More Iguazu pics!

Hanging in the pool at the mate plantation... what a day

The view along a trail on our way to a waterfall

A REAL LIVE TERRANCHULA

Argentine raccoons, they aren't afraid of people AT ALL!

A random road

Overlooking Paraguay

Losing my marbles with Elizabeth in front of one of the falls

A random beautiful school

This one's gonna take a while.

So I hope you're sitting in a comfortable, cushiony chair with a cup of joe next to your screen, because what I'm about to cannonball into is going to take me quite a while to explain. Once again, I just had a mind-blowing weekend, and I'm not even quite sure where to begin. It's funny, updating this blog is kind of like watering plants- I intend to nourish it and give it attention, but somehow it ends up neglected...

So here we go. Last week was a pretty relaxing week, I had classes every day.. went to a Japanese botanical garden with some girl friends, explored some new restaurants, and went to the eco-reserves at the tail end of the subway line. That was actually a perfect day- I skipped school with a few other kids on Friday (we're allowed to skip school twice per trimester) and explored the reserves. It was a pretty long walk to even get there from the subway station, so when we finally got to the park we saw that there were bike rentals- which was PERFECT! We rode around the reserves for a little over an hour, it was so refreshing to be on a bike and outside the city for the afternoon. On our way back from the park we stopped at a vendor and chowed down on some choripan (sausage) sandwiches... unfortunately later that night I was tasting it a second time around on the toilet :( Lesson learned, no more street vendor sandwiches.

We got up at 3:45am (I didn't sleep though since I got sick only a few hours before that) and met at the ISA office by 4:30, took the bus to the airport, only to realize that the entire airport system was down and they couldn't check anybody in! There were hundreds of people laying on the floor of the lobby waiting for their flights... and a few hours into the wait, the employees finally realized that they could do the process (though obviously time-consuming) manually. DURKA DURRRR! Haha, after that we hopped on our plane and were in Iguazu within 2 hours. It was amazing, the pilot flew over the falls for us as sort of an apology for our delay. From that high up it obviously looked incredible, but there was also a part of me that thought it looked a little small! Little did I know...

We got off the plane and headed right for our hotel, threw our bags in our rooms and took a 15 block walk to an overlook in a nearby neighborhood. It was a cool taste of what we had to come- while we were obviously standing on Argentine soil, to our left we could see Paraguay and to our right was Brazil! A forking river separated the three countries, so we were standing right at the Argentine peninsula. I loved that we got to walk there too, it gave us a chance to get off the main roads and really stroll through some authentic neighborhoods. The soil in that area of Argentina is a really dark maroonish red, and because of its rich color and overall saturation, it will stain anything it touches. We were warned to wear flip flops- otherwise that color stays on sneakers for ages. Anyways, seeing the dirt roads, stucco houses and Moroccan rooftops scattered about the rural town was a pretty great way to start the weekend. After catching a glimpse of the view, we were free for the evening- so to celebrate Albert's 21st birthday, we all went out for some delicious Japanese food at a nearby restaurant. We ended the night with ice cream, the hotel's hot tub and lots of snuggling!

