today I wore a hat and hand warmers... Autumn is here

Necesito un casco. I need a helmet. If for no other reason than a placebo to relax me a little bit on my bike... What I thought was a fun challenge my first week or so on the bike now is giving me stress headaches. I'm really paranoid after seeing that accident, and for good reason too! A bus almost sandwiched me between a parked car on the left-hand side this morning on my way to school. Seriously, what is that? I dislike. And the fact that everyone tells me "you're gonna get hit!" isn't making things better.... but hey, I guess it strengthens my faith? I did ningun amount of tarea today... decided to watch the Barca vs. Chelsey game with a group. After class, my new friend walked me to a tango class! We met my first day of class when I muttered a feeble prayer that shows how pathetic I can be.. "please let me meet someone..." and then I took a picture of his notebook with all the notes I'd missed. Now, I can take my own notes, YAY! and we actually converse :] The tango class was interesting, but difficult.. kinda frustrating. But not as frustrating as Migrations. Visa has me in a clench. I was supposed to get it about a month ago.. I went, with my photocopies of EVERY page of my passport, my 300 pesos, and my photos. But. my photos were not the right size. So that day, I missed part of a class for nothing. Then Roche rescheduled me. But then I went on vacation and when I came back, completely missed the email with my turn. So then I finally had another turn, for today. I went, got there on time, stood in the line, etc. etc. had everything I needed and did my part. However, it looks like I'm kindof illegally here, as there is no record on file of me returning from Uruguay the 8th of April. Even though I have a stamp on my passport to prove it. SOOO after talking with many (very friendly and helpful) workers, I now have to return on Thursday. I mean, it's not like I'm actually trying to go to my classes or do homework or anything like that, don't worry, it's fine. Retiro should be my 2nd home by now. Hopefully it works out and I can find my ticket info etc etc and turn that into them. Also, cannot find my FLACSO key card. problem... Monday and Tuesday are feriado! yayy! But I'm not gonna travel anywhere, I've decided. I need to settle here and also have un monton de tarea. But I'm excited! I'm going to something on Saturday with an Argentine friend, meeting up friday to do a project with a girl from my class, and went on Sunday to cook and play cards and music with a group, so it looks like I'm starting to get more involved! PS I made bomb mac n cheese today and was actually able to eat it! allllright digestive system, vamos! SI SE PUEDE!

ESTOY VIVA! reflections on culture shock and getting back in the swing of things

This week has been testing. A week ago today at noon is when I woke up from my unintentional nap on the terrace in the sun asking why am I so tired? and then realizing, oh hey, I don't feel so good... I thought it was the heat. Now, a LONG week later, the good news is I'm much better! The bad news is that my digestive system is still a wreck, but as long as I stick to my arroz (rice) y galletitas de agua (water crackers), I now feel fine. It's been a good bonding time for me and Vale! Lots of tea time, constant emailing when she was at work, and she made soup for me!
But guess what? The past couple days I was able to leave the house and be social!
On Friday, still feeling very drained, I made it to FLACSO to meet with a tutor and then research in the library for my paper. On the way home I went into one of the tango shoe stores that Vale recommended and tried on some gorgeous pairs! They're expensive, and I'm still hunting, but I met a friend. The worker and I are now friends on facebook and planning to go tango sometime! After that I continued my walk home at a leisurely pace. Went into a bookstore and bought Martin Fierro that I have to read for my Folk y Lit class as well as another folklore book for fun. When I stopped in to buy some gatorade (apple flavor..?!), I had a nice conversation with the cashier girl who's studying tourism and thus took an interest in my thoughts on Argentina. I also bought a skirt that I'm not sure I love yet but will be good for my folk dance class. This shopping-walk home revealed again what I love most about Buenos Aires: even though it's a big European-type city, the people maintain a bit of the South American warmth. Which means that it's possible to have really good conversations with strangers.
I'm glad that I'm in Stage 3 of my Culture Shock.
A ver (let me explain): according to CIEE, there are 5 Stages of Culture Shock. At first, when they gave us this sheet, I rolled my eyes and put it directly in my scrap paper pile. (ps, no se recicla mucho aca- when I've asked why they don't recycle I've received the same response: there isn't the custom here.) I have since removed it because it is humorously accurate.
So here it goes.
Stage 1: Excitement. The "honeymoon" period... everything's new, exciting, fascinating.
I thought that stage would last forever! But then came (and hopefully left for good!)

