Mis Aventuras: 4

¡Hola todos!

As my time in Argentina increases, I find my English deteriorating rapidly. I realize that I question how to say or write English words and will switch to Spanish if I can't think of the English word I want to say when with fellow API members. This is wonderful for my language skills! Luckily, I don't have to take any English courses when I return to the States!

On Monday I got my Argentina visa! Let the wild times commence!

Like usual, Tuesday evening was girl's night of wine and dessert with Sarah and Rebecca. The dessert was a vanilla/mint/dolce de leche ice-cream -- delicious!!

On Wednesday we finally found Sube cards, after standing in line for 1.5 hours at UPS. These are similar to debit cards but are only used on the underground and bus systems. The issue with these cards is that the Argentine government is slowing down the production of the cards so literally nowhere has them. The other issue is that the bus only accepts coins, and when there is a shortage of coins and Sube cards, public transportation is a hassle. It has been a nightmare, but life is finally easier!

On Thursday I saw my first Argentinian star sitting several tables away from us at a local Recoleta restaurant! Susana Giménez is an ex-model, television host (Wiki compared her to Oprah in the U.S.), and an actress. I was informed that she tends to get a little wild, I suppose that would explain why she walked into a gentleman's club after dinner.

On Friday we spent the day at an estancia (ranch). We arrived by private bus to a house in the middle of nowhere, where café and medialunas (a typical Argentine breakfast) awaited for us. We then separated into groups of seven and took turns learning about the agriculture in the area as well as riding horses. The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging by the pool, eating entirely too much delicious food, and learning how to folk dance. We all thoroughly enjoyed the trip!! That evening, Rebecca, Sarah, and I went to our usual wine bar with some local Argentine friends.

Next week is Semana Santa, which means no school! The girls and I spent Saturday afternoon at a nearby café to sort out a trip somewhere. We have decided to go to Mendoza! We will be traveling via an overnight bus with Jess, a girl from our group who is attending a different university as her classes are with Argentine students, and will spend 4 days in wine country. This is our first trip without API, so we're very excited!! Another piece of exciting news: my friend/co-worker, Laura, is coming to visit me in May! I can't wait to see her and show her around the beautiful city!

Saturday evening we did a fair amount of traveling throughout different neighbourhoods. We ended up having dinner in Puerto Madero (with a glass of free champagne: I could really get used to free drinks!) and then went back to Recoleta to meet up with friends.

Sunday was a typical homework day, so nothing to report there.

On Saturday we head to Iguazú for three days then I'm off to Mendoza until the following Monday. I may not have time to update between my trips, but I will definitely update once I return to Buenos Aires. ¡Hasta luego!

Mis Aventuras: 3

¡Hola todos!

Life in Argentina is starting to become more of a routine now that school has started. I take a 20 minute bus ride to school and have classes Monday-Thursday with the earliest starting at 2:30 PM, so no complaints from me! I've decided to take only 12 hours of classes to allow myself time to travel etc. without having to worry too much about exams/projects. In Spanish I am taking a Spanish grammar class, history of economics in Latin America, and tango (yes, I will become a professional tango dancer by the time I return to the States!) and finally international business in the Southern cone which is in English. University life is far different than that of KU, more so because the school is one building with 20 floors whereas I'm used to walking along the main street of Jayhawk Blvd. and going to different buildings for classes. Everybody in my classes are foreign, and surprisingly mostly from either the U.S., Germany, Italy, or France.

On Tuesday I found out the news I have been waiting for: I got accepted to the KU Medical Centre!! I will start there in August to finish my last two years of my Health Information Management program. This now means mum and dad are on an apartment hunt for me!

On Wednesday I went to lunch with a professor from KU who is originally from BA and comes here to miss the winter weather in Lawrence. She lives about a block from me and it was great to catch up with her, it is also nice to know there is somebody else I can contact if I need anything.

That evening, Sarah and I found out Rebecca was feeling slightly homesick, so the cure for that was a girl's night with wine and dessert. Side note: my host-mother asked me to pick up a pack of cigarettes for her as I was going out. The strangest part about the whole experience was that I was given change in Starbursts. I was completely caught off guard and should have argued it, but I was too shocked and ended up saying okay and walked off; Starbursts taste the same in Argentina. Anyway, it was a great couple of hours. We learned so much about each other and by the end of the evening Rebecca was feeling much better. I still can't believe I've only known these girls for two weeks, we are such good friends. P.S. Dad: I'll need a flight to North Carolina at the end of July to visit Sarah for her birthday! :)

Thursday evening was spent celebrating my acceptance to KUMC and Rebecca's acceptance to a fabulous summer internship program. Sarah, Rebecca, and I went to what is now becoming our usual wine bar. We're starting to become quite good friends with the bouncers and waiters..with this in mind we were given a token for a free drink and received a free pitcher of delicious sangria which was worth about $200 (ARG). Needless to say, it was definitely an enjoyable evening!