The wake-up call at 6:30am the next morning was a pretty rude awakening after only getting a few hours of sleep (remember, I didn't sleep at ALL the night before), but the silver lining was that the hotel provided an American breakfast. That, my friends, is rare- eggs are only for making tartas around here, not for scrambling in the mornings. After indulging way too much in free food, we hopped on the coach bus and were at the Iguazu National Park by 8am. We had a tour guide for pretty much the whole weekend, which really allowed us to see the best parts of the park. She also gave it in English & Spanish- our guide knew 4 languages! We spent hours and hours walking around the paths of the park, and honestly, I'm not sure how to describe it to you guys. As we walked further into the jungle, the air got fresher, the animals got more tropical, and I could hear the water forcefully flowing in the distance. When I caught that first glimpse of the falls, I really thought I was dreaming. I had to repeatedly pinch myself throughout the day- seeing the mass amounts of water cascading down these cliffs, never-ending, constantly surging forward... it was a really powerful experience. Spiritual, actually. Even though I didn't want to miss a second of it, multiple times I caught myself closing my eyes just to absorb the experience and to really feel it enveloping me. Just as we thought it couldn't get any better, we all forked up $130 pesos and got on a BOAT, and RODE AROUND AND UNDER THE FALLS!!!!! Yes, that does sound just as incredible as it was. I don't think any other boat ride in my life will ever compare to that one. When the ride seemed like it was over, our pack of students chanted "OTRA! OTRA!" aka, "ENCORE! ENCORE!" .. needless to say, the driver drove us back over to the falls and got us soaked all over again! After grabbing some ridiculously overpriced lunch in the park, we went to El Diablo- the largest fall of all (there are over 200 in total)- and the name should really be changed to Dios. Man, the constant climax of the falls is absolutely incredible, words really aren't doing this justice.

We all left the park exhausted, and drove 4 hours to our hotel for the night. We were scattered in a bunch of different cabins, and after the hotel served us dinner some of us hung out together in a deliriously tired state.  Becca whipped out her ukulele, and we ended up improvising a song about head rubs... which in turn moved us all to giving each other head rubs, hahaha, that sounds ridiculous typing it out but I hope that is an accurate depiction of how tired and silly we were by the end of the night.

Another wake up call at 7am was a little painful, but once again we had a great breakfast to start out the day. This time, we took an hour bus ride to the Ruins of San Ignacio. The ruins were of a large communal area, a church, and there were stones outlining the property of the tribe altogether. It was pretty beautiful, and I've never seen anything like it before- I loved closing my eyes and trying to imagine the land filled with natives. There was a huge chunk of the land in the middle of the ruins that was devoted to community activities, like markets, medical care and overall gatherings- outside I got a better idea of the San Ignacio people by looking through the markets and seeing their trinkets.

We left the ruins, hopped on the bus and took another short ride to a mate (pronounced mah-tay, it's a highly caffeinated herbal tea here that is an enormous part of the culture) and tea plantation. It was a paradise in the middle of nowhere- this place looked like a bed and breakfast; there was an outdoor eating area, an in-ground pool, hammocks, a tennis court, a volleyball net, and most importantly.. an enormous fire pit where they roasted a plethora of meats all afternoon. Right as we got there we dropped off our stuff and went on a tour of the plantation, and learned about how mate is picked, preserved and then distributed. I'm serious when I say that the fields were drenched in the richest color green I've ever seen. In between rows of plants there were cacti and palm trees scattered about- it made for some of the most beautiful scenery. Not to mention there were perfectly fluffed clouds in the baby blue sky... perfect. We walked around the fields and to the indoor/outdoor factory, where we saw the conveyor belts and ovens where they compacted and packaged all of the herbs. It not only smelled amazing, but it was a really rustic and authentic structure that was screaming to be photographed. Seeing something so essential to the culture and how it is manufactured made me appreciate it even more. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, and let us explore every nook and cranny of the place.

After yet another tour, we returned to the residencia and spent about 4-5 hours just hanging out in the Argentine sun. We played volleyball, swung in hammocks, played pool games, and most importantly... ATE. God, did we eat. Empanadas, choripan (not me), and then they whipped out the good stuff- roasted meat that had been on skewers alllllllll day. It was served plain, it didn't even need any salt, pepper, nothing. We inhaled it alongside different rices, vegetable platters, and chased that meal with fresh fruit. God, it was absolutely amazing, and by far my favorite meal yet.. for obvious reasons.

Okay, wow, I just wrote more than I've ever written ever in a blog post. I won't lie, I'm really glad this is over with. BUT, now that I'm done writing, now you can look at pictures!! WOOOOOooOOoOooO here ya go! 

Brazil on the right, Paraguay on the left!

Argentine pride

Some of the falls!

More falls!

Glowing!

In front of El Diablo

They never enddddd

Giggling with Julia and Bryan :)

Las Ruinas!

