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.
Iguazu Falls = Amazingness
This past weekend my friends and I went to Iguazu (E-Gwa-Sue) Falls and it was amazing; I have never seen anything like it before in my life. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and clearly shows how amazing God's creation is.
We left on Thursday night, around 7:00pm. In Argentina, the bus system is the way to travel (it compares to the train system in Europe.) There are many different options for seats on these buses: semi-cama (the seat lays back a little more than an airplane seat,) full-cama (the seat lays back a little further,) executive-cama (the seat goes back a little further, but still not all the way flat,) and VIP Suite (the seat lays back 180 degrees and there is a foot rest that comes up for your feet/legs.) Nevertheless, we chose the VIP suite...it wasn't that much more than the others and for a 18 hour bus ride, we wanted to make sure we were comfortable and that we could fall asleep. We get on the bus about 20 minutes before we're supposed to depart and I could not believe how nice this bus was: our seats were on the second floor and they were as big as first class seats on an airplane. They were extremely comfortable and there was a TV in front of every seat. We take off and embark on our long bus ride. At about 9:00 or so, they serve dinner which consisted of milanesa (chicken-fried steak,) bread, quiche, beverage, and dessert. Movies were playing until 11:00 when they shut off the lights and closed all the curtains on the windows so we could go to sleep. They provided us with pillows and blankets (both which were much nicer than those on airplanes.)
We arrive at Iguazu Falls at 11:45AM and go right to our hostel. It was a nice, humble place. They had two computers with internet access and also a large TV and couch in the common area. We met some English guys who were staying there and hung out with them the rest of the day. They were traveling around the world and Argentina was on their list of stops.
The next morning (Saturday,) we got up, ate breakfast at the hostel (coffee, tea, bread, apples, and jelly) and then made our way to the falls. The weather was great: shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops. It’s funny to think we drove north for 18 hours and the weather got warmer. It was only about a 20 minute bus ride ($5 pesos.) We arrived at the park where the falls are and took a train through the park to go to a place called "The Devil's Throat." Here, there are giant waterfalls that pour mist onto the observation deck. Also from The Devil's Throat, you can look across the falls and see Brazil. There is a boat that will take you to Brazil but since we're Americans, it would cost us $100USD because we are required to get a visa before we can go to Brazil. From The Devil's Throat, we went exploring through the other rims: there is an upper-rim trail and a lower-rim trail. There are several waterfalls throughout the whole park. It isn't like Niagara where there is only one big waterfall.
After walking around the rims, we went on a boat ride into the falls. The driver was turning quickly and making water splash all over us. It felt good because it was about 80 degrees outside. Once we got to the falls, he drove us right under one of them and we all got soaked. It was so neat to see the falls from right in front of them instead of only looking down upon them. After the boat ride, we walked around some more to see some of the falls that we missed. I have never seen rainbows like I saw here: full, complete, from end-to-end rainbows. It was so amazing. The pictures I took look like I placed the rainbow in the picture using my computer but they were really that spectacular.
My trip to Iguazu Falls was wonderful and I would love to go back. The immensity of the falls and the thousands of gallons of water pouring down from the falls truly shows how no man could have created that; only God could have formed something that marvelous.
We left on Thursday night, around 7:00pm. In Argentina, the bus system is the way to travel (it compares to the train system in Europe.) There are many different options for seats on these buses: semi-cama (the seat lays back a little more than an airplane seat,) full-cama (the seat lays back a little further,) executive-cama (the seat goes back a little further, but still not all the way flat,) and VIP Suite (the seat lays back 180 degrees and there is a foot rest that comes up for your feet/legs.) Nevertheless, we chose the VIP suite...it wasn't that much more than the others and for a 18 hour bus ride, we wanted to make sure we were comfortable and that we could fall asleep. We get on the bus about 20 minutes before we're supposed to depart and I could not believe how nice this bus was: our seats were on the second floor and they were as big as first class seats on an airplane. They were extremely comfortable and there was a TV in front of every seat. We take off and embark on our long bus ride. At about 9:00 or so, they serve dinner which consisted of milanesa (chicken-fried steak,) bread, quiche, beverage, and dessert. Movies were playing until 11:00 when they shut off the lights and closed all the curtains on the windows so we could go to sleep. They provided us with pillows and blankets (both which were much nicer than those on airplanes.)
