Mendoza: Wine Country

So two weekends ago we had a 'feria' or holiday weekend, so we decided to take advantage of the extra day off from school and go on an adventure to Mendoza. It's basically straight to the West of Buenos Aires, very close to Santiago, Chile. Can we talk about how incredible this area is? You have a decent sized city filled with genuinely nice people who want to help you practice Spanish, next to an infinite amount of vineyards, with the Andes in the distance full of outdoor adventures like water rafting, hiking, paragliding, skydiving, horseback riding, etc. If it weren't so cold there in the winter, I would move in a heartbeat! Basically Elaina, Buket, and I booked a package-deal with a company called TripNow located conveniently in the basement of our school. For a pretty good fee we were able to book our bus ride, four nights in a very nice hostel, and three excursions including a vineyards tour, bus ride/hike through the Andes Mountains, and water rafting.

We left Thursday evening and took one of those semi-cama 12 hour buses and arrived Friday morning. We had just enough time to check into our hostel, freshen up, and then meet downstairs for our first excursion: wine tour! I'll start by saying this: I never liked red wine until I came to Argentina. I'm glad I started liking it before going to Mendoza because we only had one glass of white wine throughout all of our tastings this weekend...and for the first time in my life, I didn't like the white wine because it was too sweet! Anyways, the excursions included a small group of travelers from a few different hostels in the city, so we scooped them up and then went to our first stop, Pasrai, which is actually an olive oil making company. We learned how they make their products and then had a sampling, bought some goodies and continued to Vistandes. I think they won my vote for best wine of the day-we went to an organic farm called Familia Cecchin I believe, and although they had good red wine, the white was too fruity and sweet for me (oh Argentina, what have you done to me?). We returned back to the hostel, got some dinner, and from what I recalled made it a rather early evening for the next day of adventuring!

Saturday, we awoke very early to start our trek through the Andes! But when I say trek, I mean we literally look a bus all day, walked through a relaxing trail to a point where we could see the highest peak in all of the Americas, and took the bus back home. It was still made for a great day-adventure. I'm sure in Colorado we use to see the snow capped mountains all the time, but alas, I was but a wee-babe and do not recall seeing such gorgeous things...therefore it was very exciting to pass through the foothills and see the mountains still covered in snow. The only thing they didn't warn us about was how cold it was going to be-the woman from TripNow advised us to bring a jacket but I thought, "hey, we've been hiking in Cordoba in the winterish time, and now that it's warmer, we'll be fine!" My silly mind didn't consider "hey, we're going to be in the windy Andes Mountains at a much higher altitude than we were in Cordoba". Fortunately we were able to rent jackets along the way! During the middle of our bus-ride we stopped to hike a little bit and were able to see the highest peak in all of the Americas...and thank goodness for that jacket, the walk on the way back was probably the coldest I've ever been! Still it was a very neat hike and we had the chance to take alot of great pictures!

The next day was a complete change to what we had experienced the previous day..while we spent our Saturday freezing in the wind, we spent our Sunday water rafting in the sun! However, seeing as though we're in a Latin American country, we got there early and were told we had to wait over two hours before the next rafting tour (there were about 7-10 rafts that fit about 8 people per raft, so from what I'm assuming they had just taken a group and needed to wait for them to finish). The people at the place were very gracious and offered us a couple free activities to compensate for the wait so we were given the option of going canopying (or zip lining as I'm used to calling it) and trekking. Canopying was fun, not as exciting as the one I had experienced in St. Kitts but definitely worth it. Although we had the opportunity to go trekking (where, I have no idea), Buket and Elaina were wearing flip flops so we opted to spend the day hanging out by the pool. It was even warm enough to throw on our bathing suites and soak up some sun! After relaxing and grabbing some lunch, it was finally our turn to go rafting! Awesome, awesome trip. The part of Rio Mendoza we toured was a perfect mixture of tranquil waters, or "Reggae" as they named the parts of the river, and more rough parts, or "Rock'n'Roll". The river cut through some gorgeous areas as well, including snow capped mountains, rigid rock formations, elegant houses, ruins of old bridges, etc. After we were done rafting we had a chance to hang out with some of the guides, who reminded me exactly of Matthew and his guy friends from Lake Gaston..just goofy, funny guys who enjoy a good time! We even exchanged numbers and went out for dinner and pizza later that night.

