Reflections on the First Week

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA!!!!!!!!!

I'm sitting in the cafe across the street from my building, since they have wireless internet, marveling at the fact that I've been here over a week. I can't decide whether it feels like forever or a minute since I arrived, but I do know that my days have been full and fun.

Thoughts so far...

Class has been a great constant this week, I am a creature of habit and having a place to be every day at the same time has helped my adjustment to life in BA. The people are cool, my professor is fun and there's not too much work so we have lots of time to explore the rest of the city. On Wednesday we went on a city tour sponsored by UCA and visited La Boca, the Plaza de Mayo and Recoleta. Tangueros wander the streets in La Boca, taking pictures with tourists for pesos. I tried to take a picture of one pair dancing, but the woman took my camera and before I could realize what was happening the man had grabbed me and held me in the tango pose! The woman took what felt like forever to take a picture, and I didnt have any pesos on my to give them. It was probably the most awkward 5 seconds of my life, but also hilarious.

Things have become more and more comfortable with my homestay. The girls visit their father on the weekends so Nancy and I had a great conversation over dinner on Friday about our social lives, the men in Argentina, and college life in the U.S. Since then things between us have been much less formal and more on a friend level than a adult-kid level. As I predicted, the girls are more and more fun to play with as I get more comfortable in the house. They have made up a song concerning my shoes and perform it for me about every day. One day I'll try and get a video of it.

After my first two weekend nights here, I can say that the nightlife is as insane as everyone says. On Friday we went out with my friend Laura's host brother, (who is a model!) and he took us first to a bar to hang out and then to a "boliche" or club which didnt open until 2 am and quickly was packed. I am not much of a club rat but this was the funnest night I've had in awhile, notwithstanding unwelcome attention from sketch Argentines. Everyone is much more focused on the dancing rather than the drinking, and it was fun to see people tangoing and salsaing the night away. I tried to imitate but it will take a few more nights at a boliche to learn these dances. When we left at 7 in the morning the place was still full and showed no signs of slowing down. Saturday night we decided to take it a little more easy and went to the Argentine version of an Irish pub which had all the usual decorations but played techno music. It was great to just chill and chat and get to know Laura and Sailee (the two other GW girls) better.

Today we thought about going to the antiques fair in San Telmo but decided to just take it easy and get ready for the school week. Tomorrow we have a bike tour of Puerto Madero and the Ecological Reserve which I am soo excited for since I haven't been yet. I tried to upload some photos but the bandwith here apparently is not strong enough so I have to figure out how I'm going to upload them in the internet cafe. Hopefully soon!

To my doves who read this, I miss you more than you know. Mom & Dad, I'm sorry Skype hasn't worked out as well as we hoped but hopefully it well get better!!! Soultwin, thanks for the pep talk, I love youu

Besos,
Naty