I'm an amazing procrastinator and wish I could major in it.
It is currently finals week. Yuck.
I've gone and entire semester without doing any work, or barely any work. And now it all comes crashing down. I guess the majority of professors are making things kind of easy and trying to get us not to stress - probably because they realize we have no work ethic. But just the idea of finals has put me into a semi-panic mode, although I haven't done anything about it yet.
So, I didn't end up going to the Plaza de Mayo to see everyone mourning the death of President Kirchner. I did decide that it would be okay for me to do, especially because I knew I would be respectful about it, but more because I didn't have the time to go unless I went after school which would mean I would be trying to go during the rush hour, and I'm just not a fan of that commute.
However, my presentation in my culture class, on how the Kirchners are view through "modes of communication" (graffiti and newspapers) went SO well. Jen and I changed it a little bit at the end to discuss how the media had changed and was fully supporting Cristina Fernandez now that her husband had died, when originally they had been bashing her. And I mean, the fact that our presentation was well thought out went really well because I feel like the other groups that presented that day didn't put as much thought into theirs. But we had to prove to our teacher that our presentation was worth it because she originally didn't want us to do the Kirchners because she wanted the presentations to be on Argentina's "legends" and the Kirchners aren't really a legend, especially because they're still in power.
So if I have to look back and say, "yes, I did do work this semester" it will be because of this presentation.
Today I bought my bus tickets for my tip to Salta and Jujuy (northwestern provinces of Argentina). I'm so excited for this upcoming trip and month. I'm going to be on the move the entire time, and that's the way I like it! So, I'll post a finalized calendar later, after I book my flights for my second trip.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Los Kirchner
Today has been quite a strange day in the city of Buenos Aires.
First, the nation was shut down because today was the day of the Census. My roommate, Emily, and I were discussing whether or not the United States or Argentina has a more effective form of taking the Census. In the United States, you're mailed something, and you mail it back. Or they come to your house and ask you the same questions that you could have answered yourself. In Argentina, they shut down everything, all of the trains and buses run infrequently, and almost everything but hospitals and the occasional pharmacy. Someone comes to your house (between 8am-8pm) and they fill out a piece of paper. So Argentina isn't any more environmentally efficient because they still use paper forms like we do in the USA, but they get it all done in one day?
Anyway, I didn't have to wake up early and go to class, but I will have to make my classes up on Friday instead because this was an unexpected, once every ten years, type of a holiday.
Second, the ex-President and current President's husband died this morning. My homestay family, who I know does not like the current President, and many other families were deeply saddened today. The city is in a 3-day period of mourning, but I'm not sure how that will affect anything in the city other than the government. And a lot of people are planning on visiting the Plaza de Mayo and other public areas to mourn together and stand together to help strengthen the President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner as she tries to handle the passing of her husband.
Nestor Kirchner's passing comes at a strange time because I am working on a presentation for my culture class about how the media portrays the Kirchners (especially Cristina), and right now all the media attention is focusing on what a good man President Kirchner was and how much he did to help the nation in a time of suffering (he served for two terms after the 2001 Financial Crisis, also know as just "the Crisis").
It's said that Cristina is just a "placeholder" for Nestor until he could run again (you can serve two consecutive terms, and then take time off, but run again later), and many, many people thought that Nestor was actually more like the real president and Cristina was just a pawn. Especially with economic issues. Now, I wonder, what will happen in the time that I am here? And the time after I leave? Will the economy go back down, perhaps not quite as low as where it had been, but will it drop without Nestor to help out?
I'm trying to decide if it would be severely inappropriate as a visitor to this country to go to the Plaza de Mayo and see the activity that is going on. I clearly have no idea how important Nestor Kirchner was to the nation because I was not here during the financial crisis and didn't have to learn what it was to live with only $1,000 a month/family, or any of the hardships that the people suffered that time. But at the same time, I'm intrigued.
First, the nation was shut down because today was the day of the Census. My roommate, Emily, and I were discussing whether or not the United States or Argentina has a more effective form of taking the Census. In the United States, you're mailed something, and you mail it back. Or they come to your house and ask you the same questions that you could have answered yourself. In Argentina, they shut down everything, all of the trains and buses run infrequently, and almost everything but hospitals and the occasional pharmacy. Someone comes to your house (between 8am-8pm) and they fill out a piece of paper. So Argentina isn't any more environmentally efficient because they still use paper forms like we do in the USA, but they get it all done in one day?
Anyway, I didn't have to wake up early and go to class, but I will have to make my classes up on Friday instead because this was an unexpected, once every ten years, type of a holiday.
Second, the ex-President and current President's husband died this morning. My homestay family, who I know does not like the current President, and many other families were deeply saddened today. The city is in a 3-day period of mourning, but I'm not sure how that will affect anything in the city other than the government. And a lot of people are planning on visiting the Plaza de Mayo and other public areas to mourn together and stand together to help strengthen the President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner as she tries to handle the passing of her husband.
Nestor Kirchner's passing comes at a strange time because I am working on a presentation for my culture class about how the media portrays the Kirchners (especially Cristina), and right now all the media attention is focusing on what a good man President Kirchner was and how much he did to help the nation in a time of suffering (he served for two terms after the 2001 Financial Crisis, also know as just "the Crisis").
It's said that Cristina is just a "placeholder" for Nestor until he could run again (you can serve two consecutive terms, and then take time off, but run again later), and many, many people thought that Nestor was actually more like the real president and Cristina was just a pawn. Especially with economic issues. Now, I wonder, what will happen in the time that I am here? And the time after I leave? Will the economy go back down, perhaps not quite as low as where it had been, but will it drop without Nestor to help out?
I'm trying to decide if it would be severely inappropriate as a visitor to this country to go to the Plaza de Mayo and see the activity that is going on. I clearly have no idea how important Nestor Kirchner was to the nation because I was not here during the financial crisis and didn't have to learn what it was to live with only $1,000 a month/family, or any of the hardships that the people suffered that time. But at the same time, I'm intrigued.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Mendoza la Bonita
My trip to Mendoza, the western "wine province," of Argentina was wonderful! It came at such a good time because I hadn't been out of the city in a month and a half and was starting to get stir crazy from all the concrete. At the same time, it was horrible timing because I arrived back in the city at 7am and had my first part of a final exam at 1pm. That's right, I'm officially finishing my semester (I'll be done on the 4th).
The trip to Mendoza was all paid for and organized by CEA, and they did such a spectacular jobs. We stayed outside of the city of San Rafael in the Valle Grande area of Mendoza. Our cabins were along with Río Atuel in the middle of some lovely desert mountains. We left Thursday evening from Buenos Aires and had our own private bus (another part of our group left before us and had a shared bus). It was going smoothly to begin with, but then our bus broke down. The steward kept many of the students happy though by providing all the wine the bus had to offer.
We arrived in Mendoza in the morning and got to the cabañas in time to eat some breakfast. We had a few short hours before we had to regather to go on a group hike. The hike was pretty easy, yet I still managed to hurt my thigh a little bit (probably from goofing off). I loved the views from the hike though. It's so interesting to look around and see only desert and then a patch of super-green trees along the edge of the river. Also during the hike, the guides pointed upward to white sediment resting on the mountain and asked us what it was. Turns out that it's volcanic ash from a volcano that erupted forever again, and over 200km away!
