iguazu falls

Wowee. Its been quite a while. I wonder who is still with me. Anyone? I hope you all didnt get too discouraged by my lack of blogging and gave up on me! I need every reader I can get, seeing as how I probably started out with 4 or 5. Anyway I have good excuses. First, my parents were here for two weeks! Shout out to padres! woo! We stayed in a sweey Palermo apt. and galavanted around to all the touristy spots of Bs.As. We went to a tango show and even a day on a ranch! Then, when they headed back to the states, it was crunch time. I had been stressing about all this final work I had to do and it was time to get down to business.
I go to school on monday only to find out that my papers are due earlier than I had expected. So I freaked out for the next few days because I knew I was going to Iguazu on thursday and NOTHING was going to ruin my time. Anyway, long story short everything turned/ is turning out fine. One paper was technically cut in half. For another we were given another week. School is ridiculous. I mean, I wouldnt like anything serious and in that way its great, but it does seem to take itself too seriously. They make us swipe cards for attendance and you have all these rules about when you can and cant. Also, they arent clear about anything. I know several people, including myself who don't know when a test is or if a paper is due that day or if it was what it would even be about. So no worries, as long as I turn something in I'll pass. Its a new outlook on life.
So the exciting part of this blog. IGUAZU!!!! hands down the COOLEST thing Ive ever seen. I mean, Ive seen the Mona Lisa, leaning tower of pisa, etc. but this is different. Its NATURAL. and when aren't waterfalls gorgeous and wonderful to look at? And there are soooo many and so huge its unbelieveable. no picture or story will ever do it justice. Its no wonder it was one of the seven world wonders. We took a boat unde the falls and they get you reaaaal close to it and you scream and get soaked and yell for more and they keep doing it! like natural disneyland!
So we left our university in the evening and took an overnight bus (one bus just for ISA) to Misiones- a province in the north. There they don't use the 'll' accent that makes argentina so unique in the spanish speaking world. They awoke us at 6am to eat breakfast and then we went to see the Jesuit ruins. Remember that movie 'The Mission?'. Thats the place. Then we went to an estancia. It was a humid and hot day so the pool came in verrrrry useful. From there we walked to a yerba mate factory and saw the process of making mate for the stores and to drink. it was cool but slightly miserable for the heat. At the estancia we ate lunch and danced and lounged and drank mate- including a cold version with lemonade! At night we drove four more hours to our hotel and ate at the buffet. The next morning we went to the falls and came back to the hotel to pool it up some more. it felt good to be in a nice hotel- we're so used to hostels! So next and final day before we go to the airport we went into the jungle to see the indigenous Guarani people. Some kids sang for us and it was really cool except that it was kinda awk. and they didnt really look too enthused about our presence. It DID start raining super hard as we trekked through the red mudd too. It was a well planned and full trip and a great way to wind down our program. i love isa.

pictures

hey! if you would like to see an album of pictures from my trip to Uruguay then copy and paste into the search bar the link below. There are also a couple pictures from the tango show I was in with my class last night!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2391973&l=2f874&id=2539707

enjoy! love you all!

