The First Week Or So

Ok so I realize that I haven’t written much yet and it’s been more than a week since I’ve been here. I’ve been having internet issues and also, I haven’t had time to sit down and write. Usually when I find internet I just get on the internet for 10 min. Also, I find internet at the university, and I find it in cafes as well – places where I can’t hookup my laptop. Therefore I can’t post anything from my computer like my pictures, blogs, etc. Anyway, I am still getting used to the city and I think by this week I should be ok.

Anyway, so I don’t even know where to start! I got to Cordoba on Thursday, and honestly, the first 4 days were really tiring and boring because they were just all orientation stuff. The nights were fun though. We would go out at night and stay out until 3 or 4 in the morning and have to get up at 7 the next day. Even though I was tired all the time, it was definitely worth it. We went to bar/club hopping at night and we would dance until our feet were about to fall off. And yes, for all of you who are wondering, I got hit on within 2 days of being here. An Argentine at a club told me that he loved my smile. It was also very ironic because just as he was saying that he loved my smile, a song came on and it was saying “I am in love with your smile” and he started singing it. He also asked for my number but I didn’t give it to him. It was cute but…you know how that goes, creepy people at clubs and bars…

I moved into my host family’s house on Sunday. My Mom lives alone, so it’s only me and her. Her name is Cecilia Romero, and yes, that is Italian. Her Mom is Italian. They paired us together based on what I wrote on my housing application. The housing application asked what my living habits were and also what my personality was like. So based on that, I ended up with my host Mom, Cecilia Romero. It’s only been a week and a half or so since I’ve been here and I already think she is so awesome. She is just like me – independent, LOVES music, and values her friends a lot. Tim and Lacey, if you guys ever read this, SHE LIKES JEFF BUCKLEY!!!!! We were sitting at dinner one day and she had some music on and suddenly I hear Jeff Buckley and I was like “OMG you like Jeff Buckley?!?!?!?!” And then another night, I was playing U2 on my computer and she was like, “I LOVE U2!!!!” and she put a CD in and blasted it throughout the house. She is AWESOME. She has all these cool people she knows, for example, she is going to get me tickets from her friend for a Toyota car show that has the new cars coming out in the next year or so. She works a lot so she is gone most of the time but I’m also gone a lot too, so it’s not that big of a deal. She is a really strong woman. She has been through a divorce, she has no kids, she lives alone…and she still remains so happy. I’m basically her “first” daughter. I have a lot to learn from her!

The house is small but it’s cozy. It’s a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom house. There is no central heating here, only one heater and it’s in the middle of the house. I have to wear layers all the time, and sometimes at night I can see my breath when I breathe. I think if there’s one thing that I learn from this trip, it’s that I absolutely HATE the cold. It’s okay though, I’m learning how to deal with things that I absolutely hate.

It was unfortunate because when I got here, the weather was AMAZING. It was soooo nice, and because it’s autumn here it’s also very pretty. But a couple of days later, when I moved in with my host Mom, it froze. I remember that one of the last days of orientation, it was sleeting. Supposedly Cordoba never ever gets that kind of weather, and it had been the first time they got that weather in 5 years! Of course, it had to happen when I came. That cold front lasted for a week, it just started getting warmer this week. Today the high is supposed to be 70 degrees!

I started classes last week. The engineering class is pretty boring, and my Spanish class only consists of 2 people. It’s good though because it’s pretty much one on one with my teacher.

Well, I think I’ll stop here for the first entry. This entry is more informational than personal. Hopefully my next entries will be a little bit more personalized.

Anyway, Chau! Suerte!

P.S. My ENGLISH is slowly deteriorating, so sorry if this entry sounds funky!
P.P.S. I WILL get my pictures up on the net soon! Right now I’m stealing internet and the connection isn’t too strong so I’ll find a strong connection somewhere and upload them.