I'm in the midst of una gran aventura... but I can't say whether or not I'm enjoying it exactly. Everything on my body, including my passport and pre-visa document I just got, is soaked. Mom, should've bought that poncho you showed me at LL Bean! The rain started as soon as I set off for home. But let me rewind. Today was the day of pointless travel. I got up this morning and took the bus for my first flacso class. This week is "shopping period" where we attend all the classes we're signed up for and decide whether we want to keep them or drop them. Which means a lot of the classes overlap and you've gotta decide whether to leave early or arrive late. So for this first class, I was going to leave after an hour to go to the Flacso tango class. But since I arrived 20 minutes late (don't take the colectivo in the morning, or else go EARLY), that didn't make much sense so I decided to wait in the Computer Lab, where I ran into some girls going to on-site orientation at IUNA. IUNA is the arts school and in order to take classes there you generally have to have a concrete background in whatever the subject is. However, they've also got a carrera en Folclore, with a few literature classes. So I decided to tag along and check out the school, which means we took the subte all the way back towards my house. The school has such a good vibe! Picture artsy people, without the snobby/fake/self-obsessed aka pretentious ego (cough cough zooey deschanel, you're cute but you don't fool me!)that often goes along with artists. Very fluid, relaxed, colorful and energetic-- which can describe a lot of Buenos Aires actually. After meeting some teachers there and listening/asking questions about the Movement classes, Roche (my director coordinator) told me that Folclore wouldn't present until 2:30 and pretty much I didn't need to wait. I could just get the info from him through email later. So we decided to go back to Flacso to catch the end of the Tango class. Another subte viaje. But when we walked into Flacso, our tango classmates were leaving. So then I went to lunch with them. Background info: I lost $200... So, in attempts to save money, I only bought 1 empanada ($6). And then as they all went back to take another class, I decided to head over to the immigration center to turn in my paper in order to get my Visa appointment. The rest of the flacsitos did this on Friday during the Scavenger Hunt, but of course, I skipped it. So anyways, I walked the 35 minutes from Flacso to Piedras. Not bad since it was pretty cool weather and I was wearing my walking shoes.
The actual time in the building took 5 minutes or less, and checking my guia T (the most useful thing I own here) for the 35 min route home, I stepped outside. You know that prank where someone walks through a door and a bucket of water pours onto their head? That's kinda what it was like. But I thought to myself, "I like walking in the rain, I'll try it." Plus, I was out of monedas for a colectivo and didn't want to pay for a taxi. By the 6th cuadra or so however, I was stressing "I need an umbrella, I need an umbrella!" A couple blocks later, I passed a little store on the side of the road and spotted a basket of umbrellas in the doorway. I asked frantically how much it costs and the man told me $25. I said "no, the cheapest" and he said "yeah. that is." I gave him $20, thanked him, and continued my walk as the rain increased. By this time my suede shoes were completely submerged. But at least my head and purse were no longer getting drenched... that is until the next block, when the ubrella (paraguas) ripped off the spokes. I debated turning around to yell at the guy and get my money back, but I wanted only to move forward. The bad decision to buy the umbrella was redeemed by my good decision to finally duck inside a cafe. Which is where I am now. After ringing out my hair and greeting the owner, I chose a table by a window and asked for the menu. He brought it over to me a long time ago but I couldn't decide. So eventually, he opens the freezer and pulls out an helado (icecream), offers it to me and says "maravilloso". How could I resist? It's like a Kondike, but sweeter, smoother, and not as cold. the icecream is dulce de leche surrounded by vainilla. I suddenly feel a lot better.
And now la lluvia parece mas tranquila, so I'm gonna try this again..
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