Uruguay

So I took a spontaneous trip to Uruguay this weekend. I was planned to go to Colonia, Ur. with my program on saturday so I decided to get to know the country just a little bit better by heading out a couple days early. I bought my ticket for BUQUEBUS wednesday evening and left early thursday morning. The buquebus is the name of the company/ boat that ferries you across the Rio de la Plata that separates Uruguay and Argentina. There are two versions of these boats and I took the 'lento'- or slow one that takes 3 hours to cross the river. It actually doesnt seem like a river because its so wide and you can never see both sides at once. Its a really big boat though that has several levels and big chairs and a deck that you can go walk around on. On the way there we were riding with a large group of River fans going to a futbol game against a team in Montevideo. As we exited the ferry they were chanting and cheering all their team songs. From the port which is in Colonia we hopped on a bus for 2 1/2 hours to Montevideo. Got there in the afternoon and tried to locate our hostel. I went with a friend here and we met up with three other girls.
Anyway, I exchanged 100 Argentina pesos and received 630 Uruguayan pesos. Now, a really weird thing about this traveling business is adjusting to your sense of things. Like my sense of what is a hot temperature would be 80 degrees farenheit, but what does that mean to me in celsius?because that is what they use here. Or how my sense of distance is in miles and feet but everything is in km. So, I dont really understand how to think something is far or near without converting it. This also happens with money. To put things in perspective here I (used to more than now) convert pesos into dollars by dividing by 3. In Uruguay I thought I was getting a lot of money receiving 630 pesos. The only thing is a hamburger can cost around 150 pesos and a cup of coffee about 90. Yes, so the conversion rate is like 20: 1 so divide those prices by 20 to get American currency and things arent so bad. Its just a relativity thing. Its the immediate shock of going to dinner and getting a bill for five people thats 700 pesos. It just seems like a lot from what Im used to.
In Montevideo we stayed in a part of town called Ciudad Vieja. It had nice streets just for pedestrians and there was lots of interesting architecture to look at. You could also see the water on both ends of the street. We were walking around killing time before we had to catch the bus back to Colonia for the night and we came upon what we thought was this impromptu parade. We soon realized though that the men were in military uniform. We walked to the grand Plaza Independencia right across from where the old government building is. The building wasn't so amazing, but the focal point of this plaza was a huge statue of Artigas. He is apparently the guy who united Uruguay and so he is something of a national hero. That day we happened upon some celebration of him. First, We went underneath the statue and into this dark room that had on the wall all these big block letters jutting out and spelling out significant historical dates. In the middle of the room with a spotlight there was this big jeweled urn thing that was labeled ARTIGAS. From the lighting you could make out two silhouettes of the same soliders we'd been seeing. It was actually kind of creepy. Im not sure if those were his remains/ashes or what. but hes a big deal. So we stuck around for a little while and watched this pomp and circumstance stuff. They sang and marched and we watched. It was really cool and we happened upon it serrendipitously. yay Artigas!
The next day we spent in Colonia del Sacramento. It was a planned excursion for our program but we spent the night there and met up with the group that came by ferry that afternoon. Colonia is really cool. Its such a nice change of pace from Buenos Aires. There are no stop lights and if youre standing by the side of the road they will stop and beckon you to cross. That would NEVER happen in Bs. As. Standing on the edge of the sidewalk is risky. In fact, I do know someone who was hit by a car ( ooo but my friend did jump out of a bus that started moving and ended up rolling into the street when we were in Montevideo. shes fine). Anyway, he's okay too. But Colonia is this little antiquated town with water almost completely surrounding it. Its pretty touristy but still charming. It was the most beautiful day I have experienced since being in South America. The weather was perfect. And we found the closest thing Ive seen to a beach. I dipped my feet in the Rio de la Plata and international waters! It was a very relaxing day of eating (i ate a chuvita which is a typical Uruguayan sandwich with beef, lettuc, tomato and egg- yum) and roaming. It was a very full day as well. Although I didnt have to travel by buquebus that same morning the boat ride back took 3 hours and so by the end I was drained. Now its back to the same ol' school stuff but since monday has passed only two more days! My parents come in a week so Im getting excited! woohoo. pictures soon.

Primavera

Happy Spring day! Today is the first day of spring here in the southern hemisphere and very ironically its the ugliest day we've had in at least a week. Its celebrated pretty widely nonetheless. They have days for everything here! Since I've been here its been Friends' day, Childrens' Day, Teachers' Day and now today is also students day so tons of people flooded the parks for picnics to celebrate. I myself didn't participate because I celebrated last night by going out dancing and therefore slept through any festivities today. Speaking of sleeping and students, I've realized lately just how different my life is here. My priorities are completely different than when I'm in LA. For one, I have absolutely no academic/scholastic related work ethic. I think my daily life is just too stimulating to put it aside for books. School is not my priority here and since I only have class 3 days a week its easy to forget about it. Although, all this unstructured time does give me stress about things I think I should be doing. Its just very hard to make myself be proactive in terms of school even though there are things I do need to do once in a while. I think I'm doing a different kind of learning. The other day, I gave myself a 5 day weekend because I took Wednesday off of class to go see the Ballet Argentina and you know what? I felt very fulfilled. Another fulfillment in my life is my newly acquired gym membership. Ive been twice already to Megatlon and it feels pretty nice to be active. Its kinda the posh gym around here but still the people are nice. I guess you're paying them to be that way. This action of going to the gym came after the day I decided to solve a debate for myself. So here they have these cookies/treats called alfajores. Many times they are filled with dulce de leche and covered with chocolate but you can get variations of flavors. They have these things in bakeries and made by large companies who package them up and sell them at kiosks. Even nabisco has an oreo one- which I dubbed the 'alfajoreo'- but I have yet to try it even though I here its really tasty! So, there is this giant debate here over who makes the better alfajor. In terms of those made for wider distribution. There is a cafe chain here called Havanna that competes with a brand called Cachafaz. Apparently the creators of Cachafaz worked for Havanna and when they left they took the recipes and improved them. So, I decided over a few hours that I would make my own informed decision. Really, I had just been hungry so I bought a Havanna and then later I wanted another so I decided on the Cachafaz. The results are in and well, they aren't that much different. But, I guess I would a slightly higher grade to the cachafaz. haha. After reading this story, you must really realize where my priorities lie here!

Okay, well love you all!

Let me break it DOWN to UPdate you

puppy!

Gen./ Pres. Sarmiento's home in Tigre- i think a recreation
Flower sculpture
church seen from boat tour
waffles del mundo
MALBA

whew! Its been a while since my last post. It must be a good sign that I'm keeping myself pretty busy, although since its been so long and I have been doing so many things I really can't remember all the cool things I wanted to write on here! I will do my best.

