Hey everyone! I hope things are going well and that everyone is enjoying the changing weather. I hear snow has come super early to CO (hopefully that means a good ski season is ahead). :) This week was a rather short one and I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to write about it. The reality is that I left Friday with 7 other girls for a week of 'spring break' vacations in Southern Patagonia! As a result, I have been traveling instead of writing... So, here are the noteworthy events from the week prior to break.
Monday started off as usual. For once I was not hurrying to class and as usual, our pfofessor was late. 30 minutes into class, he walked in and when we did not immediately stop talking and ¨prestar atención¨ (pay attention) we got a lecture about being respectful and how since the professor was present we should be focused on learning. ¨You are no longer in high school, and if you want to laugh and have fun you can go into the hall. For those of you who want to learn, we will begin now.¨ I personally found this rather ironic coming from the man who had shown up 30minutes late to class... Oh life in Argentina... After class I walked straight to Spanish with some other girls from the program. Along the way they stopped at a restaurant to grab food to go. This restaurant is by no means 'normal' for Argentina. First, it is all vegetarian food (which is a growing trend here rather than being very popular like it is in the states). Second, it is food to-go, which is also not very easy to find here. The culture is such that the idea of eating on the run generally isn't as accepted or prevalent. The food looked wonderful though, so I decided to keep it in mind for other days to come if I needed a quick meal. We walked to class and for the first time enjoyed a LOVELY class outside in the sun! It was wonderfully warm and the semi-fresh air was great! I actually got slightly sunburned... whoops. Guess its time to break out the sunscreen. :) Aftrer class I walked home with a few friends and enjoyed a quite lunch (Sole and Paola were sleeping). After lunch and a short nap, I dragged myself out of bed and to the gym. I'm enjoying the time to work out and think. Its a nice relaxation to have. However...my wonderful efforts were thwarted when I came back to the apartment, because the instant that I sat down with my computer I was gifted a café con leche and a large slice of chocolate cake (that we're still trying to eat from last week). After homework, a very late dinner (at 10:30) and of course our weekly show Lie to Me, it was off to bed.
Tuesday morning came way to early and I decided not to go to the gym and instead went in search of specific clothing items (sweat pants) and a bag for our upcoming trip. It was nice to be out before class and enjoy the bustling streets. After a very successful trip, I returned to the apartment to change clothes before class. Walking across town is also becoming a great way for me to get excercise and I rarely take transportation anymore (prefering to walk instead). I walked to class, printed my homework with time to spare. And enjoyed an interesting lecture on Argentinean Development and comparisons of development theories before heading home with a grumbling stomache for lunch. Sole had company over and as luck would have it, they brought us another chocolate cake... This is a never ending process! I enjoyed ravioli and of course a slice of cake as I talked with the company. One woman is actually going to become a host family! This is perfect timing, because another girl in the program is looking to switch and this woman seems wonderful! I worked on a bit of homework and then left for Sociology. For the first time we didn't start class with attendance! It was actually a very worthwhile class and considering that it will be my last class before my partial, I was paying close attention. After class it was back home for dinner and an EARLY bedtime. Paola's 'man friend' joined us for dinner again and brought with him...can you guess? Nope its not cake this time... 3 trays of pastries! For breakfast and snack... Yep I give up! Sole promptly told me to take a tray to class tomorrow to get it out of the house and I was happy to take them. Dinner was delicious and I went straight to bed after.
Wednesday morning is definitely my ¨díá de diablo¨or devil day and I had a very hard time getting out of bed. Made it to the bus stop with time to spare and ran into 4 other girls from my class on the way. We all walked to the office together and enjoyed a lovely breakfast before/during class. Our discussion centered around first experiences at the children's center and it was interesting to hear what everyone else had to say about their first days. I'm planning to go tomorrow, so the advice on what to expect was also helpful. After class I sat to work and study for language class for the next 3 hours. Its really nice to have this break outside the apartment where I feel much more inclined to do some focused reading and studying. Language class came far too soon and Louisa and I began the walk to class. This part of the week, the walk in particular, has become a 30 minute discussion/ranting session for the two of us where we can vent our frustrations to another student who understands what we're going through. This support is invaluable and especially since I've been having a hard time lately I really appreciate having great friends like her around. The spanish exam passed without too much trouble and we were very happy to hear that not only do we not have class during break, but we're getting a break the week after too! What a lovely way to start vacation! After class it was back home for a quiet lunch and power nap before tango! This class was the most intense yet. We worked with only the female teacher, who seems a bit highstrung to begin with, and can get frustrated when we don't know what is going on. Lots of people missed class too, so that made it even more complicated. However, we learned a lot of new steps and I got to work with my friend Sarah since neither of our partners were there. Its shaping up to be a very exciting performance alternating focus between us and the real, native dancers. After class I retired to home and spent the evening working on homework. Lots to do before leaving on Friday...
