Hola mis amigos!
^ See, my spanish is improving already! So I’m really here now. It’s starting to sink in a bit more, but not completely. Monday, we were introduced to and moved in with our host families and yesterday we had our first day of classes, so I’m starting to get a picture of what my life in Rosario is going to look like. So far, I love it here. (See, I told you my next post would be more positive!) The city is stunning, and the people, even more so. The majority look like they just stepped off the runway. And there are these beautiful, block-size squares all over the city that have trees and grass and benches, and sometimes monuments or parks. People walk through them to get from one place to another or stop to hang out... I don’t know, I guess in writing they don’t sound that exciting but there’s something about them that I love. A lot of the streets and architecture have a very European feel, the influence is very apparent. They’re cobblestone and really old and sort of grand looking.
My school is one block from the law school and in the heart of the city. My apartment is 3 blocks from our school meaning it’s both convenient and an awesome location in general. I live with a woman named Sylvia who, to my delight, speaks perfect English. We speak in Spanish from time to time, for the sake of practice, but I couldn’t be more thrilled. She’s 60 and mini and has a weiner dog named Bruna and a boyfriend named Buby. Pronounced boobie, obviously. He came over last night and he only speaks Spanish, like most, so that was fun. We talked primarily about food and every 5 words we yelled to Sylvia (who was in and out of the kitchen), asking for a translation. It was ridiculous. But I’m sort of getting used to those kind of interactions, and even slightly enjoying them. Things are always interesting, to say the least. For example, a friend and I went on adventure today, to find her a watch, and to find the second installment of the Hunger Games, in English, for me*. Doing so solidified the thought that every errand, purchase, and interaction brings on a new and comical challenge. Ordering food, asking directions, paying for anything... It’s incredibly hard to do any of that in a language you barely know, trust me. Oh and try telling a story in the past tense, that’s a joke and a half. So anywho, we eventually succeed in purchasing a watch from a street vendor after trying oh, I don’t know, 12 other stores. Then we pop our heads into bookstores asking if they sell books in English. I learn from the second try that I’ve been using the incorrect terminology. That always becomes blatantly clear whenever a salesperson either snickers behind our backs, sighs heavily, or ignores us. Finally, we took the bold move of venturing into an electronic store (we were feeling like we could take on the world right now, I’m sure you understand), where this friend decides to look for an iPod after misplacing hers. It takes us 45 minutes, 5 employees, and 2 dictionaries (I’m being serious) to finally understand that she needs more cash to purchase it. Because it’s 3 times the price it would be in the U.S., naturally. It was all a grand old time if you haven’t picked up on that. Basically, assimilating is easy and natural, I encourage all of you to give it a try! Especially if your acting skills are up to par. There’s a looot of charades, as I said before. Alright well that’s about it for now. More updates to come! And more Spanish, of course, so get ready to learn! Miss you all!!!
love,
Henya
*this post should really be entitled Hunger Games. I’m shocked that I was able to be at the apartment and not reading for this long. All I want to do is give you all a detailed summary of the story. I literally gasped, and cried at various points during the 200 pages that I read last night. so the hype is legit, i concur, now please go read it. I’m off to do the same!
No comments:
Post a Comment