Today was an awesome day! Class was pretty relaxed and we got to watch a movie. We reviewed for our midterm on Monday and I feel quite a bit better about it now. When class was we ran home and put our bags away and then headed to catch the bus. Today was the first day that we took the bus by ourselves and it was quite interesting. As much as I try to avoid the “dumb American” look, I always end up looking like that anyway. After about 30 minutes we arrived to a street that our mom said had only stores with stuff made of leather. She was right! There were so many jackets, bags, chairs, couches, beds, etc. It was quite overwhelming after the 4^th block of all this leather. She said it was very cheaply priced stuff, and with the US dollar being worth so much more here, it was.

We went in shop after shop and everything was so beautiful. From there we walked down to the cross streets where the outlet stores start. When we got here we shopped until we dropped. The stuff here is so much cheaper than at home and the fashion is so much different. I LOVE IT! Although I didn’t buy very much, I saw a lot of stuff that I wanted :) We were supposed to meet our friends at the ice cream shop in Palermo at 8 pm. We were a little early, so I enjoyed some hot tea at a café across the street.

There were these three older ladies that talked with us the entire time we were they. They were so much fun and we had a blast with them. The one lady actually gave us her information and told us if we ever came back, she would rent us a small apartment. She was very sure to say “Only chicas, NO chicos” ;) Our friends still weren’t there at 8:10 so we decided to go without them. I had ¼ kilo with three different types of ice cream this time. Just so you know ¼ kilo = .55 pounds. Our mom says that I am going to gain 10 kilos while I’m here if I keep eating like that. LOL

We have to get up at 6 am tomorrow to catch the ferry to Uruguay. I can’t wait! I love the emails from home, I hope I will have time on Sunday to respond.

Not much for today 

I am feeling much better today since I got a ton of sleep yesterday night. Today I had my third quiz and I think it went okay. Class is getting very difficult and I think our teacher is getting frustrated that we don’t understand what is going on. Only 10 more days of class and 2 of those final exam days. Then I start my second program in the next level of Spanish classes :/

After class, we went to the ISA office and booked our tickets to Uruguay. We will be boarding our ferry at Puerto Madero at 8:45 am on Saturday and arriving in Colonia, Uruguay around 10:00 am. There we have until 8:30 pm to explore and walk the city streets. It is supposed to be a very antique city and very beautiful. I am very excited!

Today was another lazy day. After booking the tickets, we sat at a café and talked about everything that has been going on. With so much homework and not feeling well, I haven’t been out much and it was killing me. Starting tomorrow I am taking time off from studying to go shopping and whatever else I want. Then Sunday I will begin studying hardcore for my midterm on Monday! :) I feel these posts are getting shorter, but once I have some spare time to sightsee and it's not so darn cold, they will get better, I promise. I hope things are well with everyone. I love the emails from home!

Sick...

2.7 degrees Celcius. That’s what the TV said this morning when I got up this morning. 2.7 degrees Celcius = about 37 degrees Fahrenheit. I was freezing! They were talking about how they could have a chance of snow, which they haven’t had since 2008. This is definitely not something I expected when I signed up for this :) The predicted highs have been 50 degrees for the entire week and I’m not sure it has gotten to that yet. Of course, I brought a coat and I wear 5 layers of clothes everywhere. However, when I woke up this morning my throat was a little sore and my nose a little stuffy which progressed all day long. So after class I went to the pharmacy and then came straight home and slept for 4 hours. I am now feeling a little better, but still not the greatest.

I had to get up though and do all of my homework and study for another quiz tomorrow. Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer and I really hope they are right. Since today’s post is not so exciting I thought maybe I would answer some of the questions that people have been sending me.

Where exactly am I?

• With modest detail, I am living in the city of Buenos Aires in the Belgrano district. Buenos Aires is not in the Buenos Aires province and is its own district. Buenos Aires is on the east side of Argentina and South America right by the Rio de la Plata. It is a city of about 3 million people, therefore it is huge and there are very many different districts. It is also the 2^nd largest city in South America.

