Life update: Paint store and estancia!

Hello everyone! You may be wondering:

• What I have been doing since the last update
• Why the class schedule that I posted below is so awkwardly spaced
• If my phone is alive
• Why I don’t take any pictures
• What you’ll be having for dinner (I feel a little narcissistic assuming that everything you’re wondering is about me…)

I finally have time to sit down and update, so here comes another long one. I don’t take pictures because there are no tourists where I live and whipping out a digital camera would be very obvious and very stupid. Also, electronics here have a 100% tax if they’re imported, so they’re at least doubly as expensive as in the US. I promise I’ll take photos eventually, but for now I’ll have to borrow them! Also, the awkward spacing is because I’m html illiterate.

• I did manage to get all my paperwork together to register for UMSA. Because we don’t have student visas yet, it’s a mess of passport photos, copies, and a flurry of paperwork, but Matt and I ran errands together, and I am officially taking an Argentine art history class and a painting class. Except I missed the first class for both because registration took so long and because we had to take a Spanish placement exam. Anyway, apparently it’s common for students to not show up for the first class so next week I’ll let you know how it goes.

• On a side note, I had to buy a Spanish book for the advanced Spanish course I’m taking with IES, and art supplies for the painting class, so I went with Hallie and Sara. Unfortunately, the bookstore won’t have our book until next week, but the painting supply store was open for business. I sheepishly handed the guy my list because my vocabulary in that department is very limited (Imitation turpentine? cadmium red?), but he knew a little English and was very helpful. You might know that I call inanimate objects “little guy” or “little man.” As in, “Yes I would like this little guy (holding the small oil brush).” I didn’t really realize that this might sound funny to someone learning English, but when he started to say it too, I chuckled a little.
  
  
• I went with Carlos to the Recoleta fair. I wanted to practice Spanish with him, but I think he wanted to practice English, so we spoke half and half. I wasn’t feeling too great but I didn’t want to miss out. On the colectivo there were so many people I had to ask a man to let me sit down, because I almost passed out from the heat. Anyway, a little walking did me some good, and we explored the Recoleta cemetery, saw some street tango, and browsed the art fair. I may or may not have bought some Christmas presents…
  

• My phone is alive and well! (You remember the toilet episode?) It’s working like clockwork. Although this doesn’t always help me with punctuality because transportation here is so crazy. I leave half an hour before orientation and sometimes I’m early and sometimes I’m almost late. The other day three full buses passed by me as I tried to flag them down. After the fourth one, the guy in front of me in line shoved me onto the bus so I got a mouthful of someone’s jacket and someone’s elbows in my ribs. But I got on and made it. Thank you, Mr. Chivalry!

• I went to frisbee practice with Discosur on Tuesday night! I mentioned it to Will at IES and we met at the subway. It took over an hour to navigate the commuter subway lines, bus (we took the wrong one), walking, and finally a taxi. But we made it! We did drills and a scrimmage (4 on 4) and it felt so good to be running around in a park instead of coughing on the dust from the street. Will left early, so I took the bus back with a boy from Columbia and a girl from Venezuela who are also studying abroad.

• Thursday IES took us on a trip to an estancia, which is like a farm. There were swings and animals and lots of food. We rode horses and bikes and threw a frisbee around. It was so nice to get air and relax. At one point, we were sitting in the grass after our bike ride talking about the trips we want to take and why we chose Buenos Aires. To our left were llamas, to our right were sheep, and behind us were cows. It was very picturesque but I was pretty excited to get back to the city (I'm sure you know how I feel about animals...)!