Wait...¿Vos vivés aquí?!?

I thought yesterday was going to be too boring of a day for me to devote an entire post; however, that all changed around 9:30pm. The morning started with my usual routine; I got up, ate my normal breakfast, and went to the university. Our 312L professor was finally back from the United States, but our excitement about meeting her was quickly diminished once class began. Although she seems like a very nice woman, she is difficult to understand. I wouldn’t even say that it’s her accent, but instead that she just has a very raspy voice; I doubt that I would be able to understand her well if she spoke English. Also, since we hadn’t yet had to do any homework for that class, she decided that we needed to make up for it and assigned us about thirty workbook pages. I’m choosing to stay positive about her though, and am hoping that the large assignment is only to catch up and that after a few days we will get used to her teaching style. As usual 318 went well and after class ended I walked home. When I got back Zulema and Hugo were getting ready to leave to go to their drawing class, and once I was home alone I decided to go running. I set off in the direction of the river that runs through town because I’d heard that there was a park with a running trail there. It’s about a twenty minute walk from where I live, and I got to see a whole new part of town. The park was really pretty and many people were there jogging, walking their dogs, playing soccer, or just hanging out. It was so nice to get some exercise and the weather here is beautiful right now! I was gone for a little over an hour, and Hugo and Zulema returned not long after I did. I started homework while Zulema was cooking, and after a while she came to my room to deliver some great news…the heater is fixed! I didn’t notice much of a difference yesterday, but I assume that it will take a while to heat up the whole apartment. For dinner she made tortilla con papas y queso, which was like a pie made of potatoes and held together with chesse…muy rico! After dinner I took my shower, changed into pajamas, and got back to work on my tarea. Little did I know that I was about to encounter the most eventful part of my day! Since I arrived last week Zulema has always talked about Sergio, her international student from Mexico. All I ever heard was Sergio likes plátanos con dulce de leche, and Sergio eats so much he gained 5 kilos, and Sergio has so many friends that he was always going out. She had told me that she has hosted more international students than she can count, so I just assumed that Sergio was her last student; however, my assumption reveals just how awful I am at Spanish. As I sat at my desk focused on Spanish vocabulary, I heard the front door open and shut and then a male voice conversing with Zulema in the kitchen. I thought it was Hugo, and even though it struck me as a little odd I didn’t think too much about it. Then I heard them walking down the hallway and Zulema called, “Kyndal! Meet Sergio!” and a guy about my age appeared in the doorway. I was completely taken by surprise and very confused, but we introduced ourselves and talked for a few minutes. Then he left and my next thought was ok, he’s back visiting…? Or maybe he’s an international student living with a good friend of Zulema’s and he sometimes hangs out here? Looking back I feel really dumb, but at the time I was totally not comprehending the situation. He seemed really nice though, and I thought it might be fun to be friends (he had told me that I could go hang out with him sometimes if I wanted to) and therefore had decided that later I would ask Zulema for his number. After some time I went to the kitchen for some water and, when I walked in, I saw Sergio sitting at the kitchen table eating dinner. Still not understanding, I asked him “¿Dónde vivés?” (Where do you live?), to which he responded, “Aquí.” In my awful Spanish I told him, “I know you live in Córdoba, but where?” And he looked at me like I was crazy and again responded, “Aquí,” and pointed at the room around him. STILL not understanding and completely confused at this point, I said “En este apartamento? Con Zulema?” And in Spanish he said, “Yeah, where did you think I lived?” I was speechless, still trying to fit the puzzle together, and must have been stuttering. He interrupted my thoughts by telling me that I could speak English and he would understand, so I blurted out, “Where in the world have you been the whole last week?” So after that I sat down and we continued talking and I found out that he’s been living here since the end of March but spent the past week traveling around southern Argentina. He’s 22 and also a student at the university and will be here until August. It was fun talking and having someone else around who is closer my age and can understand English. So I now have a roommate that I’ve apparently always had and didn’t know about (I mean, we have our own bedrooms, but roommate as in we live in the same house). I feel like it’s going to be like having a live-in speaking partner; he even told me that he will help me with my Spanish and I can help him with his English. Sounds like a good idea to me…welcome back Sergio!