O yeah, I have to take classes down here.

Yesterday was the first day of real classes. The first month we were here was the intensive month in which we had class, but it was different class. It was mainly just reading something every night and then talking about it the next day: all in spanish. But yesterday we began our actual classes:
Espanol Avanzado, Introducción a Los Generos Literarios, Historia Contemporánea de Argentina y America Latina, y Cultura. Classes start at 2 every day and go until 5:15. We have two classes every day, with Tango on Tuesdays and our culture workshop on Thursdays. O and no classes on Friday.
I could get used to this. I absolutely love all of my teachers. They are really easy to understand, they love the subjects they are teaching, and they are just really interesting people. I'm really excited for the next four months.

Yesterday was our weekly meeting with the Alexanders and every week I love it more. Now that I can actually talk, I am able to participate in the conversation and it's great. I love the doors that this weekly meeting has opened, with Esther and Taylor as well as with other students in our group.

Today was our culture class and we learned another dance of the gauchos, but I do not remember the name. We called it the snake dance because we literally held hand and skipped around in a serpent like fashion. Watching the boys do this is hilarious. We also learned another game of Argentina that is pretty much the same as batchy ball.

[We got the privilege of wearing these lovely "traditional" skirts. Keep in mind that it is 100 degrees down here so those smiles are a bit forced, but the dance was really fun so it was worth it.]

We stopped at a random hole in the wall restaurant for lunch and found this!!!!....

What I wouldn't do for a grilled chicken sandwich with waffle fries and a sweet tea/lemonade.....

Yesterday was the meeting about our trip to noroeste in two weeks. The place we are going is a small pueblo that is not very wealthy, material wise, but they are extremely rich in culture. The meeting was to start thinking of things we can bring them- non material things. We are already bringing them school supplies, computers, printers, and other thing they can use for school, but this meeting was about things from our culture that we can share with them. They are going to let us be a part of their lives, and their culture for a weekend, and we want to reciprocate and give back- if possible. I know I'm not making sense, but the idea is to share talents, skills, dances, songs, games, art: anything that we are able to show them as an aspect of OUR culture. You have no idea how hard it was for us to think of things, which is really sad! Some kids from Germany are going to sing a song, others are going to play the guitar, others are making food from their country (yes chocolate chip cookies were on the board as well!) and Missy and I are going to show them Shag dancing! I am a little dusty but we will practice.
O and we are going to make sweet tea!

Last night we went out with some of the new kids. It was great because since Clemson has by far the most students here, we tend to form a clique, but last night was great to hang out with people from all over the US, and germany. One kid from Germany is 16! I could never have done this at age 16. We got back at 3:30. Again- this country is crazy. Random fact: Germans speak so many languages!!! There are 4 of 5 here, and all of them speak at least 3 languages, proficiently.  Jealous.

Today Taylor and I met at UBP to go to el Cento to go shopping at this fair that apparently is really cheap and only comes once a year. We were walking out to the bus stop (and talking in english, whoops) when this girl walking next to us asked us where we were from. (in english) We started talking to her (in spanish) and ended up riding the bus with her and her friends all the way to el Centro. We exchanged numbers and made plans to hang out again- real Argentine friends!! When we got off the bus to go to the fair, we weren't quite sure where to go, so one of them ( a guy from Peru named Benjamin) got off the buss with us and helped us find the place. He ended up coming in and hanging out with us all afternoon! After the fair he was determined to find peanut butter (because we mentioned it was something we missed about the states) and he wanted to try it. We ended up not finding any peanut butter, or buying any clothes, but we made real Cordobese friends so it was a great day.