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

Mendoza!

Macrina, Maria, Sam and I traveled with a Cordoba based travel group called Intercambio Cordoba.

The bus ride to Mendoza began at 10:00 pm on Wednesday night. It was a ten hour drive which consisted of fog that made it impossible to see, winding roads through the mountains, and a hail storm. This photo is of the gas station we waited at during the hail storm. There were dozens of cars seeking shelter under the awning while baseball sized hail fell. We got to our hostel at 8:00 in the morning on Thursday and had breakfast (criollos and coffee) We then headed out to begin our trip.

DAY 1: Our first stop was at Mr. Hugo bikes to get bicycles for our day of bodega tours. We visited 5 different vineyards to wine taste, tour, learn how the wine is made, and to eat lunch. The vineyards were really beautiful and so was the scenery. Riding the bicycle was the first time that I noticed the Andes Mountains which extended as far as I could see. At the end of the day, we had biked for nearly 5 hours and I was exhausted. For dinner that night, we had carne asado, played pool, and visited into the morning hours.

 

 DAY 2: We started our Friday morning early. After breakfast, we began our 4 hour drive into the Andes Mountains. Final destination: Aconcagua, the second largest mountain range in the Americas. Half way into the mountains, we stopped at an Incan feria and looked around at the hand made items.

The hike to Aconcagua was only 2 hours up and wasn't too difficult. It was so beautiful! I could turn 360's and see mountains all around me. I could have stayed there all day and just stared at the mountains. I realized I was a mountain person when I went to the Himalayas last summer. Visiting the Andes reaffirmed that fact. The Himalayas made me appreciate the beauty of life and made me feel like a bug on the earth compared to what I was seeing. The Andes made me appreciate the beauty of the earth and I wonder at the possibility that something made of individual rocks, soil, grass, and snow can bring me so much peace and self assurance. Being in the mountains makes all of the insignificant worries that I have feel even more insignificant because how can anything be so wrong in life when there are creations such as the Andes Mountains?

DAY 3: We woke up early again and drove back into the mountains. This time, was for white water rafting. It was amazing. The water was freezing, but it was so much fun. We rafted 12 kilometers through the rapids in the Andes and then hung out at the base for a few hours. When we got back into the city that night, we walked around the center of the city, visited monuments, and stopped for Subway (so good).

 DAY 4: Our last day in Mendoza (Easter) we drove into the mountains again to swim in a hot spring. It was such a beautiful view and nice to have some last time to enjoy the mountains before leaving. We left Mendoza for Cordoba at 2:00 and returned at midnight. From the trip I have taken away life affirming views, great memories and jokes, and also a bad cold from the altitude and unclean hostel. So glad I took the trip and look forward to the next one. Buenos Aires in 3 weeks and Iguazu in 4!

I hope that everyone had a great Easter weekend. Thanks for reading. If you're interested in more pictures from the trip, click the link below.

Suerte,

Alex

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.328744013846235.80309.100001319180089&type=3&l=fd6caf01bd

Lista para Mendoza

Buenos dias todos. Espero que todo bien. I leave for Mendoza tonight! My friends and I have private transportation for the 10 hour bus ride with the group that we are traveling with. The plan for the week is: Thursday- bicycle tours of 7 different vineyards for wine tasting, Friday- hiking and horse back riding in the Andes Mountains, Saturday-white water rafting in the Andes, Sunday-tour of the city and then we will head back to Cordoba on an overnight bus ride. Everyone I´ve talked to says that Mendoza is one of the most beautiful places in Argentina and I am so excited to be in the Andes. If I don´t get a chance to post again, I hope everyone has a great Easter. I will be taking too many pictures while I´m there and look forward to sharing them with you all. Muchos besos y chau,
Alex

Dia buena

(headless man in Al Centro)

Hola! Everything is fabulous in Argentina! Yesterday was a great day. The boyfriend bought a ticket and is going to be visiting me here in May! We are going to take a trip to Iguazu Falls which is a 2 mile long waterfall that has been named one of the new 7 wonders of the world. I still don't really believe that he'll be here because sometimes I can't even believe that I've been here for 5 weeks. I keep having these moments where I stop what I'm doing and remember that I'm living in Argentina. It's a very grounding feeling and I'm finding it difficult to imagine what it'll be like to be at home again after living here. In only two days, I leave for the Andes. I cannot wait! Last night I met mis amigas at Patio Olmos for some shopping. Every weekend in Al Centro, there is a huge open market called La Feria. It is 5 or so streets of stands and shops with every cool thing you could think of: hand made jewelry, antiques, insence, paintings, old records, hand painted china, bicycle chain sculptures, and my personal favorite-fresh, warm cotton candy. The atmosphere at La Feria was nothing short of full. That may be an interesting adjective to choose, but that's the best way to describe it. Full of people, full of voices, full of bargaining, full of items, full of life. It didn't take long for the 6 of us to feel slightly overwhelmed as it was hard to stay together in such a crowd. But, I loved it and could've stayed there all night slowly examining everything and taking in all of the fullness. One of my friend's host sisters owns a shop close to La Feria so we stopped there. I finally found the perfect maxi dress that I have been determined to find while I'm in Argentina. It is hand painted and actually long enough for me, which is a victory because everything here is made in petite sizes. I also began the souvenir shopping for some of my friends. When I got home at 12:00, I was surprised to find that there was a party going on at my house. The uncle, brother, cousin, and friends of Raul were in town from Buenos Aires. They had just finished eating dinner and everyone was sitting around drinking Fernet and talking. New born baby Santi was there. Because he was born a month early, he is SO tiny. He weighs only 2 kilograms. I was amazed at how late it was, and the party seemed to just be starting. I sat and visited with Fernando and Jorge (the husbands of my host sisters) and played with Jorgito for a couple of hours. I later fell asleep to everyone, including Raul's 85 year old uncle, laughing and singing. The family dynamic, pure love for life, and daily quest for life's pleasures in Argentina have to be the most beautiful parts of the culture and the ones that I can learn the most from. Hope all is well with my readers! I'm nearing 1,300 views so thanks for reading!
Hasta Luego,
--Alex

