Porteño...aka a citizen of Buenos Aires

Problem: How does one adjust to living in a new country?

Solution: By becoming physically ill, making new friends, and faking your accent.

Helllloooooo AMERICA!! I arrived in Buenos Aires early Saturday morning. This is my first blog post because I am using my school´s computadora and not my own. I didn´t bring my computer because I figured, shit, I am in another country now! Time to really ¨rough it.¨ When I arrived, there was a wireless internet router in my room and a television that has like 60 channels. QUE EMBARAZOSO!

So I live with a ¨family.¨ It consists of the madre, a kooky woman in her 50s who seemingly knows more English vocab than me. Her name is Isabel. She has breakfast and dinner ready for us every week night (as part of the rent). She lives in a big apartment in a neighborhood called Recoleta, an area of town known for posh stores and rich people. She lives within walking distance of a cool old cemetary, in which is buried old posh, rich people. Evita is buried there, but I have yet to see her grave. (The neighboorhood feels a lot like the shops at Legacy, if that makes sense, Plano people.) So far so good.

There are three other people living in this aparment with us. There are two girls who are wrapping up a semester studying abroad through NYU. In case you were wondering, they have informed me that they have had ¨the most amazing time.¨ The steak here is ¨AMAZING.¨ The nightlife is ¨SO AMAZING.¨ If I get the chance, I should go skydiving in Chile, because it ïs so AMAZING it will change your life.¨ I tell them that sounds amazing. They move out on Thursday, when two different girls will take their place. Amazing.

Finally there is Ian, a junior from Whitman college in Walla Walla Washington. We have become buds. He likes music and has long hair. I am an uptight conservative and need to have everything orderly. HOW WILL WE EVER GET ALONG? Seriously he is a cool dude. Our first day I went out with him and some of his friends who also happen to be here. Before we go out, I ask him if he drinks. I like the occasional beer, he says. I think, ok, this might be a low key night with this kid. I should be able to show him a thing or two. 5:30 rolls around and I am singing Billy Joel´s Uptown Girl, trying to distinguish my ass from my elbow, and this kid, who has been drinking steadily all night, is cool as a cucumber and gets us home safe and sound. They say you can never go home again. Whoever ¨they¨is, they are definitely talking about drinking habits in college. Game: Ian.

Believe it or not, I got sick all the next day. But as you may know, I like to party, so I soon bounced back the next day for my program´s orientation. We toured the Argentine Supreme Court, and met with a Supreme Court justice. This tiny lady was like a latina Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I know what you are asking yourself: Tommy, wouldn´t it be better to make some reference or joke about Sotamayor, given that she is Latina, soon to be a Supreme Court Justice, and topical? To those questions, I say no. The image I was trying to evoke is that of Ruth Bader Ginsburg enjoying a chimichanga. Think about that for a moment. You are welcome.

So life is good. I am taking two law related classes and one Spanish language class. They just started yesterday and so I will let you know more about them when I know more about them. Plans for this weekend include attending a soccer game (Argentina v. Columbia in a FIFA qualifying match, whatever that means), and a barbeque on a ranch on Sunday. I am really enjoying the hell out of myself.

I will hopefully post more often. Disfruta!