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Ya he llegado a greensboro! No puedo creerlo. Nada ha cambiado. Y siento raro porque he pasado más de 4 meses en Argentina, y todos de mis pensamientos han incluido collectivos, castellano, taxis, dulce de leche, estaciones y terminales, viajes y que se yo, y ahora, estoy en un otro mundo. Todo es tan fácil ahora! Aprendi mucho en mi tiempo alla. Cuando estuve en los aviones para volver, todavía estuve pensando en como decir las cosas que necesité a comunicar en castellano, pero no fue necesario! Pero, quiero hablar en castellano! Jaja. Ya extraño Argentina, pero me alegro que estoy en casa con la familia. Y es verano!!!




Pero todo de ustedes de allá me trataron muy bien y voy a extrañarlos, les digo en serio. La familia Denis, la pasé muy bien los fines de semana con ustedes, me gustó a estar con una familia charlando y me sentí muy comoda en un pais extranjero. Virginia y su familia, me han ayudado un montón! Con mis valijas, cuando fui a Bariloche, y pasar tiempo con sus hijos amorosos y con ustedes (y todos los consejos de Virginia durante todo!). Y Amalia y Vicky fueron mis amigas, y mis “mamás” en el gran ciudad. Marta me ayudó mucho con mis viajes y me trató muy bien. Así que, no se preocupen, me vuelvo pronto! Un gran beso para todos! Nos mantenemos en contacto!

viajes

Eso tal vez vaya ser mi úlitima post. Llegué hoy de mi viaje más largo. No sé si voy a poder a poner fotos! Pero, bueno. Primero, me fui a Santiago de Chile, 9 de Julio en la noche. El hostel allá fue Happy House, y es caro para un hostel, pero buenísimo! El martes, caminé por Santiago, ví un parque muy lindo, y podés ver los Andes en el fondo del ciudad. Qué lástima que hay mucho niebla, así que fue difícil para verlos. Miercoles tomé un colectivo para ir a la costa, así que, ahora conozco el oceano pacífico! Pero el tiempo fue horrible. Fui a Valparaíso que es muy lindo, tiene casas y barrios en cerros, me encantó. Comí en un restaurante para Lukas, que fue de Valparaíso y famoso para sus chistes y dibujos. Conocí una Suiza allá, Samantha, y pasamos el día juntas. Fuimos a Viña del Mar que es menos de 15 minutos de Valparaíso. Me pareció un lugar para el verano, tiene la playa y resorts y todo, pero no mucho para nosotras porque hacía mucha fría con lluvia! Pero vimos un castillo! El jueves, tomé un colectivo de Santiago para Mendoza en Argentina: duró 6 horas. Antés de irme, fui a la moneda, el edificio de gobierno allá. Es MUY lindo, y es interesante porque podés entrar! Pero no pude :( porque había algo el día que fui. Yo pude escuchar un poco de un accento argentino mío cuando estuve allá! jaja. Viernes encontré Sofia, y alquilamos bicicletas para conocer las bodegas! En realidad, no me gusta vino mucho. Probamos diferentes tipos en diferentes bodegas. El paisaje fue muy lindo con los bodegas y los montañas. Hicimos mucho ejercicio con los bicis! Y tuvimos en la noche esperar hasta 2:30 en la mañana en el terminal de omnibus para ir a las leñas! Estuvimos muyyyyyy cansadas. Llegamos a las 8:30 en la mañana en las leñas. Y yo aprendí como hacer snowboard! Pasamos 3 días, 2 noches allá. El primer día me fue mal. Nevó! así que, fue difícil para aprender como hacer snowboard! Me cayé mucho. El segundo día fue mejor. Hice una clasa particular por 2 horas y aprendí como girar, pero todavía me cayé mucho. MUCHAS VECES! siempre. jaja. PERO el tercer día, mejoré y fue MUY divertido! Me alegre que aprendiera y no puedo esperar para la próxima vez que puedo practicar! Ahora estoy en Buenos Aires, solo tengo 3 noches más acá, y después me vuelva a los estados unidos!!! Sofía y yo hablemos mucho de la comida que extrañamos. Yo extraño, mexicano, panera, ruby tuesday´s queso dip, new york pizza and ranch dressing. Pero cuando estuve en Chile, extrañé Argentina, es mi hogar de suramerica, extrañé mucho las empanadas! No puedo creer que este experiencia ya casi está terminada. Voy a sentir raro cuando me vuelvo. Pero estoy lista.

