The Oldest with the Newest

Well this weekend was definitely an interesting experience with some ups and downs! Friday night, I got home and was served blood sausage for dinner. Some of my friends had some of lunch and at the time I was thankful I didn't have to try any, but I really lucked out when I got home. Let's just say I'm not a fan. Friday night the Caballito crew decided to check out a popular bar right around the corner! It's called The Oldest and I have a feeling it will be our local go to.

Saturday was the nicest day we have had so far! My friend Zoe (who goes to Carleton!) and I took advantage of the beautiful weather and ran in a nearby park that had a lake, dog park, and workout equipment that looked like a playground. What a sight. We then explored Caballito a little more in search of a gym to join. Can't get too out of shape for lacrosse! A group of us then went to Puerto Madero, which is gorgeous! It's famous bridge was built by Santiago Calatrava, an architect that Alex and I did a spanish presentation on in high school... it's all coming full circle!

We then had an awesome dinner that turned out to not be so awesome. At the time, I enjoyed a salmon, brie, and arugula quesadilla and Malbec (my new favorite wine). It didn't settle so well and I'm almost positive it gave me food poisoning the following morning. Nothing makes you more homesick than being sick when you're not at home. After dinner, my friends and I went to the cutest cafe and had some coffee to stay awake for the long night ahead. We made ourselves stay there until 12 (a more acceptable time to go out). While the bars were fun, our mistake was leaving them. We all quickly learned we need to bring more cash when we go out, especially if we are trying to get into a boliche (club) with a $60 pesos cover charge. While it wasn't exactly how I expected my night to go, it was still a good time!

my unfortunate meal

While I was feeling sick most of Sunday, it was definitely nice seeing a familiar face. Alex and I were finally reunited a month later in Buenos Aires and spent the day exploring more of the city, shopping around (even though almost everything was closed), and attending a free choral concert in a beautiful church!

Now I am back on the school grind and had my first advisor meeting to figure out classes. Ugh, not ready to have to start school! But it is nice finally learning the differences in the spanish here. Hasta luego!

Settling in

The more I get settled and adjusted to the city life of Buenos Aires, the more I love it! It's crazy how much more oriented I feel in just a few days. So far we have been going non-stop and I don't get home until dark. This afternoon, my host mom was finally able to give me a tour of our neighborhood, Caballito, which is a typical middle-class neighborhood that has it's pros and cons. Pro: it is more authentic and not very touristy. Con: It takes around 45 minutes to get to where most of the action is. Things that I am going to have to adjust to are definitely the meal schedule and amount of sleep I won't get. Looks like my 10:30 bedtime will no longer be acceptable, especially since we don't eat dinner until like 8:30.

My friends Anna and Sarah that live in Caballito! 

On Wednesday morning, I had my first subway experience in Buenos Aires. It was very interesting to say the least. After our orientation session on transportation, everyone was more confused by the bus system, so we assumed the subte would be the easy way to go. We barely made it on the subway in the first place, but somehow more people were able to push their way on. I was definitely feeling claustrophobic and didn't know how I was ever going to get off. Once we made it off, the walk to our location was much longer than expected, but we got a nice tour along the way! Later that day we had to take a placement exam which lasted 2.5 hours. Not my kind of fun, but glad it's behind me. To celebrate it being over, I grabbed a latte from Starbucks for a little taste of home. I guess my name sounds like Girly? I'll take it.

On Wednesday everything started to come together. I was able to get a phone to contact people here, got a sube card, and run a few errands. With these necessities I was feeling much more confident! I also met my host mom's daughter and her 3 year old grandson. He is ADORABLE. When they left, my host mom told him to give me a kiss on the cheek and after he did, he hid behind him mom because he was so embarrassed. Once they left, we had a delicious dinner, but I'm pretty sure my host mom is trying to make me fat. When I tell her I don't want more, she seems so disappointed, so I feel bad and give in.

