. We also were able to shop at the market where they had handmade crafts. I bought a few gifts…but I won’t say what, so as not to ruin the surprise.

This was the end of our very long and exhausting and exciting trip. We headed to the airport where we waited to see if the ash would affect our flight. Originally, we were told that our flight was delayed because Buenos Aires airport was shut down…but then five minutes later they announced that our flight would be the last flight to head into Buenos Aires.  We flew LAN, which is very nice. We got yummy Havannah snacks and drinks. I slept like a baby, however, they had entertainment on the tv the whole flight…they clearly aren’t skimping on things like U.S. airlines are these days.

After I came home, I met Aidi and I went and grabbed something to eat. I was hungry, and had only eaten the breakfast buffet. We went to Café Martinez and caught up about our weekend. The mayoral election was this weekend in Buenos Aires, so a lot was happening. Also, I was very exhausted from all the traveling.

Mercedes and Jorge cooked us cauliflower as a special treat and baked chicken. They bought brownies for dessert, but I cannot eat them because I am allergic to walnuts. I slept like a baby on Sunday night…Monday came far too soon!!!

Yesterday (Monday) was a pretty simple day. I went to school…we had a day where we talked all day about all kinds of issues. In Spanish, of course. It was good practice. Aidi and I walked around all afternoon looking at boots and clothes…its fun to see all the fashion. Everyone here wears these military boots, but in like color. I like the red ones, but no one had my size. Sad face. I will keep my eyes peeled, though.

Dinner was milanesa with carrots and cauliflower. The classic banana with dulce de leche for dessert. Aidi and I planned to go to the Alamo for our usual Monday night routine, but when we arrived we were told that the cover was 50 pesos…that’s 12. 50!!! Normally its only 30 pesos…it was spiked because of the Costa Rica v. Argentina game for Copa America. We decided to ef that and walked around the city at night…not in a creepy, dangerous way. In a beautiful big city kind of way. It was nice and I went to bed around 12:30.

Today was Tuesday. My wonderful mother was able to call Apple for me while emailing me at the ISA office in order to fix my internet connection. The internet is kind of shotty at my house still, but I had my network preferences configured wrong, so I was unable to hook up to any network. Thankfully, its all fixed now. So, I can get back to blogging as usual!!!

Aidi and I went to this awesome café called Tea Connection. It’s actually a tea house with all natural, green food and drinks. I had the chai tea with cheesecake. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this, but its common for Argentines to eat merienda between 3 and 7 p.m…Aidi and I are pretty accustomed to this. Dinner is so late…so it makes sense that they have a little snack. The tea comes out in kettles and its not in bags. The herbs and tea leaves are put in a filter in the kettle of hot water. They give you an hour glass to time how long you need to let it steep. Once the glass is finished you can drink the tea…it’s very cool. I really love this place…too bad I discovered it with only 12 days left here. L

I have compiled my list of last things to do before I leave…I am starting to feel very sad. I miss my mom and my dog, but I really love it here. I’ve made really great friends, learned so much, and I’ve fallen in love with Buenos Aires. It’s an amazing city…I plan to return. Maybe someday I can get a job and live here.

We had raviolis for dinner tonight. Argentina beat Costa Rica yesterday for those of you who are interested in Copa America. Also, the street vendors were busted on Calle Florida, so now there aren’t any there anymore…apparently, it was a pretty violent thing. The vendors started rioting and screaming and protesting…but now they have all found new posts. I’m depressed because the vendors were like the best part of Calle Florida…I hope they come back.

Tomorrow I’m going back to Museo Evita with ISA. It’s a really awesome museum and I’m excited to see it again!!! J

I want to say Happy Birthday to my Grandma Bapcha. I know it’s a day late, but I hope you had a really fabulous birthday and I miss you very much. I’m sorry I couldn’t wish you well yesterday…internet problems and all, but I love you.

And everyone should thank my mother for calling Apple and helping me to get my computer working.

12 more days until this great adventure is over…I’m not sure how to feel about it.

You're going to take half of Buenos Aires with you.

So, I admit it. I have a shopping problem...but Jorge and Mercedes think its hilarious how much stuff I like to buy. Today I told them I bought some gifts for my family and Jorge said (in Spanish) "You are going to talk half of Buenos Aires with you when you go!" And laughed. He is so cute. He likes to make fun of me for sleeping, escaping in the middle of the night, shopping practically every day, and eating ice cream. I'm so good that I have the number to Freddo memorized...some might see that as pathetic, I know, but I think its quite a feat. Per usual, I haven't written all weekend, so we have lots to catch up on!!!

On Friday, I went to school per usual. Germán is a good teacher because he has all these fun games for us that actually make us use what we learned on command. He also doesn't take any of our crap because he knows what its like in the United States. Other teacher let us slack off like there's no tomorrow, but him...no. No speaking English in his class or there is punishment. No being late for class or from breaks and lunch. He checks our homework to make sure we did it. It's good...unfortunately, the most annoying girl in the world is in my class. AND she has a big crush on the teach...and I'm over her antics. Her name is Katy or Katzia because she is russian and apparently that is cool and she has irritated me since Day One...but its especially irritating now that she feels the need to talk/attempt to flirt all fricken day. She is from SoCal and she's a philosophy major and she is a big bible thumper...not that that's a bad thing, but she LOVESSS to talk about it and tell everyone else about it and blah blah blah. I don't care about why she doesn't cuss. So, anyway, she is like really rude, but she thinks she is being coy. She told our teacher that she was going to call him German or Alemania (which is Germany in Spanish) because his name is spelled that way. RUDE. That is his name, and down here it sounds nothing like German because they have a different word for German. And he pronounces it differently than German anyway! Like. WTF. She also insists on asking for breaks at the exact minute that the break is supposed to start. In the US, I would never straight up interrupt the teacher to say, "it's time for our break now..." She also likes to beg him to speak English to us..."it's SO cute when Argentinians speak English." Dude, your being rude and condescending. And we are here to learn Spanish...not beg our teacher to talk to us in English. It wasn't so bad when she kept her mouth shut in the other class, but now that she is crushing on the teacher she doesn't shut the heck up...She can be voted off the island, I say.

After that, Aidi picked me up and we went to Van Gogh for some mozzerella sticks and a bottle of wine. I also had some sort of lemon drink that they make here...it's a local lemon liquor with sugar and lemon juice. It tastes like candy...I love it. The service at Van Gogh sucks and I'm never going back there. It's overpriced and you better plan on spending like 3.5 hours in there AT LEAST because it takes them forever to wait on you. You have to practically hound them down to get them to bring you the bill...it's fricken ridiculous. Later that night we all met up at Club Manhattan (hands down the best cafe in Belgrano...if not Buenos Aires) to "pregame" for the club.

WAIVER: GMA AND MOM...THE NEXT PARAGRAPH EXPLAINS DETAIL ABOUT MY CLUBBING EXPERIENCE. IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT...DON'T READ IT. (It's prolly best you don't.)  :)

So, three newbies met me and Aidi at Club Manhattan. Two of them were actually very cool. Rocky, my fave waiter, wasn't at Club Manhattan on Friday night, so we had to make a new friend named Ariel. He gave me his Manhattan button as a "souvenier." What a sweetie. After a couple bottles of wine, we proceeded to head to this club on the corner called Viper. They let me in for free...it's so nice being blonde. When we walked in...it seemed like it might be kind of a young crowd, but we stayed. I ordered a Cuba Libre, which is rum and coke from the bar up front. We were dancing and hanging out and then we got armbands to enter the VIP section. OOOOOHHH. So, I went back there and ordered another drink from that bar. Naturally, the bartender fell in love with me and kept telling me how I was the princess of his life and he would love to "have me." Whatever that means...He made my next drink like straight up Bacardi rum and maybe one drop of Coca Cola. He probably roofied me, too, because after that things are all pretty fuzzy...and I only had those two drinks. Aidi and I took lemon drop shots which are served with salt...gross. I didn't even finish mine. We danced. This photographer for the club followed me around all night taking pictures of me like I'm some fricken celebrity. Boys kept coming up to me to ask for their picture taken with me. Everyone wanted to talk to me...it was crazy. I literally felt like I was famous. P.S. I was the ONLY blonde in this club. I stayed there until about 6 or 7 in the morning dancing and socializing and whatnot...and then I took a taxi home. Obviously, way more exciting things happened between then and now, but I can't talk about ALL my adventures now can I? ;)

WAIVER: I AM NOW DONE DESCRIBING MY NIGHT OUT...

