Monthly Progress Report

Nature-wise: Sierras at Rio Ceballos - Two weeks ago. It was an adventure, I can assure you. Three girls from school that I went with met up with two cordobeses through the CouchSurfing website. However, this is the day that I will always remember as the time that Tiffani taught me the word: mortal ("cool").

Pro: I still have friends.

Con: They love me more than I love them. (Kidding?)

Pro: There is a Wal-Mart here!

Con: Due to my indecisive nature, our Wal-Mart trip lasted three hours.

Pro: I finally got the guts to walk into the school gym!

Con: That was a few weeks ago...

Pro: I have been kissed at, honked at, winked at, and hollered at on the way to school.

Con: Most of these have been committed by men that qualify for the senior citizen discount at the movie theater.

Pro: My Spanish is improving. I can now say, I am fluent in two-year-old Spanish.

Con: I know one two-year-old, and I now have his blood on my curtains. Long story... 

Pro: We have ESPN here!

Con: This one only shows Formula 1, soccer, and rugby.

However, my dad here, Raul, has some pretty colorful commentary to go along with when we're all watching together.

Pro: They have delicious ice cream, and I shall try all the flavors while I'm here.

Con: They have delicious ice cream, and I shall try all the flavors while I'm here.

Pro: I have found true love.

Con: Ended when her boyfriend found out about us.

Córdoba, che

From the time I arrived, it's been surreal. I can't believe that I'm staying here for four months. I feel like my Spanish has improved in just the one week I've been here, and I can't even imagine how much better I'll be once I have to leave.  My family is amazing: I live with a father, mother, and two younger brothers. And every meal is like eating at a restaurant. This will be a Lean Cuisine-free semester for sure. One of my brothers, Sebastian, and I play games whenever I'm at home. We've played soccer in the backyard, almost broke the TV when had the great idea to throw the tennis ball in the living room, played video games, took turns on a bike machine...we've just got too much energy for our own good...

School has been an experience in and of itself. I've met people from the U.S., Germany, Brazil, and France. And being a foreign exchange student is the bee's knees. You're kind of like that one Japanese Pokemon card that you had in your stack when you were a kid. You made sure you took care of it because it was "rare," and you had no idea what that card even said, but it was cool anyways. Yup, so I'm that card in a stack of regular ones that are from Argentina. What can I say? I feel loved in the Dirty South.

We had a city tour the other day, and we saw so many historical monuments. Honestly, I couldn't name you a single one without looking it up, so I won't even try, but it was kind of a bonding moment for the exchange students. By the time the tour was over, we were all tired, so of course we did the Argentinian thing, we headed straight to a little restaurant to have that 5 'o'clock cerveza. 

But during the tour, our guide was talking about manzanas and how they were everywhere downtown, but the only definition that I ever learned for manzana was apple. So, I was looking everywhere for some apples. Seriously, where were the apples? Were they hiding them? What's the significance of the apples? Honestly, somebody tell me! I asked another student, and he was thinking the same thing. I was in the back of our little group, so I decided to shout "¿Dónde están los árboles de manzana?" (Where are the apple trees?), and our coordinator gave me this weird look. I found out later that manzana can mean "block" as well. And it hit me, the tour guide was talking about the blocks downtown. No wonder our coordinator gave me this weird look...but I had a fun time talking about those manzanas, I can assure you. It became obvious later that the tour guide wasn't talking about apples, but we just ran with it. "¿Dónde están los árboles de manzanas?"

Seriously...another letter?!

Yes, you have to read my handwriting again. The computer was being lazy and decided to sleep in, so I was stuck with the notebook. But these are still prime thoughts. Promise.

This is when the interview with myself ended. The situation just got too out of hand. I mean...I don't even know if I can face myself again. There goes mirrors...

In Transit

Start - BNA - MIA - SCL - COR - Finish