The doors and keys at our hotel were pretty bizarre. The doors had hobbit doorknobs, and the keys had these little holes in them instead of the grooves I’m used to. See?

Liberty Hotel room key

hobbit doorknob. so weird.

Our rooms were pretty small, and the showers were tiny. Still, I basically slept a few hours and then jumped up to explore the city more. The hotel room was sort of just a place to spend the night and drop off my stuff, so it actually wasn’t too bad.

After all of this flight drama, I booked a 10 pm direct flight from JFK to Buenos Aires for the 28th. I got to the airport just after 7 and basically hung out with the fam after checking my bags, and then I ran into Jemi, Jane and Jaya, three girls on my trip. We went through security together, and then looked for a place to change our money. Turns out the booth was out of pesos, but it was actually okay, since the rate in JFK was lower than the rates we’d heard about in BA.

Our flight was delayed until 12 am. We hung out in the packed waiting area waiting for our flight, and briefly met about 8 other girls also from our trip who happened to be on the same flight.

Word to the wise: unless you have an aisle seat, short legs, or a seat in first class, try to avoid direct flights of 10+ hours. I usually loooove flying, but I was exhausted, my legs were super cramped, and the girl sitting next to me was, to put it nicely, misbehaving. The woman sitting next to me actually scolded both the girl for kicking the seats and whining, and her mom for not keeping her daughter “under control!” I tried [somewhat unsuccessfully] to sleep most of the flight.

We landed just before 12 pm local time (Buenos Aires is two hours ahead of New York), and we had to wait in a super long line to pay the fee to visit the country – $140 for American tourists (it lasts for 10 years. I don’t understand how that’s not a visa, but apparently there’s a big difference). We met up in baggage claim and headed out to the main area to change our money and find our way to the hotel. We ran into the large group again, but decided to split and take cabs, while they took the bus and then cabs. Our cab ride actually wasn’t that bad.

Finalmente, we got to Liberty Hotel, our hotel in Buenos Aires (maybe more about that later). I unpacked, and met up with Jemi and Jane, who were next door, and Jaya, her roommate, Ankuri, and Ankuri’s friend Bryan for a late lunch. My very first meal in Argentina was an empanada and a 7Up. Soooo delish! I actually spent the rest of the day with the group, wandering around the area, and eventually grabbing yummy dinner. Then it was time for some much-needed rest!

If you check out the blogroll section of my page, you’ll see that I’ve added links to other blogs from people on my trip and other study abroad programs this winter. Check them out! There’s poetry, humor, ramblings, and even despair at times (but not too much – it’s just because of this snow!), so something for everyone! If you’re also studying abroad this winter, let me know and I’ll add you (or remove you, whichever the case may be).

I hate snow. That statement, reader(s), is a total 360 from my usual state of mind. With the exception of when I need to go somewhere and the snow is making my commute (or outfit planning!) difficult, and now with this whole travel nightmare, I usually loooooove the snow. My birthday is January 2 (remember that!) and I’ve always wished for snow so I can go ice skating and then come home and play outside. And yes, I really do mean always, as in, even last year, when I turned 19. This year, I’ll be hoping for sun, sandy beaches, a nice steak and new friends to enjoy them with.

I spent four hours shoveling today. Because of the way the wind was blowing, the height of the snow ranged from around my ankles to mid-thigh (I’m about 5’4”, so mid-thigh is pretty high). My nose is rubbed raw from blowing it, my eyes are watery and gross, and my extremities were numb for hours. Plus, this whole shoveling and salting deal today totally ruined my manicure (I don’t actually care, I just figured I’d add that to my litany of complaints). I’m also very, very sore, which isn’t so great since I’m going to have to carry all my luggage myself in Argentina. Today wasn’t really a good day. I couldn’t help but think about how at 10 am, while I was bundling up to shovel, I should’ve been just getting out of the airport in Buenos Aires and looking for a bus or taxi to the hotel.

Snow

This is the view from outside my basement window. To give you an idea of how much snow that is, when I stand next to it from inside, it’s at about chest level. That’s a lot of snow. Granted, it’s a drift, but still. This is what I had to deal with allllll morning instead of being in sunny Argentina.