What are the things I miss from home?

• Safety
• My family
• My friends
• People saying “hello” and smiling on the sidewalk when they pass
• People carrying around little bags for their dogs :)
• The fruits and vegetables

What are the things I love here?

• THE FOOD!
• My mom from Argentina
• The sightseeing and history of everything
• The cooler (not the freezing) weather
• The ice cream
• Public transportation
• The fashion
• The chocolate milk ;)
• The shopping

Until tomorrow!

Today was an amazing day! Class was very long today, but I learned so much! Class seems to be getting much longer and lunch a lot shorter :( Once again I had a ton of homework and I got my first quiz back today :/ Not much to say there other than I need to study MUCHO MUCHO MUCHO!!

After class we took the Subte to Teatro Colon which is the opera house of Buenos Aires. Here we took a guided tour and it was so beautiful! It took them 20 years to complete the building process. The construction was inspired mostly by French and in that neighbor they wanted it to be like the “Paris of South America.” It definitely is. Pictures are the only way I can explain how amazing this place is. But the actual theatre part is where all the action happens! It is built in a horseshoe shape and as I was told has the best acoustics out of all the opera houses in the world. The seats on the first floor are made with cloth and stuffing to absorb the sound and the next few floors are made of hard materials so they will reflect the sound. There are special seats for the President and the Mayor. They also have the original grates where the widows would stand behind so they wouldn’t be seen by the public. There was so much information and I was so amazed. I am hoping to catch an opera there before I leave. 

Teatro Colon

Parlor where they make all the dresses.

Dome from Notre Dame

The floor, laid piece by piece. (20 years to build)

The Teatro!

Dome in the Teatro. The only thing inspired by Argentines only because the humidity ruined the one done by the French. 700 lightbulbs.

When our tour was over we walked to Café Tortoni. On our way we crossed Avenida 9 de Julio which is named for Argentina’s independence day. It is one of the widest streets in the world and connects to the Pan-American Highway. I counted 18 lanes of traffic that we crossed to get to the other side! Café Tortoni is a famous, antique Café on Avenida de Mayo. It was so beautiful as well. Also influenced by the French. While there I had a milkshake and some medialunas while everyone else sipped on their coffee. It was a great atmosphere. On our way home we rode Subte A, which is the first subway line in Buenos Aires. They even still use the first wooden subway cars! Riding it is a must-do while in Buenos Aires. We only rode it for one stop until we got off and got on Subte D, which is the longest one that takes us home.

Cafe Tortoni

Old wooden subway cars

When we got home we did our homework and looked up more places to sightsee. Dinner is very fun here and we just talk about whatever with our mom and laugh. After we ate, she showed us some children’s books that she has so we could practice our Spanish. We read “La Bella y La Bestia” (Beauty and the Beast). We still need a lot more practice. ;)

An Easy Day

Today I had my second quiz at the University and it was quite difficult. School here is a lot more difficult than I thought it was going to be, but nothing I can’t handle. The stuff we are learning comes at us so fast and in large quantities that it is hard to keep up. I spend a lot of time studying which I would rather spend seeing the city. Today I was so exhausted after class that I just came home and took a nap until I had to do my homework.

Then we took a stroll to the supermercado and I got some crackers to snack on during class tomorrow. I also got some oreos that have dulce de leche (the best stuff ever) and banana flavored crème in them. I tried to chocolate milk and it was delicious. Every time I want to try something new, I don’t hesitate because I have not had anything here that I didn’t like.

The bad news is that the economy is terrible here and the government is constantly making changes that the locals do not like. The good news is that 1 USD equals 5.1 pesos instead of 4.5 pesos like it was before. So lots of shopping! :)

Tomorrow we have an afternoon trip to Teatro Colon where we will have a guided tour. More details on that tomorrow.