Life as a Standby Passenger

¡Hola, amigos!
I wish I could say I was writing from Buenos Aires, but it's been tough trying to get on a flight down there as a standby passenger. For those who don't already know, my dad flies for Delta so I can fly for free if I board after the paying passengers, but sometimes this route can be pretty rough. It all started on Friday the 25th (Garrett's 11th Birthday!), when I left Minneapolis to go to Atlanta, where the only Delta flight to Buenos Aires leaves from.  Apparently there were some technical weight issues, and the plane left with 16 open seats, not taking a single standby passenger.  There were some other porteños (citizens of Buenos Aires) about my age waiting as well, so although I was too nervous to go over and talk to them, I got to catch a glimpse of what they were like.  One of the guys even had light red/blonde hair, and I didn't realize until he opened his mouth that he was a native Spanish speaker.  My next step was to fly out to Miami, which has 3 flights per day to BA instead of 1.  I got there about 12am, and in order to purchase a ticket, I had to stay overnight in the airport :( While searching out a good spot to hang out for the night, I found a coffee shop and decided to caffinate instead of try to sleep on the germy airport seating.  The barista may have hit on me (and suggested the carpeted baggage claim belts for sleeping on... ew!), but even though I didn't give him my phone number at least he gave me 2 extra shots of espresso! At 4:30am, I purchased a ticket and went to my gate.  It already feels like I have left the country-- about 80% of the conversations I've heard have been in Spanish! I'm counting this as good practice. Also, what's more surprising is that I've never seen such European-looking latinos. Many of the people waiting on the flights to BA have light skin and hair, and although it surprised me to hear them speak, I've gotten used to just expecting everyone to be a Spanish-speaker here. 
After 3 flights with no luck, I got a hotel and made friends with the shuttle drivers who have been helping me practice my Spanish! I am currently at 5 total flights attempted, with 2 more to go tonight and 1 possible flight in Atlanta tomorrow... not fun at all. This has been a long and boring post, but hopefully from here on out they will get better!! Wish me luck :)
Besos, Taylor

Two Weeks to Go!!

¡Hola!
Since I have officially hit the 2-week mark before I embark on my trip, I thought it was time for another post. Also, I received my homestay information today, so that was super exciting!!
I will be living with Maritina Sánchez Garrone, a 66-year-old actress and singer (perfect, right?!) who lives alone and teaches/performs musicals. Hopefully the house won't be too quiet, but apparently she has nieces and nephews that visit frequently. I'm excited to learn more about her :) I still don't exactly know where she lives, seeing as the street address she gave was "Salguero 2549 12º C" ??? Hmm. I'll let you all know once I figure this riddle out. 
 Lastly, I'll sign off with some new Argentine slang words of the day:

Chupar (v)
1. to suck. Also used to talk about drinking alcohol. Vamos al bar a chupar cervezas. Let’s go to the bar for a beer.

Cana (f)
1. The police/the cops.

Mangos (m)
1. pesos. Me costó 120 mangos! It cost me 120 pesos!

Quilombo (m)
1. a mess, a disaster, chaotic. El tránsito en Buenos Aires es un quilombo.

Trucho/a (adj. or m/f noun)
1. fake/counterfeit items. Compré una remera trucha. I bought a counterfeit t-shirt. Esos son truchos. Those are fake.  

I'll write more soon-- 14 days till takeoff!!
♥ Tay