So, Saturday Erin, Aidi, and I decided to head to my favorite "hood" Boca. I say that jokingly because that just so happens to be the place that I ended up in the dark after taking the wrong bus and you should never be in Boca at night. I, however, lived to tell the tale. Lucky me. I decided to test my fate again with another visit. We hopped on the 64 bus...its like an hour ride, and those colectivos sure do get to me. A group of boys kept making lovey faces at me and trying to talk to me in English...its best to avoid these gestures because if you don't then they will think you are going to bore their children. Which I'm not...unless you're rich. Then we can talk.

So, then we all got off the 64 bus...barely. The driver tried to drive away in the middle of my descent. I'm lucky to be alive...seriously. Caminito is the famous part of Boca and the only place that is really safe for us Americans. Once again, on my little impromptu visit I was NOT on this street...luck, I tell you. Boca is home of the world's GREATEST soccer player Diego Maradonna and the inventor of tango himself, Carlos Gardel. That also makes it the birthplace of tango...the national dance of Argentina which is full of sultry sexiness. This is ALL OVER Boca. Also, there are lots of little restaraunts and little people will come and tell you why their restaraunt is best and blah blah blah. This is how you make friends! Walter basically wants to marry me. He kept holding my hand and asking if I will dance the tango with him. We tried to eat at another restaurant and he freaked out and pulled me into HIS restaurant and made me promise to dance with him. Like, seriously dude? It was a good decision anyway because his restaurant has tango dancing as entertainment. WOOP WOOP. One guy asked me if I was from Idaho...I said "no, why?" and he said "because I love potatoes!!!!" We all laughed hysterically at this man...I don't know what potatoes have to do with me, but it was pretty funny. We made many friends like this...it was fun. Caminito is very colorful and has these big corny statues all over the place. I like it a lot there...and apparently they love me, too!!!!

I had grilled chicken and french fries for lunch. We watched the tango show and took pictures with the sexy tango man. Too bad he didn't wanna marry me...sigh. It was fun. However, our little photo shoot took too long and once again we ended up in Boca at night. Seriously, it was like the great exodus. One minute the place is packed and people are laughing...the next, not a soul in sight. So, we held hands and ran to the bus stop to ensure that we all made it there safely. We took the 29 bus home. That man didn't let us off right when we pushed the buzzer...I don't know why it's never happened to me before, so we ended up like six blocks away. What a butthole.

While on the bus, we made a friend with some old man who was sippin on a Quilmes. He got off the bus and then walked up to my window and knocked on it...I opened it and he handed me some candy. Like I'm gonna eat that...I'm not trying to get roofied here...again...whoopsss. I am, however, keeping it as a momento. Also, some old lady kept putting liquid liner on while we were riding on the bus. As if that's gonna work out...its the COLECTIVO. Your lucky to make it off the thing alive with all your body parts intact...let alone with your eyeliner applied appropriately. She got off looking like a lunatic...her eyeliner was halfway up her eyelid. It's nuts. But, we laughed a lot and I had a lot of fun...I like to laugh and talk with my friends, and I'm glad that Erin and Aidi like to do that, too.

I went to bed early last night because after the Friday night fiasco I couldn't handle the idea of going out. I will be going out to celebrate the 4th of July tomorrow...can't forget to be proud of my country even though I'm not in it. I have to go to school first, though. WAHHHH.

Today I woke up and waited for Aidi for about three hours. Since, she didn't rise from the dead until after her 3 o'clock cut off I left without her. I'm actually very proud of myself for being strong enough to go out alone and enjoy myself. I've never eaten a meal out alone...and it wasn't that bad! I went to Club Manhattan for lunch and Rocky waited on me. I had sorrentinos in cream sauce. OMG. This is like hands down the best meal I've ever had in Buenos Aires. The sorrentinos are stuffed with cheese and ham and the cream sauce is to die for. I also had bread to dip into the sauce. It was heavenly...just what I needed.

Then, I headed to the feria in Belgrano. It's small, but a good place to spend the afternoon. Especially since I was alone and I didn't want to get on the bus or subte and go to a big feria with a companion. I browsed the booths...I found a leather wallet for my little brother and some gifts for my mom. I bought another mate cup. It's ceramic and it was too adorable to pass up. I found some Shamans who sell rocks and whatnot on the corner, so that made mom happy. I will go back to pick her up some more things. I also went into the bookstore and browsed around...it's not the same as a library (which is one of my favorite pasttimes), but I think it's still fun to peruse the shelves. I like to try to read the back of the books to see what they are about. I'm not sure I could commit to a full novel right now...it was hard enough in Eipper's class. I'm not trying to have to work to read, but it gives me something to work towards. One day I will be so good at Spanish that I will WANT to read books in the language. :)

I saw a Volta...one is close to me! But I refrained...it was busy and it was almost dinner time. It's a pretty amazing feat that I said no to helado. I came home and talked to my mom online for a bit. Then, we had dinner...some weird criole thing. I didn't like it that much and she gave me WAYYY to much, but I forced it down so not to be rude. We had left over Freddo for dessert. Last night we had pizza. The night before that one of my favorites...chicken and lettuce with soy sauce. I love eating soy sauce with my lettuce. I also love Mercedes' oven baked chicken. She knows I like dark meat. Also, Mercedes knows how much I love puree and she warmed up leftovers from a few nights ago especially for meeeeeeeeee. None for Alex...I still am queen of the house! BAHAHHA.

I washed a pair of jeans in the sink today because I wore them out and they got all smokey smelling. I hung them outside to dry, but today when I came back I can't open my door to the patio. Let's hope I figure it out before I have to leave for Iguazu...I need those jeans!!! So, that's my project for the next few days.


Aidi and I are meeting up for ice cream in a few minutes...don't act so surprised. Then, I'll prolly hit the sack because tomorrow is Monday and it is NOT a holiday down here. Clearly, they aren't excited about the birth of our country as they should be. :P

Have a good 4th of July everyone!!! I am really missing the American-y things everyone does this holiday weekend, so be sure to eat a s'more/light a sparkler/crack a beer for me. :)

We found the Starbucks.

I will say that after almost 5 weeks...I'm starting to miss America. I miss texting, I miss cheeseburgers, I miss my mom and my dog, I miss hanging out with my friends, I miss washing my clothes whenever I want, I miss our coffee,  I miss the normal post office, I miss my bed...the list goes on. Not that I don't love it here, it's just I don't even feel American anymore! I know nothing about my own country right now. :( That's terrible. However, the coffee situation was remedied once I found the Starbucks...coffee here is like mud. Black, thick, and strong. Sugar doesn't dissolve in it and when you add milk it stays black. It's potent, awful stuff. You can also only get it in tiny portions...I always say what I wouldn't give for a big American coffee. Thank god I found one! It's a little taste of home. :)

Also, the 4th of July is coming up and I am sad to not be celebrating at home...however, us Americans are planning on donning our red, white, and blue and going to the American pub to display our pride for our own country. Then, 5 days later it is Argentina's Independence Day, but they don't get too fancy. Most Argentinians aren't patriotic...understandable considering all of its political turmoil. I will be in Iguazu Falls...it was up for one of the seven wonders of the world! It's eighth...

Yesterday, I went to MALBA which is an art museum. There were many famous pieces...a lot by Antonio Berni (which I liked) and even a Frida Kahlo. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon.

Aidi and I also tried searching for sushi, but the stuff is impossible to find. Every place we look up is closed. So, we kind of give up.