Let's see, Monday...we went paragliding! Or 'parapente' en espanol, however, at this point I'm doing good just to speak Spanglish so when I come back saying 'parapenting' you'll know what I'm talking about! Basically, we hopped in the back of a truck and were driven to this random warehouse where we were told to wait until someone came to get us to take us up the mountain. You know, when I imagined paragliding I imagined being strapped to a stranger who says 'JUMP!'...and you jump off the side of a mountain and pray the parachute takes wind. I was happy to find out it was nothing like this! They basically went to an open hill-top and laid out the kites, fluffed them up before take-off, and didn't tell you to start running until the kite was already up and ready. It was a really cool experience! Surprisingly I didn't get as nervous as I thought I would be and felt incredibly secure the entire time. The only 'nervous part' I had was when my guide did some "acrobatic tricks" and spun us around so fast in a circle I couldn't catch any air to breathe! I think if possible, we had even more fun after the paragliding when the guys invited us to stay for an asado. Can you imagine how hard their lives must be, paragliding by day and feasting with tourists by night? Incredible. The asado was very delicious and the guys were great company!

It's hard to say, but Tuesday may have been one of my favorite days while in Mendoza. It was our last day so we decided to leave in the right way by taking a horseback riding wine tour! It was a good mixture of learning about gaucho life and riding horses while being able to taste some delicious local wine. We fortunately were given a ride from our hostel to the ranch where this company is based and were greeted with freshly squeezed orange juice, coffee, and pastries-hello heaven! We talked and ate for a bit, were given our horses, and then rode to the first wine tasting at Vinas Cobos. Very delicious wine (and cheese as well, that's always important!) as expected, and we had an awesome group too. Our group consisted of Elaina, Buket, and I, as well as the guide (a local Mendocina who spent some time in Buenos Aires), and a couple from the UK. It was a cool chance to exchange cultures and ideas throughout the day. We had a leisure hour long ride to the next vineyard, called Finca Decero. Here, we had another round of wine tasting accompanied by the most delicious meal I've had since arriving in Buenos Aires...crispy rabbit and veggies in a soy sauce for appetizer, juicy steak and mashed potatoes for the main course, and brownies topped with a tangerine cream for dessert. I think I died and went to heaven the two hours we were there! It was definitely a great way to end our trip, although I would have rather stayed in Mendoza for the next month!

Overall, the weekend was a really great chance for us to do a mixture of things we have wanted to do in Buenos Aires. We did the touristy things like wine tours and out door adventures during the day and then met locals and were able to have a more local, cultural experience during night. Being there for the weekend also made me realize how much I dislike the culture of Buenos Aires, or of the "portenos". In Mendoza people were happy to practice their English and didn't judge us as harshly because we're from the States. In Buenos Aires I'm almost nervous to admit I'm from the States because I feel such resentment from the locals, it made it very discouraging to come back to. I also felt safer overall in Mendoza...in fact my first comment as soon as we arrived in Buenos Aires was "Well, back to watching my back and feeling insecure all the time." I've actually come to appreciate the States alot more within the past couple weeks...I've heard some crazy stories of things that have happened to my friends and their friends but of course I won't tell you guys these stories until after I get home safe, as not to worry you! In Raleigh I may think twice before walking downtown by myself and keep my guard up, but it's almost tiring having my guard up all the time here. I refuse to go anywhere by myself after it gets dark (unless it's across the street to the kiosko) and even in broad daylight I'm constantly looking over my shoulder and keeping my hand on the zipper of my purse. I understand that dangerous things happen every where but sheesh! Take me back to good ol' North Carolina where I can talk to anyone without thinking "what is their alternative motive to talking to me right now?"

Thinking on the positive side, I know how hard it was to return back to the States after falling in love with Nevis last summer, so I'm hoping that I can remind myself of how much I dislike the culture here in order to make the transition back home easier. I've developed a little side-life here so it's hard to think about changing everything I've grown accustomed to over the past few months but honestly, I'm beginning to hit my "ready to go home" point. I miss cooking. I miss alone time and baths with good books and driving in my car when I need to clear my head. I miss Fusion and NC State and most importantly, all of you guys! But nonetheless, I'm still very grateful to have studied here because it has truly opened my eyes to how different each Latin American culture is. No, Buenos Aires is not my ideal place but I feel honored to have spent so much time here and am glad to have realized the next time I want to adventure the globe, I'll probably want to find a warmer climate with warmer people!

Mkay, it's about sleep time, we're going to Iguazu Falls tomorrow! It's a gorgeous area of waterfalls that sits between Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina...hopefully if the internet doesn't keep acting up around here I'll send out an update about that after I get back! Nos vemos!

Second Month...Check?

Same question as always...where did the time go?

That's pretty much the topic of many of our conversations nowadays...how did the time pass by so quickly and how are we going to get the most out of the next month and a half before it flies by too? I knew it would fly by in a hurry but I guess I thought I would stay more productive and have felt more accomplished by this point. It's hard comparing it to Nevis last summer because we were only there for a month and a half...not to mention we were busy from 6:30am to 6pm. Therefore, when we had free chunks of time I felt like we accomplished more because we knew we didn't have much time to spare. Also, we were staying on a small island with few things to see or do so it was much easier to accomplish everything we wanted to see and do. My situation here is the exact opposite...I have too much free time and a huge city to explore, but because I feel like I'm living here and not just "vacationing for a few weeks" I feel like I can afford to spend a couple hours playing spider solitaire and listening to music (don't judge me, a good portion of my down time is spent playing that game. I'm not proud of it, but that's just how it goes). The only problem is now I'm looking at the next month and a half saying HELLO! I have so much to accomplish! I'm accustomed to staying busy in the States with little down time to relax, so while it unfortunately makes me less productive and more lazy, I am very grateful to have had two solid months of relaxing. Only now I've got to get my booty in gear and start accomplishing the things I want to before I leave!

