So, the last day I talked about was Thursday...
On Friday, I was quite thankful to finish up our first full week of classes. There is just something exciting about Fridays, in any country really, that signals the end of the week and the possibility of the upcoming weekend. I woke up a little later than I was supposed to, so I experimented with taking the colectivo (the bus) to UB, because I knew it would take half the time. It was a success! A quicker commute and much less walking, I might be taking the bus fro now on. Buses are CHEAP (30 cents USD) and go pretty much everywhere in BsAs. I think I will be getting very familiar with the bus system as the weeks wear on and my monies dwindle.
In class, we worked some more with the demonio known as the subjunctive. Something fun we did was act out scenes with a partner...showcasing out knowledge of the subjunctive. of course. There were three options, novios (boyfriend/girlfriend) that were breaking up, an employee getting fired, and a students petitioning a teacher for a better grade. Myself and a classmate acted out the novios situation, telenovela style ("Arturo! My love for Alejandro is real!") and it was quite entertaining.
After class, I headed home to rest up a bit (after the previous night's Teatro Colon/Twilight adventure, I was pretty exhausted), and watched the end of the Uruguay/Ghana game with my host mom. I loved watching the game with Elina! She was very enthusiastic, and when Ghana lost, she kept saying pobre negritos (poor little black people), which apparently isn't politically incorrect here.
When the game finished, I met up with my new friend Ruthie to seek out a synagogue. Ruthie had chosen Amijai, a Reform congregation in the middle of Chinatown (strange placement, I know). We took the subte halfway there, walked a bit, got a little turned around, took a taxi for the rest, and still on missed half the service! At Amijai, they had some pretty music- bongos, a piano and a cello, and while the musical service wasn't really my cup of tea, I very much enjoyed hearing and understanding a sermon in Spanish and of course, eating some challah on a Friday night. I am very excited to check out other synagogues in the area, maybe find some Kosher eating establishments (I miss meat) and just delve into the Jewish community of BsAs!
Saturday was the epic Argentina-Germany game. We all know that Germany was going to be tough (even Elina said, "Ellos están muy duros," they are very strong). However, what we watched was just carnage. My friend Diana and I met up at a burrito place (it was good, but Chipotle still wins in my book) and watched Argentina score a goal that didn't count, pass the ball to players that weren't in the right spots, and get scored on. The Germans were little machines and by the end of the game, we knew it was all over. I don't get too emotionally involved with sports, but this was sad! This country LOVES futbol! When I got home, I remarked "Que triste/how sad!" about the game to Elina and her friends, and they were surprised and confused that I cared about Argentina's team. To them, it was obvious that I would cheer for the USA, and beyond that, be indifferent. However, cheering for Argentina was just too exciting to pass up :)
On Sunday, Drew, Ruthie and myself went to the market at San Telmo. San Telmo is known as a bohemian/artesan area, and truth be told, I did see more dreadlocked-people at this market than I had ever seen in one place. For blocks upon blocks, there were tables set up with artist's wares. From what I could tell, it was all slightly touristy, yet still fun to walk among. Strolling through the streets was fun, but my favorite part was listening to the groups drumming on the streets. There was a group of 7 or so people who all had various drums and just played awesome music. It reminded me a bit of marching band days, but it was lovely to just stand, listen and dance a little in the street.
Even though yesterday was the 4th of July, I didn't really celebrate. This marks the fifth 4th of July I have been out the US (thanks to all those summers at Camp Ramah in Canada) and I can't say that it upsets me too much. There was no apple pie, no fireworks, but I didn't really miss it all too much. This upcoming Friday is Argentina's Independence Day (9 de julio), so I am excited to see what that brings!
Today began our third of four weeks of intensive Spanish class. Mondays are always rough, today being no exception. We read a story called "La adolescente/The adolescent" in class, which detailed a young writer being watched by another writer in a cafe. The most exciting part of this story was that I understood it the first time that I read it! Yay! We also worked on the usage of the words por and para, both ways of saying "for" that are varied based on context. Our class is structured such that we have no tests or quizes until our final in two weeks...this frightens me. I guess I should start studying!
After class, I went to the ISA office to socialize for a bit and began to think about what kind of trip to plan during out 10 day break...update to follow regarding that! After ISA, my friend Bri and I went to the grocery store/pharmacy (always fun adventures when you are in a foreign country) to get super exciting things like grapefruits (in my case), chapstick, etc.
We rewarded ourselves for surviving this rough Monday with some te con leche. This is little that I enjoy more than sitting in a cafe for a couple hours, talking, over some te con leche (tea with milk) and medialunas (sweet croissants). Firstly, the tea is delicious. Secondly, its very common just to linger in cafes and there is no rush to get customers out the door. In fact, our waiter didn't even think the bring the check until we asked for it, two hours in.
This tea time is so delicious and so relaxing, I love when its incorporated into my day. Whenever we go to this cafe, it feels like such an Argentine moment, where sitting, talking, and sharing stories takes precedent over the week's unrelenting undertow.
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