This might be my last post. I arrived today from my longest trip. I don´t know if I´ll be able to put up photos before I get home. Anyways, first I went to Santiago, Chile July 9^th in the evening. The hostel there is called Happy House, and it is expensive for a hostel but it was really wonderful. On Tuesday I walked around Santiago, I saw a really pretty park called Santa Lucía, and you can see the Andes mountains en the background of the city. It´s too bad that there is so much smog there that I could barely see them. On Wednesday I took a bus to the coast, so now I have seen the pacific ocean! The weather was terrible though. I went to Valparaíso, which is a main port, and it´s really beautiful with houses and neighbourhoods up the hills, I loved it. I ate at this restaurant dedicated to this comic strip writer Lukas who grew up in Valparaíso and is pretty famous. There I met a girl from Switzerland, Samantha, and we spent most of the day together. We went to Viña del Mar, which is less than 15 minutes away from Valparaíso. It seemed like a regular beach with resorts and such, but not a lot for us to do because it was freezing cold and raining! We did see a castle though! Thursday I took a bus from Santiago to Mendoza, Argentina, a 6 hour ride. Before I left, I went to see La Moneda, their ´white house´. It´s really nice and people can go in it and take tours! I couldn´t though because it was closed to the public that day, something governmental was happening. While I was in Chile I could hear that I had a slight Argentinean accent!! J I´m trying to eliminate any English one when I speak Spanish. Friday I met up with Sofia and we rented bikes to ride around the different wineries in Mendoza! It was hard work, but really fun, and the scenery was beautiful with the vineyards and the andes mountains! I don´t really like wine though too much, we tried different kinds in different wineries. That night we had to wait at the bus station until 2:30 in the morning for the bus to las leñas. We were MISERABLE during the wait, but the bus was comfortable and we slept most of the way. WE got to las leñas a 8:30 in the morning and that is where I learned how to snowboard! The first day was really hard, plus it snowed so it was even harder to learn. The second day I took a 2 hour private lesson which helped a lot and he taught me how to turn. So then I just practiced a lot, and fell a lot, and then I fell so more. Me and the Andes mountains became pretty good friends. BUT the third day was GREAT! It finally started to click. Yeah I still fell a lot, but not nearly as much, and I even got to do some blue slopes, I pretty much mastered the greens (not quite but still) I absolutely LOVED it and I wish I could´ve stayed longer, I can´t wait to snowboard again. Now I´m in Buenos Aires, and I only have 3 more nights until I go home! Sofia and I talked a lot about food we missed, like MEXICAN, and panera bread, New York pizza with RANCH dressing and Ruby Tuesday´s queso dip! Oh, and marshmallows in hot chocolate and JIF peanut butter! There was a lot more but now I don´t remember. But when I was in Chile, U missed Argentina, it is my southern hemisphere home. I really missed the empanadas! I feel so knowledgeable when I meet other travellers, because they are passing through and I´ve lived here and been to almost all parts. I can´t believe this experience is almost over, March seems sooo long ago now. It´s going to feel weird going back, but I´m ready too.

Uruguay!