Tiempo Libre

(This is a picture of me enjoying the march on the 24 de Marzo with a Skinny Vanilla Late from an Argentinian Starbucks! I was thrilled!)

Buenos Tardes! Finished another week of classes. I am definitely in a routine now and that is such a great feeling. Without a schedule, I always feel slightly lost, so it's nice to feel in the right place. I have been working out 5 days a week now for the past month. It is such a luxury to have time like that for myself again. I literally have to find things to fill my time because I have so much free time. It's foreign territory for me to have actual free time. For those of you that know me well, you will be shocked to hear I have so much free time that I have been reading real books for pleasure! This week I have planned my schedule for next semester with 18 hours in the class room, 13 hours working, and hours set aside for extra curricular, volunteering, and hopefully some fun. I am realizing that when I return to Nebraska, I will be living the opposite of the lifestyle I am currently living in Cordoba. It was a challenge for someone like me to adjust to an environment that is so unconcerned by deadlines, schedules, and rules. I am amazed by how little stress I have felt during my time here though. I didn't think that it was possible to be this stress-free. The only stressors I've really had have been the Internet problems, which I found a solution to, and scheduling my classes and life for next semester, which I'm finished with. Now, I have nothing to do but look forward to my trip to the ANDES this week, eat tasty food, and plan more trips!!
Muchos besos,
Alex

THS: Espero que todo bien con todos. Me encanta mi vida en Argentina.

La Perla

Hola todos! It's a beautiful day in Argentina, although it is technically fall here. It has been very cold the last couple of days. The wind in Cordoba blows from the South so even a warm day can feel cold if there is wind. On Tuesday, the international students took a trip with our history professors to La Perla which is one of the concentration camps from the Guerra Sucia that I've been writing about recently. The 24 de Marzo is the day of remembrance for those who disappeared during the Guerra Sucia (dirty war) of Argentina from 1976-1983. During the dirty war, over 30,000 Argentinians disappeared. It was later found that many of them were held hostage in concentration camps during those years. La Perla is located a half an hour outside of the city in Cordoba and housed hundreds of these disappeared persons. While their families desperately searched for them, they were merely 30 minutes from home locked away in La Perla. It was very eerie being in the concentration camp. Although the inside has been re-done to house military personnel, the actual bunk rooms, torture rooms, and facilities where still there with photographs of what the rooms looked like during the war. Hundreds of hostages were held all in one room tied to bunk beds that where 3 bunks high. In the testimonials we have been reading in class written by people who survived, they were handcuffed to their beds, blindfolded day and night, and were not allowed to communicate. One thing that was unique to La Perla is that it allowed the hostages to shower occasionally and to sing on birthdays. The last two weeks of classes and activities have been devoted to learning about the Guerra Sucia, los desaparecidos, and the action of citizens following the war. It has been very eye opening and I have become passionate about it. On a lighter note, my host sister Gabriela had her baby last night! His name is Santiago. I haven't had a chance to meet him yet, but I look forward to it.
Chao,
Alex

Here is a link to my photos from La Perla.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.322311207822849.79124.100001319180089&type=3&l=4b5cc3b1ad

Headaches and cravings

Buenos dias. It was a month yesterday since I left home to make the journey to Cordoba, Argentina. It has gone fast in terms of it's been 1 month already, but slow in the fact that 3 months still seems like a lifetime. Along the way there have been some headaches and cravings. I haven't had Internet connection at my house for the past week, so it's made completing my homework and staying in touch difficult. Not only with the people at home, but since I do not have an Argentinian cell phone, I am without communication with my friends here when I don't have Internet connection. Not to mention my Skype just quit working and I ran out of Itunes credit. I did find a bar 3 blocks away from my house that has wifi, so I will go and get a coffee and check my emails there. It makes me realize just how good I have it at home and how plugged in Americans constantly are to our phones and computers. I would also give anything right now to be driving my yellow slugbug as relying on buses that run on Latin time for transportation is a headache. One of the most depressing parts about this week is that I finished all of the candy that I received from the package that my mom sent me last week. It was good to see my old friends Hot Tamales and Tootsie Pops, but they left Cordoba way too soon. If anyone is feeling generous and wants to fund a return visit for the two of them, I would not oppose. I have been having so many American food cravings it's ridiculous. On the top of the list are: Hot Tamales, Mom's spaghetti,chocolate chip cookies (preferably ones made by Grandma Joan or Grandma Sue), Ming's Chinese food, Livesavers mints, Krisi's roast, and donuts. I am dreading spending the day tomorrow beginning at 8:00 a.m. in the Immigrations office to obtain my Student Visa. I think I am also stressed right now by trying to figure out my NWU schedule for next semester through emails. It is a very frustrating task to complete from a distance. And of course, I am missing some very important people from home. Studying abroad definitely has its challenges, but the fact that I will be in the Andes Mountains a week from tomorrow is making even the hardest days more than worth it.
Besos,
Alex

Fotografias

HOLA! I'm sure that not everyone reading this has a facebook, so I would like to share the link my photoalbum from the festivities on  el 24 de Marzo yesterday. Enjoy!

