Iguazu with Jacob!

Hola amigos! Last week was quite an adventure. Jacob came to visit! I was so excited to see a familiar face and the whole experience was pretty surreal. For the first few days we just poked around the city and he tagged along with me to the university. I attempted to show him the ropes and lead him to the try the "best" local foods. He fell in love with empanadas, just as I did in those first days. It was really cool for me to speak Spanish in front of a non-stranger. Jacob thought that it was pretty impressive how well I knew the city and how well I speak the language. Having an affirmation that I have improved immensely since being here gave me a lot of confindence.
For the weekend, we boarded a two-tiered bus to Iguazu Falls with my friend Mac and her boyfriend who was also visiting. Jacob and I had the very front seats on the top level of the bus so it looked like we were flying when watching out of the front window. The bus ride to Iguazu was 22 hours long, 12:00 p.m. Friday-10:00 Saturday.
We arrived in Iguazu on Saturday morning at about 9:30, found our way to Hostel Park Iguazu, and planned out our day. After getting medialunas con membrillo (another of Jacob's new loves) we caught a bus to the National Park Iguazu Animal Reserve. There, we took a tour of the reserve which houses and rehabilitates animals that are found wounded in the area, are there to mate, or just need to be taken care of. The most bizarre reason for some of the animals being there was these racoon type animals that were taken from the area where the Falls are located because they have really high blood pressure and blood sugar from eating the snacks left over by the tourists.
Iguazu has a tropical climate, so there was an abundance of birds. For dinner that evening, we braved the motorcycle rally that was occuring in the city to find some pizza. On Sunday, after having more medialunas for breakfast, we made our way to the Cataratas de Iguazu (Iguazu Falls!) The waterfalls were beyond amazing, beautiful, breathtaking, etc... We were also so far North that we could see Brazil. The park had numerous waterfalls that were all different sizes and had different volumes and scenery. On the way back from the park, we stopped for dinner at an Asador. Jacob and I shared the "assorted meat" dinner which included enough meat for a small army including chorizo (sausage), carne de vaca (steak) and pollo (chicken) all cook on the asado barbeque. I think he was impressed with the meal.
We left Iguazu on Monday and arrived back in Cordoba on Tuesday. On Wednesday night, I took Jacob on a tour of the Plaza San Martin and we had a nice dinner of Lomitos (again, a new one of his loves) and then had my favorite, Grido Helado. I was sad to see him go on Thursday, but my time here is running short so I didn't have too much time to be sad. I will be home 5 weeks from today. Since I've been here for nearly 12 weeks, 5 weeks seems like nothing.
Chau y besos,
Alex

System error

The bus system in Cordoba has gone on strike this week. A million Cordobeses take the bus everyday to get to work, school, or even just to the grocery store. As you can imagine, it's created a dose of chaos for the people who have places to be. My only source of inexpensive transportation around the city and especially to UBP are the collectivos (city buses). I had a near heart attack yesterday in fear that I would go broke just trying to get to school everyday and back. Taxis and remis are cabs that you can take from point A to point B, but they cost in some cases, 10 times as much as taking the bus. Every time I get on a collectivo, a pay a flat rate of 3.20 pesos no matter how short or far the distance I'm traveling. It's about a 15-20 minute bus ride from my house to the university. But, a taxi ride from my house to the university is nearly 30 pesos, 10 times as much as my bus fair. The city is convinced that the buses will be running in the next 24 hours, same thing the news said 24 hours ago. Until then, I will be forking over the pesos to the taxi/remi companies. This is how most things work in Argentina though: unpredictable, anti-systematic, and sometimes just too obscure for me to understand. As I've noted in past entries, I am developing a never before sense of patience by being here and dealing with situations way beyond my control. My mom would say it's situations like these that build character. So, I'm expecting to come home from Argentina money-less, but with a whole lot of character.

Buenos Aires in a nut shell

This past weekend, I went with my friend Sam to Buenos Aires from Friday until Monday.The trip involved a 9 hour overnight bus ride in "cama" (bed seats). We arrived in Bs As at 8:00 in the morning on Saturday. The neighborhood that the bus terminal is located in was not the safest place to be so we booked it to the nearest Starbucks to start the day. After changing, having the cafe del dia and talking with locals to figure out where we were, we tracked our route to our hostel and began the 30 minute walk there. The hostel that we stayed in was called the Downtown B.A. Hostel and was located in the center of the city close to the Plaza de San Martin. We stopped at the Plaza to take our first photos of the trip.

          
 It was unfortunately pouring the entire day on Saturday and was cold. The city tour that we had planned to take was a 3 hour walking tour, so we decided to book a bus tour through the hostel. We began our tour at 2:00 and saw many historical sites, the different barrios of Buenos Aires, and numerous interesting locations and monuments, including the $5 million flower sculpture that is new to Bs As. We visted the Plaza de Mayo, the famous square that the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo march each Thursday. And, the Casa Rosada (like the white house of Argentina, but it's pink) We also visited the barrio "La Boca" which is a famous neighborhood close to the Rio de la Plata. This barrio is very colorful and shows the character of the original Tango and European influences in Buenos Aires.

