Buenos Aires

I just got back from BA a couple of days ago. It was a pretty good trip and I experienced a lot of firsts. It was my first time being in a city as large as BA, first time staying at a hostel, perhaps the second time of riding in a taxi, and the second time taking the subway. BA is a very neat city. I met people from Germany, Brazil, Paraguay, Norway, and New Zealand. Most people were really nice, others were not. We lived along one of the popular shopping districs in BA, where no cars were allowed to drive. We were about two blocks from the obelisk, and maybe four blocks from the casa rosada (the pink house which is equivalent to our white house). There are so many cafes that you can stop to eat and visit with your friends! It's really cool. We saw many sights and sounds of the city, recoletta, congresso, cafe tortini, etc. The food in BA is very good but more expensive than Rosario. I ate a lot of pizza with coca in glass bottles!! The last day we were there is when the earthquake (terramoto) hit Concepcion, Chile. I think the death count is up to 700 now. For a while it was very scary because they said that buildings were shaking in Buenos Aires. I may have felt an aftershark at the cemetary. I put my hand on a grave and it was shaking. I was a little feaked out and didn't know what it was until I heard the news. I am now back in Rosario and started school today. I am in the intermediate group, which is probably a good thing since it's been two and a half years since I've used my Spanish. It is starting to come back to me and the people are getting a little easier to understand. I am maybe experiencing a little culture shock, but not very much. I am adjusting to life here pretty well. That is all I have for now. Chau.