Tuesday- woke up early and went to the ISA office for spanish/homework tutoring. It was very helpful and Paula (my tutor) was very kind and constructive. Ended up staying at the office for about 5 hours handling some academic business and eating lunch in the back room watching music videos. The program office is a pretty cool place. Its like Harry Potter style. What I mean by that is that nowhere on the outside does it indicate its the ISA office. You just have to know. And you have to ring the buzzer and tell them who you are so that you can be let in. The office has a wonderful staff that knows everybody's names. They chat with everyone and more often than not are singing and dancing while doing their work. I caught the music from hairspray being played the other day. It seems like a fun job! So, after that I went to tango class. We are practicing for our show. Our midterm is a performance of what we've learned. They are having a youth competition at our school and we are the exhibition. Its a bit of a joke and I'm pretty sure we will all prove ourselves the extranjeros we are!

Wednesday- the start of my weekend. Went home for dinner and then out to Recoleta to meet up with some friends. My friend Dan lives in the giant, sweet student residence that is three floors and just filled with all sorts of peoplel- mostly Americans. We hung out on his terrace before heading out to Plaza Serrano in Palermo for some drinks. Twas quite a relaxing night but fun nonetheless.

Thursday- I had to wake up early because the maid comes to clean the house in the morning and if I have to be up, I might as well be out and about. Walked around Palermo for a bit and came home to descansar and take a nap. Went out for my first time in Palermo Hollywood. It was a cool rooftop bar/lounge thing. Pretty interesting that all these places are named after places in the U.S. Its like hey! I live like 10 minutes from the REAL hollywood.

Friday- woke up and headed to Recoleta to meet up with a friend to go to MALBA. MALBA is a museum of contemporary Latin American art. It isn't very big so it was nice to feel like you really could see everything. I enjoyed it a lot. Plus its free for students! They had an exhibition of 20th/21st century latin american art that was organized by decade. It was really really cool. One part had these light switches that turned on this mechanical art that had lighting designs and moving wheels and such. Also they had this exhibition or recreation of installations by an artist named Torres. I cant remember his full name, but it was really cool because the topic of his pieces had a lot to do with the United States. One of the installations had individually wrapped red, white and blue lollipops in a pile in a corner and you could take them. Another part had piles of posters that were spotlighted and you could take those also! One last one had a huge rectangle of a silver wrapped candies in middle of the room and the border of the wall read significant events and dates that involved the U.S. That night I went to an 80s themed birthday party for a friend.

Speaking of the U.S. I am registering to vote abroad. Im thinking of voting at a poll at the embassy so I can have a real first presidential experience! I think they are having some sort of voting day party- although I have to vote much much earlier than you all! Im excited though! yay Obama!!

Saturday- woke up tired because I got in late the night before but I had to wake up early to go on an excursion with my abroad program. We took a bus about 40 minutes from Bs. As. to Tigre. It is where a lot of people from the city have weekend homes. The houses are on little islands that are close together so there are canals and what not in between. We took a boat tour through the 'neighborhoods' on the beautiful brown river. The brown color does kind of ruin the beauty but the houses were nice nonetheless and people drinking mate on their docks waved to all of us. It feels good to leave the metropolis every now and then. The rest of the day we walked around the ferias and ate of course. I had this delicious waffle filled with ham and cheese and another filled with apple and covered in dulce de leche. Then at our next stop I had the most divine ice cream- Freddo (which I also ate yesterday because it was two for one mondays!!). At the end of the day we had snacks and coffee at a restaurant right on the water. It was kind of beach like and felt very removed from the city even though we could make out the skyline in the distance. It was relaxing to sit in the grass and watch the sunset which is now setting later because spring is almost here!!

Okay, theres my weekend. Its been a few days yeah but nothing has really happened and Im too lazy to write too much more. Ill catch you in a few days!

Lunes

Hello hello. Its monday night and I had a verrrry long day today. I was in class for eight hours straight! yipes! It doesnt help to walk out from that long day inside and enter cold weather. I mean, okay so my kinda cold is mid fifties but STILL. I was chilly. During the weekend it rained so I'm glad now to have internet here in the house where is semi-warm and dry. It was also nice that very surprisingly I wasn't alone here all weekend. On saturday night Beatriz's three grandsons came to spend the night. They are 9, 7 and 2 (i think?). They're pretty cute and they get a kick out of those funny pictures you can take on my computer. I like to speak to them in spanish even though they are of course lightyears ahead of me in fluency- except the little one, he grunts a lot. I'm pretty envious of them right now actually because all three of them are going to Florida at the end of this week to go to Disneyworld! Que suerte! I'm just bitter because I'm in school. I know I have class three days a week but its still work! The stress of school is different here but still present. Its the language that makes it so challenging because I don't know 100% of the information being thrown at me, I don't know what I'll be tested on and how. Its quite scary and I think I'd prefer UCLA! Plus this semester business is way too long. Maybe I just didnt have the expectation of working as much- or at all really, I mean 3 different 10 page papers all in spanish??en serio? I guess its too late now!
I'm trying to get my post school travel plans together. I've been looking at treks to machupicchu in november so if anyone is interested hop on the bandwagon! I havent done enough research but it get so crowded I know I need to make decisions soon! I can't believe it will be two months since my arrival in just one more week which means like two and half months more! I miss you all terribly!

