Small Town Girl in a Big City

Classes have finally started! I am excited to get back into a routine because I haven't really had a set schedule in a LONG time. We just finished our seminar about human rights and social movements and we have a lunch break right now. We are taking this class at a research building in Almagro, which is about ten minutes away from my apartment. Our Spanish class at the Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) and we have it four times a week for three hours. The university is located farther away from my place so I have to take the subway. I have have never realized what a small town girl I am; I have gotten so used to being in Duluth and my schedule at the U, so it's kind of weird to adjust to living in the city. I think in a few weeks, I will get more used to it but it is so different from Minnesota. Anyway, my Spanish class has eight people and our professor, Cecilia, seems really cool. She taught us some Argentine slang, the vosotros form (which I have never really learned before), and we did some exercises, too. Yesterday, after class, I ran a few errands and bought some more minutes for my phone. Cell phone plans are different here- you have to buy cards with minutes and the minutes are applied to your phone. Once you run out, you just buy another card.

Every Sunday, my host Mom has her oldest son and his wife over for lunch. She also invited my parents and brother because they were still in Buenos Aires, so they were able to meet my host family! It was so sweet of her and it was really fun. It was also the first time I met their other son, Sebastian, and he and his wife just had a baby in January. His name is Julio and is adorable! My host brothers speak very good English and my host Father speaks a little, so they were able to communicate with my parents. My host Mom does not know English, so the rest of us (minus my parents) were able to translate. It was so weird going back and forth between English and Spanish and after that afternoon, I was tired. All of us had a really wonderful time and I am so glad that my parents were able to meet them!

Mi familia americana/argentina

My host parents also recommended a fair to check out later that day and it was very similar to a flea market. They played some jazz music there and there were a lot of awesome jewelry stands, which I really enjoyed! I bought a pair of earings and a bracelet to add to my collection...

I have been having a great time but lately, I have just been feeling so exhausted from always trying to speak/listen to Spanish. At first, it was kind of frustrating because I felt that I could not understand anything. I tried to make sure my sentences came out correctly and made sense. I feel that I can speak but listening is extremely difficult. The accent is different from what I am used to and it seems like they talk really fast. Now, I have just started to let go and relax when I speak. It has helped so much and I don't care as much when I make mistakes. When I cannot think of a word/phrase, people can usually guess what I am trying to say. Alright, back to some more class...

Here are some pictures from the trip to San Juan/Mendoza and orientation:

Mom and Dad in San Juan

Valle de Luna

Jared and Dad at Valle de Luna


Alysa and Sam during orientation

Estancia- where we stayed during orientation