Buen Dia!

So I figured it has been far to long since I have posted anything on my blog. After a long summer of feeling suffocated from working at changs but still really enjoying my time in California I have finally made it to south america. I learned so much the 6 months I was living in California about my self and about what it means to be in a long term relationship and what it means to live with someone that you love. It was so nice to get to have that experience, although difficult at times I am very grateful for all of it. Now as far as south america. I am in Buenos Aires (BA) which I love. I have discovered that living in large cities is something that I can do for a time but that it is not some place that I would like to be for to long. BA is a huge city, I think it is comparable to LA maybe even bigger. I found this amazing hostel online that I have been staying at called hostel Sol. It is a little bit far from all the touristy stuff but I of course love that about it. This colorful hostel spans two floors and is painted in bright greens, yellows, blues etc. Its color also comes from the lively group of people who run the place and those who live here. What I love the most about it is that it is more of a place for people who are in BA for an extended period of time. I also love the fact that it is fairly quite and not a party hostel and of course cheap, all things I really wanted out of my first three weeks here. I have been meeting people of course and gone out a few times which was really fun. Buenos Aires has these amazing 24 hour cafés that all of the porteños (that is the locals) stay all night at and just talk. I of course have already done this with some other travellers and my local friend Nicolás. I fill most of my time here by reading, cooking and going into microcentro (which is the center of the city) on the subte(that is the subway). The hardest part of the trip so far of course has been the language, I was hoping that my spanish would come back better then it has so far but to no avail, not speaking spanish for two years has to much of an impact on your language skills. In addition the accent in Argetina is very different then any I have hear before the say their double ll as sh instead of y and they you vos as a replacement for two. That can also be slightly confusing. I am hoping to remedy a little bit of my language stuff by taking an intensive spanish course next week. It is hard finding a course that is close and not to expensive. I have really been enjoying this time by myself and think that travelling alone is something that I will continue to do in my life. I enjoy it because you do not have a group to stick to which means that you end up meeting more people and talking to others where you would not otherwise. People often worry about safety and security when travelling to another country which is a very legitimate concern because I have talked to multiple people here who have been pick pocketed in discos and on the subte. Fortuantely for me this is not something that I have yet to deal with, but I am also very smart about it. I never take anything more then US $20 with me a day and I do not take anything else important. I am also very aware of my surroundings at all times, there has not been one instance that I have felt unsafe or insecure so far. Which is a plus since I do not have the security of my friends around. Since BA is so European I blend right in... except for the bright green streaks I have in my hair. However I am fairly certain that the stairs I get here are the same ones I would get in the states. If I could I think I would live in BA for a few more months. Only so that I could master the language and meet more people. I am however getting to the place where I am ready to be out of the city and into the beautiful nature that is Patagonia. That is the next step in this great adventure. Doug and Morgan arrive on the 31st just in time to celebrate new years with me. I am looking forward to that and to travelling south. It is so interesting because I thought 6 months was going to be enough time, now I feel like it is no where near enough time for all the things I want to do and all the places I want to see. I think I could spend 6 months just here in BA or 6 months in patagonia, or 6 months in Peru. I am very grateful for this experience so far and am enjoying my life here in Buenos Aires. I will try to do better about updating this weekly from here on out, at least. Besos! Chau!

Cyndi