Catching Up To Speed

Without further introduction and very minimal organization, I'm going to go ahead and jump right in to what all has been going on in my head the last month! Ready. Set. Go!

I'm Trying Really Hard to Think of a Clever Title But I Can't Because None of These Things are Related...Great Start, Mac...

• A few weeks ago at a bar, I tried a drink of beer that has a shot of gin in the bottom. It sounds like an odd combination and I'm not particularly fond of either beverage even separately, but I think it made the beer taste better! Not a horrible idea. I think my brother Alex would really like that!
• Shopping temptations...it's a daily struggle. Living right in the centro doesn't help because on my 7-block walk to school alone, I pass all the amazing shops and boutiques that are always changing their window displays. I've controlled myself though--only a pair of green sneakers, cow bone earrings (sounds weird but they're really cute), 2 scarfs, and a national team soccer jersey have been purchased so far. All for a decent price, too. However, I refuse to leave this country without a brown leather jacket and boots, though, so I'm still on the lookout :) 
• Last Wednesday I went to a ballet with 3 of my friends at a really amazing theater called Teatro Círculo. It was fun to do something during the week for a change instead of going through the motions of class everyday and just being bored come nighttime. We had a classy dinner and wine beforehand at the restaurant that is connected to the theater and really enjoyed that as well. Something I like about Argentina is that you can get good food in a really classy atmosphere for reasonable prices. Walking by some of the cafes is almost intimidating because the ambiance is so stunning and you'd think you could never afford it, but then you find out it's the same prices as the hole-in-the-wall on the other block. Anyways, the Buenos Aires Metropolitano Ballet was super impressive and tickets were only 100 pesos ($20). They had modern dance, jazz, and classic ballet. As a former gymnast, I love seeing what humans are able to do with their bodies in an athletic and artistic way. Dancer's physiques are just amazing too. Afterwards we stopped back at the same restaurant for dessert and all the dancers came in too so we saw them up close and personal. Pretty cool experience overall.
  
• Also, last friday we went to Entre Rios for a gaucho party out in the country which basically consists of a fresh asado on the parilla (grill) and relaxing on this resort. Once you cross the big bridge that goes over the Paraná river, you drive for about an hour through all the islands/country land to get to Victoria, Entre Rios. It was pretty cool and I wish I had a picture to show you of the landscape because I hadn't seen anything like it before. Once we were on the ranch, I rode a horse for the first time! I think that was my favorite part. The one I rode was pregnant so I felt a little selfish making her move around a bunch solely for the sake of my entertainment. We also watched the traditional gaucho dance which was interesting. There was unexpectedly beautiful weather too so that definitely helped the whole experience too. Fun day!
  

Semi-Debbie Downer Category...Sorry Y'all

• Less than a month remains here! I honestly cannot believe it. Yuppy said it's always hard for her when students leave too, and she doesn't like to go into our room for awhile because she gets really sad. She is getting another student about 5 days after I leave though for another 5 weeks. She was really happy to hear that. I think this person is from my same AHA program. Anyways, I already know I'm going to miss the following from here: Yuppy cleaning my room every week and changing my sheets (is there anything more frustrating than struggling to put a fitted sheet on a mattress or anything as irritating as making your own bed? Okay, I'll admit I have it pretty good here!), having someone cook me breakfast and dinner each day or having the convenience of a lunch ticket option at 3 different restaurants 5 days per week. And of course, how could I forget the easy/optional homework. Study abroad is the best!
• Gotta admit I'm quite sad I'm missing the annual Memorial Day cabin weekend back home right now. It technically marks the start of summer and it's always so fun and the drinks/food are so good! S'mmmoorresss, mojitosss, stromboliii. Want it NOW! 
• My inner-fatty persona wants to keep the subject on food. So, the act of "smuggling" it into the country has officially started the last couple weeks haha. We're at the point of desperation for a little flavor kick, I think. When family or boyfriends/girlfriends come to visit, all the Oregonians have been using their teamwork to get all the "goods" here. So far we've got stashes of hot sauce, Siracha (which I don't love by any means, but I was so thankful and happy when my friend Joe gave me some to put on my rice and vegetables from the vegetarian restaurant. It was a little like heaven), and most importantly: the peanut butter. In case you didn't know, most countries other than the USA think peanut butter is the oddest substance ever and generally do not like it. I died a little inside when I had a taste of Jiff again! Man, do I miss some of our food!
• Other than the school or my host mom's apartment...you just never know what you're going to get when it comes to bathrooms. Kioscos are the worst, literally a nightmare of filth and more than half the time there's no toilet paper anywhere. Let's just say my quads are getting a great workout from holding a squat position so I don't have to sit on the nastiness. To boot, the toilets also rarely flush and it's practically mandatory to not flush the paper down because the systems are so bad. What can I say...it's the little things I miss about home.
• When I go out to eat in the states, most of the time I get a water because I don't drink very much anyway, plus it is FREE. Woah, what a concept! Here, even though their tap water is perfectly fine, if you order water that means you get a bottle that you have to pay for. And it's like 40 pesos! Not cheap at all. A little irritating. Good thing we don't eat out too often though because that would add up.
• I am not a fan of the lifestyle of ghost-town Sundays. Everything is closed and the streets are desolate! It's sort of scary. Mostly I don't like it because there's not much to do. It is because Sundays are reserved for family day here, but I feel like we are still able to accomplish that in the states and still have stores open/stuff to do for limited hours at least. When it was warmer here, most people could be found in the park drinking mate but now that it's a smidge chillier I'm not sure where everyone goes. I can't help but shake my head at seeing people in fur coats and gloves when it's 50 degrees and sunny...oh silly Argentinians.
• I miss apartment life. Being able to live with your friends and easily invite other friends over is a hidden gift we all have in college. There have been instances where the girls want to get ready together or previa (pregame) but that's obviously not so easy or polite when we have host mothers and distances/scary nights in the city to worry about. 

Stuff With Yuppy

• I think it's funny when she asks me Thursday-Saturday "Vos salís esta noche?"--"Are you going out tonight?" and if I ever say no she is surprised and tries to urge me to go out and experience night life! All my other friends have said their host moms do the same and jokingly give them a hard time if they don't go out. It's funny because they are basically our grandmas...grandmas that want us to go out and get drunk at a crazy latin american dance club until the sun comes up!
• Last weekend (the weekend after Córdoba) was like my ultimate dead weekend--I was so exhausted and hardly did anything. However, on Saturday Yuppy brought me along to the calmer residential side of Rosario to visit her daughter Andrea for the day. She is the one that has Yuppy's grandchildren, but the boys were gone with their dad in the province of JuJuy, which I believe is like a 12-hour drive away, to go watch the Rosario Central soccer game (they are fanáticos...read on for more about this game last Sunday). Anyways, I absolutely loved Andrea's neighborhood and house--I think her and her ex-husband are definitely well-off because they designed the house themselves with a big yard and very modern/rustic features. I liked spending the rainy day in a bigger suburban home because it's what I'm most familiar with from home. Andrea also has 4 dogs and 2 little hamsters which is fun. Her passion is house design so she is always painting, decorating, creating or rearranging new spaces in her home. Yuppy said there's always a lot of new changes when she comes to visit. While we were there, Andrea even had a man come in to do a study of how to arrange her home in feng-shui fashion. I think it's interesting that she likes all of that so much and believes so deeply in it! 
  
