I Survived!

Well this trip didn't start out as glamorously as I had originally hoped. My plane to Buenos Aires got cancelled in New Jersey and I had to wait 14 hours over night until my next flight took off. They booked me a hotel room which I stayed in alone. First time alone in a hotel room. I thought I was scared then, but I had no clue what was to come once I arrived in Argentina. My flight landed at 1:00 in the morning and in customs I ran into some girl from Haiti who said, "Don't take a taxi alone this late at night that far or you will most likely be kidnapped." So what do I do? Panic. How am I suppose to get to my hostel without a taxi? And I am for sure not sleeping in these clothes for the third day. So, I get a personal driver. Problem solved. Well he gets super lost looking for Hostel Pampa (which looks nothing like the pictures on the internet) and I finally arrive around 3:00. The creepy ponytail man greets me and brings my stuff to my room which is the top bunk in a room with 4 bunk beds. Great, I have to climb all over these sleeping strangers and try to find pjs in the dark without making noise. The place was so scary and gross I slept with my purse around my neck all night. In the morning some older woman gets out of the bottom bunk and to my surprise it's not really a youth hostel. I wanted to get out of there so badly I kept my pajamas on and hoped in another personal car I called and arrived at my host moms house. Thank goodness! She's such a doll and I can tell I am going to have an amazing time living with her. I mean she's throwing a party tonight with 20 friends. Since it's Dia de los amigos here in Argentina she figured she'd welcome me with a party of her theater friends.
The area I am living in is very very nice. It's the barrio Belgrano. Upper middle class and very friendly. I went to the orientation meeting for ISA (my program) then started walking home by myself until I ran into another ISA student who was lost. She asked to go grab a cup of coffee with me. We talked for a few hours and walked around the city. We agreed it was a very beautiful place! She also studied abroad in Spain last year so we had a lot to talk about. So my first impression was a little rocky and I wondered what sort of adventure I had gotten myself into. But thankfully my impression has changed and I'm only more excited for what is in store for me. Hasta luego amigos y familia!
(Pictures to come)