Apartment, check. Job, check.

Life here finally seems permanent. I have an apartment! I moved in on Wednesday, so I’ve had a couple days to settle in. It’s big enough that when my friend Meredith comes to live with me in April, we will both be able to live here comfortably. But it’s small enough that it’s affordable, comfortable, and has a certain warmth. Pachu is the one who actually found the place, as he knows the owner and it’s right across the street from his own apartment. Tutti and Pachu helped me search for apartments for days before I decided this was the best one; they couldn't have agreed with me more.

It's an relatively old building for the neighborhood and so, of course, the elevator freaks me out. You have to open a door and slide open a little gate thing in order to get into it. and you can see the wall through the gate as the elevator moves. If I thought the hotel elevator was scary, this one is terrifying. Obviously, my very first time in it without the landlord or Pachu it got stuck. I was with two other girls from my floor and we were all freaking out. They started speaking Spanish really fast and we all just kept saying "no, no es posible." After a few minutes, we opened and closed the gate and it started moving again. It helped me get over my fear a little bit. I just try not to think about the fact that I'm in an elevator when I'm in there. It helps a little. Anything beats 11 flights of stairs.

Since my move-in day was also St. Patrick’s Day, I had two things to celebrate that night. One of my sorority sisters is studying here for the semester and we haven’t had a chance to meet up yet, so we had a couple drinks. The first bar we went to was full of Americans doing a bar crawl, and they invited us to join them. I had fun, but I couldn’t help notice how different it is hanging out with Americans and my Argentine friends. Contrary to my time in Spain, I think I enjoy hanging out with my Argentine friends more. Maturity, is that you?

Thursday I spent the day sending my application out to about 20 different schools and individuals who had put out ads looking for an English teacher. I heard back from one. Awesome. I started freaking out a little bit because I like to have a plan, even if it isn’t as airtight as my mother would. I got it off my mind by going out to dinner with some of the girls I went dancing with last weekend. The conversation was in both languages, though Spanish was definitely more prominent. When they would start talking really fast, I would find my mind wandering. It’s difficult to focus on the conversation in front of you when you’re not sure what exactly is going on. We ended up having a great time, though. There are some things that the language barrier just can’t affect.

Today I refocused on my job search. I went to the U.S. Embassy to find out if they had any jobs available or could help me in any way. Pachu told me to take the bus because it’s cheaper. I tried to walk because the bus system frightens me a bit. Less than halfway there, I gave up and took a cab the rest of the way, promising myself that I would figure out the bus system on the way back.

Really disastrous afternoon short: embassy told me to come back in an hour, realized I forgot my passport, got on the wrong bus, was yelled at by the bus driver, exited the bus a deep shade of red, got on the right bus, exited the bus 4 blocks early and had to walk 7-8 blocks to my apartment, got my passport and a quick lunch, went back to Embassy via taxi, and was told I need to be a “temporary resident” to get any job they could offer me. I decided to try a couple of the American bars around my neighborhood and see if they were looking for work. I talked to the owner of the first bar and he offered me some work for the next couple weeks. After that one of the waitresses is leaving and I can have the position. I got a job!

Granted, I came down here to teach. I worked hard for my certification and that’s what I want to do. But that work is slow to show up, so I’m going to take the next best thing for right now. Any income is a good income. Plus, teaching schedules tend to be pretty flexible, so I’ll be able to do both and make lots of dinero! Woooooo!

All in all, life is fantastic. Still miss home a lot sometimes, but I’m taking it one day at a time. I actually got misty-eyed at the embassy today because I couldn't stop thinking about how I was technically on U.S. soil. As my dad would say, I'm "such a marshmellow." I’m hoping one day I’ll wake up and everything will feel familiar and normal. We’ll just have to see. Besos!