I just went to Uruguay for 2 days with Sofia, an american that I met through Marta. You can take a boat across Rio de la Plata to get there. We first went to Montevideo, which I didn't really like too much. It's the capital of Uruguay, but, I have to say that I like the capital of Argentina a whole lot better! However, I did notice that the people in the street were alot nicer than in Buenos Aires. People were happy to help us with directions and went out of their way and that has never happened to me in the streets of Buenos aires. Anyways, I think the problem is that there wasn't really anything to do. We took pictures in front of the statue of their liberator, and saw the Palacio (their "white house). We met a brazilian girl at the hostel who is traveling right now during her summer vacations. She is going to Buenos Aires next and I don't remember where else, but she was real nice.


The next morning Sofia and I took a 2 hour bus ride to arrive in Colonia. Colonia is really really pretty, relaxing. It has cobblestone streets, I saw some horse carriages (in both cities) and we went up the light house which was fun! In both places it was neat because as you are walking, whenever you get to an intersection, you get a peek of the rio. So it feels like you are on a mini island! Colonia was absolutley gorgeous, and when I do come back in the summer, it will be so great, with the beach and Uruguay has more beaches that look amazing that I could go visit.

Acabo de viajar por Uruguay por 2 días con Sofía, una norteamericana que conocí por Marta. Podés tomar un barco para cruzar el Río de la Plata para llegar. Primero, fuimos a Montevideo, el capital, pero no me gustó mucho. Me gusta más el capital de Argentina! PERO, me di cuenta que la gente allá fueron más amables en la calle. Muchas personas no ayudamos con direcciones y cosas como así, y nunca me ha pasado esto en las calles de Buenos Aires. La problema fue que no hay mucha para hacer allá. Sacamos fotos enfrente de la estatua de su libertador, y vimos el Palacio (su “white house”). Conocimos una brasilera en el hostel quien está viajando ahora por sus vacaciones del verano. Ella va a Buenos Aires próximo y no me acuerdo los otros lugares.

La próxima mañana, Sofía y yo tomamos un colectivo por 2 horas para llegar en Colonia. Colonia es liadísima y tranquila. Tiene calles de piedra y vi carruajes en las dos ciudades y subimos un faro que fue divertido! Me gustó en dos lugares como cuando estás caminando y cruzas un cruce, podés ver el agua del río, así que sentís como si estuviera en una isla. Colonia fue hermosa, y cuando me vuelva en un verano, sería bueno porque hay playa allá y también hay otros playas en Uruguay que me parecen bellísimas así que sería increíble si podría ir.

Bariloche

Me fui a Bariloche recién, que está en la parte de Argentina que se llama Patagonia. Me costó 23 horas más o menos para llegar! Me quedó en Aspen Ski, y amable es el hermano de Virginia quién lo consiguió para mi por gratis! Fue muy cómoda. El centro está a lado del lago Nuahi Huapi que es muy muy lindo, el agua es un azul cristal y tiene las montañas alrededor, y las que estan mas lejos tiene nieve. Fui a una de las islas que tiene que se llama isla victoria, donde se plantearon sequoias (de California) y son regrandes! Subí Cerros Viejo y Campanario por aerosilla, donde hay vistas increíbles! Me encantó. Y es más tranquilo por supuesto que Buenos Aires allá, y las casas y edificios son lindos. Tenían muchos negocios que se venden chocolate RIQUÍSIMAS! Me fui al Museo de Chocolate y fue muy interesante! Que suerte que no había nadie, así que tuve un tour privada! Y la mujer me habló despacio y claro y entendí todo y aprendí como chocolate apareció como un bebida de los Mayos en la Yucutan Peninsular en México con pimiento o algo como así y después una bebida de los españoles con azucar, y después un polvo y por fin en barra, Y que en Bariloche crecieron chocolate en rana que es muy rico! También me fui a hotel llao llao, que es regrande y increíble! Se queda entre los lagos nuahi huapi y moreno, sola, y no tengo ni idea en cuanto cuesta para dormir allá pero me imagino muchísima. Tomé el té allá y me divertí.

