getting my life together

Hola friends & fam,

My first week here in BA couldn't have been more perfect. Yes, it really is a dreamland in which I can do basically whatever my heart desires. However, classes begin this week, and yes, I really do have to go to class! If I've learned anything it is that I've taken my Tulane academic advisor for granted (s/o to my homie Monique Dupas). Signing up for classes has been quite a feat. There are no consolidated syllabi and finding the classes you need to fulfill certain credits is "to dream the impossible dream" (don quixote reference anyone....?) Lol. I digress. After Cassidy, Jordan and I spent about three hours at Starbucks, then another 4 hours in a school cafeteria (yo no sé), we found four of five classes. Phew. Life is just sooooo hard. Either way, classes begin on Tuesday at the University of Salvador, yahoo! We're taking an Argentine History course that will hopefully answer the embarrassing amount of questions we are always asking each other about the people and events that preceded our arrival. We're only going to have class on Tues, Weds and Thurs. (Viva la long weekend!!!!) As for tomorrow, I have a mountain of things to do to get my life in order.

First priority, Megatlon! Cassidy and I joined our friendly neighborhood gym that offers everything from machines to saunas to spinning to "kangaroo bounce class" (to be continued). Even with the always advantageous peso exchange, it's $ un poco caro to join for 6 months. I don't think I've seen a woman there who hasn't had just a touch of plastic surgery.. definitely some prime people watching. I'm glad we joined though; it's important to try to stay healthy in the midst of all the fun we've been having.. certainly wouldn't be a bad idea to work off the 8:30am pizza my friend Griff and I wearily, deliriously devoured after we had all stayed out til far past sunrise. Never an average night here in BA!

Tomorrow is also laundry day. It is laundry day because I have no more socks. Or pants. Or shirts. Here, most people don't have their own machines and instead frequent their neighborhood laundromat. From what I've heard, you bring your bag of dirty clothes to them - they wash, they fold, you pick up and pay. Simple.... right??

Tomorrow is going to be especially productive in the daytime because a) it gets dark before 6:00 and b) we are having Ladies' Night part II (!!!!!!) in honor of housemate and friend Felice, who is very sadly leaving us on Thursday to embark on her next big adventures. Ladies' night just can't be topped. Elena's other daughter from Costa Rica will be attending as well, so we'll have a full house! My friends on the other hand are going to a drum line which happens every Monday at dusk. Very much up my alley.

Yesterday we walked by the Government House, aka the Casa Rosada. We didn't go in but plan to when we have time. We did in fact take a tour of el Teatro Colón, BA's opera house. Boy, is it magnificent. The grandeur, the details, everything. Simply exquisite. It's a must-see for those of you who are coming to visit BA in the future - maybe even try to see an opera or a ballet while you're at it (cough cough mom n dad)! I've thoroughly enjoyed being a tourist here. No shame. Next on our list is the Recoleta Cemetery where Evita Perón is buried. RIP girl.

Today the three of us went to San Telmo, a simple yet somewhat lengthy commute via el Subte. San Telmo, from what I gathered, is a tad ghetto. Each sunday in San Telmo there is a giant market, where vendors set up booths and tents and put all their little treasures on display. There were a lot of copper and silver items, old records, trinkets, jewelry, lace, etc. It was marvelous. Walking down the streets of San Telmo felt almost surreal. The buildings are old, gorgeous, ornate European structures, coated in layers of graffiti. The juxtaposition was fascinating, yet a little depressing. It was almost like we were looking at modern-day ruins. (History lesson: in the late 1800s the yellow fever epidemic wiped out thousand of porteños, many of which lived in San Telmo. The situation was so dire that ports were closed and tenements were padlocked up, eventually leading to the abandonment of the area and ultimately causing the once very wealthy neighborhood to crumble.) Don't get me wrong though, San Telmo actually is really cool and there are plenty of shops and cute little restaurants to try, too.

It's been a weekend full of cultural enrichment and good times. I'm looking forward to starting (or attempting to start) a solid routine this week. I send all my love to my loved ones in the USA. Besos, y'all.

Nelly