On Friday Sarah and I went on the hunt for the American Express building to cash my traveler's cheques. After spending the best part of two hours trying to find the place, we wanted to go to the university to buy books, which turned into four hours of being lost. We got on what was thought was the correct bus, according to our guide, but we ended up going to the neighbourhoods of Varracas and San Telmo, located about as far west as you can get in Buenos Aires. These are still fairly nice neighbourhoods and it was enjoyable to see different areas of Buenos Aires on a beautiful day.

Yesterday we were up early to head to Tigre with the rest of the group -- there are two groups with API: one of 21 people who started in February and our group of 6 who started in March. It was the first time we had ever met them, and we all seem to get along really well! We took about an hour long train ride from Belgrano to Tigre. We then rowed along Río de la Plata for about another hour, then took a tour boat to a person's house where we spent the rest of the day swimming and socializing and enjoyed lunch. There were chairs and tables in the garden for us when we arrived, so Sarah, Rebecca, and I sat on a bench next to a table. The next thing we knew the bench collapsed and the three of us fell to the ground. The bench wasn't put together well as everything was only placed together and not nailed etc. eitherway, it was absolutely hysterical and I should probably lay off the dulce de leche for a bit. The area of Tigre along the Plata is a completely different lifestyle with nothing but beautiful scenery, water, and chalet homes. Everything is via boat: police, ambulance, super market. It was a very enjoyable day, and my tan is looking good! That evening Sarah, Rebecca, and I redeemed our free drink token with a piña colada after a great day in Tigre!

Today I went to Puerto Madero for a drink with Marcos, a local porteño. He showed me around the neighbourhood pointing out the best places to eat, drink, and visit. It was a great time and best of all I understood practically everything he said! I'm still having a difficult time understanding my host-sisters which can become discouraging at times, especially when I can understand people in the streets as well as my professors. Needless to say, it was a great confidence boost for me. Next week we visit an estancia! ¡Hasta luego!

Mis Aventuras: 2

¡Hola todos!

I have been pretty busy the last few days. Tuesday's empanadas were delicious! We also made alfajores, a sweet made with two cookie-like pieces with dulce de leche in the middle. I'm an official Argentinian chef now!!
Wednesday we went on a three hour bike ride around Palermo, a neighbourhood within Buenos Aires. It was a beautiful ride and a great way to see the botanical gardens and parks -- I also got a great tan line!
On Thursday I tested my dance moves, or lack there of, by learning the tango. We first had a brief history lesson of tango and then went to a lesson at a local tango school. Later in the evening, after I had butchered Argentina's national dance, people who actually knew how to tango came and danced the night away. It was a very enjoyable evening with the lessons, dinner, and then watching locals dancing. A few of us ended up at a salsa club afterwards. Again, enjoyable but I just don't have the Latino moves.
On Friday the girls spent the afternoon shopping around Plaza Italia, followed by a siesta. Yes, I'm falling back into the Spanish habit from my trip to Spain and enjoying siestas in the afternoon. I think every country should adopt siestas into their customs. That evening we had a history lesson of Argentina covering mostly politics, people, and of course Falklands. I'm really starting to think the resident director here holds Falklands against me...Afterwards we decided to go to Plaza Italia to see what their night life was like. My friend Sarah and I decided to meet up and get on a bus as the trains were closed. The evening turned into a bit of a mess when we started seeing the ghetto of Buenos Aires and the bus driver stopping and saying the bus was stopping and that we had to get off, keeping in mind he told us before we got on that he went to the Plaza. This ghetto of BA turned out to be Constitucion, the ghetto of the ghetto which we were told not to go to at night. Luckily, there was a family on the bus who walked us to a different bus and all is well that ends.

On Saturday we went to an international festival at Plaza de Mayo, famous for its protests and infront of Casa Rosada where the president (CFK) works. Leaving the apartment to meet up with everybody was quite an adventure. The elevator suddenly stopped halfway between my floor and the one below. I was able to only just tap on somebody’s door and an old woman was able to get somebody to move the elevator. Needless to say I am sticking to the stairs from now on. It was a lovely afternoon with yummy food stands from all over the world. That evening Sarah, Rebecca, and I went out for dinner and spent the evening at a wine bar in downtown Recoleta.

