I know my family was probably waiting anxiously for me to post for the first time... sorry ya'll, I was too busy until now! :)
It's Saturday and so I have been here for about 3 days so far. I arrived Wednesday night after a longgg 24 hours of traveling, and got to my homestay safe and sound!
My host mom's name is Maria Ines and she is so kind. She has been hosting students now for 25 years and there will be 8 of us in total when everyone gets here! Right now it's just me and one other boy from another part of Argentina. She told me last night that my roommate and I will be the only two for which Spanish isn't our first language, and that we only speak spanish in the house (as a rule), so it will be greatttt!
I am actually surprised at how much more comfortable I am with Spanish in general and with the accent here. I think Argentinian castellano is beautiful. It has the influence of Italian due to immigrants in the past, and so for this it rises and falls like Italian. In terms of pronunciation, most of us learned in school that "ll" and "y" make the "yuh" sound. Here, it's "sh"! They also like to speak really quickly, with lots of slang, and so that can be difficult too, depending on who you're talking to.
My building is in Barrio Norte, right next to Recoleta, which is essentially the most upscale neighborhood in Buenos Aires. It is less than a block from Ave Santa Fe, which is super convenient, because it's a major avenue where multiple bus lines run and you can get so many places so easily. There are also tons of shops that are easily accessible.
I could literally go on and on just describing my first few days, but i'm not going to do that, because i'm already sick of typing. So moving on...
There are many things that I read before coming here that I haven't found to be true, or found to be different, or the same. Maybe it's because i've only seen a limited area of the city, but we'll see!
First of all, I read in so many places that it would be hard to find good produce. Actually, there are many fruit and vegetable stands, and lots of options in the supermarket and restaurants, and my host mom always has a salad with dinner. So that's good, so that I won't get fat.
Also, one thing I was expecting, that I love, is that people are so much more patient and go with the flow here than in the US. Dinner at my house is at 9, which is actually on the early side. When I went to my friend's apartment the other night (who is Argentinian), we had mate (a typical tea, too long to explain right now, look it up if you're curious), and then we ate dinner at about 11 and finished at about midnight. I was expecting to be starving and really tired by that time, but I actually felt okay! Anyway, we sit at the table for a good hour, eating and talking, and right now it's only a few of us, so i'm sure it'll be longer when everyone arrives! When I was at the Carrefour the other day buying some necessities, there were probably 20 people in line for the "under 20 items" cashiers, and I probably stood in that line for a good 25 minutes. It extended into the wine aisle, and so I studied the available options and peacefully, no one around me complained, sighed, looked at their phones, or asked someone to open another line. In the US, the line never has more than 3 people, and if you have to wait, someone will definitely complain to a manager. No one can wait for anything. So I love that.
When we went to lunch yesterday (me and some other Americans from ISEP), we waited a good 20 minutes for the waiter to come out to get our orders, and then a long time afterwards to get the bill. People in the US are constantly going going going, and needing to get out of places as soon as possible (I know this from waitressing myself). But it was a beautiful day and we sat outside, and so it was really nice!
I really love the city, it almost looks like Europe, but also looks and feels different to me. I still don't know how to pinpoint what I mean, but if I figure it out, I'll tell you!
Gracias por leer! Beso!
-Anna
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Thursday, February 5, 2015
3 semanas!
Hola!
I am posting... even though I have three more weeks until I leave for my semester in Buenos Aires, Argentina!
If this is news to you... where have you been? Just kidding; I feel like i've been posting a lot about it and obsessing is all. I am leaving the night of the 24th and I will be arriving about 24 hours later (hours-wise). So about three weeks from today!
I am just working and working on my TEFL class, and now i'm having to start actually prepping to go! I have been researching, emailing, and asking for advice from several people I know that have experienced and/or lived in the city (if you're one of these people- love you, you're the best).
I will be studying at the Universidad de Palermo in the Palermo neighborhood of the city. I am staying with a host mom in Recoleta, the neighborhood next door to it. Apparently it is super nice and beautiful, when I told a couple of my professors that it is where I am staying they couldn't believe my luck! So I have high hopes. If Google Maps is accurate, my building is gorgeous and also right next to a lovely park and cafe. My host mom has grown kids and told me that she hosts up to 8 people at a time- should be fun! I will have a rooommate who is also American and we have been communicating a lot, it's good to have an ally in this process!
All of my classes will be in Spanish, and hopefully I will be taking some like Psychology, Sociology, and a few in the "Latin American Cultural Identity Program" which include Argentinian Society and Culture, Politics, and Literature among a few more. I will probably also take advantage of an Advanced Spanish class that is included in my program just to brush up on my grammar, since it's been a while...
So- the main point of this post. I would like to start my reflection process by stating some goals, expectations, etc about my trip and see how they compare to the actual experience!
Expectations:
1. To be afraid and lost for the first few days. The Spanish is fast, an accent I'm not completely used to (but luckily have had some exposure to), it's a big city... I know that it will be stressful, but I have two weeks before my classes and orientation actually start to accustom myself so i'm sure it'll be fine.