Still, I’m not TOO bummed out about this delay. At least I’m not the only one stuck here. Out of about 60 people in our group, 21 had made it to the hotel around mid-afternoon, when our professor emailed us saying that while latecomers would miss the city tour, the tango show would be rescheduled. At least I’ll still have a few days in Buenos Aires, if my flight takes off as planned. Plus, I’m going on a direct flight now with at least two other girls I know. I didn’t know anyone on my original flight, which had a two hour layover in Dallas. My nonstop night flight means I can sleep on the plane and I really don’t need to worry as much about my luggage getting lost, both of which are nice.

I take it back; I do like snow. From inside my toasty room, the view from my window is of a snowy yard with tiny paw prints from the neighborhood strays, and even the wind blowing the snow around (onto the sidewalks I worked hard to clear!) looks pretty. I just wish this blizzard had held off a few more days, or even just a few hours, so I could’ve gotten out of the city and made it to Argentina on time. With a little luck, in 24 hours I’ll be fast asleep on a plane en route to Buenos Aires, Argentina…

I booked my flight! Yayyyyy! It only took about two hours to actually get someone on the phone. My agent was Paolo from Peru (hooray for Paolo from Peru!). Special thanks, of course, to my mother, for putting up with this drama all morning (and playing super duper nice with Paolo so I could book the seat I wanted, etc.)

So I got a nonstop flight with other people from my group, which is great. What’s not-so-great is that I won’t get there until 2 days after the program starts. I’ll be missing the intro dinner, tango show and the chance to explore Buenos Aires on my own. Oh well. At least I’ll be on a flight. And I’ll be there on time to make the bus to Mar del Plata, which is good (no way am I taking a 6 hour cab ride alone through Argentina!).

I can’t gloat too much, though. There are still a lot of people on my trip (and on other trips) who are trapped in New York until this storm is over. With any luck, they’ll rebook their flights and make it to their destinations. Signing off for now (I need some Tylenol and a nap!).

In a perfect world, I would be leaving for the airport now to make my 2:20 pm flight to Dallas, and then make my 7:35 pm connecting flight to Buenos Aires. Alas, this is not a perfect world. I’m sitting at my dining room table using my mom’s laptop (mine is packed), furiously texting members of the group and searching for tickets online while  listening to the horrid music American Airlines plays when they put people on hold. Did I mention I’ve been on hold for over an hour? And that’s only after I called no fewer than eight times and was disconnected each time. Well, that’s not true. One of those times I got in touch with a rep, who then hung up on me. Lovely. 

IF I get through to an agent (either on the phone or in person, as my parents and I about to leave for the airport to practice our standing skills, test our patience, and exercise our vocal cords) I’m going to try to book a nonstop flight leaving JFK at 10 pm on the 28th. Wish me luck!

This will be quick, I promise. So it just hit me that in like 13 hours, I’ll be on a plane headed to Dallas. That is, unless there’s a massive storm.

Also, and this is embarrassing, although you could say that my blog thus far has been pretty embarrassing, but I just realized that my expectations of Argentina read like one of those classified ads for “lonely” people: good meat, long walks on the beach, pretty sunsets, learning a new language, travel in a new place, etc.

Okay. Bedtime for realsies. Can’t wait to see the group in Buenos Aires on the 27th!

One more day until I leave! My flight to Dallas is tomorrow at 2:20 pm. From there, I have a layover for a couple of hours, then I fly to Buenos Aires. My flight lands at 9 am. The closer I get to when I’m leaving, the more nervous I get. There are so many things I sort of ignored as I got ready for this trip, like this whole getting from the airport to the hotel thing. I have to go by myself. In a crowded bus with my bags. Or a taxi. In a foreign country filled with people who speak a language in which I’m not exactly what you’d call proficient. This might be a problem. I suspect I’ll be doing lotsssss of deep breathing and finger crossing and hoping I run into someone else from the trip in the airport in Argentina so we can figure it out together.