We arrive at Iguazu Falls at 11:45AM and go right to our hostel. It was a nice, humble place. They had two computers with internet access and also a large TV and couch in the common area. We met some English guys who were staying there and hung out with them the rest of the day. They were traveling around the world and Argentina was on their list of stops.
The next morning (Saturday,) we got up, ate breakfast at the hostel (coffee, tea, bread, apples, and jelly) and then made our way to the falls. The weather was great: shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops. It’s funny to think we drove north for 18 hours and the weather got warmer. It was only about a 20 minute bus ride ($5 pesos.) We arrived at the park where the falls are and took a train through the park to go to a place called "The Devil's Throat." Here, there are giant waterfalls that pour mist onto the observation deck. Also from The Devil's Throat, you can look across the falls and see Brazil. There is a boat that will take you to Brazil but since we're Americans, it would cost us $100USD because we are required to get a visa before we can go to Brazil. From The Devil's Throat, we went exploring through the other rims: there is an upper-rim trail and a lower-rim trail. There are several waterfalls throughout the whole park. It isn't like Niagara where there is only one big waterfall.
After walking around the rims, we went on a boat ride into the falls. The driver was turning quickly and making water splash all over us. It felt good because it was about 80 degrees outside. Once we got to the falls, he drove us right under one of them and we all got soaked. It was so neat to see the falls from right in front of them instead of only looking down upon them. After the boat ride, we walked around some more to see some of the falls that we missed. I have never seen rainbows like I saw here: full, complete, from end-to-end rainbows. It was so amazing. The pictures I took look like I placed the rainbow in the picture using my computer but they were really that spectacular.
My trip to Iguazu Falls was wonderful and I would love to go back. The immensity of the falls and the thousands of gallons of water pouring down from the falls truly shows how no man could have created that; only God could have formed something that marvelous.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Ole ole ole ole ole ole...
On Friday's, I don't have any classes so I decided to go exploring. Feel like going on a journey with me in Buenos Aires? Please keep your hands and feet inside the bus at all times...
Stop One: The Japanese Gardens: For those of you from the Dayton area, the Japanese Gardens are kind of like Cox Arboretum, but nicer. There are lots of greenhouses all over the place and while it would have been prettier in the Spring, it was still nice to walk around and take in the sights. Before I went to the gardens, I stopped at a bakery and got a ham and cheese sandwich (they love their ham here) on a french loaf...very tasty. I sat down on a bench in the gardens, ate my sandwich, and enjoyed every bite of it.
Stop Two: Parque Palermo: I believe this is the second time I'm writing about Parque Palermo, however, it is one of my favorite places in the city. I went there, again, a few days ago and brought my homework with me so I could do some reading. I read for about an hour (it was a beautiful day outside) and then decided to walk around the park a little bit. While walking around the park, I got a little hungry so I got a "super pancho" from a vendor in the park. A super pancho is the Argentine equivalent to a foot long hot dog. They're pretty good and they're extremely cheap (less than $1 American.) When the weather starts to get warm for good, this will be one of my favorite places to go in the city.
Stop Three: The Alamo Sports Bar: Last night, I went with some of my friends to the Alamo Sports bar to watch the Argentina/Nigeria Olympic gold futbol game...needless to say, Argentina won the gold! Once they won, the place went nuts. Everyone (who knew it) started singing the Argentine National Anthem and then they started chanting "Ole ole ole ole, ole, ole..." It was a lot of fun and a neat experience to be with Argentines when watching them win the gold metal.
Stop Four: La Boca: Today, I went to a neighborhood in BsAs called "La Boca." The weather was GREAT: about 65 or 70 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. La Boca is known for their colorful buildings and also for being a very dangerous place at night (don't worry Mom, I went only during the day.) I liked La Boca a lot, however, it is pretty touristy (When walking around La Boca, different people such as restaurant owners or what not would ask me in broken English, "Where are you from?" Sometimes I would say the US, sometimes Canada...it depended on my mood.) Each restaurant we walked by, someone was always asking us to go into their restaurant, sit down, and have a meal...it kind of reminded me of Little Italy in New York...they're always telling you how their restaurant is the best and why you should eat there. For lunch, we ordered a parrilla for three people. Argentina is known for their parrillas. A parrilla consists of a plate of grilled meat (sausage, pork, chicken, steak, etc.) The majority of the meat was very good...very well seasoned, very tasty, but a little expensive. One of my friends, Amy, was feeling adventurous and decided to try the blood sausage. I don't know if any of you have ever had or heard of blood sausage before or not but it did NOT look tasty. You do not want me to describe what it looked like, trust me. After eating, we walked around the different shops and stands on the streets and then came home after about four hours or so there. It was a 30 minute bus ride from Palermo (where I live) and was well worth it.