Approaching the ruins

In front of a mate warehouse

A Japanese dish for Albert's birthday.. yummm

Carnaval!

A random street in San Telmo.. my new favorite neighborhood

So Saturday night I ended up relaxing in Chinatown with Becca, we hung out in a pool hall and had a great time. It was really nice to stay closer to home instead of galavanting across town only to pay for overpriced beverages and cover charges. We played two games of pool and just enjoyed some Quilmes and good conversation, definitely a Saturday night well spent.

Tango at the San Telmo market

On Sunday, Becca and I went over to San Telmo, about a 40 minute bus ride from my neighborhood, where they are known for the markets. First we explored an indoor market that had an extremely antiquey feel- lots of secondhand stands and knick knacks from the early 1900's. I loved taking my time and absorbing the atmosphere, not feeling like I had to be in a hurry to get anywhere. All of the vendors were so nice, and many of them complimented our fluency in Spanish, which felt great! It's a great feeling to be able to communicate with people and actually be able to get your point across. I bought a few little things, souveniers, xmas gifts, stuff along those lines.. my friends and family are going to be happy campers when I come home :) After we conquered the indoor market, we met up with Kelly, Hilary and Coleman- three other people in my program. We continued to stroll through the outdoor market in the streets of San Telmo, where we stumbled upon a street band and a few tango performances. I love how important tango is to the culture here- it's such a sensual and romantic dance, it's always hard for me to stop watching. Speaking of, I have another tango and salsa lesson this Thursday, wahoo!

 Bumpin' at the parade

After walking around, we grabbed a couple empanadas and found a bar called La Puerta Roja- while it didn't have a sign, the indication that it existed was, in fact, its red door. We ended up being the only customers in it for a while, which was pretty cool. They had some great happy hour specials, so I got to try two Argentine beers on tap, and let me tell you- they were phenomenal! Usually I stick to the cheapest Argentine beer, Quilmes (it's similar to Budweiser), so it was nice to change it up a bit. We left and headed over to the parade, where it really looked like something out of a Missy Elliot music video. There were tons of kids dressed up in colorful, glittering outfits, doing crazy dance routines in the streets. On a nearby stage, local performers were jamming out and providing the soundtrack to the dancing and hollering paraders. It was a really authentic experience; we were obviously the only foreigners there, though I didn't feel like we stuck out too badly (maybe that's more my hopes talking here). The night definitely felt like a dream- the colors, laughter, music, food... perfect!

Yesterday I went to a theater-turned-bookstore with my roommate, Miguel and Becca. It was so beautiful- I loved that they saved the building and are using it for a practical reason! The only downside is that it had a Barnes and Noble vibe to it.. and it could have been kept in a more understated, authentic Argentine bookstore. Regardless, the building was gorgeous, and sitting in there for a few hours writing in my journal was definitely worth the trip across town. The stage was transformed into a small cafe- though I think a great addition would be to keep a small part of the stage for local performers to play in the background. I just can't get enough of the architectural details around here- the intricacy of the carvings in most buildings are breathtaking, I really wish that people still took architecture this seriously and were willing to put in the time and effort to turn a building into a work of art. After the book store we wandered around some random streets, and found our way back to the subway after devouring cheeseburgers and french fries. That's a dependable meal that never fails.

Bustin' moves in the parade

Last night, to celebrate the tail end of Carnaval, we went to a mask party at a place called The Roof- where it was literally on the roof of another restaurant. They had lots of specials, and it was a perfect party atmosphere! Luckily there were arbors and canvases that shielded us from the on-and-off rain, but luckily by the time we left the rain stopped. Around 3am we found ourselves at a boliche, where we danced for a few hours and had a great time! I wandered home just shy of the sunrise, which was nice because I didn't feel too wiped out today. I got some chinese food for lunch with the girls, and did more planning for spring break in Patagonia!!!! Ahhhh it's getting closer, and as I'm doing more research, I'm getting beyond excited. My birthday's going to be right in the middle of the trip- and to celebrate, I'll be camping with 6 of my best friends here nearby Fitz Roy and Laguna De Los Tres. (LOOK AT THIS: http://www.bikertony.org/PicsArgentina/PicsArgentinaFitzRoy/11last%20pic%20of%20Fitz%20Roy.jpg) Woohoooo!!!

