It’s days like this when I wonder if I really have what it takes to be a blogger. Sure, I can post pictures and narrate vacations of days past, but I feel like all of the good bloggers I read have the ability to capture a moment and just what it is that makes that one moment worth writing about.

 

   I’ve had two of those moments in the past two days or so, and even though it felt pretty special at the time, now I’m at a loss to describe what made it special.

 

   Speaking of special, day to day Buenos Aires is pretty great. It’s a big big city and it knocks the wind out of me from time to time, but sometimes these little things happen that make all of the wandering around we do for classes completely worth the while.

 

   I have a friend named Paulo in my Argentina History class (the one that’s direct enrollment) who at first I could not understand to save my life. He spoke so fast! I felt awful because I would just sort of nod and thankfully he was usually talking to me and other people, so I didn’t have to contribute much.

 

   Thankfully, after a day or two I adapted to this fast porteño version of Spanish and now we’re doing all right. Actually, it’s great because we take the same subway for a few stops together so I have someone to make the walk to the Subté stop with. It’s a long trip at 9 at night and it’s great to have someone keep me company.

 

   So two things happened on this little walk home that resonated for one reason or another. First, I was asking Paulo what he wants to do with history. Why take a six year “carrera” in history? Do you want to teach? Paulo, as a matter of fact, wants to research. Which is great. I’m glad that some people want to do the thing that actually scares me away from the world of academia. And what does he want to research? Egypt and Mesopotamia.  Which is, perhaps, one of the neatest little bits of information I could learn from someone, especially someone who speaks a different first language.

 

   His eyes totally lit up when he started talking about hieroglyphics, and I could follow him even though I think he started talking faster. It was a neat moment.

 

   Interrupted by this ridiculously interesting site– there are all of these tracks in Flores (Where the UBA Filo is) and I figured they were out of date and just remnants of an old system.

 

   As it turns out they’re maintenance tracks for subway cars, and a subway car was just cruising along above ground, taking its time and ignoring stop lights heading on its sweet merry way to get a tune up. How fun is that? In the dark with all of the street lights and the lights on the subway car still on, it was a sight! Very interesting to see next to all of those little cars. I’d have taken a picture, but Paulo acted like it was no big deal and I guess I’m trying to assimilate. Or at least trying to not look like a tourist.

 

   Everyday something new, I suppose. There’s more, but I’ve got to be running to the gym before class.