Monday, November 24, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
The internet
Just so everyone knows, my free trial period of internet in my apartment here in Argentina has expired which means that I no longer have internet in my apartment.
Nevertheless, there is a park that is very close to my apartment and the park is very close to a cafe that has wireless. I've been going to said park and using their wifi. It has been nice to be outside while checking my email. Just thought you all might want to know.
See you soon....20something days!
Nevertheless, there is a park that is very close to my apartment and the park is very close to a cafe that has wireless. I've been going to said park and using their wifi. It has been nice to be outside while checking my email. Just thought you all might want to know.
See you soon....20something days!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Spring break
Spring break has come and gone but I had a great time. Argentina has a lot to offer and this week proved that to be true.
My friends and I left for Salta, Argentina on Friday, October 3rd and rode the bus all night long. The total travel time was supposed to be 16 hours but there was some traffic leaving BA and then also some more traffic when crossing the border from providence to providence (at every providence border, the police stop the buses and cars and ask questions such as, “Where are you going? What do you have in your car?” Occasionally, they’ll come onto the bus and ask to see passports or licenses to make sure there is no child-trafficking going on). The bus ride ended up being about 20 hours but it wasn’t so bad because the seats were comfy and spacious. We got dinner, breakfast the next morning, and then lunch that same day. Our bus was very cheap for the good service we got.
Once we got into Salta, we took a cab to our hostel (it only cost $1USD) and checked in. The hostel was very nice: colorful, three stories, a computer, a nice TV to watch movies, and a decent breakfast in the mornings. We unpacked and then headed out for dinner. The next day, Sunday, my friends wanted to go to a small town about two hours away by bus. It didn’t sound interesting to me so I decided to stay back in town and do a little sightseeing. I woke up and thought I would head to a catholic mass. I’ve never been before and if I was ever going to go in my life, I thought it would be neat to go when the mass is in Spanish. I walked to a very large church close to the hostel and went inside. There were a lot of people in the church, about 75 or so. There was a lot of standing up and sitting down and at one point my neighbor turned and kissed my cheek, said something, and then kissed the person on her other side (I’m not sure why she did that but everyone else in the church was kissing and greeting their neighbors so I didn’t think it was weird.) After about 45 minutes or so, the meeting was over and I headed over to the teleférico. A teleférico is like a ski lift but you sit inside an enclosed “cabin” and ride on a wire up to the top of a mountain. It was a nice ride: peaceful and relaxing. Once I got to the top, I was very surprised at what I saw: flowers in bloom, waterfalls, and beautiful mountains. Salta is in a valley which means it surrounded by mountains. I walked around the top of the mountain, sat on a bench and read for a little bit, and then took the teleférico back down. It was very nice to be on the top of a quiet mountain with fresh, cool air. (FYI: as it turned out, my friends didn’t get back to Salta until 1:00am because the bus ended up taking four hours one way instead of two hours one way.)
The big excursion that we went on in Salta was on Wednesday; it was an all-day trip (13 hours) to different popular areas around Salta. There is a train in Salta called “Train to the clouds” but it costs about $150USD for one person which is more money than I have to spend on a train ride. The bus that drove us around for our excursion took the same route as the train to the clouds so we got to see the same sights but for a lot less money. One of my favorite places we went on our excursion was the salt lakes: a giant piece of land that is completely dry. The land is completely white and it’s cracked in different places from where the salt split. There is one area of water where they dug about 10 inches into the salt. When it rains, the water goes through the salt cracks and rests about 10 inches under the salt. The closer it gets to the surface, the water evaporates and then there is salt left on the ground. Don’t ask me why there is salt on the ground (because it doesn’t rain salt water) but somehow it works and it is very awesome.
On Thursday, we took a bus from Salta to Tucuman, a providence four hours south of Salta. A lot of people in BA told us that Tucuman isn’t much to see; they said it is dirty and there is no much to do there. On the contrary, I almost liked Tucuman more than Salta. Being in Tucuman made me feel like I was in a big city in the states: there were people all over the streets, lots of traffic…it had a different vibe than BA. Before we left Tucuman, we went to a restaurant called “Charly’s” for dessert. We got waffles and ice cream and it definitely hit the spot.
Overall, I had a great time on my spring break. On our bus back to BA, we had VIP Suite so our seats went completely flat and made for a goodnight’s sleep. I’m glad to be back in the city but it was very nice to travel up north for a little bit and see some different sights. My family will be here in about a week or so…I’m getting very excited for that and I know we’ll have a great time together. The time is flying by in Buenos Aires and I’ll be back state-side before you know it. I love and miss you all. Chau for now.