  
  
  

  

  Even got a pool in the backyard!

  
  

  

  To give you an idea of the kitchen...

  
  

  

  One of the little furballs. They are so soft! Yuppy was squeezing him pretty tight because if they get loose the dogs will eat them! Look at that little claw hand...
  

  
  

  • Continuing stories from this visit...I liked one of the dogs Delgado ("Skinny") that used to be a street dog but the family rescued. He was a mutt for sure because he had longer coarse hair only along his spine. Picture like a beagle/German Shephard mix maybe? Anyways, he was really goofy and I thought it was funny when Andrea said he is always jumping their fence to go back out and live on the streets. He always returns within the day though. Once a street dog, always a street dog! 
  • Later that evening we went to Andrea's other friend's house who has 2 sons that are 10 and 14 I would estimate the ages and another family of 3 came over too! It was a really big mixed family dinner night at a very nice house and they all really liked talking to me. The other family that was visiting had all just visited the states for the first time the week before in Disneyworld/Miami/Georgia. They had a bunch of pictures to show me on their iPad and the daughter who went, about 9 years old, was not shy at all and talked to me quite a bit. They visited family in Georgia who literally live in a southern mansion with a movie theater in their house, etc. Anyways, I died laughing when they told me about how strange they thought banks are. Banks, you say? How are those weird? Well, I didn't realize it until it was pointed out to me that our tube system in the drive-thru is definitely out of the ordinary. They also said the grocery stores are soo nice in the states, which I agree with. However, they naturally noticed how all the "gordos" (fat people) ride around on the scooters. What a wonderful impression of our country! I still couldn't help but giggle at the fact they pointed that out, complete with the noise of the scooters motoring around and everything. Onto more Yuppy moments...

  
  

• Over dinner one night, she mentioned how her cousin was a desaparecido during the dictatorship. Yuppy and her cousin were both in their 20s when she was taken away but the story is still pretty scary. The last time anyone heard from her cousin was when she was calling Yuppy's aunt from a payphone and the conversation was normal until she panicked saying "they found me, they're coming for me!" and the line went dead. So basically the government police found her and she was killed. In case you didn't know, these people were tortured and killed during the dictadura (1970s-1980s) simply because they had political views against the government. Right across the street from our school is a big government building in the Plaza de San Martín, and people know that desaparecidos were buried in the basement under that building. Pretty eerie to know that! After something as treacherous as that era, it's no wonder that people are always protesting the corrupt government here. Argentines are passionate about politics (and just very emotional about everything in general) because they at least have the right to be now without being persecuted.
• Yuppy has been separated from her ex-husband for 7 years now, and she often talks about the happy times they had together. I think the divorce still makes her sad which is understandable for anyone, but she said she doesn't like to think in the past because it doesn't do her spirit any good, which is true I suppose. When I tell her that my parents are both with other people, she thinks that is so wonderful. Which is whyyyy, I am so happy that she is going to meet one of her daughter's friend's father tomorrow as a sort of blind date! They are going to be introduced and then see where that goes. Yuppy had a hard time hiding a smile as she told me about it and I told her it's perfectly fine to be excited! But I understand she doesn't want to have too high of expectations. It's the farther of the woman's house I went to for dinner last Saturday and I told Yuppy she was a pretty lady so at least the genetics are in her favor. She basically said "I know!" with a big smile. Yay for Yuppy, never too late to enter the dating wold!

Words of the Week!
torpe- clumsy. This is as close as we could get for the word for "awkward," which sort of makes me sad. I think it's probably because it's such a cultural thing in America. Let's just admit it, we are awkward people. Especially when we try not to be--it's a curse. And those who speak Spanish don't have to deal with it cause they are just superior socially in general, from my observations. They are cool without trying! Imagine gorgeous people with perfect long hair, funky yet cool shoes, sleek leather jackets or really nice dresses, and flawless tanned skin with rayban aviators--this is what I have to witness with on a daily basis. Constantly feeling inferior. Anyways, another half-assed version of our translation of awkward is "incómodo" ("uncomfortable") but I'm not sure it does the trick for us. We were pretty dissatisfied as a group with not finding a direct translation haha. Continuing with more vocab...

despistada- absent minded

equivocarse- to be wrong

apócope- shortened nickname (like Mackenzie-->Mac)

arrepentirse- to regret

abofetear- to slap

mejilla- cheek

lograr- to achieve
cuotas- fees
cráneo- skull
sospechar- to suspect
oxidadas- rusted
cerradura- lock
palomas- pigeons
burbujas- bubbles
pata- paw
golpear- to hit
trepar- to climb
muletas- crutches
mitad- half
butaca- theater seat
fuegos artificiales- fireworks
granizado- chocolate chip

Events Coming Up!

• Tomorrow evening is one the guys in our group's birthday. We are paying 25 pesos each ($5!) to ride in a double-decker party bus for 3 hours. I'm almost scared for how crazy it's going to be haha...YOHO! (You're Only Here Once...it's kind of our cheesy program phrase when we know we're getting in over our heads.)
• I'm being the ultimate traitor and now going to Rosario's other club team, Newell's Old Boys, game on Sunday night. Before Central won last week, Newell's was in a higher division than them so I'm assuming it'll be a good game to watch. Not like I know much about skill though. However, Messi played on Newell's so that's a really big deal. Anyways, Rosario Central is a story within itself...Central had a really big game last Sunday and moved up into the first division! During the game I was in my apartment with all the windows closed and everything, I could still easily hear the yells of people in surrounding apartment complexes as they watched the game. I swear the whole town was watching! Then when they WON, all hell broke loose, in a good way! Car horns honked on the streets for hours, banging on anything that can make a loud noise, yells, cheers, I thought I heard gunshots but I think it was actually fireworks...you name it! Afterwards, there was an impromptu party at the flag monument which I heard from the news/some of the other students who went that it was INSANE. Hundreds of thousands of people celebrating, climbing the monument, taking off the giant blue lights of the monument (yes, that happened...what the ?!?!), lighting off fireworks in large groups of people, drinking of course. I laughed when one of my friends said that on the news the next morning there were still like 30 people out at the monument celebrating! I think the idea is that it didn't matter if you are a Newell's or Central fan that night (just for this one time and one time only) but it was more of a city-wide pride thing. A lot of people have been carrying the fact that Central got moved to a lower division as a chip on their shoulder for years, and now they are back on top of their game! Moral of the story, fútbol=life here.
• I'm dying to go see Iron Man 3. I want to arrange a time during the week to go with people so bad! Robert Downy Jr. is just overall awesome. Luckily there's lots of theater options around Rosario and newer movies are in English without voiceovers and have the Spanish subtitles so it's perfect!
• The big one--IGUAZU FALLS! We won't have many details until our meeting on Monday, but I am STOKED for this trip. Warmer weather, waterfalls, one of the 7 wonders of the world, up on the border of Brazil and Paraguay, the jungle, all the animals...can't wait for any of it! I think it has the potential to top Mendoza, which has been my favorite trip so far. It's going to be our last group trip with the program and I'm happy I'll get to experience this with everyone. All of us together is crazy, chaotic, and so fun. I hardly ever stop laughing. All we know so far is that it's Wednesday-Sunday and we are taking a private bus. Oh, and it's a 20-hour bus ride. Talk about a bonding experience! Crafts/activities/snacks will be brought, the ipod will be charged, and the zebra-print neck pillow will be in full force.

