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I live in Villa Ballester just outside the city of Buenos Aires. It takes me about 45 minutes to get from home to the end of the train line at Retiro in central Buenos Aires. Ballester is a small city and pretty safe. The roads are paved and there is a variety of stores and supermarkets close to my house. I live in an apartment in the upstairs of the classroom building at the church where I work on the weekends. My apartment is about 200/250 square feet, just enough space for me.

I eat lunch at the comedor Wednesday-Friday and at church on Sunday. Most other meals, I prepare myself at home. I do my own grocery shopping. There is big supermarket a few blocks away and a smaller supermarket half a block away. I go to the big supermarket about every other week. Everything else I just run across the street to the small supermarket to get, usually as I need it. There are produce stores/stands on just about every block. I have enjoyed having one across the street. I do most of my grocery shopping there. Produce is very cheap. I go across the street about every other day to get fresh fruits, veggies and eggs.

There is a nice plaza about 8 blocks from my house. I have enjoyed running there in the evenings. I usually run there and then run laps (one lap is about 1/3 mile) until I feel like running home. A couple of my friends have started joining me sometimes.

Attached to the church is a very large house where the missionary who founded the congregation originally lived. That house has been turned into an hogar (housing) for women. It's an economical way for single women to live while going to school or working. There is another hogar that is set up like a dorm on the other side of the church. That's where I stayed for the 2 weeks before my apartment was ready. The ladies in the hogares have been a great support system for me.

In one of the hogares, there is a washer and dryer where I do my laundry. This was a nice surprise. I wasn't expecting to have access to a washer and definitely not a dryer.

Ballester is feeling more and more like home to me. I don't feel like I stick out as much now, even though I'm sure I do - especially when I'm running. Sometimes I run into people I know on the sidewalk or at the plaza where I run. It feels even more like home when I see people I know around town.