This weekend was fun and I'm glad I got to see different things around BsAs. I'm putting pictures up on my website so take a look and let me know what you think. Hope you enjoyed your trip...please come again soon.
Chau (thats h0w you spell ciao in Spanish) for now!
http://picasaweb.google.com/cmaddoxjr
Stop One: The Japanese Gardens: For those of you from the Dayton area, the Japanese Gardens are kind of like Cox Arboretum, but nicer. There are lots of greenhouses all over the place and while it would have been prettier in the Spring, it was still nice to walk around and take in the sights. Before I went to the gardens, I stopped at a bakery and got a ham and cheese sandwich (they love their ham here) on a french loaf...very tasty. I sat down on a bench in the gardens, ate my sandwich, and enjoyed every bite of it.
Stop Two: Parque Palermo: I believe this is the second time I'm writing about Parque Palermo, however, it is one of my favorite places in the city. I went there, again, a few days ago and brought my homework with me so I could do some reading. I read for about an hour (it was a beautiful day outside) and then decided to walk around the park a little bit. While walking around the park, I got a little hungry so I got a "super pancho" from a vendor in the park. A super pancho is the Argentine equivalent to a foot long hot dog. They're pretty good and they're extremely cheap (less than $1 American.) When the weather starts to get warm for good, this will be one of my favorite places to go in the city.
Stop Three: The Alamo Sports Bar: Last night, I went with some of my friends to the Alamo Sports bar to watch the Argentina/Nigeria Olympic gold futbol game...needless to say, Argentina won the gold! Once they won, the place went nuts. Everyone (who knew it) started singing the Argentine National Anthem and then they started chanting "Ole ole ole ole, ole, ole..." It was a lot of fun and a neat experience to be with Argentines when watching them win the gold metal.
Stop Four: La Boca: Today, I went to a neighborhood in BsAs called "La Boca." The weather was GREAT: about 65 or 70 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. La Boca is known for their colorful buildings and also for being a very dangerous place at night (don't worry Mom, I went only during the day.) I liked La Boca a lot, however, it is pretty touristy (When walking around La Boca, different people such as restaurant owners or what not would ask me in broken English, "Where are you from?" Sometimes I would say the US, sometimes Canada...it depended on my mood.) Each restaurant we walked by, someone was always asking us to go into their restaurant, sit down, and have a meal...it kind of reminded me of Little Italy in New York...they're always telling you how their restaurant is the best and why you should eat there. For lunch, we ordered a parrilla for three people. Argentina is known for their parrillas. A parrilla consists of a plate of grilled meat (sausage, pork, chicken, steak, etc.) The majority of the meat was very good...very well seasoned, very tasty, but a little expensive. One of my friends, Amy, was feeling adventurous and decided to try the blood sausage. I don't know if any of you have ever had or heard of blood sausage before or not but it did NOT look tasty. You do not want me to describe what it looked like, trust me. After eating, we walked around the different shops and stands on the streets and then came home after about four hours or so there. It was a 30 minute bus ride from Palermo (where I live) and was well worth it.
This weekend was fun and I'm glad I got to see different things around BsAs. I'm putting pictures up on my website so take a look and let me know what you think. Hope you enjoyed your trip...please come again soon.
Chau (thats h0w you spell ciao in Spanish) for now!
http://picasaweb.google.com/cmaddoxjr
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Class, class, and more class
Well, classes started yesterday...which is good and bad. First the good: I love having a schedule and something to do everyday. Second, the bad: With class comes homework. With homework, comes me being bored out of my mind...its a win lose situation.
Most of my classes are about 2o people. I'm taking five different ones: Argentine Literature, Cultural Icons, Spanish, Argentine Poetry, and a Teaching Internship (I go to an elementary school and speak in English to Argentine students to help them learn English.) I think I'm going to drop my Argentine Lit class and take a Media and Society class because it conflicts with my internship times. All of my classes are in Spanish and I can understand all of my professors pretty well. Back home, all of my Spanish-related classes were in Spanish so it isn't a huge deal to be taking only Spanish classes. I have Fridays off which is nice if I want to travel some weekends. Instead of having to buy books, we have to go to a place next to the school where they have copies of all the materials for us. It is very inexpensive and a lot easier to carry copies around than books.