Thursday was a BUSY day! Just the way I like it. I had class in the morning and then came home for a short bit before Louisa and I were scheduled to meet and go together to the children's home. However, I received an e-mail that my provisional visa had arrived and I needed to go to the office to pick it up. As a result, I grabbed an apple on the go and headed on foot to the office. Along the way I grabbed some vegetarian food from the restaurant (knew that stop would come in handy) and made it to the office with time to print tickets, pick up the visa, and ask a few last minute questions. I quickly scarfed my food and then managed to catch the right bus (the only one of 6) to the hospital. Louisa and I met up and went without incident to volunteer. Interesting sidenote: there is no exact equivalent for ¨volunteer¨ here. The concept of volunteer work is still developing in the sense of going somewhere to serve instead of just doing a collection or some other one-time event. Anywho, upon arriving at the house, the kids were just arriving so we sat down to help with homework. I ended up holding an adorable child so that the young lady who was the teacher for the afternoon could work. She is a senior in high school, but every afternoon she is in charge of helping the children and working with them on lessons. So I sat for the next 2 hours holding this child who was obviously tired but refused to sleep... He'd be fine for a short bit and would then start wailing. Then with a few adjustments he was fine again. This sequence occured about every 10-15 minutes and I felt bad that I couldn't do anything else for him. It was a fun afternoon though, watching the kids and playing with them or helping with lessons. It reminded me a lot of working at the Bridge Project in Denver only less organized and with less supplies or helpers. We left shortly after 5 in order to arrive home before dark and were able to catch a bus right away...must have been my lucky day with busses! I made it home nice and early in time to work on hw, think about packing, and have dinner with Sole and Paola. Pizza night has been put on hold since we all have so much to do. America's next top model was on as usual and Sole and I rejoiced to see our least favorite character sent home. Now its down to 3 and I´m going to miss the finale next week... Definitely not complaining though! I went to bed early with a mind full of activities on the to-do list (for which there is also not a spanish translation). Tomorrow we leave at 6pm and I am SUPER excited. It hit me today that this is the first time in my life I am actually ditching class. I´m not sick, its not a fieldtrip, class has not been cancelled (as we were expecting) and as a result I am actually ditching! For those reading from school or scholastically related organizations, we have also been told by our teachers and advisors here that it is understood we will take time to travel and that this is an experience we should take advantage of while we are here. In other words, its basically condoned and it is the only time I plan on purposefully missing while I am here. :)
Anywho, I can't wait for all the great adventures and places to see in the next 10 days. I'll probably try to split up the adventure/spring break blog into parts because othewise I imagine it could get rather long... Look for the next post in the coming days! I hope everyone is doing well. Thanks for keeping up with me. It feels really nice to know that so many people care about what's going on in my life that if I miss a blog or put it up late people are writing for an update and want to keep up with the adventure. :) Please all take care of yourselves. I hear swine flu is coming back with a vengeance... Can't wait to talk to you soon!!
All my love!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Learning to be HAPPY where you are.
Hey everyone! Well its been another week filled with adventure in Mendoza and as a fair warning, this blog as well may end up under the "not so peppy" column. It finally hit me this week that I am going to start missing things back at DU and that people are starting to move in, start classes, go through orientation, etc. I didn't really feel the separation these past few months, because everyone was still on summer vacation and scattered throughout the US, so it may as well have been any other summer trip. However, as people start to go back and activities resume (last week for freshmen orientation and this week for all students) I am receiving all the e-mails about meetings, activities, calendars, etc and it really hit me hard how far away from home I am and how much longer I still have here. In reality, if I was at DU right now a vast majority of my friends would still be scattered to the four winds and around the globe, but I still feel a loss for those who are at DU and what I am "missing" there. However this too shall pass and I continue to look for adventure and opportunity where I am.
