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 :*