Today, we went to Starbucks for an afternoon coffee and then headed to the movie theater to catch a flick. The movies are a lot like ours...but kind of different. There are heladerias, bars, and restaraunts in the theater so you can buy food like that for your movie. They also serve alcohol at the movies. You can get pizza, french fries, hot dogs, hamburgers and things like that for your movie, too. Seating is assigned, but not strict. The quality isn't as good...like the screen is kind of fuzzy. But it was still fun. We saw X-Men First Generation which is very good. We are going to go back for Transformers 3 and Harry Potter...I miss the movies very much. I feel like I have so much to catch up on.

After that I came home for dinner. We had my favorite torta de atun...which is like tuna pot pie. Yesterday, we had empanadas. For lunch I had ham and cheese torta. Yesterday lunch was milanesa sandwich. The family ordered us Freddo for dessert yesterday as a special treat.

Mercedes and Jorge are worried about where the roommate is...she went to tango, but isn't back yet. They stayed up until like just five minutes ago waiting for her and called the ISA director...they are very astute parents. Probably she is just out with friends, but I know they are very anxious for her to come home so they can relax.

School is wearing me out...I'm so tireddddd. I will try to keep everyone updated on the lowdown, but it's so hard to keep up sometimes!

A day without Freddo.

That's right folks...you read it. I have not had any Freddo today...I don't even know how this happened, but I'm going through withdrawals. I WANT CHOCOLATE SUIZO. So, that's basically all I can think about on this night, but I have had a lot of fun these past few days that I should probably expand upon...

So, Monday was my free day while the newbies took their placement test and had orientation. I slept until 11. I wandered down the street for a little while and checked out some of the bookstores. We all know how I love books...they smell good, they look nice, they have lots of fascinating things in them! I enjoy browsing through all the stores around here...they have used books, new books, and some English books. There are a lot of famous Latin American books that are translated...sometimes its hard to get your hands on stuff like that in the states. Then, I returned and waited for Aidi. We had a sushi date and we planned to go to Recoleta...we met up at 3.

First, we wanted to have our delicious sushi, but unfortunately that was a no-go. The place I looked up on the computer is only open from 12-3 and then 7-11. The sushi places around here are funny like that...they are never open! Only late at night...it's very strange. So, we had some fast food and headed for Recoleta.

We also visited El Ateneo Grand Splendid which is a huge bookstore. El Ateneo is a chain of bookstore, but this particular store used to be a theater where Carlos Gardel performed. They turned it into a bookstore, but it still looks like a theater. All the boxes on the side were turned into parts of the store and the stage is a coffeeshop. There are A TON of books and all kinds of places to sit and read and browse. It's a very beautiful bookstore...their English section sucked kind of a little bit, but that's normal here. As American as it sounds, I wish there was a better selection in English! My brain gets fried after searching for too long in Spanish.

Then, we headed to the Recoleta Cemetery. What a beautiful, but creepy place. It's a strange feeling...you just want to marvel at the beautiful mausoleums...they are new and old...it's very beautiful architecture. But, then it's also strange to think that you are hanging out in a cemetery...morbid, huh? You can see the caskets of these people...some are on shelves...like 10 of them row after row. There are pictures and trinkets and flowers...some caskets have lace doilies on top. There are stairs to the downstairs and you can see even more caskets down there! It's crazy...some of the glass is broken, so you could literally reach in there and touch the caskets. Stray cats wander all over the place. It's a very interesting place...and very unique. The States probably doesn't have anything like that. I also saw Evita's tomb. She has a very plain tomb hidden away in Recoleta...its the Duarte tomb...her mother's family. Her burial place is not as decorated because there were so many problems with her body after she died...the military regime stole her body and hid it for many years, but finally she is at rest. They were so worried about her body being taken again they created secret passages, multiple cement barricades, and replicas of her coffin. Crazy stuff. She has three plaques and there were tons of flowers all over it. I got chills just standing there!

Then, we went to the Palais de Glace which is an old skating rink that is now an art museum, but it is closed on Mondays...so I didn't go in. I just stood on the outside. After that, we took the bus home. That's right...I TOOK A BUS AND DIDN'T END UP IN BOCA!!! That's good news! We are making progress! To celebrate, we had Freddo. It's 2 for 1 on Mondays. :)


For dinner we had spaghetti. Alex and I got to know each other better...it's nice having a friend! I think that we will have a lot of fun together. And Aidi is dying to meet her. Haha.

Today, was my first day of my new class. It is from 10-3 like my last one. My teacher's name is Germán and he is working on a masters degree in Latin American History in New York and teaches here in Buenos Aires during the summer. He is not as lenient as my old prof, Alejandra, because he knows the ways of a true American university. He NEVER allows English, which I like a lot. I think he will be able to teach me a lot and it will be a good class for me. It's very fast paced and I feel challenged.

For lunch I had a super pancho (aka hotdog) with fries. I love the UB cafe...they have many options for pretty decent prices.

After school, I took Alex to Calle Florida. She wanted a coat and I love that place and it was good bonding. I bought the coolest red leather jacket...ON SALE. They also altered the sleeves...for free. Like, that was a legitimate lucky find. I can't wait to wear it around. My life is now complete. I have boots, a leather jacket, winter Argentine clothes, scarves, and my mate cup. I just have a few more gifts to pick up and then I'm pretty much done shopping. Which, let's get real, I'm never done shopping.

I found my boyfriend today on Calle Florida. Poor Alex...she got to experience these aggressive Argentine men. We were walking along and some guy called out to me, but as usual I ignored him. However, that was not enough for this guy...he followed us! And then, he kept grabbing my hand and asking, "Querés novio?" That means do you want a boyfriend? AHAHAHAAA. So, I started talking to the guy...like being nice...and he kept asking if I wanted a boyfriend! He asked me to go for drinks...but then I said I can't because I am with my friend right now. He kept holding my hand blah blah blah, but I told him that we needed to go shopping for a coat for Alex and he gave me his business card and told me to come back and look for him so he could take me out...His name is Mariano and he is 22 years old and he works at the leather shop as a salesman. So, I went to give him a kiss on the cheek (because that is the polite Argentinian thing to do) before we parted ways and he kissed me on my mouth! The nerve of this guy...like I just met you. Not that he wasn't cute or anything or that I wouldn't be willing to meet him for coffee, but it's not attractive when they are so aggressive. Like, forcing me to kiss you in the middle of an outside shopping street is not romantic. So, I just laughed and said I will see you later and kept walking, but he kept chasing me asking me if I was going to be his girlfriend! And he kept trying to kiss me! The ISA experts say that sometimes you have to kiss these people to get them to leave you alone, which okay...but he tried to use tongue!!! I can't believe it...American boys are nothing like that. They need about 6 months to decide if they even like you...let alone kiss you. Here, they have no qualms about going after what they want. Anyway...all I can say about this guy is WTF? So, we walked away and continued shopping...but we were both baffled. It was crazy.

So, after we had bought our new leather coats and stuff we were walking back and this guy was waiting for me!!! He kept asking me to kiss him and leaning in and asking me if I would have a drink with him now...yadda yadda yadda. Alex and I literally had to push this guy away and promise him that I would return so that we could have a drink. It was very strange...I'd never heard of anyone being so aggressive. But, I guess it's all part of the experience...and it's a pretty good story now. At the time, I was pretty much in shock.

I taught Alex about the subway...she thinks I'm pretty badass because I know how to get places and where to go. It's fun being the smart one who can help other people out. :) In fact, the other day a Brazilian asked ME for directions...and I could give them to her! That's pretty good! We came home and watched some tv with Mercedes and Jorge. We had some sort of pot roast for dinner with mashed potatoes and tortilla (it's basically like egg and zucchinni cooked on the stove...like paella). We had peaches for dessert.

Tomorrow Aidi and I are going to MALBA (an art museum)...and let's face it...prolly Freddo, too. ;)

Hey Che!

