greetings from buenos aires!

(written on sunday 11/23 in the afternoon)
good bye-winter hello summer! my travel here was perfect from start to finish.
from the beginning of the trip everything went smoothly. when i checked in there wasn't a line. the security check point was a breeze too. both lay overs seemed to go by quickly. At 9pm saturday i boarded my flight in miami for buenos aires. i thought i got lucky with all 3 middle seats, but then once we took off a guy moved over. eh, i still got two seats to lay out on. however i wasn't very comfortable especially with the head-cold i just picked up the day before leaving. nevertheless, this leg of the trip went very well. it also felt speedy (even though it was a 9 hour flight). this morning when the plane touched the ground I smiled really big. ok, now it feels real! i am here!

once i got off the airplane i followed everyone else to the customs line. It was long, but it moved quickly. once it was my turn to step up i walked over to glass booth number 10, without any questions they stamped my passport and i was through. next i grabbed a cart for my luggage, stepped up to the belt and within seconds. BOTH pieces of luggage where there! Nick thought they'd end up in Siberia after all the transfers I had. (i was worried too)

Next I had to go through another security check-point. This is the checkpoint that scared me the most. I read on the baexpats.com forum that the officials scan your bags to see what you're bringing into the country. For me, both laptops would raise their attention. If they think you're going to resell a laptop in Argentina they could charge you $500 or more to bring it in the country....so, I choose the line who had a man who had a kind face at the end. actually, i was first in his line. I stepped up, hello and asked if i should put all my bags in the scanner. he said yes and asked where i was from and then said, you're ok, go ahead through! Only after one bag was put through!! He didn't check the bag with the laptops. ahhh, breath.

once i was through the last check-point, i stepped out into the arrival area and immediately to my left was the taxi company my spanish school arranged. i didn't have to pay (i'll pay through my school.) the ride was fairly short. So far what i've seen of the city i love it. the neighborhood i'm in has trees lining the street that form a canopy above.

the host family is super sweet. they kept smiling at me and saying kind things. mirta said several times "I want you to feel comfortable here". Mirta speaks a little english, but alejandro speaks none. This is perfect for me, I really need to learn and this situation will help.

my room is small with a huge window that opens up into a courtyard and the window is open because the weather is gorgeous. next to my room i have my own small private bathroom. the bathroom is about 3 feet by 6 feet. in this space is a toilet sink and the whole room is a shower. it doesn't surprise me though, i've seen similar in europe. the apartment is on the 8th floor of the building.

After greeting mirta and alejandro i took a needed nap.