On joining a gym --

Last week, I made an investment in my sanity and joined a gym. It's nothing like going to a gym back home, but it's definitely a lot nicer than other places I've joined in South America. Oh, surprise...I'm still one of about 3 girls this side of the equator that wears shorts to workout in. But here people don't judge me like crazy, it's just something that nobody else does. Good old "Always Club"

I love how TRX gets a direct translation to Spanish!

The biggest difference (and I had read a blog post about this ahead of time, which saved a lot of confusion when I got there to pay) is that all new members at the gyms in the city are required to go to the gym doctor for a new-member physical. This tacked another 40 ARS ($9 US) to the price of my single month membership.

I was able to workout for the week and schedule my medical visit for Friday. The checkup took all of about six minutes --

• She asked me how much I weighed--UMMM, I CAN'T ANSWER THIS IN KG!!!
• She asked me how tall I was--UMMMM, I CAN'T ANSWER THIS IN CM!!!
• She took my blood pressure, listened to my heart (these things are good, I'm required to do no conversions)
• Then she put about 30 little rubber clips all over my body and flipped the switch on a machine that spit out my heart activity. 

The good news is, I'm normal (ish? whew), and I got the okay to continue working out. But what does this priceless experience cost? With a joining fee of 25 ARS ($6) and monthly fee of $250 ARS ($55), it soon became just as expensive, if not more-so, than a lot of gyms in the US. Rates are substantially lower if you pay per quarter or yearly, but I'll only be living on this side of town till late July. If nothing else, it was an experience!