Sorry I haven´t been able to update much! But I am journaling a ton so I`ll type up and post some of those as blogs when I get back to Buenos Aires. I`m in El Chalten right now & its gross, rainy & windy out, so no hiking today. I did go hiking yesterday though & saw Mt Fitz Roy, the mountain the Patagonia clothing line has on their logo!
When I was in El Calafate I saw & hiked on the glacier Perito Moreno. It was crazy cool!
I don`t quite know what I`m doing next, but I`m heading back to Calafate tomorrow morning & I need to be back in Buenos Aires Tuesday afternoon. I`m thinking I`ll be flying back (cheaper since I have a visa). I`ll try to update this with what I`m doing next!
Love you all!
Amy
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
Rosario & Patagonia!
Alright, quick up-date! Last weekend I went with my study abroad group to Rosario. Its an amazing city of about one million people and is right on the Parana River. There are some beaches and people rent kyaks to go across the river and hang out on the islands on the other side. If I moved to Argentina, this would probably be the place I´d move to! I slacked on putting pictures up before I left for the big trip I´m currently on, sorry!
So right now I´m in Puerto Madryn. Google it! Its in the Patagonia region but it is on the coastal side. I took a 22 hr bus ride down here, left at 1pm yesterday and got here at 11am today...whew! Ok well we had like an hour break inbetween our two busses but still. Our first bus was AMAZING! lots of leg room and big seats, our second bus was a ´semi-cama´ so the seats were half as big and had half as much leg room. The worst part was that they blasted the heaters for the first half of the trip, making it impossible to sleep. Eventually, around 2am, I fell asleep so I got a decent amount of sleep. I´m so excited to be here in Puerto Madryn! The hostel we booked is really nice! Super clean and really chill. We´re waiting to get our room right now and then afterwards we´re going to grab some food and go on a bike ride our to a sea lion reserve! Then tomorrow we are going to go on a tour to 3 or 4 different spots to take a boat ride to see whales and also to see Penguins and seals! I can´t wait! Then we´ll leave tomorrow night at 7pm for Calafate, another 23 hr bus trip. But hey! I´m saving on hostels!
I´ll try posting tonight to update you on what we did today. But that´s all for now!
Chau!
Amy
So right now I´m in Puerto Madryn. Google it! Its in the Patagonia region but it is on the coastal side. I took a 22 hr bus ride down here, left at 1pm yesterday and got here at 11am today...whew! Ok well we had like an hour break inbetween our two busses but still. Our first bus was AMAZING! lots of leg room and big seats, our second bus was a ´semi-cama´ so the seats were half as big and had half as much leg room. The worst part was that they blasted the heaters for the first half of the trip, making it impossible to sleep. Eventually, around 2am, I fell asleep so I got a decent amount of sleep. I´m so excited to be here in Puerto Madryn! The hostel we booked is really nice! Super clean and really chill. We´re waiting to get our room right now and then afterwards we´re going to grab some food and go on a bike ride our to a sea lion reserve! Then tomorrow we are going to go on a tour to 3 or 4 different spots to take a boat ride to see whales and also to see Penguins and seals! I can´t wait! Then we´ll leave tomorrow night at 7pm for Calafate, another 23 hr bus trip. But hey! I´m saving on hostels!
I´ll try posting tonight to update you on what we did today. But that´s all for now!
Chau!
Amy
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Equestrian Show Jumping! Gran Premio "Sol de Mayo"
Hi there everyone!
Today I went to an equestrian event I read about on another blog, it was a Show Jumping competition. I went to the last event which was the Grand Premier of the whole Sol de Mayo competition and it was a World Cup Qualifying competition. Aka really good horses & riders were in this competition. This event usually is held in May but there was some kind of equine virus going around in May and the event was suspended until now. Lucky me right?!
So, I decided to go to this event but really didn't have much of a clue where it was or what to expect. I hopped on my ever trusty bus (ha) and took it close to the River Plate stadium, I knew it was near there and knew what street it was on but not exactly where it was. So after walking around a bit I saw a horse trailer and figured it had to be close. When I found it I wasn't exactly sure where the entrance was because most people were arriving in cars. (This should have been my fist clue as to the type of people attending the event.) Well I saw a group of people walking in through a car entrance so I just followed, the guard asked a question but the other people I was walking with dealt with him...I definitely felt like I was sneaking in, even though I knew the event was free. When I got there there was some kind of band playing, they were fun but I was trying to figure out what I was doing and where I was first. I'm so glad I wore my boots & my collard shirt because otherwise I would have felt more out of place than I was. Think of ritzy equine people back in the states...pretty much the same group of people here in BsAs. Lots of people were wearing real riding boots but there were others wearing fashion ones as well. There were lots of little kids, babies, & pregnant women...I always take note when there are a lot of pregnant women around, I don't know why but it seems to say something about the people I'm around. So yah, at first I felt like I sneaked in to some rich club but as the afternoon wore on I realized some of the families were just there to enjoy the sport, but most of them were rich.
After the band played a Vaulting group came out as an exhibition group. Vaulting, if you don't know, is like gymnastics on horseback. I've done some of this at Cedars but only at a walk/trot and nothing as difficult as what these girls did. It was a lot of fun to watch. I took a video & some other pics which are up on my Photobucket account.
After watching the vaulting I walked around a bit and realized not only was there a restaurant but there were also wine samplings and and a VW car expo. There were also a few booths selling food...but I'll get to that a bit later. I went to the warm up ring and watched the horses and riders get ready for the event and then found a seat. My camera only lasted through the first jumping course but I think I got some decent pictures, given the type of camera I have. I moved around some too and didn't stay in one spot. I also took a couple of videos of a few horses running the course. Those are on my Photobucket account as well. I wish my camera had lasted to the second jumping course because they used more of the jumps that were along the rail. I was super close to two jumps and it was and amazing thing to be so close to!
Not all the riders were perfect so there were a few horses that practically ran straight though the jumps and a lot that made contact/knocked a bar off the jump, but no one was hurt thankfully. During the first course there were 8 or 9 out of the 15-20 or so that made it through the course with out a fault. The second course was much different! Only one rider made it through the course cleanly, he did the same in the first course and was the winner of the whole sha-bang. Funny thing, when a rider finished the course cleanly they would play Bonanza-esk song.
There was a break after everyone ran the first course so they could get the second course ready & by that point I was ready for a snack. So, I looked at some of the little food tents that were there and realized one was making crepes! They were making some that were sandwich-like but they also had the every plentiful dulce de leche and for the first time nutella! I thought about getting a nutella one but it seemed wrong seeing that I'm in the land of Dulce de Leche. Dulce de Leche y Bananas por favor! It was sooo good but SOOO sweet! I couldn't eat the last few bits of it because it was a.) so sweet and b.) it was getting everywhere: my hair, hands, purse.....it had to go! lol
Like I mentioned before, the second round was really cool because the horses and riders were jumping so much closer to us!
After all the riding was done I stuck around for the awards and ended up standing next to an older couple from New York that live in Buenos Aires half the time. The gentleman loved talking to me....just to talk I guess. He told me that the guy who won was actually coming back from an injuring in his Achilles tendon and this was his second win since coming back to the sport. I hung around a little longer while they handed out awards to the riders so I could watch some of the very attractive guys there....I couldn't help but notice! Eventually I headed back home but all in all it was a GREAT day! I can't wait to go to a Polo match now!
Check out my Photobucket account to see all my pictures and the videos I took from today! There's a link to it at the top of the side bar on the right.
<3 Amy
Today I went to an equestrian event I read about on another blog, it was a Show Jumping competition. I went to the last event which was the Grand Premier of the whole Sol de Mayo competition and it was a World Cup Qualifying competition. Aka really good horses & riders were in this competition. This event usually is held in May but there was some kind of equine virus going around in May and the event was suspended until now. Lucky me right?!