Theatre turned bookstore.. it was beautiful!

This weekend our program is going to Iguazu Falls.. (http://www.buenosaires54.com/images/iguazu_foto_grande.jpg) can't wait!!!

Learning, exploring, living

An enormous tapestry at the museum, stunning details!

So after making it through class this week, I feel like I can conquer anything. It's pathetic actually to reflect on how hard it was for me to get through 6 straight hours of class each day this week- it shouldn't be that difficult! But after being spoiled with the college class schedule that typically doesn't give me more than 3 hours of class in a row, I've determined that my long-term attention span desperately needs some work. Luckily my teacher is extremely patient (although she should probably grow more of a backbone, considering how much nonsense our class puts her through) and does her best to keep our attention.

Hilary and I in front of the flower :)

I felt a little crappy all week, because with Valentine's Day and all, naturally we were all inhaling terrible food like chocolate, ice cream, brownies, etc. etc. After downing waaay too many sweets in the beginning of the week my body went into shock and I just didn't feel like I recovered.. until yesterday! By the end of the run, I think I finally sweat out all of the junk that I had digested. I wasn't initially planning on running that much, because I've been having some issues with shin splints. I wish I wasn't so susceptible to them!! On another note, as Becca, Adam and I were running around the pond at a nearby park, Becca sprained her ankle pretty badly on the root of a tree. It was pretty gross actually, it didn't swell up right away but both Adam and I heard it crack... terrible timing if I've ever heard of it, because she had originally planned on taking a trip this morning to go celebrate Carnaval with a bunch of other students! She couldn't walk on it and none of us had money to get her home, so I ran home, got money, and ran back so I could take her home. After that I was pretty pooped, but I felt really good about the fact that I'm in good enough shape to be able to run home and back without it being a big deal. I love being able to depend on my body like that, and in that situation, I wasn't the only one depending on my body working. It was pretty empowering actually. I really want to register for a race down here, I'm thinking a 10k is definitely a feasible goal. I'm not the type of person who will ever be able to run a marathon, which I'm fine with, but I think a half marathon is on my life-long bucket list. I have a feeling I'll be able to convince my sis/dad to do it with me...... :)

Cool bridge!

Anyhoo, I went to bed early last night because I was pretty pooped, and woke up around 10 this morning feeling all sorts of rejuvenated. After drinking some mate and catching up on some reading this morning, I met up with some people at CBC- California Burrito Company. While they don't have this chain in California, (odd) it is pretty much the same thing as Chipotle-- SCORE! The food was sooo good, and let me tell you, I plan on making this a weekly excursion. After grabbing lunch, Hilary and I went to the Museo de Bellas Artes for free! I'm so glad we went, because I keep kicking myself for not seeing enough of the art here in B.A. Only one floor was open because the upper floor is going through renovation, but there was some really incredible artwork there. Funny enough, most of the work was by European artists, but I didn't mind.. the setup of the museum itself was really gorgeous, even down to the rich color of the walls that changed in every room. Our friend Coleman met up with us and then we walked around to the mechanical flower, which is a landmark in the city. It's this HUGE silver flower that operates like a normal one-- in the morning it blooms, and at sunset it closes up for the night. It's pretty incredible and I've never seen any type of art like it. I think it's broken right now though so it just stays open... but the concept itself is pretty great. We continued meandering over to the Recoletta markets, and got ourselves some fruit salad with orange juice in it.. yum! Around 5 we decided to head home, as I am currently laying in my bed, enjoying the breeze brushing my face every few minutes. It was pretty damn hot today, around 93, so whenever there's a breeze I can't help but be extremely grateful. I have an entirely new appreciation for air conditioning, not to mention the central air in my house! Ever since I got here I'm pretty sure there's been a thin layer of sweat on me... one of the reasons I'm jumping for joy to get down to Patagonia for spring break. It'll be in the low 50's-60's, and it'll be really cool at night while camping, not to mention when we go see the glaciers! God, it blows my mind that while I'm sweating up here, there are glaciers only hours away. How bazaar.

