Mendoza
So it's hard to get money in Argentina. I went to make a deposit on the apartment I'm going to be renting, and I thought okay, $1500 pesos ($500) seems like a decent deposit. The person I am renting from didn't care how much we put down because it was more of a symbolic thing anyway. Anywhoo, the ATM said that I was not authorized to make that big of a withdrawal. Alright, well $1200 will be fine then. That was too much, well maybe just $900, nope... all the way down to $300 pesos or about $100 dollars. really? so I made three consecutive withdrawals of $300 pesos and went to pay the deposit. Also, it's difficult to get small bills and change in Argentina. The government only is circulating $100 peso notes at the moment so everyone is tight on coins and small notes. It's really frustrating. The reason the government/banks (not really sure) does this is so that people have to go to banks and get change which costs them about 5% of whatever their converting. I went with some new friends to Palermo where my flat is going to be and it looks great. Large open avenues with tree's lining the streets and big open expanses of parks. The sidewalks are white stone and contrast nicely with the green green grass.
Last night I was introduced to possibly the best drinking game I have seen thus far in my career. It's called 21 and basically consists of counting up in a circle to 21. As you go around in the circle each person has the option of saying 1,2, or 3 numbers. If you say two numbers it reverses it and three skips the next person. pretty straight forward; however, each time 21 is reached the game is reset and a new rule is instituted. The first rule instituted wast the "International Drinking Rule". So, 1) all drinking done with non-dominant hand 2) no swearing 3) no pointing 4) no first names 5) drinking must be 4 inches from edge of table (safety issue) 6) anyone who spills part of their drink must take a drink out of their shoe
The next rule instituted was the "little green man rule": basically everyone has a little green man perched on the edge of their glass, and whenever they drink they must remove him (again for his safety) and then drink, and when they finish they put him back on. Little green men are very sensitive though, and if you attempt to drink while they are still perched on your glass, they run across the room to bizarre places and must be retrieved. The other people playing know where he goes and must instruct the offender to retrieve him whether it be under the cue ball where the aggressive irish men are playing billards, or in the garbage can, under someone's shirt. Anyway, enough about drinking games because I am actually doing constructive things here. Yesterday I went to a Latin American Art History Museum, and today I went to San Andres for a mini-orientation to the University. It is a private small school in the outer suburbs of B.A. similar to Santa Moncia in my opinion. The school is only 1600 so the administration and counselors take and active interest in the foreign students integration into the school. I've heard rumors that the most beautiful girls are from 1) Sweden and 2) Argentina, and based on what I saw today at the school that could very well be right. We walked through the library and I saw bombshells. Hopefully my Spanish gets good enough that I'll be able to woo them, or maybe I could play the innocent ignorant card. At San Andres they have a soccer team and basketball teams. I'll probably get smashed at soccer but I have a huge height advantage among Argentineans so I think i might do that. Also, everyone down here seems to think I am much older than I actually am, I've been pegged from 21-25, and everyone is shocked that I am 19.
So I'm leaving B.A. tomorrow to go the wine country of Mendoza. It's about a 15 hour bus ride which I will do overnight, and I'll arrive on Saturday at around 9 a.m. We'll see what happens. I think it's more out door oriented with hiking, biking, wine tasting and things of that sort which will be a nice break from the narrow streets and crammed building of San Telmo, and Microcentro. When the rest of the family comes down I think we are going to have to go to Iguazu Falls which is like Niagra Falls times 10 from what i have heard. Alright, later.
Last night I was introduced to possibly the best drinking game I have seen thus far in my career. It's called 21 and basically consists of counting up in a circle to 21. As you go around in the circle each person has the option of saying 1,2, or 3 numbers. If you say two numbers it reverses it and three skips the next person. pretty straight forward; however, each time 21 is reached the game is reset and a new rule is instituted. The first rule instituted wast the "International Drinking Rule". So, 1) all drinking done with non-dominant hand 2) no swearing 3) no pointing 4) no first names 5) drinking must be 4 inches from edge of table (safety issue) 6) anyone who spills part of their drink must take a drink out of their shoe
The next rule instituted was the "little green man rule": basically everyone has a little green man perched on the edge of their glass, and whenever they drink they must remove him (again for his safety) and then drink, and when they finish they put him back on. Little green men are very sensitive though, and if you attempt to drink while they are still perched on your glass, they run across the room to bizarre places and must be retrieved. The other people playing know where he goes and must instruct the offender to retrieve him whether it be under the cue ball where the aggressive irish men are playing billards, or in the garbage can, under someone's shirt. Anyway, enough about drinking games because I am actually doing constructive things here. Yesterday I went to a Latin American Art History Museum, and today I went to San Andres for a mini-orientation to the University. It is a private small school in the outer suburbs of B.A. similar to Santa Moncia in my opinion. The school is only 1600 so the administration and counselors take and active interest in the foreign students integration into the school. I've heard rumors that the most beautiful girls are from 1) Sweden and 2) Argentina, and based on what I saw today at the school that could very well be right. We walked through the library and I saw bombshells. Hopefully my Spanish gets good enough that I'll be able to woo them, or maybe I could play the innocent ignorant card. At San Andres they have a soccer team and basketball teams. I'll probably get smashed at soccer but I have a huge height advantage among Argentineans so I think i might do that. Also, everyone down here seems to think I am much older than I actually am, I've been pegged from 21-25, and everyone is shocked that I am 19.
So I'm leaving B.A. tomorrow to go the wine country of Mendoza. It's about a 15 hour bus ride which I will do overnight, and I'll arrive on Saturday at around 9 a.m. We'll see what happens. I think it's more out door oriented with hiking, biking, wine tasting and things of that sort which will be a nice break from the narrow streets and crammed building of San Telmo, and Microcentro. When the rest of the family comes down I think we are going to have to go to Iguazu Falls which is like Niagra Falls times 10 from what i have heard. Alright, later.
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