Please email me or leave comments or whatever you would like because I really want to know whats going on in your lives as well!

Peanut Butter Asians

Hello all! I am writing from the comforts of my own mattress (more like pad, there are no springs) this evening. Yes! I finally received wifi en casa. Let me tell you explain that this fact does deserve its own blog acknowledgement. It comes as the result of the longest pain in the butt (PitB) process. First, the technician came to install the wifi but nobody was home to let him in. Boo, okay five more days of waiting but thats it. Next, two times for two weeks nobody can make it to setup. Then, when they finally do come, woohoo! We have the wrong modem and turns out I have to dar more pesos for another. So alas, after a month since the fought began and after being told 4 times that internet access was mere moments away, I am finally celebrating it as reality! hazaa!

So, back to actually important matters. You know, things that deal with my personal thoughts and experiences and oh yeah, Buenos Aires. Lets see, I left July 17th and today is September 5th. Is that 7 weeks? 8 weeks? Well anyway Ive been gone for quite a long time! Im having an amazing time here but there are things and people at home that I miss. In the past few days the weather has gone from sunny and perfect for sandals and a t-shirt, to "why am I here when California is drenched with sunshine right now?" The official start of spring is less than three weeks away so hopefully by then I wont have cold weather to complain about on my blog.

Its really hard when you havent blogged for a few days and you want to update people on all the activities you been doing and you cant remember everything. I will just stick to things I can remember and see where that gets back.

This past week I've evaluating my living situation. I think I made my life a lot better by asking Beatriz to eat with me from time to time. She told me she didnt eat dinner, only fruit, because she is trying to lose weight. I was like, eh whatever, except that she would sometimes actually eat real food later at night in her room! And why couldn't she eat her fruit while I ate dinner? So, now we eat together more- or at least she is present when I eat. Its great because its a time of the day where I most definitely practice conversing in spanish. The first night we ate together she showed me pictures of her family and of the apartments she redocorates as one of her many endeavors. To reciprocate, I ran upstairs, grabbed my computer and gave her like a 30 minute long slide show of my life. It was kind of force-fed, but she at least feigned interest. It was a lot of storylike explanations in spanish so it was good practice.I mean, I had to supplement all your weird faces with something! Also, the other night we had dinner with her mother and her son Federico. Her mother made this uber tasty lentil soup/stew dish that had sausage and meat and uhh lentils. That of course was followed by panqueques (crepes) and dulce de leche and strawberries. Needless to say I ate more than anyone else at the table.

Yesterday I woke up pretty early. The maid comes to clean on Thursday mornings so I have to be awake and that usually means that I just leave. Last week my excursion during this time was a haircut. Ha. Just now when I wrote haircut I accidentally wrote "haircute". Thats funny and ironic because its NOT cute. I knew it was risky but I had seen results in person and it looked good. The pictures in the place looked good. The people looked good. Me, no good.
It kind makes me look like either: mrs. brady, hallie berry 5 years ago (it looked good on HER), or a 15 year old argentine boy. Hair grows back right? Please give me hope! Anyway, its done so there is really no point in regretting it. When I complained to my friend Ben, he told me he felt way better about his haircut after he blogged about it. hmph, we'll see. Back to yesterday, I left the house with the thought that I would just get off on some subte stop and walk around until I found something. I texted my friend Dan (from UCLA, I swear I didnt plan to hang out with so many UCLA-ers) who lives in Recoleta to see what he was up to. I ended up stopping by his apartment (right next door to where Jorge Luis Borges once lived) and we decided to go get some food in Barrio Chino (right back near where I live). I wasnt exactly sure where it was, but it wasnt too hard to find. We laughed at how funny it would be if we (two asian kids) ran around Belgrano asking where Chinatown was. Funny how so many cities have chinatowns right? Beatriz told me there has been so much recent immigration that if I come back to Argentina in 10 years Ill have to learn Chinese. Doubt it. Dan asked me, 'do you think they asians here speak english or spanish?' I know, its an odd question because why would they speak english, but ya know, its kinda weird to see. Anyway, it was a delightful time in Chinatown. I had spicy food, we found cheap peanut butter and lots of asian snacks.
That night we met up with some other friends at a restaurant 'tenedor libre' (freefork). It was a giant buffet where you go up and order and they make it for you. I ate paella, chicken, chorizo, ravioli and gnocchi. But by far, the best part was the dessert. This country is soo dangerous for me because they love their sweets and so do I. I mean, it was a spread like Ive never seen or could imagine. It was almost too much. I had little slivers of cheesecake and flan and then ordered a flambeyed apple crepe with dulce de leche and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The only time my stomach feels rock hard is after I eat. Sadness. It was worth it though. I wish I could tell you all it didnt matter anyway because I'm running in the University 10k, but that would be a lie so I won't tell you that. It doesnt help that now Beatriz has given me her account number at Freddo (amazing ice cream store) and that I live a block from one and that on mondays its two for one. I have no will power. Although, I'm hoping to start yoga classes this week and I did go for a run before my tango class the other day. Working out does make me feel good, but really it just allows me to feel free to eat more. I wish you all could taste the meat and pastries here!

pensaba que quisieran ver mi cara

Candy mountain!
The dog that adopted us in V. Carlos Paz. We named her Nugget.