More local graffiti

This weekend is Carnaval- I'll be attending as many parades, mask parties and other festivities as I can! Expect pics and more updates in a few days!

No class hoy? I'll take it!

Congress building!

So it's Wednesday? Yes, Wednesday I believe. All this week we have class for 6 hours a day, because we have some 4-day weekends coming up and our spring break is soon, and ISA is trying to make up for the school days that we're missing. That being said, you should probably know that the overall level of delusion significantly increases during that last hour of school between 3-4pm... our class gets pretty goofy. Luckily we have a great profesora named Eli, and she's just an oversized kid like us! It's been a lot of fun so far with her to say the least. Instead of class today though, we went with 2 other classes to a historical cafe about 45 minutes away by bus (this city never ends). It's name is Los Angelitos, and it was founded in the late 1800's, apparently it's very well-known around Buenos Aires. It had a great atmosphere, and once you leave the dining room and explore behind velvet curtains and upstairs, there's a theater! I'm glad that I took the time to explore, because I got the chance to close my eyes and just imagine being there 70 years ago. It's chilling actually, to imagine how much history just one single cafe has seen. A theory that my table made was that the cafe was named Los Angelitos because the voices of the performers sounded like angels...original and creative, I know. Regardless, I'm sure it's a great place to see a show! Where the cafe was located was really beautiful too, it's on a historical side of town and is only 2 blocks away from the National Congress building, which absolutely took my breath away. Sometimes the architecture down here is extremely intricate and you can see traces of European influence, but at the same time, an ancient building can be located next to an extremely modernized one! It's funny how they all mesh together though, I've really grown to love and appreciate all the different styles.

After the cafe, the gaggle of ISA students headed over to the movies where we watched an authentic Argentine movie (without subtitles!) called Agua y Sal. It was a great movie! What was even greater, was that I walked out of the theater with a really good sense of what I just watched. It's really encouraging to feel like I'm getting a much better grasp on the language and that I don't necessarily need to rely on the subtitles to know what's going on. Given there is body language and obvious film to help me put two and two together, but I can definitely feel myself beginning to turn off that constant voice in my head that's translating from Spanish to English. It's the best when I just shut that voice up completely and just listen in Spanish.. though it doesn't happen often yet, when it does, it's really exciting!

I came home after the movies, enjoyed a little siesta, and went grocery shopping with the roomie. We got a ton of food and cooked dinner for our mom, and made lunch for the rest of the week! We made an enormous quinoa salad, which I had never had until a few weekends ago in Pinamar when Julia nearly shoved it down my throat. It.. is... incredible. It's pretty much a superfood- inside of this creation there are allll sorts of beans, lentils, peppers, onions, tomatoes, quinoa, etc. etc. that just make it into this amazing, aesthetically-pleasing creation! For dinner we had a bunch of veggies cooked over some rice and a salad.. needless to say I feel pretty good!

Yesterday was fun too, a bunch of us hung out in the park with strawberries and a little wine to celebrate Valentine's Day. It's nice to be able to go to a park and not feel like you're going to get robbed or sketched out by locals- luckily the park I'm talking about is extremely well-lit and we sat close to the road that we'd be in plain sight of other people in case anything shady went down. While I am the type of person who loves to be on the go and constantly doing something, I can't tell you enough how much I enjoy just being able to sit in a park and relish in the beauty of the day, the sunset, and the company of great friends. Not to mention I came home last night to my host sister baking brownies.. complete with frosting and sprinkles! Not a shabby life!

Great vibes, through it all.

My girl Becca with me at Ferias!

The band at Ferias!

