So, here we are. This is my first post, and I’ll confess that I’m not a wordsmith, I’m not great at setting a routine, and who knows if this will go on longer than a week? But as for right now, I’m going to write.

I recently accepted a position in Mendoza, Argentina to gain experience for my resume, and to hopefully get a good legal job when I get back to the States in August.

I’m doing this blog to record a chapter in my life which is sure to be a learning experience. I feel like it will be somewhat amusing, given the fact that I am NOT good at Spanish, I am going to a whole new continent I’ve never been to before, and I love food and wine. I also am starting my first “real” law job. Real clients, real money at stake, and real responsibility. I’m scared as hell.

I’m also leaving my boyfriend of just under a year (our anniversary is on February 20, 20 days after I leave the country) to go do this. He says he will come visit me in August. He’s not a great planner, so I will not hold my breath on that. Funnily enough, when I first told my friends of this new opportunity, their first question was “What is L going to do?!?” Well, there’s Skype. There’s that newfangled contraption called a telephone I’ve heard so much about. And then there’s the fact that I’m only going to be away for six months. That’s 1/56 of my life. Not a big deal. At least, not yet. I’ll probably revisit this soon. Most likely on Valentine’s Day.

To prepare for my baptism by fire in Mendoza, I’m doing the Rosetta Stone Latin American Spanish Levels 1 and 2 prior to my departure. So far, I think they are working, on a very subconscious level.

I took Spanish in high school for a year of accelerated level, and French from 7th grade to senior year, ending on AP level. I took Italian in college. What does this mean? It means that I have 3 words that are not English for certain items, and I hope to God I can remember which is which before it comes blurting out of my mouth in public.

Then there’s the last part of me LOVING wine and food. I mean, I f*cking LOVE food. I’m pretty fat, actually. Not like “Damn, that’s a huuuuge bitch!”, but, I can buy the smaller sizes at Lane Bryant. I’m hoping to walk more and eat less in Mendoza… we’ll see if I actually lose weight. I’ve been told that I will, but tons of wine and meat doesn’t make for a weight loss regimen, does it?

So, with one week left before the big “move”, I am running around like a madwoman trying to collect everything I need for my trip. I have lived abroad before (in London), so I know the basic drill. I got some relatively inexpensive travel adapters from The Container Store, which I’ll post about how I like them when I get to actually use them. I’m bringing spice rubs for the yummy steaks (from The Salt Lick, no doubt). Got my ingredients for Texas queso ready to go. Did I mention that I’m a fat kid?

The goal of this blog is to record funny interactions with locals, the difficulties that you encounter when you have a language barrier, sharing things I learn about Argentine wine, culture and food, and hopefully some advice for people traveling to Mendoza or other places in Argentina, who would like a real insight to what it’s like there. Happy reading, and buena suerte to me.