So, I decided to go to this event but really didn't have much of a clue where it was or what to expect. I hopped on my ever trusty bus (ha) and took it close to the River Plate stadium, I knew it was near there and knew what street it was on but not exactly where it was. So after walking around a bit I saw a horse trailer and figured it had to be close. When I found it I wasn't exactly sure where the entrance was because most people were arriving in cars. (This should have been my fist clue as to the type of people attending the event.) Well I saw a group of people walking in through a car entrance so I just followed, the guard asked a question but the other people I was walking with dealt with him...I definitely felt like I was sneaking in, even though I knew the event was free. When I got there there was some kind of band playing, they were fun but I was trying to figure out what I was doing and where I was first. I'm so glad I wore my boots & my collard shirt because otherwise I would have felt more out of place than I was. Think of ritzy equine people back in the states...pretty much the same group of people here in BsAs. Lots of people were wearing real riding boots but there were others wearing fashion ones as well. There were lots of little kids, babies, & pregnant women...I always take note when there are a lot of pregnant women around, I don't know why but it seems to say something about the people I'm around. So yah, at first I felt like I sneaked in to some rich club but as the afternoon wore on I realized some of the families were just there to enjoy the sport, but most of them were rich.
After the band played a Vaulting group came out as an exhibition group. Vaulting, if you don't know, is like gymnastics on horseback. I've done some of this at Cedars but only at a walk/trot and nothing as difficult as what these girls did. It was a lot of fun to watch. I took a video & some other pics which are up on my Photobucket account.
Not all the riders were perfect so there were a few horses that practically ran straight though the jumps and a lot that made contact/knocked a bar off the jump, but no one was hurt thankfully. During the first course there were 8 or 9 out of the 15-20 or so that made it through the course with out a fault. The second course was much different! Only one rider made it through the course cleanly, he did the same in the first course and was the winner of the whole sha-bang. Funny thing, when a rider finished the course cleanly they would play Bonanza-esk song.
There was a break after everyone ran the first course so they could get the second course ready & by that point I was ready for a snack. So, I looked at some of the little food tents that were there and realized one was making crepes! They were making some that were sandwich-like but they also had the every plentiful dulce de leche and for the first time nutella! I thought about getting a nutella one but it seemed wrong seeing that I'm in the land of Dulce de Leche. Dulce de Leche y Bananas por favor! It was sooo good but SOOO sweet! I couldn't eat the last few bits of it because it was a.) so sweet and b.) it was getting everywhere: my hair, hands, purse.....it had to go! lol
Like I mentioned before, the second round was really cool because the horses and riders were jumping so much closer to us!
Check out my Photobucket account to see all my pictures and the videos I took from today! There's a link to it at the top of the side bar on the right.
<3 Amy
Saturday, September 18, 2010
WOOO PIG SOOIE!!
Alright, so for those of you that miss the game...Arkansas beat Georgia 31-24!! My favorite song during times like these:
Oh, Lord it's hard to be humble,
when you're perfect in every way!
I can't wait to look in the mirror,
I get better looking each day!
To know me is to love me,
I must be one hell of a fan!
Oh, Lord it's hard to be humble,
when you're an Arkansas Razorback fan!
Ok maybe that's over doing it a bit much but this game really was exciting. AND I got to watch it! Live! Not just read the play by play but actually see what was happening! This was all thanks to a friend on twitter who sent me the link. The reason why it was so exciting was because Georgia tied it up at 24 within the last 5 mins of the game. Within the last 30 sec of the game Ryan Mallet pulled out all the stops & got us another touch down!! Thank goodness my host mom had already left at that point because I was jumping up and down like a crazy person! It was great!
Now Arkansas is 3-0 and 1-0 in the SEC....but don't worry after next Saturday we'll be 2-0 in the SEC (Bama's going DOWN!) Unfortunately I won't be able to watch the Bama v Arkansas game because I'm going to Rosario for the weekend. Its a trip through my study abroad so I'm not exactly sure what we're doing but I doubt I'll be able to find out what's going on with the game until its over. Sorry Jeremy...the Razorbacks are ready for you guys & there's no stopping us! Oh and if I hear any Arkansas Alums (Mom, Dad) cheering for another team....I may just stay in Argentina or Arkansas for the winter! Ashley, just don't tell either Jeremy or I who you're really rooting for. I expect you will say to me: Go Hogs, and I'll understand if you say a few Roll Tides to Jeremy. But we all already know who Bo is rooting for!
This was sent to me today BY JEREMY entitled Go Hogs! Notice the RED bandanna...if he were a Bama boy he'd be wearing Crimson...not red! Nice choice Bo! Joe I expect you will be sporting the same color.
Other than Football, I've been working on the take home mid term that's due Monday and I need to study for my other mid term that is Wed. Hopefully I'll finish my take home mid term today because tomorrow I'm going to an equestrian event I found out about today! Its a jumping competition and the finals are Sunday and, from what I read there will be some 'family activities' and some vaulting exhibitions (gymnastics on horseback). So I'm super pumped about that.
That's all for now!
WOO PIG SOOIE!!
<3 Amy
Oh, Lord it's hard to be humble,
when you're perfect in every way!
I can't wait to look in the mirror,
I get better looking each day!
To know me is to love me,
I must be one hell of a fan!
Oh, Lord it's hard to be humble,
when you're an Arkansas Razorback fan!
Ok maybe that's over doing it a bit much but this game really was exciting. AND I got to watch it! Live! Not just read the play by play but actually see what was happening! This was all thanks to a friend on twitter who sent me the link. The reason why it was so exciting was because Georgia tied it up at 24 within the last 5 mins of the game. Within the last 30 sec of the game Ryan Mallet pulled out all the stops & got us another touch down!! Thank goodness my host mom had already left at that point because I was jumping up and down like a crazy person! It was great!
Now Arkansas is 3-0 and 1-0 in the SEC....but don't worry after next Saturday we'll be 2-0 in the SEC (Bama's going DOWN!) Unfortunately I won't be able to watch the Bama v Arkansas game because I'm going to Rosario for the weekend. Its a trip through my study abroad so I'm not exactly sure what we're doing but I doubt I'll be able to find out what's going on with the game until its over. Sorry Jeremy...the Razorbacks are ready for you guys & there's no stopping us! Oh and if I hear any Arkansas Alums (Mom, Dad) cheering for another team....I may just stay in Argentina or Arkansas for the winter! Ashley, just don't tell either Jeremy or I who you're really rooting for. I expect you will say to me: Go Hogs, and I'll understand if you say a few Roll Tides to Jeremy. But we all already know who Bo is rooting for!
This was sent to me today BY JEREMY entitled Go Hogs! Notice the RED bandanna...if he were a Bama boy he'd be wearing Crimson...not red! Nice choice Bo! Joe I expect you will be sporting the same color.
Oh and this was me during the game cheering on the hogs with the little hog I brought with me! Woo Pig Sooie!
Other than Football, I've been working on the take home mid term that's due Monday and I need to study for my other mid term that is Wed. Hopefully I'll finish my take home mid term today because tomorrow I'm going to an equestrian event I found out about today! Its a jumping competition and the finals are Sunday and, from what I read there will be some 'family activities' and some vaulting exhibitions (gymnastics on horseback). So I'm super pumped about that.
That's all for now!
WOO PIG SOOIE!!
<3 Amy
Monday, September 13, 2010
Swimming Swimming In the Swimming Pool
Alright, if you didn't go to summer camp you may not understand the title but it was one of my favorite camp songs. I've never actually been super fond of swimming....ask my swim teacher or my scuba instructor...but its one of the few exercises that doesn't murder my pathetic feet. So, some friends told me about a pool that I can go to through the school for super cheap and I figured that would be a great way to FINALLY get some good exercise. I actually bought the pass & a swimsuit & gear last Wed. but my lovely sinuses decided to get in the way so today was my first chance to go to the pool.
I wasn't sure what time the pool was open but I brought my swim stuff just in case and found out before my first class that one of my friends was going to go to the pool during our lunch break! I was so excited...I've been needing to work out for a while now and it was so good to finally make it happen. The facilities are pretty nice, well I couldn't exactly see because I can't wear my contacts yet so the blurs that I could see were nice! But all in all it was a nice kinda beginning work out. We grabbed some empanadas
from a bakery on our way back to school for lunch which was convenient because as soon as I sat down in class I realized I was STARVING. I'm ready to go back tomorrow for a longer work out seeing as I don't have class until 5:30 tomorrow.
Other than swimming & upcoming midterms the only new development is the trip me and a friend are planning to see the South of Argentina and then end up kinda in the north for Octoberfest! Its all very exciting!
Love you all!
