First week in Bariloche

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You can congratulate me - I’ve survived my first week in Bariloche and in the Spanish school…
- Last Sunday I’ve finally reached Bariloche (it took me "only" about 3.5 days of traveling… because I’ve left Adelaide on Thursday morning and arrived Sunday late in the night ADL time). Once here, I’ve straight away “checked - in” into my accommodation with the family. It’s a beautiful house about 5 minutes walk from town and overlooking the lake. My host family consists of mother, her son (son is probably about my age, maybe a bit older. And the mother - I don’t know. Guess over 55…) and 2 dogs. Currently we’re 2 students in the house - a guy from CH and I. He has been studying for last 7 weeks over here and by now speaks pretty good Spanish (so, I have some hope that I might manage this language one day too… :-) ).
- On Monday was my first day at school. Auuuuaaaaaa!!! That was painful!!!
Not only that I didn’t know a word in Spanish (by then I probably knew more words in Urdu, then in Spanish…) but additionally to that my brain definitely wasn’t ready to study yet - I was still completely jet-lagged (it took me till Wednesday for my body to fall into normal sleeping pattern...). Anyway, I’ve survived the week somehow. Though not sure how much of all that grammar which we’ve learned I will be able to recall tomorrow… my guess is - not much!

Otherwise I’m settling in into Bariloche quite well.
- By today I’m already trying to say bits and peaces in Spanish.
- I’ve solved most of the things which were annoying me:
A) After a week of staying long in school or sitting in one of the bars with WiFi access and trying to manage my communications with the world that way, I’ve made a deal with family that I’ll pay for 2/3-ths of cost of WiFi transmitter and in return will be able to use their already present broadband connection
B) Looks like I will be able to move into bigger room at the end of June
- I’ve met few ex-pats (not good for Spanish, but good for social life…)
- I’m still trying to get used to the weather here. It has been cold and rainy the whole week. Almost every morning I had to walk to school in rain, however by lunch time it usually cleared up and the sun came out (of course except the weekend. Yesterday it was raining the whole day. And the only thing that makes it easier to accept it - it’s been snowing up on the mountain…)
- Bariloche is a paradise (or hell - however you wanna see it…!) for anyone who has got a sweet tooth. Never in my life have I seen so many chocolate shops in one town as here… And most of the chocolate is hand made… I’ll have to reconsider my training regime if I start visiting those shops!

Ok, going to study a bit. Otherwise, I’ll be in a serious trouble tomorrow at school!

Hasta luego

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