BA is a ok

Hola chica hola! Hey hey from BA! I wanted to post before we head off to Iguazu falls for the weekend. Here goes something.

Last I left you, I was heading to pilates. Considering I've only done pilates once in the KD house with a video Katie and I bought at Target and basically just laid on the floor bc I can't even touch my toes, I knew it was going to be interasante. I went to the gym, jumped on treadmill and took off. There is nothing more motivating than being in a room of locals staring at your blonde hair and (god forbid) shorts to get you moving. Everyone has on black spandex. I have on a purple t shirt with Mike the Tiger on it and blue nike shorts. Oh well. Embrace the face and go.

After about 20 minutes it was time for pilates. We (my friend Jo from Dartmouth) and I went up to the third floor, walked in the class, and tried to find a spot.

Ok I hate going into workout classes in the USofA when you don't know what to do and which equipment to grab and if you need 5 pound weights or 2 pounders or a stretchy band thingy. So awkard. I always try to look cool ad basically just copy whatever the yoga princesses are doing.

We do the "copy everyone in silence" and set up mats etc. We get in the far back corner as we want no one to see us. Then the teacher walks in.

She sees us in our Americanness and starts yelling "Extranjeros! Extranjeros! (foreigners)" like she has just spotted ole Justin Timberlake walking down the road. We kind of nod and say yes we are from the estados unidos. Please live us alone. We don't say that exactly but I was thinking it really hard.

The class starts with something like the arm circles Sir used to make us do at soccer conditioning. After a while, I'm feeling the burn. Then she turns off the nice soothing yoga-esque music and starts torturing us. It was a very intense class. More like bootcamp pilates than winsor pilates.

It was good. I did it. I need to go back. Maybe next week...

I had school tuesday with mi amor Frederico. He was kind of a little brat but whatevs. He's suck a mess. He lectured me on how to take notes. Listen buckshot, I can, i just may choose not to at times when say I'm daydreaming about us getting married. Or whatevs.

We then played games. Like kids games with fairy tales and a wolf and golden slippers and magic potion. I had to make up all these weird stories.

When you study abroad, people treat you like a toddler. I already feel like a mutated kindergartner most of the tie anyway but it's true. It was the same in Spain. The way the program coordinators and teachers talk to you is like "Awwww! Did you have fun this week? Yay! That's super! Want a cookie?" It's kind of funny but weird. For example, at school on friday (I won't be there, going to Iguazu) all of the students are meeting together to get to know each other and celebrate the first day of spring. We are supossed to bring cookies and each talk about our favorite things in spring and how a perfect spring day would be (this is so like fiesta fridays in high school). it's just funny. And Frederico told me about it with such excitement. I wanted to tell him thanks but I already finished pre school. And college. But it's a nice gesture.



I then went off to work. I almost chickened out but I made it to the subte and after getting lost again, got to the office. So glad I went bc it always turns out so great. I love it. I'm obsessed. With my beautiful boss. And the cool office, mate drinking, cool music playing, - just a very hip environment. I don't contribute much to the conversations bc I normally have no idea what's going on. I'm like the silent american except I giggle and smile and blush the whole time.

Here's a nice tale from work that day. I had sent Rodrigo, my boss, an email saying when I was coming in that week. He never responded so I asked him about it. He said the best way to get in touch with him was cell phone. I gave him my numero and then he said he would text me his. So he's like the most beautiful man in Buenos Aires and I love him. And he's super nice and speaks very clear Spanish. Perfection. So I hear my phone get the text and pick it up. I open the message and it says (in Spanish but I'll give it to you in ingles). Want to go get a coffee after work? Kisses.

They sign off here and in Spain too with "besos (kisses) or un beso or un abrazo (hug). I think it's hysterical. Its kind of like ending a phone convo with luv ya! But they do it to everyone and they say "a kiss". Muy comico.

Anyways back to my story, I read it and am like OMG all of my dreams are coming true he loves me. I then see that the text is actually from Jillian, a girl from the residencia. The next message is a bunch of numbers and just says "Rodrigo".

Rollercoaster of love. My emotions can't translate this Spanish. It was quite funny. I feel like it would make a good scene on The Office or something. I'm so glad I didn't look up at him or something. Oh the horror.

I've been doing all this research at work on different ways to pay for things online. I have lots of experience with online shopping. I am somehow quaified to do this! It's like the job Julie and I did at BGR but instead of researching political nonsense and making Potential Client Reports about contracters in Mississippi, it's about music and culture and cool.

After work I came back home and rounded up some people to go eat at La Inca, a Peruvian restaurant around the corner. It was deelish. Tasted a lot like Costa Rica food - rice, spice, and chicken hooray!

This week has been good I actually was busy. Its a miracle! I don't know how you normal people do it. I was gone from my residencia from like 9 am to 11 pm. I had school in the morning, internship in the afternoon, went to a movie with some amigos, dinner, and then home.

The movie. Una novio para mi mujer. (A boyfriend for my woman.) I had seen the posters all over town. It looked like a solid chick flick. And it was. I missed about 75% of the dialogue but that's ok because you could pretty much figure it out with just the visual.

I did work and school the following day. Work was amazing. Rodrigo was doing something in the restaurant downstairs.. He kept coming back to the office to do stuff in his cute litle apron. German, another guy at work who is basically the cool dry witty guy from How to lose a gy in 10 days who works with Ben at the advertising place. Remember him? Not hte one in the glasses but the one from Dazed and Confised? Well German is like him but even funnier. He kept coming in and dancing to this techo music stuff.


School again today. It was magical. I was in a chipper mood and so was profesor Frederico. We had a joy learing the 76 different ways to say "become" in Spanish. We laughed a lot and ate some cookies and fell in love some more. He's like a super genious. He's getting some high up degree in linguistics and studies greek, english, german, latin. Hot. I'm sure he's just waiting for our classes to end before he proposes. He wouldn't want to cross the student teacher line.

I had a wine tasting class this week too. We tasted different espumantes (sparkling wines). It was very interesting. I now know that I like Brute or Nature espumantes, that everyone is ripping off the French by calling their wine Champagne, and that they drink it here with Sushi.

I've found a sandwich shop I love. It's amazing. I've been 3 times this week.


Last night Santa Barbara girls and I tried to have a poker night. We dreamed this up in Mendoza. Jessica googled how to play Hold Em and got her boyfriendish to help explain some stuff.

It was fun and pretty succesful. It was so funny though. Every hand or so we would just quit and start talking about Sex and the City or the struggles of being a woman today or something. I do not have the poker talent old Ben has. Maybe we can play a family round of Hold Em on Christmas morning or something.

Well, I'm off to pack. I'll let you know about the weekend when I return.

Besos.

Charlotte