So like I just said...the past month has really been nothing but relaxing and going to classes. We've had a few adventures here and there, but most of my time spent has gone to hanging out with new friends around the residencia or sleeping. My body's not going to know what to do with itself when I get back into my 4-5 hours of sleep a night routine! We have gone on a couple excursions with ISA...as you'll see in my pictures, we had a "Dia de Campo" where we stopped by a gorgeous cathedral in Lujan (a town I believe north of Buenos Aires) and then went to an estancia after. At the estancia we were able to learn more about the gaucho life (I guess you could call them the cowboys of Argentina..different style and history, same demeanor). We had an incredible asado lunch (it's a steak lunch with different types and cuts of meat) and danced around with those visiting the estancia as well.

We also went to Rosario this past weekend, which is a city due 5 hours NW of Buenos Aires. It's a gorgeous city like Buenos Aires but slightly smaller, and sits next to Rio Parana so you get the best of both worlds: the city and the beach. Our group stayed over night Saturday night so we were able to check out the city a little bit on Saturday and spend the day at the beach on Sunday. Although we didn't see too much of the city, we could definitely tell a difference in the attitudes of the locals. While often times we feel anti-American sentiment here in Buenos Aires, many kiosko workers were thrilled at the fact we are from the States and wanted to practice their English with us. It was nice feeling like a guest-star to a city rather than unwelcomed-I even took pictures with a girl working at one of the kioskos because she was so thrilled I was from the States and knew of Justin Bieber...you think you know Bieber fever in the States? They have it so much worse here. Oh also, I told her Matthew looks similar to Bieber and showed her a picture...she said he was very handsome, loved his eyes, and asked for his number ;) The Sunday-beach-day was fantastic, it was nice to get into the warmth and relax for a few hours...it was even warm enough to get burnt!

Although my last blog entry appears to be a 'bash-Argentina' entry, I have really come to love this place and can't imagine returning to the States. I guess for a while I didn't really understand where I belonged and was caught between the comfort of English speakers and my wanting to meet more locals/other Spanish speakers. As much as I adore my new friends from the ISA program, I also wanted to acquire a more cultural group of friends so I wouldn't feel like my entire study abroad program was spent in my own comfortable culture. I'm here to learn as much as possible (about the language, culture, everything) and for a while I felt like I wasn't doing so. However, within the past couple of weeks I have become very close to other people in the residencia and with my Spanish improving little by little, it has become much easier to get to know others better. Sometimes it is still hard to pick up on what they're saying when they're going back and forth and speaking very fast, but it's almost a fun game to play..."what are they talking about now!" Overall I can pick up on the main topic of conversation and sometimes I can understand more, sometimes I understand less. Just depends on my level of Spanish that day! (Seriously though it's incredibly annoying-there are days I can rattle off in Spanish without a problem, other days I'm struggling to say the most common phrases).

So I've come to the realization that I will not leave Argentina being as fluent as I was hoping I would be. It bothered me for a while but I think I was expecting too much out of this trip as far as learning a language is concerned. Some people are able to learn a language within a couple of years without a problem. I've come to terms with the fact my mind doesn't work in the same way and that no matter how many times I ask "what does this word mean?" a day, I'll still probably ask the same question in a couple of weeks. (Well, that and I guess it was a little silly to think I could become fluent at a language in under four months...). Languages are not my strong subject but I really love Spanish and I'm hoping that I'll use this study abroad experience as a stepping stone to continue working at the path of becoming more fluent. I'm a little nervous that by not being around it every day, I'll gradually lose what I have worked for in the past couple of months but because I will be completing a Spanish major, I'm hoping that my classes will help me hang on to aspects like reading, writing, and speaking. I'm also hoping this experience will give me more confidence to speak the language when I return and will therefore be able to get higher participation points in my classes as well as communicate better with people at Chick-fil-A.

As far as the city is concerned, I feel like I've learned the ropes like I did with the residencia and have now fallen in love with this place. Just like I had to learn how to act and relate to people in the residencia (Ps, Jorge loves me now. Funny how he had me crying two months ago, and now he seems to respect me...you really do have to give respect to get it around here), I've also had to learn how to go about and relate to others in the city. I'll still say that for the most part, the local city slickers are cold spirited and rushed, but it just makes it that more special when you find a diamond in the rough. Like going to the ferrias (the outdoor markets) and meeting rasta-Colombians who invite you out to an afternoon of chit-chats, wine, and free dreadlocks, or the old woman who lectures you in the supermarket because your bag is opened and she doesn't want someone to rob you. It's not a warm, tropical atmosphere, but it is what it is, and then you start singing the theme song to "Facts of Life"..."You take the good you take the bad, you take them both and there you have...the facts of life, the facts of life!"