Overall, everything is going great...thanks for all the encouraging comments, thoughts, and prayers.
Miss you all.
Most of my classes are about 2o people. I'm taking five different ones: Argentine Literature, Cultural Icons, Spanish, Argentine Poetry, and a Teaching Internship (I go to an elementary school and speak in English to Argentine students to help them learn English.) I think I'm going to drop my Argentine Lit class and take a Media and Society class because it conflicts with my internship times. All of my classes are in Spanish and I can understand all of my professors pretty well. Back home, all of my Spanish-related classes were in Spanish so it isn't a huge deal to be taking only Spanish classes. I have Fridays off which is nice if I want to travel some weekends. Instead of having to buy books, we have to go to a place next to the school where they have copies of all the materials for us. It is very inexpensive and a lot easier to carry copies around than books.
Overall, everything is going great...thanks for all the encouraging comments, thoughts, and prayers.
Miss you all.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Chinatown
There is a Chinatown in BsAs! On Saturday, some of my friends and I went discovering and we found Chinatown, a quaint town about 30 minutes via subway from where I live. It is nothing compared to NYC Chinatown (with people saying Gucci Prada Gucci Gucci Coach Coach Prada in your face all the time...) it is a lot calmer.
There are about two streets that compose Chinatown. We ate lunch there and had an excellent assortment of food. We all got a different dish and then split all of them so we could try different things. The Chinese food here tastes the same as the Chinese food at home (but I think I like the Chinese food at home a little better...AND I know what I'm eating when I'm at home. We still don't know what some of the food was that we ordered haha.)
I enjoyed Chinatown and would love to go back soon.
There are about two streets that compose Chinatown. We ate lunch there and had an excellent assortment of food. We all got a different dish and then split all of them so we could try different things. The Chinese food here tastes the same as the Chinese food at home (but I think I like the Chinese food at home a little better...AND I know what I'm eating when I'm at home. We still don't know what some of the food was that we ordered haha.)
I enjoyed Chinatown and would love to go back soon.
Bike tour
Today I went on a bike tour of BsAs (thats how the locals abbreviate Buenos Aires) and it was amazing. Since I was sick on the day of the city tour via bus, it was great to be able to see all the different sights and to have someone explain to me the significance of each place.
We started at 11:45 and it was pretty chilly. The wind was blowing and the sun was behind some clouds. After we started biking, it got warmer and more enjoyable. We mostly biked on the side of the road because there were a lot of people on the sidewalks. Our tour guide was from Argentina but spoke very good English.
We started off in San Telmo, a neighborhood of BsAs. It was all cobblestone roads at first so it was a little hard to ride on. I saw so many different sights it is hard to describe everything (pictures will be coming soon...check http://picasaweb.google.com/cmaddoxjr). One main sight we saw was Plaza de Mayo, a central place in the city for demonstrations and protests. At the Plaza de Mayo is the Casa Rosada (the pink house.) This is the house where the Argentine President does all of her work and has all of her governmental affairs. She doesn't live at La Casa Rosada; she lives 3o minutes outside of the city and comes to work via helicopter everyday. When she is inside La Casa Rosada, two flags are raised above the building; when she is not there, only one flag is raised. Another sight we saw is Recoleta Cemetery. In this awesome place, hundreds, possibly thousands, of bodies are in mausoleums in this cemetery. No one is buried underground in Recoleta Cemetery, only in mausoleums. Evita Peron is in this cemetery. She was originally buried in Europe but her body was constantly being stolen so her husband, who was the president of Argentina at the time, had her moved to the Recoleta Cemetery where he knew she would be safe.
Among many other places, we went to Puerto Madero (the newest neighborhood in BsAs.) Here, there is water, similar to the inter-coastal for those of you from Florida, and lots of fancy restaurants. It is no longer a working port because the waterway is not big enough to handle the big ships that come to and through BsAs. Also, we went to a giant park, which I think is called El Parque Palermo (but I may be wrong.) It reminds me so much of Central Park in NYC. Here, you can rent paddle boats for the lake, bikes to ride around the park, and roller blades. Also, they have lots of vendors selling cotton candy, honey peanuts, hot dogs, soda, etc. It was a very cool environment and I would love to go back sometime when it is warmer outside.
The bike tour was splendid and I recommend it to anyone who wants to see all the main sights of BsAs in a short period of time. It wasn't a strenuous ride; it was enjoyable and peaceful. The overall time of my tour was about four hours; however, there are shorter ones available. I loved seeing the different buildings and places I've been told about and I will definitely visit them again in the future.
