25 Random Things I Have Experienced in Argentina So Far.

1. It was slightly awkward at first, but I have grown particularly fond of the Argentinean greeting. Every time you meet someone for the first time or greet people in general you kiss their right cheek. This avoids any awkward handshakes or hesitated hugs we often encounter in the U.S.
2. The weather here is absolutely beautiful. I fell asleep to a light rainfall last night and woke up to a refreshing morning. The rest of the day I enjoyed the sunny, 85-degree weather.
3. Argentineans are some of the friendliest people you will ever meet. I feel like I have known my host mom for years, and I have only been here for five days.
4. This country has very little sense of time. Everything is so laid back and relaxed! There is simply no reason to stress here.
5. The food is so fresh. The meat, the vegetables, the fruit. Everything.
6. I am still getting used to the Argentinean accent. It took me a couple days to realize that “cah-jay” actually meant “calle”.
7. The accent is creeping into my Spanish anyways.
8. The other day I told my host mom's son that I juice volleyball and basketball. That probably won't be as funny to you if you don't know the "yo" form conjugation of "jugar".
9. Cereal is my favorite food in the whole universe and I've yet to eat a bowl of it here. Every morning for the past five days I have eaten two wheat crackers with dulce de leche or this strange, bland manzana-melisa jelly smeared across the top. The café con leche is a plus though.
10. I've drank more Tang (pronounced "tong" here) in the past five days than I think I ever have in my life.
11. I am currently in the process of mastering the art of riding the city bus to school.
12. Poverty is not hidden here, as it seems to be in the U.S. There are run down, gutted out houses with dirt floors and no doors just blocks away from my house, which is a seemingly wealthier part of town.
13. There are not nearly as many blonds, like me, as I had been told there would be. It has been really interesting to be a part of the minority for once.
14. A lot of women are really, really skinny. Apparently there is a lot of pressure among them to have very tiny, feminine figures.
15. Fashion is a very important part of the culture here. The most recent trend seems to be the European-rocker look, with skinny jeans and Chuck Taylors.
16. Everything you have heard about Argentinean’s love for meat is true. On Sunday I ate it in excessive amounts and had absolutely no regrets.
17. Last night I told a fairly large group of people that Americans put a lot of condoms in their food. Apparently “preservativos” does not mean preservatives here.
18. Despite my slip-up last night, I can feel my Spanish getting better every day.
19. But sometimes I just want to speak English.
20. So far I haven’t really felt homesick. I came close though when I heard an American song on the radio and was reminded of home.
21. Whoever invented siestas was a genius. I do not understand why we don’t make time for these in the United States.
22. My first four days I had absolutely no idea where my host mom said we were going. I basically found out what we were doing and who we were seeing when I got there. Figuring out what clothes would be appropriate was a rather difficult task.
23. In Spanish, Google is pronounced “goo-glay”, which I get a kick out of. My professor was amused when I told her “goo-glay” is a now a verb in the U.S.
24. The word “lindo” is used to describe almost everything nice or pleasant, like a person, an experience, the weather, or a song.
25. I am afraid that time is going to pass way too fast here.