Little Sketchy Man = Big Pockets

So I'm finally here! And finally getting time to write something in this blog! I'll come back to the beginning of the day (I arrived) in a second but first.. what exactly would you do when you first come to a foreign country where theft is a major issue, the government is a bit corrupt, and you are obviously an American foreigner and thus the most likely to be taken advantage of?
Well if you answered that with: I'd go to a random street corner with a sketchy dude who only whispered and was constantly looking out for the police and give him almost all the money in your pocket -- then you did the right thing!! ... At least that's what I did..

Because the government is over controlling and a bit corrupt here (according to the few Argentineans who I've met so far) and other economic issues, the dollar is extremely valuable. This doesn't mean that it costs less here though.. In actuality, most things (clothes, electronics, drinks) actually cost more! The physical dollar is valuable because its stability in terms of inflation/exchange but all the prices here are just jacked up to be the same/more than what they are in the states. I HAVE NO IDEA how Argentineans have to money to buy what they have.


HIGH RISK HIGH REWARD???
Back from that tid-bit of education. I was informed that in order to get the best exchange rate, you can exchange dollars for pesos under the table. So what we did was call a random guy and told him the exchange rate we wanted. He was "desperate" for dollars so accepted our rate. I was then dropped off (by myself) and had to knock on a metal door of a building that was "closed." The man then met me outside, only talked in a whisper, and he was constantly looking around  -- paranoid as hell. He told me to meet him in a shopping center where it would be easier to make the exchange. I did this, and with a quick change of hands and money count to make sure we each held up our side of the deal it was done. After talking to the other students I did get the best exchange rate!

Other things worth mentioning:

THE PLANE RIDE 
The person sitting on the plane next to me from Chicago to NY was in my program so made the first friend right away!

MY HOUSE
It's in Belgrano, an upper-middle class neighborhood which is pretty safe and overall a nice area. It's also only about a 15-20 minute bus (colectivo) ride from the night-life and one of the downtowns. Pretty convenient!

What's the MOST convenient though is that the studio I'll probably be training at (for ballroom) is in my same neighborhood and is only a 10 minute bus ride too. Couldn't have asked for a better location!!

My host mom, Tete, is SOO nice. She has been more than helpful and is already trying to help me with developing a better accent. I have my own room and bathroom and the apartment itself is pretty big in Buenos Aires terms. If I can figure it out in the time that I have I'll post some pictures/videos.

DULCE DE LECHE

Words cannot describe... most people know I have a sweet tooth but this stuff is amazing! Tete said she has never met anyone who doesn't like it... including her cat. It can literally go on anything that is a dessert - I'll be bringing home a few tubs to say the least.