here we go

I'm new to this whole blog thing, but I figure its the best way to keep in contact with people while I'm abroad. Plus it's in my blood (http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/02/22/72-study-abroad/). My goals for this blog are to keep it like a sportscenter highlight (before they sold out and started talking about twitter gossip) - entertaining, witty (hence the blog name), brief and condensed. So lezz go!

Flight - Someday I should be awarded for being the best flight passenger to fly an american plane. I didnt miss my flight, slept for the entire duration of my flight to Dallas and then second flight to BA, and sat in the window seat without getting up once. As borat would say, "Great Success".

Housing - I was nervous going into a craigslist deal (after being bailed on once over craigslist) and using a brand new laptop as collateral for my deposit (apparently electronics are really expensive down here because of taxes. On the other hand, just about everything else down here is 20%-50% cheaper). Anyways, I got dropped off by my program at my housing and crashed for nearly 20 straight hours. My roommate is a 30-something year old Indian man named Imran, who has lived in BA for 10 years and works in information technology. He is very friendly and hospitable. He has even shared his indian cooking with me which is delicious! It is a 1 BR and he sleeps in the living room and I sleep in the bedroom. Not a bad set-up at all for my first month. Only 300$ a month, everything included. Hard to find that price anywhere in the 100-mile radius that surrounds SF. I live in a very central part of the neighborhood of Palermo, close to numerous subways and buses, which is clutch because I take them everywhere. Public transportation here is amazing and everyone uses it.

On a forward note, I just found a new apartment to move into with my friend Zach once my lease ends. I cant wait. All going well, the lease will be signed tomorrow... but you never know with the landlords in argentina, or anywhere for that matter.

School - Going into my program I thought that it would be very small, as only 6 people are in the direct program I'm in (CEA). The schools being represented directly by CEA are: Pitt, UWisco - lacrosse, Cal poly, Williamette. All the people are super friendly although I havent spent much time with them outside of school. However, once we got to the full orientation I ended up in a plaza crowded with people speaking languages that I couldn't understand but I knew weren't spanish. That combined with the fact 60% of them were smoking cigarettes made me knew they all couldn't be American. Turns out the majority are either French or American, with a bunch of other countries from Europe and South America being represented. A lot of Mexicans as well. Funny enough most of the French people didnt want anything to do with me once I told them I was from the US. Everyone else was super friendly tho. The orientation was epic - school policies, president of University of Belgrano speech, Tango demonstration which raised the temperature in the room at least 10 degrees warmer - so sexual, and finally a tour guide gave us a little info from the agency of tourism. Finished up with a little social empanada chowdown. Best believe I spread that good California love. It was crazy meeting everyone from other countries and really connecting with them through spanish. I'm starting to feel fluent, and it feels good. I can understand just about everything others say but sometimes I forget words/conjugations when I'm speaking although usually I get my point across. Depending on how I did on my placement exam, I should be taking all my classes in Spanish. The exam was kind of a joke though because just about everyone around me was cheating and I was really surprised to see that, especially since the exam has no effect whatsoever on your grades... I guess that's just how the world works, sadly.

Food - If you're on a diet, don't come here. First thing I ordered was a salad and it sucked. Basically one big leaf of lettuce covered with chicken and hard-boiled egg. Disgusting. On the other hand if you love pizza, empanadas (find these everywhere for about 1$ US), or meat then Buenos Aires is the place to be. Eating schedule is completely different here and I guess thats how they stay fit. Breakfast is small - usually a croissant and coffee. Light lunch, maybe an empanada or two. Popular flavors are: ham and cheese, beef, chicken. And then you go big for dinner. This is where you really go crazy, because dinner doesnt start til 9 at the very earliest. People will dine as late as 2 am though. Nuts. But it works well becuase you're usually full til noon the next day. Overall I'd give the food a 8.5/10 but I haven't splurged yet because empanadas keep me going at about 1$ apiece. It's hard to know exactly what im ordering too because my food vocab is kinda limited. The great part though is food is extremely cheap. Wine + a steak dinner is around 15$ and I have had a hard time spending more than 10$ on a meal, or more than 3$ since I've been living off empanadas haha. Prepare for many more updates on this subject....

Update 3/11 - I ate a milanesa (fried chicken sandwich) at this shady restaurant and my stomach has not been the same since. I should have taken a hint when I saw the waitress smoking a cigarette... It literally feels like a rat is crawling around my stomach gnawing at the insides. I'm going to give it til tomorrow (monday) and then go see a doctor.

Transportation - A huge plus about this city is the public transportation. You can take a bus nearly anywhere for 1.10 peso (~30 cents) or subway for the same price. They also have a great website (http://mapa.buenosaires.gov.ar/) that hooks you up with all the info necessary if you enter your starting location and your destination. I have relied on it everyday and its super clutch because the busses come every 5-10 minutes. Also the locals are very helpful in giving you directions if you can speak a lick of spanish. I have about a 15 minute commute to school and get dropped off a block away.

Girls - this subject really deserves its own section. They are of a different breed, literally. I think it has something to do with the mix of europeans (a lot of them came down here in the late 19th / early 20th century I think) and indigenous peoples. I dont think any group of the girls in the US really could compare: LA, Miami, SF, NY all don't hold a candle to BA. Just about everytime I get on a bus or subway I see at least one beautiful woman. Apparently there is a significant jewish population down here as well, so maybe I can find one to wife up.

Other fun stuff I've done - La ferria de San Telmo (San Telmo street fair) a cool open air market with handmade goods, Tiesto massive electronic music concert til 6 AM! The nightlife here is insane. I really cant keep up. My friends back home know me to be the first one to pass out and I have to struggle to make it past midnight so leaving the house at 2 AM  (which is the norm here) is a huge adjustment. The park near my house is very popular for running, rollerblading, padddleboating. It's the tail end of summer so everyone is still out because the weather is still in the 80s.

Noticable differences - here's a little list of cultural differences. The car has the right of way in a crosswalk. I definitely learned this the hard way when I got the finger for crossing a crosswalk in traffic. Stupid gringo move. Public displays of affection (full on makeout) is totally acceptable, even today at 6 AM a couple was going at it right on a busy street corner. Guess its just some of that latin spice. Everyone smokes cigarettes down here. Guess I'm just not used to that coming from California. Everyone loves facebook here, but that may be a global trend nowadays. You have to buy minutes as you go at "kioskos" for cellphones, no cellphone plans. Milk isn't refrigerated when you buy it in the store here.

More to come. I'll shoot to update once a week. School starts tomorrow and I really can't wait.

Miss everyone and love to all those that I can't see back home