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Published: February 7th 2006
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Hola todos! I have finally made it here to the beautiful, busy and HOT Buenos Aires, Argentina. Tonight marks the end of my third day here, although it's hard to count the first day because I was so out of it from traveling for the previous 24 hours. I left Washington, DC at 2:30 on Thursday afternoon and flew to Miami. I had a three hour layover there, and they boarded the plane for BsAs around 8:30 pm. The plane ride was over 9 hours, and for the most part pretty crappy. I "slept" most of the way, but it was probably one of the most uncomfortable nights I've ever had. Being here makes it worth it though. After the plane lands I make my way to customs, which had a huge line that took over an hour to get through. I picked up my baggage and went out to find the coordinator for my program. She called a taxi for me and sent me on my way to my family's house here in BsAs.
The taxi ride was definitely an experience. It seems the dotted lines that mark the lanes are mearly a suggestion here. Much of the time
my driver was driving stradling the lines with people passing him on both sides. His car was a piece of shit, every time he went into first gear it would shut off and he'd have to restart it. All of it made for an interesting experience. Suprisingly I felt really safe with the driver. I figure the taxi drivers are typically the best drivers in the city. After about a 20 minute ride, we arrived at mi casa. (I'll have pictures of it in my next entry) Mi mama came out and helped with the bags and welcomed me into her home. She is about 70, but full of spunk. She's very talkative and doesn't speak any English. From the moment I hit the door three days ago I have been innundated with Spanish. Mi mama has a son who is 28 and he lives at home. He speaks English pretty well, so when I need a translation or two he helps me out (when he's around). There is also a niece living in the house, and she's probably in her early 30's. On the first day I also found out that there would be another student in the house.
She's 21 and goes to school in New York. She spent last semester in India. She's originally from Argentina, and she speaks spanish at home, so she is fluent. This makes me the odd one out, and often left lost in the conversation at the dinner table, but it's for the best because it is even more pressure for me to learn and practice. As far as communication, I am understanding a lot that my family says. As far as replying goes, that's not going as well. I don't have the vocabulary yet to have a smooth convo, but generally I can get my ideas across with some effort.
Yesterday was my first day with the other students in my school program. They are all Americans, and they love to speak English. We took a tour of el centro (downtown) and San Telmo (a barrio near el centro). The main impressions I got were that it was a lot like NYC. Except much more rundown and with a European flair. There is lots of vegetation here, and it looks absolutely amazing this time of year. It adds sooooo much to the city. (See pics) Anyway, the group. I am
City Sights 4
Look how beautiful the trees are! really not feeling spending time with huge groups of Americans. It is not what I came here for. Everyone speaks English together, and I hate going anywhere in a huge group, it's impractical. I guess I need to make a couple friends in the group, but I really want to meet some Argentinians to hang out with. That will take some time though.
Today was a lazy day for the most part. I slept in, and then had breakfast on the roof. The roof is a deck with a grill and chairs, a table and plants. (It's my favorite place in the house) After breakfast I tanned for a while. Everyone here is extra tan because this is the end of their summer, so I'm way behind. I got a lot of color today though. I think we're closer to the equator here, so that makes for a faster tan. I went for a walk around 5pm and went into a few stores and generally just got the feel for the area. On my way back I stumbled across a parade. It wasn't a big one, just one group, Los Senadores. There were women, men and kids dressed in
strange outfits and dancing. There was a small band with horns and drums. (See pics) It was great. It wasn't something I would ever expect to see in los Estados Unidos. South American cultures have so much more passion and flavor than we do, it seems. We need to take notes and step up our game in the North.
Enough for today....next time I'll hopefully have some pics of the house and neighborhood. Three days so far, and it feels like three weeks. School tomorrow. I'll post more pics tomorrow. Buenos noches.
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Auntie D.
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am i doing this right??
Hi Baby Tato! So fun to read your blog and see pics. Esp. your last supper. :) It will be great to live through your international adventure with you. Anxious to see pics of your Arg. family and home. We miss you but are so happy you're there! Love you lots, The Sinex/Kroeger's. xxoo