The friendliest people on earth

Hey guys!
So, after a ton of random troubleshooting things I actually got my internet to work in my house! I'm actually very proud of myself because normally I make computers die, not fix them. But this is extremely good news on the communication front. On the weekends it's hard for me to schedule exact sessions to ichat and skype and stuff, because we tend to just decide to go do things without really planning anything here. So this is what I'll do: As much as possible, whenever I'm home and available I'll try to be logged on to ichat and skype. That way if you've got a free second you can check to see if I'm logged on. On the week days we can schedule stuff just fine, because at night I'll usually be home getting ready for school the next day. 10 pm my time is 5 pm west coast, 8 pm east coast if that's helpful.
I haven't really talked about actual Argentina yet, so that's what I'm going to do today. Right now, it's RIDICULOUSLY hot. I think it's just kind of the last dog days of summer type thing, but since no one has air conditioning you're just constantly sweating. The weather is much akin to Iowa in the summer, if I haven't already said that. And we all know how I feel about Iowa's weather.
I think what I like most about Argentina is the people. They're some of the friendliest, most welcoming people I've ever met. I expected to get some negative reactions every time I had to say I was from the United States, but people mostly just seem to be excited that we're down here to study and learn about Argentina. They're eager to share their country with us. And they're all so helpful! Every time we have a map out someone comes up and asks if we need help getting somewhere. The bus system here pretty much requires insider knowledge because there are no routes posted and no "the next stop is such and such" read outs, and each time I've ridden it I've had to ask someone how far away my stop is so I don't miss it. Each time I do this they give me a big smile, take me to the back of the bus, point out when we're getting near, and press the "I want to get off" bell for me. Then they make sure I know which building is the Central Policia (that's just the landmark I use to get off because it's right by my house) and send me on my way. Everyone's curious and asks us questions about what part of the US we're from, how we like Cordoba, and how our Castellano is (that's the type of Spanish they speak here). It makes you feel better about things when everyone is so gracious and helpful.
There are several things, however, that are different from what they told us to expect in the program manual we got in the United States. Here are a few lies of the CC-CS handbook.
1. People dress very formally. While this may be true (to some extent) in the professional sector, people really wear whatever the crap they want, including belly shirts. All the nicer clothes I bought were entirely unnecessary.
2. The men are all obnoxious and will cat-call you at all times. I have had maybe one cat-call, as have my friends, and it was just an "hola chicas!" which is not uncommon to hear in the US from some random guy. Most of the men here are very polite, and even more pay zero attention at all (and if they do they keep it to themselves).
3. No one carries big bags or purses. This is just a flat out lie. I left my big school purses at home for nothing.
4. Ipods and things are never used. While actual ipods are certainly less common (the real product is incredibly expensive here), people definitely use mp3 players on the bus and stuff. Cordoba is a city full of students and professionals. It's not uncommon for people to have nice cell phones and computers and stuff.

There are a bunch of cultural differences, but these are not some of them. In a few days I'll write about all of the changes I've encountered like the food and the sheer lack of any environmental consideration, but that's a post in itself and this one is already too long. Love and miss you all, and hope we can chat soon!