That afternoon I went around taking some photos and playing with my camera, and along the way I met some new Argentine friends! I'm not quite sure how these things happen to me, but I was called over by a group of 20-somethings who were on a bonding trip before they all finish their University program this year. They were on their last day in Mendoza and having a party that night, which they invited me and my friends to go to. After dinner, I stopped there for a little bit but didn't stay long as I was tired from a night of barely sleeping on our bus ride.
I woke up the next day bright and early! (haha 8:30) to eat breakfast and get ready to go zip-lining and rappelling! This activity was optional, and of course I was going to opt in! It turns out "zip-lining" really isn't anything special in Mendoza, or at least the place we went, because it was seriously one-30-yard-long cable. However, rappelling was interesting! When I've "rappelled" before, it's always been down rock climbing walls, and the rappelling part is just you letting go and bouncing down the wall. Here, it was you stepping your way down 75 ft. of rocks while feeding a rope through a carabiner at your waist. It was difficult to relax enough (and to take short steps), and at one point I lost my control and swung around the side of a rock. Thankfully there was a trusty guide waiting at the bottom of the cliff to pull my rope tight and keep my from plummeting to an untimely death...
That afternoon we had our wine tours! They... were... not very interesting? We went to one bodega (winery) that is large and international and one that is only a family business. I'm not very into wine, so for me the most exciting part was the room in the internationally winery that had some interesting acoustics. If you stood in the center of the room and spoke, it sounded like you were talking into a microphone. But if you stood to the side of the room and talked to the walls, the sound would end up on the other side of the room. People loooved calling my name and seeing my gullible reaction. The family-farm winery also produces organic dried fruit and raises some of the largest pigs (probably) known to man.
That night, I called it quits early and tried to go to bed, but I had a hard time falling asleep, so instead I laid outside on our balcony and took in some fresh mountain air...
The next morning we woke up again, "early," to eat breakfast and get ready for our rafting adventure! The rafting was exciting, but the trip wasn't as long as the two others I have done. The rapids we did were only level 2, so they were pretty relaxing, and it was just fun to be in the boat. The water on Río Atuel was SO cold, but I jumped in anyway. They actually gave us boots, like those for scuba diving, and jackets that kept our body heat in.
After rafting we had some time to lay out in the sunshine and tan before we needed to pack up all our things and head back to Buenos Aires on the buses. I actually got a little tan! After going a year without summer, having some color seems like the best thing in the world!
However, now I'm back in the great city of Buenos Aires. My exam schedule is in full swing and I'm SO ready to be done with my semester and just have free time every day for a month.
I had the written part of my culture exam on Monday and handed in my Tango paper on Tuesday.
We had today (Wednesday) off for the National Census.
I still have my Gender studies, Political and Social Change, and Spanish written exams. And I have a dance practical for Tango, a presentation for Culture, and an oral exam for Spanish. Then I will be completely done with the Universidad de Belgrano and officially *gasp* a second semester junior...
 |
| View from my cabaña |
We arrived in Mendoza in the morning and got to the cabañas in time to eat some breakfast. We had a few short hours before we had to regather to go on a group hike. The hike was pretty easy, yet I still managed to hurt my thigh a little bit (probably from goofing off). I loved the views from the hike though. It's so interesting to look around and see only desert and then a patch of super-green trees along the edge of the river. Also during the hike, the guides pointed upward to white sediment resting on the mountain and asked us what it was. Turns out that it's volcanic ash from a volcano that erupted forever again, and over 200km away!
That afternoon I went around taking some photos and playing with my camera, and along the way I met some new Argentine friends! I'm not quite sure how these things happen to me, but I was called over by a group of 20-somethings who were on a bonding trip before they all finish their University program this year. They were on their last day in Mendoza and having a party that night, which they invited me and my friends to go to. After dinner, I stopped there for a little bit but didn't stay long as I was tired from a night of barely sleeping on our bus ride.
 |
| Just some of my goofy roommates... |
That afternoon we had our wine tours! They... were... not very interesting? We went to one bodega (winery) that is large and international and one that is only a family business. I'm not very into wine, so for me the most exciting part was the room in the internationally winery that had some interesting acoustics. If you stood in the center of the room and spoke, it sounded like you were talking into a microphone. But if you stood to the side of the room and talked to the walls, the sound would end up on the other side of the room. People loooved calling my name and seeing my gullible reaction. The family-farm winery also produces organic dried fruit and raises some of the largest pigs (probably) known to man.
That night, I called it quits early and tried to go to bed, but I had a hard time falling asleep, so instead I laid outside on our balcony and took in some fresh mountain air...
The next morning we woke up again, "early," to eat breakfast and get ready for our rafting adventure! The rafting was exciting, but the trip wasn't as long as the two others I have done. The rapids we did were only level 2, so they were pretty relaxing, and it was just fun to be in the boat. The water on Río Atuel was SO cold, but I jumped in anyway. They actually gave us boots, like those for scuba diving, and jackets that kept our body heat in.
After rafting we had some time to lay out in the sunshine and tan before we needed to pack up all our things and head back to Buenos Aires on the buses. I actually got a little tan! After going a year without summer, having some color seems like the best thing in the world!
However, now I'm back in the great city of Buenos Aires. My exam schedule is in full swing and I'm SO ready to be done with my semester and just have free time every day for a month.
I had the written part of my culture exam on Monday and handed in my Tango paper on Tuesday.
We had today (Wednesday) off for the National Census.
I still have my Gender studies, Political and Social Change, and Spanish written exams. And I have a dance practical for Tango, a presentation for Culture, and an oral exam for Spanish. Then I will be completely done with the Universidad de Belgrano and officially *gasp* a second semester junior...
Thursday, October 21, 2010
A Mother's Love = 3 Hours in Correo Argentino
I received a package from my mom! It's so exciting, and yet, is such a pain to try to get a package here in Argentina. They aren't allowed to deliver international packages to residences or other buildings, so you just get a slip and have to go in between 10-5 (but before 2 or else they won't give you a number...) and wait, and wait, and wait. They call your first number to find out which package you're there to pick up, and then you wait and they call your package number for you to get your actual package. Unfortunately, the package numbers are 6 digits long, and they call about 20 at a time. So with my Spanish level, and they way they didn't consistently call the numbers in the same manner, I missed my package being called! I arrived at Correo Argentino at 10:45 and left at 2. It was an experience to say the least. I know now that I will never dismiss the slowness of mail in Durham anymore. It took 17 days for me to get my package here in Argentina. Nothing takes that long in the United States. Yet, it's all part of the experience. And I would have waited longer if I had to because I love Reese's!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
4 H's, and I don't mean Agriculture.
Before I left for Argentina, I had to go to study abroad orientation at the University of South Carolina. In the orientation they taught us about the "4 H's of Cross-Cultural Adaption" which are: Honeymoon, Hostility, Humor, and Home.
I'm not exactly sure if my H's went in the proper order because I was pretty distressed about leaving my mom behind when she'd just had a surgery, so I'm almost certain that I skipped the "Honeymoon" stage and went straight into Hostility. Although I tried to keep an open mind about my surroundings, I was easily frustrated with the language, especially because of the accent difference, city life, and my class placement at the University of Belgrano. Now, though, that I look at all of my time here, I know that I'm in the 4th and final stage: "Home."
