The best way to draw attention to yourselves is to form a giant line of Americans outside a cellphone shop.

Today I thought I'd start the day by eating breakfast and then going out and changing my money (finally!). After walking around in a circle (it really was a giant circle) I got to the bank and the line was out the door... Argentina does not want me to change my freaking money! Around here, I was told, the banks close after siesta, which is about 2:00pm. So I'm either going to have see if there is somewhere else that can change my money OR wait until tomorrow, which I really don't want to do, but it looks like I have no choice.

After lunch, which consisted of pasta, potatoes, bread, and butter (YAY CARBS!) I took a siesta (the best thing about this country) and then when to Universidad Congresso for the next part of our orientation. I accidentally walked two streets two far and had to double back but thankfully this meant that I didn't have to miss the cute couple trying to smash their faces together in the most violent way possible. Ah, young love, when looking like a group of people attempting imprint dental records on one anothers tongues is not only cute, but acceptable [el sigh].

At orientation, we discussed 1.volunteer options, which I would really like to get involved in, 2. ways of taking "micros" which are the buses around here, and 3. things relating to health and security. Afterwards a group of 30 of us went with Sabrina, one of the advisers, to a cellphone shop. Nothing screams "We're Not From Here" quite like a mass of 30 Americans speaking broken Spanish to one another walking through the city and waiting outside a tiny little cellphone shop. The best part was waiting an hour so that the store could get enough phones to give to us, and then standing around while everyone paid. After this, I had to walk back home, which I was less than thrilled about because, yes, I had seen the city before, but that does not make me familiar with it at night and when I left it was about 9:30. I made it home without incident but I'm definitely going to make use of the micros at night... and possibly in the day, my shins are beginning to hurt from all the walking (their streets and sidewalks are not even). When I got home, Sylvia (my host mothers friend who is always here) made dinner for me and gave me a card for the micros on which she put 20 pesos (she had been talking about this with me earlier but at the time I hadn't understood her).

Now, I'm exhausted and am about to go to bed seeing as I have to wake up at 8 tomorrow in order to change my money (fingers crossed) and make it to my next program event. Spanish placement tomorrow! Wish me suerte!