Vi un glaciar que se llama Tronador, y es muy interesante porque podés ver como ya se he derritió, así que es una problema verdadera! El día que fui, había mucha ceniza en el aire que venía de la volcán en Chile. Encontré 3 chicas irlandas que fueron muy interesantes. Dos de ellas han estado viajando por 14 meses afuera de Irlanda. Trabajaron 3 años después de la facultad, y trabajaron en Australia 6 meses y después viajaron por Asia y otras lugares y ahora están viajando por Suramerica. Me dijeron que es una cosa muy popular para hacer allá! Pero a mí no me gustaría hacerlo como así. Me estresaría y no me gustaría a tener que mover tus cosas cada semana por lo menos! Me gustaría tener más tiempo en los lugares que visito. Ya sé que quiero vivir en Australia y en Italia en un momento de mi vida y quiero visitar Europa y Mexico como vacaciones. Pero no creo que podría quedarme afuera de EE UU por 14 meses! Solo tengo 29 días más hasta que me vuelvo!!!!

I went to Bariloche recently, which is in the Patagonia part of Argentina. It took about 23 hours to get there! I stayed in Aspen Ski Hotel, and how nice is it the Virginia’s brother arranged that I stay there for free! It was really nice and comfortable. The city is next to Lake Nuahi Huapi, which is really really pretty, the water is a cristal blue and it has mountains all around, y the farther away ones have snow on them! I went to an Island called Isla Victoria where

they planted sequoia trees from California that are huge! I went up Mountains Viejo and Campanario via ski lift where they have incredible views of the landscape. It’s much calmer there than in Buenos Aires of course and the houses and buildings are really cute. They have a lot of chocolate stores there, and the chocolate is so good! I went to the Chocolate Museum and it was really interesting. I was lucky enough to go when no one else was there and so I got a private tour! The woman talked slow and clear enough that I understood everything and I learned that chocolate first appeared as a drink that the Mayans made in the Yucutan Peninsula in México with pepper or something like that, and then the Spaniards made it with sugar and then later in Europe the figured out how to make it into a powder and how eventually they made it into bar form. Also, in Bariloche is where they created chocolate rana, which is really really good. I also went to Hotel Llao Llao, which is really big and incredible! It’s in between lake Nuahi Huapi and Moreno all by itself, I have no idea how much it costs to stay there but I bet an absolutely ridiculously unnecessary amount. I went for té (their 3^rd meal of the day here around 4) and I really enjoyed it.

I saw a glacier called Tronador, and it was interesting because you can see how much of it has already melted, so it is a real problem! The day that I went there was a lot of ash in the air from the volcano that erupted in Chile. I met 3 girls there from Ireland that were really interesting. Two of them have been traveling outside of Ireland for 14 months. They worked for 3 years after college, and then worked in Australia for 6 months then traveled around Asia and I don’t remember where else and now they are doing South America. They told me that it is a pretty popular thing to do over there. I think it’s really neat. I wouldn’t like to go about it that way though. It would stress me out only having a little time in each place and I would hate moving all of my stuff ever week at the least. I would like to have more time in the places that I visit. I already know that I want to live in Australia and in Italia at some point and that I want to visit Europe and Mexica as vacations. I don’t think I could stay outside of the U.S. for 14 months! I only have 29 days left til my feet touch U.S. soil again!!!

La Pobreza y Los Mendigos

Hoy estaba estudiando afuera de la iglesia. El día es lindísimo hoy, con el sol y 63 grados. Vino una chica para vender cositas para el pelo. Le dije que no me interesaron y no me dejaba en paz. Es terrible. Quiero decir que es terrible que los chicos están vendiendo cosas en la manera de mendigando. Ella siguió a pedirme, para monedas, para billetes. Cuando hacen este, hablan rerápido y sin respirar con voz baja. No es como están hablando contigo. Le dije a la chica que no tenía monedas. Solo tengo un billete de 20 pesos, pero no le dije por supuesto. Me enoja mucho como la gente que mendiga sienten que vos estás obligado a pagarle algo. Esa chica, después de empecé a ignorarla porque n me escuchaba para nada, me dice “que maldita sos como extranjera y no me das nada” o algo como así, y siguió a sentarse a mi lado, esperando. Por fin, se fue , pero no sin diciendo algo mas con "maldita."