Stage 2: Withdrawal. Frustration and Critique... This came on drastically for me and I was shocked by my thoughts. I was suddenly generalizing. Things I'd previously found comical, endearing, or fun were suddenly so dumb to me! I was sick of the old men making kissing noises. I was angry at the absence of spicy food. I was annoyed at everyone and annoyed at myself for feeling that way. And I was more than frustrated with my inability to speak. I realized what was happening a little later and was able to sort out my thoughts. I realized that my friend Annie experienced it at roughly the same time frame because at the end of a hard week we went to get a quick empanada which turned into the most hilarious conversation that lasted 2 hours in the cafe and spilled out onto the street where we stood (backpacks in front) doubled-over laughing and complaining in English. I shared my horrible moments of "I'm better than you" thoughts and she confessed hers, while we laughed about how ridiculous the timing was. Such as "You dont know anything! I'm smarter than you!" in class... when we can't even answer a simple question and we sit there with stunned faces and everyone wonders how we ever made it into college. We laughed at ourselves and we laughed at Buenos Aires in all its glory of broken sidewalks and plethora of dog poop.

Stage 3: Adjustment. "Understanding and accepting the behavior of the people, Feeling less isolated, Regaining the lost sense of humor". I certainly feel adjusted. Now that doesn't mean that the annoyances have disappeared, but I'm able to sort things into little compartments for the most part: this I like, this I don't, this I am indifferent to.
Next up: Stage 4 (Adaptation: feeling at home) and Stage 5 (Re-entry Shock).

Anyways, I was absolutely exhausted when I got home, so I napped for an hour and then headed out to Annie's birthday celebration. We went to see the musical Por Amor a Sandro at the Teatro Broadway. Sandro was a famous singer, dancer, actor.. think the Elvis of South America, and this musical was based on the life of a diehard Sandro-fanatic. It was so much fun! The dancing and the singing were amazing!
Here's a song from the musical

After that we met up with the rest and went out to dinner to an Indian place (hard to find here!) which was nice, but of course I could only eat the naan bread and rice, which was jut torture!
That night coming back was a shock.. I took a taxi and just as I was about home, I witnessed a man on his bike get hit by a car from behind. I pray he's okay but I don't know how he would be. It was pretty horrible and I was shaken up, so Vale got out of bed to make me tea and we talked about the musical. It took a very long time to get to sleep...
The next morning (yesterday) I woke up early to go to this zoo where you can go into the cages with the lions and tigers and bears (OH MY AMAZING!) and kiss them and love on these amazing creatures!!! I was so looking forward to it, and even though I decided not to go that morning, I was planning to go later. However.. I then started thinking. It's called Zoo Lujan. Maybe that rings a bell for the justice-system savvy, but for me it didn't. But looking online in exuberance at the tourists'photos, I realized that in all of them, the animals look the same- sleepy and out of it. I knew the zoo was controversial, but only because of humans being in the same cage. I then asked Vale about it and we discussed it.. I found out that the animals are extremely drugged. Maybe that's obvious to others, but I didn't realize. They are also in chain-link cages with nothing but dirt and benches. No grass, nothing to create any sort of natural-habitat atmosphere. They are constantly paraded around and played with like stuffed-animals (one image that really made me mad was of a man spinning a bear around by its feet).. which I am not okay with, no matter HOW BAD I would love love love to kiss a tiger and touch a lion paw-pad!!