My friends and I left for Salta, Argentina on Friday, October 3rd and rode the bus all night long. The total travel time was supposed to be 16 hours but there was some traffic leaving BA and then also some more traffic when crossing the border from providence to providence (at every providence border, the police stop the buses and cars and ask questions such as, “Where are you going? What do you have in your car?” Occasionally, they’ll come onto the bus and ask to see passports or licenses to make sure there is no child-trafficking going on). The bus ride ended up being about 20 hours but it wasn’t so bad because the seats were comfy and spacious. We got dinner, breakfast the next morning, and then lunch that same day. Our bus was very cheap for the good service we got.
Once we got into Salta, we took a cab to our hostel (it only cost $1USD) and checked in. The hostel was very nice: colorful, three stories, a computer, a nice TV to watch movies, and a decent breakfast in the mornings. We unpacked and then headed out for dinner. The next day, Sunday, my friends wanted to go to a small town about two hours away by bus. It didn’t sound interesting to me so I decided to stay back in town and do a little sightseeing. I woke up and thought I would head to a catholic mass. I’ve never been before and if I was ever going to go in my life, I thought it would be neat to go when the mass is in Spanish. I walked to a very large church close to the hostel and went inside. There were a lot of people in the church, about 75 or so. There was a lot of standing up and sitting down and at one point my neighbor turned and kissed my cheek, said something, and then kissed the person on her other side (I’m not sure why she did that but everyone else in the church was kissing and greeting their neighbors so I didn’t think it was weird.) After about 45 minutes or so, the meeting was over and I headed over to the teleférico. A teleférico is like a ski lift but you sit inside an enclosed “cabin” and ride on a wire up to the top of a mountain. It was a nice ride: peaceful and relaxing. Once I got to the top, I was very surprised at what I saw: flowers in bloom, waterfalls, and beautiful mountains. Salta is in a valley which means it surrounded by mountains. I walked around the top of the mountain, sat on a bench and read for a little bit, and then took the teleférico back down. It was very nice to be on the top of a quiet mountain with fresh, cool air. (FYI: as it turned out, my friends didn’t get back to Salta until 1:00am because the bus ended up taking four hours one way instead of two hours one way.)
The big excursion that we went on in Salta was on Wednesday; it was an all-day trip (13 hours) to different popular areas around Salta. There is a train in Salta called “Train to the clouds” but it costs about $150USD for one person which is more money than I have to spend on a train ride. The bus that drove us around for our excursion took the same route as the train to the clouds so we got to see the same sights but for a lot less money. One of my favorite places we went on our excursion was the salt lakes: a giant piece of land that is completely dry. The land is completely white and it’s cracked in different places from where the salt split. There is one area of water where they dug about 10 inches into the salt. When it rains, the water goes through the salt cracks and rests about 10 inches under the salt. The closer it gets to the surface, the water evaporates and then there is salt left on the ground. Don’t ask me why there is salt on the ground (because it doesn’t rain salt water) but somehow it works and it is very awesome.
On Thursday, we took a bus from Salta to Tucuman, a providence four hours south of Salta. A lot of people in BA told us that Tucuman isn’t much to see; they said it is dirty and there is no much to do there. On the contrary, I almost liked Tucuman more than Salta. Being in Tucuman made me feel like I was in a big city in the states: there were people all over the streets, lots of traffic…it had a different vibe than BA. Before we left Tucuman, we went to a restaurant called “Charly’s” for dessert. We got waffles and ice cream and it definitely hit the spot.
Overall, I had a great time on my spring break. On our bus back to BA, we had VIP Suite so our seats went completely flat and made for a goodnight’s sleep. I’m glad to be back in the city but it was very nice to travel up north for a little bit and see some different sights. My family will be here in about a week or so…I’m getting very excited for that and I know we’ll have a great time together. The time is flying by in Buenos Aires and I’ll be back state-side before you know it. I love and miss you all. Chau for now.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Half done!
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages:
Midterms are over and I am halfway home to the good ol US of A.
Thats right, its October, midterms are done, and Spring break has started. I leave tomorrow for Salta, Argentina and I'm very excited for a week away from school.
I'll be sure to write all about my trip when I get back.
Happy October, everyone!
Midterms are over and I am halfway home to the good ol US of A.
