There are really only a few more days left (12) until I leave for Argentina, and as the day approaches I get more excited and nervous. But I've received my housing assignment! It's with a family (my first choice was a homestay and my second was a residencia), so I'm really happy. I kept trying to decide if I would want a family with children or not, and I ended up being assigned a family that has a 12 year old daughter, which I'm really excited about. I hope that we all get along really well, but I'm nervous about just showing up on someone's doorstep. My housing is supposedly a 20 minute bus ride from my school, so I'm going to have to learn how to use that system pretty fast. But I'm excited because my housing is in a section of the city called Recoleta, and it's really close to the city center where a lot of really good sights are.
Also, I got my yellow fever vaccine already, and the nurse who gave me the shot told me some additional information, so now I'm going back to get Hepatitis A and Typhoid vaccines. And you should know, I hate shots, but she convinced me that it was a good idea, and my mom was standing there and of course that meant that I was going to get it because no one wants a sick daughter who is 15 hours away! Haha.
I picked up an awesome guide book called "Let's Go! Buenos Aires." It was written by Harvard Undergraduates and was actually very witty and informative. I read the entire thing, and with other guide books I just generally skimmed, so it must have been good.
And with that, I'm done updating you. I'm going to start looking at my clothes and deciding what things I still need to pick up before I go, that way my last few days in the United States won't be spent making hundreds of Walmart and Walgreens runs.
Adios amigos!
P.S. I'll add in a FUN FACT: The bus systems in Buenos Aires seems like it would be a public system, but actually it's a private system with multiple bus operators! (Maybe it Columbia, SC privatized their bus system it would work more efficiently? - I'll let you know after I try catching a bus for a few days.)
First of all, get used to my assaulting your posts with comments.
ReplyDeleteI used Let's Go! with Europe, and I really liked them too. Also try Lonely Planet, Frommer's, and Dummies if you haven't already; my mom always buys a million books before we go places, and those companies are generally good. The French dictionary I used was Merriam-Webster (because I trust no one else with my word needs!); I recommend getting a pocket-sized dictionary too so you can look up words as you see them, which helps you learn their definitions a lot more quickly.
And with the shots, just think how preferable a couple of shots are to getting typhoid or hepatitis, especially since that would most likely result in your having to come home