First post!

Well, this is my test post for my new blog. After I chose blogger.com from the many free blogging options out there, setting this up was incredibly easy. I decided to name my blog "La noche boca arriba," after a short story by famous Argentine author Julio Cortazar that we read in my Spanish class last semester. The title translates roughly as "The Night Face Up," and the story is a bizarre, surreal blending of dreams and reality, past and present. The main character always ends up "boca arriba" -- lying on his back looking up -- be it on an operating table or on a sacrificial altar of ancient Aztecs, trying to figure out some aspect of his life. Cortazar is truly a fascinating writer, and I hope to read some more of his works in a class in Argentina. Read an English translation of "La noche boca arriba" here.
Also of note, we got our housing notifications from the program director last week. We were only given the name of the head of household and the address. I've been using GoogleEarth to check out my new neighborhood, and I'll be living in a fairly central, advantageous location. I also called my host mother on Saturday, but that ended up being somewhat of a disaster, as neither of us could understand each other. She kept repeating "You have to call the business" in English and seemed quite annoyed that I had called. I thought my Spanish was clear enough, but I guess not. She didn't even answer my questions about her name, if she had kids living with her, etc. Oh well, I guess you shouldn't judge someone by a one minute international phone call in your second language!
A little less than a month and I'll be in Argentina! Thanks for reading :)