Amy
I wasn't sure what time the pool was open but I brought my swim stuff just in case and found out before my first class that one of my friends was going to go to the pool during our lunch break! I was so excited...I've been needing to work out for a while now and it was so good to finally make it happen. The facilities are pretty nice, well I couldn't exactly see because I can't wear my contacts yet so the blurs that I could see were nice! But all in all it was a nice kinda beginning work out. We grabbed some empanadas
from a bakery on our way back to school for lunch which was convenient because as soon as I sat down in class I realized I was STARVING. I'm ready to go back tomorrow for a longer work out seeing as I don't have class until 5:30 tomorrow.Other than swimming & upcoming midterms the only new development is the trip me and a friend are planning to see the South of Argentina and then end up kinda in the north for Octoberfest! Its all very exciting!
Love you all!
Amy
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Doctor's office & a day in the countryside.
Before I get into what the title is all about I'd like to say that this weekend I've been reading a bunch of different blogs, some by friends studying/interning abroad and others by peace corps volunteers. Well, any way, it just made me realize how cool these things can be and I guess has motivated/reminded me that I should be updating this more often even if its just a short update. And thanks to those who actually read this! I hope its not too lame :)
Alright, so remember that head cold I mentioned I had during my Peace Corps interview? Well, I woke up Thursday morning unable to open my right eye and feeling like I had gotten punched in the face. It was pretty disgusting so I'll avoid the gross details. Needless to say, this was more that a head cold. I figured it was a sinus infection that had spread to my eye or something, which meant I probably needed to see a doc to get some antibiotics to get rid of this crap once and for all. After much debating and whining to my family & Lexie, I gathered all the documents I would need and headed out to first talk to my study abroad directors and then make my way to the hospital. My study abroad directors made it sound easy enough and in fact, it was!
When I got to the hospital all I had to do was say I needed an appointment, tell them what was wrong with me aka point to my eye & sinuses, and then hand over my credit card. I waited maybe 10 min to see the first doctor who was really nice. I successfully talked/listened to him in Spanish and was able to get everything across! I was proud of myself, but that didn't last long because when I had to go back and get another appointment with an eye doctor the nurse was not having my broken spanish. Apparently if your eye hurts, its an emergency. The eye doctor I saw wanted to speak to me in english so I was ok with that, expect for when he didn't know some words, so I don't exactly know what was wrong w/ my eye but he gave me eye drops to treat the symptoms. I was also prescribed by the other doc some antibiotics, Allegra, and a nose spray. All pretty obvious drugs for a sinus infection so I was happy. I'm already feeling MUCH better so I'm glad I went ahead and saw a doctor.
Moving on...
Yesterday I went on a trip through my study abroad to Lujan. First we went to the Basilica de Lujan which is built in honor of the Virgin de Lujan, the patron saint of Argentina. Cool church, much more like something you would see in Europe so it seemed a little odd here.
Then we went to an Estancia, La Mimosa, basically it was a place out in the country where they put on dance shows and horseback riding events to show you what traditionally the country side of Argentina was like. The main attraction though was the massive amounts of food we were fed for lunch. TONS of meat!! I mean HOLY CRAP there was a lot of meat. I had my fair share of it, but I found that a good bit of it was pretty fatty. There was also chicken, salad, bread, and ice cream for dessert. It was a beautiful day so it was nice to spend the majority of it outside in the unpolluted air of the country side. I haven't posted my pictures yet on Photobucket but I'll be sure to do that soon.
Other than all that, I have mid-terms coming up this week and next so I've got to start prepping for those. But for the rest of today, I need to go get something to eat & read for my classes.
Love you all lots!!
-Amy
Alright, so remember that head cold I mentioned I had during my Peace Corps interview? Well, I woke up Thursday morning unable to open my right eye and feeling like I had gotten punched in the face. It was pretty disgusting so I'll avoid the gross details. Needless to say, this was more that a head cold. I figured it was a sinus infection that had spread to my eye or something, which meant I probably needed to see a doc to get some antibiotics to get rid of this crap once and for all. After much debating and whining to my family & Lexie, I gathered all the documents I would need and headed out to first talk to my study abroad directors and then make my way to the hospital. My study abroad directors made it sound easy enough and in fact, it was!
When I got to the hospital all I had to do was say I needed an appointment, tell them what was wrong with me aka point to my eye & sinuses, and then hand over my credit card. I waited maybe 10 min to see the first doctor who was really nice. I successfully talked/listened to him in Spanish and was able to get everything across! I was proud of myself, but that didn't last long because when I had to go back and get another appointment with an eye doctor the nurse was not having my broken spanish. Apparently if your eye hurts, its an emergency. The eye doctor I saw wanted to speak to me in english so I was ok with that, expect for when he didn't know some words, so I don't exactly know what was wrong w/ my eye but he gave me eye drops to treat the symptoms. I was also prescribed by the other doc some antibiotics, Allegra, and a nose spray. All pretty obvious drugs for a sinus infection so I was happy. I'm already feeling MUCH better so I'm glad I went ahead and saw a doctor.
Moving on...
Yesterday I went on a trip through my study abroad to Lujan. First we went to the Basilica de Lujan which is built in honor of the Virgin de Lujan, the patron saint of Argentina. Cool church, much more like something you would see in Europe so it seemed a little odd here.
Then we went to an Estancia, La Mimosa, basically it was a place out in the country where they put on dance shows and horseback riding events to show you what traditionally the country side of Argentina was like. The main attraction though was the massive amounts of food we were fed for lunch. TONS of meat!! I mean HOLY CRAP there was a lot of meat. I had my fair share of it, but I found that a good bit of it was pretty fatty. There was also chicken, salad, bread, and ice cream for dessert. It was a beautiful day so it was nice to spend the majority of it outside in the unpolluted air of the country side. I haven't posted my pictures yet on Photobucket but I'll be sure to do that soon.
Other than all that, I have mid-terms coming up this week and next so I've got to start prepping for those. But for the rest of today, I need to go get something to eat & read for my classes.
Love you all lots!!
-Amy
Peace Corps Interview / Fútbol Match
Tuesday Sept. 7th was a big day!
First thing on the agenda for that day was my Peace Corps Interview at 2pm. I got some rest and ate a late breakfast while I prepped some for the interview. As some of you may know, this was my second attempt at an interview. The first scheduled interview didn't end up happening because I couldn't hear my recruiter over the land line I was using. So this time my recruiter called me on my cell phone. I think the interview went well, it only lasted about an hour but I think as far as phone interviews go it was sufficient. I have to say I was pretty worried ahead of time because I had yet another head cold and I was worried I was going to be snotting all over my phone while trying to talk. It ended up being just find and I didn't even really have the sniffles during the whole thing. I should find out if I will be nominated in the next week to 3 weeks. A nomination basically means they accept my application and they will give me a general location and project I could be assigned to. That however, is subject to change due to a number of things. Obviously as soon as I find out I'll be letting people know!
Right after my interview I headed to the Argentina vs Spain Futbol match. This was just a friendly game, but how friendly can it be when Argentina was a World Cup hopeful and Spain ended up the champions? I took the bus to the stadium and waited around outside to try and meet up with some friends. I couldn't ever find them so I went ahead and made my way into the stadium. After my ticket was checked and I went up the first flight of stairs I found a giant crowd of people trying to get to the seats. OK but when I say crowd I mean more like a moshpit, these Argentines were pushing their way through no matter if there was a mother with an infant and a young kid. It was insane eventually I gave up being apart of the crowd and saw a small passage way between the stadium walls and the stair case that some people were squeezing through to get out of the crowd. I followed and was amazed because there wasn't a crowed on the other side. I took a little time to try and look around the crowed to find my friends but I wasn't even sure what specific section they were suppose to be in so I found a spot on the railing and stood by some Argentines to watch the game. The game was a ton of fun but it was actually hard to cheer because even the "oooos" and "ahhhs" mean something different here. The chants and songs were fun to hear and try to be apart of though! Oh and Argentina whooped Spain's butt 4-1!
Some random observations from the game:
-To get a medic you have to get an entire section to chant "MEDICO! MEDICO!"
-There's not much high-fiving after your team scores
-There's no half-time entertainment...really....nothing happened.
It was tons of fun, but everyone here has told us that the national team games are nothing compared to the local cub team games, Boca & River Plate. I can't imagine!
First thing on the agenda for that day was my Peace Corps Interview at 2pm. I got some rest and ate a late breakfast while I prepped some for the interview. As some of you may know, this was my second attempt at an interview. The first scheduled interview didn't end up happening because I couldn't hear my recruiter over the land line I was using. So this time my recruiter called me on my cell phone. I think the interview went well, it only lasted about an hour but I think as far as phone interviews go it was sufficient. I have to say I was pretty worried ahead of time because I had yet another head cold and I was worried I was going to be snotting all over my phone while trying to talk. It ended up being just find and I didn't even really have the sniffles during the whole thing. I should find out if I will be nominated in the next week to 3 weeks. A nomination basically means they accept my application and they will give me a general location and project I could be assigned to. That however, is subject to change due to a number of things. Obviously as soon as I find out I'll be letting people know!
