Lesson RElearned: ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS do a room check before leaving a hotel!

This past week I was traveling in Northwestern Argentina, in a region called Salta by the end of the week I was really wishing that I had Maya's OCD when it comes to leaving rooms. For about as long as i can remember Maya has always done family room checks. She will look in drawers that were never opened and closets that were never used to really make sure we did not forget ANYTHING. I used to make fun of her for her incessant need to be so thorough but now i really wish i was more like that.

Things I lost along the way:
Car Ride to Hostel #2: Water bottle
Hostel #2: toothbrush
Hostel #3: NOTHING! WOOHOO!
Hostel #4: 2 bottles of delicious wine

By the time hostel #5 came around I was a serious room checker and was set for the rest of the trip.... which was only 1 more day.

good news: I managed to get my beloved water bottle back! but the rest is gone for good :(

Lesson #3: Sunday afternoons are a great time for a threesome

I live in the strictest residencia around. no matter what you are doing you are basically always breaking the rules. Example rules: you can't drink, can't be in a boy's room past 10pm, can't talk too loud late at night. And they really do enforce them, especially on Americans. A few weeks ago, i did not want to sit around the residencia and thought that it would be a fabulous idea to go to the San Telmo market and then a tango show with a few friends. while i was away, i let my friends (two boys and one girl) hang out in my room and watch a movie because i am lucky enough to have a single room .  As they were watching Aladdin, the most "G" rated movie of all time, the woman in charge of the residencia barged into the room and started yelling at them. She claimed that they were having a threesome in my bed at 3pm on a Sunday. To make things even better she thinks that I was the girl involved, even though I was on the other side of the city. Now im the residencia slut and it isn't even justified.

Lesson #2: the subway can either be your best friend or your worst enemy

every day to get to class i need to leave my residencia and head to the plaza italia stop on the green ("D") subway line. from there i need to somehow squeeeeeeeeeeeeze into the subway and sardine it for about 7 stops to diagonal norte and switch to the blue ("C") line and keep going until the san martin stop. as easy as this sounds, i have somehow managed to mess this up almost every day. i either take the wrong train, or the right train in the wrong direction, or get off at the wrong stop, or simply just get my roads confused while getting off. every day so far i've been late to class by at least 20 minutes.

Lesson #1: Professional Muggers are NOT mythical creatures

let me preface this story by saying that the day before this, i was at orientation and the women were talking about security and told us about how there are a lot of thieves here in buenos aires and that they are all very clever. they told a story about a student who was sitting at a little cafe shop with her computer and this guy came up to her and literally just took the computer right from her hands. 

so i was at lunch with my family before they went back home and my mom was showing me some pictures on her nice big fancy shmancy camera. we put the camera down and i was telling them the story about how the girl's computer was stolen and as i was telling them the story this guy casually comes up to our table, grabs my moms camera and runs. i don't know how but my cat-like reflexes were on high alert so as he grabbed the camera i grabbed its strap that holds it and he pulls me off my chair with it. i fell to the floor. he dragged me a few feet. my mom smacked him. my dad had a chair in hand and was planning on hitting him over the head with it. but before he got the chance the guy gave up let go of my camera, left me on the floor, and jumped onto his friends motorcycle for a quick get away. who knew i was so tough!? so yeah... i almost got mugged. I got a few scrapes on my knee and hand but nothing too bad. the mugger also learned a lesson this day, just because i look weak doesn't mean that he should mess with me! im one tough biaaaaaaatch



i'll end this with the words of one wise little woman: in argentina, keep your friends close and your purse closer