Today I joined a "gym". Since being sick, I've been going crazy just sitting around the house. While part of me loved watching old re-runs of Friends with my host family, the other part of me was dying from being inside while in such a dynamic city.

So, I joined a "gym". I put that in quotations, because apparently the gyms here in Buenos Aires (with the exception of a big chain that exists in the center of the city) are located in people's homes. Mine, two blocks from my house in Barracas, is the converted garage of a single woman who has made it her life passion to get people fit. In general it's pretty run down, with two old school tredmills, a few bikes and some rusty machines - but man do they take pride in their rusty machines! She followed me around this tiny space all afternoon, "teaching" me how to use the bench or showing me exercises. As my host mom explained when I got home, no one there knows anything but everyone thinks they know something. It at least made for some interesting conversation as I was working out today. I am going to go back Wed to try their "latin salsa" class. I think she teaches that as well.

It's not quite U of M, but it'll do.