Wellllllll, that's ALL I have for you all right now. It was a lot, huh? I'm guessing I'll catch ya after my trip of a lifetime commencing Wednesday! Hope summer in the USA is off to a great start for everyone :) I'll be back before you know it!

Quick Inspirations

This has to be some kind of record--2 blog posts 2 DAYS IN A ROW?? Well, this one will be short, I can tell you that much. I don't know about all of you out there, but I am a serious pin-addict on Pinterest. Thankfully for the sake of humanity, I have toned it down over the last year. I remember when I first discovered it a couple years ago and I could. not. stop. pinning. It was scary. Just know that you certainly did not want to see me at night after an x-hour-long pinning session, my face illuminated by the glow of my computer screen, surrounded by nacho and chocolate bits all over my bed. I probably looked like a cavewoman.

Moving along to my point here: my largest board is Quotes. I think the reason for that is because we all need little reminders when we get caught up in our world to relax, let baggage go, move forward, get up and do something with your life, or whatever else it may be (all of this can be accomplished once you tear yourself away from your computer first, of course.)

Personally, I love coming across a quote or song lyrics that relates perfectly to the current state of mind I may be in. It's proof that at least one other person in this world, the other person who created it, has felt or thought what you have.

Here are a few pins I stumbled across way back when that really kept me motivated and inspired when I was going through all the work of applying and planning this trip to South America. Sure these are about travel, but the beauty of it is that it's all up for interpretation. Enjoy :)

Oh, I Have a Blog???

All right, I have SERIOUSLY been slacking on this blog lately, which I think is probably the most common starter sentence to any blog ever in existence. It's so true though--they are very hard to keep up with! I'm persevering because I think it'll be something I'd like to look back on years from now when all the details are fading out of my memory. As much as we don't want to think we'll forget the moments that mean so much right now, they always do recede a bit.

To start, 2 nights after my last blog post on May 6th, 2 friends and I watched a woman get attacked and robbed for the first time since I've been here. Definitely not something I wanted to witness or ever see, especially almost right in front of my apartment! We were walking home from Starbucks at around 9:30 and a motorcycle drove by with 2 people on it. The person (who looked like a woman) jumped off the back and started running behind the woman on the street with her purse, and snagged it from her really fast and the 30ish-year-old woman toppled to the ground. The other driver kept moving this whole time and the robber hopped on again and they rode away. Me and my two friends Bianca and Alecea were on the other side of the street and about 20 feet behind the woman so we saw the whole thing. We ran over to make sure she was okay, and she was already accompanied by another woman who saw it and a man who lives right there I think heard her yell so he was outside his door figuring out what happened. She was surprised and rattled but not really hurt or anything. Without a phone or money or keys or anything I'm not sure what she ended up doing, but the man let her use his cellphone to call someone I think.

So yeah, pretty scary experience to see all that. It's easy to think if I saw it all happen that I could have reacted to the situation and helped, but I definitely froze during it unless you count jumping behind a pillar of a business to hide. It happened so fast and it took awhile for me to process what the motorcycle rider was doing until after they hopped off the bike and were running up behind the woman. As sucky as it is, it's the reality here. I'm assuming robbers are always looking for an opportune moment to do it too--woman alone by herself, at night, with a shoulder purse on her arm that faces the street, walking with traffic so she wouldn't see them coming. Nonetheless I was like shaking afterwards because in reality that easily could have been us. Insecure situations like that that could happen at any moment make me miss the security of home a little. It almost seems ridiculous to picture something like that happening in downtown Wayzata or Minnetonka somewhere.

The weird thing is I had this odd feeling with me all day that day something was off. I began thinking that I was starting to feel safer in the city because I hadn't seen anything bad happen yet. Then during the day we went to Parque de Independencia with our conversation partners to use the paddle boats in the pond. I was talking with my friend Sofia who comes from a small town about an hour outside Rosario but came here for university. She said like last year when she was back home standing in line outside a boliche, a man came up and asked for all her money. She didn't have any because she was getting into the club for free so she offered her camera, phone or gold necklace instead. He didn't want any of that and demanded money again. When she had nothing to give him, he punched her in the face and broke her nose! This was in a line in a smaller town with a bunch of other people around and this man still did that. The thought you can never be safe here no matter what you do is a really scary thought for me. This is going to sound crazy, but before we went to Buenos Aires we were told about a new phenomenon of people going around cutting off women's long ponytails to sell! Something as secure as your own damn hair isn't safe! What. in. the. world. I feel bad for people that are that desperate, but at the same time it's pathetic to think that people do that and think it's okay and normal.

Also last week we saw a man cross the street towards us (in the same place where we saw the robbery the week before, the block of my apartment!) trying to be inconspicuous and he purposely dropped what he had in his hand under a car. It made a "thack" sound and he continued walking on our side of the street in front of us without looking back. So odd. My guess is that it was drugs, but we don't know and probably never will. Either way, this dude better work on being more stealth for next time because it's not like we were paying a lot of attention to him and still realized something odd was going down.

Anyways, enough with stories of that nature! I don't really know where I left off because the last time I wrote it was quite awhile ago. Let's break up these giants blocks of text with whatever I can come up with next.

Here's my facebook album from the last couple weeks: Home"town" Rosario3, Córdoba, Gaucho Party

New Words of More Than One Week
albahaca- basil
paloma- pigeon
cuotas- fees
sospechar- to suspect
trepar- to climb
arrugas- wrinkles
amanecer- sunrise
atardecer- sunset
lastimarse- to injure
heladera- refridgerator
dados- dice
payaso- clown
broma- trick, chiste-joke
préstamo- loan
manta- blanket
cajón- drawer
pulseras- bracelets
calcetines- socks
enganchar- to hook
no le pinche el globo- don't burst his/her bubble
macitas- cookies (they don't use "galletitas" here)
buzón- mailbox
sorda- deaf
soso- bland (no offense, Argentina, but like your food)
chupete- binky (for a baby)
pañal- diaper
oreja- ear
mocos- nostrils
barro- mud
miel- honey

On A Happier Note...Córdoba Happened!
Yay! We were lucky that the bus strike ended last Wednesday and we were able to purchase tickets to this city. This was literally such a spur of the moment trip where we totally did everything last minute, but that was sort of the beauty of it. If there's anything I've learned about myself through this travel adventure, it is that I do not like the unknown and I'm sort of uptight. It's easy to say "oh yeah, let's just be laidback and go with the flow..." but when my mind runs about a million miles a minute about what could happen, it's hard to put those thoughts to rest.