Right after my interview I headed to the Argentina vs Spain Futbol match. This was just a friendly game, but how friendly can it be when Argentina was a World Cup hopeful and Spain ended up the champions? I took the bus to the stadium and waited around outside to try and meet up with some friends. I couldn't ever find them so I went ahead and made my way into the stadium. After my ticket was checked and I went up the first flight of stairs I found a giant crowd of people trying to get to the seats. OK but when I say crowd I mean more like a moshpit, these Argentines were pushing their way through no matter if there was a mother with an infant and a young kid. It was insane eventually I gave up being apart of the crowd and saw a small passage way between the stadium walls and the stair case that some people were squeezing through to get out of the crowd. I followed and was amazed because there wasn't a crowed on the other side. I took a little time to try and look around the crowed to find my friends but I wasn't even sure what specific section they were suppose to be in so I found a spot on the railing and stood by some Argentines to watch the game. The game was a ton of fun but it was actually hard to cheer because even the "oooos" and "ahhhs" mean something different here. The chants and songs were fun to hear and try to be apart of though! Oh and Argentina whooped Spain's butt 4-1!
Some random observations from the game:
-To get a medic you have to get an entire section to chant "MEDICO! MEDICO!"
-There's not much high-fiving after your team scores
-There's no half-time entertainment...really....nothing happened.
It was tons of fun, but everyone here has told us that the national team games are nothing compared to the local cub team games, Boca & River Plate. I can't imagine!
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Awesome Weekend
Well this weekend was pretty amazing once the rain finally decided to stop. On Friday I headed out to pick up the Argentina vs Spain soccer tickets I bought online. I had a bit of a walk but it was really easy to get them. That night I was planning on going to a dance hall for Salsa & Tango lessons but I didn't have any coins for the bus, and the easiest way to get change is to buy a subway pass...Coins aren't easy to come buy here, its really obnoxious. Anyway, I figured since I had until 7pm to do something I might as well take the subway down to the Evita Museum. It kinda drizzling so it was a good day to spend some time in a museum. I forgot to bring my camera but if you go to the museum's website you can see almost exactly what's there. If you didn't already know, Eva Peron was the wife of one of the most famous Populist Presidents, Juan Peron, in all of Latin America. Eva Peron herself was adored by her people & is viewed by many in a similar way as Princess Diana. The museum focused on her life before Peron and the works she did rather than the specific populism politics. It was an interesting museum to visit while taking the classes I'm enrolled in because most of my professors are very anti-Peronist/anti-populism.
After the museum and after getting enough coins for the bus I headed home for an early dinner. I had to eat early, at 7pm, so that I could get to Salsa and Tango lessons at 9pm. I successfully got myself there via the bus, which not an easy thing to do. This dance club, La Viruta, is in the basement of the Armenian culture center and has a bar & food. Half of the people there were Argentinians and the other half were tourists wanting to get the Tango experience. So, during the classes we switched partners multiple times and got to talk with lots of different people. The salsa class was first and was tons of fun, very up beat. After salsa there was a short tango show performed by the instructors and one of the instructors had just won 4th place in a world tango competition. The tango class, that being my second class, was fun as well & I think next time I'll take the intermediate class! After the classes the dance floor was opened up and they played salsa and tango music. Argentine men, especially the older ones, have a very particular and peculiar way of getting a dance partner, frankly its kinda creepy. They basically stand across the room and stare down a girl, if the girl wants to dance she meets him on the dance floor. If not she looks away....weird huh?
After some dancing and chatting with friends we decided to find a more up-beat club, and one with some more people our age. We found out some other friends of ours were at a club called Crobar. I'd heard of the place but never been. Once we got there (via cab) we found out it was a $50 peso cover charge, $12.50 USD, so really its not that much but in comparison to most other clubs its a lot. Well, let me tell you...it was WAY worth the money! This place was HUGE and had a pretty great DJ. It was mostly electronic music, and there was a special light show that night. We got there around 3am, which is when it starts getting good at clubs here, and stayed until 6am. It was crazy ridiculous but tons of fun! There's a picture below of the club...I think it explains a lot.
Needless to say I slept a good bit on Saturday. But, I did get up in time to join my host mom and her friend for a little tea time. It was a fun way to practice my Spanish.
Sunday was a beautiful so I headed out to find The Immigrant's Day Festival. I took the Subte (subway) and walked through a couple of parks filled with people running/roller blading around and other drinking mate & hanging out. I started hearing some loud music & followed it to find a stage with people performing traditional dances. It was fun to watch but eventually my legs fell asleep so I got up to look at the tents that each country had. They were all selling food & trinkets related to their country. I had already eaten lunch but I found the Scotland booth and couldn't pass up some ginger bread. It was soooo good! I hung around until the end which was another dance to tango and then to Argentine pop music. The grand finale was sparks shooting up from the stage & then confetti blown up and out to the crowd. It was so much fun!
Sorry it took so long to post this!
Amy
After the museum and after getting enough coins for the bus I headed home for an early dinner. I had to eat early, at 7pm, so that I could get to Salsa and Tango lessons at 9pm. I successfully got myself there via the bus, which not an easy thing to do. This dance club, La Viruta, is in the basement of the Armenian culture center and has a bar & food. Half of the people there were Argentinians and the other half were tourists wanting to get the Tango experience. So, during the classes we switched partners multiple times and got to talk with lots of different people. The salsa class was first and was tons of fun, very up beat. After salsa there was a short tango show performed by the instructors and one of the instructors had just won 4th place in a world tango competition. The tango class, that being my second class, was fun as well & I think next time I'll take the intermediate class! After the classes the dance floor was opened up and they played salsa and tango music. Argentine men, especially the older ones, have a very particular and peculiar way of getting a dance partner, frankly its kinda creepy. They basically stand across the room and stare down a girl, if the girl wants to dance she meets him on the dance floor. If not she looks away....weird huh?
After some dancing and chatting with friends we decided to find a more up-beat club, and one with some more people our age. We found out some other friends of ours were at a club called Crobar. I'd heard of the place but never been. Once we got there (via cab) we found out it was a $50 peso cover charge, $12.50 USD, so really its not that much but in comparison to most other clubs its a lot. Well, let me tell you...it was WAY worth the money! This place was HUGE and had a pretty great DJ. It was mostly electronic music, and there was a special light show that night. We got there around 3am, which is when it starts getting good at clubs here, and stayed until 6am. It was crazy ridiculous but tons of fun! There's a picture below of the club...I think it explains a lot.
Needless to say I slept a good bit on Saturday. But, I did get up in time to join my host mom and her friend for a little tea time. It was a fun way to practice my Spanish.
Sunday was a beautiful so I headed out to find The Immigrant's Day Festival. I took the Subte (subway) and walked through a couple of parks filled with people running/roller blading around and other drinking mate & hanging out. I started hearing some loud music & followed it to find a stage with people performing traditional dances. It was fun to watch but eventually my legs fell asleep so I got up to look at the tents that each country had. They were all selling food & trinkets related to their country. I had already eaten lunch but I found the Scotland booth and couldn't pass up some ginger bread. It was soooo good! I hung around until the end which was another dance to tango and then to Argentine pop music. The grand finale was sparks shooting up from the stage & then confetti blown up and out to the crowd. It was so much fun!
Sorry it took so long to post this!
Amy
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Chill Thursday
Hey all!
So I haven't done too much since my last post but there have been some changes this week. My roommate and my host mom weren't getting along too well and everything kinda escalated this week so my roommate moved to a different host family on Wednesday. My host mom and I get along just fine, I'm pretty flexible with living arrangements so I'm comfortable staying where I am. But today being the first day without a roommate went just fine. I didn't have class today and I went out last night to celebrate a friend's birthday so I just hung around the apartment for most of the morning. My host mom was actually really sweet and made me a sandwich since it was so cold, windy, and rainy out. I guess she didn't want to make me leave the house to get lunch. (She's only suppose to provide breakfast and dinner) Eventually I headed out to print some things at the study abroad office and study at a coffee shop. All in all though, I'm optimistic that living without a roommate will be a good thing. I think with it just being me and my host mom I'll have more conversations with her which means I'll be practicing my Spanish more.
