My 10th Day.

Monday is maid day...the lady who cleans the house arrives early Monday morning and stays until about 5 p.m. scrubbing the place top to bottom. It has also been a very rainy and cold day here in Buenos Aires.

I woke up and got ready for the day and had breakfast with Jorge...he is still trying to finish his book. I started my long commute to class...I was about 10 minutes late today. I don't know who the heck was conducting the subte today, but he waited like 6 minutes at each station. As if we have time for that!!! We have places to be!!! But, I did make it to class okay...I also almost got hit by a van because I was hurrying across the street and didn't see it coming. I guess I should probably be more observant of speeding cars that are hurtling towards me.

Class was long and boring...sometimes, I feel a little too smart for my class. Okay, I take that back...I always feel too smart for my class. I don't mind doing the exercises because they are good practice and they are things that I need to learn, but I feel like we spend hours waiting for everyone to catch up, and everyone asks the same question over and over again, and I feel like the kids in my class are complete morons. But that's just me. Not to say that I haven't learned anything, because I really have...I just wish everyone else in my class was on my level, I guess.

For break I had a cafe con leche y una medialuna. For lunch I walked to the corner store and bought a sandwich, a yogurt (dulce de leche flavor, of course), and a pineapple juice. My stomach was kind of hurting today, so I didn't think I could handle the usual empanada or choripan.

After class, I came home, but first I stopped at the grocery store to buy some snacks because I get so hungry during the day and because it will save me money when its break time during class. I bought two pears, three apples, and six bananas. I also bought my own tub of dulce de leche to enjoy with my fruit...that is the trend after all!!! All of this cost me about nine dollars!!! I can't get over how cheap the food is here...but the trendy clothes are very cara. Which I dislike...A LOT.

I was very tired today, so I took a small nap this afternoon. I also did some homework and read some guidebooks so as to continue my list of things to see. I would have gone somewhere after class today, but the cold and the rain ruined any notions I had of sightseeing. Tomorrow I might visit something small, but we also have an intercambio with Argentinian students. I am excited for that...we are going to drink mate, and hopefully, I will make some new friends!!!

Dinner tonight was so delicious. Mercedes is so good at cooking. We had roasted chicken with roasted batatas. Those are like sweet potatoes, but here they are green and smaller and not really the same...I don't know why. These things were SO GOOD. She could make those every night and I would be very happy. We also had sauteed onions, which I guess is pretty common to eat as a side dish here. I liked them...I had the rest of the dulce de leche cake for dessert. 

Tomorrow it is supposed to be warmer which makes me very happy. This cold streak has been very frustrating! I am trying to find some exciting adventures for this weekend, because the Summer 1 group is going to Iguazu Falls and ISA doesn't have anything special planned for us...I am thinking Sunday the Recoleta Cemetery, which also has the largest feria in Buenos Aires...maybe Saturday some museums or the Plaza de Mayo...not sure yet, but there is much to see!!! The list keeps on growing. :)

I am starting to miss my mom and Max, but before I know it I will be reunited with them...haha. My host family is good for keeping me company.

And if you were worrying about how all these poor little dogs stay warm and dry in this horrendous rain, fear no more...they wore raincoats and their owners held the umbrella for them...BAHAHAHA. Sad to say, I am DEAD SERIOUS. Their crap, however, was present as ever and smeared all over every sidewalk. It's disgusting.

There is actually a security guard who is on some sort of rampage about people picking up their dog's droppings. It has kind of boggled my mind...not to say that I am innocent of such crimes, but it is so much easier and less gross to pick up after your dog here because there is a trash can EVERY THREE FEET! You can throw that shit away as soon as you pick it up...literally! So, anyway, this security guard who sits outside the Australian embassy has these little signs that he puts up during his shift...it's quite funny actually. He has like three taped to his door, but he also tapes them to the embassy's parking cones and construction signs that they use....and it's not just like "pick up after your dog." He writes some pretty hilarious stuff...my personal favorite is, "Learn to live like a human being. Pick up your dog's droppings." He likes to bring up things like living in society, manners, and being a good citizen...I think he tries to make the whole issue seem a lot more consequential than it is to the natives down here. Anyway, it provides me with some entertainment.

Another form of entertainment for me is walking by the bilingual school every morning...I swear to God there are three secret service agents. Everyone thinks I'm joking, but one of these days I'm gonna snap a pic of these dudes and you will know that I am right. There are three outside the school and one stands on the corner. I walk by them every day!!! They were ear pieces and talk to each other! They have trench coats, the secret service sunglasses, black suits with white shirts and black ties...they just have that look. Sometimes, I have to resist the urge to say, "I know who you are!!! I'm an American, too!!!" Haha...it's kind of fun to speculate what they are up to.

Anyway...it looks that I might be meeting some friends tonight for someone's birthday...I hope it doesn't fall through! I hope everyone had a good Monday!