Thats right, its October, midterms are done, and Spring break has started. I leave tomorrow for Salta, Argentina and I'm very excited for a week away from school.
I'll be sure to write all about my trip when I get back.
Happy October, everyone!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Mendoza, Argentina
This past weekend my friends and I (and yes, this time another male came along) went to Mendoza, Argentina, a city south of BA. Since we went south, the weather was a little cooler but it was nice: about 60s or so each day. We arrived on Thursday morning at 9:30. The bus ride was about 11 hours and wasn't too bad. We didn't decide to spring for the VIP Suite this time...we got a semi-cama (the seat reclined a little further than an airplane seat so that wasn't too bad but the food wasn't nearly as good as it was in the VIP suite. But nevertheless, we made it safe and sound to Mendoza.
On Thursday, the first day we were there, we rented bikes from Mr. Hugo. Before we got to Mr. Hugo's, we found a Subway! It was my first Subway sandwich in a VERY long time and let me tell you, it was very yummy. I got a six inch veggie, a chocolate chip cookie (which wasn't as good as the cookies in the States) and a soda. The drinks were fountain drinks which was very refreshing because it is very difficult to find fountaint drinks in Argentina; pretty much everything is bottled. From there, we bikes to two different bodegas (aka wineries.) In each bodega, we were shown around the winery (how they make the wine, where they store it, which grapes make which types of wine, etc) and then at the end we got to sample different types of wine. I must say, I wasn't a huge fan of any of them. I think I would have liked them better if I had some packets of Splenda to add haha...they were too dry for my liking. After the bodegas, we went to a chocolate and liquor factory. There we were able to sample different chocolate liquor. I don't know if any of you have ever had chocolate liquor but for my sample, I would have loved more chocolate and less liquor. I tried the chocolate con cafe and chocolate con banana. They were both decent but not as good as I would have hoped. No worries....it was only $5 pesos.
After biking around the wineries, we went back to our hostel and cooked dinner. We (I should really say I since I did most of the cooking) made tortellini and veggies...it was pretty good! We made some friends at the hostel and they ate with us: one was from Germany and the other from a different part in Argentina. After dinner, we called it a night and rested up for a full day tomorrow.
On Friday, we went horseback riding next to the Andes Mountains; it was a very, very cool experience. We took off around 9 and didn't get back until about 6. We rode until noon, took a break for lunch, and then rode back to the stable. We had two guides, one who cooked lunch and the other who played the guitar. Lunch was a traditional Argentine asada: steak over an open flame, bread, and no forks. They cut the steak into strips which we then put on our bread and made mini sandwiches. It was delicious (even though the steak was from Walmart haha.) After our lunch, some people took a siesta and others decided not to sleep since we're only in Mendoza once (me being one of those people.) We rode back to the stable and over all had a great time. I got to "run" with my horse; I've never been on a horse that went as fast as my horse and I did in Mendoza. We were going as fast as the horse could go and I was holding on tight...it was amazing. Friday night for dinner, we made a fruit salad for dinner and ordered in empanadas.
On Saturday, we slept in (until 10) and then the group split: some of us went to visit more bodegas while others went to explore the town (I was in the latter group.) Wesaw different plazas, shops, and sites. Mendoza is a very neat town with a lot to offer tourists. I would love to visit again. I am very thankful for the opportunities I'm having here in Argentina.
On Thursday, the first day we were there, we rented bikes from Mr. Hugo. Before we got to Mr. Hugo's, we found a Subway! It was my first Subway sandwich in a VERY long time and let me tell you, it was very yummy. I got a six inch veggie, a chocolate chip cookie (which wasn't as good as the cookies in the States) and a soda. The drinks were fountain drinks which was very refreshing because it is very difficult to find fountaint drinks in Argentina; pretty much everything is bottled. From there, we bikes to two different bodegas (aka wineries.) In each bodega, we were shown around the winery (how they make the wine, where they store it, which grapes make which types of wine, etc) and then at the end we got to sample different types of wine. I must say, I wasn't a huge fan of any of them. I think I would have liked them better if I had some packets of Splenda to add haha...they were too dry for my liking. After the bodegas, we went to a chocolate and liquor factory. There we were able to sample different chocolate liquor. I don't know if any of you have ever had chocolate liquor but for my sample, I would have loved more chocolate and less liquor. I tried the chocolate con cafe and chocolate con banana. They were both decent but not as good as I would have hoped. No worries....it was only $5 pesos.