Prime example was this entire trip in general. Needless to say, we were the only guests (aside from the manager's unofficial guests) at our tiny hostel that I picked out but I don't think anyone (including myself) was a huge fan of. It's always hard to tell from the internet and everyone in our group of 5 that went is really laidback/indecisive. So once it became 2 days before our trip and hardly anyone had done any research for hostels, I just chose one at random and no one had any complaints. We can get over the fact that it was small and crappy, but what we did not like was that the manager guy, Juan, was sort of the rockstar/pothead type who didn't help us much with finding things to do in the city. It was very much unlike Mendoza where they had lists of stuff for us to choose from to do each day. Nothing of the sort here. Basically Juan (who used a plastic chip-clip to put his hair in a half-ponytail...that's the only thing I liked about him...) handed us a map of the city and that was it. We inquired about the national park of Quebrada outside of the city in the Sierra Mountains, and after the 3rd time talking to him about how exactly we can go there, we understood that we had to go to the bus station to buy our ticket.

So we arrived Friday afternoon after a 5.5 hour bus ride. The rest of Friday basically included taking it easy with a pizza for lunch, walking around the outdoor shopping area and going to the plaza to listen to a bunch of police officers play band instruments (yes, you read that right. So odd. I guess this is what they do when people are off getting robbed...), eating ice cream, playing pool at the hostel and listening to some good ole' country to feel at home, drinking a lotta wine, going out for a fancy dinner, and topped off the night at a small bar that played American 80s music with music videos on the TV screens. I had a great time with our small group.

Then on Saturday, we woke up bright and early to a nonexistent breakfast that is supposed to be included and headed to the bus station (which was luckily very modern, large and has a lot of restaurants/a grocery store in it.) Also unluckily is that we didn't know if we should go to the new or old part of the station to buy this bus ticket. Eventually after sort of rushing around we figured it out. Then, as we're about to board the bus, my friend Brett pointed out, "Uhh..did we get a return ticket??" After pestering the shit out of the bus driver who seemed extremely unconcerned about whether we returned or not, we think we understood that if we wait on the side of the road at this place that is 2.5 hours away at 8 p.m. when it will be dark and freezing, his bus will roll by and pick us up.  Sketch-o-meter is off the charts right now. The only thing I was happy about was that we paid 30 pesos (about $6) for this one-way trip on a long bus ride that had full beds.

However, the entire way I literally gave myself a headache out of stress. This was the first time I felt like I wanted to go home. Home-home, like the USA. I sat in a row on the bus by myself away behind my friends and stared out the window the whole time with my arms crossed. I was just really frustrated that we had no clue what we were doing, our destination on the ticket didn't even say Quebrada National Park, we didn't have a return ticket, and the crazy what-if scenarios started rolling in. Then, 2.5 hours later, no buildings or signs in sight, we were dropped off on the side of the road in the mountains on a highway. Once the bus road away, we thankfully saw the sign of the entrance to the park. Jesus.

After walking along the trail a little and seeing that the park was actually really cool and we at least had a really amazing view, I relaxed just a smidge. We did, however, find a leather planner of some woman stuffed away out in a field near a rock, which of course signified that we were stuck out here and were gonna die. At least we had some useless-looking horses to use as an escape route if it came down to it, too. Since we were all alone out in these mountains, we went off the beaten path literally under the fence, to eat lunch on this big rock we climbed. I honestly considered rationing my food at this point. We still had no clue how we were getting back! About an hour later after walking on the path again, we found the welcome center building! I didn't even know there was one! I was SOO relieved to see that and a big parking lot full of cars. I felt like dropping to the floor and kissing it, as if I had been stranded in the desert for weeks or something. Dramatic, yes, but until you're seemingly stranded in another country out the in mountains with minimal food or clothing, I don't wanna hear it from you!

Moral of the story, after all this hectic stress of the day, I finally felt at ease because we found out that there are other options for bus times that don't involve waiting on the side of a highway in the middle of nowhere in the dark. The rest of the day was really nice and relaxing, freely hiking up some mountains and resting near a creek we found. To get a good idea of the scenery...

We were exhausted from the day and after waiting at the bus stop BEFORE dark with a large group of other kids our age we found who were from all over the world, we finally were able to purchase our return ticket for the way back! Ironically it cost another 30 pesos which was totally find to pay $12 round trip to this park 2.5 hours away, but this bus was quite different. A horrible rattling noise from beneath, not a double-decker, no heat, and definitely no full beds. How did this bus cost the same as the first bus we took?? Our driver was sort of a speed demon on these windy mountain roads and after we were driving for about an hour (and luckily out of the mountains at this point) the engine would die every time we came to a complete stop, which going through small towns was basically at every stoplight. So, after about 15 engine fails and startups, another bus came by and we switched over onto that one. Have I said this before?? ONLY IN ARGENTINA! :)

Sunday we slept in a little bit and our plan was to go to the zoo. I stand by my ideal that I am against zoos due to some research I did on the treatment of the animals and how the habitat is just completely not natural...but when everyone else wanted to go I had no choice. Hate to say it but I actually enjoyed myself there. Still feel bad for those animals though ;( My favorite was the liebre patagónica from the South of Argentina. Cute little bunny, camel, llama mixtures, they were. Look at this face! (and ignore the bright yellow chomper he's got...well now you can't help but look haha)

Anyways, after all the chaos that was the Córdoba trip, I'd say it was a success. The other students who went to Patagonia had a great time as well with all the glaciers, so it was a win-win for all! Once everyone was back, we told each other that on our trips we missed each other which I think says something about our group. We're a close bunch :) I really like everyone and how all our completely different personalities mesh. We have the same sense of humor though for sure. We're already planning the reunion that is to take place in Oregon sometime within the next year!

Well, all I talked about was robberies and Córdoba tonight but I think I'm gonna wrap up here. I'll try to come back to tell more stories sometime this week :) 

Midst of Midterms

Miss me? Well good, because I'm back already! And to be honest, it's mostly to avoid studying for midterms. Tomorrow the test I have is for conversation and we have to talk briefly about our experience in Rosario thus far (new food, what has made you miss home the most, and who has helped you the most to adapt to the language) and then the rest of the presentation is about what someone should do/see if they came to the U.S. I chose to talk about food (corn on the cob, bacon and blueberry pie), the great lakes, sports (football and hockey), Mall of America (shameless promoting of Minnesota and proud of it), country music (specifically TSwift and Zac Brown Band), and holidays (4th of July and Christmas). Constructing a presentation about my homeland has made me miss it a little bit! C'mon, "studying" for a final isn't supposed to do that! But it's fun to think about how diverse the U.S. is, yet we all have certain aspects in common too. I'm mildly reminded of how easy everything is in the USA when ABC doesn't let me watch Nashville online, same with MTV with Teen Mom 2, and on top of it all Pandora doesn't work outside of the country. I'm aware I'm a big spoiled baby. Take it from me, we live in a pretty cool nation.