Well, I realize that a whole weekend has gone by and I have not updated anyone on my adventures. I find that the more I get to know the city, the less time I want to spend on the computer. Which is a good thing...for me!

So Friday night I went out. Aidi and I decided to hit up Plaza Serrano. Well, actually Aidi decided to hit up some rando bar, but when we arrived it was closed for a private party. So then we headed to Plaza Serrano. We went to Brujas...there are two sections. One is the bar and one is the club...we sat in the bar. We drank a few beers, ate french fries, and crept on the world's worst DJ. Seriously, this guy sucked. Then, we wanted to get our dance on so we thought that we would head to the clubs...which were jumping. However, someone failed to mention that in order to get in the clubs here you have to be on some sort of elusive list. Obviously, we were not...so we headed back to Plaza Serrano. Here we bumped into Samantha and Emi who were looking for a non-existent karaoke bar. Emi decided to ask these two young gentleman where said bar was, but they didn't know. So, I decided to ask them where the good bar/boliche/club was...which they said that on Friday night there wasn't anything too great going on. I was shocked...we got to joking and talking. We taught them bad words in English. After spending like an hour in the cold, we all decided to get a table together and have a few drinks. The bar we were at kicked us out around 4:30, so we went to some sort of pool place and we shot a couple games of pool. My friend from class, Joey, also spotted me in this establishment and stumbled in to say hello...I guess I stick out like a sore thumb. So, anyway, it was fun getting to know real porteños and laughing and joking and talking with them. They said they wanted to go to Goa next weekend with us, and gave us their number, but Argentinians are weird about that stuff. Down here they make plans because its polite, even when they don't plan on following through. I guess we will see how that goes.

It's funny because they taught us some slang and some bad Spanish words. Like "Che!" is slang for friend...but it's more like if I said to my friend..."Hey biotch." Like its rude, but its a joke, so it's okay. I also learned "No tengo plata" which is I'm broke. I used it on a guy selling roses in this bar at 6:30 am...but it kind of backfired. Instead, he grabbed my hand and said ven conmigo which is come with me...I had to tell him no...get the heck away from me. What is it with these guys???

I didn't go to bed until 7 am that day...I really just wanted to sleep until like 3 or 4, but I always feel guilty, so I woke up at noon and had breakfast. Yesterday, my new roommate arrived...but her plane was delayed, so I was out for the day by the time she came home. I went to 9 de julio with some girls where we ate and walked around the streets looking in the shops and talking to the street vendors. There is this one guy who makes shoes just for you right on the street. They are 60 pesos...like 15 dollars and he is very famous. He was in the newspaper and it takes him one hour to make your shoes. I'm debating getting a pair. He said that if I have coffee with him, he will give me a discount...what a joke.

Last night I met Nancy/Alex for the first time. Her real name is Nancy, I think. But she goes by Alex. She is from New Mexico...she seems nice enough. She doesn't know any Spanish. So, I kind of translate for her...but mostly Jorge and Mercedes talk in English to accomodate her...which ticks me off. Because I want to speak Spanish with them so I can practice. Hopefully, they will ease off with the english talk. I told them that I would translate...which seemed to ease everyone's minds. Last night for dinner we had one of my favorites...roasted chicken, roasted batatas and pumpkin, and lechuga with soy sauce. Banana and dulce de leche for dessert.

I invited her to my daily ice cream run with Aidi, but she wanted to go to bed. Aidi and I went to Freddo and then Aidi just had to have a burger from BK. I came home around 12:30 and crashed. I was very tired.

 I woke up today at 11:30 and ate my breakfast. Alex was already gone on her city tour. Aidi and I met up...originally, we were going to get sushi, but we couldn't find the place, so we went to Cafe Manhattan and had a pizza. We have a waiter there who knows us...he loves when we visit him, so Aidi and I try to go every couple of days to say hey and have a drink or something. After that, we headed to San Telmo for the Plaza Dorrego feria. It's very nice...there is lots of music and street performers. There are the usual vendors and things like that. Today there was a band of two electric violins and an electric cello...they were very good and very fun to watch! I bought some gifts for my mom and my grandma and then I bought a messenger bag that is black with a zebra print stripe and a houndstooth scarf. Things are so cheap here...it's hard to resist my urge to shop.

We found this quaint little ice cream shop...I had coffee and New Orleans chocolate. Coffee was good, but the New Orleans flavor had whiskey in it. I wanted to vom. I obviously didn't finish it. My new idea for becoming rich and famous is to write a travel book...but only for ice cream. I will travel to all these cities and sample all the ice cream places and review them. I will also tell people how to get there and yadda yadda yadda. Then, I will publish my book and make millions. It's genius.

Today was Manuel's birthday, but I missed the celebration because I was out and about...but that's okay. We had empanadas for dinner with this chocolate mousse cake for dessert...it was like heaven.

Now, I'm going to get ready for bed because I'm visiting Recoleta tomorrow and I have 4 stops on my list!!! Pretty ambitious. I want to go to the cemetery, this famous bookstore, the old skating rink, and the national library. I also looked up sushi places for me and Aidi to visit. It should be a good day!

Vino y Amigas.

The last two days have been pretty busy for me...it has been exam day(s). Yesterday, I took my written exam which was pretty easy...I finished before everyone else, but I have a thing about turning in my exam before everyone else, so I waited for other people to finish. After that, Sam, Emi, and me went to Plaza de Mayo, which is probably my second favorite place in Argentina. There is so much history there...millions of people gather there for political protests and demonstrations...it's a really cool place. Plus, the presidential meeting palace is pink...casa rosada literally translates into "the pink house." That's my kind of place! Thursdays are especially good days to visit the Plaza de Mayo because the Madres and Abuelas of the Plaza walk in an attempt to get the government to release information about the desparicados, or the disappeared ones. This is a complex and sensitive subject for Argentinians...

After Evita died, there was a lot of unrest in Argentina...the unrest started when Evita was considering running for vice-president, which in part caused her to turn down the nomination. Her sickness also played a part in her declining to run for VP. There was a military coup in the works and Evita's husband and president of Argentina, Juan Peron knew it...he tried to fend it off for as long as he could, however, the military regime won. These people were in power for a while, but eventually people rallied for the return of Juan Peron. During this regime, Peron lived in Spain and remarried a woman named Isabella. He was elected president for a third time after a few years, and he returned to Argentina as president with Isabella being elected vice president. Peron smoked for many years and shortly after taking presidential office fell to lung disease, leaving Isabella in charge. She was obviously incapable of running a country and soon succumbed to another military coup...this time one that brought tragedy to Argentina and its people. This regime was very anti-Peronist and it was considered a crime to even own a picture of Evita or Juan Peron. People lived their lives in fear because this military regime was not afraid to assert its power over the people. It is estimated that some 30,000 people were murdered and tortured during this time for "crimes against the government." Many were taken from their homes, heavily drugged, and tossed out over into the Atlantic Ocean from an airplane while still alive. The government tied weights to these victims to ensure that their bodies would never be found. This time is referred to as the "Dirty War." Another atrocious crime committed by the government is the displacement of thousands of children from their "disappeared" parents. The government removed these babies and gave them to new families where they were raised without knowing the truth about their biological parents or that the government had murdered them. The mothers gather every Thursday to demand information about the "disappeared" and about the children who were "adopted" into military families after their real families had been killed. The government has this information, but refuses to release it to the public. The mothers have been protesting since 1977...and they continue to protest every Thursday at 3:30 p.m. in the Plaza de Mayo.