Monday was a normal class. We spent an hour waiting for the professor to show up and he then told us that since we were informed he would be an hour late there wouldn't be a break in the next hour. The class imediately spoke up that we had not been informed of his late arrival and I thought to myself 'had I known this class would start an hour late I would have slept in, breathed through breakfast instead of inhaling it, and would have strolled to class instead of power walking'. I truly need to learn how this country functions, but I'm also convinced that the one day I'm late will be the day class actually starts on time... :) So we started class which was supposed to be a student led discussion on Socrates based off questions we had been e-mailed. Apparently half the class had 'not received the instructions or been unable to check their mail'. In all fairness, the assignment was mailed late Saturday night...who does that and expects students to be prepared? Argentinean professors! After a very supportive showing of students who couldn't have gotten the information, we began the discussion anyway and spent the next hour being observed and encouraged by the assistant professor about Socrates' life and ideas. He was apparently taking note of who participated, but most of us never got a chance to speak. At the end of the class, he pointedly asked us "extranjeros" if we could understand the discussion and my friend Caroline spoke up saying that we could understand and follow most of it, but that when the students got to talking very quickly and all at once (as it is a common practice to shout over one another instead of waiting for a turn) it became difficult to follow. The professor then asked the class to make sure that next time we have a discussion to slow down so that we could all understand. Ironically enough, this didn't upset me at all. He truly meant it as a suggestion to help us succeed in the class and not as a statement of superiority. I'm pretty convinced as well that he doesn't even expect us to speak up in that class. Simply our presence counts as participation. After history I walked with a fellow student, Charlie, to language class (a good 45 minute trek away). We arrived super early and spent some time discussing and comparing Greek Life systems at our schools since he is from UNC Chapel Hill. Spanish class was nothing special and I went home after for a lovely lunch and short nap before my first trip to the gym!!! That's right, I joined a gym that is about 3 blocks from the apartment!!! Its nothing like the Ritchie center at DU, but then again it would be hard to ever surpass that place. Monday evening ended with an amazing dinner by Sole while watching a riveting episode of "Lie to Me" our Monday night series and then a small dose of ice cream after...living with my aunt is going to be bad for my health. Sole doesn't like ice cream, but Paola does just about as much as I do...
Tuesday I was supposed to wake up and go to the gym...but that just didn't happen...so I rolled out of bed at 11:30 and walked to class in the office! Afterward I walked back to the 'departamento' for lunch and some hw time before class again at 6. I am still enjoying my sociology class a lot and as usual, the class was nearly cut in half with wasted time. I kid you not for the 2nd week in a row (at least) it took 45 minutes to take attendance. This was then followed by a 15 minute debate/discussion/vote on the date of our partial exam... Oh how I love Argentina! Dinner that evening was provided by the "amigovio" (as in not quite boyfriend but almost) of my aunt and we enjoyed a variety of sandwich meats and cheeses. It was delicious and then what did he buy for dessert...that's right. You guessed it! MORE ICE CREAM!!!! Can you see where this is becoming a problem?
Wednesday I had class at the crack of dawn! aka 8:20 in the office. Definitely broke down and took the trolley so that I could sleep in as much as possible and I plan on continuing that practice from now on. Class was great though (it was my childhood concentration for the development class). We begin our service next week and we had our orientation on-site Thursday morning. After this morning class (complete with a giant mug of coffee) I relaxed in the office working on hw and catching up with friends for the next 2 hours. We then walked to language in a rather large group. It was at this point in the week where I was truly starting to get homesick/tired/frustrated etc and my amazing friend Louisa took the time to check on me and let me vent about how frustrated/upset I was. She truly is a jewel and wonderfully goes to CC so we'll easily be able to stay in touch back in the states! Spanish class was actually pretty fun as we got off on a 30 minute tangent about gestures here and what they mean. Definitely very entertaining and informative. After class it was racing home for a quick lunch and 20 minute nap before tango class! However tango was not to be had this day as we waited around for 30 minutes before being told that class had been cancelled for the day... Hmm time spent waiting on professors/in cancelled classes in the last week 2.5 hours! With the extra daylight, I decided to walk home with a friend Lisa who is one of the most bubbly and encouragingly spunky people I know. The evening was spent with a lovely dinner and relaxing.