The next month is going to be quite an eventful one: As of this Wednesday I'm going to enroll in a lyrical jazz class with my darling Eddy for a month, I'm leaving for Mendoza (famous wine making providence of Argentina) on Thursday night and staying there until the following Wednesday morning, we're going to the Don Omar concert next Sunday evening, Iguazu falls at the end of October, Uruguay for a weekend trip at some point, and hopefully enjoying a weekend on the beaches of Mar de Plata as well. Hopefully I'll be able to change my ticket so that I can stay through the weekend of November 12th and go to the electronic-music-festival 'Creamfields' and then fly over to Chile to stay with Pablo for a week! Thennnn in the meantime I still want to see a tango show, go to the Lujan Zoo (where you can pet tigers and ride camels!) for a day, go to a futbol game, buy some goodies, and so, so much more!

I'm sorry I've been so slow to keep this thing updated (as usual) but hopefully with all the upcoming traveling and adventures I'll have more interesting things to write about!

Love to every single one of you, besos!

(PS, ^up at the top, I have a second link connecting to my new Flickr account, which will have the rest of my pictures from this trip. I added a few more to the Picasa account but I filled up my storage space so I had to add another one! And when you click on the tab and it takes you to the page, click on the photo album to the right named "Buenos Aires, No.2"...this will actually show the photos in order, I'm still trying to figure this new site out!)

First Month, Check.

So I have mixed emotions about the past month here. I went to this bike trail with a couple friends today and a couple of my girlfriends and I were talking about being here versus somewhere in Central America (ie, somewhere warmer and friendlier) and I think we came to the conclusion that although we're having an incredible time here, it would have been nice to learn Spanish in a place where the people are A) more patient and friendlier and B) the Spanish is easier to understand.

So this is a huge generalization obviously because I can't say I've met every person in this city, but for the most part I just don't like the portenos of Buenos Aires. Ironically, I've had an easier time getting along with random local girls than I thought-I've had many girls ask me where I'm from and try to start a conversation with me, whereas the guys here are worthless. I thought the guys in the States were bad...and now I miss them! Obviously you don't go to a boliche to meet a guy, but you can't avoid them at the same time. Even last night we went to a higher class bar and I had two guys ask me what I think of the guys here...I told them both they're all animals and all they want is sex (with attitude...I'm so tiered of trying to be patient with these boys). The first guy ran off pouting after I told him there were plenty of girls he could try and refused to react to his attempts to kiss me and the second guy tried telling me "Oh no! Portenos just want love! Not sex!" Biggest lie I've heard in my life. If they heard "no" and understood it would be one thing but it doesn't matter if you tell these boys you're in a relationship or that you just simple don't want to dance, sometimes they'll go as far to just grab onto you and not let you go, saying "un beso! un beso!" Once time I tried getting my friend to go to the bathroom and literally had a tug of war with a guy to physically get her away from here. They're wolves I tell ya!

I guess that's my biggest complaint so far, is just the lack of warmth I feel around here. On a day to day basis they're short and impatient and by night the guys turn into animals and misinterpret "Hi, I'm Ashley" as "hello, I'd love to go home with you tonight." One the bright side, I have fallen in love with the people at my residencia. I think for a while I was embarassed to speak to people because it's so hard to understand some of the locals and my Spanish is slowly improving, but it's getting alot easier and therefore I'm able to make small chit chat with more people. There are a few girls that are just sweethearts, we've fortunately been able to click really fast now that I'm breaking out of my shell. Also, this is a huge stereotype but I'm generally in love with the Brazilians in Buenos Aires. At my residencia they stick together alot but they're generally warm and as Rosie says, have an extra amount of energy to them. And the ones I've met throughout the city have been just as nice, much kinder and friendlier than the locals (again, for the majority).

On a random note, things have chilled out alot around the residencia. I've been able to work around Jorge (we can even joke around now, it's just that sucking up technique!) and stay out of trouble. The internet still stinks and the food is iffy but overall I'm having a much better time now that we're learning the ropes.

My classes are going decent as well. My Argentine Art class is very interesting and I feel like I'm learning alot. My favorite class, however, is Argentine Culture. The teacher is so energetic and eccentric he makes us want to participate. One of the last classes we had I was so interested in what we were talking about I couldn't help but ask a lot of questions, so I'm hoping he'll notice I'm participating and give me an A in the end! baha. My Latinamerican Literature class on the other hand is completely impossible. Consider reading Shakespear if you were learning English...I'm pretty much doing the same things. I understand this class involves literature from very early times but our teacher is unforgiving when it comes to grading, so I'm considering emailing my advisor in the States and asking her what happens if I fail this class...it's brutal. And then Advanced Grammer is just helpful, can't forget that one!