After seeing the mothers, I can realize how this is a sensitive topic for many. While many Americans don't know about the heinous crimes the Argentinian government committed against its people, it is still as cruel as the war crimes we do know about, like the Holocaust. The sad thing is that this happened just 40 years ago...my host family and some of their children lived during this time. My parents were alive when this was happening...and the whole world turned its cheek to 30,000 people being brutally tortured and murdered. To families being ruined and displaced...there are kids just a little bit older than me here in Argentina finding out that their "parents" aren't really their parents. The people who have raised them helped to commit murder against their true biological parents. That's scary stuff. And its recent. And the mothers put on an excellent show to remind people of these atrocities and to fight for information regarding the victims...and they haven't stopped fighting for over 30 years. The mothers wear white caps to represent the blankets of the misplaced babies and some of them carry pictures around of their disappeared children/grandchildren. They don't yell or scream...they just walk in a circle around the square carrying their pictures and their signs. It made me want to cry for these women...I can't imagine what they've been through wondering where their kids are for all these years. It's crazy and I'm really glad I went to see it.

I also went to the Pink House's museum which is in the basement of the house...it's really cool. They have the old blueprints for Buenos Aires, keys and random things from the house, artifacts and clothes from the presidents, paintings...I really liked it. Also, one of the head architects or something for the city is Aduana Taylor...that's right kids...a Taylor designed the Pink House!!! Go figure...I'm definitely going to have to do some digging about that...maybe I have Argentinian roots!!!

I met up with Aidi and Emilia for some Freddo...what else is new, and we also decided to go to Cafe Manhattan to share a bottle of wine...when in Argentina? It's also about 10 pesos a pop for a bottle of wine...that's like 2.50 a person. Argentinian wine is also very famous...its one of the leading exporters of vino! So, that is our new tradition. :) Unfortunately, Emilia is leaving tomorrow. :( I'm going to be very sad to see her go, and I'm glad that I met her and experienced Argentina with her. Maybe, we will get lucky and she won't be going home until July 1 anyway, though, because they are canceling flights left and right because of the ash!!!

Today was my oral exam...which was very simple. I got a 7 in the class overall...which equates to like a B+/A- down here. Don't ask how they grade things...everything around here is illogical. Aidi and I went to Van Gogh for a celebratory bottle of wine...Malbec which is specific to Argentina. We sat and chatted about life...it's very fun, and I'm glad that Aidi is staying for the next month, so that I have a buddy. In fact, I think we are going to go to Palermo Hollywood tonight to go bar hopping, which I'm looking forward to. I just finished my first intensive month of Spanish and I'm ready to let loose!!!! Have a great night everyone!!!

848019

That number is the bain of my existence. It also happens to be the number of my box which means I spend hours longing to hear the numbers 8-4-8-0-1-9 called out (in spanish, of course). Thankfully, I received my package and can leave the hell of today in the past. After today's trip to (finally) retrieve my package, I am at a loss for words. My brain is fried and my body physically drained. Maybe I can fill you in on the gory details later...but for now I need to make up for the 4 hours of my life I lost sitting in the correo...


Words cannot describe the inefficiency and frustrations of the Argentinian post office.

No hay luz.

Well, today has been my most interesting day here in Buenos Aires...I have learned just how inefficient things are around here. I've heard stories...but today I found out for myself.

Unfortunately, I failed to set my alarm appropriately last night, so I decided to take a "mental health day" and get my errands done and maybe see some sights while I'm out. First stop, the post office to pick up my package. I figured that I would have the whole day to wait for my package and then after I could meet up with my fellow ISA students for the Museo Evita. It was a lovely plan...in theory.

I took the subte line to the ghetto again, but this time I got off at the wrong station and couldn't find the correo. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy...so I hailed a cab. Taxi drivers must know where the effing thing is. I was wrong on that account, too. My taxi driver didn't know...and I showed him on the map, but he didn't really believe me, so he called the dispatcher and one of his friends to tell him. Finally, he figured it out. Then, he could devote all of his attention to me...no not driving, but to the beautiful American in the backseat. Of course, this middle-aged man fell in love with me. He told me I speak beautiful spanish, I'm very beautiful, and all the other wonderful things that we all love to hear. Too bad he was about 15 years too old for me...he seemed like a great guy. We talked about my studies, what I think of Argentina, why I'm studying Spanish, and things of the like. It was really good practice, actually. He was also a very attractive older man, which could have worked for him if he weren't a taxi driver. But alas. Finally, we reached our destination and he was very sad to see me go. In order to ensure that I arrived to the building safely he reversed in traffic to drive me up on the sidewalk and then when I attempted to pay him he told me, "For you, the beautiful American, free." That's right folks. F-R-E-E. That's love.

So, I proceeded to walk into the ghetto post office with the hope that today would be the day to retrieve my package...only to find complete and total chaos. The power had gone out. Funny thing, the power. Because the power had only gone out at the post office...not the street, or businesses, or schools. JUST THE POST OFFICE. Obviously, the post office absolutely cannot function without power, so all the workers just sit there and repeat over and over again, "No hay luz" while smoking their cigarrettes and telling jokes to each other. I figured...hey, I have all day...I'll sit here until the power comes back on. About 30 minutes later they come out and say that there will be no power for the rest of the day so go home and come back tomorrow. It's funny how the power being out can ruin a whole day of productivity...like they don't have generators or alternate options? The power is out so the whole central office (we are talking the boss of the post office) is out of commission! Nothing gets done! It's fricken nuts. You'd think that this would be a once in a lifetime occurance, but I think not. Everyone kept walking in saying "Ay! Que raro" "Que sorpresa" and shook their heads and left. They were obviously being sarcastic...

I sat next to a nice lady who talked with me for a little while, and then a little old man came in and sat next to me. He actually had just returned to Buenos Aires from a trip to Miami, so he spoke English. He asked me where I was from and I said Michigan and he said, "Spanish in Michigan!" He was kind of surprised...it was sweet.

So, after that I ventured on down to Calle Florida to walk around and have lunch. It's a very busy place...even for a Monday, so I figured it would be a good spot to immerse myself and people wouldn't look at me weird if I ate alone. I actually went to McDonald's because I crave the Coke pretty much everyday...it's not the same. The fries aren't either...disappointment. But it's always fun to walk around and look at the cool things on the streets and in the shops.

Then I came home...but not before another little incident. I went to take the subte home, but surprise surprise. It was broken down. Of course nobody knew when it would be fixed, so I decided to just hail a cab. There were literally hundreds of people lining up on the streets waiting for a cab, but the minute I stuck my arm out cab drivers zoomed past these other people to pick me up. Sometimes it pays to be a blonde American.

After I got home I grabbed my camera and asked Mercedes to direct me to the nearest bus that would take me to Museo Evita. There are like a million that go by there, but she told me to take 118. It stops right outside my house, and for once in my life I had a successful colectivo ride. I got a little lost on the way to Evita because it's kind of out of the way, but once I got there I knew it was all worth it. The museum is in the house Evita used as a homeless kids and women's shelter. It's an old Spanish building. There are film clips of her speeches and funerals, dresses and shoes, magazines and movies that she modeled and acted for, toys that she gave to poor children for Christmas, and other artifacts from her life. It was very nice, and definitely worth visiting. I will have to say that I was probably the most educated about Evita than anyone else. American students can be so rude...one kept correcting the tour guide's English and a group kept talking while she was talking. A lot of people don't even know who Evita is or anything about her...I'm glad Eipper taught me something. Haha.

I went with a boy from ISA to Volta afterwards. Volta, in my opinion, has the best helado and the cutest little man working there. I'm in love with him and I think we are going to get married. He is SO CUTE. I swore today that he said something about "hermosa" when he was talking to his coworkers while I was ordering my ice cream. He was so nice to me when serving up my American cookie...I can just tell that we have a beautiful future together...I will just have to go there everyday so he won't forget me and he can finally ask for my number. :) In reality, that's a horrible plan because I will prolly just end up REALLY HUGE AND BOYFRIENDLESS. Anyway, ISA boy (Matt) and I talked and had icecream...he is probably one of the few nice boys left in the US. I wish I had gotten to know him sooner because we could have went sightseeing and stuff together as he doesn't have a partner in crime, either.