24 DE MARZO

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.319982268055743.78666.100001319180089&type=3&l=1b8f751848

24 de Marzo, 1976

This day will be remembered as one of the darkest days in Argentina's history. On March 24, 1976, the democratically elected government of Argentina was overthrown by a military junta called el Golpe Militar de 1976. In a process called the National Reorganization Process, a dictatorship was installed and chaos overtook the country. During the next 8 years following the overthrow, 30,000 Argentinian people were "disappeared". Meaning that everyone from priests to factory workers to house wives who had extreme leftist ideals and opposed the new dictatorship were taken from their homes in the middle of the night, never to be found again. Only 2,000 dead bodies were found and the other 30,000 are still missing today on the 36h anniversary. These missing people and bodies are called the DESAPARECIDOS. Many of the desaparecidos were women who were pregnant at the time, taken to prison camps, and whose babies were given to government officials and their wives to raise as their own. After the births, the mothers were killed. Shortly after 1976, a group of mothers and grandmothers of the desaparecidos was formed, Madres de Plaza de Mayo and Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo came together to fight for justice, remember those they lost, and work to find the missing. Every week, the Madres and Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo march in front of the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, each wearing a white scarf tied around their heads and holding a sign with a picture of their missing children and/or grandchildren. These two groups of unstoppable women have become internationally known and are an example of how together, the people of Argentina are stronger than the horrible crisis that their country faced 36 years ago today and that the desaparecidos are not forgotten. Argentina was returned to a democracy in the late 1980s and there since have been many efforts to both reunite the missing with their families and to find traces of the desaparecidos as well as explanations for their disappearence and/or deaths.

I feel lucky to be in Argentina on this day and will be going to Al Centro to participate in a march, watch a parade, and try to take in as much culture  as possible. 24 de Marzo is both a day of remembrance for the desaparecidos and a day of celebration that the dictatorship is no longer and that the nation of Argentina is still strong.

Have a great weekend everybody and thanks for reading!

Alex

Escuela y tarea

(above is a picture of the entrance to Universidad Blas Pascal)

Hola everybody! I haven't had wifi for the last few days, so here is my update for the school week as tomorrow (Thursday) is my last day of school for this week. It has been the usual, wake up, eat breakfast, off to three hours of classes at UBP, and to the gym afterward. I am loving going to the gym four days a week after class for a few hours. It makes the days go so quickly and makes me feel a little better about always having seconds or thirds of Graciela's cooking and for sneaking late night spoonfuls of Dulce de Leche. Dulce de Leche is one of the best tasting things in Argentina. It is a milk caramel sauce that Argentinians put on just about everything you can imagine: bananas, apples, crackers, cake, merengues, and my personal favorite, mini pancakes. Enough about Dulce de Leche because I could go on for days and back to my school week. I am definitely getting into a routine and like I said, it's making the time go so quickly. It's already nearing a month here and I can't believe it! I no longer feel nervous in the streets, confused on the buses, or dumbfounded by how fast the natives speak, which are tremendous victories in themselves. Two weeks from today I leave for Mendoza wine country. I am beyond excited for Mendoza because we will be spending time in the Andes Mountains (my reason for coming to Argentina, besides the beef excess). I am also roughly planning a trip to Buenos Aires for the end of April and a trip to Iguazu Falls in the beginning of May. My ankles are still sore from my hike on St. Patrick's Day, but it was totally worth it. My dance class on Tuesday went awesome! We are currently learning the Merengue and a little bit of Salsa, as well as dipping into the hip-hop video moves for fun. All is well in Cordoba. Thanks for reading. I now have over 1,040 views on this blog which is amazing.
Chao,
Alex
THS: Todos emocionadas para el fin de semana? En tu clase, ellos necisitan buscar para informacion sobre la 24 de Marzo 1976  porque es un dia muy famoso de la historia de Argentina y en el mundo. El dia es este sabado.

Hola and Happy Saint Patrick's Day! St. Patty's day has always been a special day for me (Happy Adoption Day Dad, Love you!) so this year, I celebrated it by spending the day trekking in Los Sierras de Argentina. It was a beautiful day and a great experience. I caught the bus at 8:30 a.m. and went to Al Centro to meet with the Intercambio group who organized the excursion. We left Al Centro at 10:00 a.m. and began our two hour drive to our destination. At about 12:00, after a scary info talk about deadly snakes, stray animals, and thorny plants, we began our way up Los Sierras. It was a very rocky, difficult hike across creeks and through tree lines. After a two hours or so, we reached our first destination for the day. We set up camp and quickly changed into our swimming suits to jump into the beautiful mountain stream nearby complete with it's own waterfall. It was FREEZING, but awesome! I spent the next few hours in good conversation and soaking up the sun. Intercambio prepared a hamburger lunch for us all (there were about 40 international students in total from all different universities in Cordoba). As we were eating, a huge vaca (cow) founds it's way into our campus. I was pretty impressed by the fact that the cow could make the trek up that far. The vaca was way too comfortable around people and was digging through all of our stuff, trying to eat the food, and being a nuisance. After we finished lunch, we hiked further upward where the two pictures above we taken. Many photos were taken and there were also many moments of silence as we were all enjoying the view. The silence was promptly interrupted by an idiotic Argentinian guy who thought it would be smart to jump into the spring from hundreds of feet above it. I thought it to be suicidal and started singing Jumper thinking I could channel my knowledge from "Yes Man" and save this person's life. I was positive I was about to watch this guy die, but he lived. Doesn't mean I don't think he's still a lucky idiot. After 6 hours in the mountains, we made our way cautiously back down and drove back to Cordoba. When I got home, it was dinner time and we had awesome steak sandwiches and FRENCH FRIES. It's been a long, great day. Hope everyone had a great Saint Patricks Day. Sorry to say, I won't be missing corn beef and cabbage this year although I did still wear green today. 
Adios!
Alex