Dining one night of our parrilla! Tasting our amazing culinary skills!
The beautiful waterfall of Tanti. Its about 40 feet and Tanti's ONE main attraction.



Cooking on the rooftop of our hostel; bunking in our hostel; a view from the hostel; horseback riding in Villa Carlos Paz. Doesnt my horse Gringa look stunning!




Hey! These are a few weeks delayed and I have taken many pictures and partaken in many other activities since these were taken, however I havent uploaded uploaded anything else onto my computer so here you go! These are some pictures from our long weekend trip to Cordoba.
Starting from the top: The group! Minus yo por supuesto. This is the morning we arrived in Cordoba and we are fresh off a 9 hour bus ride!; Next is a church in San Martin Plaza. It was his holiday that weekend! Just fofr reference, every city in Argentina has the same street and plaza names. Its quite confusing.; Then you see me and my two UCLA friends (I met them in Argentina!) Jenny and Laura. I actually had no idea that the street was named Buenos Aires until I uploaded the picture. What a coinky-dink!; Okay, then yeah- thats fruit... and vegetables. A farmers market where we bought things to use in our parrilla.; Then Ta-Da! giant tub of DDL. a grand and dangerous discovery.

un centavo por sus pensamienos

Okay, so one centavo doesnt actually exist. If youre owed change with .01, they'll round down. Now, what if pennies didn't exist? What would I have named my dog?
This is the point of this post. A random string of thoughts Ive been having throughout the day as I wandered the streets and neighborhoods of Buenos Aires.

I love supermarkets. Today before I left the house Beatriz once again reminded me of the new giant Coto (grocery store chain (all it needs is an 's' and a 'c' and its costco!yeah. cool.)) that opened on Cabildo (main street near where I live). Anyway, it just reopened after undergoing remodeling (good thing they have another exactly one block away) (sorry about all these parenthesis) (damn. sorry again). Okay, back to the point- or whatever it is. So she tells me about Coto blah blah blah. And she reminded me that until tomorrow I can get bife de chorizo- which is steak- for only 5 pesos. divide by three and its in american dollars. So I told her okay, maybe I would go. Then she proceeds to go to the kitchen and wrap up a steak knife for me just in case because all they gave her was a plastic knife. So, today I walked around with a steak knife in my purse. The knife in my purse gave me a little inspiration to actually go and seek this steak but of course when I got there that section had just closed and and wouldnt open for a couple hours. Still, I enjoyed my time. I accidentally stole a tiny bottle of nail polish remover because I couldnt find a basket to carry my goodies and had resorted to sticking it in my pocket as I roamed. Soy una ladrona! and even after I told Beatriz that if theieves came up to me today I would use my knife! hipocracy! but unintentional. Another thing that happened in the grocery store is that I discovered that I may never have a career as a rapper. I just don't have the mind to mouth coordination. This is how it went down. I am looking for peanut butter even though I've heard if it does exist in a store its like 10 bucks and even though Im cool and Argentine now so I use dulce de leche instead. I just wanted to see manteca de mani. I had sort of planned what I was going to ask the store assistant. It was along the lines of 'is there an international food section?' I think I said right which was a feat in itself, but it was filled with stutters and accompanied by an action in which I use here where I cant really look at people while I speak because I am thinking so hard. Its kinda like I am trying to find the words in the air or trying to look up into my brain to get things right.
any-whey, i am glad its the weekend after two days of class! tomorrow im going to finish up some things I need to gather for acquiring my visa, then I have to look into finding a costume for Kay's host 'mom's', or her 'chica' as she calls her because she is only 28, birthday party. Perhaps I will be some sort of super hero-e (read that like you are reading spanish- 'air-0-aaye'- much more fun). Saturday day Im going on an ISA excursion called 'dia del campo' which apparently is horse back riding and a giant asado. I hear its lots of food and really delicious so whats not to look forward to?! I will post pictures from the weekend trip soon! I must be off to eat dinner. its almost 9. chau. besos.

its still the weekend!