I'm realizing that because I'm also keeping a journal while I'm here, that I signed up for a lot of writing. Because of this, I keep forgetting that I haven't updated the blog in a while! Anyways, I shall give you a brief overview of the last few days. Wednesday night I was with my roommate waiting for a bus not too far away around 11:30pm (in a sketchy location, which we later found out was unsafe at night- I hate finding out these things after the fact!) and these two men approached us. Luckily I didn't have a purse on me, but one guy checked my waist and pockets for anything and then they both asked Julia for her cell phone & bag- I pushed one guy off and said 'parate' (pronounced pah-rah-tay) and they ran away! First, that's hilarious that they ran away because even though I thought I said stop, I guess 'parate' also translates into "stand up!"... My guess is that it was their first attempted robbery because let's be honest, I'm not an intimidating girl.. and someone telling you to stand up shouldn't be what stops you from completing the attempt! Anyways, I'm extremely happy that Julia didn't lose anything and that it ended up the way that it is. Unfortunately on Friday morning around 9:30am when I was returning from a pretty ghetto side of town (I was getting my Visa all straightened out with the kids in my program), my wallet was pickpocketed out of my purse in the subway. It stinks, because I really thought that I was being aware of my belongings! It was rush hour though, so we were surrounded by a TON of people. This city can be pretty sheisty sometimes I tell ya.. I lost $500 pesos, my credit/debit card, my license, insurance card... the list goes on. Luckily I still have my Visa & passport though-- which is ESSENTIAL!! So, it could have been much much worse. Not to mention, I'm alive!

So many to choose from!

Smiles with Julia and Bryan :)

That night though, my friends were so great to me! We all went out to this bar across town called, creatively, "Le Bar." It was a really cool atmosphere- there was some pretty unique seating that was carved out into the floor, and the walls were painted in deep hues. Upstairs on the roof there was some seating but also a lot of area to stand and socialize- on the walls there was some beautiful art too! It seemed like a pretty residential area too, and as I was looking around and up at the sky it was definitely one of those surreal... Argentina-is-smacking-you-across-the-face-so-you-better-pay-attention-to-it kind of moments. Anyways, I met a lot of natives and people traveling from Brazil and elsewhere, which was great to practice my Spanish. My crew was buying me drinks all night because of my loss, and let me tell you- I'm so blessed to be surrounded by these guys! I love them all of these weirdos to death and wouldn't have it any other way.

How fun it would be to live in this apartment!

Meat on meat on meat at the Ferias! Talk about salivating!

Hangin' at the park

Last night, after recovering from returning home after sunrise (woops), about 15 of us went to a festival about an hour away called Feria de Mataderos. There was a ton of food-- GREAT meat and empanadas-- local bands playing on a stage in the street, and a ton of vendors! It was an incredible atmosphere and there were such good vibes- once the band started playing, everyone started dancing in synchrony in the street! It felt like I was witnessing a scene in a movie. Everyone was moving so elegantly to the beat of the music, and it seemed so natural to them. I guess for us Americans it's sortof like how we all know how to do the chicken dance without any second thoughts? Although I'd much rather know these dances instead... The people looked like they were having such a great time, and they looked beautiful! I managed to get some souvenir shopping done, and get some great local food. Dad, you would have LOVED the music! I might have whipped out 'The Maggot' at one point... reppin' the Kelly family! After the festival we all went home because we were still pretty pooped from the night before.. which was great because that gave us all more energy for today! I went to a park about 40 minutes away with a couple of the girls, and after getting ourselves lost for an hour or two, we made it and enjoyed the warmth of the sun for a few hours. Conveniently enough, other kids in the ISA program were there on a tour this afternoon, so we hitched a ride back on an air conditioned coach bus around 7:30 (instead of paying for a train and taxi and catching it at rush hour)! Best case scenario if I've ever had one! Overall, it was a great weekend.. surprise surprise!

3-day weekend for the win!

