THUNDA THUNDA THUNDA THUNDERCATS!

(Above: This statue of 3 women in a plaza in downtown BA reminded me of the Holy Trinity {a.k.a. your humble authors})

I'm in the middle of week 3 here in BA, and I'm getting to the point where things are less of an adventure and more of a draining culture difference, like: "Why do the oreos taste different?" and "Why is there ham on every sandwich?" and "No, I don't want mayonnaise ON EVERYTHING." The everyday stuff can be the most difficult and frustrating.

My Spanish is coming along, though. I'm functional. I can make sentences in order to ask for things, moving beyond pointing and saying "That. I want that. Please." to "Pardon me, ma'am/sir, but I would like to try that flavor of ice cream." The initial deluge of incomprehensible conversation is turning into more of a small stream, but it is still deceptively deep.

I speak like a child and to certain extent, most people treat me like one. They try to help me on the bus and speak very slowly, using gestures. It makes sense, because I'm something of a liability. I don't understand the way the world works here, and so I do need to be babysat a little. It's very humbling to have to learn the meanings of words all over again, imitating what the adults are doing and making lots of mistakes. One time, I turned on the hot water to wash the dishes, and my host mother said "No te quema!" I then I burned myself because the water gets hotter here than in the States. Now I know what quemar means.
Lessons here are earned.

At the same time, the familiar is never more than a step away; globalization keeps popping up when I least expect it. There was a big thunderstorm last night, and while talking about the weather, my host brother asked me what the English word for "trueno" was, and I said "Thunder."

"Como Thundercats*?" he asked. It took me a moment to register he was referencing the cartoon, because I never expected to find people who knew 1980s Japanese show about felinoid aliens in BA. Being wrong is becoming a habit of mine. He had grown up with same cartoon I had, and watched shows like Thundercats and The Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers on TV. I've heard little girls referencing Scooby Doo in the street. What I had thought was American pop culture was actually global pop culture. What does it mean? You figure it out. I'm trying to make maté by heating the water in batches in the microwave because they won't let me use the gas stove. Gas stove + handheld lighter + me = What could possibly go wrong?

--Nicole
*Please click here for the awesome theme song!