It is cloudy and cold wintery day here in Buenos Aires. Imagine thanksgiving weekend weather…

It has been a beautiful week. Yesterday was my official last day of classes here in Argentina! Which honestly was just happy. It feels like I’ve been going to class forever (aka the longest semester of my life!), but maybe it’s because there weren’t any ‘vacations’ and because I did not miss one single class the entire semester (can you tell I’m way proud of that)… I am completely done with one of my three classes (we had our final exam on Tuesday and I turned in my final paper yesterday). Now I have one week off until my other two exams and then a week to relax before getting on a plane.

So strange to think that my time here is slowly coming to an end. My time here has gone by a lot faster than, say, Nigeria. And I’m trying to figure out why. The possibilities are endless really. Maybe I was better prepared. Maybe I have all the creature comforts here. Maybe living with a family has made the difference. Maybe it’s the good internet connection. Maybe I’ll never know. But in the same way, I don’t really feel like I’m living in a foreign country. It has become normal. I sleep in, I study, I drink lots of coffee and tea, and I’m a homebody. I’m still me, even though I’m here. And that makes me glad. And while sure enough, I’ve changed a little I’ve only become a little bit more like me. A little bit more like the person I’m becoming.

Right now I’m sitting at ‘my’ café on the corner of Villate and Maipu. It’s about a 15 minute walk from my house and it’s on my way to and from class. Every day I sit at the same seat, and sip my coffee and watch the world drive by. Some turn right, or left, or go straight, and some run the reds. Some days the café is bustling with activity and people, other days it’s just me and the baristas at times. Yesterday the Argentine SWAT team was here taking a break from protecting the president’s house. Today I was the innocent bystander who got hit by a packet of sugar aimed from one server to another. I laughed, although I think they were very embarrassed… There are some other regulars. One man, easily in his late 80s who comes in all bundled up, faded red scarf, plaid hat, corduroy pants and loafers. He has a coffee and read Clarin (the news paper) and often dozes off. Sometimes acquaintances come in and he tells them to sit down and they talk for a while. This café has a great vibe of being a place to run into people. It’s nothing fancy. In fact, it’s just the opposite. It reminds me of a really strange Chinese restaurant: fish tank, old posters of food, curtain rods with no curtains, tile floors, milky green walls, Coca-Cola window shades and a plasma for the soccer games of course. There’s something about it that while seemingly ordinary, is unbelievably special. And I guess I just think that life is kind of like that. Some things seem ordinary and plain, but when you take a closer look you realize that those small moments make all the difference, they make the everyday worth living.

For example

The aforementioned man is now playing hide and seek with a little boy (the son of one of the owners of the café). Precious.

Side note: I need your help! There’s an AU study abroad photo contest that I’m thinking about entering… But I am horrible and picking, so I would love to hear what your favorites are from Argentina! http://picasaweb.google.com/samantha.boss

Have a great weekend! For fun: This video is amazing props to NYU talent, one take-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PglfNDepTyQ