First night out and I am COMPLETELY Lost!

Listening to Spanish 24/7 is exhausting!!! BUT still fun - don't get me wrong. Just need to get used to it.

The first couple days here have been FILLED with orientation. What there is to do in Buenos Aires (BA), how to take the public transport, where to go and not to go, other means of staying safe, classes, concentrations, volunteering, and the list goes on!

Although it's a lot of information, it's actually all pretty useful. The most useful for me is the directions/ public transport. The closest city to compare BA to is probably NY so public transport is a must and anyone who knows me.. I am actually really good at directions. HA YEAH RIGHT! I have so many stories in the first few days of getting lost and potentially getting robbed/mugged. But I am actually figuring it out! Here's the story of my first night going out...



BACK TO THE MEDIEVAL AGES OF COMMUNICATION



On Tuesday, I was the only one in my group without a phone (trying to unblock/get my phone working was probably the most frustrating thing so far), so I was left with communicating with everyone via Facebook. Unfortunately, this day was the first day I went to check out the dance studio and I didn't get back before most people had signed off and were getting ready/leaving. They thought that I might meet them from talking with them earlier but never received a confirmation from me, so by the time I had arrived at the girls house to meet them they had already left. Luckily they left a couple general directions with the door man... however, they were VERY general.

It was probably over 15 blocks of walking which including making wrong turns and walking down smaller streets with some homeless/night walkers. I probably asked someone how to get to the Plaza Serano every 2 blocks but everyone had a different way. Eventually I finally made it there, BUT it turned out to be an area with a circle of about 12 bars. I felt like I was the guy who cut off his arm in 127 hours if he would have died on the walk home after cutting off his arm! I had figured out the hardest part but could not actually meet up with the group!!
I couldn't call them, text them, Facebook them (no iphones) -- SO Frustrating!! Hmm.. Go home or walk through every bar until I find someone... Well had made it this far so I started window looking around the entire circle at least 3 times. Then I just started to walk through every one. I had been through every bar and nothing... and in desperation I asked a door lady at the last bar "Has visto algun grupo con muchos blancos, una negra, y un hombre muy alto con pelo rubio??" Her response: "Lo siento, no los vi."

THEN I SAW IT - a bar off to the side that was not in the main circle. I walked inside and there the group was in the very back just about to order drinks. They were just about as surprised to see that I found them as I was. All the work was worth it though as the night went on to meet people from Colombia and BA and a fun bar hop to many of the Plaza's locations!