Thursday... oh Thursday... I began the day with orientation at "Abrazos Abiertos" (open arms) the location where I plan to do my community service over the next 10 weeks. Its a worn down house owned (and lived in) by an 81 year old, blind, widow who has given her space and time to helping poor families in the neighborhood to the north of Mendoza city called Las Heras (not to be confused with the avenue Las Heras which is where I live). There are orphans who live there, women and children who had to leave abusive homes, kids who come to get help with homework, families who drop by to eat lunch and dinner. Its quite the organization and I'm super excited to start there next week. After the orientation I came back to the house and worked on hw or relaxed through the afternoon. I wasn't sure I was going out that evening, but at the last minute I got a message from a friend who needed some company and a shoulder to cry on. So I put on normal clothes (not my pjs) and hurried to meet her for dinner. We met up for pizza at a restaurant that neither of us had tried (the usual location was packed) and I commenced eating pizza and listening to the frustrations she was going through. It turned out that Thursday was also Karaoke night and so people began singing songs about the middle of dinner. My friend was also eyeing a table of guys in the corner who looked to be about our age and there was one in particular who was pretty good looking (basically he's the Argentinean clone of Robert Pattinson aka Edward Cullen aka Cedric Diggory). At one point my friend, Cati, decided that she wanted to sing and I had no desire or intention of joining her. However, when she got up there, the man with the microphone came over to me and asked me (in spanish) where I was from and why I was not singing with my friend. I told him I had no interest in singing and instead of accepting that, he decided to get the rest of the restaurant to clap and cheer me up to the computer with lyrics. Face bright red I stood with Cati and mumbled over her shoulder 'te odio' (I hate you). She laughed and we ended up singing Alanis Morissette "Isn't it Ironic", which was fun and I still plan on NEVER doing it again! :) After our lovely performance and some dancing as well while others sung we ended up talking to the table of guys. They invited us to leave with them and go hang out somewhere else, so we paid for our meal and were about to leave when our waiter came and asked Cati and I if we wanted daiquiris on the house. We explained to him that we were just leaving and that our friends were waiting for us, but he said they would be out in just a minute and then went to grab them for us. We tried again to explain that we were leaving and he said "está bien" (its ok) and handed them to us. We walked outside and met our friends and I felt really weird about this whole drink thing. You don't usually take cups from restaurants, even here, and yet here we were walking away from the restaurant with martini glasses... Long story short I have a souvenir to bring home and still feel very weird about it. :) We spent the next few hours getting to know our new friends and teaching them how to play "Go Fish". This was where the night got ugly...since it was so late and we were close to my house, I told Cati she could come back with me and stay the night but that we needed to be SUPER quiet because both Sole and Paola had to get up super early to go to the doctor. Sole had told me that I could have friends over and to just ask her first. I didn't want to wake her, and figured that if we were really quiet and Cati left in the morning, no one would be the wiser and it would be fine. HOWEVER...when we got back it was anything but quiet despite my best efforts. I was in bed immediately, but it was an hour before everything was ready to turn the lights out. Long story short, the noise woke Sole up and she couldn't go back to sleep...
