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!