Un noche, cuando estaba volviendo de la casa de Vicky, una mujer y su hijo me pararon para venderme cositas para sal y pimiento. Me gustaron pero no estaba llevando bastante dinero para comprarlos. Traté a hablar con ella, le pregunté quién los hace y dónde y me dio repuestas cortitas y siguió a hablar, rerápido y sin respirar con voz baja. Me dijo algo de una enfermedad que tiene su hijo y que quiso comprar el remedio. Y cuando estábamos hablando, su hijo, diferentes veces, me pegó en las piernas. Cuando ella no aceptó que no iba a comprarlos, le dio 2 pesos, y me dice “Señora, no tenés más?” y este me enojó muchísimo, y me fui.

Al mismo tiempo trato a pensar en como sentiría si fuera una de ellas. La chica, no es su culpa que piensa como así, es la culpa de sus padres. Y no tengo ninguna idea la situación o la vida de sus padres. A veces, me preguntaba que piensa Dios de estas situaciones. ¿Cuánto es la culpa suya, y cuánto viene de que recibieron de Dios? ¿Tengo razón cuando pienso que no estoy obligada a darles algo? Yo creo que no es la manera que podés ayudar. No va a cambiar su vida. Si nadie les da algo a la gente que mendiga, no pediría, y entonces, tal vez encontrará otra manera para mejorar su vida. Pero también, hay la gente en la calle que es descapada. Me parece que sí, necesita ayuda. Este es al responsabilidad del gobierno. No tiene nada acá para los descapados, te juro. No sé como podrías vivir en Bs. As. Si tuviera una deshabilitad grande. Y también, pienso en mi país. No es perfecto y tenemos problemas, pero, también, tenemos mucha gente que trabaja juntas para mejorar las vidas del otras. Ojala que la gente acá hiciera lo mismo. Pero, los argentinos son reestresados. Siempre escucho alguien diciendo ese. Ese es la culpa del gobierno. Me parece que por eso no dan mucha atención a las problemas de las otras. O tal vez solamente me parecen que hacemos más por que cuando estoy en NC State, está llena de actividades y organizaciones para ayudar. ¿Por qué el mundo es tan difícil? ¿Por qué nací en una familia afluente? No tuve la decisión (o tal vez sí y no recuerdo). Pienso en que, cuanto de mi vida está afectada por cosas que no podría manejar. Si naciera en Argentina, pensaría diferente, en un idioma diferente, y mi mente hubiera sido desarrollado en otra manera. ¿Cómo yo fuera si hubiera nacido en una familia pobre, que duerme en la calle? Una cosa que va a afectarse, cuando ves una persona durmiendo en la calle dónde hay gente caminando, o una familia con un colchón en el parque. No podés comprenderlo. Otro día no pude entrar el departamento, y pensé, qué horror sería si no tuviera un hoga.

Me pone triste que la mayoría de la gente en el mundo nunca va a experimentar una vida en que se puede vivir de verdad. La mayoría solo va a conocer una vida de pobreza, de preocupación, y tragada en pensamientos de sobrevivir; sin sueños de una futura. Nunca va a invitar amigos y familia a su casa para celebrar el graduación de un hijo, preocuparse en como debe vestirse para una cita, hacer planes con amigos para viajar a la playa, aprender como leer, tener millones de fotos de momentos felices de su vida. No es justo. Ojala que los líderes del mundo lo arreglaran. Y ahora, odio como hay gente (incluyendo yo) que tienen sus necesidades cumplidos y encuentra maneras para ponerse discontenta.