Friday I woke up long enough to let Cati out of the building before going back to bed and when I woke up everyone was gone. I could tell the instant that they got back that Sole was mad and I didn't know at all how to approach it. After lunch she took care of it for me and bluntly put it that she was really angry with me for what had happened last night and that it was never to happen again. I apologized and told her I understood and tried to explain how it had happened. I had not felt that awful in a long time and spent the next hour sobbing silently in my room! I spent the rest of the afternoon in my room with the door shut working on hw and taking a 3 hour nap (I also seem to be coming down with a cold). When I finally woke up I got called into Sole's room and asked by my aunt if I had had snack yet. Since the answer was no I was told to promptly go get something or I would get very skinny (like missing one pastry is going to make me die of hunger...) But I went anyway and then went back to my room. Gustavo (Paola's bf) came over for dinner and brought us a giant chocolate cake (to help Sole and Paola on their healing journeys) and also a big bag of pastries. Again, SEE THE PROBLEM!!! As we ate dinner, we ended up watching 120 Minutes that changed the World (all about 9/11) Its a compilation of videos/tv footage/interviews from the attacks and it was all I could do to eat dinner and not start bawling again. I cleaned the kitchen after dinner (I was actually allowed to wash dishes since Sole's finger has stitches and Paola can't do anything with one foot). Then I went right back to my room. Sole left to babysit and Paola called me into the living room to explain that Sole felt really bad and that I shouldn't be upset - everything would be ok. I explained that I felt awful about what had happened and that I was SO sorry. Paola said not to be worried that "sos una buena persona" you're a good person and that its all ok. I felt better, but still went to bed feeling awful.
Saturday I woke up early and left on another exciting excursion with the program to cook in the mountains. We were actually in the closest part of the Andes and learned how to make empanadas, bread, and flan. It was absolutely delicious!!! And I was uncomfortably full, as in worse that a Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner full... As was everyone else, so we took a 45 minute nap in the sun before the buses left to head back on the 2 hour drive to town. I promptly fell asleep and didn't wake up until we were almost back. The evening was spent relaxing and working on hw. I was too tired to go out and we didn't eat dinner until after 11pm, so at that point I should be going to bed anyway. Things were still super awkward and I didn't know what to do or say. I just feel so bad about having disappointed this lovely woman who has given up part of her home for me. I'm hoping that she knows how sorry I am and that things will get better with time.
Today, Sunday was wonderful! I woke up (an hour after my alarm went off) and quickly got ready to leave. My friend Whitney and I had plans to cook lunch for our host families and we still had to buy the ingredients. It took us nearly 2 hours to find everything, but eventually it worked out (with a few substitutions) and we were back to cook. By 3pm it was all ready! Meatloaf, broccoli salad, mashed potatoes (the only part we cheated on cause they are instant), and M&M cookies (cause we couldn't find chocolate chips). I was SO nervous that it wasn't going to turn out or that it wouldn't taste good. I had never made meatloaf before and we were cooking for a chef... However, it was AWESOME! Everything turned out great and our moms just kept praising the food throughout the entire meal. 'Que rico! Riquísimo' (how delicious, very rich). I must have been smiling ear to ear. After we cleaned the kitchen and left our moms (who are also close friends) to chat, we headed to the park for Mate (traditional tea) and spring break planning with our friends. In the next hour the 8 of us solidified our schedule, picked hostels and assigned people to book them, made a food shopping list, and discussed possible activities for while we're there! In 5 days, on Friday, we are leaving for Patagonia!!! We'll spend the week touring 2 main cities (Ushuaia - the southernmost inhabitable city in the world, and El Calafate - home of the incredible glaciers) as well as a quick stop in Bariloche (which is just beautiful and famous for chocolate... I can't wait!!!!
All in all, it was a pretty good week. There were certainly some rough spots, but that's part of life. Especially with our mistakes we just learn from them and move on. Things seemed much better today in particular at the house and I'm sure with time it will all go back to normal. I can't believe how long I've been here already and yet as of tomorrow I still have 3 more months of adventures before I come home. I hope that everyone is doing well and that this first week of school goes well for everyone at DU. I hope you all know how much I miss you and how much it means to hear what is going on in your lives. If you have skype and want to chat, I'm online an absurd amount with the wireless at my house. Look for me as 'Laurel.Story'. Thanks for listening and I can't wait to hear from all of you! Miss you bunches!
ALL MY LOVE!!! Besitos!
