Our First Week of School

After travelling like vagabonds since August, we've finally settled for a while in Mendoza. The city, in the center of Argentina, and more importantly, in the center of wine country, is small but beautiful and very relaxed. Some of my favorite Spanish and Italian customs are observed here (i.e. siesta, and great red wine) and the large tree-lined avenues and dry warm weather make it a perfect walking city.

We are living in the loft bedroom of an incredible apartment (complete with jacuzzi and awesome fairy godfather) near school. On our first day, we were separated (practically surgically given how long we've been spending 24/7 together) into different levels for learning and practicing Spanish. Yes, i'm better than M'er! In M'er's class there's a very nice British girl and a Lithuanian who arrived 30 min. late for the second day of class in the same dress as the day before, but we're here to learn, not judge. In my class there's a New Zealander here after volunteering at a hospital in Tanzania, a British Immigration lawyer (who got a bit too stressed defending refugees), and a home-schooled 19-year old non-drinker from Texas. Kyle is a bit on the naive and shy side but very sweet, so i've already learned to be discreet in Spanish (especially since we are continually asked about the political situation in the US).

But probably the most comical things happen outside school and mostly at night or during siesta. There was Sunday when M'er and I were starving at 3pm and couldn't find anything but Mr. Dog's, a fast food joint focused on hot dogs (they LOVE hot dogs) and promptly nearly vomited. There was an evening in and around Plaza Independencia where we saw (but didn't understand) some sort of comic magic show where the performer "magically" changed his clothes with the help of two audience members on stage (??) and a seeming Argentinian Indigo Girls cover band (but even less attractive). And of course there was last night, when M'er and I tried for the first time to tango. Needless to say we got LOTS of attention from the instructors (and I from a toothless, bald and chubby local) and still only managed to master the tango version of box step. Errrrr, como se dice "better luck next time"? The good news is we only misunderstood the Spanish instructions and walked in the wrong direction once!


This weekend we're off on a biking tour of the wineries (perhaps ill-advised) and a hiking expedition near Aconcagua. Pictures to come when we return!