Learning the Hard Way…

I’ve been here a week now, and I have definitely learned a lot about living in Buenos Aires.  I’ve gotten use to the crazy schedule (staying out until 5am and going to class at 9:30) and have perfected the art of napping. I have learned how to avoid accepting counterfeit money as change, that Argentine guys are ridiculously persistent in the bars

Luckily, another girl from my program lives near me so we make the trek to orientation classes together.

and must be given a very cold shoulder and fake phone number, and that you have to push the button on the bus for your stop or you will end up going way too far.  (Yes, I learned most of these things the hard way.) I can navigate my way through a menu a little better (the empanadas are delicious), and quickly found the local dessert- alfajores. These are cookie sandwiches filled with the carmel-like dulce de leche which are sometimes covered in chocolate.  Yum… I realized quickly that it isn’t rude to yell for the waiter when he’s across the room- if you don’t he’ll never come over because he doesn’t want to bother you.

I do love that ordering a tea entitles you to the table for the afternoon, and today I took advantage of this to enjoy a lazy Sunday reading at a café.

I’ve already done a little too much shopping, but it is hard to resist as the prices are amazing.  And you have to buy leather boots when you’re here, right?

There was a power outage two days ago (yes, I survived a whole day with no phone or computer as both were in need of a charge.)  Though there was no water or light, it was kind of fun to live by candlelight.  And unfortunately, a neighbor realized I was borrowing their wireless internet and password protected it, so I am now unconnected- grr… Guess I have another excuse to go to a cafe.

Yesterday my program gave us a bus tour of the city.  We got to see the historic area of La Boca where the first immigrants lived and painted their houses with random paint that came in on ships.  (Hence the different colored sections on the walls.)  We visited the Casa Rosada (the equivalent of the White House) in the Plaza de Mayo where the mothers/grandmothers of the disappeared still protest.  We also toured my neighborhood a bit where street performers draw spectators and booths sell useless crafts.

I started my Saturday night at a traditional parilla, where meat is the specialty.  I went with a big group of girls and we ordered a bunch of entrees to share.  With several different types of meat and potatoes, I was left a-yearning for some veggies.  The beef, chicken, and pork were tasty for sure, but meat alone doesn’t really do it for me.  We did order some tomatoes, but for some reason the tomatoes here have a distinct twang that does not quite appeal to me.

I start classes next week, so I’ll keep you posted about all-Spanish lectures!

An Exhausted but Excited Arrival

I made it!  I arrived at the Buenos Aires airport at 11am yesterday.  After making my way through customs and waiting what seemed like an eternity for my luggage, I got into my first Argentine taxi and headed to my hotel.  The taxi driver was extremely chatty, and I have to admit I only understood about half of what he said.  But he told me about some good places to go and gave me a bit of advice about getting a cell phone.  It turns out “Claro” is the name of a cell phone brand and doesn’t just mean “of course.”  I was wondering why he kept saying that!

My hotel room was decent, though the elevator took a bit of getting used to.  It was tiny- the porter and I barely fit with all my luggage!  After a shower and an extensive nap, I set out to explore.  The city is really cool- there is a lot of old architecture, and trees and parks litter the busy streets.  Street vendors sell magazines, snacks, and flowers.  I had a pizza at a quaint café- (yes I felt foolishly American ordering pizza but I wanted to wait for some advice before venturing into the more unknown parts of the menu).  I finished up my evening with a bit of New Moon (okay more like 300 pages of it but I had to finish it) and turned in for the night.

This morning, I took advantage of the continental breakfast and set off for the apartment of my host family.  It is located in Recoletta, a really nice part of the city. (lucky me!)  Lucia, the woman I’ll be living with, greeted me downstairs and helped me shove my luggage into another miniscule elevator.  Quite unlike American ones, these elevators require that you manually close the door- if you forget once you disembark, it won’t work and nobody else will be able to use it!  Something I must not forget…

The apartment is quite quaint, with a beautiful balcony overlooking the neighborhood park.  The blinds that descend to cover the balcony window are open and close automatically with the touch of a button!  My room is mint green and has a nice closet and small desk.  And I was lucky enough to be able to pick up a neighbor’s wi-fi.

Lucia took me on an extensive tour of the neighborhood, starting with a local café where I had a tomato and chicken sandwich- and that is exactly what it was: bread, a slice of tomato, and a slice of chicken.  We continued on to see various parks, an old cemetery, an ornate church dating back to the colonial period, and the local mall.  I was proud of how well I kept up with her Spanish (or Castellano as they call it here)- I’ve been able to understand most of what she says (though there have been a few smile and nod moments).  The area is beautiful, and I am so excited to be living here!  I’m all moved in and can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.