Monday was a normal class. We spent an hour waiting for the professor to show up and he then told us that since we were informed he would be an hour late there wouldn't be a break in the next hour. The class imediately spoke up that we had not been informed of his late arrival and I thought to myself 'had I known this class would start an hour late I would have slept in, breathed through breakfast instead of inhaling it, and would have strolled to class instead of power walking'. I truly need to learn how this country functions, but I'm also convinced that the one day I'm late will be the day class actually starts on time... :) So we started class which was supposed to be a student led discussion on Socrates based off questions we had been e-mailed. Apparently half the class had 'not received the instructions or been unable to check their mail'. In all fairness, the assignment was mailed late Saturday night...who does that and expects students to be prepared? Argentinean professors! After a very supportive showing of students who couldn't have gotten the information, we began the discussion anyway and spent the next hour being observed and encouraged by the assistant professor about Socrates' life and ideas. He was apparently taking note of who participated, but most of us never got a chance to speak. At the end of the class, he pointedly asked us "extranjeros" if we could understand the discussion and my friend Caroline spoke up saying that we could understand and follow most of it, but that when the students got to talking very quickly and all at once (as it is a common practice to shout over one another instead of waiting for a turn) it became difficult to follow. The professor then asked the class to make sure that next time we have a discussion to slow down so that we could all understand. Ironically enough, this didn't upset me at all. He truly meant it as a suggestion to help us succeed in the class and not as a statement of superiority. I'm pretty convinced as well that he doesn't even expect us to speak up in that class. Simply our presence counts as participation. After history I walked with a fellow student, Charlie, to language class (a good 45 minute trek away). We arrived super early and spent some time discussing and comparing Greek Life systems at our schools since he is from UNC Chapel Hill. Spanish class was nothing special and I went home after for a lovely lunch and short nap before my first trip to the gym!!! That's right, I joined a gym that is about 3 blocks from the apartment!!! Its nothing like the Ritchie center at DU, but then again it would be hard to ever surpass that place. Monday evening ended with an amazing dinner by Sole while watching a riveting episode of "Lie to Me" our Monday night series and then a small dose of ice cream after...living with my aunt is going to be bad for my health. Sole doesn't like ice cream, but Paola does just about as much as I do...
Tuesday I was supposed to wake up and go to the gym...but that just didn't happen...so I rolled out of bed at 11:30 and walked to class in the office! Afterward I walked back to the 'departamento' for lunch and some hw time before class again at 6. I am still enjoying my sociology class a lot and as usual, the class was nearly cut in half with wasted time. I kid you not for the 2nd week in a row (at least) it took 45 minutes to take attendance. This was then followed by a 15 minute debate/discussion/vote on the date of our partial exam... Oh how I love Argentina! Dinner that evening was provided by the "amigovio" (as in not quite boyfriend but almost) of my aunt and we enjoyed a variety of sandwich meats and cheeses. It was delicious and then what did he buy for dessert...that's right. You guessed it! MORE ICE CREAM!!!! Can you see where this is becoming a problem?
Wednesday I had class at the crack of dawn! aka 8:20 in the office. Definitely broke down and took the trolley so that I could sleep in as much as possible and I plan on continuing that practice from now on. Class was great though (it was my childhood concentration for the development class). We begin our service next week and we had our orientation on-site Thursday morning. After this morning class (complete with a giant mug of coffee) I relaxed in the office working on hw and catching up with friends for the next 2 hours. We then walked to language in a rather large group. It was at this point in the week where I was truly starting to get homesick/tired/frustrated etc and my amazing friend Louisa took the time to check on me and let me vent about how frustrated/upset I was. She truly is a jewel and wonderfully goes to CC so we'll easily be able to stay in touch back in the states! Spanish class was actually pretty fun as we got off on a 30 minute tangent about gestures here and what they mean. Definitely very entertaining and informative. After class it was racing home for a quick lunch and 20 minute nap before tango class! However tango was not to be had this day as we waited around for 30 minutes before being told that class had been cancelled for the day... Hmm time spent waiting on professors/in cancelled classes in the last week 2.5 hours! With the extra daylight, I decided to walk home with a friend Lisa who is one of the most bubbly and encouragingly spunky people I know. The evening was spent with a lovely dinner and relaxing.