With exactly 7 weeks until I land back in the United States, I'm starting to panic. Yes, 2 months is a long time. It was a long time when I realized I'd been here for two months and I hadn't been half way. It's a long time for my friends back at home because they still have 2 months until they're on winter break. And I know it's a long time for both my Mom and Dad who constantly remind me that they're excited to see me again (and I'm excited to see you too!). But it just doesn't feel like a long time anymore. I think it's probably because I finish school this month and have finals the first few days of November. And then I have a month off, but it doesn't feel like a very long time because MY MOM WILL BE COMING TO VISIT! and there are still so many places for me to try and see before I return to the United States.
At the same time, I'm really excited to come home. I'm so excited to see my family and celebrate Christmas with everyone. It appears that my friends might attempt to make a roadtrip to Connecticut to see me during winterbreak. And, this always gets me excited for the future, I'm planning my classes for my next semester, so I'm excited to be back on campus and taking new classes.
Don't worry. I'm continuing to try and live it up here in Argentina as the time plays tricks on my mind, but I also can't wait to be home where, as my friends and I talk about, things will be "normal" for us. Although, right now, things in Argentina seem "normal," so who's to say what normalcy really is anymore?
 | |
| Okay, well, maybe a little agriculture... |
With exactly 7 weeks until I land back in the United States, I'm starting to panic. Yes, 2 months is a long time. It was a long time when I realized I'd been here for two months and I hadn't been half way. It's a long time for my friends back at home because they still have 2 months until they're on winter break. And I know it's a long time for both my Mom and Dad who constantly remind me that they're excited to see me again (and I'm excited to see you too!). But it just doesn't feel like a long time anymore. I think it's probably because I finish school this month and have finals the first few days of November. And then I have a month off, but it doesn't feel like a very long time because MY MOM WILL BE COMING TO VISIT! and there are still so many places for me to try and see before I return to the United States.
At the same time, I'm really excited to come home. I'm so excited to see my family and celebrate Christmas with everyone. It appears that my friends might attempt to make a roadtrip to Connecticut to see me during winterbreak. And, this always gets me excited for the future, I'm planning my classes for my next semester, so I'm excited to be back on campus and taking new classes.
Don't worry. I'm continuing to try and live it up here in Argentina as the time plays tricks on my mind, but I also can't wait to be home where, as my friends and I talk about, things will be "normal" for us. Although, right now, things in Argentina seem "normal," so who's to say what normalcy really is anymore?
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Diferencias
Hola familia y amigos!
Sorry I haven't written in more than a week! I just started thinking that I was probably boring you to death with my weekly updates about classes and the like, so I had to think about something interesting to write about.
Anyway, I came up with it! I'll write about some of the different things that I've noticed between our culture in the United States and things here. Granted, these are going to be generalizations - not EVERYTHING is going to be as I say it is, but this is just for you all to have a better idea of what some things are like in Argentina.
I guess I'll start with... the mornings and work my way through the day, and then just throw in some extras that don't really have a place? I just need some kind of way to order it. Haha.
1. People around here really don't eat breakfast. To us, it's the most important meal of the day (doesn't mean I usually partake in it), but here they normally have coffee/mate and some toast. Also, they use dulce de leche on their toast. Dulce, if I haven't told you before, is like a more liquidy version of caramel.
2. People have different ideas, than me, probably, of what makes a person "old." On the bus (colectivo) you're supposed to give up your seat for old people, pregnant women, people with disabilities, or women with young children. When I have a seat, I'll give it up for anyone because I don't want them to think that I'm some punk 20-year old. But when there are people who are probably 40-50 and a 60 year old gets on the bus, they don't always give up their seat unless they're asked. I don't know if it's just that they aren't sure of ages or anything, but to me, anyone older gets my seat...
3. There, apparently, is no time where it becomes 'safe' to leave if your professor is late (I found this one out today). We waited for 30 minutes for class to begin, and when a staff member came and locked the classroom door, we thought it was safe to leave. Apparently our teacher had called the school to say he'd be late, and no one bothered to tell us. So when we left as he was walking in, only 7 of us (including me) returned to the class. In the class he informed us that there is never a time when you're allowed to leave without being penalized for it; you have to wait for your professor the entire time. At USC, you're safe to leave after 15-ish minutes, in general, so it was a bit of a different experience. I think, though, that I get extra credit for being there...
4. They eat lunch later than we do. On Mondays and Wednesday, I have a 10am class, so when I get out and am sitting around waiting for my 1pm class, I always eat something. I think it shocks people when I order lunch-like food instead of medialunas (breakfast croissants). And their soda consumption has got to be much less than that of the United States because all their cup sizes are much smaller. Our McDonald's medium (that normally comes with a meal) is their large. When you upgrade to a large, you also get bigger fries, which is also equal to our medium size fries... a curiosity.
5. They eat dinner so late! (I guess I'll just stick to the topic of food because it's what I know best...) Here, in my homestay, we eat dinner at about 11pm each night. It's a struggle for me because I always do my homework after dinner, so I'm generally up late (if/when I do my homework. Other than that, I just watch movies/talk to friends). Lunch, for me, is the biggest meal because if I don't make it that way, I have to have a meal in-between my lunch and dinner.
6. At restaurants, they come and take your order, and then, generally, they deliver you food as it's finished being cooked, so people get food at all different times. Also, someone just told me that it's not really true and it's more appropriate to wait, you're allowed to eat right as you're served without asking the permission of the other people. If my meal's last, I always shoo other people on because they should eat when they're ready, but really? I don't understand the concept of serving one person at a time...
7. Argentinians are really proud of their country. It's not like in the United States where we're proud to be from our country but also have moments where we're a bit ashamed of the Nation's actions (at least I've noticed that with many of my friends). Argentinians all hate their government (which I'm always like, "yeah, but only like 30 years ago, you were living in a dictatorship, so do you really hate it?"), and they will curse politicians up and down, but other than that they all LOVE Argentina (which I can understand; it's quite the exceptional country).
8. Here in Argentina, they don't speak Español, they speak Castellano. As far as I can tell, the only difference is vocabulary, and even that differs from country to country. I was always taught that gasolina was gasoline, but here in Argentina they call it nafta (Nahuel laughs at this because NAFTA - North American Free Trade Agreement was then named after something highly flammable). Also in Argentina they use the vos form instead of tú (for 'you'). It's also interesting because they use the vos for everyone except people like doctors, lawyers, etc. Then they use the formal version usted, but in Bolivia (to the north of Argentina) they refer to everyone as usted and only use tú for friends. This, I guess, is comparable to calling everyone Miss/Mrs. in Connecticut and thinking that ma'am is really formal, but moving to South Carolina where even 40 and 50 year-old's call me ma'am. Also, the vos form, which I love for it's simple present-tense conjugation, is "Río Platanese" Castellano, aka it's only in the "river plate" of South America, which is Argentina and Uruguay. So outside of the city, they don't even necessarily use the vos form.
9. My roommate brought this one up last night when I hugged her goodbye. To greet people here, you kiss them once on the cheek. But you rarely see people hug each other. It's interesting because it's not like they're very conservative about showing feelings (i.e. parks, buses, subtes, the hallways, ANYWHERE is make-out central). You shake hands when you're meeting someone for the first time or when it's a business deal type thing, but other than that, everyone kisses. But friends don't hug. I think it's probably the thing I miss the most, too. Clearly, they aren't conservative people, but they generally dress more conservative. I've worn shorts once and was told that no one wears them in the city, and even now people are wearing layers of clothing. I'm starting to wonder how they aren't all dying from Vitamin D deficiency...
