don't let the photo's decieve you...

I'm living in a huge city filled with traffic, noise, bars, clubs, sirens, tango, dogs, and 13 million people.

I've been here for more than 3 weeks, which is more than enough time to formulate thoughts/opinions about almost any other city, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around this place.

It's been an especially difficult adjustment after spending a month in Patagonia. Hiking a glacier and crossing a 16 lane "avenue" are two very distinct challenges.

I didn't arrive here without friends, which has helped with the adjustment. Until yesterday, I had been exploring the city with Heidi, my house mate from Bariloche. She has left me once again, but we will hopefully reunite in Cordoba in April and/or in Buenos Aires in May. I have also been hanging out with Hadas, my friend from GW who is here on a different program but lives close by. We traveled to Mar del Plata together about a week ago, which is a big beach town about 5 hours south of BA. I wouldn't go again for the beaches, but the 'lobos del mar' (see previous post) were really cool. We also met a fun group of students in the hostel, which made the trip worth it.

Since my classes have only just begun, I'm still working on my normal 'routine'. My commute to school takes me from my apartment in Recoleta, a nice neighborhood north of the central financial district and south of the trendier Palermo, along Avenida Santa Fe to IES headquarters about 14 blocks away, right across Avenida 9 de Julio, the aforementioned 16 lane avenue.

To be fair, 9 de Julio is only 12 lanes wide, but it is lined on both sides by parallel 2 lane streets, which is a distinction without a difference when you're trying to cross.

So far, my experiences in the city have consisted of wandering through a massive and lively street fair in the old neighborhood of San Telmo (see dog attacking cow, previous post), eating/drinking/dancing the night away in Palermo, and navigating my way to and from IES and Universidad Museo Social Argentino (UMSA), where I'm taking a class this semester.

With no classes on Friday's and a national holiday pretty much every week, I'll be quickly adding to my adventures in BA and will keep you posted. In the meantime, enjoy some pics from my trip last weekend to Punta del Este, Uruguay, which was a great little get away. The trip involved a boat and two bus rides, but I got to pass through Montevideo which was awesome because for some inexplicable reason I've always wanted to be able to say I've been there.

I've been to Montevideo. Ha! Awesome.