Hi friends!
This blog is mostly just going to be random comments/observations (without any connotation) that dont fit anywhere else:
-Argentina is such a funny country:
-It no longer surprises me to see protests/demonstrations (on the way to school today there was this huge worship/Christian demonstration going on outside of the main church, which I wish I could have stayed for but was already running late to class)
-I sometimes forget that normally backpacks are worn on the BACK, not the front as they are here (due to pickpocketers)
-It is not uncommon for there to be entertainment while on the subway or while waiting to cross the street. People perform all the time to get tips, including acts of juggling swords while on a unicycle (also people try to sell you stuff on the subways and buses)
-There is not really food or coffee "To-Go"
-I have literally only found two places that sell iced tea: Starbucks and this little cafe that is no where near anywhere I ever go (This is surprising because its fairly warm here and they don't have cold drinks (even the refridgerated sodas are not very cold) or ice practically anywhere!)
-Asking for water from the tap is considered rude (in the US this is automatically given)
-Paying with a 100 peso bill (like U$D 22) is a nightmare unless what you are buying is like 98 pesos. However, Argentine cashiers are better at math than a lot of cashiers in the US. When something is 16.50 usually people in the US just pay with a 20 dollar bill to get 3.50 back but here the cashiers ask for 21.50 so they can give you a 5 peso bill instead of coins (I do this anyway because I like math but in the US sometimes the cashiers get confused but here its like "THANK YOU!"
-Many times I try to speak Spanish to people at restaurants, kiosks, or cafes because I am obviously here to learn Spanish but very frequently the worker responds in English (today at Starbucks when I was getting my iced tea, the cashier responded in perfect English without an accent "Black tea or Green Tea? My coworker will ring you up" I was taken off guard by him speaking English so I think I accidentally responded by saying I wanted green tea (when I really wanted black) ) I am not sure whether this is because they assume Americans cant speak Spanish or if it is because they want to practice their English
-Sometimes I try to tell a story but 1 of 2 things happen:
1) I make the story way more dramatic than it actually was because my vocabulary doesnt allow me to NOT do this (sometimes in English I make stories more dramatic too)
2) The story that they understand ends up being practically the opposite of what I was trying to say. When this happens I either just go with it or start from the beginning again.
-I now know how to take a bus to the places I need to go (school, Christa's, the center) from my house when the subway is closed down
-Only boys/men play pick-up games of soccer (but they play whenever there is a free moment and open space) The girls play field hockey instead.
Even though there are weird things about this country, I still sometimes have the thought "I am in Argentina! What?!??! How great is this?" What an opportunity it is to be here. Overall I love the city and the people. Ive been learning so much (not just Spanish, but also about people and community)
Spanish is still difficult but I know that in another 2 and a half months my Spanish will be a lot better than when I first arrived almost 2 months ago.
Thank you for your continued prayers :-)
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