10. According to some, Argentinians are supposed to be very healthy. True, I have not noticed very many obese people, but really, this cannot be true. When I told Argentinians my story about tripping while running, everyone asked me why I was even running in the first place ("estaba corriendo y --" "¿Por qué estabas corriendo?" "...Para hacer ejercicio" OR "estaba corriendo y tropecé en una porta-bicicletas." "¿Estabas corriendo de la policía?" --- Why were you running? ... for exercise. // Oh, were you running from the police?) Then, the late eating hours make me believe that it can't be all it's cracked up to. But my other favorite thing is that EVERYTHING gets doused in oil. I frequently have tomatoes covered in oil at dinner. "Soups" can be cooked noodles with just an oil broth. And, my favorite moment, I was already biting into my pizza when Pipa walked over and dumped oil on the top -- as if pizza isn't fatty enough to begin with?
There are plenty of other different things, but I thought I'd make it a nice round-number list at 10. I'll keep my eyes peeled for other difference to report, or just for other things to write about in general.
I hope you all have a fabulous Columbus Day (it'll be celebrating 'Race Day' here), and good luck to the Gamecocks this weekend as they take on the #1 University of Alabama. My Dad, brother, uncle, and cousins will be at the game along with all of my best friends, I'm sure. So I hope you all have a great time! I won't be traveling this weekend (everyone is going to Cordoba for Oktoberfest), so I'll be watching along with you! :)
Sorry I haven't written in more than a week! I just started thinking that I was probably boring you to death with my weekly updates about classes and the like, so I had to think about something interesting to write about.
Anyway, I came up with it! I'll write about some of the different things that I've noticed between our culture in the United States and things here. Granted, these are going to be generalizations - not EVERYTHING is going to be as I say it is, but this is just for you all to have a better idea of what some things are like in Argentina.
I guess I'll start with... the mornings and work my way through the day, and then just throw in some extras that don't really have a place? I just need some kind of way to order it. Haha.
1. People around here really don't eat breakfast. To us, it's the most important meal of the day (doesn't mean I usually partake in it), but here they normally have coffee/mate and some toast. Also, they use dulce de leche on their toast. Dulce, if I haven't told you before, is like a more liquidy version of caramel.
2. People have different ideas, than me, probably, of what makes a person "old." On the bus (colectivo) you're supposed to give up your seat for old people, pregnant women, people with disabilities, or women with young children. When I have a seat, I'll give it up for anyone because I don't want them to think that I'm some punk 20-year old. But when there are people who are probably 40-50 and a 60 year old gets on the bus, they don't always give up their seat unless they're asked. I don't know if it's just that they aren't sure of ages or anything, but to me, anyone older gets my seat...
3. There, apparently, is no time where it becomes 'safe' to leave if your professor is late (I found this one out today). We waited for 30 minutes for class to begin, and when a staff member came and locked the classroom door, we thought it was safe to leave. Apparently our teacher had called the school to say he'd be late, and no one bothered to tell us. So when we left as he was walking in, only 7 of us (including me) returned to the class. In the class he informed us that there is never a time when you're allowed to leave without being penalized for it; you have to wait for your professor the entire time. At USC, you're safe to leave after 15-ish minutes, in general, so it was a bit of a different experience. I think, though, that I get extra credit for being there...
4. They eat lunch later than we do. On Mondays and Wednesday, I have a 10am class, so when I get out and am sitting around waiting for my 1pm class, I always eat something. I think it shocks people when I order lunch-like food instead of medialunas (breakfast croissants). And their soda consumption has got to be much less than that of the United States because all their cup sizes are much smaller. Our McDonald's medium (that normally comes with a meal) is their large. When you upgrade to a large, you also get bigger fries, which is also equal to our medium size fries... a curiosity.
5. They eat dinner so late! (I guess I'll just stick to the topic of food because it's what I know best...) Here, in my homestay, we eat dinner at about 11pm each night. It's a struggle for me because I always do my homework after dinner, so I'm generally up late (if/when I do my homework. Other than that, I just watch movies/talk to friends). Lunch, for me, is the biggest meal because if I don't make it that way, I have to have a meal in-between my lunch and dinner.
6. At restaurants, they come and take your order, and then, generally, they deliver you food as it's finished being cooked, so people get food at all different times. Also, someone just told me that it's not really true and it's more appropriate to wait, you're allowed to eat right as you're served without asking the permission of the other people. If my meal's last, I always shoo other people on because they should eat when they're ready, but really? I don't understand the concept of serving one person at a time...
7. Argentinians are really proud of their country. It's not like in the United States where we're proud to be from our country but also have moments where we're a bit ashamed of the Nation's actions (at least I've noticed that with many of my friends). Argentinians all hate their government (which I'm always like, "yeah, but only like 30 years ago, you were living in a dictatorship, so do you really hate it?"), and they will curse politicians up and down, but other than that they all LOVE Argentina (which I can understand; it's quite the exceptional country).
8. Here in Argentina, they don't speak Español, they speak Castellano. As far as I can tell, the only difference is vocabulary, and even that differs from country to country. I was always taught that gasolina was gasoline, but here in Argentina they call it nafta (Nahuel laughs at this because NAFTA - North American Free Trade Agreement was then named after something highly flammable). Also in Argentina they use the vos form instead of tú (for 'you'). It's also interesting because they use the vos for everyone except people like doctors, lawyers, etc. Then they use the formal version usted, but in Bolivia (to the north of Argentina) they refer to everyone as usted and only use tú for friends. This, I guess, is comparable to calling everyone Miss/Mrs. in Connecticut and thinking that ma'am is really formal, but moving to South Carolina where even 40 and 50 year-old's call me ma'am. Also, the vos form, which I love for it's simple present-tense conjugation, is "Río Platanese" Castellano, aka it's only in the "river plate" of South America, which is Argentina and Uruguay. So outside of the city, they don't even necessarily use the vos form.
9. My roommate brought this one up last night when I hugged her goodbye. To greet people here, you kiss them once on the cheek. But you rarely see people hug each other. It's interesting because it's not like they're very conservative about showing feelings (i.e. parks, buses, subtes, the hallways, ANYWHERE is make-out central). You shake hands when you're meeting someone for the first time or when it's a business deal type thing, but other than that, everyone kisses. But friends don't hug. I think it's probably the thing I miss the most, too. Clearly, they aren't conservative people, but they generally dress more conservative. I've worn shorts once and was told that no one wears them in the city, and even now people are wearing layers of clothing. I'm starting to wonder how they aren't all dying from Vitamin D deficiency...
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There are plenty of other different things, but I thought I'd make it a nice round-number list at 10. I'll keep my eyes peeled for other difference to report, or just for other things to write about in general.
I hope you all have a fabulous Columbus Day (it'll be celebrating 'Race Day' here), and good luck to the Gamecocks this weekend as they take on the #1 University of Alabama. My Dad, brother, uncle, and cousins will be at the game along with all of my best friends, I'm sure. So I hope you all have a great time! I won't be traveling this weekend (everyone is going to Cordoba for Oktoberfest), so I'll be watching along with you! :)
Sunday, September 26, 2010
"Sieze the Day, boys! Make your lives extraordinary!"
I've been trying really hard in the past week to really do everything I can to fill my time here in Argentina. I don't want to miss out on anything and risk the chance of never seeing it again.