A little about my weekend--Well, to start we stayed in Rosario and didn't have a travel weekend, which is sort of a relief sometimes to know we'll be able to relax a little. Although there's always so much going on that I want to take advantage of that I don't really get to rest! On Friday my friend Alecea invited me and 2 other girls from our group to go out with her host brother Damion, who is about 25 years old. As funny as it sounds (and it is funny because it's totally true) she warned me that he looks like a viking. To validate that statement, I saw for myself he's practically a giant with a bunch of facial hair and could give the NFL MN Vikings mascot, if we even have one?, a run for his money. For the first time ever I felt safe walking in the streets at night because he could probably stop a bus with his pinky if he wanted to. Anyways, we went to a previa (my 67-year old host mother explained to me a couple weeks ago that that is the "pre-game" of drinking before you go to the bars!) at Damion's friend's house which was really fun. There were quite a bit of people and it's always fun to talk to people in Spanish/English about what's popular here in Argentina and back in the U.S. to find similarities/differences. I also like being at people's houses because I'm just used to being in an apartment in this city. At 2am we then left for the bar that Damion and his friends go to every weekend. I gotta say, I felt very uncool because of how hipster it was. Everyone had the big-rimmed glasses, plaid shirts, combats boots, dark colors, dark hair, red lipstick thing going on and here were 4 American girls, 3 of them blonde, on the dance floor! We all still had the greatest time though and they played all this "counter-culture" music (definitely no pop or cumbia) all from the 80s-90s! Go figure. We're talkin Whitney Houston, the musical Grease, Smash Mouth, Aerosmith, etc.! It was fun to dance to songs I knew for a change. Most of the guys were really nice but as they got drunker they began creeping quite a bit so we ended up parting ways around 5:30 am to head home (new record!) We did meet a guy that looks EXACTLY like Fez from That 70s Show. He didn't speak any English but when we asked him in Spanish if he had seen the show, he said, "You're going to tell me I look like Fez, aren't you?" but it is so true! He was the butt of every joke and super crazy so the personality matched as well. Here's a pic, he's of course the smiley tan one in the back:

Saturday night I was initially planning to go to my friend Bianca's house for a movie/girls night, but Yuppy actually had her family over and we for once ate dinner at the normal Argentine hour, which is about 9:30-10:00. Pretty late for what I'm used to, except for those of you that have experienced the practically midnight dinners with my Dad and Shelly. Anyways, the night was a success and I had SUCH fun time meeting her two daughters for the first time (Andrea, 40; Marcella, 39, although they look much much younger.) I also met Marcella's boyfriend Jose who was quite the character as well as Andrea's two sons, Pío (13) and Ciro (10). Yuppy warned me I would hardly be able to understand the boys because they mumble and talk so fast--she was definitely right. She constantly had to remind them to slow down when she saw the blank look on my face during conversations. She said that she can't even understand them sometimes, so imagine how difficult it was for me! As the night went on I was able to understand the boys better and everything was just so fun, and they also brought their little white dog, Lupita. They have 4 dogs and 2 hamsters at their house about 45 minutes away from Rosario, and what I saw from pictures they have a very nice house with a big yard and a pool. Between the adults, we all drank a lot of wine (the boys attempted since that's socially acceptable here by adding a little bit of wine into a lot of water, but eventually they just wanted plain water instead.) I watched Yuppy get smashed for the first time which was hilarious, and Marcella's boyfriend Jose was totally egging her on the whole time since he's basically like the crazy uncle already. After Yuppy opened the 4th bottle of wine at 1:30 a.m., she kept telling me we had to finish it now that is was open, so every 2 minutes she'd ask if I wanted more even if my glass was still practically full! In the morning she told me she was hungover since of course she is tiny and I've never even seen her drink hardly before. Too funny.
The little boys reminded me of my little cousins and after dinner we spent a long time on the Youtube showing each other music that we like. Ciro, the younger one, basically looks like a 10-year-old Justin Bieber with the hair and everything. He showed me some pictures that he draws and he's a really good artist! He's young enough where he's still outgoing and liked to ask me a bunch of questions consecutively like, "Do you know this song? Do you like David Guetta? What is fútbol called in the United States again? Did you know that I'm going to Disney World in a few months? Does cumbia exist in the U.S.? Can you speak in English so I can hear you talk?" I still really liked talking to both of them though. Neither of the boys know much English though, only a few words. Pío is at the age where he's shy and hates everything except sports and electronica music (Shrillex is his favorite), and Yuppy calls him a pavo (turkey), which I thought was funny. I showed both of them my glory days of old gymnastics videos and they thought that was super cool. I told them that they both need to learn English in school because they like American music but don't know what the lyrics are saying! In the end, the family didn't end up leaving until around 2:30 am, and I'll get to see them again one of these weekends when we go to visit Andrea's house. I was a little nervous for the night with the thought of being overwhelmed with the Spanish but I think I handled myself well as soon as I got used to it. I'm excited to see them again within the next couple weeks!

The People That Argentines Are Super Proud of These Days
1. Messi, the famous soccer player that plays for Spain right now was born in Rosario. Quite a few locals, like taxi drivers, have pointed out to me the high-rise apartment he still has here in the city.
2. Pope Francis, of course! I think he's visiting in the Argentine summer--opposite seasons from U.S.--so I'll be long gone by then and miss it.

Blast From The Past:
It isn't a bad thing, but for whatever reason we've realized everything is about 10-20 years behind here. For example:
1. Blackberrys instead of iPhones, although they do have iPods. I don't mind, but I think I've explained the difference between an Ipod, Iphone and Ipad to Yuppy about 10 times now. She is a grandma after all :) But to her credit, the difference between the vowels 'o' and 'a' sound pretty similar in Spanish.
2. Rollerblading is all the rage (although I shouldn't talk because I love rollerblading back home)
3. Old school rock is adored by all ages! There's merchandise, restaurants, clothes, tribute bands, etc. all related to the era of AC/DC, The Beatles, Madonna, Queen, The Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin, and every other hair band out there. I always feel special knowing all the words to these songs and knowing that (mostly) my country produced the content that people love so much.

