It has been quite a while since I have written on my blog. It has been a super busy past couple weeks with some unfortunate events, but now everything is seeming to fall into place! I had been having trouble with finding a family to live with. The first woman I lived with was running what seemed like a boarding house. There were international students from various English speaking countries moving in and out daily (against the rules of our homestay as they want us to be completely exposed in this experience with no English). I was also being fed only vegetables for my meals and was told to work with and eat with the maid. It was a very unfortunate situation as the maid and I became really good friends over the little time I was there but I knew I needed a healthier environment and wanted to be apart of an Argentine family. The next house I moved into was with an older woman. She fed me mayonnaise for dinner some nights and other nights I was given nothing. She would have her family over frequently but they never interacted with me and I was told one Sunday to stay in my room. She smoked in the house and the house was filthy. I was limited to a shower every other day (and in the summer in a hot city, that is no bueno). On top of all this, I had been walking a lot as I didn't want to stay in the house. I had really bad blisters from walking ever since the first day here in Buenos Aires. They kept getting worse. Last Friday, I came home from school and felt my foot. It was very warm, similar to the cellulitis infection I got when I fell in Cancun (and landed in the hospital upon my arrival to the states). Just to be safe I went to the doctors. I was alone and they spoke very rapidly in Spanish but I heard "cellulitis" and thought... here we go again. Luckily, I didn't wait an entire weekend until I was seen. I caught the infection at an early stage. The doctors put me on antibiotics and was told to stay in my bed for 72 hours and then return to the doctor to see how it was doing. The weekend felt like months in the dirty apartment. On Monday, the doctors told me it looked much better... however I must rest my foot for another couple days and return on Wednesday. On Wednesday, I returned to the doctor and they told me that the infection had basically cleaned up and just needed to continue with antibiotics for another 4 days. I was able to meet and move in with a new family on that same day. It took a lot of effort on my part to get into a new house but when I finally was in good health and able to move, I did! I am now living with the Guzman family and can already tell that things will be much better here. It actually feels like a family and I had good vibes from the moment I met them. They converse with me so much, try to help me with whatever the possibly can, and cook amazing food! There are 3 children who are currently at their grandparents' quinta until school begins later on this week. I am feeling much better now about the situation and living in Buenos Aires. Now that I am feeling better I will be able to do some more exploring through the city. This weekend, my Uruguayan parents came to visit me. When they heard I had cellulitis again, they bought tickets to come here. I am so thankful to have such a good family living so close to here! It was great to see them after literally 4 years. Tomorrow we will go to San Telmo and go to the antique market. It was definitely a good day to be out in the city and to see familiar faces that I haven't seen in so long :)

I plan on uploading photos and more posts when I have exciting things to share.. Hasta luego!

This weekend was filled with more exploring through the city! On Friday our class went to Palermo, the barrio where Jorge Luis Borges, the late Argentine writer, lived during some of his childhood. 

Our teacher, Mercedez (far right), has done an excellent job teaching us (in spanish of course!) about the culture and some of the more important points of Buenos Aires history during these past two weeks in Intensive Spanish class. We had read some of Borges' work and history prior to visiting the area.

On Saturday I went to La Boca, a neighborhood (or barrio) with lots of color and strong European influence as many of the early settlers were from the city of Genoa, Italy. The buildings were bright and colorful and there was a true sense of community amongst the people. 

 One thing I wasn't prepared for was the amount of pollution in the air and water. It was hard to breathe as it smelt so bad. There were tires, trash, and large pieces of scrap metal sitting in the thick mud-like shore and water. The government said they would clean it up a number of years ago but there appears to have been little improvement.

Below are some more pictures of the houses and shops in La Boca

"El Gaucho Argentino"

An artist making silver-plated gourds (for mate) on a side street in La Boca

I have had a busy past few days! On Sunday I went to the market with some girls in my group. I was amazed by the amount of talent there was at the market, with lots of handcrafted silver and leather pieces. We met some characters and had fun with them. It was overall a fun day. 

Yesterday we went to a drumming concert for La Bomba de Tiempo. It was the most fun I have had yet! Hundreds of people come every Monday to see this group perform. It is at the Konex, the city cultural center, and an event that attracts the hippie crowd. The second we got off the bus it was like a different world. The people were fun and the music was great. I can't wait to go again!

At La Bomba de Tiempo!

Today after class we went to the Botanical Gardens after class. It is located in Palermo and holds approximately 5,500 different species of plants, trees, and shrubs!

A yerba mate garden! 

Cacti! They were HUGE and so many different kinds. 

(left to right: Tori, me, Catie, Samantha)

There are also a number of sculptures and monuments in the garden. 

It is a very peaceful place to go for a stroll with some friends on a breezy afternoon.