Hablando porteño

So Monday night I went out to meet Albert which was really nice, although we'd only met once it was still a familiar face! Went to bar and then to get pizza. Actually it was great just to chat, I don't really feel like I've done much chatting! It's odd when everyone you meet is new and every conversation is loaded with questions!!

When we'd met on the bus we were both exhausted, and we spoke mainly in English. This time round I was in full Spanish flow! It seems I've already started to pick up the Argentinian accent and expressions, a fact which Albert found intensely amusing, being Spanish. The two dialects are fairly separate and it's fascinating to compare them. Despite this, he also complimented me on my Spanish which is always nice.

Yesterday (Tuesday) my day's mission was flat hunting. The first passed without incident and was a fairly straightforward viewing which didn't last too long. The second was far more interesting; a gay chilean couple who had a couple of cats too. They were great to chat to even though one of them was half asleep after working nights! We got on pretty well, they too complimented me on my Spanish and we got into a discussion about Chilean Spanish, in which "vos" doesn't exist and "ll" is pronounced as you would expect (rather than the Argentine voiced fricative). Despite the good vibes, there was only a single bed and the room was fairly dark. The third was in a beautiful flat with high ceilings and spacious rooms, only one of the residents was there but we chatted for a while and swapped numbers so that if I didn't come to live there, we could organise a language exchange - she'd learnt English but never practised orally and had no confidence! Living with 2 Argentinians, an Ecuadorian, a Chinese guy and a French girl would strike a great balance - especially being able to practice my French! I've still got a few more to see so for now, I have lists of pros and cons to weigh up at the end of the week.

After my final flat viewing I went to meet Emmanuelle (the Swiss-French girl I met at Tango) to go and find food. We found a cheap and cheerful restaurant and perused the menu, looking for anything with vegetables. The Argentine diet seems to comprise of meat, meat, rice, the occasional pizza, and a bit more meat, so this was no easy task! However we settled to our meal and attempted to speak French. 

Speaking French after a week of full on Spanish is one of the most frustrating things I have ever done. The same happened last year in Central America - beginning a sentence lamentably slowly, and suddenly, out pops some Spanish before you even realise it's happened!!! French for me has always been so easy so when it just. doesn't. happen..... it's super frustrating! My comprehension was still as good as it had ever been and by the end of the meal, things were going better. I need to keep working on this and separate the two languages in my brain - work in progress! Emmanuelle is lovely, and in pretty much the same position as me, she's just arrived and is flat hunting for somewhere for the next 6 months. 

Happily full from our meal, we headed down the road to the Voluntario Global house for drinks, a group of volunteers from all over the place. On arrival, we were swiftly initiated into their game of ring of fire alongside classic karaoke hits blasting from youtube as Audrey sang along. 

At about 11.30, we headed out to a bar (this may seems late but it's actually fairly early for here!). We got there with 5 minutes left of happy hour, resulting in a rush to get at least one drink before 12! Lucy is just finishing her year abroad at uni in Nottingham travelling Argentina after spending a year in Valencia and is dreading the return to the library! Understandable. A really great group of people and always up for a good time! Most of them are leaving pretty soon but I think a few will be around for a bit longer. Such is the way with backpackers. ;)

Yesterday was also the second time I cooked for Martin (I ate at lunch and left his the rest with a post-it :) ). I feel like I should do something since I've been in his flat for a week now and cooking seems obvious. He seems to appreciate it anyway so that's the main thing. Hopefully I won't be here for too much longer - not that it's in any way unpleasant! But I am in his space. I want my own! :)

Today I'm going to plan some lessons with Scott for tomorrow, then another flat viewing in the evening. Busybusybusy! Might have a night in tonight... Might be nice. :p