• Registering for classes stressed me out (along with most other students). Trying to schedule classes for one university is usually stressful enough, but here we're trying to fit in partner university courses and what credits will transfer back home and so on and so on...I was pissed. So in the end I just kind of signed up for some courses and hoped for the best, which I hope works out because I need certain courses to still graduate in May. That day was pretty miserable in general because the weather was disguisting, which it has been for about 3 days now. It's easy to get in a bad mood when it's drizzly and freezing outside, and to wish I was in the heat of Texas right now. With my dog.
• Luckily that day got better, mostly because we got to go out to a delicious dinner with the IES group. We ate at a really nice, buffet-style restaurant in Puerto Madero (which is an awesome part of town, by the way) and once again, stuffed ourselves beyond our capacity. I think the tiramisu I ate for dessert was as big as my head. I'm starting to think that when all else fails in Argentina, you just have to eat and everything will be better. Not a very healthy mentality but with all the walking I do everyday, I think I'll be juuuuust fine.

• Before the restaurant I went with a small group to tour the Puerto Madero Yacht Club- which is offering 20 IES students free memberships for the semester to take rowing/kayaking lessons and then, once we've passed 4 classes, unlimited access to the kayaks and canoes. We can literally come anytime and check out a kayak, then take off down the river to wherever we feel like going! Puerto Madero is beautiful, so I will definitely be taking them up on this offer. It'll be good exercise AND a way to get away from the chaos of the city.
• Found another cool venue that was very retro and 60s-mod inspired. Behind the band there was a screen that ran clips of British movie shorts and documentaries from the 60s...very groovy!
• A few of the other students have had some issues with their homestays: parents whose food is terrible or who never talk to them or who are overly-strict. I just want to take another moment to praise my "madre" here, because she is awesome. The other day I was telling her about how a bunch of parents are coming to visit and how Abbey and Paige should come see me; she pretty much told me to bring as many people as I want and that they are welcome at her house anytime! Technically that is against the "rules" because you aren't even supposed to have friends at your homestay, but she loves meeting new people and is just so sweet. Even things like groceries... the other day I bought some of my own and she said all I had to do was tell her what I need and she'd get it for me :-) Such an amazing lady.
• Barbara is here this weekend! It's been so nice to hang out with someone I know and am comfortable with...PLUS she brought me alfajores from Cordoba and they are delicious!
• This segment of my blog brings me to the MOST AWESOME THING I'VE EVER DONE. Yesterday Barbara, Keith, and I joined a group and went to a Boca Juniors football game at La Bombonera (the stadium I raved about in a previous post) and it was freaking awesome. Crazy people everywhere but there was so much excitement, it didn't even matter that it got colder and colder as the day went on. During the games (even from the special section for tourists that we were put in) everybody jumps up and down and sings/chants about how much they love Boca and screams obscenities at the other players... for instance: if a Boca player gets hit and rolls around on the ground like he's dying (a common enough action in football) the crowd screams that the ref is a son-of-a-bitch for not recognizing the foul; but if a member of the opposing team does the same thing, HE'S a little bitch and should get off the field to avoid further degrading the superior sport of football. Needless to say I had SO MUCH FUN, even when fans from the other team threw their drinks and food from the upper levels and nearly missed us, and peed in the stairwells that we would have to walk down to exit. It's all part of the game, and I LOVED it. The Boca Juniors lost yesterday so... I'll just have to keep attending games until I see a winning one!
• Feeling a little homesick, mostly because the weather has been so bad. And I haven't talked to Abbey or Paige or Jas or anyone really in like a week, so hopefully some Skyping will happen soon and I'll cheer up a bit. Now if only I could talk to my dog...