Firstly intensive language classes started. I attend class from 1:30pm to 5:30pm daily Monday through Friday and have homework nightly. The Spanish classes get increasingly difficult by the day as do the assignments. This past Saturday we had our first Trabajo Práctico, 1 of 4 graded assignments worth a large portion of our grade for the curso intensive de español. We went on a field trip to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (National Fine Arts Museum) and were led through the galleries of Argentine artists by a guide. The tour was all in Spanish and our assignment was to pick our two favorite pieces and take notes. At home we had to do research and write an essay and a letter describing the pieces we chose, the art period, the style of the painter, a biography of the painter and our opinion of the piece. We were assigned our second Trabajo Práctico yesterday. We were each assigned a different province in Argentina and we have to travel to the province consulate in Buenos Aires and talk with consulate representatives to get information about our province. On Friday I have to give an oral presentation about la provincia de La Rioja and its flora, fauna, terrain, history, food, culture, music, production, etc. I am traveling to la Casa de La Rioja en Beunos Aires tomorrow morning before classes to gather all my information.
Now in addition to my intensive spanish class, I have to begin thinking about the real semester ahead. The official start of spring classes is March 9. There is a month long trial period of classes where students 'try on' 10 or more classes. The minimum class requirement at Universidad del Salvador is 5 but during the first month students can attend and register for as many classes as they want. We have a month to decide which classes to continue taking, on April 1 students send an email to the registrar with their final 5 courses for the semester.
And finally, el Tramite de Residencia. As a US citizen, I can legally stay in Argentina for 90 days with only my US passport. Since I am here for 5 months, I have to apply for a 6 month residency with the Argentine government. Before I can show up at Migraciones and apply for a Tramite de Residencia I have to get a Certificado de Antecendentes Penales en Argentina. Today after I met with my advisor and before class, I went to el Registro de Reincidencias to get this certificate. Before you go, you have to fill out an online form, you all know how I am with tecnology. Well I encountered a problem, after I filled out the entire form with every minute detail of my life, I had to enter my passport number. My passport number begins with a 0 and the form only accepts passport numbers that begin with a 1. What?! I showed up at the Registro with all my paperwork. After filling out another "this is my life" form, paying 40 pesos, getting 10 official stamps and seals, and waiting for my number to be called, I was waved over to a desk by a very kindly looking old woman. The first thing she said to me was that she loved my bag, I knew I was in. I was wearing my "Gone With the Wind" screenprint shoulder bag and "Gone With the Wind" happened to be her favorite movie of all time. We talked about old movies and discussed our favorite actors. She fixed my passport number problem, yes! We were getting along great and chatting when she pulled out a round red laser pad and scanned all 10 of my fingers for fingerprints, the Argentine government doesn't mess around! I will be picking up my certificate tomorrow after class and guarding it with my life until I deliver it to Migraciones next week where I will encounter my second installment of Argentine government bureaucracy.
More to come.
xoxo,
Rocky
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