first day of class

Hola amigos. My first day at school was a good one. I went in with a mission. To inpress my teacher and get myself on track for quick advancement. I did it. I crammed both Saturday night and Sunday and went in this morning well ahead of the other beginners. So beginning tomorrow I´ll be taking individual lessons. By the end of the week I should be able to join the intermedios a few lessons in to the section thus effectively completing in four-five days what was scheduled to take 4-5 weeks. If I pass the test I should be an "advanced" student by the time I leave Buenos Aires...so long as a pass the test. The problem with me spanish education at the moment is that I understand the concepts, the grammar, well into the intermediate level, but because I haven´t spoken the language in years and never spoke it frequently my vocabulary is relatively small compare to the other intermedios. Thus the one-on-one program this week. I´m to beef up my vocab and master los articulos by friday. I think it can be done. My brain hurts right now though. After four hours of class this morning I took about a two hour break and have spent the last three or so in my room studying vocab; when I get home, another hour or two. Sorry this entry is a bit boring. I needed to string together some english sentences for peace of mind and I don´t have the brainpower to be interesting.
The rest of my life is going well right now. The brief vacation to Colonia last week was perfect. After a week in the big city, my solitary stay in Colonia really helped my settle my mind. When I returned to BA I was ready to settle into daily life here. The small things are empowering. I´m a functional citizen now. I do my laundry at the lavaderia. I know where to find cheap quality food. I frequent the neighborhood verdurias (veggie stands), fruterias (fruit stands), and carnicerias. I ride the packed subway all over town. I shop at he market, and most nights have a beer and an empanada or two with Hugo the owner of the empanada shop across the street from my apartment. Normalcy is rewarding. I have a sense of my surroundings that is growing every day. Coming into a knowledge of the language too is extemely rewarding. I´ll work hard this week and hopefully for the rest of my stay here. There are many interesting things to see and do here. But I´ll be back in September. I want to spend the next six weeks here in the city living simply and working hard. At the moment that idea is more exciting than eating at the finest resaurants and learning to tango. Take care my friends.