So after being here for a month, here are a few random things I both miss about the States and love about Buenos Aires:
Missing...
-NC State's library, aka my second home. Sometimes it's too hard to get things done around here and I miss having a place to go to when I just need to focus.
-Fast food...can you believe I'm saying that? Although I don't really support the way Americans abuse fast food, I do miss being able to grab a chicken sandwhich when I'm in a time crunch and need a protein boost...I've been lacking in that severely here.
-My car, and of course the freedom that ensues.
-Target, although sometimes it's fun to wander the city in search of something random, but sometimes it's nice just to be able to go to once place and get everything in one stop.
-Being able to cook...I miss straight protein and veggies and fruit. And no potatoes.
-Green grass. Blue sky. Sun.
-Having a job...it's so weird spending money and not being able to make it back.
-Doing my own laundry.
-Southern hospitality.
-Feeling secure.
-NORMAL SPANISH.
-My morning cup of coffee...with vanilla creamer!
-Steady internet. Ugg.
-Dance. Good gracious I miss dancing.

Things I'm in love with:
-Mate, be prepared to see me with my mate cup and my thermos all the time when I get back, it's delicious and I crave it all too often.
-Constantly being around Spanish, even if the accent is terribly hard to understand. I can't even imagine going home and not being around it so often.
-Subte, so convenient.
-Cafes, adorable cups of coffee and cute little postres.
-Boliches...although the guys are terrible, the music is generally a good mixture of reggaeton and American pop.
-Public transportation and meeting locals with cars...aka never having to worry about drinking and driving.
-The "anything goes" attitude.
-The culture-rich residencia, the fact I'm always learning something about someone else's culture. We have our own little melting pot here =)
-The potential for every day adventures, the fact everythings new and exciting.

Okay, seriously I'm very hungry and have to go eat pizza! Hasta luego, chao chao!

Cordoba y Las Salinas

Oye, where has the past month gone!? I was talking to someone the other day and I realized I have no idea where the time goes..I feel like I don't get enough sleep, I haven't seen as much of the city as I'd like to, I haven't been able to do the work I want to (like this blog for example!), and I certainly haven't kept in touch with everyone back home like I'd like to. Looks like it's about time to build a time machine...

Hope everyone's doing well, I miss you guys! If this internet will work for long enough I'll hopefully be able to fill you guys in on our past month (why am I paying money to live in a place where I can't do my homework or talk to people again?).

So this past month has been filled primarily with the usual stuff, classes and homework throughout the weekend, boliches, bars, and mini-adventures during the weekend. I guess the most exciting thing about this past month was our trip to Cordoba! We left on a Friday night and took a semi-cama (a double decker bus with seats that look like first class in an airplane, they lean back a good distance so you can sleep during the night) bus, which ended up being 12 hours but flew by faster than I thought it would. We arrived early Saturday morning at our estancia, something I don't really know how to explain. It's just a plot of land with a couple houses used for dining, bedrooms, and I'm assuming the house where the owner lives. The owner of the estancia is this incredible humble woman from Australia, it felt so good to get out of the city and be able to look someone in the eyes and talk to them for once! There were also two cookers/servers, these two young guys (one I know from Australia, I think the other's from Argentina) who were really funny and incredibly nice. Upon arriving they got us settled into our rooms and then served us breakfast and then we got ready for our first adventure into the sierras! The surrounding area was gorgeous and incredibly convenient for a nearby hike. We spent the rest of the day hiking through the mountains, where we were able to encounter alot of wildlife and incredible views (yea, we casually sat across a bank watching wild horses prance around during our lunch break, how often does that happen?). That afternoon we returned to take a nap (probably the best sleep I've had since arriving in Argentina, the bed was SO comfy!) and then returned to the dining room for a welcome asado, or steak dinner.

The next day was I think the best day of the trip. We woke up early for breakfast and then two of my friends and I power walked to this local area with an incredible rock formation. I don't think my pictures did the area justice but the rock formation was huuuuuge-we considered not going because it was a half an hour walk away and we only had an hour and a half to kill but opted to go anyways, totally worth the hour powerwalk! They had this trail you could wander through that takes you through caves and ontop of one of the rocks, but we only had 15 minutes there so we looked around and then left. We returned to grab some lunch and then left for Las Salinas! Apparently our tour guide, Juan, and his friend Esteban are gods and know about the coolest things that no one else does....like Las Salinas. Basically it's this million acre area of nothing but salt...it's so gorgeous, so serene. We made it just before sunset and took a million and two pictures, then sat around the campfire and ate a bit of dinner. Juan and Esteban sang us songs with their guitar, we learned how to dance (something I forgot the name of..), made Argentine s'mores (thin cookies, white chocolate and marshmallows filled with dulce de leche), stargazed, etc.