More New Words
pitufos- smurfs
celoso- jealous
verguenza- embarrassed
embarazada- pregnant
aprobar- to pass (a test)
veranear- to spend time in summer
castigar- to punish
monja- nun
Me da igual- it's the same to me
crucigrama- crossword puzzle
denunciar- to accuse
ojeras- bags under eyes
ya fue- nevermind
alimentar- to feed
lamer- to lick
escamas- scales
leñador- lumberjack
vida diaria- daily life
cargar- to charge
cierre- zipper
perfeccionar- to perfect
vago- lazy
tengo prisa- I'm in a hurry
domar- to tame
letra- lyrics
parir- to bare a child
pulsar- to click

English Influence
When I intentionally think about it, it's hard to remember if we in the U.S. have as strong of a Spanish language influence as Argentina does here with English. Excluding garbage like "fiesta," "taco," or "nachos." The strong influence has surprised me, because I sort of assumed that every country despises the U.S. and everything about us, but our entertainment industry has a big calling here. Some observations...
1.) A few English words they use instead of whatever translation my Spanish teachers have given me back in the states: show, look (like the look of how someone is dressed), trailer (movie trailer), tupper (tupperware. By the way I silently laugh inside at the way Yuppy tells me that my dinner is in the "Tupper" in her Spanish accent), jeans, shopping, super (as in super market) and I'm sure there's more but it's hard to think of them on the spot.
2.) So many people love The Simpsons. Of all things American that we have, really? The SIMPSONS? Sorry Argentina, but there's better stuff out there. But to their credit Argentina does also translate a lot of our movies and tv shows with subtitles or voiceovers, like Two and a Half Men or The Big Bang Theory.
3.) So many people also love Woody Allen movies. I'm not huge into movies so maybe he's popular everywhere, but Yuppy told me whenever he has a movie that comes out she goes to see it at the theater. I thought it was just her but I've heard my professors reference him too.
4.) A girl we met this weekend on Friday, Rosarie, has natural blonde hair and dressed like the cutest little hipster ever. We told her she looks like a hipster and she totally knew what we were talking about and seemed a little shy, but I think deep down she knew it was a compliment that meant mission accomplished! She told us all about the American music she likes, stuff like The Black Keys and more alternative stuff. She said she doesn't like Argentine music very much, especially cumbia which is like our hip-hop with very vulgar lyrics and "provocative" beats and such. Some of the law students also said they don't like Argentine movies or tv shows because the acting isn't as good and they haven't perfected sound quality very well yet. It's even annoying to me on tv when the voiceovers don't match the way the lips are moving and the tones of voices never really match the actor either.
5.) Back in the day I've learned about the Quinciniera (15th birthday) which is really popular in Mexico, but they don't call it that here in Argentina. Just "Quince." What's similar is that they do have a big celebration for the birthday though, and that usually includes going to Disney World in Florida. When we ask the people we've met here that are our age if they've been to the U.S., almost all of them say yes and that it was to Disney for their bday. Woo fun-facts.
6.) Us students frequently joke around saying stuff like "'MERICA," usually in reference to stupid things we embrace as a nation, for example obesity and bacon. If you don't know what I'm talking about, this image below should sum it up for you...

As funny as I find all this, just an FYI that if you visit South America, it's probably best to say USA when referring to our nation because technically South America has 'America' in it too, of course. None of us have offended anyone or anything like that but it has just been brought to our attention in our culture topics class. Seems blatantly obvious but I guess I had never thought of it in that way because I've never been here in S. America before. I guess this is part of the "eye-opening" experience of learning other cultures!

In the Spirit of Midterms, Here's Tidbits of Info About My Classes:

Conversation: This has been my favorite class so far. Probably because it is the least structured yet I still learn the most. We basically have a general topic for the day and see where that conversation takes us. We basically just get to talk about our opinions, like for example last week we talked about movie theaters--our favorite movies, what annoys us most in the theater, the prices, our favorite food to eat while watching a movie, etc. We also have gone on a few field trips or activities related to class. Last friday morning we went to my profesora's English class that she teaches at a different school to talk with people 60 years or older that are learning English! They learn British english actually and say that is much easier to understand compared to American english since they annunciate. But when they talk in English I can't tell the difference because they have a Spanish accent too. It was a fun yet different experience to talk to practically senior citizen students as opposed to students our age. I think it's awesome they think it's never too late to learn. My profesora, Karina, is really nice and helpful too. Every class I walk away with a little of at least 15 new words and we are welcome to ask anything during class, no matter how random. Karina and another younger teacher, Fernanda, went with us on our Buenos Aires trip too and enjoyed watching us all get hammered off all the wine at the tango show. They're cool.
Grammar: So far everything in this class has been review, but it's still good to practice and re-learn verb tenses to clean up your speech. I do find it a bit boring though because we just go through a bunch of exercises in class and occasionally throw in a somewhat-related game. There's only so much you can do to spice up a grammar class, so it's not really my profesora's fault. She's still fairly nice and helpful. We hardly ever get homework too in comparison to the other grammar classes so I can't complain.
Culture Topics: We basically just talk about Latin American culture in this class through movies and reading literature, poems or songs. My profesora Stela is kinda crazy but in a good way. It's hard to describe, but she is basically super theatrical when she speaks and if she wants us to pay specific attention to something, she'll get really quiet, look each one of us in the eye, and pull down on her eye with her finger and say, "Ojo," direct translation meaning "eye" but she means "look out/pay attention." It's always funny and the students joke around with that quite a bit outside of class. She always starts the class asking if we have any questions about anything related to our experience so far, observations, travel questions, etc. She is the one who took our correction in good stride when we told her our friend Brett's name is not Breast.
Marketing: This is my only class that is taught in English and it is my least favorite. I'm not sure if it's the content or the fact I have it from 5:30-7:30 Monday and Wednesday nights. Plus all of my other professors give us a 10-minute break during classes to go relax outside, eat, drink or go to the bathroom but Gaston doesn't let us do that. My other professors are also very relaxed about when we start/end class, sometimes starting 10 minutes late and getting out 10 minutes early. Either way, I just find the way my professor teaches sort of dull since my interest is piqued for maybe 5 minutes total during a class period. I took the class because I think it's important to learn marketing for any sort of business and job you'll have. But I'm also taking it as a pass/no pass for the first time in my life so I know I don't have to worry too much about it. Plus c'mon, it's study abroad.

Fun Extras:
Salsa gift- For the last 6 weeks, Yuppy and I have been trying to think of what to do with the homemade salsa I gave her as a gift from the states. This is because I discovered that tortilla chips don't exist here! We've been getting creative and put it on a souffle and also used it as a dip for homemade french fries. She doesn't know the difference so it's fine. Although it wasn't the intended purpose and Argentines are definitely not accustomed to any spice whatsoever, Yuppy said she really likes the flavor so check that off as a win!
Rosario doesn't like flip flops- They were both cheap pairs to begin with, but I've broken 2 pairs of flip-flops so far since I've been here. Uneven surfaces+random holes+a lot of walking=a recipe for breakage. The worst was the first week here when a few of us walked all the way to the river and right when we got there one of the flip flops broke. Thus I had to walk home with one barefoot in the dirty streets attempting not to step on shattered glass or dog poop. Only me, I swear.
Sickness :( - Initially I thought it was allergies, but as of last night I've had a really runny nose, sneezing, changing body temperature, watery eyes, sore throat, etc. I hope it fades fast and isn't anything serious. Yuppy is convinced that the remedy of wearing a tiny scarf around my neck when I sleep to keep it warm will heal me. Yes, I'm wearing the stupid scarf as I write this. Still gotta love her.

