Arrival in Sud America!

Hola from Argentina! I have immersed myself in espanol all day and my brains are blown I am sure. I am in Mendoza where it is quiet and cheap and I can get over my jet-lag in peace (is the theory), but all good theories can come un-stuck, like this one as I have trucks rumbling past and the drains smell like India's did 25 years ago. I had forgotten it is so Third world here, but when straight off the plane from 1st world you do notice the little things like litter, open drains, the smells,tramps sleeping in doorways, begging, very bad slums on the way in from the airport etc. The trucks and cars are mostly very old and are belching out fumes. It actually seems like you are in the 50's or something, colours, clothes etc are all different.I have been here before for festivals, when it is all dressed up, but this week it is just another working week for them. Mendoza has one and a half million people in the area, and is the wine making centre for Argentina. I have tried to market here beforehand but without luck, so that is why I am not marketing for the schools here. (I will do a leaflet drop to a couple of tourism and travel agencies I have met before, for International Travel College. There are private schools here, and bi-lingual but the money situation in Argentina has been slow to pick up after their crash. There is a big farmers strike on now which may be serious for the economy too.It was great to brush-up on my very basic Spanish today, and it was fun to learn the first basic steps of tango as part of the activities offered by the school. I even surprised myself at my abilty to remember the steps once, doce, treis....Maybe having experienced dancing in the square at 7am in China, in Chinese, there was less of a challenge trying to learn tango via espanol. It is funny being at the receiving end of a cultural/language experience while jet-lagged. I am even watching and listening to Bart Simpson in Spanish. While having dinner last night in one of my favourite cafes in the world (La Sal http://www.lasal.com/ ?) I was thinking this little town really is a dump and why have I liked it so much in the past? - then I remembered that it was here that I came up with the idea of consulting and wrote down my dreams for the future. So I have a strong emotional connection to the place.Ok, enough of a rave. Sorry can't seem to activate my spell check. Don't panic Barry, this blog is not for clients and can only be read by those I invite, likewise my work one. Hasta leugo, Suzette