Part I: I attempted to obtain pesos from the ATM using my debit card two times, and it didn’t work. I called the company before I left the country and put a travel notification on my account that says I am in Argentina, so I really don’t understand what the problem is. I had to cancel my credit card right before I left for Argentina and I do not have my new one yet, so this leaves me with few options. I will try to call the debit card company soon and figure things out; I hope things piece together soon or I will be broke in Buenos Aires!
It is difficult to communicate to people in my program when and where you are going out on week-ends because no one has that much money on their pay-as-you-go phones, and calls can be pretty expensive. Skype and facebook are good options if people are at their computers, but right as I was planning out a meeting location with friends, the power in my house went out. This made it difficult to find out where people were going and how to get there. No one else was home at the time, and I had no idea where candles were.. And I guess I could have blamed the power outage on how I ended up dressing (flower dress, magenta tights, and a bandana), but I have a feeling I would have worn something similar even if I could have seen what I was choosing from my closet.
I headed out around 11:00 and took the bus right near a bar. It was fun and friendly and after a while upstairs, we went to the basement and danced. This was my favorite part. There were disco lights flashing across the ceiling and walls, and fun, upbeat music. I didn’t feel at all uncomfortable and I had a really good time. Lots of people from my orientation met up there and it was nice connecting names with faces again and finding out more about each other, even if it involved yelling over the loud music (which causes me to completely lose my accent when speaking in Spanish, by the way). Normally I am very outgoing and have no problem speaking to people I don’t know, but when it comes to people who speak a different language, I can be more timid. I have this idea in my head that they don’t want to talk to me or could be doing something better with their time. Perhaps I will soon come to the realization that this mentality is ridiculous and I will muster up the courage to talk to porteños. Being out and about was fun but by 3:30, I was pretty tired, which is still considered early for Argentines. I have to get used to this crazy way of life that seems to lack a key element that I am accustomed to: sleep.
Part II: I went to three different ATMs and my debit card finally worked at one of them, so I do not have to worry about being lunch-less and ice cream-less (and perhaps some important things-less). Today I did a lot of walking, down many streets and into many stores. It was a beautiful day once again; I need to start wearing sun-block! I love the artisan markets here. There are so many beautiful hand-made purses and scarves, as well as intricate jewelry. Sometimes the owners at the tents tell me stories while I am browsing through their merchandise. I did not do so well on my anti-North American look today.. Two girls and I were walking down the street and a couple passed us and said “tres americanas.” Great.
I feel exhausted. Yes, from all the walking and staying up late, but also from trying so hard to do every little thing. Everything with my credit and debit cards, my electronics, the internet not working when I need to communicate plans and messages to people, no one understanding me in my attempts to speak Spanish, and lack of a strong friend group that I can trust and be myself around. A girl in the study abroad office at Madison told me about a study abroad curve that many people experience, where they are first excited to arrive in a new country, then fall into a slump of not knowing anyone or anything and missing home, then sky-rocket toward loving every minute of everything, and then fall again once they have to return home and leave all of their new friends and the culture they have grown accustomed to. Maybe this is what I am experiencing. It seems like everyone else in the program is having such a wonderful time partying and living the life that it’s hard to know if anyone else is feeling a bit down. I enjoy new experiences but I miss people that I love. And I miss familiarity. Even though there are many nice people here, I feel like they don’t know me. I miss my friends and family who already understand what kind of person I am. No questions, no confusion, just comfortable coexistence.
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