This weekend our group is splitting up a bit for personal travel. About half the group is flying to Patagonia in the south of Argentina to see the glaciers and my half is going to the semi-nearby city of Córdoba. Patagonia would be amazing to see, but I couldn't justify spending over $1,500 for a trip that doesn't even last a week and I am so unprepared for winter clothes-wise. However, I am excited for Córdoba because on the outskirts of the city, there's nature-y stuff to do like rock climbing, horse-back riding, hiking creeks/mountains, etc. All of these travels depend on if all the bus stations across Argentina end their strike!! Yes, you heard me right. We have a friend from our group who went on a solo venture to the northern province of Salta last week and has been stuck there because of the strike (in my opinion it wasn't the smartest idea to go there alone because she went to visit indigenous cultures and plus she is a girl traveling alone so it's all very dangerous. I think last year 2 girls from France when to Salta and were murdered...so yeah...plus she is now missing midterms and we're technically only allowed to miss 3 of each class throughout the semester.) Anyways, the bus drivers want higher salaries, yet in my opinion with this economic state that the whole world is in, they should be happy they even have a job! We're waiting this week to hopefully find out that the buses start running again so that we can buy our tickets and book our hostel and everything.

Our conversation teacher Karina has said it in the past too that everything here turns into a protest. It happens so often and she is so right. I like Karina because she is very honest about the way that Argentine life is. One day I was cracking up because she told us that it's the Argentine/Italian way to see the glass half empty and also be dramatic about anything and everything. For example, "Oh it's such a beautiful day!!!!......but it's a little chilly." Always pointing out the negatives. Normally I'm not really into that so it would get on my nerves, but personally I just think it's funny so far because everything that happens is practically turned into a soap opera. Yuppy forgets to put the butter on the table almost every night for dinner and every time she'll apologize over and over and dwell on it for like 5 minutes, shaking her head in disappointment. I have to remind her that everything is going to be okay and life will go on! Or there was a protest this weekend for legalizing marijuana with a huge group of hippies in a cloud of weed smoke walking through the outdoor shopping area and an impatient taxi driver started honking his horn and got into a confrontation through the crack of his window with a high dude in dreadlocks who wouldn't move his body or bike out of the way of the car. It was just an absurd thing to watch. Definitely not necessary because there were plenty of other cars waiting too, but this taxi driver went over the edge and had to make a scene. Minor and funny stuff like that just doesn't phase me anymore!

What do you know? I've written half a novel again. I'll be back next week after my trip to Córdoba hopefully! Fingers crossed that everything goes as planned!

Buenos Aires & Little Extras

Hey everyone! It's been over a week since I've written last, and to be honest I find this blog, in comparison to my photo blog, to be the most difficult to keep up with. There's so much that happens on a daily basis that it's tough to keep track of it all and relay it to you guys in writing. On top of learning new Spanish words and remembering funny instances that happen with my friends and all the activities we do, my brain constantly feels full to capacity!

Before I get into my stories, I want to ask you all what in the WORLD is going on back in the states?! Bombing in Boston, poisoned letters to President Obama, chemical plant exploding in Texas?? As lucky as I am to live in the USA, you can't deny that we certainly have problems of our own. Looking back, I find it odd that people worried about me going to another country for 3 months when stuff like this is happening back in the homeland! Certainly puts things into perspective that we shouldn't be so egocentric as a nation, because every country has insecurity and major issues that can arise at any moment. Also, certainly a more minor issue is the weather in MN--apparently we're just skipping spring? My dad has sent me pictures of the snowstorms, but all I ask is that the lakes unfreeze by the time I'm home at the end of June :)

Major Activities:
1. Buenos Aires- This past weekend we went to the capital of Argentina in Buenos Aires. I only saw the briefest glimpse when I initially flew into the country at the end of March, so it was nice to be able to see more of the city. Someone told me it is bigger than New York City, however I think Buenos doesn't  have as tall of skyscrapers and it seems like everything is more spread out. This trip was part of the program so we didn't have to pay for anything which I of course liked. We took a private bus just for our group and since we arrived Saturday afternoon and left Sunday night, we crammed a lot of events into less than 2 days. I really enjoyed La Recoleta, which is a essentially a small cemetery city with miniature houses which hold tombs of famous or rich people, like past Argentine presidents. Unfortunately about an hour into exploring it began to rain, so I went and got some ice cream under a tiny umbrella with a friend (I know, I do everything backwards. When it's cold and wet I want ice cream and when it's hot I crave stuff like hot chocolate!) We also visited La Boca which is the neighborhood that has all the pretty colored houses (I was anticipating this part of the trip most but it was actually a letdown. Too touristy to the point where I felt uncomfortable and there was no authenticity to the area.)
Later that evening, which is probably my favorite part of the trip, we had a delicious 3-course meal at a fancy restaurant with LOTS of wine and finished it off with a theatrical tango show. My dessert was this chocolate mousse concoction and I loved it. Also with my caesar salad, I forgot how much I have missed dressing! The program director, Beba, told us a few days before we left about the dinner and said, "Probably about one bottle of wine each, not a bunch of bottles!" Yetttt we just kept on emptying them and the waiter kept bringing more! We had no choice but to drink it :) To celebrate a friend's birthday, we went out to another bar afterwards for drinks which was also super fun. On Sunday, we visited some more touristy sites, like the Plaza de Mayo where Argentines march every year for Los Desaparecidos ("The Disappeared" people from the dictatorship era.) I liked the marketplace of San Telmo, but didn't purchase anything. For any gifts I buy, I want to get them in Rosario because that's where I've spent and will be spending most of my time here! I wish the trip would have been a little longer so we could have explored and not been on such a tight schedule, but I still had a great weekend.
See all of the Buenos Aires Facebook Album!

2. Conversation partners- I don't think I've mentioned that our abroad program is technically a part of the law school here (that's why we have class options like human rights), which is right down the street from our school. By the way, university is free in Argentina. But it usually takes 5-6 years to finish your degree and there is the option of paying for private university, but I've been told employers prefer public university students because the workload is more rigorous. Anyways, last night we were paired off with the students who volunteer or enjoy the company of international students. Most everyone speaks English as well, so we can all practice our Spanish and them with their English. One of the girls, Sofia, is an 18-year-old freshman at the law school and the other, Florencia, is 26 and already a lawyer now. They are both really nice, and we met up for ice cream (ya can never have enough) last week and Erin and I will probably meet with them again this weekend. We also met Sofia's boyfriend who likes speaking English and is very good at it, but he goes to another university in Rosario to study business. There's probably 30 of us in total, so we all created a Facebook group so everyone can intermix with their partners if something of interest is going on.
On Tuesday night, a lot of us went to a boliche inside in the courtyard of the law school (yes, a boliche is a crazy dance club) and they served alcohol and people were smoking like nobody's business. One of the Argentine's asked me, "Your university doesn't host parties like this??" Uhh, no, not even close in any sense of the word. This was all for a fundraiser, so I thought it was a pretty good idea to actually get students to go! Yesterday was also the Argentine Labor Day so we didn't have class. We were invited by some guys from the law school to go play soccer and eat asado and I had SUCH a fun day. Nothin like exercising to work up an appetite, and then eating delicious, fresh-cooked meat off the giant BBQ. It was a mini-soccer court with turf (except sand underneath and not rubber) and was all netted in so we didn't lose the ball. I'm not good at soccer and haven't played since I was about 8 and quit because I hated running (some things never change...) but I really enjoyed playing! Once pictures surface on facebook, you won't know the difference because I look like a pro out there ;) I think I improved a little throughout our mini-tournament, though. I know where to be on the field, like I'm in the right position, but when someone passes me the ball I immediately kick it in whichever direction I'm facing, which is usually not towards the net. Oh well, still a fun time!