So anyways, I did homework. Then Simone came over for a bit because her house is being fumigated, and then it was time to get ready for the party for Marcelo's dad's 80th birthday. It was like a wedding, the amount of preparation and the formality. Vale picked which of my dresses to wear and I wore her red tango shoes (we wear the same size!) and off we went together in taxi.

It was so much fun! Even though any social gathering where you don't know the people is bound to be a bit awkward. Luckily Clay was there and we stuck together. But it turned out to be a lot of fun and I was so glad to be included. Also very fortunate that I was well enough to make it! I wasn't able to eat all the yummy appetizers (sneaked a few) or the main course or drink any wine, but still enjoyed myself. We got there at 9 and didn't get home till 4 in the morning! Lots of dancing and lots of meeting people, since in Argentina it is custom to greet everyone and say bye to everyone individually. I was told multiple times that I could pass as an Argentine, until I spoke haha. And Vale and Marcelo decided that from this day forward, I'm no longer a gringa-- just because supposedly I "dance like a Latina" :]] Vale said I can be her Argentine daughter now, she just needs to paint over my mouth! Unfortunately, I came here to speak and not to move my hips.

Tomorrow: 2 full months since arriving in Bs As!

PS: I just realized on friday when I filled out my course registration (finally!) that I am actually in fact taking 20 credits. in addition to the volunteering. So, to all those teasing me about partying all the time (which I don't), I am indeed a student through and through. :]

enferma

Today I had my first in-house doctor visit ever. The custom here in Bs As is to call the doctor to come to the house, or go into the clinic when you feel sick, unlike in the States where you wait until you can't stand it any longer. I'd been sick since Sunday mid-day, but didn't want to have a doctor's visit. Yesterday I almost passed out while riding my bike because I was really dehydrated, and I was up all night last night. So this morning at 5, I caved and called. Turned out great because it's included in our insurance with the program and I got a certificate for missing classes! That means my absence doesn't count against our mandatory 80% class attendance in order to pass. winnnn!
That was a big relief, so I've been doing my homework, resting, and trying to get ready for the rest of the week. I'm going to try to make it to my last class at 6 pm and I may meet up with Sabrina again. She's from Switzerland and I met her in Uruguay. She Michelle and I had dinner Saturday night because she's spending a few days here in Bs As before going back to the land flowing with cheese and chocolate.
Language update: Vale gave me some encouragement Sunday morning while we spent the morning on the terrace in the sun. She told me that she's noticed a huge improvement in my Spanish and that she appreciates that I try to speak Spanish even with my Flacso friends. She said that for the other students that she hosted, she noticed that their Spanish worsened from studying abroad because they practiced so much beforehand so they were spot-on when they arrived, but then stuck to the English-speakers and lost their abilities. I think I should be proud of that, even though it's kinda like receiving the "most-improved" award... if you're terrible to start with, you're bound to improve! And I certainly did not practice before coming here.
Anyways, I have some fun things planned for this next week: at some point, I'm going to meet up with 2 friends from the hostel in Mendoza; going to have a night of Truco (Argentine card game that's very complicated), Mate, and Tango music at the house of someone I met at Vale's party either Thursday or Sunday (with Missy too!); Friday I'm going to a musical and dinner for Annie's birthday, Saturday is zoo day! Beyond excited! And then that evening is the very formal birthday party for Marcelo's dad. And on Sunday Missy and I are planning to finally get to the Rey de Reyes Iglesia that we've heard so much about from past Hope study abroad students.

I just hope my body gets its act together!!

Also, in the meantime I need to write a research paper, in addition to all my other work... yikes! Makes me appreciate Hope College resources and classes in my native tongue so much more.

Another side note: I lost 1 of my dance shoes... really inconvenient because now I have to buy a new pair that'll serve my Folk Dance class as well as Tango.. Vale says I'm waiting for my prince to bring it to me. In reality, I think Astor robbed me!