I am writing from another hostel in Cordoba. Yep! We are still here until tomorrow night! We only booked our other hostel for the first two nights hoping that we would find other cool places to stay, but since its a holiday weekend we were lucky to get a place at all! This place is called Aldea hostel. Its pretty open and big and the room fits exactly the eight of us.
We have eaten in for almost all our evening meals. The first two nights we had our own parrillas, or grills, on the roof of our first hostel. We cooked steak and veggies likes peppers, onions, eggplant, squash and accompanied it with some nice malbec and fresh baked bread. It was about 8 pesos each... meaning less than three dollars. What thrifty little backpackers we have become. It was good times and delicious food. Two days ago a group of us went to Villa Carlos Paz which is about an hour minibus ride away from the city. It was pretty small and not too crowded during the day but we found our adventure. We rode horses on a trail up a mountain which overlooked the town and the river flowing through it. Once we got back down, we ascended the adjacent hill by ski lift. Up at the top there wasnt too much to do. We were sooooooo excited to take what they called the aero tren. From the pictures it looked like a monorail or rollercoaster. Well, it went about 8 mph for about 300 feet. yay! Then we arrived at our destination which we named candy mountain because it was one store with a playhouse that looked like candy and some lollipops. yay! A few people went zip lining, but other than that it was neat and pretty but nothing spectacular. Nonetheless, we made it fun! There were more stray dogs in Carlos Paz than Ive seen in a while. One of them adopted us for a good like 2 miles through some neighborhoods and even waited across the street for 20 minutes as we stopped to look at some other dogs at a pet store. Oh Nugget (dogs given name).
Yesterday we took another minibus as our 8 person group to a place called Tanti. Basically, we rode the same bus as the previous day, but just stay on as it went along through more shanty towns and deserted areas. We were recommended this little town by someone who worked at our first hostel. She said there was a river and waterfalls and nice hiking so we were all pretty pumped... until we saw that we were driving through shanty towns and deserted areas. mah. oh well. We ate when we got there at one of like two restaurants that were open in this mile stretch of town and im pretty sure my pasta was cooked for about 2 minutes. Al dente right? Im making this sound like we had a horrible time but, although we never got what we expected, it was a good time. Yeah, there was one 40 ft waterfall and a small river that likened more to a creek, but we made our fun climbing boulders around this area on what Im pretty sure was privately owned land. Dont worry, we found the spot to crawl over where the barbed wire was already matted down.
Okay, there was quick recap of my past couple days. Sorry it wasnt as flowerfully written as you may like. Im off to nap on my foam pad on my rickety metal bunk bed frame.

Cordoba

Hello all, I am currently utilizing the computer/internet at Baluch Backpackers Hostel in Cordoba, Ar. We got in around 8 this morning after taking a bus through the night. The ride was a total piece of cake. We booked an omnibus "con cama" meaning with a bed, so basically you get a giant recliner that allows you to almost stretch out completely. Anyhoo, there are 8 of us traveling together, 4 of which I will be sharing a room with for the next couple nights. Its actually almost completely an LA group, one girl being from LA and going to school in Denver, two others from back east and the rest of us from UCLA! How dandy. So, we got in this morning and after a quick cafe con leche and medialuna brunch we bopped around the city exploring. To give ourselves some purpose, we decided that tonight we are going to have our own parilla/asado basically where we grill our own food. The hostel has this sweet rooftop with a bar and open grill. To be honest, it could pass for a boliche (argentine replacement word for discoteca/club). We bought some veggies at a farmers market and picked up some meat and wine at the super market... actually called Disco. Yeah, we went to the disco today... to buy groceries! Other than that excursion we have just been laying about the hostel watching movies and drinking mate. Its pretty comfortable here and I´m shuffling around in socks. Everyone is pretty tired from the bus ride still because we talked for a great portion of it and didnt get a full nights sleep.
Cordoba from what little I have seen is very different from Buenos Aires. Its a different province, east of Bs.As. The city itself where we are isn´t as metropolitan and New York City-esque. Its a welcomed change and I look forward to taking the easy trips to more rural surroundings. The architecture here is amazing though. I mean, in large part I could say the same about Baires, but in addition to every utilized building unique and European, there are lots of churches. Its a bit more intimate here based on what I have gathered.
Well, I will definitely post pictures some time in the future and maybe even post throughout this trip. Right now, someone needs to use the computer and Im just going to chill out and listen to the Bob Marley thats playing (a very different vibe from the earlier Celine Dion)
Chau!

