Miscellaneous Updates
1. The internets work! I have to tell you, I'm particularly proud of this one. Last night I called the management company again to ask about the repair. The woman there spoke mostly Spanish, so I muddled through the conversation en español. This morning she called us to set up a time to have at technician come by. When I answered in English, she said, Podés hablar español, si? (You can speak Spanish, yes?). I think I said OK, and we (mostly she) then continued the conversation (which involved her explaining that the tech couldn't come while we were here, but that she would come with him in the afternoon and would be responsible for everything, etc.) entirely in Spanish. THEN, I even left her a note IN SPANISH about our oven maybe not working, and she left us another note IN SPANISH with instructions on how to light it manually. Now we know how to use our oven (el horno, in case you wondered, which cracks Ken up because he is adolescentes), and I can bake cookies. ¡Hurra!
2. Dave solved the mystery of the baguette question for us. To recap: When we buy a baguette, the cashier at the grocery store usually asks us a question. We stare blankly. She looks annoyed. Dave explained, "she's asking if you want her to break it in half or put it in the bag in one piece. Broken makes it easier to carry home!" Smart fellow, that Dave.
3. We have acquired another set of keys! Now we can actually leave the house alone. Good times, people.
4. We are one day into Cuerpo Caliente Abril (CCA). We've both started working out with Adrián, a personal trainer who came highly recommended by Dave. I had my first session with Adrián this morning, and I suspect he's going to kick our asses.
5. When you join a gym in Buenos Aires (Bs.As.), you have to have a short physical exam. I met with the doctor at the gym this morning and learned that not only is he a heart specialist who has lived in Manhattan and Cleveland, he's also a magician! He wants to practice his English so I told him that Ken & I would meet with him for conversation exchange. He said he would also show us magic tricks. I love this city!
6. Speaking of conversation exchange, tonight after school we met with someone we met on the internets (I love you internets! Please never leave me again!) to practice our Spanish. He was the nicest guy ever and we had a great time talking to him. ¡Hola Gonzalo! ¡Queremos encontrarnos con vos otra vez, por favor!
7. Tomorrow is another federal holiday, and all of next week is a holiday for Easter! Yes Adam, even us unemployed folk appreciate a good holiday. Four hours per day of language studies is exhausting! Particularly when followed by steak and red wine at 10 p.m., and clubbing until 5*, you feel me?
8. I was accepted into the CELTA TEFL course! But I don't know if I want to go. More on that coming soon...
*I don't really go clubbing until 5. But apparently some people do. Tonight around 9:30 we arrived at a parilla (grill) for dinner and waited over an hour for a table. When we walked home at 1 the neighbourhood bars were just getting started.
4 comments:
¡Hola Gillian y Ken!
Fue un placer encontrarnos la otra tarde. Nos comunicamos por correo electrónico para coordinar otro encuentro. Le he dicho a mi esposa que tenemos que arreglar para ir a "la peña".
Un abrazo,
Gonzalo
Hi Gillian and Ken,
Gonzalo, again.
I was reading your last posts. I was LOL! It is so funny how you see Buenos Aires and the argentinos; specially the day-to-day problems of a new city and a new culture.
It's great the "Hee-zhee-an"! :-P
Un abrazo,
I feel you. I really do.
;)
actually I spent today STUDYING on a "vacation" day. lame.
Wow - your days sound just a wee bit more exciting than mine:) I'd write you something witty in spanish if I managed to remember any of it... oh well...
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