Adrift in Argentina

Argentina is not as I thought it would be. I write this from Neuquen. Where? You would be right. It is not on the tourist trail. Northernmost city of Patagonia. In 2 and a half months I have not gotten further North than this city. But I do have a healthy respect for the Argentine health system (though male Argentinian doctors are a different species altogether - is there some course that they take at university in flirting with foreign patients?), and not much time for the Chilean one. I have an ankle the size of two of them altogether and the actual cause of this happened 6 and a half weeks ago in Chile. Recounting the whole adventure that led to my hospital visit can come at another time. In Chile they called it a fractured ankle, in Argentina when they took the cast off after 3 weeks they found it was torn ligaments. So I am recuperating in a friend's house. I thought this would be a great time to augment my Spanish, however my enthusiasm (and confidence) took a blow today when my friend's Aunty said to me - how will you cope in Brazil speaking Portugese when you can't speak Spanish?