I'll just go through the week, as always:
Monday - I went to my classes, which were pretty barren, because we had Tuesday off of school for the First Day of Spring/Student's Day!
Tuesday - We had wanted to go to the Lújan zoo, but a bunch of people ended up not wanting to go that day, and instead wanting to do what all other Argentine students would be doing... sitting in parks drinking beer/coke/mate (mah-tay). So I slept in, like any normal college student would do, and then I called up my friends. Jen and I decided that we would go to our favorite pizza place and then meet up with Michelle and Roxanne at this park later on. When we got to the park, there was a giant concert! I had no idea that it was going to be there, but it was. I missed the first two bands, but I got to hear the last one, so it was fun.
Wednesday - I had my Spanish midterm, and I'm exactly sure how it went. I studied with Jen for it, and I had already been asking the professor a ton of questions and doing my homework with my Argentine friend (he can't explain concepts, but he knows when things are right and wrong), so I thought I would do well. The test wasn't hard, but it wasn't the type of test I had been expecting, which threw me off a little bit.
There was nothing eventful about going to school on Thursday. But I did get 3 midterms back - I got two 6s and a 7. To me, a 6 feels like failing, but here, it's a straight up B (3.0) and a 7 is like a 3.5. So without much effort, lenient grading on the part of the teachers, and a strange grading scale, I am now confident that with my P/F I will not destroy my GPA at USC and have to beg my mother and father to make up for my lost scholarship. Holla!
On Thursday night Jen and Sydney and I decided to go out. We were going to "celebrate the end of midterms" (actually, this was the reason we came up with while we were out). We went to this brewery that I had read about that's really close to my house. The meal was pretty expensive, which is why we're calling it a celebratory meal, and it was annoying because Sydney is vegan, and they were kind of rude to us about her special dietary requests. Anyway, we did this beer sampler and then shared a pitcher of the beer we all agreed on. I didn't really like it that much, but I didn't like any of the ones that Jen or Sydney also had in common, so I just went for it. After dinner we went to a bar in Plaza Serrano and met some Brazilians, and then we went to a club that was actually kind of lame (I'm really not a fan of most clubs). So, all in all, it was a pretty good night.
On Friday we had been planning to this bus tour that is Hop On, Hop Off, but we woke up too late and didn't want it to not be worth the money. Instead we went to the Japanese Garden and got lunch and walked around for a little while. It was so beautiful, but it isn't very "peaceful" because it's in the center of the city, not far from a huge avenue, so you can see the really tall buildings and hear all the cars while you're walking around inside. Also, they have coy fish that are so big, they're creepy. They had like bites out of them, probably because they fight for food with the other fish, and they started like following us around. So if you leaned out to look over the pond water, they would be there looking at you with their overly large mouths...
After the Gardens, we all went our own ways so that we could get ready to go to Tango and onto our respective nightly plans. Normally our nightly plans are the same, but this time I had a date! I went to Tango and learned a new move. I was getting a bit frustrated with the one instructor because she makes it out like it's our fault that there aren't enough men who want to learn tango and it's horrible that she has to have people switching partners. The other instructor, however, told me that I was "muy bien" and I was so happy!
My date went well too. It's funny because we went to a restaurant that I'd been to before, but he had wanted to surprise me with somewhere that has typical Argentine food. Oh well! We also got ice cream, and I out-ate him which I'm not sure is something I should brag about, but I'm pretty much a champion at eating, so I will.
Yesterday I woke up, and I got together with Jen for pizza, again, at our favorite place. They now have our order memorized down to who drinks the Coke and who drinks the Light Coke. Embarrassing or good customer service? After that we had planned on going to a park to lay out and read/do homework, but it was a little bit chillier than we had originally thought, so we tried to go find a movie to see. We went to two theaters and didn't see anything that we wanted to spend money on, so we just went home with plans to meet up later for my nerd-fest. Last night, Jupiter was really close and the Planetarium normally has telescopes set up on weekends for people to use, and they were doing a special thing for Jupiter. I wanted to go and a girl from school, named Abby, said she wanted to go too. When we completed our walk to the Planetarium, and took in the immense line, we decided it wasn't worth it to wait that long and we would go eat instead and just go to the Planetarium for a show some other time. There were literally 1,000+ people in line to use one of like 3 telescopes. I'm sad I missed it, but I also saw Jupiter without a telescope because it's was that close (I say it was that close because it is not physically possible to see a single star in Capital Federal, but I could definitely see this one...). On our walk back to civilization (aka through a park) we realized a bondiola place was open, and we went there to eat instead. It was so delicious and cheap! The owner of the bondiola place was really nice to us, and I'll definitely go back to eat there some other time. After we ate we played on see-saws for a few minutes, and then just walked into the main roads to take our buses home.
I stayed up really late, even though I didn't have to, watching my favorite songs on youtube with Spanish subtitles. It all started thanks to my friend Matias deciding that he liked the Taylor Swift that I played for him the other day, and wanting to know what all the words were. After that I started watching Taylor, Carrie Underwood, John Mayer, etc. It was awesome and I feel like I learned a lot, but it's also a lesson in how there's this gap in translations. You can really lose quite a lot from reading a translation of something than reading the actual thing...
Today we had, again, planned on doing the bus tour, but no one could do it, except me and Sydney, so we decided to wait it out for more people and instead we went back to the Feria de San Telmo and walked around. Sydney bought some things, I wish I bought some things, and we surprisingly found our friend Cameron in the throngs of people. We spent a lot of time there, and I loved it. San Telmo is such a beautiful part of the city, but it's really not safe to wander too far from the area of the Feria (if you're not Argentine). But after being there for a little bit we decided to walk to Plaza de Mayo and sit in the sun. While we were sitting and just talking I decided that I should just take the tour of the Casa Rosada like I'd been wanting to do, and we actually got in the last tour of the day! The building is really pretty and ornate inside, but I don't think it's as impressive as our Capitol building is. It also feels much, much smaller than our federal government buildings, but I'm not sure how they compare in size...
Now I'm just about to call my Mom, eat some dinner, and sleep a good night's sleep before the week starts all over again...
I'll just go through the week, as always:
Monday - I went to my classes, which were pretty barren, because we had Tuesday off of school for the First Day of Spring/Student's Day!
Tuesday - We had wanted to go to the Lújan zoo, but a bunch of people ended up not wanting to go that day, and instead wanting to do what all other Argentine students would be doing... sitting in parks drinking beer/coke/mate (mah-tay). So I slept in, like any normal college student would do, and then I called up my friends. Jen and I decided that we would go to our favorite pizza place and then meet up with Michelle and Roxanne at this park later on. When we got to the park, there was a giant concert! I had no idea that it was going to be there, but it was. I missed the first two bands, but I got to hear the last one, so it was fun.
Wednesday - I had my Spanish midterm, and I'm exactly sure how it went. I studied with Jen for it, and I had already been asking the professor a ton of questions and doing my homework with my Argentine friend (he can't explain concepts, but he knows when things are right and wrong), so I thought I would do well. The test wasn't hard, but it wasn't the type of test I had been expecting, which threw me off a little bit.
There was nothing eventful about going to school on Thursday. But I did get 3 midterms back - I got two 6s and a 7. To me, a 6 feels like failing, but here, it's a straight up B (3.0) and a 7 is like a 3.5. So without much effort, lenient grading on the part of the teachers, and a strange grading scale, I am now confident that with my P/F I will not destroy my GPA at USC and have to beg my mother and father to make up for my lost scholarship. Holla!