THS: Yo fui a Los Sierras hoy para trekking. Los montanas aqui son muy lindo y me gustan esos mucho. Hace un poco calor, pero la agua en los montanas fue muy, muy frio.  Comi' carne de vaca, papas fritas, y bebi' Coka. Espero que todo bien en Nebraska.

Esta Semana

It's been a busy week! I've had classes all week and haven't had time to sit down and write. Classes are going well. The only downfall is that they are each 90 minutes long so they often drag on. I had quite a bit of homework this week as well and found the downtime that I normally have before dinner being consumed with reading about the history of Argentina and trying to find free episodes online of American Idol. As I do not have class on Fridays, I went into Al Centro today to the Registro Provincial de Residencia to begin the process of getting my student visa so I do not get deported. Afterword, I walked around the Al Centro with a group of friends and looked at street stands, little shops, and ended at the Patio Olmos. The P.O. is a huge shopping mall. It was a sad shopping experience as all of the stores were vastly overpriced and full of amazing clothes and shoes. I then ended the day with a pizza dinner. I am very excited for tomorrow because I am going on a day long hike in LA NATURALEZA PURA de las Sierras Chicas. I will hopefully be posting photos of the hike at a later time. Thanks for reading! Todo bien!

Chao,

Alex

La cucaracha

Today, I had my first experience with a horrific creature in my shower. Have you ever seen the movie Arachniphobia? (my dad would appreciate this reference) Well, it was kind of like that, but instead of spiders, they were CUCARACHAS!! (COCKROACHES) O.K., so there weren't thousands of them, only two. But two was all it took for me to be screaming and swatting at the shower curtain until it fell down. I then yelled for Seba's help. He proceeded to squash one with a flip-flop. The other got away by scurrying under a dresser. I expect to come face to face with it again as it seems to be a very stubborn cucaracha. Will I face my fear of giant, ugly, roaches when the time comes again? No, I will probably scream like the girl I am and require the assistance of a 13 year old to save me from a creature that is the size of a 50 coin peso. So I don't like bugs, who does? I never claimed to practice Jainism and be above squashing a cockroach for my own well being (rather, watching someone else squash a cockroach for I am not that brave). Although my mom swears that cockroaches are prehistoric descendants of the dinosaurs,  I will play the role of an evil, selfish homosapien that insists that all cucarachas that try to get in my shower will be punished with a size 8 flip-flop. Thanks for reading! All is well in Argentina!
---Alex

Choripan

Hola! It has been a slightly uneventful weekend since going into Al Centro on Friday. I unfortunately, but not suprisingly caught whatever the friend that I took care of the other day has, but luckily not as bad. I have been stricken with a very sore throat and cough so have been taking it easy this weekend. I have had the great pleasure of enjoying incredible food this weekend despite my illness and have become quite fond of the family dynamic that I am living in here in Argentina. Yesterday, to my surprise was another extended family dinner. I am starting to think that these large family dinners must occur once every weekend. Instead of la carne de vaca asado like we had last Saturday, we had CHORIPAN for the first time! Choripan is a definitely Italian influenced meal. It is basically a sausage sandwhich. You take a large loaf of bread, cut it open, and put a bratwurst sized salchicha inside with mayonesa, lettuce, and tomatos. I thought it to be perfection as I have been craving any kind of sandwhich since arriving here. Dinner didn't begin until 10:45 last night and the family stayed until 1:00 a.m. (my family would be home in bed by 10:00 ha). Jorgito fell asleep while I was rocking him last night, he is such a doll. Having these extended family dinners really makes me wish they happened more often at home. Every night at home, we sit down as an immediate family for dinner, but it takes a special occassion for the whole family to get together. I plan on insisting upon my return that more family get togethers are necessary. We had Choripan again for lunch today and I took a trip to the Farmacia to get some medicine and hope to be feeling better for another week of school tomorrow. Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Thanks for reading!

Chao,

Alex

Hace calor!

