Life in Bs As . . .

Back to normal life in Bs As. Except, haha, life in Bs As is never normal. Generally, I just mean that nothing completely out of the ordinary has been happening since I got back from Mendoza.

Went to Uraguay last Saturday with CEA. It was nice getting together with everyone. It was a three hour boat ride each way - I slept the way there and played on the way back. We were in Colonia, which is just a cute little romantic town that has been founded for hundreds of years and has all the prerequisit pretty, old buildings, coble stone streets, leafy trees, and pretty water views. We had a tour, but it was in Spanish. So, I didn´t really try to pay too much attention. Basically, just hung out and explored with some food and wine mixed in.

My Spanish lessons are going well. I´m really starting to improve. I´m actually really excited about Spanish again. And, some days, I can´t wait to practice. I´m doing much better in my class as well. The test is next week, and I think I´ll do fine. Don´t get me wrong, I still suck, but there is some hope.

Besides that, I have been keeping myself busy. I have gone out with friends or on a date every night and during the day - I have classes or I study or shop or do lunch or walk or go to the gym. Things are good at the residencia. The people are really nice. My roommate, Yamilla, is really nice but is always turning on the lights when she comes in really late. My other roommate is very very sweet but is always with her boyfriend.

I have a new favorite place in Buenos Aires - my balcony. I pull my table and a chair out there and study or read. I´m on the second floor and am surrounded by other antique buildings and lots of pretty trees. I´m low enough that I can watch all the people and cars pass by in close proximity, but high enough that not many people notice me there. I do get the occassional serenade by a Romeo wanna be. I used to always make myself go out during the day, but now I can sit right on my balcony and watch all the variety of Bs As pass me by - moms with babies, business men in suits, couples, children, cute old men, expats . . . . It´s a writer´s paradise. I quite enjoy imagining up romantic lives for the people who pass my balcony and who live in the apartments around me. During the day, I can put on a sundress and catch the afternoon sun while I read, study, write, and listen to music. At night, I light some candles, pull out the 3 peso vino tinto, and tone down the music to more mello, romantic tones. It´s all very romantic, and love it. I have to admit that I do have quite the princess complex. Even though I don´t need to be rescued, I do like the romanticism of waiting for my knight in shining armor to come scale the wall and sweep me off my feet. Ok, enough of my whimsicalism . . .

Another favorite that I´ve developed is the taste for creme cheese, salami, chese, olive, and potato chip sandwhiches. I just crave them. It´s all I´ve eaten for the past four days. This afternoon, I was making my sandwhich in the dining room, and as I crushed my chips between the bread and realied that I was wearing a jean skirt, a pink and grey striped sweater, ballet slippers, and pig tales, I thought ¨wow, I really am 12.¨

Anways, that´s about all that´s going on. I am really working on figuring out the summer. I think that I´m staying here to continue with my Spanish and travel more, but I´m working out the details. I have to figure it out soon because I´m technically out of the recidencia in ten days.