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| Our cute little sampler |
On Friday we had been planning to this bus tour that is Hop On, Hop Off, but we woke up too late and didn't want it to not be worth the money. Instead we went to the Japanese Garden and got lunch and walked around for a little while. It was so beautiful, but it isn't very "peaceful" because it's in the center of the city, not far from a huge avenue, so you can see the really tall buildings and hear all the cars while you're walking around inside. Also, they have coy fish that are so big, they're creepy. They had like bites out of them, probably because they fight for food with the other fish, and they started like following us around. So if you leaned out to look over the pond water, they would be there looking at you with their overly large mouths...
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| Jardín Japones |
My date went well too. It's funny because we went to a restaurant that I'd been to before, but he had wanted to surprise me with somewhere that has typical Argentine food. Oh well! We also got ice cream, and I out-ate him which I'm not sure is something I should brag about, but I'm pretty much a champion at eating, so I will.
Yesterday I woke up, and I got together with Jen for pizza, again, at our favorite place. They now have our order memorized down to who drinks the Coke and who drinks the Light Coke. Embarrassing or good customer service? After that we had planned on going to a park to lay out and read/do homework, but it was a little bit chillier than we had originally thought, so we tried to go find a movie to see. We went to two theaters and didn't see anything that we wanted to spend money on, so we just went home with plans to meet up later for my nerd-fest. Last night, Jupiter was really close and the Planetarium normally has telescopes set up on weekends for people to use, and they were doing a special thing for Jupiter. I wanted to go and a girl from school, named Abby, said she wanted to go too. When we completed our walk to the Planetarium, and took in the immense line, we decided it wasn't worth it to wait that long and we would go eat instead and just go to the Planetarium for a show some other time. There were literally 1,000+ people in line to use one of like 3 telescopes. I'm sad I missed it, but I also saw Jupiter without a telescope because it's was that close (I say it was that close because it is not physically possible to see a single star in Capital Federal, but I could definitely see this one...). On our walk back to civilization (aka through a park) we realized a bondiola place was open, and we went there to eat instead. It was so delicious and cheap! The owner of the bondiola place was really nice to us, and I'll definitely go back to eat there some other time. After we ate we played on see-saws for a few minutes, and then just walked into the main roads to take our buses home.
I stayed up really late, even though I didn't have to, watching my favorite songs on youtube with Spanish subtitles. It all started thanks to my friend Matias deciding that he liked the Taylor Swift that I played for him the other day, and wanting to know what all the words were. After that I started watching Taylor, Carrie Underwood, John Mayer, etc. It was awesome and I feel like I learned a lot, but it's also a lesson in how there's this gap in translations. You can really lose quite a lot from reading a translation of something than reading the actual thing...
Today we had, again, planned on doing the bus tour, but no one could do it, except me and Sydney, so we decided to wait it out for more people and instead we went back to the Feria de San Telmo and walked around. Sydney bought some things, I wish I bought some things, and we surprisingly found our friend Cameron in the throngs of people. We spent a lot of time there, and I loved it. San Telmo is such a beautiful part of the city, but it's really not safe to wander too far from the area of the Feria (if you're not Argentine). But after being there for a little bit we decided to walk to Plaza de Mayo and sit in the sun. While we were sitting and just talking I decided that I should just take the tour of the Casa Rosada like I'd been wanting to do, and we actually got in the last tour of the day! The building is really pretty and ornate inside, but I don't think it's as impressive as our Capitol building is. It also feels much, much smaller than our federal government buildings, but I'm not sure how they compare in size...
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| From Plaza de Mayo to the Obelisk |
Monday, September 20, 2010
I'm making a list...
Hi everyone! I hope you're all doing well.
This week has been strange, to say the least. I just had almost all my midterms (my most difficult one - I think - will be on Wednesday). They went well, which is good because I was not feeling it and barely studied. Our tango presentation went well; during the class our "professor" (he's really only a dance teacher) was being very critical of everyone's presentations, but at the end of the class he told us he liked ours and wanted to keep it. So, I'm taking that as a good sign. My second one was Social & Political Change. It took me 25 minutes. It was simple: 4 questions and the one that was worth half of the test, I know I got right. So I'm not overly concerned. Then I had my Latin American Cultural Studies test. We really didn't have to study for this one because she told us there wasn't much we could prepare. It was 2 short (20 lines) writings comparing the things that we've done in class.
On Thursday I had my presentation in my Gender class. I think it went alright. I didn't finish putting it all together until the night before, but it's not like a presentation that we have to really prepare for. It's on a reading and you have to summarize it for the class and talk about what it argues and how it relates to what we're learning. Mine was really interesting; it was about Mexico City during the Mexican Revolution and how sexual promiscuity and syphilis were huge problems that the government was facing, and by looking into these problems, the government was able to gain access into homes and family lives. You know me, nerdy.
Anyway, I was in quite a strange mood for the last half of the week, but fortunately for me I have some really awesome friends back in the United States who never mind hearing me out and have helped me out of my funk somewhat. I was just really frustrated because there are so many things I've wanted to do and see, and I thought that all my friends were on the same page with doing them this weekend, and when we weren't I was thrown back. Then I was starting to wonder if I was even spending my time here correctly. Should I be more concerned with my in-the-classroom education here (clearly, it's not that important to me if I didn't even study for my midterms...) or should I even be worrying about seeing everything? What's more important in study abroad: seeing everything or just living day-to-day and seeing where it brings me?
Anyway, I tried to stick my mood aside and have some fun. On Thursday night we went to this bar that has boardgames. I was thinking it would be so much fun to go and play, but the majority of games are (of course) in Spanish and aren't the same games at I grew up with. But the atmosphere of the place was really good, and everyone had fun, so I'm sure we'll go back. On Friday I finally picked up my real visa, and let me tell you ... all that money and time for two pieces of printed paper! Nothing cool for your passport, not even like a notarized bump on it. Just a stamp and a signature. Whatever, it gives me special permission to travel for a cheaper price (and stay in the country for 6 months, and get my transcripts from the Universidad, etc.), so I guess I shouldn't complain too much. After that, Jen and I met up with her roommate Roxanne and we got lunch. We didn't picnic like I had thought we were going to do, but that's okay. I was starving and when I got my food, all I wanted to do was eat - there was no time for waiting. I left them and went home to run a little bit before I had to get ready and go to Tango class.
Tango was really good on Friday! There were a lot of people at our class and Roxanne invited a girl and her friend from her classes at the Universidad. During the class I might not have learned many new moves (well, one), but I got a lot of practice on getting my arms right. I danced with the female instructor who is probably like 5 feet, with heels. And when I have my heels on, I tower over her. She complained to me about my arms being too lose, and that I need to keep them tighter so she can signal moves to me better. Then I danced with Jen's mom, who told me that I was pushing too much on her arms (apparently, I have a problem with trying to lead when I'm supposed to be led - who would have ever guessed?!). But then when I danced with the male instructor (who models on the side, did I mention that before? He's absolutely gorgeous), he told me that he could tell I've been practice and that my arms were really good! (It's important to keep your chests like parallel or something, and mentioned that I'd done a good job.) After that we ate dinner at the milonga - it's vegetarian. Cheap, but it wasn't that good. And I ate ice cream before going home. At home I stayed up really late making a list of all the things I wanted to do and see in the city before I go home. Now I'll have a way to measure my successes of being touristy.
