Hola amigos! Today was my first day of class. I was up way too early to take the Subte – the underground in Buenos Aires – to my 8 am Spanish test. One of our teachers said it was also called an almost-free sauna. The temperature outside was a nice 60 degress or so but in the Subte it was more like 85. And forget about personal space – I got closer to men than I’ve gotten in quite a while! But I’ll get used to it.
Upon arriving at the school – along with about 12 other students – I took my placement exam and had to prove my knowledge by introducing myself to one of the staff. Apparently I did ok because I’m in A-2 instead of A-1. This just means that I have enough Spanish that I got to skip the first week of classes. So I’m starting a little bit ahead. My class is being taught by Christine – who seems to have a very smart-ass sense of humor. Clearly, I like her very much! There are only 2 other students in the class – a girl from France and an English bloke who is taking a year off school (he’s 18!) to travel the world. And remember when I thought that I’d be the oldest one at the school? Well, I’m AT LEAST 16 years older than anyone else! HA! That’s ok, I just have that much more life experience 🙂 But everyone is very nice. Most of them are staying in Buenos Aires for multiple months to learn Spanish. Me = old and jealous!
We finished with class at 1 and went to a brief orientation of the city center where the school is located. Expanish is in the micro-center of Buenos Aires – surrounded by banks and high-end shops and offices. Our guide showed us where to get pizza rica (delicious pizza) as well as un café (coffee). Then we had a “safety” talk. There were some stories there! Needless to say, keep an eye on your belongings at all times and don’t travel to certain neighborhoods within the city. I have learned from multiple locals about how corrupt the Argentinian government is. Apparently there are hours where – in certain neighborhoods – the police “disappear”. They also make an effort to scare the tourists. But no big deal, if you get in trouble, you can just buy them off. iPhones seem to be the preferred form of payment.
With the afternoon to myself, I took a bus to La Recoleta Cemetery. In order to navigate my way to my destination, I used what I’ve learned in the 2 days since I arrived – I pointed to my map and batted my eyelashes at the driver! This has worked for me 2 for 2 times! See? I do learn quickly.
Eva Peron’s tomb.
La Recoleta Cemetery is one of the world’s most famous cemeteries. It is where the important people of Argentina are buried – including Evita – Eva Peron. It is creepy! But also beautiful. There are graves and mausoleums from the 18th century to as late as today. In fact, there was a local family there just come from a funeral. Sad – but also lovely.
Now I sit at Distal Café in the barrio of Recoleta. I’ll have another nice dinner with my host family tonight. Last night was the only night I was “allowed” to speak English to my host’s 2 sons. Tonight I have to rely on my small amount of Spanish. The cool part, however, is that we’ll figure it out. And have some laughs in the meantime.
Tomorrow I’m going to behave like a real tourist and get on a double-decker bus of the city. This city is so huge that I figure it will be a nice was to get an overview of everything. Then I’m going to take a tango class – that ought to be hilarious. Then, if all goes according to plan, a date!
Buenos noches!