Today I was studying outside the church. Today is a beautiful day, with the sun out in 63 degree weather. A girl came to sell me hair barrettes and clips. I told her that I wasn't interested and she wouldn't leave me alone. It's terrible. I mean it's terrible that these kids are selling things in a way of begging. She kept asking me, for coins, for bills. When they do this, they speak really fast without stopping and in a soft voice. It's like they aren't really talking to you, it's just begging phrases that they have memorized and repeat. I told her that I didn't have an coins. I only had a bill of 20 pesos but I didn't tell her that of course. It makes me mad that beggars think that you are obligated to pay them something. This girl, after I started to ignore her because she wasn't listening to me, says to me "damn you foreigner that you won't give me anything," or something like that, and she kept sitting next to me, waiting. Finally she left, no without saying another "damn..."

One night when I was coming back from Vicky's house, a woman and her son stopped me to sell me salt and pepper shakers. I liked them but I didn't have enough money on me to buy them. I tried to talk to her, I asked her who made them and where, and she gave me short answers and continued to speak really fast, without stopping in a low voice. She told me something about her son being sick and how she wanted to buy medicine for him. And while we were talking, her son, multiple times hit me in the legs! When she wouldn't accept that I wasn't going to buy them, I gave her 2 pesos, and she says to me "Miss, don't you have more?" and this made me so mad and I walked away.

At the same time I try to think about how I would feel if I were one of them. The girl, it's not her fault that she thinks that way, it's her parents fault. And I have no idea what kind of situation her parents are in or what their lives have been/were like. How much of it is there fault and how much has to do with what fate gave them. Am I right to think that I am not obligated to give them anything? I don't think it is really a way to help. It's not going to change their lives. If no one gave them anything, maybe they wouldn't ask and then maybe they would find another way to better their lives. But there are also people in the street who are handicapped. It seems to me that they do need help. I think they are the responsibility of the government. There is nothing here for the handicapped. I don't know how you could live in Buenos Aires if you had a disability. Also I think about my own country. It's not perfect and we do have problems, but also, we have so many people that work together to better the lives of others. I wish that people here would do the same. But Argentinians are really stressed. I always here someone saying this and that it is the government's fault. It seems to me this is why they do not focus their attentions on other people. Or maybe it only seems like we do more because when I'm at NC State, I'm surrounded by organizations and activities that help people. Why is the world so dificult? Why was a born into an affluent family? I didn't have the choice (or maybe I did and I just don't remember). I think about how much my life is affected by things that I couldn't possibly have control of. If I were born in Argentina, I would think differently, in a different language, and my mind would have been developed in a different way. What would I be like if I had been born into a poor family that sleeps in the street? Something that will affect you, when you see a person sleeping on the street where other people are walking, or a family with a mattress in the park. You can't comprehend it. The other day I couldn't enter my apartment and I thought, how terrible would it be if I didn't have a home?

It makes me sad that the majority of the world will never experience a life in which they can really live. Most will only know a life of poverty, of worry, engulfed by thoughts of surviving; without dreams of a future. They will never invite friends and family over to there house to celebrate a child's graduation, worry about what to wear on a date, make plans with friends to go to the beach, learn to read, or have thousands of pictures of the happy moments of their life. It's not fair. I wish the leaders of the world would just fix it. And right now, I hate how there are people (including me) how have all their needs fulfilled and still find reasons to be unhappy .

subte

¡Hoy, tomé el subte por la primera vez! Lucía y yo arreglamos a almorzar hoy en Puerto Madero, dónde se queda su universidad, UCA. Comimos en un lugar que es parecida a Mc Donald’s. jaja, nunca como en lugares como así en EE.UU. o acá. Fue insaludable, y muy rico! Después tomamos el subte, porque ella lo usa todos los días para ir a clase. Nunca lo había usado porque no hay un parada cerca dónde vivo, entonces tendría que caminar 20 minutos para llegar al subte y no es muy útil. Había gente tocando la guitarra, pidiendo dinero, como hacen en los trenes también. Estaba emocionante!





