Sunday, August 14, 2011

Comienzo del Cuatrimestre

For the first two weeks of the semester, exchange students were allowed to try out classes to see which ones they wanted to take.  Tomorrow begins the third week of classes; we have to register by Wednesday, and I'm still not 100% certain.  The goal is to achieve a balance of extranjero and regular classes (extranjero classes are designed for exchange students) as well as a schedule that leaves Fridays and/or Mondays free for traveling.  I was surprised to find that two of the classes that interest me most are political science classes.  Aside from that, I'm looking at two lit classes, a history class and a Spanish class about the history/literature/culture of tango.  It's been interesting finding all the different buildings-- most USAL students take all of their classes in one facultad, or department, but since we can pick and choose we have to go to various facultades-- and meeting new people and seeing what kind of things we're going to be doing in classes this semester.  And with every class, you have to go to different kioscos and fotocopiadoras to get photocopies of the reading material: a bit of a hassle finding them all, but so much cheaper than textbooks that it doesn't matter. 

On Thursday the exchange office organized a get-together for exchange kids and anfitriones (host students) at a bar a few blocks from our residence.  I arrived late, as I was coming from a class that ends at 10:00 (absurd).  When I got there, though, Callie confirmed my suspicions by telling me that yes, Maria was here and she was with her anfitrión (Germán) as well as a friend from home.  Claudio, who Maria and I both know from Loyola, had come to visit Germán and was there at the bar.  There's something so exciting and comforting about seeing someone from home.  We ended up going out with them and a few more of Germán's friends and had a really great night.  In the time since I last wrote an entry, I've also hit a couple of well-known clubs in BA: Club 69, which, on Thursday nights, has an absolutely wild drag show, and Asia de Cuba, which I've been to once before, a place that always makes you feel like a super VIP (especially when you're on "the list" thanks to the girls from the Resi!).

Friday we met up with Claudio again and visited MALBA, the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (pretty sure that's the acronym), which was really nice and something I'd been meaning and wanting to do.  Saturday Katia and I went for a walk and hit all the major sights of Recoleta: the flower sculpture, the cemetery, the fair-- things we've checked out before but are always worth a second trip.  And today will consist of a great deal of reading and some planning for a possible trip this weekend.  Maria and I were looking at Mendoza, but it's looking more expensive and less necessary than we'd thought.  Not sure where we'll end up, but you can bet I'll be writing about it.  And by the time the next weekend rolls around, our parents will be arriving for their week-long stay.  Time is FLYING.  Less than three months till I'm back in the U.S.-- absolutely unbelievable.

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