"mi vieja, gardel y boca"

... just one of the many colloquialisms I have learned from my professor. It apparently represents the three things porteños hold most dear in their consciousness: their mothers; Carlos Gardel, a famous tango singer; and the Boca Juniors soccer team.

The curso intensivo is not as intensive as I thought it would be, we spend a lot of time going around the room repeating vocabulary words she throws at us. I think she´s trying to develop our Argentine accents, which are completely different than most other Spanish I´ve heard. My professor is a cute little grandmother who has a habit of asking questions really fast and then looking at us mischievously to see who understood her, and laughing. I am definitely learning quickly. She is also a lot more laid back than most professors I have encountered: today she answered her cell phone in the middle of class to talk to her cousin. If all professors at UCA are like her I think it´s going to be a fun semester.

This morning I had coffee with the "padrino," or buddy, that UCA assigned to sort of acquaint me with the city. Rodrigo is a business management major who has been a padrino for 3 semesters, so I think I´m in good hands. He told me everything there was to know about UCA bureaucracy, which is good because no one told me that grades are from 0-10, not ABC, and also gave me tips for some fun bars. I think tomorrow we´re going to try them out.

I´ve also been able to explore a little bit more of Palermo and Recoleta, and though everyone I´ve met lives in Recoleta I have to say that I like Puerto Madero a lot better. It´s cleaner and newer and there is much less street noise than in those neighborhoods. Also, the Coast Guard guard it since it´s a port, making it the absolute safest neighborhood in the city. My walk home is along the water ¨diques,¨or dikes, which are beautiful and much better than city traffic. So though I have to take a taxi to Recoleta to meet up with people, it is definitely worth the hassle.

Every day is a continuing adventure and I´m definitely still getting adjusted to the city. I love comments so post away!

¡Besos!
Natty (my new nickname since most porteños have trouble pronouncing "Natalie")