Culture Shock!

Well, I see its time to update the tally...

I think that at this point, I´m slowly making a comeback. I think I deserve two solid points for the actual voyage to Argentina. One point for kicking the baggage regulations´ butt. Both of my bags were far under 50 pounds (49.5 and 45.5) which meant that I didn´t have to waste money and also I got to keep my clothes. Take that airline, and now I have another point.

Now, the for the flight itself, I earned one points, and Argentina earned .5. I cried a little bit at my gate in Denver and then passed out cold on the plane for the entire flight between Denver and Dallas. Kudos to me for being a savily sleepy traveler. At this point, Argentina earned its half point. I got off the plane last, had to figure out an airport train system, I had to go to the bathroom, call my dad, find my gate and through the sleepy haze of a nap in less than 25 minutes. Great. Well, the train went fairly well until I recieved a text that made me start crying and wonder why the hell I had decided to move to Argentina, I found my gate which luckily was right near a bathroom...without toilet paper, lovely. Then I meander on over to my gate and guess what language every person and their mother is speaking?? If you guessed spanish, you are wrong. I can speak spanish, and understand spanish. What I can´t understand is Castellano. I panicked again, thinking what in the heck am I doing this for? Then my dad called and what had been a couple not so obvious tears became full blown bawling. I was sooo embarrassed, but apparently tears are the key to the English language and before I knew all of the lovely Argentineans were now very kindly asking me if everything was okay. And everything was. So Argentina earns a half point for the crying but I earn a full point for everything else(once again, it could be personal bias).

So now I am disembarking from the plane with my new found skiing friend from Denver University where we get to customs. Customs easily could have been the bane of my existence, with all of my visa and permiso de ingreso problems, and let me tell you customs tried to defeat me, but I prevailed. The official took my passport, made some strange faces and then disappeared with it for almost thirty minutes (I have no idea where). At this point, I was worried because my plane landed thirty minutes late, customs took thirty minutes and I couldn´t imagine how anxious my new family must be. However after a couple more skillful leaps through hoops, I was out of the airport and in the safety of my family´s car. Que bueno!

Now the last couple days have been a blur. Susana, Manicho and I returned Santi to school in Buenos Aires (I think he was with us as an Enlgish emissary, much appreciated) and then we took off the la quinta of Susana´s godfather. It was beautiful and we had lunch and then drove to Trenque Lauquen (I slept like a baby during the majority of the trip). And then that night I slept again from 12 to 10, threw up and had a headache, then slept more until 2. Then I went to ice cream with Gonzalo (host bro) and friends and then to Maxi´s house. Everywhere I go we drink mate. In the car, with friends, for breakfast, at night...always. At least I like it, right. Plus, its still pretty chilly here so its nice to have something warm in my belly.

Today Susana took me to school where I met my classmates and got my schedule(packed full of math, physics, chemistry and biology). It was crazy. We showed up during a break and all of the students were outside and so everyone, and I mean everyone was staring at me. Way bizarre. I think I am going to start school on Wednesday, and then I´m sure another tally update will be necessary. Ciao!

Tally- Argentina 4.5, Emily 4.5 (I got a bonus point for surviving the last three days)