So I haven't done too much since my last post but there have been some changes this week. My roommate and my host mom weren't getting along too well and everything kinda escalated this week so my roommate moved to a different host family on Wednesday. My host mom and I get along just fine, I'm pretty flexible with living arrangements so I'm comfortable staying where I am. But today being the first day without a roommate went just fine. I didn't have class today and I went out last night to celebrate a friend's birthday so I just hung around the apartment for most of the morning. My host mom was actually really sweet and made me a sandwich since it was so cold, windy, and rainy out. I guess she didn't want to make me leave the house to get lunch. (She's only suppose to provide breakfast and dinner) Eventually I headed out to print some things at the study abroad office and study at a coffee shop. All in all though, I'm optimistic that living without a roommate will be a good thing. I think with it just being me and my host mom I'll have more conversations with her which means I'll be practicing my Spanish more.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Its been too long!
Hi everyone! I'm so sorry I've taken this long to post again. Obviously things have picked up with school so I've been trying to stay on top of that. I'm going to just dive into what I did this weekend and then cover a few other things that I've done this month.
Saturday I went and explored the political center of Buenos Aires. The most recognizable building in that area is Casa Rosada (The Pink House). This building is pretty much equivalent to The White House. The president lived and worked in Casa Rosada until recently, the current president only works there. Oh, and yes! This building really is pink! Its pink because the two main political parties are red and white so the politically safe color is pink. When I got there I wasn't sure if I could go up to the building much less go inside, but after watching some very tourist looking people walk inside I figured I better check it out. So I walked in and found out I could go on a free tour of the place. This year being the Bicentennial year for Argentina there were some special exhibits recognizing important women, scientists, and so forth from Argentina. The inside was very nice, a bit European but probably not as elaborate. I even got to see the presidents' office, basically walked in & then out again, but I did get a snap shot of it.
Afterwards I headed over to the Metropolitan Cathedral which, from the outside, doesn't look like a church I've ever seen. According to Wikipedia it has a Neoclassical facade. The inside seemed like a typical cathedral, but without the stain glass. Also inside the church was General San Martin's Mausoleum.
Afterwards I went to El Cabildo de Buenos Aires which was one of the original government buildings. There wasn't too much inside but there were some cool views and it was a neat building.
Then I walked around Florida Street which is a pedestrian street that has shops and street vendors. Eventually I ran into some other girls that I go to school with and we shopped around. We kept walking by this street that had a big screen w/ tango music playing on the street and I kept wondering if it was apart of the month long Tango Festival. The other girls had to go home so I wondered back to the tango place and it ended up being an event for the festival. Outside there was a big tango lesson going on and inside there were two dance floors taped off in the middle of the room. I was just going to stand around and watch but then an older gentleman asked me to dance and even though I told him I couldn't and didn't know how to do the Tango he said eh and danced with me anyways. It was really funny & fun at the same time he tried teaching me a few steps but I still looked silly out there when all these other women had their tango heels on and were flicking their legs everywhere. But it was an experience I won't forget and I gained a huge appreciation for the music after then. The elder gentleman danced with me for at least 8 songs and then I had to pause to get some water.
When I got back from buying water a Tango music group had started a concert. I stayed and watched the whole thing and it was wonderful. It was a group called Cuarteto La Pua & for a few songs they had a singer, Black Rodriguez Mendez. The quartet was an all guitar group that played tango and milonga music. Afterwards I headed home and even though my feet were killing me from standing and walking around so much, it was a great day!
This was my dance partner:
Today I wasn't planning on doing much but I thought I might take some of my readings for class to a park and read. I headed toward Plaza del Congreso because my guide book said it was a good park. On the way I passed by the Obelisco in Plaza de la Republica and saw there was a gathering of people. Curious, I sat down and watched to figure out what they were doing. Eventually I realized there were a bunch of people dressed like Michael Jackson and even more people had armbands on that said MJ. After I walked around the plaza I saw signs that said Happy Birthday Michael! and Justice for MJ....I took a few seconds to roll my eyes and then tried to decide if I should stick around to see if there would be any imitation dancing or leave. Then they gathered together with this banner and posed for pictures, I had to snap one for myself.
Then I headed down to Plaza del Congreso and found a ton of families and kids and also took some pics of Monumento a los Dos Congresos that honors the congresses of 1810 in BsAs and 1816 in Tucuman that gained Argentine Independence. Behind that fountain/statue is Palacio Del Congreso and is actually modeled after the Capitol building in D.C. I didn't actually stay out there to read because the sun was falling fast. So instead I found a Starbucks and studied for my classes tomorrow. Cheating...I know!
As far as classes go I've already turned a paper in for my Political and Social Change class. I've really enjoyed that class so far and even though I may not like spending time reading but I actually really learning about their politics. Especially because we are starting to learn more about Populism this week. I also have a Spanish quiz tomorrow. But that's about all that's going on here. I'll post some highlight pictures after this post to catch everyone up to speed on this month.
Don't forget to browse through my pictures on Photobucket.
Love you all!
-Amy
Saturday I went and explored the political center of Buenos Aires. The most recognizable building in that area is Casa Rosada (The Pink House). This building is pretty much equivalent to The White House. The president lived and worked in Casa Rosada until recently, the current president only works there. Oh, and yes! This building really is pink! Its pink because the two main political parties are red and white so the politically safe color is pink. When I got there I wasn't sure if I could go up to the building much less go inside, but after watching some very tourist looking people walk inside I figured I better check it out. So I walked in and found out I could go on a free tour of the place. This year being the Bicentennial year for Argentina there were some special exhibits recognizing important women, scientists, and so forth from Argentina. The inside was very nice, a bit European but probably not as elaborate. I even got to see the presidents' office, basically walked in & then out again, but I did get a snap shot of it.
Afterwards I headed over to the Metropolitan Cathedral which, from the outside, doesn't look like a church I've ever seen. According to Wikipedia it has a Neoclassical facade. The inside seemed like a typical cathedral, but without the stain glass. Also inside the church was General San Martin's Mausoleum.
Afterwards I went to El Cabildo de Buenos Aires which was one of the original government buildings. There wasn't too much inside but there were some cool views and it was a neat building.
Then I walked around Florida Street which is a pedestrian street that has shops and street vendors. Eventually I ran into some other girls that I go to school with and we shopped around. We kept walking by this street that had a big screen w/ tango music playing on the street and I kept wondering if it was apart of the month long Tango Festival. The other girls had to go home so I wondered back to the tango place and it ended up being an event for the festival. Outside there was a big tango lesson going on and inside there were two dance floors taped off in the middle of the room. I was just going to stand around and watch but then an older gentleman asked me to dance and even though I told him I couldn't and didn't know how to do the Tango he said eh and danced with me anyways. It was really funny & fun at the same time he tried teaching me a few steps but I still looked silly out there when all these other women had their tango heels on and were flicking their legs everywhere. But it was an experience I won't forget and I gained a huge appreciation for the music after then. The elder gentleman danced with me for at least 8 songs and then I had to pause to get some water.
When I got back from buying water a Tango music group had started a concert. I stayed and watched the whole thing and it was wonderful. It was a group called Cuarteto La Pua & for a few songs they had a singer, Black Rodriguez Mendez. The quartet was an all guitar group that played tango and milonga music. Afterwards I headed home and even though my feet were killing me from standing and walking around so much, it was a great day!
This was my dance partner:
Today I wasn't planning on doing much but I thought I might take some of my readings for class to a park and read. I headed toward Plaza del Congreso because my guide book said it was a good park. On the way I passed by the Obelisco in Plaza de la Republica and saw there was a gathering of people. Curious, I sat down and watched to figure out what they were doing. Eventually I realized there were a bunch of people dressed like Michael Jackson and even more people had armbands on that said MJ. After I walked around the plaza I saw signs that said Happy Birthday Michael! and Justice for MJ....I took a few seconds to roll my eyes and then tried to decide if I should stick around to see if there would be any imitation dancing or leave. Then they gathered together with this banner and posed for pictures, I had to snap one for myself.
Then I headed down to Plaza del Congreso and found a ton of families and kids and also took some pics of Monumento a los Dos Congresos that honors the congresses of 1810 in BsAs and 1816 in Tucuman that gained Argentine Independence. Behind that fountain/statue is Palacio Del Congreso and is actually modeled after the Capitol building in D.C. I didn't actually stay out there to read because the sun was falling fast. So instead I found a Starbucks and studied for my classes tomorrow. Cheating...I know!
