First few days & it feels like home already

So it’s been a few days since I arrived in Cordoba but I feel like I’ve been here forever (in a good way). It didn’t take me long to get some sense of direction and to get to class and home on my own even though I live an hour bus ride from the city. I’ll try to remember the last couple days…

Monday was my first day of clase de espanol. Since I didn’t have a cell phone my host parents drove me into the city…it took about 25 minutes. From what I saw from the car, the city was beautiful! Once we got to the building, I was expecting an actual class, but once again there was a communication breakdown somewhere and I ended up with a tutor. But hey I am not complaining because it’s much easier to learn when the teacher’s attention is on you. However, one small problem is that this teacher doesn’t speak English. The only other language she knows is French besides a couple phrases and words in English…so once again it’s a challenge but in reality its helping because it makes me learn faster. There is one other student studying with a separate tutor at the same time as me. His name is Pascal and he’s from Germany. Finally a person that speaks some English! I was so relieved. He explained a lot of things to me, such as what kind of cell phone plan to get and the fun things to do in the city on the weekends. He’s only been here two weeks so he has tons of traveling planned with other students from Germany to go to Buenos Aires and Mendoza, two places I am dying to see while I’m here.

My classes are 3 hours long from 9:30am to 1pm with a half hour break in between. It sounds like its really long, but honestly the time flies by so fast because I am learning so much. It’s so different from learning in school when you don’t need to speak it to be understood. I literally feel like my mind is a sponge as corny as it sounds…I’ve never had the feeling that I was really soaking in so much information. My host parents even noticed when I came home that I was able to form sentences (when they picked me up from the airport all I could say was “hola, como estas?” ugg FAIL haha). So I’m feeling better about that. Mi padre is so funny…literally all he can say in English is “thank you very much” and it sounds like “thank you BERRY much”. He’s kinda crazy but I love it haha it makes things interesting. He’s always saying to me “tranquilla…tranquilla!” which means relax…

I just realized a day ago that I also have a host sister staying in the house. I had mi mama write out a family tree to me (she was trying to explain all the family with words and my head was spinning) and I finally realized that Maria Jimenia lives here with us. She’s 30 years old, but she seriously looks 24. That’s one thing I’ve noticed about Argentines…you can never guess their ages. It’s impossible. I’ll get more into the differences I’ve noticed later…

Mi madre also wrote me out a homemade map of the city and how to walk to and from the bus stop to class. The walk is about 20 minutes after the hour bus ride to the city but it’s not that bad. It only costs 2 pesos to ride the bus from my house (an hour ride) and 2 pesos is about 50 cents…SO cheap. My sister was telling me how it was expensive and I told her how its $2 bucks (almost 7 pesos) to ride the T and that doesn’t even go outside the city. She was shocked haha. Good ol USA robbing us of every penny that they can…can’t say that I miss that at all. I made it home on the bus fine but it was SO hot. No AC on the busses of course, and theres always so many people squished together. Blah. Can’t complain though, at least I don’t have to walk all the way home…

Today I had class, and then I had lunch with Pascal and his teacher, Karin. We got freshly made empanadas that were AMAZING. I had 4 of them and was stuffed, and it was only 9 pesos (alittle more then $2…crazy!). I walked to the bus station, and I swear everyone today thought I was Argentine. The bus stop was packed, and out of everyone to ask, at least 4 people walked up to me to ask what number bus just passed. I feel so stupid with the whole “yo no hablo espanol…” but I’ll get there. One older guy seemed concerned that I wouldn’t get on the right bus (even though I told him which bus I take) so he grabbed me by the arm and made sure I had no problems paying the bus driver. So I guess people here are friendly and care about foreigners…haha.

On the bus ride to Villa Riverra Indarte (the suburb where my house is), the only open seat was next to a guy who looked my age. I was tired and felt like vegging out so I put my head phones on. I noticed his notebook was filled with drawings, and he was drawing the guy sitting in front of us on the bus. Once it was done he caught me looking at it and I said it was good (in Spanish of course). Then I was inspired to work on my Spanish homework on the bus to make the time go faster. The next thing I know I look over at his notebook and he’s drawing ME. I didn’t know if I should pretend I didn’t see it or something… when he was done he got my attention and I took my headphones out and said my normal Spanish saying: “yo no hablo espanol lo siento” and he’s says “oh do you speak English?” in almost perfect English. We start talking about how he studied in Germany and learned English there too. Finally another person who speaks English! Haha I told him we could only be friends if he only spoke to me in Spanish so I could practice and he agreed. He gave me the picture he drew, and he said he wanted to finish the drawing and that’s why he had missed his stop 20 minutes before…I felt so bad because it was so hot outside. It made me feel good to meet my first amigo de Argentina though :)

One really annoying thing about the bus is that you have to pay with cospelos. It’s not even change…it’s a specific coin you need for the bus which I don’t see the point in because they don’t even go into a machine on the bus, you just had them to the bus driver. You can only get them as these little shops on the street which makes it a pain but oh well. More opportunities to use my espanol.
It’s been SO hot here. It’s been in the high 90’s all week, and I haven’t been in one place (besides Walmart last night) that has AC. I wore capris to class Monday & Tuesday but it was so hot that I finally gave in and wore shorts today. Bad move on my part, I got so harassed at the bus stop in my neighborhood, walking to class in the city, walking back to the bus stop, and walking home. I don’t know what’s worse…boiling in pants in 98 degree weather, or having to ignore the catcalls all day. I wasn’t even wearing anything revealing (I promise, Mom and Dad). My building where I take class is also unbearably hot. I’m on the second level and from 9am-12pm the city’s electricity is shut off. People have tried to explain why to me, but all I’ve been able to translate is “problemas de gobierno” which is problems with the government. So yeah… without the fans in the building its super hot… I’m getting used to it. Also, there are protests almost every day in the street of the city. I heard gun shots and it was like my teacher didn’t even notice that there was a noise… she said they are peaceful protests but I don’t really see how guns can illustrate a peaceful protest…oh well.

Anyways, this is a lot for one post so I apologize, but there is so much to write about things that I see that are different. I feel so aware of everything around me. I’m going to lay outside in the sun so I don’t look so American with my white pale skin and then I’m going to my first Argentine BBQ fiesta with the other students in my school :) According the host of the party it’s ending early at 2am because we have class in the morning. Now I know why Argentines take ciestas every day…

Hasta luego, besos <3>