Classes and a long-overdue update

It had been a while since I updated, so I'll write 2 in one day.

Life is good. My classes are going well and, as of Friday, I'm finally officially registered and whatnot (a month after starting? something like that).
I'm taking:

Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). UBA is like nothing I've seen before. Its a huge public school, free, very much underfunded, and the best in the country. I have my lecture class in a huge warehouse-looking room with 100 (200? I dont know, I'm terrible at estimating people) people. The professor uses a mic (when it works) and smokes more or less throughout the entire class. In UBA, all of the walls are covered with posters (usually hand-painted) advertising events or student groups or political propoganda. There are lots of students handing out fliers as well. It's definitely an interesting experience. I have my "practica" class as well (what is it in English? We don't have it at Elon. Recitation?), which probably has 20-30 students. I ended up changing that class for another time, but I've made some friends, so thats good.

Cultural Issues in Argentine History through my program. It's been pretty interesting and its comparative to the U.S. as well. The professor is great and really excited about the subject and teaching, so it makes it much more interesting.

The language in action: Word and Urban Landscape in Argentine Literature through my program. I really enjoy this professor as well. Every other week we have a regular class, with a lecture/presentations/discussions/etc. The other week we go on "field trips" around the city to visit areas where authors live or wrote or areas of inspiration or that appear in various poems/stories.

Language Class. Really not that exciting. At this point I've learned all of the grammar basics, I just need lots of practice. So, lots of review with other people from the U.S. In the other classes there are people from all over, but in mine we're all from the U.S. Oh well.

Choir with IUNA (the arts school). I joined/went to my first class last week. It was so exciting! Its great to sing again, because I haven't really since high school. We sing mostly in Spanish, but we're doing a few songs in English as well. I was excited that I knew two of them--"Remember Oh Thou Man" (which I sang with madrigals) and "Weep, Oh Mine Eyes" (which I played in a quartet in orchestra).

Independent Study. I'm studying the influences of English on the Spanish in Buenos Aires. It's still not really focused. I'm going to see if I can turn it into something for my thesis at Elon though. We'll see.

Next week I'm going to Jujuy and later in the month Cordoba, both trips with the program. It shold be fun. I've overcome my fear of talking on the phone in Spanish (so much harder than in person) as I now talk with some friends I've met here on the phone. I'm understanding the TV much better now as well. I don't watch much, but sometimes I'll join Elvira (my "mom") to watch something. She likes Patinando por un Sueno (Iceskating for a Dream), which is more or less Dancing with the Stars, but iceskating.

I'm also starting to learn to go with the flow a little more here because plans often don't work out so well. Last night I actually made a plan of where I wanted to go and had a friend to go with me but at the last minute it just didn't work out. I ended up going to dinner with Elvira and Joaquin to their friends house though. Today, after sending many text messages, I found a friend to go with me to a free concert. When we got there though there weren't any tickets left. We ran into Esteban, an argentino that sings in the choir with me, and ended up hanging out with him. He was our tourguide of Recoleta (one of the barrios/neighborhoods) and we went to the museum of fine arts, the feria (fair? I'm not sure what it translates to exactly. Lots of stands selling things, music, food, etc. They happen all over every weekend), and then for coffee and a snack. It was really fun.

Anyway, almost time for dinner. Thats enough of a random update for now. I'll try to be a little more consistent with the updates!! Hasta luego.....