A life gone to the dogs

Today I went on a run. I woke up early and went on a run. Yeah, typically not my style. It was the first excursion I have made with the purpose of a exercising. My exercise lately has been a lot of walking- unfortunately due to getting turned around or lost. Anyway, as I ran/walked through the parks around Palermo,-right next to the zoo I´m too scared to go into because it just looks like caged animals- I came to some realizations. Why do they call it Buenos Aires? The air here actually kinda sucks. Its probably amplified because it is winter time and generally everything to me seems worse when its cold and somewhat gloomy, but man it was kinda hard to run... or at least I tell myself this when I walk after a couple blocks. Maybe I just need a lesson on some sort of name etymology for this city. Also, I realized they LOVE dogs here. Okay, I knew this all along, but after today there could seriously be no doubt in anyones mind how many dog owners exist in Buenos Aires. I´m also thinking that my mom is right and I should become a dog walker because as far as I can see, it could be pretty lucrative. Anyway, let me give your some of my first hand observations/analyses: I would not be surprised up I saw at least 300 dogs today; they have these little hitching hooks in the ground in the park where one-three dogs get tied up, few run around, but mostly the dog walkers hitch them up and so its just DOGS scattered everywhere; I have seen various combinations of dog breeds being walked together, generally its small with other small dogs, and large with large but really in the park there were just all kinds of dogs and no distinction as to who really belonged to who, interestingly though today, is I saw a group of just beagles. Like 25 beagles between two people. What? An exclusive beagle walker? Its really an odd sight so I can´t imagine what this same walk would´ve been like for someone who didn´t like dogs.
Ha. I just wrote an entire paragraph about dogs. I guess I just find it so intriguing.
So yesterday it rained and thank goodness Beatriz semi prepared me for it. I had all that I needed except I forgot that the boots I was wearing have very poor grip on the wet, slippery concrete that makes up the sidewalks of Belgrano. I had to do this weird stomping step where I lifted my leg from my knee and kind of marched all the way home. It probably looked funny but I was trying to avoid humiliating myself by falling. Honestly, I had several thoughts while marching home: 1) I could fall while I´m in the middle of crossing the street and since cars really pay little to no attention to pedestrians I would be run over and crushed to death 2) I could slip and seriously injure myself and not be able to communicate with all the spanish speakers what happened 3) ... and probably my most prominent and also logical fear: I could slip and fall directly above a fresh pile of dog poo (I assume the ensuing repercussions need no explanation)
Well, good news! I got home safe, in one piece, not very wet and definitely not covered in any sort of feces!
So, enough once again about dogs. This weekend, I have made plans to go to Cordoba. We have monday off for a holiday so I´m looking forward to a five day weekend! I´m not quite sure exactly what my days will consist of but it will be cool to see what is in another part of Argentina. We booked an omnibus for the 9 hour drive for 240 pesos round trip. Not too bad. The buses on double decker luxury vehicles with recliners and stuff. We leave tomorrow at midnight so hopefully its a comfortable ride. We also booked a hostel for two nights for a few of us and from there we´ll see what we can find exploring the city. Im going with 6 others for sure, but there is some possibility of others being in the same place! Vamos a ver.
In other news, I have been enjoying my tapatio hot sauce that I brought from the states (thanks kev). It has been que rico on empanadas (now lovingly nicknamed empies), milanesa de pollo and whatever meat item I dined on anoche. Oh Oh Oh and how could I forgot my grand and glorious news? Im getting wifi!!!!! woohoo. Now I will not have to endure smelly, coughing people (such as the person next to me right now) in a communal computing lab!!!!
Okay, unfortunately they DO give homework here so I must be off to do it. Chau chau.

in honor of this dog themed post I´d like to give a shoutout to some real fine pooches in my life: Penny, Beckham, Kiwi, Russel and yes you too Tango! (I mean, you are from argentina anyway right?)

Baires foto post

So, my parents asked me to send them pictures of my life here. Ya know, like the place where I live, my school, some parts of the city, etc. I figured why not just share it with everyone?! That is the other like 3 people that read this thing besides my parents. ha. enjoy!


Some examples of the delicacies of Baires. All I eat here is bread, meat, dulce de leche and cheese. From there I dine on various combinations of these items. Bread with cheese, meat and bread, bread and dulce de leche, etc... The first picture is a scrumptious dessert presentation that in another picture of the same plates, it completely empty of sweets. I am holding in the other picture an alfajorcito. The ito part indicates its a small alfajor, but an inch and a half of dulce de leche would tell me to think otherwise. Eitherway, its HEAVEN. mmm



Just a collection of photos from various days/nights. Brianne and I in front of the obelisco, some UCLA friends enjoying a glass of wine in Palermo and a shot a street while Im standing in Plaza de Mayo (pictured in the photo of a previous post where I'm holding a flag)


Here is where I live. La casa de Beatriz. Its nice and clean and very quaint. I usually eat in the kitchen and spend little time in the living room. The two bedrooms are upstairs and we share a bathroom up there as well!



Some snapshots of Universidad de Belgrano. This is where I go to school! This is the main building where I have all my classes but I think there are other buildings around the city as well. You may be thinking, what the heck is that soap thing doing in a picture? Well, I just thought it was funny. Our soap at school is a bar on a rod. It seems a bit unsanitary and therfore kind of contradictory. How many dirty hands that are trying to get clean touch that thing?! Ha, but I still use it.



me happily reading a menu at the cutest cafe I have ever dined. Santos Sabores is located about two blocks from our school and its just so cheery and shabby chic (and filled with delicious postres in cute jars), you could never do anything but smile while reading their menu.

Well, my first weekend between school days has passed and I must say Ive always thought more days off than on was the way to go and I definitely think I´m still right. Monday is a long day though which makes it extra hard to come back! I had a history class this morning and really you think its easy to tune out in lectures in english? Well try a class in a language you dont know because if youre at all tired or distracted, once you´ve checked out, youre probably not going to be able to tune back in. It just takes so much more concentration and brain power and therefore energy! ha. I need to save it anyway. I have two more classes and therefore four more hours straight. This little blog is my break.