As far as classes go I've already turned a paper in for my Political and Social Change class. I've really enjoyed that class so far and even though I may not like spending time reading but I actually really learning about their politics. Especially because we are starting to learn more about Populism this week. I also have a Spanish quiz tomorrow. But that's about all that's going on here. I'll post some highlight pictures after this post to catch everyone up to speed on this month.
Don't forget to browse through my pictures on Photobucket.
Love you all!
-Amy
Friday, August 6, 2010
A week's worth of blogs.
Wow! Its officially been a week since I last posted a blog. Its also officially been 3 weeks since I arrived in Buenos Aires! Now that I've pretty much figured out my class schedule and that stress has come and gone I'm realizing how much I really love being in Buenos Aires. While I try to convince myself that this new daily routine of living in an apartment, taking the collectivos (buses) and subways everywhere and attempting to speak Spanish is 'normal', its still hard to believe.
Alright, enough reflecting. Last Friday I had to go apply for my visa which was really easy because my study abroad program set everything up, we just had to show up, pay, and sign some stuff. While I was there doing that it started to rain so the day wasn't looking so good for sight seeing. Eventually my roommate and I found some other people that were bored at home and we decided to go to the Museo de Bellas Artes de Buenos Airs. At first we walked around the Argentine art from the 17th and 18th centuries. There was also some Pre-Colonization art that was really interesting, stone masks & carvings, and parts of woven fabrics. The 17th and 18th century art was very obviously influence by the Europeans, as most things are here in Buenos Aires. It was interesting but I still felt like there needed to be more. After that we looked around in the European section and ended up finding very uncharacteristic pieces by artists like Picasso and Manet, and there were several beautiful sculptures by Rodin. After going through the European section we found the newest expo by Antonio Berni. This expo is in honor of the Bicentennial celebration of the Revolución de Mayo. If you have time to look up some of Berni's stuff its very strange but neat at the same time. He uses different mediums and many times uses cloth or paper in his pieces. Below is a picture of one of his pieces that I couldn't take my eyes off of. It is entitled 'Nightmare of the unjust'
Saturday I went on a trip with my study abroad group to El Tigre. El Tigre is a city on the Rio Tigre and is just 30 km outside of Buenos Aires. When we got there we took a boat tour of the city and we saw how the only way to get around is via boat. Everyone was canoeing, kayaking, or rowing by us. It was a pretty neat town, and when we got off the boat tour we went to the Puerto de Frutas where there weren't just fruit but craftsmen that made leather products, furniture, and other typical Argentine items. We then took a bus to a restaurant that is on the water. Here we had submarinos, hot chocolate that you make by adding the chocolate to steamed milk, sandwiches and medialunas. After eating we went out to see the Rio de la Plata which is the largest estuary in the world. At this location we were able to look to our right and see Buenos Aires and then look to our left and see Uruguay. It was a gorgeous day so there were a ton of sailboats out on the water and locals were enjoying the view as well while drinking mate (ma-tEE, not mAte) tea.
This is the restaurant we went to.
And below is a picture of me stirring my submarino.
The view of the river and Buenos Aires in the background.
On Sunday I went again with my study abroad group to the Faria de Mataderos where there again were booths of people selling their crafts. More interesting though was the live music group and the people that were dancing. I'm not sure if this was just a dance there everyone knew or if they were demonstrating the dance.
Here is a pic of the people dancing.
And this is Pepe, the miniature horse.
Whew...still a few more things to talk about!
On Tuesday I didn't have class until 4pm so I went with Maggie to the Rural Exhibition. This was a huge event that was a mix between a state fair, with all the animals, a car exhibition, food vendors, and farm suppliers information. It was HUGE and there was so much to see. We saw all the cows, birds, and horses I would ever want to see. Then we went and sampled a bunch of food. I tried different cheeses, wines, beers, olive oils, honey, dulce de leche, and liquors made from dulce de leche.
Cows being judged.
The Toyota off-road exhibition.
After all that this week was about classes. I've finally decided that the film class in Spanish was a little bit too much for my level so I'm taking classes in English and I'm taking a higher level of Spanish language. I'm really excited about my Global Economics class, while the professor is a bit pompous, we had a really good discussion yesterday and I can continue my high hopes for that class. My other classes are good, but pretty easy. As my schedule stands right now I have 3 classes on Mon. Wed. and one class on Tues. Thurs. at 5:30. so I'll be able to go out and do stuff on Tues Thurs if I like.
This weekend I don't have anything planned but I've gotta find something to do today. Its too pretty of a day to pass up. Next weekend we have Monday off so I'm planning on traveling, I just don't know where to yet.
Check out all of my pictures at
Love you all! Leave a comment or send me an e-mail about what you are up to. I love hearing from everyone back home!
-Amy
Alright, enough reflecting. Last Friday I had to go apply for my visa which was really easy because my study abroad program set everything up, we just had to show up, pay, and sign some stuff. While I was there doing that it started to rain so the day wasn't looking so good for sight seeing. Eventually my roommate and I found some other people that were bored at home and we decided to go to the Museo de Bellas Artes de Buenos Airs. At first we walked around the Argentine art from the 17th and 18th centuries. There was also some Pre-Colonization art that was really interesting, stone masks & carvings, and parts of woven fabrics. The 17th and 18th century art was very obviously influence by the Europeans, as most things are here in Buenos Aires. It was interesting but I still felt like there needed to be more. After that we looked around in the European section and ended up finding very uncharacteristic pieces by artists like Picasso and Manet, and there were several beautiful sculptures by Rodin. After going through the European section we found the newest expo by Antonio Berni. This expo is in honor of the Bicentennial celebration of the Revolución de Mayo. If you have time to look up some of Berni's stuff its very strange but neat at the same time. He uses different mediums and many times uses cloth or paper in his pieces. Below is a picture of one of his pieces that I couldn't take my eyes off of. It is entitled 'Nightmare of the unjust'
Saturday I went on a trip with my study abroad group to El Tigre. El Tigre is a city on the Rio Tigre and is just 30 km outside of Buenos Aires. When we got there we took a boat tour of the city and we saw how the only way to get around is via boat. Everyone was canoeing, kayaking, or rowing by us. It was a pretty neat town, and when we got off the boat tour we went to the Puerto de Frutas where there weren't just fruit but craftsmen that made leather products, furniture, and other typical Argentine items. We then took a bus to a restaurant that is on the water. Here we had submarinos, hot chocolate that you make by adding the chocolate to steamed milk, sandwiches and medialunas. After eating we went out to see the Rio de la Plata which is the largest estuary in the world. At this location we were able to look to our right and see Buenos Aires and then look to our left and see Uruguay. It was a gorgeous day so there were a ton of sailboats out on the water and locals were enjoying the view as well while drinking mate (ma-tEE, not mAte) tea.
This is the restaurant we went to.
And below is a picture of me stirring my submarino.
The view of the river and Buenos Aires in the background.
On Sunday I went again with my study abroad group to the Faria de Mataderos where there again were booths of people selling their crafts. More interesting though was the live music group and the people that were dancing. I'm not sure if this was just a dance there everyone knew or if they were demonstrating the dance.
Here is a pic of the people dancing.
And this is Pepe, the miniature horse.
Whew...still a few more things to talk about!
On Tuesday I didn't have class until 4pm so I went with Maggie to the Rural Exhibition. This was a huge event that was a mix between a state fair, with all the animals, a car exhibition, food vendors, and farm suppliers information. It was HUGE and there was so much to see. We saw all the cows, birds, and horses I would ever want to see. Then we went and sampled a bunch of food. I tried different cheeses, wines, beers, olive oils, honey, dulce de leche, and liquors made from dulce de leche.
Cows being judged.
The Toyota off-road exhibition.
After all that this week was about classes. I've finally decided that the film class in Spanish was a little bit too much for my level so I'm taking classes in English and I'm taking a higher level of Spanish language. I'm really excited about my Global Economics class, while the professor is a bit pompous, we had a really good discussion yesterday and I can continue my high hopes for that class. My other classes are good, but pretty easy. As my schedule stands right now I have 3 classes on Mon. Wed. and one class on Tues. Thurs. at 5:30. so I'll be able to go out and do stuff on Tues Thurs if I like.
This weekend I don't have anything planned but I've gotta find something to do today. Its too pretty of a day to pass up. Next weekend we have Monday off so I'm planning on traveling, I just don't know where to yet.