He decided to take the subte, but I thought I would be clever and take the bus. Matt was worried that I wouldn't get home safely, which maybe I should have stuck with him, but I thought I could handle it. After walking a few blocks without seeing a 118 station, I decided I would be clever and take another one of the many buses that goes down my street. No problem, right? Well, let me explain the colective system. First of all, there is not like one stop every couple blocks where all the buses stop to pick people up. There is like one stop every five feet where one or two buses stop to pick people up. Also, buses do not stop at every station...you have to "hail a bus." Buses do not run circular, you cannot ride until you hit your stop. If you get on the bus after it has passed your stop you cannot ride the bus around to your stop...you have to find the bus going the opposite way. The bus lists all the stops on the sign, although it will not stop there. You have to tell the driver when to stop...he will not stop at stations unless buzzed to do so. Buses with the same number run on both sides of the street, but they have different routes. It's all very complicated and I do not understand myself. So, I made the mistake of getting on a bus that had already past my street thinking that it would pass it again. I figured when I got on the bus and told the driver my destination that he would say, "Oh, wait, we aren't going there." WRONGO. He let me get on the bus with the belief that I would be taken safely home. So, I rode this bus for an hour...I found myself thinking hmmm...we aren't at my stop...weird...oh well...we will get there eventually. Then the bus stopped and I got booted off at the bus station in LA BOCA. Now, I know y'all aren't familiar with the barrios down here, but the one barrio that all foreigners should avoid is this one. It's near the river...it literally means the mouth. While many great things came from Boca ie) tango, Carlos Gardel, and Maradonna...it is not meant to be ventured into at night. Also, one should only stick to El Caminito (the tourist street) in La Boca. Let me tell you...I was not there during the day nor was I on El Caminito. I was pretty scared for my life. More crimes occur in Boca to tourists than in any other part of Buenos Aires...COMBINED. It's pretty unsafe. So, I put my hood up and decided to hail a cab...I walked for about two block, and thankfully, no one was around and no one saw me. Finally, a cab stopped and I jumped in as quickly as possible and he got me home eventually. I'm never taking the colective again...unless my house mother directs me to it. If I had taken the 118, I wouldn't have ended up in Boca...and maybe the driver would have been nicer. Another interesting thing about colectivos...the driver does a million things at once (takes money, presses stops into the computer, pays attention to the buzzer, drives...it's scary) and each bus is themed. Like the 118 bus is white with navy blue writing. The 64 bus has black lights and gaudy curtains and it's red and yellow on the outside. The bus that runs down Cabildo is white and black with a very modern interior...it's weird, but cool.

I came home and had dinner with the fam. We talked about politics. Argentinians love politcs...and voting is an obligation. All Argentinians love politics...it's great that they all care. Unlike America where the public is generally uneducated about anything remotely important. Currently, Kristina Kirchner is running a campaign ad for presidency comparing her to Evita...which irritates not only me, but my family. She is SO NOT Evita. So, that was a fun talk. They love Barack Obama as much as I do...it's a perfect match.

But...now I'm tired. I didn't blog yesterday because the internet was out, but I studied all day. So, yeah. Tomorrow I'm going to get my package...third time's the charm!!!

One Size Fits All.

Well, this weekend is a double whammy because today is Father's Day and tomorrow is Dia de la Bandera...lots of celebrating, and nothing is open. Well, almost nothing, anyway.

Yesterday, Aidi and I went shopping at Calle Florida. It's probably my favorite place in Buenos Aires...there is so much shopping. Street vendors, clothing retail stores, food, coffee, ice cream, jewelry stores, high end fashion, and also less pricey apparel stores. We first stopped at Burger King for a little taste of home before our shopping spree. I ordered a bacon double cheeseburger, fries, and a Coke. Burger King here, however, serves Pepsi...they also only put about 2 ice cubes in your drink. Despite that, this was probably one of the most delicious meals I've ever had in my life. I've been craving a real U.S. style burger for about 2 weeks now. They have tons of burgers here, but none of them are with American cheese, ketchup, mayo, pickles...it's just not the same. Also, their hamburgers have hardboiled eggs and ham on them. So, this particular choice of meal tickled my tastebuds...it was almost just like home. Now, I have to go to McDonald's to see which one is better...I'm generally a McDonald's girl, so I hope it lives up to my expectations!

After lunch (which was really somewhere closer to dinner as it was 5 o'clock by the time we ate) we went in search for some clothes. As stated previously, this place can get pretty chilly and I didn't bring enough warm clothes. So, I went in search of some deals on longsleeved shirts. I also found some very nice scarves that I bought from the street vendors...a green one, gold one, and burgundy one. I did find some reasonably priced clothes...a long sleeve black shirt, and two shrug/sweatery things. Their very functional and I can wear them back in the states, too. :) I was very happy to find these, and they were all on sale!!! One weird thing about shopping Buenos Aires is that everything is one size fits all...that's right there is no small, medium, large...even leggings are one size fits all! Jackets, skirts, shirts, sweaters...it's all made in one size and you better hope that you fit! It's crazy to me. Like most everyone is anorexic skinny around here, so odds of finding things in American size are slim to none, but if you look in the right places I guess it's possible.

We also found the Argentinian name brand TOMS...they are called Paez. They don't sell TOMS down here because the idea for TOMS came from here and these shoes were started before TOMS started his shoes. Also, Paez are made in Argentina...TOMS are made in China. The objective of Paez was to bring more attention to Argentina and they wanted to do so with these shoes. The style was born here, as Argentinians have been wearing canvas style shoes for hundreds of years. However, once TOMS started selling his version all of that got overshadowed and Paez weren't successful globally because TOM stole the market for this style of shoe. So, they are sold here. I found the whole story very interesting...I looked it up online, too. The styles and everything are identical...and Paez is also committed to being green and not using sweatshops. I bought a pair of black ones...they are also substantially cheaper than TOMS. Like 20 bucks...compared to 45-50 dollars.

I had leftover pizza for dinner as Jorge and Mercedes had already eaten at his mother's 93rd birthday party. Banana and dulce de leche for dessert.

Today, I woke up at like 11:30. Jorge and Mercedes think I am a big bum...they always comment on how late I sleep...but I'm tired! I met some girls at the subte station and we went to a little feria in Recoleta...it was nice, but the rain and Father's Day kind of puts a damper on things. We had California Burrito Company for lunch...it's basically like Qdoba. We stopped in a few shops...I bought another long sleeve shirt. It's black with some sort of print...it's nice and it was like 10 American dollars. At the feria I found a mate kit for Dr. Eipper for 30 pesos...I figured that would be a kind of cool gift for him. It comes with the cup (which is engraved with Argentina), the bombilla, and a bag of yerba mate leaves, along with instructions on how to drink/make mate. A few stands away I found the mate cup of MY DREAMS. It's zebra print...and it has a matching straw. I fell in love and that is clearly the buy of the day. I'm going to look so cool using this mate cup and drinking my mate.

We found the HardRock Cafe and considered going in for some dessert, but it was really busy. I am going to go back another time and buy some souveniers and eat there.

I walked all the way from the Juramento station to here because I needed the exercise. It's like misting today and it is super humid...it's just really gross. When I came home, there were about 20 people in this house...I forgot that it's Father's Day...and all of Jorge's children are here for the party. It's strange because I don't know if I should hang out with them or let them spend the holiday with their family. No one really gave us the protocol on this. I was sweaty and gross and had to put my things away anyway, so I came to my room, but decided to leave the door open so it didn't look like I was being rude. This one little brat, however, came into my room to ask me who i was and i asked him his name and age and he left mid sentence and slammed the door! So, I guess that's how it is. I feel really out of place because they are all family and celebrating a holiday and I am just kind of like an alien...I don't understand most of what they say (they talk so fast and there are about 8 of them talking all at the same time), I don't know who they are, and it's all just a foreign concept for me. So, I'm just awkwardly hiding in my room...but I'm not hiding, I just don't know what to do!

I hope dinner is good tonight because I'm starving and lately it hasn't been anything too impressive. I don't know if all these strangers are staying...if they are God help me because it will be one crazy dinner! I don't have any big plans for tomorrow...maybe I will go to a movie or something like that. I guess we will see!

