Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Las noticias

Not that there's much news to report.

Let's see... Spring is coming. I haven't worn a coat all weekend.

The student life continues. Studying and homework take quite a long time some days, but drinking maté with salsa music in the background is generally a good combination! For those who don't know, maté taken in the traditional style is like tea leaf pieces (from a plant that isn't tea) in a little wooden vase. Add hot water (not boiling) from a kettle, a little at a time, and sip it with a sort of metal or wooden pipe. At the beginning it's stronger than green tea, at the end pretty bland... needless to say, I prefer the beginning, but as long as there's hot liquid it's quite good. Better than tea but not recommended right before bed, unless you're one of those people who fall asleep on stimulants.

Getting used to the Argentine schedule now... that is, never getting up before the sun, having afternoon and evening classes, eating supper at 9 on average, rarely going to bed before midnight.

Castellano (Spanish is what they speak in Spain) is coming along. However, I was slightly disappointed to wake up from dreaming in English and realize that I can't recollect dreaming in castellano yet. However (only English speakers studying abroad are allowed to use two "however's" so close together) the subjunctive mode is becoming more natural, almost a daily occurrence. The Spanish subjunctive is more fun than the French because there is always a change in the verb structure, not just one that hides in typical endings and unpronounced vowels.

Well, that's all for today. Tomorrow is a day off and I just might be able to give you a quick description of classes... something promised long ago, when the Internet connection was more reliable and private.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey we had a guy here at school last year from Uruguay that drank marte! It looked disgusting, but I can imagine if you like green tea it probably isn't too bad. It was so funny to see him walking around with his little pot and metal straw.
Thanks for the comment - it's good to hear from you! I do stop by your blog and attempt to remain somewhat updated. Life is crazy in these parts! :-)

Sharon said...

Watch out, Rebekah, I'll come back and get you hooked on maté yourself. :)