2. To have a small freak out once I step off the plane and realize what I'm doing. Because it still hasn't hit me that I'm living in Argentina for 5 months. A new city. New people. New university. All Spanish all the time.
3. To meet some amazing people! (Expectation and goal)
4. To be stared at a lot. I already get this being tall, also I'm blonde, also I will look lost, also my Spanish is obviously not at the fluent level.
5. To have a freaking blast and never want to leave. If my experience is anywhere close to where it was in Madrid, I will fall in love with the city, have an amazing time, embrace the opportunity.
Goals:
1. To be (hopefully) fluent in Spanish by the time I leave! I feel like I'm just on the brink, and the only thing that will push me over the edge will be to live abroad. Even though I know my comfort level will go up substantially, my final goal is to be fluent (if not at the end of this, then someday soon).
2. To step out of my comfort zones (which I have a lot of, in many aspects). Push myself to meet new people, to experience new things, to party like an Argentinian 21-year-old (which goes from about 1 am to 7 am, and currently sounds like a nightmare to me).
3. To stay in shape; I've been working really hard on my eating and exercise since the new year, and it is so hard to keep this up in a new place, luckily my roommate is a runner and I'm hoping to join the volleyball team! But lots of bread and meat is in store for me. And empanadas. And Malbec.
4. To not let the newness freak me out. There will be a lot of stressful moments and getting used to the lifestyle of being late and unorganized, and the craziness of the city will take some getting used to for me.
I'm sure I will think of other things, which I will post later when it gets closer to the day!
Besos!
-Anna
I am posting... even though I have three more weeks until I leave for my semester in Buenos Aires, Argentina!
If this is news to you... where have you been? Just kidding; I feel like i've been posting a lot about it and obsessing is all. I am leaving the night of the 24th and I will be arriving about 24 hours later (hours-wise). So about three weeks from today!
I am just working and working on my TEFL class, and now i'm having to start actually prepping to go! I have been researching, emailing, and asking for advice from several people I know that have experienced and/or lived in the city (if you're one of these people- love you, you're the best).
I will be studying at the Universidad de Palermo in the Palermo neighborhood of the city. I am staying with a host mom in Recoleta, the neighborhood next door to it. Apparently it is super nice and beautiful, when I told a couple of my professors that it is where I am staying they couldn't believe my luck! So I have high hopes. If Google Maps is accurate, my building is gorgeous and also right next to a lovely park and cafe. My host mom has grown kids and told me that she hosts up to 8 people at a time- should be fun! I will have a rooommate who is also American and we have been communicating a lot, it's good to have an ally in this process!
All of my classes will be in Spanish, and hopefully I will be taking some like Psychology, Sociology, and a few in the "Latin American Cultural Identity Program" which include Argentinian Society and Culture, Politics, and Literature among a few more. I will probably also take advantage of an Advanced Spanish class that is included in my program just to brush up on my grammar, since it's been a while...
So- the main point of this post. I would like to start my reflection process by stating some goals, expectations, etc about my trip and see how they compare to the actual experience!
Expectations:
1. To be afraid and lost for the first few days. The Spanish is fast, an accent I'm not completely used to (but luckily have had some exposure to), it's a big city... I know that it will be stressful, but I have two weeks before my classes and orientation actually start to accustom myself so i'm sure it'll be fine.
2. To have a small freak out once I step off the plane and realize what I'm doing. Because it still hasn't hit me that I'm living in Argentina for 5 months. A new city. New people. New university. All Spanish all the time.
3. To meet some amazing people! (Expectation and goal)
4. To be stared at a lot. I already get this being tall, also I'm blonde, also I will look lost, also my Spanish is obviously not at the fluent level.
5. To have a freaking blast and never want to leave. If my experience is anywhere close to where it was in Madrid, I will fall in love with the city, have an amazing time, embrace the opportunity.
Goals:
1. To be (hopefully) fluent in Spanish by the time I leave! I feel like I'm just on the brink, and the only thing that will push me over the edge will be to live abroad. Even though I know my comfort level will go up substantially, my final goal is to be fluent (if not at the end of this, then someday soon).
2. To step out of my comfort zones (which I have a lot of, in many aspects). Push myself to meet new people, to experience new things, to party like an Argentinian 21-year-old (which goes from about 1 am to 7 am, and currently sounds like a nightmare to me).
3. To stay in shape; I've been working really hard on my eating and exercise since the new year, and it is so hard to keep this up in a new place, luckily my roommate is a runner and I'm hoping to join the volleyball team! But lots of bread and meat is in store for me. And empanadas. And Malbec.
4. To not let the newness freak me out. There will be a lot of stressful moments and getting used to the lifestyle of being late and unorganized, and the craziness of the city will take some getting used to for me.
I'm sure I will think of other things, which I will post later when it gets closer to the day!
Besos!
-Anna
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