So, I look like an American?

I know that this post is a little bit late, but I went out last night and we didn't get back in until about 4:30, so I couldn't exactly write about my day at that hour! As you all know, I love Fridays. I get to sleep in, it's the last day of the week, and school is at the tower. I love the cafeteria at the tower, I love the classrooms at the tower, I love the restrooms at the tower...I just love the tower campus.

I only have 2 full days of class left, and then I have my two finals! I can't believe how fast this first month has gone! Then, I start in my new level...Intermediate II. Hopefully, this will be a little more challenging than the first, and the kids will be a little bit more up to speed.

I also received news that my package was here...which excited me beyond belief! I decided that I would make the long trek to the central correo yesterday, as I had an hour and  half to get there, and I was dying to get my package. So, I rode the D-line to 9 de Julio stop and then hopped on the C-train. That line is straight up janky...let me just say. The cars are open on the ends, so you can move between cars and it's like scary to look down the line and see how the subway turns and twists. Also, there are dirty blue upholstered benches and instead of bars they have the handlebars which I hate. So, I got off at the subte stop for the correo, and I still didn't have much of an idea that I was smack dab in the middle of the ghetto...the subte station was full of some wishy washy people, but I figured that was normal for every station. I WAS WRONG. The second I walked up the subte stairs I realized that I had entered the straight up ghetto...like it didn't even feel like Buenos Aires anymore...it looked darker. There were no trees...just about 6 lanes of traffic coming from every direction. The buildings were shabby and didn't have the fancy architecture of normal buildings here. There were mud puddles everywhere and homeless people laying all over the streets. Tons of creepy street vendors just sitting there looking miserable trying to sell their junk. Not only that but the second people saw me they starting whistling, howling, and yelling things my way...I was legitimately scared. Also, I had no idea really where the correo was and how to get there or anything...so I asked the crossing guard. I also got stuck in the middle of the street between crossings, which is also a nerve racking experience. Finally, I figured out how to enter the building and sat and waited until my number was called...which actually didn't take too long...however, I didn't have my original passport on me, so my package could not be released to me. I wanted to cry when she told me that...I asked if I could use another form of i.d., but she said no and sent me on my merry way. I just wanted my package!!! I was pretty furious at the whole situation...also, I feel disappointed in ISA's lack of assistance in this manner. A) she didn't tell me how to get to the correo and B)she failed to mention that I needed my passport...because originally ISA said that you can use a copy for everything, but I am starting to learn that this is seriously wrong. You might as well carry the real fricken thing because it will save you time and energy. So, I have to do the whole wretched thing over again on Monday. I took a taxi home because I was too distressed to get back on the subte...I just wanted to go the heck home.

So, I did. And I made plans with friends to go to a bar about 8 blocks down the street called Jackie-O. I think it is supposed to be an American-themed bar...they played U.S. music until about 2 a.m., and they only served American beer...no Quilmes for me. I had a tequila sunrise, but switched to Budweiser because liquor is expensive and we split a pitcher between three of us. It ended up being 15 pesos a piece, which is really cheap. The DJ was really awesome, and this bar has 3 levels. There is also a picture of Jackie O on the wall when you walk in. It's pretty cool...they way it works here is that until about 1:30/2ish they serve food and seat tables...then once people start leaving they clear away the tables and people start dancing. So, if you had a table you could technically sit there all night, but everyone else is standing and dancing. We got up and started dancing at about 2:00...we stayed until 4:15!!! It's crazy to me that we spent 4 hours in that bar...it feels like we were only there for like 2 hours. When we left the place was still going strong. We saw a couple get engaged there, too...which seems kind of unromantic, but she was thrilled. Also, the bathroom runs out of toilet paper pretty quickly and there was a huge line for the ladies. So Aidi and I got the bright idea of going in the men's bathroom because there was NO ONE in there and they had like 20 rolls of toilet paper in there...however when we were done there was a line of men out the door! Where did they all come from? So, that was totally embarrassing, but I will never see any of them again. We had fun dancing and talking to people...everyone came up to me to ask where I was from...which is getting old. They ALWAYS say, "you don't look like you are from around here...where are you from?" Thanks for stating the obvious, genius. Also, they said it in English...which is another pet peeve I have...speak to me in Spanish...I'm here to learn and I can understand it and speak it, so give me the chance. So, that situation is going to be happening quite often...I can tell already.

On the walk home, all the kids in the streets tried talking to us, and a kid left the club to ask us if we wanted a ride home...thankfully we are smart enough to say no. My favorite comment of the night was, "Hello...I love you." It kills me the things these teenage boys say to us...like that's the English you chose to learn! Its very common for kids to hang out in the streets drinking...open intox isn't against the law here.

So, I came home and went to bed...I slept until 2:15 p.m. I feel like a bum and I hope my family doesn't think poorly of me. But, I'm sure that is normal for here...they did raise 5 kids and have hosted quite a few foreign exchange students. Today, they are gone to Jorge's mom's 93rd birthday party. And I am going shopping soon. :)

Yesterday I had a hamburger for lunch...it's cheap and I like the fries. Chop suey for dinner, which is really stir fry. I'm pretty hungry for lunch right now, so hopefully I find something good while I'm out shopping...I'll be back later to fill everyone in on my retail therapy!

How do you guys say it in English...screw them?!

Well, today is Thursday...my last day of commuting for an hour to class because tomorrow's class is at the tower, which I much prefer...obviously. I actually found a subway stop that's about 4 blocks closer, though...so that's a perk. It's one stop farther than Olleros, but it's less of a walk, so I end of cutting 5 minutes off of my commute time. WIN!

Today I gave my presentation in class...we got an 8. Grading here is different than the United States...they have 1-10 scale and 4 is pass. I guess you could say an 8 is an 80%, but an 8 is actually better than a B...there isn't really a way to compare it. You just get a 4 to pass the class...anything more than that is just gravy.

Also, I have failed to mention that the Business Campus (the far away one) is an old house...it's actually pretty sweet. It still has the old school doors, handles, bathrooms, windows, railings, marble staircases, and things of the like...it's kind of fun to think that really rich Argentinian aristocrats lived there a long time ago. It's really beautiful inside...we always joke about how when we are coming down the staircase we feel like we are in a catillion ball.

My new route to the subte station takes me past two new embassies...Cuba and Italy. The Italian embassy is kind of meager, which surprised me. I figured it would be large. Speaking of large, however, the Cuban embassy is a fricken mansion. When you walk by you can see the employees smoking out the window...they glare at me as I walk by because I am clearly American. So, anyway, Cuba must not be doing too bad if they have this palace for an embassy down here in Buenos Aires...maybe I will snap some pics of it one of these days.

After class we went to the Teatro Colon for a guided tour of the 2nd largest theatre in the world. It's actually a pretty sweet thing to see...it was all designed by French architects and decorated by French designers and painters. A while ago they had to close down for 4 years to renovate the place because it had not been cared for properly for 100 years...they left some places unrenovated so that visitors could see what it used to look like...it's crazy. The gold was brown and the marble had turned from a golden hue to dark reddish-brown. The project cost over 100 million US Dollars. The theatre is actually owned by the Bank of Argentina...so, essentially it is the government's baby. Much of Argentina is agitated by the way the government runs the theatre because it has potential to be a huge money maker, but instead it is sucking up money and patrons continue to pay high prices. I find this all very interesting. Also, the theatre is the mayor's stomping grounds...so right now Kristina Kirchner (current prez) and the mayor don't get along, and KK can't go to the theatre because it is the mayor's turf. That's pretty interesting as well. The stained glass windows were amazing, the gold room was amazing, all the furniture was amazing, and the auditorium was stunning. I loved all the chandaliers and gold trim. Our tour guide was hilarious...he spoke in English for us. The professional photographer team was there so we could only sit in a certain section so as to not screw up his shots and our guide wasn't too thrilled about this. As he was walking us into one of the boxes he said, "they did not tell us about the photographers so i say...how do you guys say it in English...screw them?!!" He is also an opera singer and we begged him to give us a performance and he did!!! It was really cool to hear him singing in the theatre. The Teatro Colon has been called the third greatest theatre in the world by some famous opera guy...high acclaim!!!