Today I used the subway for the first time! Lucia and I met in Puerto Madero, where her university, UCA, is to eat lunch. We ate at a place kind of like McDonald's. haha I never eat at places like that in the U.S. or here. It was unhealthy, yet o so good. Afterwards we took the subway, because she always uses it to go to class. I never use it because the closest stop from me is a 20 minute walk away so it isn't that useful for me. There were people laying the guitar, asking for money, just like in the trains here. It was exciting!

Folclore

Today Virginia told me about a concert by Facundo Saravia going on and I'm glad she did! I really enjoyed it. He sings folkloric music, which I really liked in Salta. I hope I can buy a C.D. of his. It was only like 4 blocks away from me at the Colegio de escribanos and it was free. I hope I can go to a tango show they will have there next week!







Last Sunday I finally met Virginia's family! They were really great, I loved it. I went to Virginia's sister, Mariana's house. Her husband is Jose and they have 6 kids, 17-5! They were so cute, they made me a welcome sign! And they were all really excited and talkative, I could barely keep up with everyone!

They took me to the Cathedral, and I go to go inside the museum and then up the tower! What I liked alot about the view is that you could see the other tower (that is so tall that from the ground you can't see any of the details) and the statues/figures and details of it. Kind of like the hunchback of notre dome. They are so high and like, by themselves but I could see them! haha idk.

I loved their kids though. Mariana picked me up at the bus station with her 2 youngest sons Jose and Nacho (9 and 5). Jose started telling me a story in the van, and I swear he did not stop to even take a breath! haha, and finally I was like, okay you have to slow down or I won't understand! so he would talk really fast, and then his mom would explain it to me. haha it was so cute. And Nacho would hold my hand (he was born almost completely blind, I forgot to have him play the piano for me, Virginia says that he can and he's 5!) and he wanted to sit next to me when we ate lunch. The first 4 are all girls, and the one that is 11, Rosario, was so impressive to me, she would explain everything to me. Like when we went to the museum to the cathedral. Virginia told me that she is the "public relations" of the family, which is a clever way to put it. They were all really cute.



I also got to see Virginia's brother's family. He has 3 girls and I had met them all about a year ago when they came to visit Virginia in Greensboro. Diana and I took their oldest 2 girls to the jewelry making store near my house. I couldn't really talk to them at the time, it's funny that now I can. Even if I am not fluent when I get back, at least I won't be scared to speak and practice with people anymore! Anyways, I hope I can spend a weekend there with them soon!

International Taxi Day

This past Friday I went to the International Book Fair. It was definitely impressive, and DEFINITELY packed. I think I would have liked it better if the books had been organized more by genre, instead of stands of different bookstore companies, but who knows how that would work, I'm just referring back to the old days at St. Pius' bookfairs in the library. I absolutely LOVED the children's books though, the illustrations are so cute and beautiful. There was a stand by the United States along with other countries. The one for the United States had a few books, but the whole theme was space travel. It had a big model space ship, and a cardboard spacesuit with room to put your head in for pictures. And it had a huge timeline about our past and next space travel plans. I bought a book of Maitena comics, she writes comics that are geared toward women and their "problems" it's funny, when I know what all the words mean! Haha, Vicky and I took a quiz on the back that was really funny. We both got the results of muy alterada, or very mad/crazy, the 4th out of 5 options. One of the questions goes, You find out that your boyfriend has been lying to you about everything, A. you don't believe it at all, he always tells you everything, B. you ask him about it, C. you burn all of his shirts and break a chair with his head. They had alot of events going on, like book signings, during the week too there. It was definitely huge.






Saturday night Vicky, Amalia, and I went to San Telmo, one of the oldest neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, for dinner. It seems really pretty, they have alot of roads that are cobblestone. I need to go sometime during the day. There are alot of streets named after different countries, and the restaurant we ate at was on the street Estados Unidos (United States). haha.










