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Yesterday: The museum was closed. The streets were a mess of confusing dead ends. The guy at the library wouldn´t let me look out the windows at the beautiful view of the city because I didn´t have a library card. Not even after I gave him my most winning smile. Not even after I promised not to touch anything. It was rainy and windy. I hate wind. The keys on the keyboard at the internet cafe kept sticking. Especially the B, T and D. Spanish words refused to form on my lips, making me feel foolish. Dinner was late. I was hungry and exhausted. I spent thirty minutes dialing the numbers of five different phone cards trying to talk to Andy. I never got through. So I tried email. The computer froze. One o´clock in the morning, defeated, lonely, frustrated, I cried myself to sleep.

Today: The Spanish flowed easily. I went on a walking tour of the city and met some fantastic people, including two girls in my program, a well-traveled girl from California, and an elderly couple from Oregon. The sun came out. The tour guide was fantastic. He offered to be my friend. He gave me inside information on traveling, buses, tango shows and restaurants. He pointed me in the direction of the best pizza and empañadas in town. I ate lunch there, with the couple from Oregon. They are older than my parents, dorky, sweet. We ate some of the best food I´ve had yet - pizza oozing cheese all over the place - and talked about traveling. It was odd and funny but nice. I walked through a new part of the city, streets filled with bookstores. I stopped, read, dawdled, took notes, took a deep breath. My email inbox was filled with love, support, things that made me laugh out loud. Maybe tonight even my phone cards will cooperate...