On Saturday I finally got the Arab food I had been craving with a few friends, and then we went to the grocery store to get some things because we had plans to go to dinner at my Argentine friend's house! He had told his parents about us, and they wanted to have us over for dinner. Jen and Roxanne baked chocolate chip cookies and brownies, and I brought over peanut butter (which none of them have ever tried) and Oreos. We stayed at the dinner table talking for 4 hours! It was so sweet, and they've told us that we're always welcome - all we have to do is call Matias and tell him we're coming!, and now that it's getting to be nice every day, they're going to cook asado (Argentine BBQ) for us one night. It was so amazing that in just a few months I've made friends from this country and even their families want to get to know us. Also, their house is really cool because they live in the top floor (Matias, his little brother Nico, his Mom and Dad) and then his Uncle and Grandmother live on the lower floor, so his Uncle came up and hung out with us too. It really was a good time.
After that we intended to go to this club that's supposed to be one of the best in Buenos Aires, and after waiting, and waiting, and waiting ... they closed the doors and weren't going to allow ANYONE else in for the rest of the night. It was our second time trying to go too, so .. third time will be the charm?! Instead we just went to a bar and sat around and talked.
Today (Sunday) none of us woke up into well into the afternoon. So we all gathered to walk to Parque 3 de Febrero and get this sandwich called a bondiola that Michelle and Roxanne had been talking about. After walking for FOREVER (I hadn't eaten yet and it was 4 when we met up, 5 when we got our food), we arrived. At first I was hesitant to try the bondiola, but I figured I'd give it a whirl. It was amazing! We all got "bondiolas completas" which is a pork sandwich with an egg (completa in Argentina always signifies an egg on it, for reasons unbeknownst to me) and ham (jam - haha) on it. Then you can add your own toppings. I added a sauce that kind of resembled Italian dressing, lettuce, tomato, and cucumber. It was deeee-licious! We've decided it will become our Sunday tradition. AND it was so beautiful out today, and we sat and ate in the park, so it was essentially the picnic that I had been looking for on Friday. Things always have a way of working themselves out... After that we each ate a giagantic container of ice cream, and we went our respective ways.
This weekend wasn't everything I had planned on it being, but I guess sometimes we can't plan things and we just have to be open to them happening. I think that's actually the answer to all my questioning about my time here: I should attempt to do everything, and if it doesn't work out exactly like I wanted, it'll work out in some way or another.
Side note: Running. I stopped running after high school and have restarted here. It's not an every day thing, especially on days that I don't wake up until mid-afternoon, but the other day I ran about the same mile time that I had been running during high school when I was in-season running. I was so excited! So we'll see if I can keep it up and get either a) faster or b) go farther. But really, it's a nice way to see the areas around my apartment here.
I hope you all have a great week! Tuesday is the first day of Spring and we don't have school! :)
We intend to go to the most dangerous zoo in the world, where you can pet the tigers and ride camels and elephants! This one really better work out because I really, really, really want my picture with a tiger cub!
This week has been strange, to say the least. I just had almost all my midterms (my most difficult one - I think - will be on Wednesday). They went well, which is good because I was not feeling it and barely studied. Our tango presentation went well; during the class our "professor" (he's really only a dance teacher) was being very critical of everyone's presentations, but at the end of the class he told us he liked ours and wanted to keep it. So, I'm taking that as a good sign. My second one was Social & Political Change. It took me 25 minutes. It was simple: 4 questions and the one that was worth half of the test, I know I got right. So I'm not overly concerned. Then I had my Latin American Cultural Studies test. We really didn't have to study for this one because she told us there wasn't much we could prepare. It was 2 short (20 lines) writings comparing the things that we've done in class.
On Thursday I had my presentation in my Gender class. I think it went alright. I didn't finish putting it all together until the night before, but it's not like a presentation that we have to really prepare for. It's on a reading and you have to summarize it for the class and talk about what it argues and how it relates to what we're learning. Mine was really interesting; it was about Mexico City during the Mexican Revolution and how sexual promiscuity and syphilis were huge problems that the government was facing, and by looking into these problems, the government was able to gain access into homes and family lives. You know me, nerdy.
Anyway, I was in quite a strange mood for the last half of the week, but fortunately for me I have some really awesome friends back in the United States who never mind hearing me out and have helped me out of my funk somewhat. I was just really frustrated because there are so many things I've wanted to do and see, and I thought that all my friends were on the same page with doing them this weekend, and when we weren't I was thrown back. Then I was starting to wonder if I was even spending my time here correctly. Should I be more concerned with my in-the-classroom education here (clearly, it's not that important to me if I didn't even study for my midterms...) or should I even be worrying about seeing everything? What's more important in study abroad: seeing everything or just living day-to-day and seeing where it brings me?
Anyway, I tried to stick my mood aside and have some fun. On Thursday night we went to this bar that has boardgames. I was thinking it would be so much fun to go and play, but the majority of games are (of course) in Spanish and aren't the same games at I grew up with. But the atmosphere of the place was really good, and everyone had fun, so I'm sure we'll go back. On Friday I finally picked up my real visa, and let me tell you ... all that money and time for two pieces of printed paper! Nothing cool for your passport, not even like a notarized bump on it. Just a stamp and a signature. Whatever, it gives me special permission to travel for a cheaper price (and stay in the country for 6 months, and get my transcripts from the Universidad, etc.), so I guess I shouldn't complain too much. After that, Jen and I met up with her roommate Roxanne and we got lunch. We didn't picnic like I had thought we were going to do, but that's okay. I was starving and when I got my food, all I wanted to do was eat - there was no time for waiting. I left them and went home to run a little bit before I had to get ready and go to Tango class.
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| Maria (Jen's "Mom") and her BFF/tango instructor. |
On Saturday I finally got the Arab food I had been craving with a few friends, and then we went to the grocery store to get some things because we had plans to go to dinner at my Argentine friend's house! He had told his parents about us, and they wanted to have us over for dinner. Jen and Roxanne baked chocolate chip cookies and brownies, and I brought over peanut butter (which none of them have ever tried) and Oreos. We stayed at the dinner table talking for 4 hours! It was so sweet, and they've told us that we're always welcome - all we have to do is call Matias and tell him we're coming!, and now that it's getting to be nice every day, they're going to cook asado (Argentine BBQ) for us one night. It was so amazing that in just a few months I've made friends from this country and even their families want to get to know us. Also, their house is really cool because they live in the top floor (Matias, his little brother Nico, his Mom and Dad) and then his Uncle and Grandmother live on the lower floor, so his Uncle came up and hung out with us too. It really was a good time.
After that we intended to go to this club that's supposed to be one of the best in Buenos Aires, and after waiting, and waiting, and waiting ... they closed the doors and weren't going to allow ANYONE else in for the rest of the night. It was our second time trying to go too, so .. third time will be the charm?! Instead we just went to a bar and sat around and talked.
