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