Sunday I went with Vicky to La Plata. We ate at McDonald's before we left and the McDonalds' here are realllly nice, I mean compared to ours. It's 2 levels, at the bottom the have a cafe along with McDonald's stuff, and at the top they have a computer zone! with really nice computers! haha and i think there was a playplace up there too. When we were leaving her apartment to go, we noticed alot of commotion, and like these cars coming by slowly like a parade, and music and honking and like, spongebob and barney and I don't remember what else. But anyways apparently it was International Taxi Day. Haha! I got to meet two of her friends in La Plata. We went to a cafe for awhile. The word for tea is te, and te is also the pronoun? I can't remember the grammatical term, for you. so the teas had names like te amo (I love you) or te espero (i wait for you). I thought it was cute.

On my way home, when I was on the bus on Callao, as we approached Santa Fe, the traffic was really bad, because there was another manifestacion. The government and the campo are still not finding a resolution. I mean it's just a huge mass of people blocking most of the street and hitting pots and pans or clapping, or honking their horns. I couldn't get a good picture though because the bus I was in was moving.

I joined a gym here and I really like it. I missed be able to work out, and my body def did too. okay, chao chao!

Salta La Linda

Can you believe I have been here for 2 months already! Only 2 months to go! I'm going to be sad to leave.

I just got back from spending a week in the north of the country. I stayed with Marta's daughter-in-laws' family. Of course, like the rest of the people I have met, they were really nice and treated me well. They have a 22 year old daughter named Laura who helped me out alot. I stayed in the little house that they have on their property separated from the main house with her. It is so beautiful there, and the house is up on a hill so you can see the rest of the city from above!

Laura works for a tourist company as a translator for Italians, so I bought excursions through them. The first thing I did was went on a city tour of Salta, then I went to the Museum of Archeology where they have the 3 mummies found frozen in one of the mountains from the Inca period. I only got to see one of them, because the other 2 have to be kept in really cold temperature. It's pretty neat, their bodies are completely preserved, organs and skin and everything. I also went with Laura that night to see the orquestra of Salta play, her boyfriend places the contrabass, soloist. It was nice, because I had been wanting to go to something like that, the only thing is I had a headache by that time because I was looking around the museum beforehand.

The next day Laura had to translate on a tour, and I went on the same tour with her. We went through the Quebrada de Humuahaca, we stopped in a little town of Purmamarca, and also Tilcara and then Humuahaca. The route there was so beautiful, the mountains are all around you and they are of different colors, for example the cerro de los 7 colores.

On Friday I went on a tour without Laura, to Cachi. I think I loved the landscapes that we went through on this day the most. At first the mountains were lush and green, and then it changed to desert and we reach this area that is the Parque Nacional de los Cadrones, which means the Park of the Cacti. They were so cool! I don't know why, but I really liked them. So we got to walk around there some. We stopped in a little town to eat lunch, and it was really pretty and outside. And then finally we reached Cachi, which is a town in the mountains that has some colonial buildings still. Only people of indigenious ancestry live in all of these places that I visited.

That night we went to a Pena, and I loved it! It's where people go to a restaurant and play folkoric music. It was so fun, and the people that played and sang were so good. Laura and I went with an Italian girl named Valeria that we had met on the excursions, she is living in Buenos Aires too.


Saturday we went to the Salinas Grandes, which is where the ground is covered in salt from when an ocean used the be there. The way there was of course surrounded by mountains and different vegetation. We drove the same route that the Tren de los Nubes goes, but the train is closed right now, so it's nice that I still got to go the same route. We stopped in a little town to eat lunch too. And we saw llamas! I love them, they are so cute, and now I can say that I've actually seen them!

All the places that I went were very pretty, but I spent most of the time in the van, we drove so much. I covered alot of ground, first on a 20 hour bus ride there, and then on these all day excursions around Salta and Jujuy. It was beautiful (but pretty cold, brrr) and I really liked the Basombrios, they were great and it was nice hanging out with Laura, someone my age and really interesting. Now, I have to go back to school work! You can look at more pictures by clicking on the title of this post.