Check out all of my pictures at
Love you all! Leave a comment or send me an e-mail about what you are up to. I love hearing from everyone back home!
-Amy
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Fall classes have begun!
Oh my! Its back to classes this week! On Sunday I had the realization that I've been in school since January w/ only 4 weeks off. Total! Including spring break! GAH! So needless to say I'm not super pumped that I'm back in school, but hey! I'm in Buenos Aires aren't I?!
Classes actually aren't so bad. My first class was at 10am, Political and Social Change in Latin America. The professor is very Fabio-like w/ the long hair and wearing an ascot! The class seemed interesting enough (if your ears could strain enough to hear our teachers whispered words) he takes a very historical approach to politics so I was a fan almost instantly. My second class on Monday was Argentine Economics. There are two professors for this class, one will teach on Mon. and the other on Wed. The Mon. teacher was very interesting and took me directly back to my Macro Econ Theory class. He seems really interesting but, the other teacher is pretty awful. I'm guessing she's and econ professor as well but she just has us go through these work sheets and then has us talk about them. But she doesn't really give us any substantial information or answer to the question.
My last class on Monday/Wed. is Argentine Cinema and its in Spanish. On the first day it seemed ok, I have some friends in this class as well so that will be good. On Wed. it was a bit more difficult. We had to read a portion of an article with a partner and then present to the class a synopsis of our section. I had a lot of difficulties with this but my partner helped me out a lot thankfully and the presentation was fine. But if I'm going to stay in this class I will have to prepare and read ahead so that I will know what's going on and will be able to speak in class. The majority of the grade in this class is from oral presentations. I think this class would really force me to improve my Spanish which is why I want to continue with it but, I have another week to decide.
My Tuesday/Thursday classes start at 4pm. That's right! Four in the afternoon!! It starts with my Spanish language class. I have a feeling it might be a little easy and I could maybe switch into the next level but we didn't really go over much the first day so I might know after today. Then I have The Latin American Role in a context of Economic Globalization. Its a pretty hard core class with a professor who is also a consulter for the World Bank and the UN. He is very critical of Argentina and very clearly told us that he thinks the Argentine people are where they are today because they didn't work for a better future. He's very much against populism and kinda give the impression that Argentina is just one big mess right now. Because this class is meant to be an upper level econ class he gave us a test to make sure all of the students have taken econ before and understand basic econ concepts. I think my past econ professors might have kicked me if they saw some of the things I couldn't remember but I don't think it will get me kicked out of the class. So needless to say I'm very excited for this class.
Other than school Brittany and I have been trying to find the right gym to join. We tried a yoga class on Monday and looked at some gyms last night. But we haven't decided where to go yet.
I don't have any classes on Friday so after I finish my visa paper work at 7:30am that day I'll have the rest of the day to explore. Then on Saturday I'm going on my first excursion to El Tigre, its a city on the Tigre river. It should be fun, apparently there are a bunch of markets and a boat ride on the river. Its only a day trip so we'll be back on Sunday to get ready for classes and perhaps do some more exploring.
That's all for now!
Classes actually aren't so bad. My first class was at 10am, Political and Social Change in Latin America. The professor is very Fabio-like w/ the long hair and wearing an ascot! The class seemed interesting enough (if your ears could strain enough to hear our teachers whispered words) he takes a very historical approach to politics so I was a fan almost instantly. My second class on Monday was Argentine Economics. There are two professors for this class, one will teach on Mon. and the other on Wed. The Mon. teacher was very interesting and took me directly back to my Macro Econ Theory class. He seems really interesting but, the other teacher is pretty awful. I'm guessing she's and econ professor as well but she just has us go through these work sheets and then has us talk about them. But she doesn't really give us any substantial information or answer to the question.
My last class on Monday/Wed. is Argentine Cinema and its in Spanish. On the first day it seemed ok, I have some friends in this class as well so that will be good. On Wed. it was a bit more difficult. We had to read a portion of an article with a partner and then present to the class a synopsis of our section. I had a lot of difficulties with this but my partner helped me out a lot thankfully and the presentation was fine. But if I'm going to stay in this class I will have to prepare and read ahead so that I will know what's going on and will be able to speak in class. The majority of the grade in this class is from oral presentations. I think this class would really force me to improve my Spanish which is why I want to continue with it but, I have another week to decide.
My Tuesday/Thursday classes start at 4pm. That's right! Four in the afternoon!! It starts with my Spanish language class. I have a feeling it might be a little easy and I could maybe switch into the next level but we didn't really go over much the first day so I might know after today. Then I have The Latin American Role in a context of Economic Globalization. Its a pretty hard core class with a professor who is also a consulter for the World Bank and the UN. He is very critical of Argentina and very clearly told us that he thinks the Argentine people are where they are today because they didn't work for a better future. He's very much against populism and kinda give the impression that Argentina is just one big mess right now. Because this class is meant to be an upper level econ class he gave us a test to make sure all of the students have taken econ before and understand basic econ concepts. I think my past econ professors might have kicked me if they saw some of the things I couldn't remember but I don't think it will get me kicked out of the class. So needless to say I'm very excited for this class.
Other than school Brittany and I have been trying to find the right gym to join. We tried a yoga class on Monday and looked at some gyms last night. But we haven't decided where to go yet.
I don't have any classes on Friday so after I finish my visa paper work at 7:30am that day I'll have the rest of the day to explore. Then on Saturday I'm going on my first excursion to El Tigre, its a city on the Tigre river. It should be fun, apparently there are a bunch of markets and a boat ride on the river. Its only a day trip so we'll be back on Sunday to get ready for classes and perhaps do some more exploring.
That's all for now!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Recoleta
Hi all!
So to pick up where I left off on Friday, I went with my roommate, Brittany, and Maggie to the Recoleta district. It is a French style about it, from the architecture to the numerous bakeries that were in the area. It is a more ritzy area than Belgrano/Nunez (where I live & go to school) so it was fun to walk around. On Friday we ended up stumbling upon Plaza Intendente Alvear. It was a grassy plaza with some statues, a church, and the famous Recoleta Cemetery. We peeked inside the church on Friday, and of course I forgot my camera again, so I just looked around. We had to make our way back soon after finding that plaza because we had to sign up for classes at 5pm.
Brittany and I got home and signed up for classes. I will be taking a Spanish language course, Argentine Economy, Latin America in the Global Economy, Political and Social Change in Latin America, and (in spanish) Latin American Culture. I will only end up taking one of the last two classes mentioned. I'm not sure how I'll do in an all Spanish speaking class so I'm going to test it out and I have two weeks to decide which class I will drop.
Later that night I met back up with Maggie to have dinner with a friend from the University of Arkansas that has been studying abroad in South America for a while now. We ate in China town and he shared stories about his travels and study abroad experience in Buenos Aires, Chile, Ecuador, and Uruguay. Eventually we headed over to have coffee and flan for dessert and we ended up watching a ridiculous game show, much like Dancing with the Stars but much more risqué. We said chau at the bus stop and headed home.
On Saturday Brittany and I ended up going back to the same Plaza with some other girls from our study abroad group. We had a lot more time to see the church and then we wondered around in the Cemetery. And! I actually remembered to bring my camera so here are a few pictures from yesterday.
This is the Church. Iglesia de Nuestra Senora del Pilar
And here are a few shots from the cemetary.
And this is Eva Peron's tomb
After all that exploring we found a Brewery in the same area and got some food and I split a beer sampler with another girl...she drank the light beers and I worked on the dark ones. After a couple of hours there I was craving something sweet so we got some ice cream, which is huge here even if its winter! When we started to make our way back to the subway we got pretty lost and ended up at the wrong subway station and eventually just took a cab home.
I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do today. Perhaps go shoe shopping for some leather boots?! Or find a museum to hang out in to escape all the wind we've got outside.
Tomorrow I start classes. My first class is at 10 am and considering the buses can take a while I'll probably leave and hour early just to be on the safe side. But this will be all for today's blog, if you want to see all my pictures from Saturday click on this link to find my pictures on Photo Bucket
http://s302.photobucket.com/albums/nn100/amywallace11/Buenos%20Aires/Recoleta%20Cemetery/
Catch Ya Later!