Luckily, the girls my mom has hosted in the past have told her that it is kind of hard to think in the morning and speak spanish, so she just lets me enjoy my breakfast by myself so I don't have to do much thinking. Hopefully she keeps this up so that she won't have to see my dark side in the mornings!

Last night, a group of us from the program went to a show called Fuerza Bruta. It was so cool yet SO weird. It's pretty much a mix of Blue Man Group, Cirque du Soleil, and a giant dance party. After the show, we had a fabulous three course meal at an Italian restaurant and then hit up our first bar to celebrate being of age here! It was called The Temple Bar (so Argentine right?!) and reminded me a lot of the Irish Pub we went to in Vannes, France.

Fuerza Bruta

Fuerza Bruta

Today we visited el Cementario de la Recoleta, which is gorgeous! It is like its own little city. We explored the surrounding area a little bit, having lunch nearby and hanging in the beautiful park. It is now officially the weekend and I am looking forward to experiencing the night life of Buenos Aires and having a free schedule to explore!

Eva Perón's grave

Oh the joys of orientation.

How am I going to catch up on sleep in the city that never sleeps?! It's only been two days and I am totally exhausted! Yesterday I got to start the day by waking up at 5:45 (4:45 my time) to head to the airport. Unfortunately, my peanut butter didn't make it through security, but I was able to meet some of the other students from my program in line. The 9 hour flight went smoothly and the highlight was definitely flying over the Andes and watching the sunset. When I finally got off the plane, stiff as a board, I made it through customs just fine, but had a slight panic attack when the belt stopped moving at baggage claim and I still hadn't gotten my bag. Everyone else seemed ready to go with twice the amount of luggage I had and I was starting to question my packing... but less is more, right? And even more of a reason to go shopping! Luckily my big duffle was off in some corner somewhere and we were finally able to meet the IFSA staff. One by one they sent us off into a taxi to bring us to our houses for the next 5 months to meet our families. After about a 30 minute ride from the airport, filled with anticipation, I was warmly greeted by my host mom who was very welcoming and patient with my struggling spanish skills. I couldn't ask for a sweeter host mom!

Mi cuarto

This morning my host mom took me to orientation and we got there by bus (colectivo) which took about 45 minutes. This cold weather is definitely a change from the nice summer sun at home, but I will take this winter over a Minnesota winter any day. So far, in my program of 130 students, I have met some really cool people from all over; it is crazy all the small connections you can make! We spent the whole day learning lots of information about safety, transportation, etc. and it was all taught in spanish. Basically they reiterated everything that we should be worried about. It is definitely a lot to take in after not having spoken or thought about spanish in a few months. Thankfully, I was able to stick with the other girls living in my neighborhood to find the way back to the bus stop and home. Having the subway stop literally outside of my door will be very convenient, and save me from having to deal with the complicated bus system. When I finally got back home around 7:30, I enjoyed a delicious dinner of soup, chicken, and potatoes, and continued conversing in spanish with my host mom. Man does my brain hurt! I am definitely ready for a good night sleep to prepare for another spanish filled day exploring this busy city! 

I'm in Miami B****

I knew I should have listened to my mom when she told me to pack extra outfits in my carry on just in case, but I didn't actually think my flight would get cancelled. I thought Alex's travel complications would count for the both of us, but I guessed wrong. After saying adios to my friends, the fam, and Jasper of course, I was finally ready to just get there! With my 51 lb. bag, a small carry on, and my backpack, the smooth flight to Miami left me at the LAN ticket counter to be told my flight to BA was cancelled. Luckily I found another girl in my program and we were able to figure this out together. I am now stuck at an airport hotel for the night and fly out in the morning. If everything goes as planned, I will arrive at 7:30 pm! I was trying to decide what to do with this precious time in a city I've never been to when I remembered one of my friends is working here. She lives 40 minutes away, but is coming to take us to dinner- needless to say she rocks. I might stick out and overheat a little bit in my boots and leggings I wore expecting to arrive to 40 degree weather, not 90. Anyways, can't wait to give you more updates once I finally arrive to my destination. Wish me luck!