Lots of Firsts

I can't believe that I have been here for four days already and that it's only been less than a week since I left Mobile. It honestly feels like a lot more time is separating me from home. All that aside, I am still having an amazing time. The past few days have been full of lots of firsts in this city. Here are a few of them:

1. Lost
I have a tendency to get really lost in new cities. If someone else is with me and leading, it is safe to assume that I am not paying attention to the directions. In this case however, I failed at reading a map. Somehow I ended up passing the street I needed, turning the wrong direction down one I thought would be useful and walking about 10 blocks in the wrong direction, the having to retrace my steps. What is even worse is it took me about two days to finally figure out what went so horribly wrong. What should have been less than a 20 minute walk took me 50 minutes and arrived 15 minutes late. Unacceptable. Thank God for Latin Time and the fact that they told me to get there 30 minutes before my class actually started. I am proud to say the next day I quickly figured out the best route and am no longer taking strange detours unintentionally.

2. Soy una porteña
I have to admit I was really honored yesterday when a man walked up to me and asked me if the road I had just passed was Aguero. I must have really looked like a porteña with my headphones in and walking around like I don't give a shit. Sad for him I really didn't know the answer. Lucky for him I had just passed a subte (subway) station that had said "Aguero." Me deductive reasoning skills told me that the street I had passed shortly after was probably Aguero so I told him "Creo" ("I believe so"). It was the perfect answer. Showed a little doubt, but still likely to be helpful all the same. I checked the street signs when I passed the subte again later. I was right, it was Aguero :).

3. Mate
Mate is the Argentine version of tea. They still have normal tea, but this is a bit more extreme. The keep the special mate leaves in a coffee kind of can and pour the entire bosilla (mate mug - this may be the wrong word acutally...) full of the leaves. Then the moisten the leaves and insert the spoon/straw to drink from. Add some sugar and hot, but not boiling, water and you have a complete mate. It looks like a tiny bong. Wish I had a picture to prove this, but you'll have to take my word until I can prove it. When I tried the bong tea, it was incredibly strong tea, and I kept getting leaves in my mouth. Didn't really like it too much so I passed it on to the next victim. Jacob, my fellow Alabamian, told me that I wasn't supposed to move the straw. That's why I was getting leaves in my mouth. Oops. Better luck next time.

4. Parilla
Argentina is known for it's beef. They are the right up there with America in their consumption of been, but they are a bit more extreme. They eat intestines and such too. I went to my first Parilla (grill house) to try my first Argentine steak yesterday. Even though I do eat everything, I was not up so buying an intestine quite yet. Rest assured, I most definitely will at some point in the next three months. I had asked someone at the R2A office where a cheap one was. When I arrived, I was expecting a hole in the wall, but this place was NICE. For $50 (just over $12USD), I got bread, a chicken breast, mashed potatoes, fancy glass bottle of agua sin gas, and after dinner tea. My German friend, Luise, went with me and got bread, a steak, fries, same fancy glass of agua sin gas y café. We both had a hard time deciding between the steak and chicken so we cut the meat in half and shared. This included tip and strange Argentine need to charge for using silverware. I ordered off the daily menú (lunch special) to get this amazing deal. It was delicious and something everyone must try while in Argentina. Can't wait to go back!

5. Vino
I turned 21 about a week before leaving for BA, so I had to jump at the chance to take a wine tasting class since I can finally apply it back home. Last night was my first lesson and I learned so much. It was very clear I knew nothing about wine before. Honestly, at some points I knew embarrassingly little. For now, I will not share all of my knowledge about wine right now. I will save it to make a complete reference guide later for all to utilize and appreciate.

6. Fighting Temptation
I live about four blocks from the best shopping district in the city along la Avenida Santa Fe. It is amazing and I have fought every urge to enter any of the stores. I love window shopping, but to be honest, I don't need any clothes. As beautiful as everything is, I can find things I like just as much in the State. The money could be better spent going on a trip somewhere. I can replace clothes, but not an opportunity. My main goal is to buy a few souvenirs for myself and the people I am REALLY close to. Nada más. So, here's to hoping I never enter one of the stores. It will only make the temptation worse.

Besos!
La porteña Emilia