So after we went stargazing, we had about 10 of us in a group and Juan told us to stand completely still and listen to the silence, and then scream as loud as possible when he put his hand up. He told us to shut up after putting his hand down, but we didn't really get the point to shut up at the same time. We tried the first time and although it felt great, and to try it again. The second or third time we tried doing it and got the hang of it and it was INCREDIBLE-I didn't feel small against the stars or the horizon that extends as far as the eye can see, but the second he put his hand down you could hear the echo for a few seconds after, and then it hit me how small I felt against this million acre plot of salt. The one bizarre thing that happened was we saw lights out in the distance...like a car or something. I didn't think too much about it until my friend pointed out that even Juan was scared because barely anyone knows of this place, much less goes to it (especially after dark). Weird!

So the next day, in honor of my momma's birthday, we rode horses up one of the tallest mountain peaks in the area. I need to find the name of the peak but it was apparently a sacred area for the indigenous people that use to live in the area (I didn't get the story exactly, Juan told us a few things once we got to the top but I was sitting where I couldn't hear very well and was too entranced by the view to think too hard in Spanish). My horse was pretty awesome, her name was Chirusa, which apparently translates into a bad word in Spanish...but they wouldn't tell me the exact meaning, I just kind of assumed what they were talking about...I definitely underestimated how much they can feel your moods though-when I was freaking out about going down the mountain, she felt it and wouldn't budge. Then when I was excited to be on flat land again and wanted to trot she got the hint (or maybe she learned to respect me, I don't know I'm not a horse whisperer).

I think our group had a really good moment on the top of the mountain (basically we rode the horses up to a certain point and when it got too steep we climbed the rest of the way up) while eating lunch. Someone randomly asked "How did we get here?" and we talked about how we had the fortunate chance to experience many things that weekend that people never get to do in their lifetimes. We were on top of a mountain, eating lunch, in the middle of nowhere, Argentina. I guess I had an "epiphany" so to speak about how fortunate I am and how much I should treasure what I'm doing here. It's an honor to study abroad in general but with some of the things I have already been able to experience, (well, mainly Cordoba), I feel speechless.

After the afternoon of horseback riding we returned to the estancia to eat a quick bite, gather our things and then peace out. Surprisingly I slept like a child on the way back, probably because of the exhausting but much needed weekend activities! I'm hoping to be able to upload most of the pictures from this weekend, I think I took more photos in Cordoba then I have the rest of the trip!

Who's Chair is That?

Not my chair. Not my chair, not my problems, that's what I say. (For those of you who don't recognize this quote, watch 'drinking out of cups' on youtube..stupid, yet hilarious. Definitely the quote of the week).

So the past week has been very...interesting to say the least. I don't know if it's part culture shock or hormones or what have you, but I've gone from loving this place one minute to missing the States the next. I feel like I adjusted to Nevis better last summer than I am right now, and I'm surprisingly more homesick than I thought I would be.

I've come to the conclusion that I've been feeling this way for a variety of reasons. First of all, you all know you mean the world to me, and I do miss each and every one of you very much. Secondly, in Raleigh I have everything at my fingertips, and if I don't know where or what something is, I can ask and usually start up an interesting conversation with someone. It's harder here because I have no car, and although I have a weird love for the subte (subway system), it's still alot of walking (I need some boots made for walking...har har) and alot of not knowing where everything is. Granted, this will all change as I get to know the city better but in the meantime it's frustrating not having the capability to hop in my car and head to Target. Also, the Spanish here is incredibly difficult to understand. They talk a million miles a minute, use the "vos" form (of which you know we never learned in school...they'll say "como estas vos?" or when you ask "como estas?", they answer with "bien, y vos?"...it took me a couple days to catch on to this), pronounce "y" and "ll" as a smooth Spanish "j" sound, never use the ud./uds. forms, and have a certain type or porteno slang called "lunfardo" of which I don't understand a lick of. So now, when I get lost or I can't find something I need, I have to pray that they A) understand my slowly improving Spanish and B) answer in a way I can understand. Dios mio.

Adjusting to city life is also harder than I thought it would be. Buenos Aires is enormous, composed of seven different districts and 3 million people in the city alone. Even after two weeks, I still feel as though I've barely gotten to know the city. I know parts of Palermo (where we live), the Belgrano region where our university is, and I've been to a movie theater in Recoleta. Just outside of the city, there lies a town/river area named El Tigre. Part of our group went on an adorable boat ride through the river and learned about the lifestyle over there this past weekend. It was nice to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city and see water again! The lifestyle there is very unique; they basically use the river as a road system, using boats to get everywhere and even leaving out notes so that the mini-grocery-boats can come by and drop some supplies off (or at least that's what I heard from someone?). Other than that, I've got quite a bit of exploring to do over the next couple months! We have a full-blown nature trip in Cordoba coming up soon, a visit to the museum planned out for Friday, a weekend trip to Iguazu falls, and some other minor day things to do during the upcoming weekends like visiting the markets in San Telmo, Japanese gardens, the park at Plaza Italia, etc.