After biking around the wineries, we went back to our hostel and cooked dinner. We (I should really say I since I did most of the cooking) made tortellini and veggies...it was pretty good! We made some friends at the hostel and they ate with us: one was from Germany and the other from a different part in Argentina. After dinner, we called it a night and rested up for a full day tomorrow.
On Friday, we went horseback riding next to the Andes Mountains; it was a very, very cool experience. We took off around 9 and didn't get back until about 6. We rode until noon, took a break for lunch, and then rode back to the stable. We had two guides, one who cooked lunch and the other who played the guitar. Lunch was a traditional Argentine asada: steak over an open flame, bread, and no forks. They cut the steak into strips which we then put on our bread and made mini sandwiches. It was delicious (even though the steak was from Walmart haha.) After our lunch, some people took a siesta and others decided not to sleep since we're only in Mendoza once (me being one of those people.) We rode back to the stable and over all had a great time. I got to "run" with my horse; I've never been on a horse that went as fast as my horse and I did in Mendoza. We were going as fast as the horse could go and I was holding on tight...it was amazing. Friday night for dinner, we made a fruit salad for dinner and ordered in empanadas.
On Saturday, we slept in (until 10) and then the group split: some of us went to visit more bodegas while others went to explore the town (I was in the latter group.) Wesaw different plazas, shops, and sites. Mendoza is a very neat town with a lot to offer tourists. I would love to visit again. I am very thankful for the opportunities I'm having here in Argentina.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
My Argentina Home
Yesterday I moved places where I live. I was in the residence hall but decided that it would be better for me to move to a home stay so I could speak more Spanish and truly get a feel for the culture here. In the residence, I felt like I was still in the states: speaking only in Spanish, living with Americans, etc.
My host mom's name is Adriana. She is about 70 years old and has four children. One of her children is currently studying in Philadelphia. She is a fragile woman with a good sense of humor. When I first got there, she said to me, in Spanish, "Are you staying for three months or three years??" (I guess I brought a lot of stuff with me to Argentina...oops.) I have my own room and it is about the size of the room I was sharing with two other guys in the residence hall. It is customary to bring something from the states for your host family when you get to your new country but since I didn't know I was going to be living with a family, I bought her flowers when I moved in. She said she loves flowers and was very happy to have them. She set them on the table when we ate dinner. She made spaghetti (which was very good,) a salad, bread, and then for dessert a dulce de leche pudding. It was all very tasty. We sat around the table and talked for about 45 minutes. We talked about my family, her family, and past students that she has had. She is a very nice woman and I think it is a good fit. She also has a dog named Benjamin who likes to wrap his front two legs around my legs so I'll pet him. He is a lot bigger than Zipper (for those of you who know who Zipper is) but is also very well behaved.
I am having a good time here and I can see how God is working everything out. He is truly in everything that I do here. Before dinner last night, she asked me if I pray before I eat. I said yes and she said, "Ok, you start praying and then once you're done, I'll pray." I started praying in Spanish (which was a little hard) and then she prayed. It was very nice to praying with someone, for the first time, since I left. I am very thankful God placed me in her home and I pray that everything will continue to work out.
My host mom's name is Adriana. She is about 70 years old and has four children. One of her children is currently studying in Philadelphia. She is a fragile woman with a good sense of humor. When I first got there, she said to me, in Spanish, "Are you staying for three months or three years??" (I guess I brought a lot of stuff with me to Argentina...oops.) I have my own room and it is about the size of the room I was sharing with two other guys in the residence hall. It is customary to bring something from the states for your host family when you get to your new country but since I didn't know I was going to be living with a family, I bought her flowers when I moved in. She said she loves flowers and was very happy to have them. She set them on the table when we ate dinner. She made spaghetti (which was very good,) a salad, bread, and then for dessert a dulce de leche pudding. It was all very tasty. We sat around the table and talked for about 45 minutes. We talked about my family, her family, and past students that she has had. She is a very nice woman and I think it is a good fit. She also has a dog named Benjamin who likes to wrap his front two legs around my legs so I'll pet him. He is a lot bigger than Zipper (for those of you who know who Zipper is) but is also very well behaved.
I am having a good time here and I can see how God is working everything out. He is truly in everything that I do here. Before dinner last night, she asked me if I pray before I eat. I said yes and she said, "Ok, you start praying and then once you're done, I'll pray." I started praying in Spanish (which was a little hard) and then she prayed. It was very nice to praying with someone, for the first time, since I left. I am very thankful God placed me in her home and I pray that everything will continue to work out.
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