Una semana

It´s been a week since I first started by adventure to Buenos Aires. I think an update is long overdue.

We arrived Monday and our group of thirteen went to find lunch together and then returned to for orientation all afternoon. That evening we went home with our host families--no hotel for us.

I live in an apartment in San Telmo, which is pretty much the political center of the city. I pass the Casa Rosada (what would be our White House. think Evita on the balcony.) and the Plaza de Mayo. I live with Elvira and her 12-year-old son, Joaquin. Joaquin´s friend Matías is usually at the house as well. Elvira has a daughter, Catalina, also, but she lives in an appartment in another part of the city. Another student in the CIEE program, Annie, lives with Cata.

Tuesday morning began our week of orientation--sessions learning about the city and the program, taking placement tests, etc. Elvira went with me and showed me the route and how to use the subway (subte). I came home by myself though and got a bit confused. I forgot I had to cross the street that divides the entire city so that the names are different on either side. Oops. I found my way home though safely. I understand the subtes now and dont mind taking them. During rush hour it gets ridiculous though; people are crammed in like sardines and literally tangled up in one another. I haven´t taken a bus yet. There are so many, all identified by numbers and colors. Eventually I´ll learn.

Tuesday night Annie and Cata came over for dinner, which was really fun. Elivira loves to cook and makes very tasty food. We eat very late. Every night it´s been around 10:00, though she said that when the schools are no longer on vacation, the usual is 9:00. I didn´t really get a chance to catch up on sleep until Wednesday, since every night we seem to talk for a few hours.

I´ve been meeting lots of really cool people. It´s strange though having to make lots of new friends again. I suppose thats what I did at the start of college, but that seems like a ways off from now.

Last night I went out for the first time which was lots of fun. Night life is so late here. I didnt leave the house until around 1 and met up with some friends who had gone out to dinner. From there we headed to a club. It was packed. It was really fun dancing and whatnot, but at times it reminded me of the subte at rush hour. There were lots of the CIEE kids there who had come in various groups. I ran into my new friend Stefan, the Brit from the airplane, at the club as well and met some of his friends and shared a cab home since he lives closeby.

After going to bed at 5:15 this morning, I got up to go to a 9:30 orientation at "La UCA" (the private Catholic university). I´m not sure yet which classes I´m taking or where. There´s a big public university (UBA), a private University (UCA), the classes through the program, and then all of the various departments and programs within each. After orientation I took the scenic route home with Eliza and took her to my subte stop. Then I wandered around a bit, just exploring the area around where I live. And now.... I´m here pretending to decide on classes, but really checking email and (finally) updating this.

Sometimes its strange to think that I´ll be here until December, but I´m really enjoying it so far and I just keep getting more excited!