The passing of time is a good thing though. I'm living life, gaining experiences, learning as much as I can, and enjoying it!
Looking back over my first month in Buenos Aires, I feel like time has flown by. My month of intensive Spanish class is coming to an end. I had my written final exam today and my oral final exam is tomorrow. It has definitely been an intensive course, as I have five hours of class, five days a week, and plenty of homework each night. Five hours of Spanish class a day can be exhausting, but as my host mother says, "vale la pena" - it's totally worth all of the work. When I arrived in Buenos Aires I felt like my Spanish was fairly out of practice, and I was nervous about how easily it would come back to me. This month of classes, as well as just being immersed in the environment, has definitely helped, and I'm feeling pretty good about communicating now. Although I'm not fluent by any means, my speaking is a lot more fluid - I just talk, trying my best to use correct grammar and vocabulary, but not worrying if I make mistakes. I can hold a good conversation as is, and I'm hoping that by the end of my time here, I will be able to hold a great conversation with correct grammar and use of verb tenses! Okay, maybe not perfect but hopefully close.
Buenos Aires is quite the city - there are certain things that I love about it, and other things that I'm not overly fond of.
I enjoy...
...walking just about everywhere.
...buying fruit from fruit stands.
...seeing dog walkers with, oh, at least eight dogs or so.
...seeing three dog walkers with at least 25 dogs or so! (I saw that this morning, as I was headed to take my exam. It put a smile on my face :). )
...the coffee and medialunas.
...the ferias (markets) around the city that are open on weekends.
...people watching, people watching, and more people watching.
...kissing on the cheek as a way to greet and say goodbye to people.
...being immersed in the Spanish speaking environment.
...learning and taking in as much as I can about Argentine culture.
...the relaxed way of life and the value that Argentines place on family and friends.
...exploring the many parts of the city.
...noticing that my Spanish is improving, no matter how small the improvement. Saying a sentence with the correct verb conjugation, in the correct tense can make my day!
I'm not so fond of...
...dog poop. Everywhere. On all the sidewalks.
...people getting just too close to you on subways and buses during rush hour, and having to worry so much about theft (it's a big issue here).
...all the smoking.
...how dirty some areas of the city can be.
...the fact that buses and cars really don't care about pedestrians. Really, look both ways when crossing the street. More than twice. How about constantly while you're crossing the street.
...ATMs giving only 100 peso bills and many stores and restaurants not being able to break 100 peso bills.
...all of the horn honking.
...dog poop. Did I mention that? Really, it's like little land-mines.
Regarding drivers here, I find it kind of ironic that everyone is so impatient and in such a rush when the lifestyle is so relaxed. Horns are constantly honking and drivers are nuts! I wouldn't dare drive a car here. I guess people just don't want to be spending their time commuting, which I can understand. They would rather be spending time at a café, talking with friends, and enjoying café con leche y medialunas. Ahhh, how lovely! Also, subways during rush hour can actually be quite humorous. While it can be very unsettling, having people getting too close, it's kind of a funny experience. People literally shove their way onto already packed subways, to where there is absolutely no room to move at all. I've never been anywhere that defines "packed like sardines" as well as the Buenos Aires subways during rush hour do.
I'll write another post soon with some pictures, but for now, here's me with a llama. :)
At the Feria de Mataderos
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