Dia Tres

On the third day, I set my alarm for 7 am because we all needed to take showers before we went to FLACSO, the host school, for orientation at 9 am. We walked from the hotel... about 10 minutes, in three groups and hung out in the cafeteria with coffee and fruit before going into separate rooms to take a quick questionnaire about what we know about and expect from Argentina. It was boring... then we met the FLACSO staff who we will be working with this semester. Then we took a break before breaking up into smaller groups to learn about the housing system. That was also pretty boring, but useful I suppose. All the staff are really nice and funny so it was okay. Then we had lunch. The empanadas were amazing. Muy bueno! After, we returned to our small groups and learned about the public transportation system. That was so necessary!!! This city is huge. It was kindof confusing, but I'm figuring it out. It is scary though, running all around the city (that I don't know) by myself. But hey... whatevs. After the transportation lecture, we were dismissed back to the hotel for a few hours before we went to our new homes with our host families. At 7 pm I went down to the lobby with my four heavy bags and waited a surprisingly short amount of time for my name to be called and two people to come forward to meet me with a kiss on the cheek (the standard greeting here). The woman was as average looking as any beautiful Argentinean woman can look. By average I guess I mean she is of average height and build. The man was tall and a little scruffy in the beard. He was wearing a baggy blue sweater. They helped me take my bags to the sidewalk where we waited for a cab. He name is Malena. She is the sister of the man: Sebastien. Sebastien lives in my house; Malena does not. She lives nearby. We took a taxi to the house, about 30 blocks from the hotel.

The house is very large. The “living” is a huge tall room with almost nothing in it. It has the record player and a piano of some sort… and a couple of chairs on the other side of the room near the stairs to my room. My room is sort of a walled in loft. It’s almost as large as my room in Alaska is, but the ceiling is a bit lower. I have a twin sized bed that turns out to be quite comfortable. I have a loveseat, an electric heater, a closet that I can’t use yet because it needs to be fixed, a night table, a lamp, a large glass and wooden coffee table, a desk and chair, and a cell phone that the last student left for me. It’s very cute. I’ll take pictures eventually. I’ve sadly been being lazy in my picture taking. Anyway. There is a bathroom on the main floor, under my room and next to the bedrooms of Vero, a female roommate that I passed on the stairs but haven’t seen any of since, and Sebastien. Across the living room and though a door is the heated kitchen with the same tall ceiling as the living room. It is modest in it’s accommodations compared to American kitchens but it reminds me of our kitchen in Talkeetna, except it’s bigger. Up the narrow stairs next to the kitchen is Nati’s room. She is another female roommate, a vegetarian, very petite and cute but relaxed. Past her room is the door to the roof of the building which is large and has a great view. I hear we BBQ up there in the warmer season.

Back in the kitchen Malena made tea and toast (not in a toaster, on the stove) on which we put either cream cheese or dulce de leche (basically caramel spread). It was very good. We talked for a while about the rules of the house and other things before Malena went to her own house and I was left with Sebastien and Nati. Nati went to do homework and Sebastien turned on the soccer game. Tyler is going to be so jealous of all the soccer I’m going to see. It was fun, but Boca, the Argentine national team, lost. Eventually, around 9:30 Sebastien made dinner: spinach and cheese ravioli in pasta sauce. It was very good. After that, though it was only 11 pm we went to bed.

I’m very pleased with my host “family?” They are all about my age, or within 10 years of me anyway. And Malena and Sebastien speak English… so when I have that blank “I don’t understand what you are saying” look on my face, something that is happening a lot, they say it in English. Probably not the absolute best thing for my Spanish, but certainly good for understanding, shared learning, and the building of friendships, something I am in need of greatly at the moment. The third day was very exciting.