I made it!

I don´t have too long to write, just because I´m at orientation.

After a pretty harrowing trip (my plane from Philly to Atlanta was canceled because it was struck by lightning on the tarmac before takeoff), I made it to Buenos Aires late Sunday afternoon. Even though the forecast said it was going to be sunny, it was pouring rain. But the weather was so hot and humid outside, that the rain was actually a relief (except for my hair, which now makes me look kind of like Carrot Top it´s so curly).

My homestay family was not actually expecting me on Sunday. After my original flight, which was supposed to land in the morning, was canceled, IES contacted them and said that I wasn´t going to arrive until Monday. So when I showed up on Sunday, they were all in their pajamas and getting ready for a nap. I´m just happy they were still home to let me in.

My homestay mamma is named Virginia. She is VERY nice, and even though we have a major language barrier between us, she has been very patient. It helps that her son, Ignacio (Nacho for short) is home for a few days to help me and my housemate get acclimated.

Some things to get acclimated to:
-the shower: in the U.S., the average shower is in a stall or a bathtub. In Argentina, my shower is in the bathroom. In the bathroom as in, I can watch myself wash my hair in the mirror and lean on the toilet seat to shave my legs. The shower is basically some knobs and a spicket in the wall, and a drain in the floor. Every once in a while I need to use a squeegie (like what you use to wash a car window) to push the water into the drain, or it will flood the hall. It´s kind of like the shower in Israel, only more hardcore.

There is much more interesting to Buenos Aires than just the shower, but that´s currently my favorite thing and all I have time for.

Much love!