Semana 2

Hola a todos!

27 de Julio - Continued
After dinner (soup and a delicious vegetable rice) I wasn't feeling well so I said I was going to bed, Clarisa made me some mint tea with honey to clear my congestion and soothe my throat.  It was really good!  She also told me I'm sick because I don't wear enough coats (it's been between 55 and 70 degrees here and I've been wearing a long sleeve shirt and a north face so I'm not entirely sure that's accurate...).

28 de Julio - Dia 11
Thursday morning I got up and had some breakfast (a new kind of cereal, kind of like mini wheats but solid instead of wheat texture with milk and a banana and some hot tea).  I met Julie outside of her house and we took el colectivo to Cementerio Recoleta.

It was a really beautiful place, way different from anything I've seen in the US.

stray cats everywhere...

yes, that is a hole in the coffin.. yes I could touch it if I wanted to (but who the hell would want to do that, there's a dead body in there!)

Newest grave i found, 2011, a little boy, very sad.

There were also some sketchy things, like broken windows/doors, trash in mausoleums, and holes in coffins:

We got to see where Eva Peron is buried:

The number of flowers by her grave was ridiculous!

Then we explored for a little bit, and Julie and I found London style phone booths and a really awesome giant tree.

We headed to orientation, and stopped at La Expocision to get some lunch.  A got a torte tri-color.  It was pumpkin, ricotta and some other cheese, and I think a zuchinni/squash with a little pepper.  I'm not entirely sure what the difference is between a tarta and a torte but I'll ask Clarisa (mi  madre anfitrona) at some point.

This was the juice I had, apple, orange, peach (but it tasted mostly like a very sugary peach):

I also got an alfajorcito. The one I got before was better (obviously because of the chocolate)!

We had a short Castellano session where we were in small groups and presented out pictures.  It was neat to see everyone's pictures.  After the session I went shopping with Ludi.

I got botas, una falda, una camiseta, y zapatos that are kind of like Tom's Shoes, but I got the wrong size (I tried on a pair, wanted a different pattern, and grabbed the wrong size... smart) and now I have to take them back and try to exchange them...

For dinner Clarisa made pizza (with tomatoes on top) that was really good.  The queso here is so rich!!  After dinner I showered and went to bed.

GaDeV (Gracias a dios es viernes - TGIF en Ingles) - 29 de Julio
Today I got up early to go to UCA.  I had some frosted flakes and then met Julie to take the colectivo.  The campus is in a nice area but I'm not entirely crazy about the college, as it's very Catholic, with a dress code (no flip flops or short dresses for girl, no flip flops or shorts for boys).  I signed up to try out a PEL class (specifially for foreigners) about photography and life in Buenos Aires.

UCA

Right next to UCA

View from UCA

Prayer for studies

I rode the bus home with Julie and we stopped at Disco (a supermarket) to get some stuff for lunch.  I ended up getting bread, queso and a tomato to make a grilled cheese (I used the toaster over so it wasn't quite the same but I'm not entirely sure how to use the stove as you have to use a lighter to light the gas).  After lunch I rode un colectivo to UBA Filo to register for classes.  On the way there I ran into 2 girls from my program.  We were a little early so we went to a little bookstore.  A bought a book of poems by Jorge Luis Borges for $20pesos, which is roughly $5 in the US. (famous Argentine writer, there's a street named after him close to my house) called Fervor de Buenos Aires.  Fun fact, his birthday is el 24 de agosto (the same day as Jared's, just 93 years earlier...).

Classroom at UBA (very basic - the school is 100% free)

After registering for classes I took the subte for the first time with Emily.  It wasn't as bad as I thought, and was definitely easier than the colectivos. So maybe I'll try and ride that more often as I think the subtes are faster too.

I got home and showered, and now I'm trying to straighten out how I'm going to work out my schedule next week.  Next week classes start at UCA and USAL so I have to figure out which classes I'm going to "shop" for when, and then the next week classes start at UBA.  It is a very chaotic process, but once I have my schedule set I'll be sure to let you all know!

Hasta luego,
Taylor

Bonus photo: pasaperrro (dogwalker).  They're all over la ciudad