our week

hey,

So Tova and I began our Spanish course at the University of Buenos Aires last Thursday, which was interesting, to say the least. First of all, the building is, in every sense, falling apart. The wallpaper is peeling - or in some places nonexistent, everything is broken, dingy, there is no toilet paper in the washrooms (weird for a University building), and the hande to the door of our classroom breaks off whenever anybody uses it to enter the room! We have a few funny and extremely annoying characters in our class including a kid from China who has no idea what an indoor speaking voice is (Tova feels bad for him because she thinks he is mentally retarded, but I just think he's socially retarded and a nerd to the extreme) and a guy from Brasil who interrupts everybody else and spends half the class asking his own personal questions, that only pertain to portugese speakers. AAAHHHH I am going to kill someone soon. And the teachers are two very passive, even timid, young women in their mid twenties, and are no match for these guys! Its crazy. Also, once the Chinese guy took a call on his cell during the class, and this other guy said that his ring was like chinese music and then immitated chinese music by singing "ching chong ching chong" and the teacher actually laughed. We were astonished that that could happen in the University... It certainly couldn't in Canada.

So Tova and I have signed up for a gym about five minites walk from our hostel. Its really cheap gym, but it has lots of plilates, yoga and aerobics classes, so we are going to get in shape for the bikini weather. Watch out for those upcoming pics!!

On Sunday we went out with our friend Luz, her sister and her boyfriend to their family's house in the country, about an hour from Buenos Aires. It was in a perfect gated comminity, something we didn't realize they even had here. There was a golf course right behind the house and every house had a pool!! It was gorgeous. We cooked a really nice lunch and ate outside in the sun. Then we watched loads of movies because they actually get the movie channel at their house. It was sweet.

So now it is time for those funny things we have noticed here. People are very fond of Public Display's of Affection (PDAs), and we have definately seen more of some people than we would have liked. Also, the bus drivers play the radio on the bus, pretty loud so everyone can hear, which is kind of strange. So pop and reggaeton etc.. are blasting in the bus while everyone is riding. We like it better this way for sure.

Yesterday, Tova and I went to see the movie "the 40 Year Old Virgin" with some friends. It was pretty funny, but it was the first comedy we had seen in theatres here, and we didn't realize just how funny we would look because we laughed at the wrong time and when no one else laughed, because of the delayed and often inadequate subtitles.

Well, thats all for now!

Alice and Tova