Also, safety has become a concern of mine. Our program, ISA, pretty much gave us a series of orientations filled with terrifying stories of people getting robbed, drugged up, put into dangerous situations, etc. I didn't worry too much at first because I figured they were just trying to keep us on our toes so that we wouldn't get too comfortable and therefore more vulnerable, but ironically as time's gone on I've become more afraid of the people in this city. The other night I was at the club and some jerk discreetly opened my purse and tried to pickpocket me but I caught it before he could take anything. After hearing about two ISA students being held up at gunpoint, my neighbor being mugged, and this, it was kind of a wake up call that my only option is to become a ninja and kick some bad-guy booty. Or just make sure I'm never walking alone at night!

The residencia has also become a bit of a bother, but I think that's because I've been comparing it to the dorms we have in the States as one of my friends pointed out to me. While usually you get the freedom of going to a basement area or someone's room to hang out after certain hours, we're on lockdown like a prison after 11pm. After 11pm, we have to either be in our rooms or sitting in the common areas in complete silence, we can't have visitors even step inside the building, and we can't be in a member of the opposite sex's room past the bewitching hour. My internet connection has been really screwy and when it works in one building, it won't in the other and vice versa, so sometimes I'll run across the street to the other building to get a little internet access. One time I was told that because I didn't sleep in the other building, I had to return to my own building and I was only allowed to stay there after I promised to be completely silent. It's definitely not the social place I thought it would be but in the past couple days it's appeared to be a little more lenient. I've found that I can go to the comedor and talk on Skype so I'm thinking that should be our new hang out place from now on. We'll figure it out! I think there's also a level of politics and money issues at play. I've noticed the American students who are here with specific programs getting in trouble a lot more than those who pay monthly and I've been told it's probably all politics. We've already pre-paid for our whole stay here, so now they can bother us and threaten to kick us out without us threatening them back that we'll take our money somewhere else. Now all we have to do is figure out how to play the game back...and win.

On the bright side, there are certain cultural flares that I'm falling in love with. Everyone here does a single kiss on the right cheek when saying hello and goodbye, and I find it much more personal than a cold handshake or an awkward game of "saying-hello-to-someone-then-awkwardly-glancing-away". The people in the city are just like those in New York city...for the most part they're hurried and never show gratitude, but I'm learning to find the diamonds in the rough. The older generations are definitely more willing to say hello and answer questions but the younger generations are rather indifferent and appear almost annoyed with us. Luckily, my immediate surroundings include a couple of kioskos and a bakery owned by incredibly nice adults, it's good to find a southern hospitality in such a busy place! (Who would have guessed that I, of all people, miss the South!? Was it just me or did you just feel the earth shake too?).

Perhaps the cultural aspect I'm looking forward to the most is the mate! It's a really unique thing and I haven't met an Argentine in the residencia who doesn't have their own mate...and it's slowly catching onto the foreigners as well! So there is this gourd container called a mate, and basically all you do is put loose-leaf tea (yerba mate) into it, pour hot water on top, and drink from this metal straw called a bombilla. The straw is made so that it only lets the liquid pass, allowing you to keep refilling the gourd until the taste runs out. I bought my own little mate at the markets in El Tigre this weekend but since it's made out of a gourd/wood like material, it needs to be "cured" so that the tea doesn't taste like wood. Right now it's in the process of curing but tonight I'll hopefully be able to have my own cup of mate! It's packed with caffeine and much cheaper than buying a coffee every day. I haven't experienced this yet but apparently there are certain rules of ettiquette that go along with drinking mate in groups. Often times one cup is shared among a social group, where the server makes a round, gives it to a person, they finish the serving, and then hand it back to the server to be passed around again.

Oh wait...I'm here for school aren't I? Ah that's right. Well, my classes are pretty awesome so far. I guess I don't have too much to add to that because I'm only taking four classes and each class is an hour and a half two times a week so Monday through Thursday I have three hours of classes. Yeah, yeah I know, "oh! you have such a hard life!"...but it's actually harder for me to do less than more! I'm so use to being bogged down with homework, work, life, and attempts at a social life that now I don't know what to do with so much free time. Unfortunately it has a reverse affect on me and makes me more tiered and useless than it does productive. I'm taking advanced grammar (which I'm super excited about ironically, it's going to help me greatly with my Spanish), contemporary Argentine art, Latinamerican literature, and Argentine culture...all in Spanish. I can understand most everything that's going on in the class but I better learn how to speak it fast if I want my participation points! The classes so far seem interesting and the teachers are nice, but I will definitely need to start drinking some mate before going...three hours is a long time for me to sit still and pay attention.

