Lost in BA
Orientation began today. There are three of us from SC- Sophia, Estelle, and me. It is so nice to be with people who have had the same experience, because the other members of the group are from coed or big state schools. We three SC girls are planning on going to a gay bar on the weekend.
For lunch, I went with Estelle and a nice, indie girl named Marie to a vegetarian restaurant. It was AMAZING. I got Argentina’s vegetarian take on shepherd’s pie with soy protein, mashed potatoes, and zucchini. We ran into Mario, the program director, at the restaurant. He’s very funny and I sort of have a little crush on him, but he’s sixty…or older!
After lunch, Mario lectured the group on the dangers of BA, and they are abundant. From kidnapping to roofies and robbery to parks, we have a lot to be afraid of. He cautioned us against being paranoid, but that is sort of impossible given that he spent TWO HOURS lecturing us on the dangers. He even printed out a map of the most dangerous areas in BA.
So given that lecture, what did I do after orientation? I got my ass lost. Granted, I was in the richest neighborhoods of Latin America so I didn’t have much to be afraid of, but it was my first day. Anyway, it was horrifying, but I realize where I went wrong, so I will never do that again. On the bright side, I did get to explore a lot of the neighborhood.
Another thing (besides being scared shitless) that has weighed heavily on my mind is speaking in English to other Americans. I know I’m not supposed to do it with the other students, but how else are we going to become friends? I want to socialize with other people, but how do you get to know someone if you are struggling to piece together a sentence? Apparently, speaking English can even be dangerous in some areas.
I don’t know if anyone reads this, but I would really appreciate your advice.