Today was a good day.
We started at 11:45 and it was pretty chilly. The wind was blowing and the sun was behind some clouds. After we started biking, it got warmer and more enjoyable. We mostly biked on the side of the road because there were a lot of people on the sidewalks. Our tour guide was from Argentina but spoke very good English.
We started off in San Telmo, a neighborhood of BsAs. It was all cobblestone roads at first so it was a little hard to ride on. I saw so many different sights it is hard to describe everything (pictures will be coming soon...check http://picasaweb.google.com/cmaddoxjr). One main sight we saw was Plaza de Mayo, a central place in the city for demonstrations and protests. At the Plaza de Mayo is the Casa Rosada (the pink house.) This is the house where the Argentine President does all of her work and has all of her governmental affairs. She doesn't live at La Casa Rosada; she lives 3o minutes outside of the city and comes to work via helicopter everyday. When she is inside La Casa Rosada, two flags are raised above the building; when she is not there, only one flag is raised. Another sight we saw is Recoleta Cemetery. In this awesome place, hundreds, possibly thousands, of bodies are in mausoleums in this cemetery. No one is buried underground in Recoleta Cemetery, only in mausoleums. Evita Peron is in this cemetery. She was originally buried in Europe but her body was constantly being stolen so her husband, who was the president of Argentina at the time, had her moved to the Recoleta Cemetery where he knew she would be safe.
Among many other places, we went to Puerto Madero (the newest neighborhood in BsAs.) Here, there is water, similar to the inter-coastal for those of you from Florida, and lots of fancy restaurants. It is no longer a working port because the waterway is not big enough to handle the big ships that come to and through BsAs. Also, we went to a giant park, which I think is called El Parque Palermo (but I may be wrong.) It reminds me so much of Central Park in NYC. Here, you can rent paddle boats for the lake, bikes to ride around the park, and roller blades. Also, they have lots of vendors selling cotton candy, honey peanuts, hot dogs, soda, etc. It was a very cool environment and I would love to go back sometime when it is warmer outside.
The bike tour was splendid and I recommend it to anyone who wants to see all the main sights of BsAs in a short period of time. It wasn't a strenuous ride; it was enjoyable and peaceful. The overall time of my tour was about four hours; however, there are shorter ones available. I loved seeing the different buildings and places I've been told about and I will definitely visit them again in the future.
Today was a good day.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
My BIRTHDAY!
Today is my birthday and it was a great day. I woke up this morning to take the Spanish placement test so they know which Spanish class to place me in. After the test, we went to El Campo, a "dude ranch" with lots of animals, great sights, and even better food.
We pulled up to el campo (after a two hour charter bus ride.) There were chickens running around, cows in the field, and horses prancing around. When we got there, they had some food setting outside ready for us to eat. There were empanadas, chorizo, cheese, water and soda. After about fifteen minutes of snacking on that food (which I thought was my lunch) we went inside to a feast: there was a huge salad bar with lettuce, all the fixings, potato salad, veggie salad, and lots of other salad. I put a lemon vinagrette on my salad and it was very good (it reminded me of something Nana would make.) After the salad bar, they started bringing around all different types of meat on giant knives, ready to cut pieces off onto our plates. I tried a little bit of everything: beef, chicken, and lamb. After all the meat was gone, they brought out dessert: giant ice cream sundaes! Vanilla ice cream, nuts, chocolate sauce, and raspberry sauce. We all finished eating and then went outside. After sitting around outside in lawn chairs, relaxing and enjoying nature (it was beautiful outside,) they brought out even more dessert! This time they brought out flan, tiramisu, chocolate cake, brownies, chocolate mouse, and dulce de leche. After being COMPLETLY full and ready to vomit from eating so much (like thanksgiving day full,) we went to ride horses!
The horses were free (cost of money) and also free (not having to ride in a line.) I got on a horse, which I think was named Tostado, and we were off. There was a fenced off area we could ride in but it was pretty big. My horse had a hard time starting off but once he got going, we had a nice trot. Tostado and I were together for about fifteen minutes and we had a nice time. After riding horses, we went and looked around the farm at some different animals they have ( there are lots of pictures on my website.)
Once I got back to the main area of el campo, the director of IES (the program I'm over here with) called me over because they had a birthday cake for me with a candle lit in it. There were two other people in my program that have birthdays today so they had cakes too. They sang to us in English and Spanish and then I blew out my candle (forgetting to make a wish...oh well.) Since we were SO full from all the food they gave us, they wrapped up our cakes in foil and I brought it home with me.