Okay I'll try to write more often so these entries aren't novel-status.

Hasta luego, besos a todos!

First week in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Greetings from Buenos Aires, Argentina!

It's only been a little over a week, but I feel like I've been living in this city for months. It's been such an eventful week I haven't had enough time to do anything personal (like writing in my journal, creating this blog, laundry, etc), and I think the only reason I have enough dedication to sit here and do this right now is because the week has taken a toll on my body and I'm starting to feel a little sickly. At least it's forcing me to get stuff done!

Where in the world do I start!? Let's see...

So the saga began last Friday, July 22nd. I had a layover in New York, where I guess the most interesting parts of my week began. I had the chance to meet Elaina, another girl who's studying with ISA and had friended me on facebook beforehand, so it was nice to see a familiar face at the airport. We were able to get our seats switched and ended up sitting together on the plane, where we learned we have almost everything in common-aka long lost sisters. The ride down wasn't actually as bad as I thought it would be, I ended up sitting in the aisle so I had a chance to walk around when my knees were bothering me and actually slept for a couple hours here and there. We even made friends with the flight attendence, making the trip even more fun.

Arriving was completely exhuasting, however. Lucky for me, Elaina's fluent in Spanish so between my navigation skills (seriously, don't everyone go laughing at once...I've been able to navigate my way around Buenos Aires pretty well! Never would have guessed in a million years...) and her Spanish we were able to figure out how to get out of the airport and meet our group. Julia, one of the directors from ISA, picked us up and a large group of us boarded a bus and drove us into Buenos Aires. From what I understand, the airport is an hour give or take away from the city but I passed out as soon as I sat down so I can't really tell you...Anyways, the students were dropped off with their homestay families and the rest of us were taken to the residencia, our home for the next four months!

So there are seven of our ISA students staying in the residencia, three of us girls (although I just met a new member today! She's doing another program so she came in a week late) and four other guys. Lindsay and Elaina are the two girls I'm usually with and Blaine, James, Jake and Tim being the guys in the group. Talk about a small world, James went to high school with me and now goes to college near where I was born in Colorado, and Tim goes to NC State with me..the world keeps getting smaller and smaller! The residencia is a huge melting pot in itself...we live with students from Spain (like my incredibly amazing roommate, Lula-seriously, how gorgeous is her name?), Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Switzerland, Venezuela, Argentina, Mexico, Ireland, Scotland, and I'm sure there are a couple I forgot to name. Not to mention all the ISA and CEA (another program like ours, we're all studying at the Universidad del Belgrano together) students are from all different parts of the nation...pretty cool cultural experience all around! (Oh ps, most everyone from these programs are from the North or West, so I've been repeatedly told I have a Southern accent...hahaha).

The time between the minute I got into my room at the residencia until a couple days later are honestly a complete blur to me. The first three days were filled with orientations, figuring our way around the city, and trying to figure out the best way to stay in touch with both one another and those back home. The orientations were really good on the one hand because it forced us to figure out the public transportation system, how long it takes to get to point A to point B (needless to say my group at the residencia never quite learned that lesson...we were usually 30 min late to every meeting), security measures we should take in certain situations, cultural norms around here, etc. However, it was also in incredibly exhausting three days-we barely any time to eat, find water, take a few minutes to recooperate, or even pack until a couple days later...I think I finally got around to unpacking Monday or so. I guess on the bright side these kids have now seen me at my worst-hungry, thirsty and on my feet all day? Yea, I was fun to deal with for those first three days =)

After the orientations we had the chance to settle down a little bit...but not physcially. Less during the day only meant more during the night! We finally finished our errands and ended up running out of things we needed to get done upon arriving, so Wednesday through Saturday we opted to go out. Nightlife here is nothing, I repeat NOTHING like it is in the States. Here's a general look at what the weekend looked like (aka, what the rest of my weekends will look like): Get up anywhere between 1-4pm, grab a shower, sneak some lunch from the comedor (like our little dining room area) if it's before 2pm, hang out or run errands until dinner time, eat dinner around 9ish, quick nap/hang out/skype/get ready until 1am, find a boliche (local word for dance club), dance until 5/6am, finally go to bed. Wake up between 1-4pm the next day, repeat. The boliches here are flat out incredible-they're massive, vibrant places where people go in groups and dance together..it's definitely not like the sketchy clubs in the States where guys spot you from the corner of the room and well...you know what they do. People here actually dance face to face (what a concept, seeing the person you're dancing with!?) or in their circle of friends-at least that's what I've seen so far!

And so concludes the first week of Buenos Aires, for the most part. Chao! (Ps, the picture above is my room number...I haven't taken too many pictures so far, Elaina's been our main photographer ;) But I am trying to figure a way to connect an album to this blog like I did with my Nevis blog, we'll see!)