La preparación

So I finished my finals and Winter 2013 term is officially over. I'm currently spending my spring break visiting my dear older sister, Clara, at the University of Notre Dame campus in the spring-break appropriate South Bend, Indiana (sarcasm sign). I should be getting excited for my study abroad trip to Argentina (For those of you stumbling across this blog, I am spending Spring 2013 term in Buenos Aires, Argentina taking 3 classes, all taught in Spanish). And yet, it is still not hitting me that in three days I will be getting on an eleven hour flight to, once again, leave the United States on a new adventure that only God knows where I will end up. I blame it on my horrific experience attempting to write a 12 page paper in 10 hours for my Dante class.

So, in the spirit of the Comedy, here are 9 things I still haven't done but definitely should have done already:
1. Get health insurance (Apparently Dartmouth Insurance doesn't apply to study abroad programs. Eh, I didn't have health insurance for Tanzania so I sure as hell don't need health insurance for Argentina!)
2. Book a hostel for the first night I am in Buenos Aires (Sleeping in the airport isn't an option?)
3. Figure out how I am getting to that hostel (Public bus? Probably not the best decision with all my luggage. Charter bus? That's 70 Argentinian pesos I don't want to spend. [5 Argentinian pesos~$1] Taxi? HELL no.)
4. Get an international phone (Yep, I don't have an iPhone. And I still don't want one)
5. Contact my host family (They probably think I hate them)
6. Take out cash so I can convert it in country (Turns out Buenos Aires has a huge black market for USD)
7. Figure out the electrical outlet situation and buy the appropriate adaptor (This is literally the last thing on my mind when packing for an international trip. I don't use a hairdryer to care enough)
8. Pack warm clothes for (if) I take a trip to Patagonia (Yeah...I've already left campus so whoops?)
9. Be a good anthropology major and do my research on Argentine culture (Does the fork go on the left or the right side of the plate?)

But to all of my dedicated readers, do not fret about my predicament. I survived (barely) Tanzania, and Argentina can't be much worse, right? I mean, it is the Paris of South America! And for those lacking a sense of world geography, here is where I am going. It's the red circle that says "Buenos Aires" right next to it.

Besos y abrazos,

Amelia