HOLA! An important lesson that life is slowing teaching me: It is impossible to plan for the things that will, could, should happen during your day because in all honesty, you don't know. I ventured into Al Centro this morning to meet with the other members of my group and go to the Registro Nacional de Recidencia to obtain our student visas. When the group was 5 minutes away from our destination on foot, one of the girls suddenly collasped from the heat and got very sick, very fast. It was scary because Al Centro is the busiest place in Cordoba and there were hundreds of people watching as if it were an event. I immediately jumped into "mom" mode, got someone to get water, found a place to sit, and worked to cool her down. It took a couple of hours to get her stable enough to make it to the street to get a taxi home. The others went on to the Registro, but I stayed with her to make sure she got back safely. After asking for the help of a very friendly police officer, I was able to get her into a taxi and take her home. She is doing fine. Apparently it takes hours to stand in line at the Registro to get your student visa, so it was a good choice to get her home and not to try and stay. Next week sometime I'll have to try again to go to the Registro. After this unexpected turn of events, I ended up back at home much earlier than I anticipated. So, I decided to lay out in the sun and start reading Eat, Pray, Love again. I started this book on my trip to India and barely broke 100 pages so I have plenty more book to read. I am happily sunburned from head to toe. It was very relaxing to lay and read. I also found a  lovely card in Eat, Pray, Love that my Mom placed in their when I left for India. It was special to read it again and make it pertain to this trip. My favorite line is "Have a blessed, joyous, and life-changing experience. I think you are heroic!" Such wise words from a wise woman. Thanks for reading!
---Alex
(the picture is of me standing next to a palm tree on UBP's campus enjoying the beautiful weather my first day at the university)

Amigas, Chicas, Mujeres

Buenos dias! It was another day at school for me today. I had Cultura Popular and Historia Contemporanea. I also went to the gym and will be starting a workout curcuit on Monday! But, enough about me, today is about the LADIES. In honor of International Women's Day (Feliz Dia to the women out there) I want to fill everybody in on the friendships I've made here and what it's like to be a woman in Argentina. Above is a picture of me and mis amigas on my birthday. Starting from the left, Macrina (prefers Mac): 20 years old from Wyoming studying Political Science and Spanish also. Alina: 21 years old from Germany studying International Business. Maree: 21 years old also from Germany also studying International Business. And Sam, the chica that also lives in Urca with me: 21 years old from Kentucky studying Political Science and Spanish (because those are the best majors!). And yes, there are cervezas in this picture. The drinking age in Cordoba is 18, but that's beside the point. All of these ladies are already near and dear to my heart because we get each other's woes and joys as we are all in Argentina for the first time. As far as what it's like to be a woman living in Argentina, I've experienced both positives and negatives. One of the positives, especially was today on International Women's Day. I have hardly even heard of this day in the U.S. and I'd like to call myself a semi-feminist. But here, all of the guys will say "Feliz Dia" to the women accompanied by a kiss on the cheek.. Another positive that I learned more about in Cultura Popular today is that Argentina is way ahead of the U.S. in equality in the fact that they have a woman president! La Presidenta Cristina Fernandez, not to mention she's a babe (picture in top right). So yes there are definitely positives to being a woman in Argentina. But, one of the things that I doubt I will get used to here, and consider it to be a negative, are the cat calls. They are terrible. Boys, men, old men, they all yell at women they pass on the street, from their cars, they honk their horns, they stare. It is suppose to be a form of flattery I believe and is no harm intended. It is the culture here and is not out of the norm. Cat calls are also not suprising sometimes because all of the women in Argentina definitely embrace the fact that they are female. They all have perfect hair, their nails done, beautiful clothes no matter where they're going, and they ALL wear high heels ALL of the time. And every single one it seems is naturally gorgeous. Yay for being a woman and Happy International Women's Day to all of the ladies! (Feliz Dia!)
Besos,
Alex

THS: En todos culturals, hay aspectos diferentes, buenos y malos. En Argentina, hay mucho inflacion en los meses pasados que afecte la economia aqui pero muchas cosas son más baratas aquí que en E.E.U.U.
SYD: Feliz Dia mi hermana hermosa!
HOPE: Feliz Dia! Thank you for the heart picture, it made my day. I think about you and Paul everyday. Tell him and Mommy and Daddy Hi for me. Miss you!

BAILA, BAILA

(mural in Don't Worry bar)

Hola Amigos! Hoy fue un bueno dia! What a great day. I began my March 6th by waking up, eating Marengues for breakfast, and taking the bus to the university. My first class this morning was Ritmos Latinoamericanos. It was amazing! We started out the class with stretching and before I knew it, I was doing Hip-Hop video moves and learning a routine. I was expecting a stiff-armed partner dance class, but was happily surprised. Because this class is Latinoamericanos it explores styles of dance from all of the Latin American countries, and not just the Argentinian Tango. I'm sad that I only have this class once a week on Tuesdays because I started off my day on such a good note by letting loose and dancing. After the dance class, I learned that UBP has free personal training and that I can set up a workout routine tomorrow which I am really looking forward to. It will be great to have a time during my day in the gym to keep my head clear. I have also been investigating the intramural options at UBP and am hoping to play either Voley o Baloncesto. There is also a Abdomen PowerBlast class that I will for sure take. I was very impressed by all of these options to keep me grounded and insure that I sweat a little bit here on purpose. My other classes today were great also! I had Cultura Popular at 2:00 and I know I will enjoy this class. We talked all about the cultural differences that we have already experienced in our first week here and the stereotypes that our home countries have about Argentina. My professor told us "el primero cosa que necisitan aprender en este clase es no cultura es mejor o peor de otras porque todos culturas tienen cosas buenos, mal, y diferente" In translation, no one culture is better or worse than any other because each culture has it's good things, bad things, and extremely different things. I was happy to hear this on the first day because it really made me sit and think about the cultural differences  I've been experiencing. I have decided that just because it is so different from being in the U.S. doesn't mean that the culture here is better or worse, it's solely different. There are things I will experience and see here that the U.S. doesn't have to offer me, and there are things about the U.S. that I already miss. But, you can't have the things you want in life without compromise. I am compromising time at home with my loved ones for a once in a lifetime personal experience to improve my Spanish speaking skills and to better my relationship with myself. And, no matter how hard it gets to be away from those that I miss at home, I know that the relationships that I have with myself is the most important and that will keep me motivated to take chances, make changes, and enjoy living no matter where I am in this world.