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| Roxanne and her bondiola. |
Today (Sunday) none of us woke up into well into the afternoon. So we all gathered to walk to Parque 3 de Febrero and get this sandwich called a bondiola that Michelle and Roxanne had been talking about. After walking for FOREVER (I hadn't eaten yet and it was 4 when we met up, 5 when we got our food), we arrived. At first I was hesitant to try the bondiola, but I figured I'd give it a whirl. It was amazing! We all got "bondiolas completas" which is a pork sandwich with an egg (completa in Argentina always signifies an egg on it, for reasons unbeknownst to me) and ham (jam - haha) on it. Then you can add your own toppings. I added a sauce that kind of resembled Italian dressing, lettuce, tomato, and cucumber. It was deeee-licious! We've decided it will become our Sunday tradition. AND it was so beautiful out today, and we sat and ate in the park, so it was essentially the picnic that I had been looking for on Friday. Things always have a way of working themselves out... After that we each ate a giagantic container of ice cream, and we went our respective ways.
This weekend wasn't everything I had planned on it being, but I guess sometimes we can't plan things and we just have to be open to them happening. I think that's actually the answer to all my questioning about my time here: I should attempt to do everything, and if it doesn't work out exactly like I wanted, it'll work out in some way or another.
Side note: Running. I stopped running after high school and have restarted here. It's not an every day thing, especially on days that I don't wake up until mid-afternoon, but the other day I ran about the same mile time that I had been running during high school when I was in-season running. I was so excited! So we'll see if I can keep it up and get either a) faster or b) go farther. But really, it's a nice way to see the areas around my apartment here.
I hope you all have a great week! Tuesday is the first day of Spring and we don't have school! :)
We intend to go to the most dangerous zoo in the world, where you can pet the tigers and ride camels and elephants! This one really better work out because I really, really, really want my picture with a tiger cub!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Guest Blog Entry
Hi everyone!
I just thought I'd share this link with you quickly; I was asked to write a guest-blog piece for the CEA Study Abroad blog, and my piece was published the other day.
If you read it, I hope you enjoy it. And make sure you take a look at all the other cool things CEA posts on their blog, there's a lot of great information in there!
http://www.ceastudyabroadblog.com/2010/09/meeting-argentina-through-wide-eyes.html
I just thought I'd share this link with you quickly; I was asked to write a guest-blog piece for the CEA Study Abroad blog, and my piece was published the other day.
If you read it, I hope you enjoy it. And make sure you take a look at all the other cool things CEA posts on their blog, there's a lot of great information in there!
http://www.ceastudyabroadblog.com/2010/09/meeting-argentina-through-wide-eyes.html
Monday, September 13, 2010
It's finally beginning to feel like Spring!
Well, first, I’ll have to congratulate my Gamecocks on a fantastic victory over the University of Georgia yesterday! I watched the game on TV at an American sport bar called The Alamo. It’s actually only about 10 blocks from my house, so the fact that I forgot my cellphone and had to walk all the way home and back wasn’t too much of an issue. The bar was cool; it was being worked by a bunch of recent college graduates from the USA who needed jobs and loved Argentina when they studied here. Maybe I’ll be back in 2 years, because at least it’s a job…
Anyway, GO GAMECOCKS! I was a little homesick when they would pan to views of Columbia or the Horseshoe, or just showing the student section, but it wasn’t an overwhelming homesickness because I was enjoying where I was too. It was such a beautiful day, and when it’s nice out my mood and love for the city definitely increase.
When I was walking to and from The Alamo on Saturday, I passed by this beautiful park that has the biggest tree. I really want to climb it, and I think on Friday Jen and I are going to buy some food (Arab, yum!) and walk there for a little picnic, as long as the weather is as nice as it’s supposed to be… We also plan on making next weekend a “touristy Buenos Aires” weekend and going out in a large group and just hitting up a lot of tourist spots. I feel like I haven’t done so many things that I was so interested in doing and seeing because I wanted to be more than just a tourist here. But really, I’m going to give in – tourists and travelers alike should see some of the things that Buenos Aires has to offer, and I’m not ashamed to go all out next weekend.
I have finally started carrying my camera on me again. After a theft or two, I think I started getting overly cautious about things, and then I realized that in my day to day type interactions with people (riding the bus to school and home), I don’t feel in danger and I should carry my camera with me so that I can continue to document this trip for myself, friends, and family. Now my goal is: at least a picture a day! That means only like 83 more pictures to take though… Jen told me today that we’ve officially passed our halfway mark, which absolutely blows my mind.
Jen and I have started planning our latest adventure. This time we’re looking into going to Uruguay for a long weekend – it’s only an hour ferry ride away from here! I think we’re going to go the last weekend of September, so it should be a lot fun (and it will keep my mind off the fact that my friends and family get to enjoy the Durham Fair without me!). There’s a town called Colonia del Sacramento that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so we’d take a ferry there after classes on Thursday, spend the night, explore during the day, and then take a bus to Montevideo and stay there for two nights. It kind of sounds like Montevideo is a lot like Buenos Aires, but much, much smaller. So hopefully our plans work out, and I’ll let you know my perception when I get back.
Until the next time, I’ll be studying! I have to present my Tango midterm on Tuesday, and then I have two exams on Wednesday (Political and Social Change and Latin American Cultural Studies), and, to round out the week, I’ll be making a presentation in my Gender in Latin America class on Thursday. I already can’t wait for next weekend – I have high expectations that it will be amazing, especially after this upcoming week!
Anyway, GO GAMECOCKS! I was a little homesick when they would pan to views of Columbia or the Horseshoe, or just showing the student section, but it wasn’t an overwhelming homesickness because I was enjoying where I was too. It was such a beautiful day, and when it’s nice out my mood and love for the city definitely increase.
When I was walking to and from The Alamo on Saturday, I passed by this beautiful park that has the biggest tree. I really want to climb it, and I think on Friday Jen and I are going to buy some food (Arab, yum!) and walk there for a little picnic, as long as the weather is as nice as it’s supposed to be… We also plan on making next weekend a “touristy Buenos Aires” weekend and going out in a large group and just hitting up a lot of tourist spots. I feel like I haven’t done so many things that I was so interested in doing and seeing because I wanted to be more than just a tourist here. But really, I’m going to give in – tourists and travelers alike should see some of the things that Buenos Aires has to offer, and I’m not ashamed to go all out next weekend.
I have finally started carrying my camera on me again. After a theft or two, I think I started getting overly cautious about things, and then I realized that in my day to day type interactions with people (riding the bus to school and home), I don’t feel in danger and I should carry my camera with me so that I can continue to document this trip for myself, friends, and family. Now my goal is: at least a picture a day! That means only like 83 more pictures to take though… Jen told me today that we’ve officially passed our halfway mark, which absolutely blows my mind.
Jen and I have started planning our latest adventure. This time we’re looking into going to Uruguay for a long weekend – it’s only an hour ferry ride away from here! I think we’re going to go the last weekend of September, so it should be a lot fun (and it will keep my mind off the fact that my friends and family get to enjoy the Durham Fair without me!). There’s a town called Colonia del Sacramento that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so we’d take a ferry there after classes on Thursday, spend the night, explore during the day, and then take a bus to Montevideo and stay there for two nights. It kind of sounds like Montevideo is a lot like Buenos Aires, but much, much smaller. So hopefully our plans work out, and I’ll let you know my perception when I get back.
Until the next time, I’ll be studying! I have to present my Tango midterm on Tuesday, and then I have two exams on Wednesday (Political and Social Change and Latin American Cultural Studies), and, to round out the week, I’ll be making a presentation in my Gender in Latin America class on Thursday. I already can’t wait for next weekend – I have high expectations that it will be amazing, especially after this upcoming week!
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