3. Intercambio- Our conversation professors have been awesome with arranging outside Spanish practice with local colleges. We went to one last week and I didn't know what to expect out of it, but I really loved it! We met with a bunch of guys studying sports journalism and the point of the exchange was more for them to practice English, but we spoke better Spanish than they did English so we resorted to Spanish. It was nice to be on the other side, the more successful side, of speaking another language for once! I think that's probably why I liked it so much, because it gave me more confidence in my Spanish. The guys were really nice, and probably the 3rd question they asked after our names and where are we from was "Do you have boyfriends?" so I thought that was funny. That's the fast-pace Yuppy tells me about! They invited us over for dinner and drinks, but it hasn't worked out yet with our schedules. We did, however, hang out with the 1 guy out of the group who is a Rosario Central soccer fan last Friday and he took us to a game! More about that below...

4. Rosario Central Game- So we hung out with these guys last Thursday, and Friday our friend Johnny from this group invited us to a fútbol game. There was about 10 of us from our group and Johnny had about 4 friends. You know, not sketchy at all going to a crazy South American soccer game with people you just met the day before, right? Really though, these guys are actually really nice, and we both mutually have the same professor working at our universities so what damage could they really do? Looking back, I am very happy we had them there with us because we would have been so lost. Although I had a crazy amount of fun, the estadounidenses have decided we should create a "sketch-o-meter" due to all the insane situations we find ourselves in. I never feel unsafe, but it's funny to think outside the box for a second--Like "okay, I am in South America, riding in the back of an old pick-up truck with about 12 other people (1 out of the 4 I just met yesterday, the other 3 guys I don't know at all), singing fight songs in Spanish, parking in the grass on the side of a road, walking to an alley to find a kiosco to drink beer with strangers, drop my purse off at Johnny's friend's house because the police don't allow bags in the stadium, etc. etc. etc." The list goes on and on. By the way, the people us girls dropped our bags off at were super nice and had an amazing house with the sweetest golden retriever. They had pictures all over their house with this dog which I thought was adorable. Johnny's friend was probably in his mid-20s and had a bunch of friends over to watch the game and eat asado (assorted meat) and his dad came out of his room to find 10 Americans in his living room waiting to use the bathroom and his face was priceless. He reminded me of a Spanish Bill Cosby because he looked at his son like, "whaaatt. the hell. are you doing. And who are these people standing in my house?" But in a semi-joking manner, if that makes any sense. After the game when we stopped by to pick up our stuff, all the people there wanted us to stay (including the Dad) and eat and drink but it was best that we got home because we were leaving for Buenos Aires early in the morning. You can watch the video below to get an idea of how crazy these fans are.

The other team scored in the first half (chain-smoking of all the spectators ensued), then we scored in the second half (I was literally almost shaken to the ground from all the cheers and flying limbs that erupted) and then we scored in a shoot-out off a player's head! It was the perfect game to go watch. I honestly would have been a little frightened if we lost. When I watch the news with Yuppy, there's almost always a story from Argentina about post-fútbol games where people light things on fire or start flipping cars. No biggie. Three other observations:

1. From the moment we jumped in the back of the pick-up truck until we left the stadium after the game, we/people were singing a bunch of cheers/songs for the team. It literally was continuous. A little different from sports in the U.S!

2. Dirty words in Spanish...the best place to learn them is at la cancha! (the stadium.) I never, ever stopped hearing "La concha de tu madre!" ("the BLEEP of your mother!") I think you are all wise enough to figure this one out for yourselves. Even a 15-year-old girl in front of me started screaming it at the other team, or even Rosario Central sometimes when they messed up. So moral of the story, people are LOCO over soccer here!

3. I love surprising myself with Spanish words I know. I absent-mindedly saw a bat fly by one of the stadium lights and I blurted "murciélago!" Of all the words to remember, I'm not sure why that one stuck!

Words of the Week!
horno- oven
hogar- fireplace
mantel- tablecloth
ténder- drying rack
autoabastecerse- to be self-sufficient
porteño- resident of Buenos Aires
No vale la pena- It's not worth it
alfombra- rug
cesped- grass
empapelado- wallpaper
contraseña- password
inalámbrica- cordless
adivinar- to guess
desechable- disposable
plumas- feathers
almohada- pillow
frasco- jar
excursionismo- hiking
agujero- hole
cazar- to hunt
nidos- nests
calvo- bald
arco iris- rainbow
orilla- shore
pimiento- pepper

Food for Thought...
Empañadas- It's an enclosed bread, essentially like a calzone but with softer bread. My favorite so far is ham and cheese.
Medialunas- These are a sweet moon-crescent-shaped bread served for breakfast. I like the flakey crust.
Milanesa- breaded beef. It's pretty plain and could use a sauce in my opinion, but I'm getting used to it.
Morcilla- blood sausage. I had the pleasure of witnessing a few of my friends try it yesterday at our soccer game/asado. For obvious reasons, no one liked it. Although the Argentine boys were basically using it as a salsa for the rest of their meat. Blegh.
Chimichurri- I just tried this for the first time yesterday after our game, and I LOVED this sauce for the meat. It is made of garlic, olive oil, bell peppers, onions, oregano, vinegar, lemon, among other spices.
Tripe- This is a funny, yet not funny story. I'm meeting Yuppy's family on Saturday and she is planning to make a traditional dish, but she wasn't sure I'd like it. The way she described it, it's essentially a stew with beef and a bunch of vegetables. I'm up for trying almost anything, but just to be sure she made a mini-batch last night for me just in case she needs to get something else for me to eat on Saturday if I didn't like it. It wasn't bad! Yuppy was surprised because she said all the students in the past didn't like it. It basically tasted like vegetable beef stew to me. As I was eating one of the "noodles," I asked what was in this again. She replied in Spanish, "celery, corn, cauliflower, cow stomach..." WOAH WOAH WOAH. WHAT?! Cue the horror movie music. Needless to say, I informed her I no longer liked it and she was fine with that, but thought it was hilarious that I liked it at first until she told there was "estómago de vaca" in it. Good joke, Yuppy. I'm cracking up over here...
Carrots, carrots, carrots- Just know that shredded carrots are in practically everything, and about 70% of the time if you ask for a salad, that means shredded carrots with sliced tomatoes. If you're lucky, you'll get a lettuce leaf or two.
Parilla/Asado correction- Just to clarify from one of my old posts, you go to a parilla to eat asado. Originally I thought asado was the whole act of cooking the meat and what the meat was called but that is not the case.

There's more I want to share with you all that read this about what's going on in my head, but I have written A LOT already for just one post. I hope I can make time for one more entry this weekend. Midterms are next week already, ahhh! Just kidding, I'm not really stressed. But this experience is flying by, that's for sure! But I'll find time to come back with more updates. Chao!