Muchos besos,

---Alex

THS: Espero que todos les gustan mis blogs!

SYD: Tu' eres el mejor hermana en el mundo. Besos :* 

Tengo mucho estres

Quite a stressful day in Cordoba today. This morning I woke up at 11:00 for my 2:00 class to find an email in my inbox saying that I didn't start classes for 2 more weeks. I freaked out and it took a while to get Graciela to understand me but we figured it out. I was then late to meet Sam at the bus stop so we missed the bus and had to wait for another half hour. I did have class today and the first one was Espanol Avanzado from 2:00 to 3:30. This class went really well, the teacher was easy to understand, and I feel like it is going to be a very useful course. I next had Introduccion General Literarios from 3:45 to 5:15. I will more than likely be dropping this class because of schedule conflicts. I got a letter in my student mailbox today saying that I need to take a Grammar course because I didn't do so hot on my entrance exam. This was very stressful because the class costs extra money and I'm already worried about not having sufficient funds to travel as much as I would like to. It is a habbit of mine to worry though. I also have to pay for my student visa, books, and learned today that the Tango class I am signed up for also costs extra money. !Que mocazo! But, if I have to pay a little extra to learn how to Tango,  I think it will be worth it. Not much else going on here today. It was very hot again today, in the 80's but at about 6:00 pm it began to rain again. Raul told me that fall is nearing and it will be frio soon. The newest episode of the Walking Dead is downloading on my Itunes right now and I am excited to watch that before I hit the hay tonight. I have Tango class in the morning at 11:30, Cultural Popular at 2:00 to 3:30 and Historia Contemporanea from 3:45 to 5:15. It is also my dear friend Becca Brune's birthday tomorrow. She has been in England since January and I hope to Skype her tomorrow. Above is a picture of me in front of Universidad Blas Pascal. Saber y Saber Hacer means to know and to know how. I look forward to my semester at UBP and know that not all days will be as stressful as this one. No worries, my chin is up! Goodnight all, thanks for reading.
Chao, chao,
---Alex

Mi fiesta de cumpleee y horario

Hola Amigos! Hoy es domingo y ayer fue mi cumpleanos. Today is Sunday and yesterday was my 20th birthday. Above are pictures from my birthday dinner with my host family. I had a chocolate torta (cake) with Marangues on top and a lovely pink star candle on which to wish my birthday dreams. Because the barbecue was moved to today, we had pizza for my birthday dinner. My host family, minus Nico, is also in the pictures. Raul, Graciela, and Seba are doing a traditional birthday brinda (toast) to me.The cake was very good and I felt special to have a host family that would put on a celebration for someone they barely know. After my birthday dinner, I left for a night on the town with mi amigas aqui. We went out dancing at the studio theater which is a giant dance club en Al Centro. It was very fun. I didn't get home until 6:00 a.m. this morning in Argentinian fashion. Nico, remember he is 16, didn't get home until 7:00 a.m. Today, the family had a barbecue in honor of mi cumpleanos and we had carne de vaca asado, which is beef that is slow cooked in an outdoor fire pit. I've never had so much beef in my life. Raul and Graciela's two daughters Gaby and Veronica came with their families today too. Vero has the cutest son named Jorgito. Jorgito is 2 years old. I love speaking Spanish with kids because it is interesting to hear the phrases that they pick up and use from the same language that you are learning. The first two times I met Jorgito, he was very shy, but today he was giving me besos and abrazos and didn't want to leave my side.  It wasn't too strange to not be with my family for my birthday until I heard that many people were still celebrating it even without me. I feel grateful to have such a wonderful family and friends at home who give me the courage everyday to make the most of my time here. It's been nearly a week and I can't decide if it's gone fast or slow. I told my mom recently that no matter if time goes by fast or slow, it's still time and you can't change the fact that it will pass. I start school tomorrow! I have class from 2:00 to 5:15 Monday through Thursday with a Tango class at 11:30 on Tuesday mornings. Lunes y Miercoles: 2:00-3:30 Espanol, 3:45-5:15 Introduccion General Literarios. Martes y Jueves: 11:30-1:00 Tango, 2:00-3:30 Cultural Popular de Argentina, 3:45-5:15 Historia Contemporeano de Argentina y America Latino. A total of 13.5 hours in class a week. I will report tomorrow on how my first day goes. Thanks for reading! :)
Hasta Luego!
---Alex

THS: Tengo cinco clases para tomar en la universidad de blas pascal. La universidad es quince minutos lejos de la universidad en el bus. Tengo una tarjeta de bus con cincuenta pesos para usar. Mis clases empiezan a las dos de la tarde y terminan a las cinco de la noche. Nos vemos todos!
SYD: Los invitaciónes  para promenade son muy bueno!

Feliz Cumpleanos a mi, el dia de chocolate.

