Monday was the day of our big placement exam. I got up at 8:15 again and had breakfast at 9. I had tostadas with dulce de leche and hot chocolate again and also a banana. I left at 9:25 to meet Diana at 9:30. On our way, we met two other pairs of girls who had walked together. We got to the university early and I thought we were supposed to meet at the front door, but other people said that the paper said the third floor. We all walked up to the third floor and then someone looked at her paper and she said that the paper did say “meet by the door” so we all walked down. We stood around and waited. More ISA people came but no leader. About ten minutes late, Marina came and took us straight up to the third floor. It was some tour! :) We stood around on the third floor and waited for them to open the doors. There were lots of people there from other programs, too. At last they let us in and we sat down. They passed out the exam. The directors at ISA had told us not to study and that it would all be written. Well, the first thing the professors wrote on the board was not to take the test if you did not know any Spanish or if you had not studied! I had studied anyway. We had received a practice test in our information packet, but the test today was about three times as hard as that one! After I took the test, I was hoping that I would not be placed in a beginner class! They sent us out in the hall to wait for about a half hour. Then, the professors came out one by one and called a list of names. They started with the students they thought were in the lowest levels according to the written test and then they gave them an oral exam. I stood around and waited for a long time before they called my name. A group of eleven of us went in together and they just talked to us in Spanish and asked us a bunch of questions. When this had finished, we waited some more and then the rest of the students came into the room and they announced who was in what class. There is one beginner class, four intermediate classes, and one advanced class. I am in the highest intermediate class. Only five people out of about sixty or seventy are in the advanced class. I was very pleased with my placement. Diana is in the advanced class and she only got 26 out of 45 questions right on the exam. I wonder what I got!
After that, we were supposed to go back to the ISA office, so we did. I walked with a girl named Michaela. I met her on Facebook before we actually got here. She arrived yesterday because she missed her flight here. At the ISA office, we had a short meeting and talked about classes and they told us that we are having a meeting on Friday after my class to talk about our excursion to El Tigre. My class is the latest one from 12:30pm to 5:30pm Monday through Friday. I am kind of disappointed that my class is not earlier because it gets dark here about 6 and so I will want to head home straight after class. Nothing is open very early around here so it will be hard to do touristy stuff in the morning. Oh well, maybe next session I will be in the advanced class from 10 to 3! I hope so!
Michaela, Diana, and I went out to explore the city after the meeting. We took the Subte (subway) for the first time to Palermo where we found a restaurant to eat lunch. We each had an empanada. Mine had cheese and onion in it. It was very good. We walked back to the subte and rode to the Plaza de Mayo because Michaela had missed the tour from the other day. We walked around there a long time. A man on the street was trying to get people to come shopping at his store. Diana stopped to talk and the man told us that we should go out with him and his friends. He said that he knows some Argentine princes for us American princesses. It was just a bit awkward! We kept walking and stopped at a store and bought some postcards. We wandered back to the subte and rode to the ISA office. I checked email but did not have time to post to my blog. I left at 5:30 to walk home before it gets dark. I greeted Fani and told her about my day. Then I took a shower and started writing this entry. Fani came and told me it was time for dinner. I had the usual soup (I am starting to like it more and more), cucumbers, a fried egg thing, milanesa?? (I don’t know what it was… some sort of meat patty), and flan (which I do not like). She had to go downstairs to receive a delivery. While she was gone, the phone rang. I was not about to answer it, but I tried to tell her when she came back that the phone had rung. She asked who it was and I tried to tell her that I did not answer it. She understood, but they must not have left a message so she tried to call about three different people to see if they had called her. I typed up some emails and this blog to send and post tomorrow when I am online. I talked to my mom for the first time since I have been here. Most of the students were hitting the bars to celebrate a girl´s birthday at 10:30, but that was when I went to bed! I have been super tired since I have been here, but I have been able to get lots of sleep so that is good.
After that, we were supposed to go back to the ISA office, so we did. I walked with a girl named Michaela. I met her on Facebook before we actually got here. She arrived yesterday because she missed her flight here. At the ISA office, we had a short meeting and talked about classes and they told us that we are having a meeting on Friday after my class to talk about our excursion to El Tigre. My class is the latest one from 12:30pm to 5:30pm Monday through Friday. I am kind of disappointed that my class is not earlier because it gets dark here about 6 and so I will want to head home straight after class. Nothing is open very early around here so it will be hard to do touristy stuff in the morning. Oh well, maybe next session I will be in the advanced class from 10 to 3! I hope so!
Michaela, Diana, and I went out to explore the city after the meeting. We took the Subte (subway) for the first time to Palermo where we found a restaurant to eat lunch. We each had an empanada. Mine had cheese and onion in it. It was very good. We walked back to the subte and rode to the Plaza de Mayo because Michaela had missed the tour from the other day. We walked around there a long time. A man on the street was trying to get people to come shopping at his store. Diana stopped to talk and the man told us that we should go out with him and his friends. He said that he knows some Argentine princes for us American princesses. It was just a bit awkward! We kept walking and stopped at a store and bought some postcards. We wandered back to the subte and rode to the ISA office. I checked email but did not have time to post to my blog. I left at 5:30 to walk home before it gets dark. I greeted Fani and told her about my day. Then I took a shower and started writing this entry. Fani came and told me it was time for dinner. I had the usual soup (I am starting to like it more and more), cucumbers, a fried egg thing, milanesa?? (I don’t know what it was… some sort of meat patty), and flan (which I do not like). She had to go downstairs to receive a delivery. While she was gone, the phone rang. I was not about to answer it, but I tried to tell her when she came back that the phone had rung. She asked who it was and I tried to tell her that I did not answer it. She understood, but they must not have left a message so she tried to call about three different people to see if they had called her. I typed up some emails and this blog to send and post tomorrow when I am online. I talked to my mom for the first time since I have been here. Most of the students were hitting the bars to celebrate a girl´s birthday at 10:30, but that was when I went to bed! I have been super tired since I have been here, but I have been able to get lots of sleep so that is good.
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