Reflexiones de Mi Primer Mes en Buenos Aires

So apparently we've been here for a month... I personally think someone lied, or messed with time? I mean a month? I can hardly believe that I've been here for so long, but it feels like so much longer. I feel like I've known my friends for years and my homestay really feels like home. Apparently, during times of great change, you adapt the ways you adapt? Hahaha. I have no idea. All I know is that one month, which seems like so much and so little time, has had a tremendous effect on me.

• I just used 3 tenses in 2 sentences at the dinner table with my Mom. As if it was my job. It just flowed. I paused to think once, and then when I was done, stopped and had to rethink what I had just said, to make sure it was right. I mean I didn't even translate it from English into Spanish. It was pretty nice.

• In general, I'm less bashful when it comes to speaking. I guess I've just accepted the fact that my Spanish is NOT perfect, but it's not gonna get there unless I USE IT. Like come on- Sugar Daddy Bill is not paying for me to be scared to use my Spanish. Plus, I don't want to look like an idiot. Or come back to the US knowing the same amount of Spanish. Right now, I feel like I am fluent in no language. I skype-called my mom, and couldn't think of words like "syllabus" (programa) or window (ventana). I also had issues putting frases together. I mean here, if I speak in Spanglish to people, it's no big deal. But emm in the Real World, I need to be able to distinguish.

• I've gotten lazy in some senses. Ejemplo- For people who know me well, you understand I have an obsession with my nails. They HAVE to be painted. And the paint CANNOT be chipped. Melly knows that like every 2 days, I am reapplying nail polish. I like it in bright colors. All of this = me being crazy. But, in the past month, I've done my nails ONCE. ONCE!! ¿Cómo? ¿Qué? Exactamente... it's odd. But don't worry Melly- I just applied bright blue to my toes, and yellow to my hands.

• In other ways, I've been forced to adapt to crazy Porteña habits. Ejemplo- Girls here wear make up. All the time. I, Briana Avery, tend to not wear make up. Maybe eyeliner here or there, but never like being completely made up. But here, you just do. It's just natural. I have my tinted mositurizer, bronzer powder, assortment of eyeliners, mascara... like the works. And I never go out at night without (which is funny because I wear makeup to DARK places, where people can totally see my face).

I've just learned a lot I guess. About a lot of things (Very specific, I know). But there is a lot that I don't know. And don't understand. Like my host Dad was talking about putting Anita on top of a bookshelf when she was little and her almost dying? I have no idea.. I wasn't really listening (clearly). I only pay attention during important parts, like when they talk about teachers who wear thongs.

Happy (belated) Sucessful Month in Argentina Day!!