Hoy es mi cumpleaños de viente años!Today is my 20th birthday and I'm happy to be celebrating it in Cordoba! Because I went to Don't Worry bar last night, I did not wake up until noon today. Don't Worry was a very fun place. The night life is very exciting here, and tiring. I was ready to go home at 3:00 a.m., and was ridiculed for it. Pero esta bien porque era consada. Argentinian youth average a curfew of 6:00 or 7:00 in the morning when they go out at night. And, they go out on jueves, viernes, sabado y domingo (Thursday to Sunday) to a bar first and then out dancing. I am looking forward to going dancing tonight after the birthday party that my host family is throwing for me. They have just been so great. Every morning when I wake up, there is coffee and breakfast waiting for me on the table. Breakfast usually consists of something sweet, like this morning there was a tarta chocolate waiting for me. When Graciela returned from the city, she gave me a birthday gift, a vestido (dress). I was not expecting a gift so that was very thoughtful of her. We then had noki for lunch which was OH MY GOODNESS so good! It was pasta with a sauce that is only closely comparable to DaVinci's, but better. Honestly, I don't know what to expect from my time here except for exceptionally amazing food, all day, every day. No offense Mom and Krisi, but Graciela is the greatest cook ever. Above is a picture of what I normally have for snack and crave all day when I'm not eating them. They are called Marengues and you put carmel in between them. I am already dreading leaving these beauties behind. After lunch today I had the bright idea to walk to the helado shop for a scoop of chocolate. It was magnifico! Graciela is cooking a chocolate cake as well as a pizza for dinner, which is at 10:30 tonight. Tomorrow afternoon, Raul is cooking carne de vaca asado, which is a traditional Argentinian meal that is el mismo de barbeque meat, but probably better. I am still waiting to find out my class schedule for sure so will be writing about that sometime this week and I hope to have pictures of my fiesta tonight to share with everyone. Feel free to comment at the bottom of these posts if you have any questions or want to tell me anything. :) I will also be writing a short blurp for the Tekamah-Herman Spanish students at the very bottom---some advice for you all, stick with the language because it is so useful and opens amazing, unexpected doors that would otherwise not be possible. And, you feel like a, excuse my French, "bad ass" when you talk to a native speaker and they can actually understand you, it is seriously one of the most satisfying feelings in the world.
Hasta manana!
---Alex

THS-- "Hoy es mi cumpleanos y tengo viente años ahora. Soy emocionada para celebrar mi cumpleanos este noche. Me gusta mucho la comida aqui. Adios todos y buenos suertes en sus tarea y examenes."
Sydney-- "Te amo hermana!"

La Plaza de San Martin

Hola personas! Today was an exciting day in Cordoba. I woke up this morning at 7:45 (muy temprano-early) to prepare for a day a la plaza de San Martin en Al Centrol. In translation, Al Centrol is in the center of Cordoba and a popular tourist site that contains many cathedrals and statues. La plaza de San Martin was a part of the Al Centro that was devoted to San Martin, an important Argentinian who played a large role in Argentina gaining its freedom. The statue above is of San Martin with his fist in the air  to represent Argentina's independence. If you search Cordoba, Argentina on google, this is one of the first pictures that pops up, so I was very excited to see it in person. Even looking at it now as I write this, it's crazy to believe that this picture is from MY camera because I've seen it so many times on the Internet in preparation for this trip. Like I mentioned before, there are many many cathedrals in Cordoba  because a large percentage of the population in Argentina practices Catholicism. Grandmas, if you're reading, I know you would have been so proud to see these Cathedrals and I'm sure you're proud that I got to. They were all so beautiful and had very intricate murals on the ceilings inside and life like statues of religious figures. It was incredible. On a side note, I got sunburned today (who would of thought I would be sunburned in February?). The weather is so beautiful. Even as I sit here in my room blogging, my large window is open and there is a perfect breeze and everything is so green. Also from my window, I can always hear my very lively neighbors. They had a fiesta last night and there were dozens of people singing and dancing and talking. This culture is so different from American culture because time is not as important, material possessions and money are not as important (although my host brothers do have an Xbox, but that's more of a necessity than a possession I have learned :) ) People here just also genuinely care about others and are never rushed to end a conversation or a meal to get to the next thing. It is very relaxing and comforting. I am even about to take a traditional siesta (nap) before dinner is served at 10:00. I am then going to restaraunt, bar called Don't Worry to celebrate my birthday, which is tomorrow! Adios todos! And I will write a birthday post sometime tomorrow to report on how birthdays are celebrated here. I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy tomorrow because Graciela aksed my what kind of cake I like. Of course, I love anything chocolate!
Chao!
---Alex

(this is an example of one of the Cathedrals.....la catedral en Al Centrol a la plaza de San Martin)