I had a wonderful birthday and couldn't have asked for anything more than if I spent it with my family and friends from the states. Going to el campo was lots of fun and them having a birthday cake for me made my day complete. Take a look at all the pictures on my site...chau for now.
We pulled up to el campo (after a two hour charter bus ride.) There were chickens running around, cows in the field, and horses prancing around. When we got there, they had some food setting outside ready for us to eat. There were empanadas, chorizo, cheese, water and soda. After about fifteen minutes of snacking on that food (which I thought was my lunch) we went inside to a feast: there was a huge salad bar with lettuce, all the fixings, potato salad, veggie salad, and lots of other salad. I put a lemon vinagrette on my salad and it was very good (it reminded me of something Nana would make.) After the salad bar, they started bringing around all different types of meat on giant knives, ready to cut pieces off onto our plates. I tried a little bit of everything: beef, chicken, and lamb. After all the meat was gone, they brought out dessert: giant ice cream sundaes! Vanilla ice cream, nuts, chocolate sauce, and raspberry sauce. We all finished eating and then went outside. After sitting around outside in lawn chairs, relaxing and enjoying nature (it was beautiful outside,) they brought out even more dessert! This time they brought out flan, tiramisu, chocolate cake, brownies, chocolate mouse, and dulce de leche. After being COMPLETLY full and ready to vomit from eating so much (like thanksgiving day full,) we went to ride horses!
The horses were free (cost of money) and also free (not having to ride in a line.) I got on a horse, which I think was named Tostado, and we were off. There was a fenced off area we could ride in but it was pretty big. My horse had a hard time starting off but once he got going, we had a nice trot. Tostado and I were together for about fifteen minutes and we had a nice time. After riding horses, we went and looked around the farm at some different animals they have ( there are lots of pictures on my website.)
Once I got back to the main area of el campo, the director of IES (the program I'm over here with) called me over because they had a birthday cake for me with a candle lit in it. There were two other people in my program that have birthdays today so they had cakes too. They sang to us in English and Spanish and then I blew out my candle (forgetting to make a wish...oh well.) Since we were SO full from all the food they gave us, they wrapped up our cakes in foil and I brought it home with me.
I had a wonderful birthday and couldn't have asked for anything more than if I spent it with my family and friends from the states. Going to el campo was lots of fun and them having a birthday cake for me made my day complete. Take a look at all the pictures on my site...chau for now.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
First week in BA
Well, I have been here for a week now and I'm having a good time. It was a little hard to make friends but I have found a group I get along well with and it has been nice to hang out with them throughout the week.
I've been eating in a lot of different cafes and restaurants...the coffee is great and the pastries are even greater. I love sweets and this is the place to be if I want good pastries. The food is super cheap but the water is expensive. You can't get water for free at the restaurants; it only comes in bottles. They have two types of water: water with gas and water without gas (meaning carbonated water or regular water.) The soda water is more popular here but I like the regular water a lot better.
We're still doing orientation activities this week. I am taking a class at the University of Buenos Aires and that starts tomorrow. It should be interesting because I am one of two Americans taking this class; the rest are Argentine students. The dynamic at the universities here are a lot different than at the United States: there are protest signs everywhere and they are a lot older and dirty here. People smoke in the classrooms and there is spray paint all over the walls. It will be interesting to take a class here.
Overall, I've been having a good time here in BA and I look forward to many more experiences.
For pictures, click here: http://picasaweb.google.com/cmaddoxjr
I've been eating in a lot of different cafes and restaurants...the coffee is great and the pastries are even greater. I love sweets and this is the place to be if I want good pastries. The food is super cheap but the water is expensive. You can't get water for free at the restaurants; it only comes in bottles. They have two types of water: water with gas and water without gas (meaning carbonated water or regular water.) The soda water is more popular here but I like the regular water a lot better.
We're still doing orientation activities this week. I am taking a class at the University of Buenos Aires and that starts tomorrow. It should be interesting because I am one of two Americans taking this class; the rest are Argentine students. The dynamic at the universities here are a lot different than at the United States: there are protest signs everywhere and they are a lot older and dirty here. People smoke in the classrooms and there is spray paint all over the walls. It will be interesting to take a class here.
Overall, I've been having a good time here in BA and I look forward to many more experiences.
For pictures, click here: http://picasaweb.google.com/cmaddoxjr
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