Ups and Downs

Downs:
This week has been a scheduling week in preparation for classes starting tomorrow. I know this is very American of me, but I get supremely bothered by inefficiency and so many things about this week just did not make sense. Why did spanish classes start as everyone is still having internship interviews, criminal record appointments, class registration, and orientation events? This resulted in me being quadruple booked and having to show up obscenely early for course registration (a blessing in disguise as I got everything I wanted) and having to go get my Criminal Record papers alone. My first brush with Argentine bureaucracy and it wasn't so hot. I could not understand the man who gave me my form so after him repeating the same damn thing to me about ten times I pulled out my dumb American card for the first time and said "I CAN'T UNDERSTAND YOU" while pointing to my USA passport. Those who know me know how physically and spiritually painful this must have been (only half kidding). Anyway, then he finally got it and pointed to the places I needed to go to get finger printed and pay the fee. Anyway, so now in a week I can get a form online that says I'm not a criminal and apply for my visa. Which I won't get until April. At which point, there is no point because it will be too late to capitalize on the perks (mainly being discounted plane tickets on the Argentine airline). South America. I am fine, a fan of in fact, the laid back attitude of South America and the value placed on enjoying and taking your time. But when it comes to scheduling, my education, and my legal standing in this country I must say I am a bit less lenient. Anyway.

Ups:
We saw a huge protest today and it was pretty cool. It was a large number of groups - a socialist organization, Aymara demonstrators, workers unions. Lots of flags with Che's face. There were tons of people!
I also got myself from IES, to my internship interview, detoured around with a girl from my program, got myself to the Criminal Records office, to the Plaza de Mayo and then walked home - barely getting lost along the way! There were lots of news vans, cameras and crews outside the Church in the Plaza de Mayo, because yesterday people were celebrating the announcement of the first non-European Pope-an Argentine! When it was announced, I got a bunch of messages from people back home asking what was happening here - nothing in the dorms. The Venezuelans and Brazillians were rolling their eyes, saying that this will only swell the already quite large Argentine ego and no one else really cared all that much. Apparently a lot of people went to the big, main cathedral which was probably pretty cool.
Spanish class is starting and it's quite easy to understand my professor which is good. My comprehension is getting a lot better pretty quickly, but I still find it hard to unstick my tongue and actually speak, although I can in my head quite fine! Last night Gonzalo and I spoke essentially only in Spanish and it was fine, and tonight at dinner Aileen and I sat with a girl from Spain and another from Venezuela and I followed the conversation fine and chatted a bit too. Between us Americans we speak too much English, but I'm trying to make an effort...