Elisa and I at the Aussie's apartment

So on Friday night, we all celebrated the Aussie's last night to reaaaally hang out. There were about 5 of them that we really got to know, and let me tell you, they are some of the most hilarious people I've ever met! I'm not really sure what I thought about Australia before, but I have the most positive impression of the Aussie people now. Anyways, they kindly opened up their apartment to around 20 raging Americans, and we all had a grand time pre-gaming the night away. That being said, I should also add the disclaimer that their air conditioning was not working which caused an unnecessary amount of sweating... we were all, shall we say, glistening? After we left their apartment we stumbled into a bar that Julia and I have been to before, called Birmania. It is just as great as it sounds- a mania of beer. I've fallen in love with Patagonia beer- there are three different flavors and I'm quite the sucker for them because it's so light! I can only imagine how incredible it will taste on draft when I actually go to Patagonia for spring break! We ended up staying there until the sun rose (woops), but it was a ton of fun because I've really gotten to know the bartenders- I won't deny the fact that with a little beer in me, my Spanish seems to flow a little smoother... or so I tell myself. Anyways, the owners are great and they showed us a great time.

Can't help but laugh around Bryan!

Saturday was a day of recovery and relaxing, so around 4 I walked over to Chinatown, which is only about 10 blocks away. Walking there alone and taking pictures of random things around Belgrano was really nice, because I didn't have to worry about what anybody else wanted to do.. it's kindof similar to my passion of shopping solo. Regardless, I walked around a park and into Chinatown where I saw more socks for sale than I had ever anticipated. Socks... really? That wasn't all- they were selling a million hats too! Besides that, they had some great popsicles (mom, you would have lost your marbles over these guys!) and I of course treated myself to one.. when in Rome! I strolled around at a perfect pace, and was really admiring and soaking in the family atmosphere. There were couples and children running around all over the place, and it was just a happy, perfect place to be. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with this feeling that I'm exactly where I should be at that moment, and it can really take my breath away. I'm so content just people-watching, and for some reason on Saturday I feel like the Argentines had a lot to show me. In the park on the way home there were countless couples sitting, canoodling, loving... I especially took note of how many gay couples there were. I'm so envious of Argentina in that they're so openly accepting of love, no matter who is partaking in it. I can't wait until America overcomes that hump.

Some cool Buenos Aires graffiti

Hangin' on the walkway to our Tigre beach!

Saturday night was pretty relaxing, I ended up just getting some pizza with a few friends and was home by 2. That was great because I needed some more rest, and it was refreshing waking up Sunday morning and feeling alive and well. That afternoon I went with two friends Elisa and Adam exploring around the city- I thought I knew where I was taking us, but turns out I jumped on the wrong subway line so we ended up in a pretty sketchy area of the city. It was okay though- we found super ponchos for only 5 pesos!! Now, what is a super poncho you ask? It's a hot dog covered in papas fritas. Aka, one of the greatest combinations we've stumbled across thus far! Don't judge me... Anyways, we also saw a movie- La Dama de Hierro, aka The Iron Lady with Meryl Streep! It was cool seeing it with subtitles, and I also really loved the movie itself. God she's incredible. Not only did I love the movie, but I loved being in air conditioning for a few hours... it's quite the luxury around here.

I know I've already taken a pic of this ferris wheel.. but I just love it!

Sunday night some of us met up at an outdoor bar for a few hours but took it pretty easy, although I did treat myself to a drink called "Ladies Night"- it was all sorts of fruity and delicious! Monday we had no school, so 8 of us went to Tigre again, which was a blast! After an hour train ride and hopping on a boat, we found ourselves at this beautiful little retreat complete with a beach, picnic area with shade (VERY important), and an indoor cafe where we could purchase the eating&drinking necessities. I didn't meet too many native Argentines there because it's hard to introduce yourself when traveling in large American groups, but I did hang out with some little girls for a while! It was fun trading Spanish and English words with them, and they ended up burying me in the sand and playing around for a bit (I thought I was going to be burying them... classic miscommunication)! After some serious relaxation, flip cup and a late siesta, we headed back to the mainland and made our way back to Buenos Aires. It was a day well spent, that's for sure. I love being able to escape the mayhem of the city so easily by train- of course I love the city, but like I've said a million times before, I do need the option of openness. Architecture is beautiful, but I can't think of anything more incredible than being surrounded by the untouched, greener parts of Argentina.

