There was landing and there was settling: the first week.

Wow. The end of Week One. I can't believe it has only been seven days. I feel like I've been here forever. I suppose that is a product of my having nothing to do but explore and settle. So I have explored and settled.

I slept in on Wednesday after my big day of walking on Tuesday. Another disappointing day for my friends at the World Cup. After Argentina lost, my friends decided to cheer for Germany, since Tristan is German. At first, it didn't really matter to me either way. I told Tristan I would cheer for his team. But then I got to the game and I just felt more for the Spanish team. What's more, Rafa is from Spain and my love runs deep enough that I felt I should cheer for his country. Cheering for Spain in a room full of about 150 Germans is not so smart, so I sat quietly eating my omlette (YAY PROTEIN!) and sipping my licuado de frutilla y banana.

When Germany lost, Tristan and his friends cried. Real tears. So sad. They all went to drown their sorrows in alcohol. But Carlos and I ventured to the MALBA (El Museo del Arte Latinoamericana de Buenos Aires). Together, we successfully navigated the bus there (hooray!) and spent a couple of hours looking around at some modern Latin American art. I think it's official. I really just like classical European art. I may be a snob. Too soon to tell.

There were some cool moving pieces that played with light and shape. We had this great philosophical debate on art vs science all in Spanish. Pieces of art with mechanisms that bend light etc always remind me of little exhibits I saw at the Science Center as a kid. But to him, mechanism has very little to do with the message of the piece. Together, we made our visit a worthwhile experience.

We saw an incredibly controversial exhibit that I didn't like with basically pornographic photos - but to like a gross sense. Ah art. The boundaries you push.

Then we ate at the cafe next to my apartment before wasting time at my apartment so we didn't end up out too early. Here, you absolutely cannot go out until 11:30. And I'm not talking about the actual fun part, I'm talking about the pre-gaming, drinking, eating part. That happens around 11/11:30. The actual fun, partying part can't happen until 2 am - which is considered on time instead of fashionably late. I tell you, my body clock is so out of whack I don't think I know where I am. But I do know that I have cool friends and I am having fun.

So we went to a bar around 12am until - all of a sudden - the hour struck and waiters basically threw the tables up against the walls to clear space for the dance floor. Restaurant/bars are actually restaurant/bar/clubs. We stayed until about 3:15 and made an "early night" of it.

Yesterday I went grocery shopping first thing in the morning and had another first rate experience with the Argentine machismo. Walking around the supermarket I bumped into a boy. He said hi, so I said hi. Then he told me he wanted to cook for me. Just like that. But he said the problem was that his shoulder hurt so much from when he has to stir for so long at the stove. He turned to me and told me to rub my hands together really fast. So I did....Then he hoists up the sleeve of his shirt and tells me to put my hands on his shoulder. Well I had no choice but to do it. Where am I? Who does this? Oh right, Buenos Aires. Argentine men.

Yesterday I went to the zoo. It was a lot bigger than I expected for being smack dab in the center of Palermo. The elephants were awesome. One of them kept raising her trunk and opening her mouth for people to throw food to her. The baboons were hysterical and the lemurs were so graceful in their balance. It almost looked like they were trapeze artists...or dancers ;)

Then I went boutique-ing in Palermo. Some clothing is very plain. Some is really strange - patchworky and made of all different textiles, which is cool for people who are into that sort of thing. But a lot of things are nice and I was in an "I love clothes mood." If I had all the money in the world.....

I stopped in a little mod Mediterranean cafe for some tea (did I mention it's SO COLD HERE??). Enjoy the heatwave everyone. For me. I beg you.

Last night my friends and I went to Club Araoz for their weekly hip hop night, Lost. I'm shocked by how much American music they listen to here. I'd say it's 85% American music and the rest a bit of Salsa Regaetone. I flopped into bed and planned to sleep indefinitely.

Luckily, I did wake up..haha. I subwayed to El Centro and schlepped my butt to the Sheraton to try and make plans for all of the outings I want to do around the country. Guess what? They don't make those plans at the concierge desk. They have a travel agency. They were closed. 9 de Julio. Independence Day. Damn.

So I glanced at my map and happily saw that I was near Puerto Madero. I could go to Punte de la Mujer - a famous contemporary bridge that is shaped like a pair of tango dancers. As it turns out, things that look close on a map are not so close in real life. But I had gone thus far, I trekked on. Gosh darnit I made it to that bridge and I have this zoomed out picture to prove it.

Then I dragged my tush to the Galerias Pacifico (the famous mall) that I had passed on the way to the Sheraton, at which point in the morning I had said to myself "Oh good, I'll stop there in two hours on my way back."

Four hours later, I plopped down at a cafe just under the archways of infamous ceiling paintings and next to the luxurious water fountain. It was relaxing. I finally made it back home, changed for shul and ran out the door. Now changing for shul is silly since they wear jeans here, but it feels more like Shabbat to me when I dress up. So I dress up and stick out like a sore thumb. But that works for me.

Alan met us inside Bet Hillel after guards confronted Rachel and I with the third degree. It was so intense. What is your name? How old are you? Why are you here? How did you find out about us? How do you know Alan (our host)? How do you know each other? Phew. Then they did it again when we reached the door, because our first interrogation was on the street corner preceding the building.

Services were beautiful and I couldn't believe that it was already my second Shabbat abroad. Crazy. The days are slow but the weeks are fast here in the Southern Hemisphere and I'm tired already. BESOS!