Then, I ventured home to do my homework and relax before dinner. While I was walking home a man on a motorcycle followed me for about three blocks...I couldn't understand what he was saying through his helmet, the noise of the city, and his fast castellano...all I caught was mi amor. Finally, after a few blocks of me shaking my head no at him he got the message and sped away. I came home and took a shower and then slept for about an hour. I did my homework and then ate dinner...we had empanadas. For dessert we had dulce de membrillo, which I don't know what a membrillo is. I am still trying to figure it out...it was good, but not my favorite.

At 10, I met my two girlfriends (Emilia and Aidi) at Freddo for an helado. I had dulce de leche and chocolate suiza. Yummmmmmm. We sat and talked for like an hour and giggled and joked about how everything in Argentina is ass-backwards. I'm really grateful that I have started to make friends...it would be a lonely trip without them. We also made plans to go out tomorrow and head to Calle Florida on Saturday for the city's best shopping. CANNOT WAIT FOR THATTTT. :)

Only one day until the weekend folks...and I get an extra long weekend because it is Dia de la Bandera on Monday. Gotta love Argentinian holidays. It's also father's day weekend down here...that will be interesting. I cleaned my piercing 3x today...and it seems to be going well. It's a little tender, but that's to be expected. Just thought I would keep everyone updated.

I'm seriously having the time of my life down here...I will be at the 3 week mark on Saturday, and I can't believe that I've been living here that long already! Tonight I realized that I totally fell in love with Buenos Aires...I wish everyone could experience this city with me!

Walk like a porteño.

I realize that I didn't blog yesterday...there wasn't really anything too exciting that happened to me, and I was really tired, so I just skipped blogging. Like I said, it was just a usual day...get up early, ride the subte, sit in class for what seems like forever, check for my package, come home...repeat. I did go to the correo to send some letters, though...which is ridiculous. We waited for an hour to put something in the mail...what a joke. My package still isn't here for those of you who are worried.

Today, I started my day just like every other...wake up, eat my cereal, walk to subte, ride subte, walk to class, try to stay awake in class, go to lunch, come back to class, leave class. But that is where the fun part comes in. :) That's right folks...today I got my first piercing. I did it finally...I bit the bullet and got my nose done. I'd been contemplating this for a while as most of you know, but I've always been a bit chicken, but today I said to myself, "YOU ARE IN ARGENTINA. WHY NOT DO SOMETHING CRAZY?" So I did...not to say I went in blind or anything...a friend of mine, Aidi, got hers done yesterday and she said it was totally sterile and clean and safe. So she dragged me to the same shop where I allowed them to impale me and put a stud in my nose. It was so easy...it didn't even hurt...it's like a small pinch. It took her literally three minutes to do the whole thing...pay, pierce, and leave. I wasn't the only one to do it either, three of us got ours done today...Emi and I got ours done together...which means we are friends forever, right?! Haha. So...that was really cool and I'm very happy with the decision. And for the rest of my life I can say, "Hell yeah I got my nose pierced in Argentina!" But I promise this is the only thing I'm piercing while I'm down here...I can't say the same for the other girls...they are already planning the next one.

I feel like I've finally gotten into a routine, made my friends, and that I'm actually living here and not just a tourist...my Spanish is improving so much. I talked for like 30 minutes today with my family about their hair cuts, my nose piercing, Harry Potter, and the hiccups...they probably wanted me to shut up! I couldn't believe all the things I was saying! Like, when did I learn this??? I feel pretty confident that when I leave here I will be yakking nonstop in castellano. P.S. Spanish down here isn't Spanish...it's castellano. Which I think is pretty sweet that they have their own name for their particular dialect.

Also, it's thunder storming here...it's my first experience with this...maybe it will wash some of that volcanic ash away so people can start flying again!

Last night was also the night the twins, Manuel, and their mom and dad come to dinner. They always come on Tuesday and we always have milanesa and mashed potatoes and pudding. It's fun when they come, though...but their parents think that they are devil children and always apologize to me for their behavior. I tell them they have no idea about misbehaved kids. The little girl and I played drawing together and she got a fake little makeup kit for her birthday so we played make-up, too. I taught her how to make a dog with six circles...she kept practicing. So that was fun. It's a nice change of pace and it's easier to talk to children because they talk slower, use simple words, and don't care if you don't say something the right way. I pick up on a lot when they are around.

Tomorrow I'm off to the world famous Teatro Colon after my presentation on Matadero in my class. Going to bed early today as I am exhausted as usual, and I have to leave extra early in order to prepare for my project. Sweet dreams all!

I am back.

Just another Monday here in Buenos Aires...I didn't do anything too interesting today. Mondays are always the worst for me because I am still recuperating from the weekend...I can barely keep my eyes open!!!

I have to start class 30 minutes earlier to make up for the time we lost when our teacher was sick. This is miserable for me...in fact today I was 10 minutes late because I couldn't drag myself out of bed. Class was very long and boring and everyone is just totally stupid and I spend most of the day rolling my eyes. Where do people come up with these bogus questions? Why must we repeat the same bogus questions every friggen time? Do you really not know what that means?! Like, wth. Also, everyone has to ask the meaning of every single word...like the point is to understand through context. That's how you learn...not only do they ask the meaning, but they also look it up in their friggen dictionaries. How many times do they have to tell you to stop using those...they are only a crutch? So, basically, I feel like we are more like Spanish fetuses at this point rather than Spanish babies...let's hope we can progress pretty fast in the next few weeks.

After that I went to see if my package came in the mail. My mommy sent me some boots...which I desperately need!!! However, the lady at ISA claims that it hasn't arrived yet...wahhh. I kind of think it has, though. Because a package that is larger than a certain size isn't delivered, it's held hostage at the post office, and they deliver a slip saying that you need to come get it. Well, there was a slip in the box that said Richardson Taylor...which made me wonder if maybe the people at the post office can't read (highly likely, considering the productivity of that place) and thought the handwriting said Richardson rather than Rachel. So I asked the lady and she snatched the slip from me and told me that there was no way that my package was the same as the one meant for Richardson. So I came home and looked on the directory of ISA students...oh hey, guess what there is no Richardson Taylor. There is also no one with Richardson as a last name or first name. The same goes for Taylor. I KNOW THAT IS MY EFFING PACKAGE! I'm going back tomorrow to further investigate.

Then I came home, did my homework, took a nap, read a little bit, watched the news with Jorge, had dinner, watched Dr. House, and now I am writing my blog. Mercedes and Jorge were so funny tonight...Mercedes likes to make fun of Arnold Schwarzennegger because Terminator 3 is always playing, so she kept walking around saying, "I am back."And then she said that she can be the next Arnold because she learned English, too. It was so precious. Maybe you had to be here, but I feel like we've moved past the awkward getting to know each other stage into making jokes and laughing and spending time together stage. It was really nice...and just what I needed.

Dinner was really good...it was pot pie with like creamed corn inside. I found out recently that the maid cooks the meals...Mercedes just heats them up. But on the weekends Mercedes cooks. I can kind of tell who cooks what...we have two maids and they both cook differently. Mercedes likes to cook like roasted chicken, pork, or beef. The one maid always makes like a pot pie or something of that sort (she is only on Monday).

Also, Mercedes doesn't like the Monday maid...she is always questioning Jorge about what she did, what she cooked for lunch, what she was doing in the kitchen...it's kind of funny. She calls her practically every night to tell her something about her maid duties...probably she is going to be fired. Mercedes loves the other maid as she has been working for them for years, but she can't work on Mondays for some reason or another, so they had to hire someone else. Who fricken knows...

Anyway. Tomorrow I'm going to be retrieving my package and going to the post office to send some letters, and who knows what else I will do while I'm out....

Hasta la vista...bebe!