I have arrived!

I arrived in Buenos Aires yesterday morning after a 10 and a half hour flight!

So far I am really enjoying my stay in Buenos Aires. The prices are right, the food is delicious (Morrocan last night and Italian tonight), and the people are surprisingly friendly. Today we visited the Fulbright Commission's office for a brief introduction to the program and then we lunched at the Ministry of Education.

Tommorrow is my 23rd birthday and the last day of orientation. I leave on a flight to Santa Fe with my referente (advisor) at 20:50. The flight is about an hour long, and her son will then pick us up and drive us to Parana. One of the students at the Universidad Autonoma de Entre Rios has offered me a bedroom in her apartment for the next week or two until I can find my own apartment.

A few interesting observations thus far:

1) Cartoneras: People who pick through the trash on the streets at night for pieces of cardboard to sell.

2) Cubierta: Restaurants charge diners for their use of the silverware and table cloths......

3) Nice peso--> $ exchange: You can eat a filling meal at a fairly nice restaurant for less than $10. Score!

4) Anglocismos galor!: Argentine Spanish has adopted so many English words! For instance, instead of saying comida liviana or comida sana for healthy food, Argentines commonly say comida "light."

5) Celiacs Disease: Gluten intolerance is becoming more well-known here. Everytime I mention to an Argentine that I can't eat wheat, they ask me if I have "celiaca." The Morrocan restaurant I dined at last night actually had symbols on the menu to indicate which dishes (platos) are gluten free. Some of the corner stores also sell gluten free alfajores (chocolate covered sandwich cookies) made of brown rice and chia seeds alongside the usual junky candy and chocolates that I can't eat.

More to come!