One week down...

I've been here for exactly one week now, and it feels like a month. I'm definitely starting to feel like I have a routine. I had my fourth Spanish class today and it was really fun. I'm in a classroom on the 10th floor that looks over the city so sometimes it is really hard to concentrate especially when you know you're going to be in that room for 5 hours. Today I learned a really useful phrase....'el piensa que ser el ombligo del mundo" which literally translates to..."He thinks he is the bellybutton of the world"and perfectly describes the arrogant kid in my class. He thinks he's the center of everything BUT the bellybutton is a completely unuseful part of our bodies, and he is a completely unuseful part of our world! I LOVE Spanish!!

On Wednesday Ivonne (my housemom) invited me and my friend Hannah to an art exhibit opening. It was such a great cultural experience! The art was very contemporary and Hannah took pictures that I will put up later. Also, all the people were very fashionably dressed - it was the first time I really noticed how amazing the style is in Buenos Aires. The exhibit was in a cultural center in Recoleta (which for those of you who know Liz, is where she will be living) and after Hannah and I found a cafe and talked til about 10 pm. Then, I went home for dinner and was surprised to find Ivonne's friend there. The three of us had dinner and talked (all in Spanish of course) til 12:30pm, then I did my homework, and then I passed out around 2 am! I'm so unbelievably exhausted from all the Spanish absorption I'm doing, but as Maggie says "i can sleep when I'm dead..." ;).

Yesterday I joined a gym called Sports Club that's close to my apartment with my friend Correy. Compared to Bergen County it was cheap ($60 a month) and it's an awesome gym! It has 4 floors!! They made us get a physical examination by their doctor before letting us join. It was really strange. He was very nice, but I guess his technology wasn't that advanced because in order to test my body fat he clamped these huge metal things on my ankles and wrist and around my waist. I asked him what it was doing and if it would hurt (thank god it didn't) and all he said was that they had been doing this "for about 100 years." Oh, really? 100 years? How about you update your equipment so that I don't think I'm about to get electricuted by your ancient body fat tester.

My favorite thing about Argentina is that everyone kisses ALL THE TIME! My house mom gives me a kiss on the cheek EVERY time I see her! Even my teacher does it! Every time you meet someone new or see someone you know you kiss on the cheek! It's so cute and so friendly! I may attempt to bring this tradition to New Jersey, I think the cranky northeasterners could use some "besitos"!