City tops, city heartbeats

I’m fascinated by urban landscapes. For some reason it’s very exciting and soothing at the same time to get high up and soak the view, see the never ending stone jungle..

 There is some special energy in this concentration of living spaces. Behind every wall and every window there is someone’s life- and sitting on my balcony in the evening, I can glimpse them, piled onto one another, extending into the horizon, coexisting and weaving together without them even realizing. It’s the pieces of lives that make up the city and make it into the environment I love. You can be connected or isolated, with it or against it, but I don’t think you can ever be truly lonely in the city. There is always someone else’s heartbeat close to you.

Another week

So it's Thursday again.. how does this happen so quickly? This morning I had my first FINAL exam.. yeesh, that came up quick! It took me about an hour and a half, and I have a follow-up oral exam tomorrow morning. If I pass both (God willing) then I'll be moving up to Intermediate II as of next Tuesday (we have Monday off.. not sure why, but I'll take it!)! I'm really excited, I have a good feeling about the exam, although I don't want to say anything too rash.. we'll see!

These past few days have just been a bunch of exploring and doing random things- on Monday after class I went to an indoor mall with a few friends. Though that sounds boring, I'm glad I went, because the only thing I purchased was a 2nd grade mystery book to help teach me more Spanish! I figure that during some downtime I can read that instead of picking up something in English.. productive AND a time-killer. We walked around the neighborhood that the mall was in, which was really incredible. There were so many murals and amazing graffiti tags in the streets, and the cobblestone roads were coated in kids playing soccer. There's something about being around young kids here, I don't know, maybe just their Argentinian youth strikes me. Anyways it was an afternoon well spent!

Yesterday I went to the ISA program office and was tutored for 2 hours- it was SUCH  big help! Definitely before a big exam today.. there were a bunch of kids there so it turned into a big study session. I'm so grateful that ISA offers tutoring for us, it's an added bonus but it works wonders. I think I'm going to start trying to go more often though, because I don't want to get into the habit of having to cram before an exam. Especially with a language, I need to force myself to do more every day, rigorous studying, instead of just a few nights before. Anyways, yesterday was pretty low key after the whole studying and napping nonsense. There have been thunderstorms alllllll week, and I mean it's been POURING!! It's thunderstorming right now too, but I have ZERO complaints. Even storms are cooler abroad. Plus, it makes for perfect napping and relaxing weather.. rain is by far the most soothing and sleep-inducing sound out there. Also the only lamp I have in my bedroom broke soooo I'm using that as an excuse for more naps?

Today after the exam, a bunch of us went out for a cheap lunch (I had an incredible torta, mom you would have loved it! It had eggplant, cheese, basil and tomato.. so flavorful!) and over to this "punk" area across town. After a 20 minute subway ride we found ourselves at piercing and tattoo heaven... there were 3 floors and countless stores of punk t-shirts, funky shoes, tattoo galleries and all the jewelry any piercee could dream of. For me, I got a new nose ring (my gem fell out of the stud, don't worry mom, I didn't get a hoop!) and a new belly ring (I lost it.. woops). I was with 4 other people, and the rest of them were quite adventurous! After sharing a few beers, Miguel got the industrial piercing, two girls Elisa and Jill got their noses done, and Becca got the marilyn monroe done! I didn't want to spend any more money so I skipped out, buuut I did get a sweet pair of green pants for only 70 pesos! That's cheaper than Forever 21.. heck yes bargain shopping! Overall it was a great day, and I'm ready to hit the pillow early tonight. This weekend we're all staying in B.A., but I'm looking forward to really exploring the city more- I'm trying to figure out how to go for a day hike, but I'm kind of lacking on the mountains... we'll see how that goes.