Subte Day.

Hola!

Today was my first day using the subway alone! Who knew that public transportation could be so stressful? I woke up at 8 a.m. for my 10 o'clock class. It took me over an hour to walk to the subway, ride to my stop, and walk from there to the school. There were tons of people squished in the cars...like literally with their faces pressed up against the glass...commuting will definitely be an experience.

Class actually went by very quickly today. We bought our workbooks and after introducing ourselves the teacher delved right in. I am still unsure if I should move up a level or not because today's material was very simple for me. I kind of feel like my Spanish is much better than other people in my class, but when I look through the workbook there are things that I don't know that I need to learn. Today, I worked with a girl in the workbook, and she really didn't know much of anything...when I did the exercises it took me 20 minutes and I kind of flew through it. Hopefully, everything we are currently working on is just review. I am supposed to wait until Thursday to decide if I for sure think that I can go up a level. We will see how it progresses. I want to get the most out of the experience and take the best level class, but I know that I can't just skip through the basics.

During our first break, a few of us girls went and grabbed a cup of coffee at a little cafe. For lunch I walked to a parilla and ordered an empanada. This time I had beef...it tasted kind of like taco meet, but it also had boiled egg in it. MMMM...SO DELICIOUS. In the afternoon my stomach started grumbling again so I grabbed another empanada...this time shrimp and it also had artichokes in it. Also, very very good. Empanadas are perfect for a light lunch or snack in the afternoon...they are about the size of a fist and they are filled with all kinds of things...I am still learning all the fillings that different people use!

After class I walked back to the subte. IT WAS SERIOUSLY NUTS HOW BUSY IT WAS. We had to wait for three separate trains because there was absolutely no room for even one person to squish in. When the doors opened people literally fell out of them. It's absolute craziness.

I also went to the Correo Argentino, which they say is a "post office", but it is also like a secretary of state office. One can send mail, but this is also where you fill out forms and wait in line for hours...When I got there I recieved number 502...and it was on 480. I figured that I would be there for about 20 minutes, however, once it got to like 496 it went back down to 460!!! What a joke!!! Also, some people who arrived after me got called before me and my number got called before some people who had been there before me. I would say that it is even worse than waiting at the Secretary of State, honestly. But eventually I was able to speak with an attendant and receive my Sube pass. This will allow me access on the subway and the buses...its like a credit card and I can recharge it when I get low. It's very convenient for people who use the subway often.

The nice thing about it is that I can use it for the bus and the subway. The bus only accepts exact change. The subway only accepts pre-paid tarjetas. When purchasing these tickets you can only buy up to 10 trips at a time...which would be like 5 days worth of trips. With my sube pass, I can put up to 100 pesos on it and it will tell me how much I have left everytime I swipe it. Saves time and energy.

I also decided to purchase a new phone today. I am still unsure what the deal with Jorge's phone is...he claims that he fixed it today, but who knows...also, most everyone in my program bought Claro phones. This means that calling other Claro users is at a discount rate and there is free texting to other Claro users. So, I have Jorge's phone because he was so insistent that I take it and the Claro phone which I know will work. Kind of messed up, but I didn't really have the heart to tell Jorge that I didn't need his phone anymore. My number is (54 first if calling from outside of Argentina) 1168220849. Don't call me unless it's an absolute emergency because it is very expensive and it will use up all my prepaid money. As stated earlier, I am down for skyping...which I am available most days between 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. for skyping for all those who are interested.

I walked home...didn't find any new embassies...I will have to continue to search tomorrow. Hopefully, a few of us girls from class will go exploring in the afternoon...we kind of planned for it earlier today. Either way, I have A TON of sights to see...and I will have to start visiting them all very soon before I run out of time. :)

It is almost dinner time...I think we are having chicken. After that I will probably get ready for bed and relax for a few minutes before I collapse from exhaustion. It's an exciting city, but it certainly wears me out! I need to build up my endurance...haha. :)

Also, something I forgot to say in earlier posts is that my Jorge and Mercedes have 8 grandchildren...two of them are twins and their names are Lucas y Raquel...the Spanish equivalents of Luke and Rachel. I think that's a sign!!!!

Have a good night, everyone!