¡Qué lástima! (What a shame!)

Today I went to a bar with Tasha, René and another chica from the U.S. named Erika to watch the Copa America final, Argentina versus Brazil. Argentina lost 0-3, with one of our own scoring a goal for Brazil!! It was pretty sad, no excitement, no drama, no nothing. Apparently the club fútbol teams will be starting soon, so I will try to catch a Boca Juniors match in Buenos Aires, rather than just sitting in a bar with an unexcited crowd. How disappointing, considering I took the time to read about all the sports commentary in Spanish... something I would never EVER do in the U.S. Oh well... ¡Qué lástima!


(Tasha, me and René in our tiny little kitchen)

Tomorrow I am starting Spanish classes again at a school called ELEBAires. They teach Spanish to foreigners and offer other language courses for los argentinos. My friend Pablo teaches German there and he recommended it to me. I placed into the advanced Spanish level and had the option to do grammar in the morning and/or conversation practice in the afternoon. I elected only to do the conversation practice because honestly, I'm pretty tired of studying grammar and I have pretty much learned all there is to know about verbs, pronouns, prepositions, indirect and direct object pronouns, adjectives and whatever else there is to know. I don't always remember everything when I am trying to think and speak quickly, but I've learned it and learned it again and again over the past three years.

I'm starting to think about traveling and where to go after I finish classes. I know I have to check out Patagonia this year, so I'm thinking about heading to Bariloche for a little while. I think I'll take a couple of weeks to do a mini bus circuit going from Buenos Aires to Bariloche to Mendoza to Córdoba and back to Buenos Aires. I haven't finalized any plans yet, but I started checking out hostels in various locations and everything looks good. My school offers travel services and advice, so I will talk to someone there over the next week or so to possibly finalize something in August.



I'm very excited because I've recently discovered an Argentine band called Miranda and I just bought their latest CD tonight. Not one of my Argentine friends likes them a single bit, but I think they're great. Songs always sound better to me when they are sung in Spanish, so I could possibly understand why everyone hates them and I love them. I heard them on the radio when I got here and I was so intrigued by this guy's voice. If you're at all curious, I've included the link to their video on YouTube that you can copy and paste into your browser called "Prisionero", their hit right now. It's quite catchy with a pseudo-latino/pop rhythm. I think if they were singing in English I would hate them too, but what can I say?? I love them and I have no shame.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=eQPdtb1_ivk

I guess that's all for now. Un beso, chau!