Life. Bs As.

So, I've shared a bit about the trips I'm taking and complained about various elements of the big city. But lets talk about life. 

Well, let's see. First, it turns out I actually am STUDYING abroad. I forgot about that! It is not a lot of fun to spend so much time in class and so much of my free time reading esoteric economic texts that I would barely understand in English much less in academic spanish, but it's an interesting experience. It's keeping me from going out too much at night and compromising my health or wallet. 

My number one favorite thing about Buenos Aires is the cafe/bar scene. Almost every afternoon, I buy myself a coffee or a snack in one of the bazillion cafes around the city and just watch people, read a bit, or just think. I used to be married to the idea of going out to eat as a social, communal activity. But, I'm spending a lot of time in these cafes alone, and I thoroughly enjoy it. I get a different glimpse of the city in each one. 

Roommates: Ines and Ros. 

Ines is tight with a lot of the staff at FLACSO (the institution we study in) and she hosts a student each semester. She lives alone and enjoys singing, cooking, chatting, eating,  and drinking lots of mate! She works as a lawyer and as a tutor in Argentine history and Spanish conversation. She's very social and brings lots of friends and family to the apartment. She's a very affectionate and amicable roommate and understands that in all things domestic, I'm completely useless. (I do keep my room relatively picked up--compared to home--but Christina, the house cleaner, still hates me I'm pretty sure). She cooks for me when I'm hungry and seems to genuinely enjoy it.  Ines is very relaxed and likes to lounge the same way I do. We can be found watching shitty Argentine reality shows in bed with a box of delivered empanadas or eating milanesa at a record pace!! 

Ros is pretty different from Ines.  She is a vegetarian theater student from Spain with limitless energy and sort of bohemian outlook on life. She is very active, cosmopolitan, and conscious. She actually kind of reminds me somebody I might find in the Pacific Northwest, except spicy! I like talking with her about her outlook on life, especially health-wise, because she lives in a style that I aspire to embrace but don't have the self control!! Although, she does smoke cigarettes. Of course, they are the hand rolled from all natural tobacco ;)

The program. 

I like it. I've made some pretty good friends, although I don't spend all my time with Americans, which is good. 

I've made some local friends as well, but they are sort of in and out (sometimes my fault, sometimes there's--we'll leave it at that.)