I Hate the Hot Weather

So i know that people like being in nice and sunny weather but here is just to much. The past couple days have been hitting 90+ (we actually recorded the top 2 hottest days of their summer) plus a high level of humidity. Im sure that everyone has been in a humid environment but this place is rough. You sweat all day and all night and just feel sticky. Its tough to sleep at night when you are sweating and super hot even without sheets on. So although its been mostly blue skies, I am kinda excited for the weather to start getting cooler, or at least less humid.

The first couple days have been pretty sweet so far. After writing to you on Thursday, a couple people from the hostel (my new friend Tyler, a british guy and his Spanish girlfriend) decided to go grab a drink. It was really fun to just kick it with these random people and drink a cheap bottle of wine but tasted like it was expensive. Someone told me that like 50% of all wine made in the world is from Argentina but only 20% of what they make, makes it out of the country. So i guess a lot of people here like wine :) Anyways it was pretty chill but I came to find out that the couple had volunteered in Huancayo, where I was planning on going for 2 months but said that they hated the city. So I might be changing my plans in the next week or 2 but I am not sure. They highly recommended Cusco so we shall see

On Friday, the hottest day of the year, Tyler and I toured around the waterfront of the city. We both dont much about the city but just wanted to get out and see some of the sites. We got back about 3pm cause it was just to hot and we couldnt be outside anymore. We ended up meeting up with his friend that he studied abroad with later that night. So not sure if you know much about Argentina´s culture but they eat dinner about 10pm, meet for drinks about 1 or 2am and then head to the bars or clubs about 3am until 8 or 9am. I have no idea how this city gets anything done if that is how the go out. So after meeting up with Tylers friend, we went to meet her Columbian friends that she had just recently met. They turned out to be really entertaining but also super nice. They spoke English to us and we spoke spanish to them so we all could get practice (although they were much better at English than us at Spanish). I didnt want to head home by myself so we eventually left at 6am.

Saturday was pretty chill day since we didnt get to sleep. Tyler moved to a new hostel in the Palermo district so I went with since I had nothing better to do. Palermo district is a very hip and fashionable district. If you like walking into little boutiques and stuff like that, this is the place to go. It was a very pretty place so it was different than where my hostel is which is the downtown concrete district. After touring around, Tyler needed to sleep so I went to the River Plate stadium to get tickets to Sundays game vs last years league champion, Banfield. That game is tonight at 5pm so should be really fun to go to. They had some games on last night and the fans here look crazy.

Heading off to the street market in the Recoleta district which I heard is pretty sweet and then we are off to the game. Should be a good day. I start my spanish classes tomorrow at 930am and then meeting my family after classes. Really excited to start working on my spanish in a controlled setting where I wont get flustered. Today should be a good beginning to the week

Arriving in Buenos Aires

So this is the beginning of a blog which I will hopefully keep up to date as my adventure in South America continues. As some of you know, I had a little mishap at the airport. I guess the water I spilled on my passport 4 years ago final came to haunt me because as I was checking in for my flight, the rep for Continental said they would not accept it. Luckily it was quick and Katherine was able to turn around and come back and get me. I then spent the next couple hours in San Fran at the passport agency getting a new one which costs an arm and a leg. Long story short, I ended up getting a new passport and got on the same flight but 24 hours later.

After 16 hours of travel, I landed in Buenos Aires to heat and humidity I have not felt in a long time. Going through customs wasnt too bad except they charged me 131 dollars as an entrance fee to the country. So that was a great way to get to know the country. Eventually I caught the bus to the city and found my way to the school. I got everything set up with them to start at 930 on Monday morning and move in with my host family after class. After finding a hostel close to school, I toured around the Microcentro district of Buenos Aires. I took a stroll down Avenida de Mayo which is a pretty little street that connects parliment with where the president works. Everything has European influence so its pretty sweet to look at. What boggles my mind are the people. When in Europe, it was easy to tell who was a native and who was visiting. Here, I can not tell the difference. The crazy thing is that I havent heard that much English, even in the hostel. Maybe as I get to explore more, I will be able to tell the difference but this city looks like a European city but is totally different.

As for the weekend, I am hoping to go to a couple street fairs and maybe a soccer game or two. River Plate is playing the team that won the league last year so that should be a good game. Besides that I really dont have any plans. Hope all is well in the states and I hope to update you soon.