Then there’s this whole airport and flying thing. I’m not worried about being on the plane. In fact, I actually really like flying. I like the seats, and the flight attendants. I even like the food (I’m getting dinner and breakfast on the flight from Dallas to Buenos Aires). (I don’t like annoying passengers, but you all already know that). I’m worried my flight will be delayed or canceled because of the big storms approaching. Someone from the group already sent us all an email saying her flight was canceled. So that’s a little worrisome. I don’t want to miss my connecting flight to Dallas for any reason (including sleeping through my layover), or be delayed leaving Dallas. I really just want to arrive at the hotel in Buenos Aires in one piece with all of my luggage. Oh, right. Did I mention that my mother told me to pack all of my stuff in plastic bags? Maybe you’re wondering why. I know I was when she told me. Turns out one of her students who’s from Argentina told her that the people in the airports there go through luggage and take stuff. While I’m not sure if that’s true, I know it’s a possibility, and it was easier to just do it than argue, so my stuff’s all in plastic trash bags. Oy. Putting all my stuff in plastic bags means that even if they wind up taking stuff, at least I’ll know. I hate people going through my stuff. When we went to the Dominican Republic over the summer, my bags were searched. I know they were just doing their jobs, but I felt a little violated, especially when I realized that they rifled through my underwear (sorry, that was probably TMI). So this is a major worry. I like everything I’m bringing, all 49.3 lbs of it (I can only bring 50 lbs without having to pay the fee for overweight bags, which I definitely don’t want to do). It’s a frustrating situation because I can’t exactly do anything about it. If my luggage goes missing or someone takes something, it’s gone. Adios, luggage. That’s not a good situation. I don’t want to be stranded in Argentina without clothes, shoes, toiletries, etc.

On a lighter note, I’m still really excited about going. My main piece of luggage is all packed (its name is Shrek, he weighs 10.9 pounds, which isn’t too great because that’s almost 11 fewer pounds that I can use for my stuff, and he’s my sister’s. He’s pretty beat up from her trip to China last June. He’s also big enough for me to sit inside of him. Maybe I’ll post pictures :D), and everything going into my carry-on is piled on my bed. I need to get on that ASAP so I can go to bed. I know I’ll sleep on the plane tomorrow, but I want to enjoy one last night in my bed. I can’t wait to get settled into the hotel so I can start my two classes, explore Argentina and get to know everybody.

Time to stop procrastinating and finish packing. Buenas noches, readers, and feliz navidad. Hasta luego!

Two more days until I leave! (1 more day until Christmas!)

The worries are starting to set in. I am an expert worrier. I can (and often do) worry about everything. Usually, though, I like to imagine the worst thing that can possibly happen. Generally I know it’ll never happen, so it’s actually less of a big deal and more of a form of sick amusement when I’m supremely bored (ex: I worry about subway cars derailing all the time. Then I imagine how different passengers will react. That woman in high heels and tight jeans will probably freak out about subway rats or whatever. The kid listening to his iPod at top volume probably won’t even notice). Here are some of my current worries:

• I’ve yet to start packing. That’s probably a major problem. But more about that later.
• I’ll be stuck next to someone who snores or in front of someone who kicks my seat or behind someone who reclines too much while I’m on the airplane. I loathe those people. I’m a considerate flyer. I don’t kick the seat in front of me, hog the armrests, snore (although sometimes I talk in my sleep so I try to stay awake, just in case), or recline too much. But it’s okay, because I’m not above staring down the kid behind me who kicks my seat, or, after enduring lack of leg space and/or asking the person in front of me to adjust the angle of their seat, call a flight attendant or knee their seat. But mostly I try to play nice.
• My parents will attempt to skype with me endlessly when I’m online and/or complain that I haven’t communicated with them enough.
• I’ll drown in all my work in Argentina.

So, lots of worries. Mostly silly things. And they’re mostly all a way to distract myself from the fact that I’ve yet to start packing and I’m STILL shopping for things that I keep forgetting that I need. Still, I’m super excited. I can’t believe I only have two days left until I leave! It’s kind of a shock. I think I still haven’t quite registered the fact that I’m going to Argentina, much less going for a month. Should be an interesting and fun experience.

Tres días más hasta que me vaya para Argentina!

That was me practicing my Spanish. (Translation: three more days until I leave for Argentina!)

That’s right, folks, in three days, I’ll be on a plane to Dallas, and from there to Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata. I’m pretty stoked. Con un poco de suerte y un montón de estudios, I’ll tango my way back to New York in a month, chock full of delicious steaks y hablando como una argentina.

Argentina will host a lot of firsts for me: first time traveling out of the country alone, first time in South America, first time celebrating my birthday (January 2nd – I’ll be 20!) somewhere other than in my house surrounded by the insanity that’s my family, plus probably a bajillion million other firsts.

Keep reading, kiddos. I’ll be back with more.