On Sunday, Samantha and I visited two museums and a famous cemetery. The first museum was called La Malba and had numerous works of art from around the world. There was an entire floor devoted to art from the United States which was called "Bye Bye American Pie". I would take back the word "devoted" to U.S. art and change it to "defaming" U.S. art. The way the United States was portrayed by this exhibit was disappointing and unfortunate. It portrayed Americans as teenage drug abusing prostitutes who condone bestiality and are racists. Highlighting the lowest point in American culture, the 70's. After the visit to La Malba, we went to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. I did not take photos at this museum, but it was absolutely amazing. I could have spent all day there staring at the different paintings and sculptures. I don't know if I will ever visit as place as amazing or captivating at this museum. Each room had a theme and a different color on the wall to highlight the beauty of the paintings in that room. The sculptures were by far my favorite part as I was awed by the possibility that a piece of wood, ceramic, or stone could be transformed into a human with flexed muscles and skin crevices.
The final stop of the day was to the Cemeterio de la Recoleta, a cemetary in the barrio of Recoleta that houses the tombs of Argentina's most famous and most influencial. The tomb of Eva Peron (Evita) and many presidents were located in this cemetary. The interesting thing is that all of the tombs are above ground and houses in individual building that look like houses. From a far, the cemetary looks like a community, or a city street. It's not until you are in front of one of the tombs and can see the casket inside that you realize it isn't. Sam and I were perplexed to see an abundance of cats in this cemetary because we have only seen stray dogs in all of Argentina. I learned in class today that the cemetary is famous for the cats that are fostered there. There are many legends about these cats and my professor said that cats are not fearful of the supernatural, but that dogs are and that is the explanation for the feline phenonmenon. The statues located on top of each of the tombs were amazing and beautiful as well, in a very eerie way.
After leaving the cemetery, we went to the feria and looked at each of the street shops for a bit before heading back to the hostel to pick up our belongings. We then found a McDonalds and indulged in some french fries, made our way back to the Starbuck's from the first day, and got ready to head back to Cordoba. I'm looking forward to traveling again as my next journey will be with Jacob to Iguazu Falls!
Chau,
Alex

On the road again

Hola! I'm leaving for Buenos Aires in a few hours so my next post should be full of stories and photos from this weekend. A recap of the week: Tuesday-History Exam, Wednesday: Spanish Exam, Thursday: Popular Culture Exam. I feel pretty good about my first round of Parciales. The grading system here is a lot different than it is in the U.S. The grades are on a 1-10 scale. 10-8 is an A, 8-6 a B, 6-4 a C, and so on. But, a 10 is only equivalent to a 95% because they grade so much harder. I got an 8 on my History exam but have not learned the grades for the other two. It has been bitterly cold here this week. It feels like it's 40 degrees. It wouldn't be as bad if the houses here had heating. The warmest place to be is in the shower. I am fulling bundled up even just sitting in my room and when going to bed. I am hopeful that the weather will warm up at least a little bit because it's nearly unbearable for the international students who didn't plan on it feeling like winter while we're here. I was so excited to receive a package this week from my grandparents (thanks again you guys!) I was jumping up and down like a little kid and gratefully shared my peeps with excited American students and delightfully surprised Argentinians. Hope everyone has a great weekend and thanks for reading!
Chau,
Alex