Anyway, the weekend. Recopado! That means very wonderful here in Buenos Aires. My wonderul friend Lali and her wonderful family came for a visit from Chile for 5 days and it was five days of laughter, great food and popping botellas. It felt really nice to be with parents actually. Its comforting to feel again that someone is looking after you in that familiar parental way. On saturday we went out for our first big all out Argentine night, meaning it started around 2am and ended maybe at 630 am? But how could you not go crazy and stake awake when youre VIP at an awesome club (this one called Museo- apparently the building is designed but the guy who built the eiffel tower but Im not sure this is true. Why would you make a historical landmark a nightclub?). Lots of dancing to mostly american music from the 70s,80s and 90s which is an unusual find and very welcomed change from techno. Plus, Michael Jackson? Yeah, youre going to be in a good mood. Last night we went to an amaaazing restaurant called Cumana. It was recommended by a local so it was bound to have some pizzazz but it really did go above and beyond taste comprehension.... and it was cheap. They looked rather disgusted as the greedy Americans barely had room at the table for all the food. Pumpkin and choclo empanadas, ñoccis, two big pizzas, two salads (with mayo as dressing! not our fave), pasta and lomo y calabasa (beef and squash) stew. And for dessert, tres leches cake and extraordinarily tasty vanilla ice cream.I didnt think I would be that happy with something that didnt involve even a drop of dulce de leche.. which is something I´ve already decided I´ll never live without. Im hungry again. I have pizza in my bag sooooooo.... chau

PS its really cold here. You better be enjoying your damn sun lucky california residents!

Culture Shock

Its friday and I've already been celebrating my weekend for a day! Its wonderful to have more days of freedom than days of class, but I'm seriously overwhelmed by my classes. I think the time I spend in them is at least equivalent to the amount of hours in spend in class at home over five days. I mean, four hours of straight class? They don't automatically include time for passing periods. And everything is in spanish! This was my choice, but its a bit overwhelming at present. I understand about 50% in most classes and even that is a word here and there so it loses its context and I'm lost. I have one more week to settle things for the semester so we shall see what happens. I am really fearing my tango theory final exam which apparently will consist of a 7-10 page paper in spanish single spaced! What?! It has to be a joke. I could barely do that in english and thats also when Ive understood what my teacher has been talking about for the past weeks! aye aye aye.

This sense of being overwhelmed has persisted for two weeks now so I guess its no wonder it has transferred to school. Is this what they call culture shock?? Maybe its not just a dance troop. I've been keeping myelf busy while I'm here so that I don't have to focus on the thousands of thoughts and emotions that are constantly bouncing around my entire brain but it probably just helps to create more stimulation. The overstimulation may contribute to my pure exhaustion at the end of everyday. I dont have to try to hard to stay busy here. There is so much to do and so much that I haven't done. I've been jetting between little tourist sights but I know that I have plenty of time to simply enjoy it all.

Its nice to stay busy also because at home its kind of lonely. Beatriz (my host mother) is home sporadically from selling cosmetics, water purifiers and redecorating apartments....all these jobs she has taken up since her husband went crazy two years and left. Last night she showed me the rolling pin she was using to make dinner and told me she should've used it on her husband... then she told me he probably deserves something stronger than that blow to the head. See, she is nice and entertaining but mostly when we're both home we are separated. I like being alone and sometimes I do make a point of going to talk to her but sometimes the conversations just die out. I think im satisfied with this arrangement though. I have plenty of freedom and yet a good amount of interaction.

I'm missing you all (as in my family and friends) terribly and the fact that I won't see all of you for still many months is definitely overwhelming me as well! I appreciate that you guys indulge me with the thought that you care to read this! Please email me or skype me!

Chau

how argentinian

A special and very unique and specific tradition to Argentina revolves around "mate". Its an infusion tea in which you pour hot water directly over the packed leaves and drink the infused liquid. It provides natural energy. Its basically the same as the yerba mate we buy in the states only the drinking of the mate is also a social experience. One person assumes the role of the server and they are also the first to try to the brew to make sure it isn't too strong or hot for the other drinkers. The drink is passed around only after each person has finished an entire cup to themselves. My first mate experience was awesome. I was served it in the home of an actual Argentine who enlightened me to some of these rules. Of course, it wasn't as formal as traditionally it can be, but there were rules nonetheless. I'm not actually sure if I liked it, but I drank it and I burnt my tongue. I guess I'll make myself like it in my effort to feel more immersed and authentically Argentine.
* Mate is served in hollowed out 'calabasas', or gourds, with special straws- 'bombillas'

¡Bienvenidos!

As you probably know I am studying abroad this semester in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I have been living in the city in a neighborhood called Belgrano for a week now. From what I have already experienced, I cannot wait to continue this adventure in the coming 5 months! I am attending Universidad de Belgrano (today is actually my first day of class) taking Latin American studies courses taught in spanish. I currently live in a small but comfortable apartment about 10 blocks from school with one señora named Beatriz. She is works selling cosmetics and redecorating apartments as far as I can understand. She will speak to me in English but we try to speak spanish as much as possible. Its a pretty quite neighborhood but its easy to get around here using public transportation. I have been getting to know people in my study abroad program by running into them at the program office and deciding to explore the city together. Also, a lot of my UCLA friends have decided to experience this beautiful city at the same time so its been really interesting to share this with them! Okay, this a very introductory and vague post, but I have a class in a matter of minutes so I must be off!

besitos