Things are going well -- I went looking for a soccer game shortly after posting my first blog, and found one after about an hour of walking around. There is a big park nearby where lots of people were playing. I got kicked (with a foot) directly in the face, and still have a big scab on the bridge of my nose, but other than that things went smoothly. I can´t wait to play again.
We had our orientation yesterday, which was pretty boring, but included a helpful bus tour. I saw a lot of the city, and while they had an English speaking bus, we opted to take the Spanish one. The only problem was that the speakers in the bus were blown out, and it sounded like Charlie Brown´s teacher was our guide.
I have done a good bit of exploring on my own as well, and am now comfortable wandering around most of the nearby neighborhoods. I have brought my camera on few of these excursions and have taken a few cool pictures. The first few are from side-streets and parks, and the last one is a major street, Cabildo.
I have made another couple of realizations during my time here.
Dogs are treated very differently. Leashes are only used by about half of the local dog-owners, and many times wandering dogs have approached me as their owners yell ¨Veni! Veni!¨. The dogs generally do seem to be well-behaved though, and it is bizarre to see a couple of Jack Russels trotting behind their owner down a crowded street. This is not my problem with the local dog-culture though. My problem is with the lack of responbility ... no one picks up after the dogs, which means everyone I know has stepped in shit at least once already, and there are many feral dogs just hanging around. I saw one today eating out of a trash bag on the ground. These dogs have yet to unite in packs, but I think we will be in trouble if they ever do.
I meet with my advisor tomorrow to pick my schedule and get my classes, and I may go to verify that I don´t have a criminal record in Argentina, so that I can move forward in becoming a resident. I also spoke with the guy in charge of sports today, and I think I am going to have a try-out with the team. If they are too good, or if I don´t want to play, I will be able to get involved with indoor and outdoor intramurals.
I am paying by the minute, so I am going to end this here, but I will try and get back on here by the end of the weekend. Take care.
1 comment:
cool. we need some stores in argentina, by the way.
karma says hi.
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