If you want to get more of a feel for Argentina, watch these videos I've posted on my youtube!

from Vale y Marce's Tango show


TAMBORES show:






Human Rights Protest, Los Tambores No Callan:




Soccer Game when it rained:

Viajes, viajes, viajes: Ushuaia, Mendoza, and Montevideo/Colonia

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller
USHUAIA : gorgeous mountains, fun friends, fresh air and a break from the city
with: Jon, Clay, Lauren
when: March 15 2:30 am Thursday - March 18 9 pm Sunday
synopsis: the week I left I had gotten barely ANY sleep, as my only time to was prohibited by my overstressed subconscious. I had a breakdown that Wednesday night while trying to pack for a few reasons, but mostly due to exhaustion and stress. But like a good mom, Vale comforted me and we had a nice dinner, I packed quickly and napped for an hour before Clay and Jon picked me up via taxi to the airport. The flight was smooth and the landing was superb-- the cost of the trip was worth it just to see that. Once there we figured out our hostel details, met a new friend Ary, and then did a free hike (Glacial). When we came back, we rested and hung out. That night at the hostel a bunch of us chipped in for a hostel BBQ. We played games, helped chop vegetables, then ate our hearts out and met a bunch of great people and planned a hike with some of them.
The next morning our group + Ary, Fernanda, Yann, and Clara hiked Laguna Esmeralda. It was drizzly and muddy, but still gorgeous! We were even able to drink from that beautiful lake! After the hike I napped and then we all went for dinner. It was an experience, what with me losing my group for about an hour, finding them, eating a buffet that wasn't the best and finding a catepillar in my salad.. etc. Later we all went to the Irish Pub which was a blast and then hung out at the hostel until about 5 am. The next morning we checked out of that hostel, Lauren went back to Bs As, and Jon, Clay and I wandered the town. We hiked to the highest point that we could in the city and got to see "the real Ushuaia"with all its mountain poverty and stray dogs that seem more like wolves. When we came back into the touristy town we bumped into Ary and went for sushi lunch, then hung out at Hostel Antarctica more, playing games, relaxing, sharing stories.. Then we went for another walk, this time along the water. Later we checked into our other hostel and cooked dinner there, then Jon and I went back to Hostel Antarctica to celebrate St. Patricks with the new friends. The next day we wandered and walked some more and then headed to the airport.
Conclusion: I loved it. It was just the vacation I needed and even though it was so short I felt satisfied. I would have liked to do more touristy things and some day I think I'll head back into Patagonia to do more, but things were expensive and over-booked. However, I got a great taste and saw beautiful places, met interesting people, and shared it with 3 awesome friends!
Favorite photos:

Next Trip...
MENDOZA! caballeros y caballos
with: Jon, Judy, Hannah, Marie, Natalee, Simone
when: Wednesday March 28 20:10 hs - Tuesday April 3 8:30 am
synopsis: Rushed to the Omnibus station after class to travel by myself, met a man who served as temporary-dad to help me get there asap and smoothly. Waited 40 minutes for my late bus, rode it for the 14 hours through the night and arrived in Mendoza at around 10 in the morning the next day. Very smooth travel although I was sore from running for the first time (discovered Parque Rivadavia about 20 blocks from my house!). Hung out at the hostel, met some people, wandered around a bit and took in the nice differences from Buenos Aires: large clean uncracked sidewalks, behaved dogs, clear skies, men that MINDED their own business and not mine. Hannah Judy Jon and Marie arrived, went to lunch, walked through the shopping areas, found some parks with artisans. Hung out at the hostel, had tacos and wine for dinner, walked around at night, found a playground and got spoken to by the police for it. The next morning we woke up really early for our High Andes tour. It lasted the whole day and we learned about Mendoza, it's provinces, and the different formations of the Andes Range. We also did some trekking on it and felt the altitude in our lungs and heads. Natalee and Simone arrived and we all hung out. That night we participated in an asado-party with other hostels-- all-you-can eat meat. I know I was a vegetarian for almost 4 years, but the meat in Mendoza is superb! Simone and I stayed late to hang out with new acquaintances then had an adventure back to our hostel. The next morning was our Wine Bike Tour. We rode bikes to 3 different wineries and learned about their unique processes then learned the proper way to taste wine. Very fun! We changed hostels and went to lunch. Later we all rested then I did homework, wrote postcards, and made a friend from Canada named Dan. That night we all went to an Irish pub (there's a theme of these trips!) and I drank a glass of jameson to cure my sore throat. Walter, the worker at the hostel showed up and we joined his table of Spanish-speakers. Later, Simone Dan and I went with him and some other Argentines to a Plaza where we hung out and talked until the next morning. We slept in the next day and then I registered for classes at Hope and did homework. Later, Simone and I went on a sunset horseback excursion! It was so much fun and it was beautiful. We rode for 2 hours through the mountains and then had a BBQ where we met 4 other American students studying in Bs As through a different program. When we got back to the hostel we all played cards and made 2 more traveler friends. After the others went to bed, I hung around with the Argentine group and watched them play Truco (argentine card game). The next day I checked out and then walked around with Dan and someone I met my first day, Eric and we went to the central market where I saw so many dead pigs! We ate lunch and then I went back to the hostel to wait for my bus. After saying goodbye to my group I walked to the bus station only to find out that I'd done something horribly stupid. I remembered the time as 4:00, but in reality it was 14:00... Pretty bad couple of hours trying to figure out how to get back and trying to convince them to let me switch tickets without buying another with not much luck. But oh well, I made it back.. just in time to run home, shower, drop off my stuff, and arrive to my class... 1 hour late. Woops! I had 1 day back in Bs As to reorient myself and then I was off again. This time, to Urugay.

Conclusion: I'm so glad I went! It was spur-of-the-moment decision thanks to Jon who I love traveling with. I liked meeting the people in Mendoza and it felt more like what I expected for "South America". Has much more of an authentic cowboy feel. I also did a lot of the touristy things which I'm happy about, because it's kinda hard to do those things on your own. Seems like a good place to raise kids and teenagers since it's safe and there's a lot of them so I'm sure they enjoy it. The group was a ton of fun and I also was able to branch out on my own a bit and practice my independence (although, as exemplified with the bus.. I can't completely depend on myself)
Favorite Photos:

URUGUAY : water water, we reunite!
with: Lucas, Jennifer, Michelle
when: April 4 9 am - April 8 10:30 pm
description: Woke up early Wednesday to leave my house by 7:20, met Lucas in the subte, met up with Michelle and found Jennifer at Buquebus. The ferry was astounding. So huge and comfortable! Landed in Colonia then took a 3 hour bus to Montevideo, checked into the hostel and then searched for food as we were all keeling over from hunger. We walked around for a long time then found a restaurant with pasta that looked much better than it tasted.. Made friends with the staff though and hung out with them for a bit. Then bought the Uruguayan drink Medio y Medio and headed down to the water. We stayed on the beach a long time and walked along the shore. Later Michelle Jennifer and I went to get icecream and then got caught in a huge rainstorm which was fun running back with plastic bags as bonnets. That night we played card games with Uruguayans and our new friend Alex. I learned Truco, Uruguayan style. The next morning, Michelle and I woke up early, ate breakfast, and then ran on the beach. After running we swam in the ocean-river! We were the perfect pair because she convinced me to run and I convinced her to swim. Also we're the same height and have similar stride, so that made the run more enjoyable. After that we walked to the shopping center with Alex to search for soccer tickets with no luck. So we ended up eating Subway in the mall. We ate alfahores con helado on the beach then went to a Uruguayan soccer game! The next day was Jennifers birthday and we spent it on the beach. Michelle and I ran on the beach about 4 miles beforehand.. later that night we went for a birthday dinner (alex joined) at a great Italian place and ate wonderful food then went for icecream afterwards. We hung out at the hostel afterwards with a new friend Sabrina. The next morning Michelle and I exercised at the beach again and then we left for Colonia.
Colonia was gorgeous, but in my opinion it's a 1 day place. We walked around, checked out the ferias and tourist shops, walked on the rocks by the water, took pictures, and ate at a place recommended by everyone who's gone to Uruguay: el drugstore to eat the Uruguayan meal Chivito which is just delicious. After spending the day just exploring and relaxing we drank Medio y Medio with chocolate while watching the sun set over the lighthouse. That night was very interesting and hilarious-- Jen and Lucas went to Easter Vigil mass. The next morning was Easter sunday! Michelle and Jennifer left after breakfast, Lucas went back to bed, and I explored on my own and found an evangelical church for an Easter service. The rest of the day we spent reading on a hill-- homework and for pleasure. We left at 7 to go back to Bs As.
Conclusion: Uruguay was the most relaxed place I'd been in a while. I loved being on the beach!! And swimming was such a treat. I felt like I had plenty of time in both places, and I was disappointed with some of the prices of some not-so-great food. I also lost money by having to change into uruguayan pesos, but it was the perfect relaxed vacation!