Mi casa en Argentina y la familia

Hola todos! Today was a great day in Cordoba! The weather was perfecto to say the least. No more rain!! Above is a picture of my host house. I live at the corner of Jose' Esteban Bustos and Emillo Lamarca in the locality of Urca. It is a quaint little subdivision of Cordoba with it's own stores, shopping area, groceries, and the works. I finally had a chance to explore after my second day of orientation a la universidad blas pascal. There is another chica from the United States (Estados Unidos) that lives in Urca so she and I have been meeting to take the bus together and explore Urca. The bus system is very easy to navigate if you know which bus stops in which area of the city because there are bus stops every 300 ft. My new friend, Sam, and I walked around Urca and looked at a few shops before stopping for more helado. I don't know why, but the ice cream is soooo much better here. The food in general is better thus far, and I love myself some American food. I have muchos empanadas today, for lunch and dinner. There are many different types of empanadas, my favorite so far is ham and cheese. I will explain a little more about my university, orientation, and classes that I'm taking next post. For now, I want to share the happenings of my host house and family with you all. First there is Graciela, my host mom. Graciela is a little over 50 yrs old and is so, very nice. She is very patient with me and works to understand what I'm trying to say if she can't already. She is also very helpful with all aspects of the house and my life here as well. Next is Raul, my host dad. I only see Raul at dinner time so far because the work schedule here is a lot later than at home, as well as the meals. We eat dinner at 10:00 p.m. Raul works in business that is somehow related to politics. He was very excited to hear about my Political Science major. He is also hilarious and helps me find ways to crack jokes with my limited grammar in certain subjects. Nicolas or Nico is 16 yrs old, goes to high school which is called cologia here and loves to play soccer and video games (just like all the other males in my life). Nico reminds me alot of my brother Gus. Sebastion or Seba is 13 yrs old, goes to middle school, escuela secondaria, and also loves soccer and video games too. He reminds me of my brother Drew because they are two of the sweetest young boys I know. Seba is just a sweetheart and is also very helpful and friendly to me. It's strange, because I can hardly get Gus and Drew to hug me, but these boys greet me with a kiss on the cheek because it's the culture. Graciela and Raul told me the story of how they met. She was 14 and he was 17, they have been together for 39 years and have never loved anybody else.!Que romantica! Everyone here is so nice and I already feel at home. I have been working on making my room more homey by putting pictures and cards out. I feel grateful to be here in Argentina and look forward to celebrating my birthday here this weekend!
Hasta luego!
---Alex

Lluvia y comida

(this picture is at the corner (escina) at the bus stop close to mi casa)

Hola amigos! Today was my first morning in Argentina. I woke up to a very loud and fast spanish conversation between my host parents Graciela and Raul at 7:30 a.m. but gladly went back to sleep until 9:30. When I got up to get ready for my first day of orientation, I had coffee con leche and my left-over pancake desert for breakfast. It is very humid here so I didn't bother fixing my hair and opted for the top-knot. It has very strangely been raining here for the last two days, which is uncommon for the summer season I was told. Before I could get to orientation at my university, I had to buy a bus ticket. So Graciela and I walked a couple of blocks to a small shop and I bought a bus pass for 50 pesos, approx $12. We then waited on the corner by this beautiful tree for the bus as I tried to explain to her what a sorority is :). I was suppose to be at UBP at 11:00 a.m., but the bus didn't pick us up until 11:00 because it was running late, causing me to be late for my first day of orientation. But, I quickly learned that time is of the essence in Argentina and something such as being late that would cause me a near panick attack at home is no big deal here. I ate lunch at UBP and it was amazing. Empanadas were the appetizer (I thought they were the main course and ate them all), chicken (pollo or pojsho) and papas fritas (very similar to buffalo chips from B-dubs) and helado for desert. The ice cream is so much more delicious here, which I didn't think it was possible to make ice cream taste better. I also tried Yerba Mate for the first time today. Yerba Mate is a tea like drink that is very common in Argentina and is shared and drank with the familia. I listened, wrote, and spoke in pure spanish for my first full day (except for a few exceptions). I'm loving it! Not feeling overwhelmed for the most part by the language. The accent is still a little difficult to understand, but I've even started saying cashay rather than calle already. Another student who has been here for 3 semesters told me that my spanish is muy bueno, which gives me confidence. I can't imagine how much my speaking ability is going to improve over the course of this semester. Tomorrow is another day of orientation and I will be scheduling my classes. I already feel more comfortable and happier than yesterday so I hope to continue increasing those feelings.
Hasta mañana todos!
---Alex

Finalmente

I finally made it to Cordoba after a grueling trip. 2 hours to Dallas Fort Worth, 2 hour layover, 10 hours to Santiago, Chile, 4 hour layover, 2 hours to Cordoba and now I'm finally here after clearing immagration and customs. When I wheeled my cart full of luggage out of the airport, there was a huge crowd of people waiting to pick up passengers. I first found Laura, the coordinator from my university.. She then directed me to my host mother Graciela and brother Sebastion. In Argentina you greet anyone you are meeting, saying goodbye to, thanking, or are greeting with a kiss on the right cheek. We got into the family's car and Graciela told me that my spanish is very good, which made me feel better. I so far have been comfortable speaking to natives, but it's the listening and understanding that is hard. The natives of Argentina have a different accent than I have learned. The double l, ll is pronounced like sh or ja instead of ya. So words like llama and calle are tripping me up, but I'm already catching onto it. It's been hard realizing that I won't be seeing the people I left at home for 4 months. It seems like a world away right now. I'm hoping that once I get into a routine, that world away feeling won't be so prominant and I won't be ready to leave Cordoba when the time comes just as I didn't feel ready to let go of my loved ones at the airport. I took my first trip to  Super Urca tonight to get some shampoo and other things. I was excited to see Graciela buying a huge hunk of beef in the hopes of falling into a carne coma. Dinner was tastey. Graciela prepared hamburgers, potatoes, and bread. Most interesting, we had pancakes for desert. Not just one pancake, but a 4 tiered pancake cut into slices. I am very excited for tomorrow. I have orientation at 11:00 a.m. My host mother is taking me to the university for the first day. But, the day after that, I will have to buy a bus pass and take the 15 minute ride solo. I can't wait to meet the other international students and to create a new friend circle. I especially need it right now as I work past the tough emotions that come with change, culture shock, and insecurity about the language. I will soon report back about my first day of orientation. Adios until then. <3
---Alex