Endearing Qualities

HOLA!!! Time is moving quickly. I bought my bus tickets for Buenos Aires this coming weekend and Jacob and my tickets for Iguazu Falls on  May 11th yesterday. Having the next 8 or so weeks planned out and having these trips to look forward to is making it seem like I'll be home in no time. Although it's comforting to feel like I'll be home shortly, there are also things about Argentina that have grown on me and that I will miss when I leave. Besides Grido Helado chocolate con almendras (almonds) ice cream, dulce de leche, and Cofler Blocks chocolate, there are some very endearing qualities about my host family that I will miss, and that have made me very happy this past week. The first of these is always Jorgito because every time he is around, I cannot help but smile. We have so much fun playing together and he loves taking pictures with me on my I Phone. Secondly, I LOVE my host brothers. We are now at the point were we make fun of each other and joke around a lot. They like to try and pull the wool over my eyes daily. Nico even helped me with a very important paper that I had due this week which I couldn't have been more grateful for. Seba is just always impressing me with his kindness and maturity as well. He is 13 years old, but is rarely sassy and no matter what I ask him for help with or don't understand, he has never once been less than willing to assist me and make me laugh while doing it. I have had some endearing moments with my host parents this past week as well. Graciela and I have been sitting down with coffee and talking a lot about life. We celebrated her 6 year of cancer remission with a cascada brinda (waterfall toast) last week. It makes me proud to know such a strong woman who takes care of herself and has overcome the thing that has taken too many amazing women from my life. Raul, being the comedian he is, has decided that he and I should learn the Tango together and has been  joking with me about how I need to eat less sweets in preparation for my novio (boyfriend) being here so soon. Last night, Graciela and Raul went out on a date to a Tango show. It amazes me that even after nearly 40 years together, they still go on dates and every night when Raul gets home from work, he acts like it's the first time he's seen Graciela in days. Because the parents were gone for dinner, Nico and Seba cooked dinner for me. They made hamburgers and said that the next time we are left alone for a meal, it is my turn to cook for them. I cannot decide what American dish to make for the family though because all of their food is so good. I have felt so at home lately. It of course, is not the same as being at home with my own siblings or hanging out with Hope and Paul. Or having coffee with my mom in the mornings. I do miss everyone from home so much, but I've been at peace with being here and am finding happiness in the little things and endearing qualities that are making Argentina a place to be missed when I'm home again.
Muchos besitos!
Alex

Mis musculos

Hola todos! Internet issues and a lack of interesting writing topics have prohibited me from blogging in the past week. I'm sorry to those who have been checking and expecting new posts only to be disappointed (Grandpa Bill). It has just been the same old routine since overcoming my sinus illness. Classes, meals, and hitting the gym. In unpopular fashion, I have been going to the gym 6 days a week and lifting weights. I get stared at both outside of the gym when in gym clothes and inside of the gym where I feel like I lift the same amount as some of the guys that go in there. This is also because only a few girls from the U.S. go to the gym at the University. Unless the Argentinian tennis players go to the gym to ride the spin bike or to do sit ups, it is a rare occasion for the males to have to share lifting space with a female. The guys will literally stop the exercise they are doing and watch me finish my reps. It's not the same kind of uncomfortable that I feel when getting cat-called by the old guys in the streets, it more like a you're making me feel like you think I'm a unicorn just because I'm a girl lifting weights kind of uncomfortable. Like I said before, when outside of the gym wearing gym clothes, I get looked up and down by the girls as if they're saying with their eyes "I cannot believe she's wearing that". My t-shirts, Nike gym shorts, and tennis shoes complete a look that is not of popular fashion here in Argentina. But, getting in some gym time is worth the "you are fashion-less" looks and "dude a girl is lifting weights stares". I take humor in that fact that something as natural for me as going to the gym and wearing athletic clothes is a fashion tragedy and gender bender here. I digress to embracing the glares and plan to flex my muscles at anyone who wants to make a comment about my gym time/wardrobe.
Chau,
Alex

THS: Espero que prom fue muy bien y todos se divirtieron. Yo tengos tres examens en el proximo semana y necisito estudiar por esos. Estoy aprendido mucho aqui sobre gramatic de la lengua, la cultura y la historia de Argentina. Hasta luego y suerte.
SYD: Felicidades en Junior Attendant. Tu estabas muy hermosa en sabado.

Moco

Hola all! I haven't updated since returning from Mendoza, but I have had next to nothing to write about. It's been a uneventful week. I got a sinus/ear infection while in Mendoza so I'm on an anti-biotic and have just been resting this week. There is actually something I could write about regarding this subject. Argentina has national health care coverage. Therefore, here is the process by which I received Amoxicilina:
 1. Walked to the small farmacia across the street from Super Urca
 2. Struggled to open the  front gate as you must be buzzed in (I didn't know that, so I pulled and pushed on it embarrassingly for a few minutes while the people inside stared at me)
3. Told the first person I saw that my ears hurt ("me duele mis oidos")
4. She points to a man 2 ft. away in a lab coat
5. I tell that man (who is a farmacéutico and not a doctor) "me duele mis oidos" and learn some new vocabulary (the word for mucus is 'moco')
6.  He hands me a box of Amoxicilina and Pseudoefedrina
7. I hand him 40 pesos and leave.
No prescription, no check up, no doctor, and an antibiotic and decongestant for less than $10. Why is there opposition to universal health care again? Because, that was the most pain free solution to an ear infection I've ever encountered. But truthfully, probably the most sketchy. It's crazy that anybody could just walk in and fake it if they wanted and receive medication no questions asked. All right, now I can see where the opposition comes from.
Aside from being dumbfounded by how easily I got Amoxicilina, I have been catching up on the sleep I didn't get while in Mendoza and planning my next two trips to Buenos Aires in a week and a half and Iguazu in 3. I also only have a week to prepare for my first "Parcial" exams which start on the 24th. They are like midterms except you have two of them and they are your only grades for the course aside from attendance.
Thanks for reading!
Alex