Amy
So to pick up where I left off on Friday, I went with my roommate, Brittany, and Maggie to the Recoleta district. It is a French style about it, from the architecture to the numerous bakeries that were in the area. It is a more ritzy area than Belgrano/Nunez (where I live & go to school) so it was fun to walk around. On Friday we ended up stumbling upon Plaza Intendente Alvear. It was a grassy plaza with some statues, a church, and the famous Recoleta Cemetery. We peeked inside the church on Friday, and of course I forgot my camera again, so I just looked around. We had to make our way back soon after finding that plaza because we had to sign up for classes at 5pm.
Brittany and I got home and signed up for classes. I will be taking a Spanish language course, Argentine Economy, Latin America in the Global Economy, Political and Social Change in Latin America, and (in spanish) Latin American Culture. I will only end up taking one of the last two classes mentioned. I'm not sure how I'll do in an all Spanish speaking class so I'm going to test it out and I have two weeks to decide which class I will drop.
Later that night I met back up with Maggie to have dinner with a friend from the University of Arkansas that has been studying abroad in South America for a while now. We ate in China town and he shared stories about his travels and study abroad experience in Buenos Aires, Chile, Ecuador, and Uruguay. Eventually we headed over to have coffee and flan for dessert and we ended up watching a ridiculous game show, much like Dancing with the Stars but much more risqué. We said chau at the bus stop and headed home.
On Saturday Brittany and I ended up going back to the same Plaza with some other girls from our study abroad group. We had a lot more time to see the church and then we wondered around in the Cemetery. And! I actually remembered to bring my camera so here are a few pictures from yesterday.
This is the Church. Iglesia de Nuestra Senora del Pilar
And here are a few shots from the cemetary.
And this is Eva Peron's tomb
After all that exploring we found a Brewery in the same area and got some food and I split a beer sampler with another girl...she drank the light beers and I worked on the dark ones. After a couple of hours there I was craving something sweet so we got some ice cream, which is huge here even if its winter! When we started to make our way back to the subway we got pretty lost and ended up at the wrong subway station and eventually just took a cab home.
I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do today. Perhaps go shoe shopping for some leather boots?! Or find a museum to hang out in to escape all the wind we've got outside.
Tomorrow I start classes. My first class is at 10 am and considering the buses can take a while I'll probably leave and hour early just to be on the safe side. But this will be all for today's blog, if you want to see all my pictures from Saturday click on this link to find my pictures on Photo Bucket
http://s302.photobucket.com/albums/nn100/amywallace11/Buenos%20Aires/Recoleta%20Cemetery/
Catch Ya Later!
Amy
Friday, July 23, 2010
Sunny Days!
Alright, so I didn't experience much of Thursday seeing as I slept until 1pm that afternoon due to dancing the night before. But when I finally got up I got lunch with my roommate and then we had a tango class to go to that evening.
Today is a gorgeous day! So I'm not going to put too much detail into this. But I had to get up super early this morning in order to start the process of getting a student visa. I'm hoping to go do some more exploring and take some pictures today. We're also going to have dinner in China town tonight. So I'll fill you all in tonight or tomorrow some time!
Hasta luego!
Amy
Today is a gorgeous day! So I'm not going to put too much detail into this. But I had to get up super early this morning in order to start the process of getting a student visa. I'm hoping to go do some more exploring and take some pictures today. We're also going to have dinner in China town tonight. So I'll fill you all in tonight or tomorrow some time!
Hasta luego!
Amy
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Wednesday - My first day to explore!
Hola Todos!
I decided to go ahead and just do a blog. I know, I know, I know! I said I'd just sent out e-mail updates, but I changed my mind.
Well Buenos Aires has its ups and downs like any big city but so far I've really enjoyed myself! My host mom, Adriana is amazing! She helped me get from place to place the first few days and has cooked some great dinners. She's very patient with my nonsensical Spanish but I've been surprised at how much I understand.
I've finally gotten through all my orientation sessions so today and the rest of the week is free for exploring. I'm really glad I'm doing this study abroad through the ISA organization because they help us with really important stuff like getting a visa and understanding how to be safe in the city.
Well today I took it easy and got up at 9 and ate breakfast at 10. I started getting bored at the apartment considering it was such a beautiful day outside. So I got in touch with a friend, Maggie, and we met up at the University. We ventured out to the Palermo District just to explore. We walked some and then realized we were hungry so we stepped into a pasta/empanada place to get a quick bite. We finally found some interesting stuff going on, the first being Exposition Rural. A Rural Expo complete with a cow competition and everything. Ok well we didn't go in but we did chuckle at the giant signs.
Across the street was the Zoo, which was crazy busy since it was such a nice day. So we skipped that and walked on to find what we thought was a park. It was completely gated so we walked around the block until we found an entrance. Once we got inside we realized there were hundreds of friendly cats inside. TONS of them!!
Eventually we found out that we were in the Botanical Gardens which was designed by a French guy and there were several fountains and statues that were of the Roman-Greco style. It was a perfectly sunny day to be walking around in a garden and I was so glad to be out doing something. After walking through the garden Maggie and I got some coffee to tie us over until dinner (which is at 8 or 9 at the earliest).
One thing I LOVE about eating out here is that you order your food and once you get it you can sit and chat forever. Its very different from the states, no pushing you out the door. Here you have to ask for the check when you are ready.
After some cafe con leche (basically a latte) We headed home on the subway to go eat dinner with our families.
Later that night my roommate and I headed out for a night on the town. We left the apartment at around 1am via taxi (1am being early for BsAs night life) and met up with some other people from my study abroad group. At first we just went out for drinks and then we made our way to a dance club. Oye! This place was insane. The guys here are very upfront with the women and if they like you they will stroll right up to you and tell you so and not just by dancing with you, but by turning you around and talking to you. But remember we were in a club, with loud music, so the talking was more like yelling. It was crazy and got kinda frustrating after awhile because we had to keep chasing off strange men. But eventually we headed home at 5am via taxi again and finally got to sleep at around 5:45 or 6. It was a crazy night, an experience to say the least.
Until another great adventure,
Amy
I decided to go ahead and just do a blog. I know, I know, I know! I said I'd just sent out e-mail updates, but I changed my mind.
Well Buenos Aires has its ups and downs like any big city but so far I've really enjoyed myself! My host mom, Adriana is amazing! She helped me get from place to place the first few days and has cooked some great dinners. She's very patient with my nonsensical Spanish but I've been surprised at how much I understand.
I've finally gotten through all my orientation sessions so today and the rest of the week is free for exploring. I'm really glad I'm doing this study abroad through the ISA organization because they help us with really important stuff like getting a visa and understanding how to be safe in the city.
Well today I took it easy and got up at 9 and ate breakfast at 10. I started getting bored at the apartment considering it was such a beautiful day outside. So I got in touch with a friend, Maggie, and we met up at the University. We ventured out to the Palermo District just to explore. We walked some and then realized we were hungry so we stepped into a pasta/empanada place to get a quick bite. We finally found some interesting stuff going on, the first being Exposition Rural. A Rural Expo complete with a cow competition and everything. Ok well we didn't go in but we did chuckle at the giant signs.
Across the street was the Zoo, which was crazy busy since it was such a nice day. So we skipped that and walked on to find what we thought was a park. It was completely gated so we walked around the block until we found an entrance. Once we got inside we realized there were hundreds of friendly cats inside. TONS of them!!
Eventually we found out that we were in the Botanical Gardens which was designed by a French guy and there were several fountains and statues that were of the Roman-Greco style. It was a perfectly sunny day to be walking around in a garden and I was so glad to be out doing something. After walking through the garden Maggie and I got some coffee to tie us over until dinner (which is at 8 or 9 at the earliest).
One thing I LOVE about eating out here is that you order your food and once you get it you can sit and chat forever. Its very different from the states, no pushing you out the door. Here you have to ask for the check when you are ready.
After some cafe con leche (basically a latte) We headed home on the subway to go eat dinner with our families.
Later that night my roommate and I headed out for a night on the town. We left the apartment at around 1am via taxi (1am being early for BsAs night life) and met up with some other people from my study abroad group. At first we just went out for drinks and then we made our way to a dance club. Oye! This place was insane. The guys here are very upfront with the women and if they like you they will stroll right up to you and tell you so and not just by dancing with you, but by turning you around and talking to you. But remember we were in a club, with loud music, so the talking was more like yelling. It was crazy and got kinda frustrating after awhile because we had to keep chasing off strange men. But eventually we headed home at 5am via taxi again and finally got to sleep at around 5:45 or 6. It was a crazy night, an experience to say the least.
Until another great adventure,
Amy
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