Today I had my first lesson in how things translated from English to Spanish can sometimes mean very different things...thankfully, we all got a laugh out of it.
My teacher was sick again today, but we had a substitute. This lady was crazy...I really miss the real teacher, Alejandra, because she is very good at what she does and very thorough in her explanations. This woman, Paola, confused me, wrote about 8 chalkboards full of crazy stuff, and tried to reteach everything instead of simply reviewing. During class I was feeling very overwhelmed and like I needed to come straight home and study for hours...however, now I realize that while I need to study for a while for my test tomorrow, I feel pretty confident that I know this stuff and a little practice is all I need.
After class a few girls and I went down to the 9 de Julio Avenue...this is the widest street in the world. It has twelve lanes of traffic and it takes four crossing lights to get across the thing. This is also where the enormous obelisk is...the obelisk was dressed up in a giant pink condom for World AIDS day in 2005...I think that is pretty neat. Also, when it was first built a lot of woman did not appreciate its resemblance to a certain part of a male's body, and they went so far as to suggest it be cut in half. The obelisk was actually built to commemorate the four major events in the founding of Buenos Aires, and is a huge symbol for the city today. It's kind of an icon here in BA...it's very well known around the world...and it was pretty cool to see.
Then we decided to venture to the Cafe Tortoni, which is by far my favorite thing that I have done here in the city...what an awesome place!!! The Cafe is actually the oldest cafe in Buenos Aires...it has been here for over 150 years!!! It is a cafe and restaurant by day, but it turns into one of the hottest tango shows in town at night. The inside is very cool and comfortable with dark oak paneling, tables, chairs, and bar and busts and caricatures of famous Argentinians hung around on the walls as well as historical memorabilia. Our waiter was also amazing. I ordered a chocolate espeso and a dulce de leche ice cream...Dr. Eipper recommended the chocolate espeso, and he is SO RIGHT. If you are going to do anything in Buenos Aires...you need to go to Tortoni and order one. It's like straight melted chocolate with a shot of espresso. It comes out thick and hot...you can add warm milk if you like. I had to because it was so rich and thick, but so so so delicious. I shared with some of the girls...and we all agreed. This thing is absolute heaven. The ice cream was pretty great, too. The waiter, Manuel, called us princesses the whole time and kept saying mi amor. He took our pictures with our camera and talked to us about our home, our school, and why we were in Argentina. He was the best waiter I've had so far in this city.
We also talked to the host of the place. His daughter is studying political science at the University of Belgrano and she also works for the government...I'm thinking an internship? He said my Spanish is very good! Also, one of the girls talked to another one of the waiters and our Manuel and they asked if we all wanted to meet them at a bar on Saturday...because we are very beautiful and they want to hang out with us. AHAHAHAHAHAAAAA. I think this is so funny.
While all of this was going on, I told the host, "Manuel es muy bueno." In regards to the service, however, here in Argentina that could be taken as I have a crush on him...it was a kind of funny thing. The host made big eyes and looked shocked for a second and then started laughing...I had to clarify that I thought he was a good waiter. It makes for a pretty fun story, no? Probably now the host is going to tell Manuel that I have a crush on him and he is going to stalk me and try to get me to meet him at the bar.
We also walked down Calle Florida. There is no street traffic...only walking. It is very busy and has lots of great shopping...crafts on the street and stores. It's kind of like a mall. I would like to go back there on a Saturday and find some good deals and some true porteño fashion.
The subway was pretty crazy on the way home...we got on at the first stop and there were hoards of people trying to squeeze in. Luckily, I got a seat. :) I find that people love to stare at me on the subte. I think its because I am blonde and blue eyed and fair skinned and clearly an American...I don't really know. It's not like there aren't Americans all over on this place. But it never fails...when I look up someone is staring at me. It's kind of awkward, but I guess its something I have to deal with as a foreigner.
Tomorrow is my test...I plan on studying for a bit after dinner. Then I may go to the Japanese Garden or a museum or something. This weekend a few of us from the ISA program want to go to Uruguay for a day and then to Recoleta on Sunday...we also want to go to the clubs/bars this weekend. Lots of stuff to look forward to!
Happy hump day everyone...here's to making inappropriate comments without even knowing it. :)
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