Un mes!

Hola,

So to go in line with the rest of my blog titles...it´s been exactly a month since I left home! SO far so good. I just got back from auditing a Human Rights Seminar at UBA, and there was a new teacher who spoke very fast so I only understood what he wrote on the board. Most days I´ve been having lunch with Elsa, the woman who works in the house cooking and cleaning. She speaks only Spanish, so it´s good practice. It´s funny though when I don´t know a word or how to express something, because then I have to point to things or make silly gestures, but it definitely helps break the ice. I´ve also been watching a Telenovela (soap opera) with Liz, the other US student in my house, every night, which is good for my Spanish and good for getting to know her a little better. Some really exciting news is that LB and I went to a cultural exchange center here, called ICANNA, to meet with the director. The director is a friend of LB´s neighbor at home, and she had been emailing her before the trip. The center is a place both for learning Spanish and English, and they have a specific program that makes it very unique for English learners. The classes focus on US English and doesn´t just teach grammar, but teaches the language through other subjects, such as Literature, business, current events, etc. Because of this, Vivian, the director said that there is a possibility that LB and I could assist in teaching one of these courses, in exchange for Spanish tutoring. SO we would be teaching English and learning Spanish at the same time, for free. She asked us to give her CV´s to see if we would fit into any of the subjects. I´m not as confident as LB, with her poli sci and current events knowledge, because there´s no anthro class. But she also said, part of the classes is also about teaching cultural values, that I could do. My past entries have been an example that you recognize what your own cultural values are much more clearly when you are out of the context. So, my job this week is to finish my CV and send it off to Vivian. I hope it all works out.

Another exciting thing is that Evi invited LB and I to dinner with her family on Wednesday to celebrate the Jewish New Year, so there will be lots of good food, lots of opportunities to speak Spanish, and to meet Evi´s family. I definitely like talking to little kids whenever I get the chance, because they, like me, are learning the language. And when they point to a book and say "libro", I can understand them...haha. It is also nice to be around kids because they have no problem correcting you, and and 5 year olds don´t easily offend me. That´s the thing that I wish I had more of, someone correcting my mistakes. There have been things that I have been saying wrong in Spanish for 7 years, and only now am I having to undo those mistakes. It´s really hard breaking the habit. Also, Argentine Spanish is different with different pronouns and the "vos" verb form, and the accent- so it´s definitely taking some getting used to. But hopefully having a private tutor will help.

This weekend I went to "El Museo de Eva Peron" and also "MALBA" the Latinoamericano Modern Art Museum. They were both good for different reasons, but I particularly like the art museum. I saw paintings by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Xul Solar (LB tells me he´s famous, but I hadn´t heard of him before...Maybe you know, Auntie Cindy?) The admission was free for students so I think I will definitely go back.

Lately we´ve also been hanging out with another student from UMass here, an old coworker (Earthfoodie) of LB´s that I know peripherally, Alyza. She´s been here a month longer than us and is staying indefinitely, for now in Bs As, later to travel around and maybe live somewhere else in South America. She was a Spanish major, so her Castellano is much better then mine. Pretty cool to just get up and go for however long you choose.

Next weekend I am going to Tigre with Mari, it´s a nice place a little outside the city that has art museums and a beautiful river. And then the weekend after I´m planning a trip to Iguazu to see the waterfalls between Argentina and Brazil. I´m really excited for that, Liz went on a trip there with her program this past weekend and said it was amazing. I´ll be sure to take lots of pictures and post them!

Ok, that´s it for now, I´m off to make dinner!

Besos.