It's come to my attention that I'm pretty much the only one that hasn't posted yet since we've actually arrived in Argentina. It's mostly because I've been very busy, but to be honest, ever since started sleeping the siesta any hopes of regular blogging have died a slow and lingering death. If I were to write a really detailed summary of everything that's happened, this would be the torah of blog entries...So I'll stick a cliffsnotes kind of thing instead.
Orientation(s):
The orientation in Miami was...nothing special. It was really fun to meet all of the other Americans that were going to Argentina (and Chile) though! The hotel was gorgeous, but a lot of the information was pretty tedious. We got to the airport at about 4 on Thursday, and Our plane left at 8. We got to Buenos Aires at 6:45 local time (4:45 a.m. for us) and we waited in the airport for a few hours waiting for a few other countries planes to get in. We got to the orientation site a little later, and it was AMAZING. I loved it. Beautiful architecture, amazing landscapes....It was perfect. But that wasn't even the best part. I can now say I have friends in Austrailia, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, Malaysia, Switzerland, Canada, Brazil....among many others. There's something funny about meeting exchange students. The thing we all have in common is that we have nothing in common. We're all going through the same experience, yes, but we're coming from all different backgrounds and situations and cultures and we're all doing this for different reasons. But in that, we have a very deep mutual level of respect for eachother and it's amazing how in two days I feel so close with so many people.
EXTREMELY Abridged summary of my first three weeks:
My very first night, my host family picked me up at 4 A.M. at a gas station in Chazón and informed me that I better have slept on the bus because "We're going to a party"....and that served as a pretty accurate preview as to what the rest of my exchange was going to be like. I spent my first few days going around town with Mica and meeting people while I was still on summer vacation, and then school started, more on that later, it's a post unto itself. I couldn't be happier with my host family, and I'm really starting to feel comfortable here, like this is my home. I have a routine, I feel comfortable eating (strange sentiment, I know, but if you know me you know I'm not a huge fan of eating in front of people I don't know well yet) But I'm happy here. I feel healthy, content, adjusted, (aside from the siesta sleeping pattern....that still screws with me a bit) and I know that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.
Some of my favorite things:
1. The food.
Good lord. Milanesa, Empanadas, Asado, Locro, Alfajores, DULCE DE LECHE, Mate....it's all way too good. Every single thing I've tried, I've loved. I even like sausage here. I hate sausage in the United States. Can't stand it. Here, It's delicious. Same goes for beer.
2. The way the town is organized.
I can walk everywhere. To buy clothes, food, go to the bank...El centro is not even a two minute walk away from my house. Everything is accessible. The only thing that's kind of weird is that there is only one two-way street in the entire town.
3. La JODA! (partying)
This definitely had to get recognition, blogwise. In three weeks, I've had 6 weekend nights, and out of those 6, there has only been one where I haven't been to a party or a boliche (and I still didn't get home until 3) and only two where I've made it home before 7 or 7:30. Boliches (clubs) are amazing. Think homecoming, but people actually dance (It's called cuarteto, it's kind of like salsa, but not...hard to explain) there is lots of alcohol, it doesn't start until 1:30 in the morning, and there are three times as many people. And it's a legitimate club, like you see on T.V., instead of a sweaty gym. All of my friends at school always ask me, ¿Te gusta la joda acá? With a look on their face that already knows the answer...It's a mix of "yeah, so does everyone else" and "I saw you last weekend, don't lie to me"
4. The strange and hilarious mix of where my language skills are at.
As I'm sure you've probably noticed, my English is starting to slip in several different places. In fact, I've had to go back more than once in this blog post to fix things that don't make much sense at all. I didn't start to notice until yesterday, when I said "Open your horizons" instead of "broaden", and I forgot how to correctly use the word "hinder". The difference between There, Their, They're, and There're is starting to confuse me a lot as well. If someone is trying to speak to me in English with even a hint of an Argentine accent, I have a really hard time staying with English. I'll say something like, "Yeah, I really like the town, todos son muy amables, simpáticos, y el asado es riquísimo" I had my first dream in Spanish earlier this week. You all must be thinking "She's already fluent!" HAH. That is not the case, at all. I haven't been here long enough. I'm just in a strange limbo between languages and honestly it's kind of hilarious, especially when you're talking to your exchange student friends and they have the same problem. (Tyler... Steak vs. Stake, Scared vs. Scarred)
5. The people, especially my host family
Everyone I've met is just....Friendly. Nice, open, caring...There isn't as much social stigma (am I even using that word correctly?) as there is in the United States. I was so nervous that because of the language barrier (honestly, sometimes when I talk people just stare at me, mouth agape, because it's instantly obvious that I'm not from here) That people wouldn't like me. But with a sigh of relief, I can say that hasn't been the case. As for my host family, they're something else. I got so lucky being placed with them. And it's not even just the ones I live with, but the extended family, all the brothers and sisters that don't live at home anymore and their kids. Just last night, all of us hermanos got together at Fede's house for an Asado, and it felt so great to be included and really feel accepted by all of them as a legitimate sister. We drank wine, ate delicious food, talked, and I really felt like I belonged there.
6. The hombres.
They're gorgeous, enough said.
7. My name.
It's hilarious what happens with my name here. When I say it when meeting people for the first time, their faces instantly light up with "You're the foreign girl that I heard about!" Because the way it's pronounced compared with the way it's spelled make absolutely no sense in the spanish language. It's even funnier listening to people try to pronounce it.
- ¿Cómo te llamas?
- Avery.
- Ah....bay...ree?
With of course, the hard R. And my last name with the rolled one...
- "Re fácil su apellido...Barrrrrrrrrrrrrrrros"
Chau, Boludos.