hace mucho tiempo

It's been a while! I can't believe I've been in Argentina for 7 weeks already! Time is going by so fast, mostly because I'm busy nonstop. I often find myself signing into facebook, mostly out of habit, but also I think as a subconscious attempt to recreate the times when that's all I would do for the day. No, I'm definitely enjoying the daily hectic life, but it just makes me want to come back sometime when I'm not a student.
This week marked my first with my finished academic schedule. Since we can take classes not only in the different universities of Flacso, UCA, UBA, and IUNA, but also in the different facultades of each university, it makes for a lot of class options but also a lot of schedule complications. Some universities started way earlier than others and it was very difficult sorting all that out. At first my schedule was amazing in that I only had classes on Tuesday and Wednesday, plus volunteering Monday and Thursday. I was taking 15 credits with my 1 direct enrollment class at UCA and had long weekends to travel, explore, do homework, and relax. However, I sacrificed my schedule to take classes that interest me more.. it was a gamble since I did it last-minute but so far it seems worth it!
So now my class schedule is as follows:
18 credits of class, 2 direct enrollment:
Danzas Folkloricas Argentinas at IUNA (Argentine Folk Dances, theoretical & practical)
Folklore y Literatura at IUNA (Folklore and Literature)
Aprendizaje y Servicio (Learning and Service lecture with additional Volunteer component)
Trabajo con Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo (4 hours per week volunteering)
Lenguaje en accion (Literature in Action)
Gramatical (Grammar)
Oral (Argentine Castellano Pronunciation)
Next month my Tango class starts as well. So yeah, 6 classes in Spanish is a lot for me to handle, as well as the commute in between everything, but I'm excited about it! I feel like a confused child in the first grade most of the time and it's wonderful.
I've already taken 2 tests, so I guess I'm official!

Today I rode Vale's bike for the first time! It was an adventure. I rode it to IUNA and then from there to FLACSO-- which should have taken about 30 minutes, maybe 20, but add on about an hour because I overshot it by A LOT. I wound up where the streets end, woops! I blame the one-way streets. It makes it slightly impossible to find your way unless you know your route well. For the reason, riding home at 8 this night was much better. Mom and Dad, you'd be so unhappy if you saw how crazy Buenos Aires biking is! I'm pretty sure I'm going to make it my mode of travel because it's like walking, but faster! Cheaper, healthier, safer (for my things, not for my body), more fun, and faster than public transport.

Anyways, here's where I am right now:
still feel frustrated with my language but appreciative of all the opportunities and experiences I'm having! Now I'll update on my trips...