June 7, 2013
I realized last night how much Argentinians mumble when they talk. I met a Guatemalan at a party, and I was shocked by how easy she was to understand. She spoke clearly! It was beautiful. And she used words I knew, and pronounced them the way I’m used to… There’s so much Argentine slang, and the castellano pronunciation throws me off every day.
June 6, 2013
Drivers here are aggressive. There is a lot of horn-blowing, and people utterly ignore lane lines. Maybe that’s just a big-city thing, but to a country girl like me, it’s a little jarring.
June 5, 2013
This morning I was introduced to my new office and got a more detailed introduction to the company’s functions. It’s is a small and young office; everyone is in their 20s and 30s, which is perfect for me. They’re a web-based travel agency that sells tours and activities in Buenos Aires as well as in other major cities in Argentina, plus Rio de Janeiro.
June 4, 2013
This morning I went on a free walking tour of downtown. It was about two hours long and took us past some of the most famous buildings. Like El Congreso, where the laws are made, La Casa Rosada, where the President works, and El Obolisco, like their very own Washington Monument. I also saw an office building built about 100 years ago to reflect Dante’s Divine Comedy. There are 22 floors and 22 verses; it’s 100m tall and there are 100 stories; etc.
June 3, 2013
So many things made this day wonderful. When I went running around 8:30am, people were out hosing and sweeping the sidewalk in front of their shops. I think that’s really cute.