Today (Sunday) has been a day of relaxation and going out with my host sisters. I sign up for my classes tomorrow and start my first day as a University of Belgrano student! All classes start in the afternoon and go until the evening, slightly different than the U.S. but at least I don't need to get up early.

The family situation is still going well, I'm just having trouble with Argentinian eating habits. Eating at 10pm just does not work well for me and I end up starving. Hopefully my body will catch on to the change within a week or so. ¡Hasta luego!

Mis Aventuras: 1

¡Hola todos!

So much has happened since I left the U.S. on Thursday. I spent two nights in a hotel with 5 other people from the group. We all get along so well and I feel like I have known them for ages! We spent Saturday and Sunday touring all over the city, from the upscale neighbourhoods to the not as nice neighbourhood of La Boca (home to the football team Boca Juniors). It is a beautiful city with so much activity at all hours of the day/night. We experienced our first BA bus and subway ride over the weekend. In most areas there are no lines in the roads so drivers tend to drive where ever they feel like, making bus rides similar to roller coasters. I am slowly learning my way around the city using the transportation system as well as my own two feet and turning more into a porteño. The changing of the guards where San Martín is buried

Outside of the cathedral

Congress building

Puerto Madero, a very modern neighbourhood of BA

La Boca, with its colourful homes

A gift to Argentina from England

Saturday evening was our first night on our own, so we decided to find somewhere to have dinner and then go to a club nearby the hotel. The first battle was to get used to the custom of eating dinner between 9 and 10 in the evening. The second battle was to figure out how to find the restaurant. We knew where we wanted to go, but we kept walking in circles. It turned out we had already passed the restaurant once and had walked the best part of three miles and gone in a circle before we found it..it was only 2 blocks from the hotel. After dinner we went to The Shamrock to celebrate my birthday. There were two levels, one for socializing and the other a dance floor. The only music the DJ played was techno and the locals danced the robot. Needless to say it was an interesting experience and we won't be returning to The Shamrock. Roomies (L-R): Rebecca, Me, Jasmine

The group (L-R): Rebecca, Sarah, Alejandro, Jasmine, Bianca, Me

Sunday was my first day/night with my family. I have a mother and three sisters, the youngest being 16. They are a wonderful family and the girls are great and very patient with me if I need to look up a word I do not know. Two of the girls are learning English, but it's not very good, but that's better for me to use my Spanish. Within the first couple of hours after moving in, I wanted to leave. I've studied Spanish for about seven years, so I know it well, but they speak very quickly and in Argentina they use vos (a form I did not learn because most people use the tu form) as well using the 'sh' sound for 'll'. I didn't think this would be an issue but when they use it, it sounds like a word I have never heard of when in reality I know the word. Needless to say, it has been somewhat difficult to speak/understand what they are saying, but I'm starting to become accustomed to the accent and using it myself.

Yesterday we had a Spanish placement exam and orientation at the university. It was my first trip on the bus by myself and I didn't get lost, so I was pleased! The pace of life is slower in BA (except in the streets) and it's something to get used to. We had 2 breaks during the orientation, something I think could have been avoided in order to speed up the orientation process. Anyway, once we left we decided as a group to go on a hunt for a Sube card (re-loadable card for the train or bus, making it easier to travel). The only problem with this card is that within the last few months it has been difficult to find due to government issues and them not producing any more cards. We ended up walking all over the city (must have been the best part of 10 miles) going into different post offices to see if they had any, but no luck. We'll keep searching.

After our walking adventures, we had an even at the API office (the company I am traveling with). Instead of learning how to make the best cuppa, we learned how to make the best mate. Yerba mate is similar to tea which Argentinians drink with their friends. I tried it last semester in my Spanish class and didn't like it, my tastes hadn't changed. The weather quickly changed from hot and humid to chucking it down and with no wifi in my new home, I had no idea rain was in the forecast. Luckily, my house isn't too far away from API and there are many awnings for cover along the way. My only adventure on my way home included a taxi. The light said I could walk and when I was half way across the street a taxi driver from behind me decided he wanted to turn left, ultimately hitting me in my leg. Luckily he wasn't driving too quickly so I walked away in one piece.

Today, the group decided to meet at the national library for wifi, but we quickly found out they didn’t have it. How a national library doesn't have wifi I don't know. Anyway, we are currently in a local cafe catching up on Facebook, blogs, and enjoying dulce de leche (translation: sweet milk, a very delicious ice-cream). Today I have an interview with an advisor at the university about my classes -- we start school on Monday. Tonight we are learning how to make empanadas with API which will be fun!
That about covers my adventures for the last 4-5 days. I will try to update sometime this weekend. ¡Hasta luego!