So here's a rundown on what's happened here in Argentina so far:
After arrival and orientation, when I first got to look around the city, I was confronted by the sheer familiarity of it. McDonalds billboards, gas stations, name brand shopping and other reminders of home were everywhere. Buenos Aires is just the same as any major American city, like Dallas, except that it is mostly in Spanish.
We jumped right into classes, and lots of them. I spend most of the day at school Monday through Thursday, which can make it difficult to visit the city's attractions as it is winter here and gets dark a bit after 18:00. This country has had a lot of history in a very short amount of time, as Dra. Demello has made clear.
My host family is great. The mother is a biologist, and the son a stereotypical 13 year old boy. They are very welcoming and the food is delicious, although the lack of spice is killing me. The upstairs neighbor is a chemistry professor who spent many years in the United States and Australia, and his English skills help make overcoming the language barrier easier.
The language is something worth mentioning. Español Rioplatense is what it is called, and it consists of a terrible accent, re-purposing a few letters, and using a different word (and conjugation) for "you" than the rest of the Spanish speaking world.
Overall, it's a lot of fun, and there's so much to learn that the month I am here is nowhere near long enough. According to some other exchange students I have met, 6 months doesn't quite cut it either.
Hasta Luego,
Weston
Photos are: host family, the way to do burger king right, and an artistic photo of an Argentine flag waving in the breeze.
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