A Departure into the Unknown: Buenos Aires and Beyond

…some interesting things have happened to me.  There is no doubt about that.  The first few days at the hostel were a bit slow and I wasn’t really meeting anyone. It seemed as if only 4 or 5 other people were staying there and my only friend so far was the Argentine guy who worked at the front desk who spoke flawless English.  He turned out to be a great guy who loved and appreciated music much in the way that I do. So I would find excuses to wander by and talk music with him whenever I was bored.  There were actually a few instances where we spent nearly hours talking about our favorite bands, differences and similarities between Argentine and North American music, and just basic common ground between our countries in general (this was when I first learned how much Argentines LOVE to converse).  At nights though, I would get lonely, because many of the people staying at the hostel were from other Spanish speaking countries, and I wasn’t confident in my speaking ability whatsoever at this point. My fear of speaking however, is what would lead to probably what will become one of my most memorable experiences here, and after a few hours of avoiding a large group of people chatting (in words foreign to me) and drinking in a large common area of the hostel, I finally decided to walk in just to see what would happen.  The second I walked into the room, I was welcomed into the group for a glass of wine, where curiosity led to questions about my name and where in the world I hailed from, and before I knew it, I was up until 8 in the morning talking and drinking wine with a girl from Columbia, who spoke maybe a few sentences of English, but regardless we were able to communicate.  Her broken English, my Spanglish, and an infinite amount of hand gesturing (and laughing).  And since then, my confidence in Spanish has grown, and I’m meeting new people and making new friends everyday.  I’ve been in Spanish school (Escuela DWS) for almost two weeks now, and already I can understand 60-70% of what people say (if spoken slowly of course).  Speaking is what I’ve found to be the most difficult, and I’m discovering that the only way to learn is to just throw yourself out there.  Wherever you are (on the street, in a store, in a restaurant),  at the very least make an attempt, and your attempt will be met with with a smile and great appreciation.  Once its understood that your Spanish isn’t the best, you can make the most out of the situation, and the locals will be more than happy to help you with what you’re trying to say (or make their best attempt at speaking English).  I don’t know about you, but if I were expected to speak English by a foreigner visiting my country, I would be a bit insulted.  So wherever I go, I always try to speak Spanish, no matter how many mistakes I make, because putting the effort in to speak is the only way to truly learn the language.

Anyways, besides Spanish school being a great way to learn Spanish, its also been a great source for me to meet some initial friends.  The past week and a half, I’ve been mostly hanging out with an Australian guy (James), two Dutch girls (Stephanie and Anouk), two people from Switzerland (Roger and Seve), and a guy from France (Damian).  It’s an interesting mix of people for sure.  We all speak different languages, try to speak Spanish with one another (for practice), but the common language among us is English, which we all fortunately speak. Through James though, I’ve met a fair amount of other people, because last week he had a party at his flat, bringing together everyone he’s met so far in the city.  While at the party, I met a number of other expats/long-term travelers (some from the US and some from the UK), but most notably some Argentine girls.  However, I keep hearing from foreigners that live here how difficult it is to mix and mingle with the locals (especially the women).  These comments have of course disappointed me quite a bit, but they’ve also inspired me even more to step out of my shell even further, and experience what I came here to experience. Which is to learn Spanish, immerse myself within a culture completely foreign to me, and in turn, grow from that experience.  BUT…already I’ve found myself (on my birthday conveniently) singing Spanish karaoke at a birthday party at an Argentine family’s home with 10 Argentine girls, subsequently giving a speech in front of the entire family and guests of the party, to the girl whose birthday it was. Talk about cultural immersion! It turns out that one of the Argentine girls (Justi) that I met at James’ party, would eventually invite me, along with James of course, and a few others to her birthday, where I would soon find myself in such an unpredictable situation. And this is just the first two weeks? I was told by an American guy (who lived here for a few years, but is here visiting) at Justi’s party that I don’t even know what’s in store for me, and that if I’m not careful, I may never want to leave..