Thursday... oh Thursday... I began the day with orientation at "Abrazos Abiertos" (open arms) the location where I plan to do my community service over the next 10 weeks. Its a worn down house owned (and lived in) by an 81 year old, blind, widow who has given her space and time to helping poor families in the neighborhood to the north of Mendoza city called Las Heras (not to be confused with the avenue Las Heras which is where I live). There are orphans who live there, women and children who had to leave abusive homes, kids who come to get help with homework, families who drop by to eat lunch and dinner. Its quite the organization and I'm super excited to start there next week. After the orientation I came back to the house and worked on hw or relaxed through the afternoon. I wasn't sure I was going out that evening, but at the last minute I got a message from a friend who needed some company and a shoulder to cry on. So I put on normal clothes (not my pjs) and hurried to meet her for dinner. We met up for pizza at a restaurant that neither of us had tried (the usual location was packed) and I commenced eating pizza and listening to the frustrations she was going through. It turned out that Thursday was also Karaoke night and so people began singing songs about the middle of dinner. My friend was also eyeing a table of guys in the corner who looked to be about our age and there was one in particular who was pretty good looking (basically he's the Argentinean clone of Robert Pattinson aka Edward Cullen aka Cedric Diggory). At one point my friend, Cati, decided that she wanted to sing and I had no desire or intention of joining her. However, when she got up there, the man with the microphone came over to me and asked me (in spanish) where I was from and why I was not singing with my friend. I told him I had no interest in singing and instead of accepting that, he decided to get the rest of the restaurant to clap and cheer me up to the computer with lyrics. Face bright red I stood with Cati and mumbled over her shoulder 'te odio' (I hate you). She laughed and we ended up singing Alanis Morissette "Isn't it Ironic", which was fun and I still plan on NEVER doing it again! :) After our lovely performance and some dancing as well while others sung we ended up talking to the table of guys. They invited us to leave with them and go hang out somewhere else, so we paid for our meal and were about to leave when our waiter came and asked Cati and I if we wanted daiquiris on the house. We explained to him that we were just leaving and that our friends were waiting for us, but he said they would be out in just a minute and then went to grab them for us. We tried again to explain that we were leaving and he said "está bien" (its ok) and handed them to us. We walked outside and met our friends and I felt really weird about this whole drink thing. You don't usually take cups from restaurants, even here, and yet here we were walking away from the restaurant with martini glasses... Long story short I have a souvenir to bring home and still feel very weird about it. :) We spent the next few hours getting to know our new friends and teaching them how to play "Go Fish". This was where the night got ugly...since it was so late and we were close to my house, I told Cati she could come back with me and stay the night but that we needed to be SUPER quiet because both Sole and Paola had to get up super early to go to the doctor. Sole had told me that I could have friends over and to just ask her first. I didn't want to wake her, and figured that if we were really quiet and Cati left in the morning, no one would be the wiser and it would be fine. HOWEVER...when we got back it was anything but quiet despite my best efforts. I was in bed immediately, but it was an hour before everything was ready to turn the lights out. Long story short, the noise woke Sole up and she couldn't go back to sleep...
Friday I woke up long enough to let Cati out of the building before going back to bed and when I woke up everyone was gone. I could tell the instant that they got back that Sole was mad and I didn't know at all how to approach it. After lunch she took care of it for me and bluntly put it that she was really angry with me for what had happened last night and that it was never to happen again. I apologized and told her I understood and tried to explain how it had happened. I had not felt that awful in a long time and spent the next hour sobbing silently in my room! I spent the rest of the afternoon in my room with the door shut working on hw and taking a 3 hour nap (I also seem to be coming down with a cold). When I finally woke up I got called into Sole's room and asked by my aunt if I had had snack yet. Since the answer was no I was told to promptly go get something or I would get very skinny (like missing one pastry is going to make me die of hunger...) But I went anyway and then went back to my room. Gustavo (Paola's bf) came over for dinner and brought us a giant chocolate cake (to help Sole and Paola on their healing journeys) and also a big bag of pastries. Again, SEE THE PROBLEM!!! As we ate dinner, we ended up watching 120 Minutes that changed the World (all about 9/11) Its a compilation of videos/tv footage/interviews from the attacks and it was all I could do to eat dinner and not start bawling again. I cleaned the kitchen after dinner (I was actually allowed to wash dishes since Sole's finger has stitches and Paola can't do anything with one foot). Then I went right back to my room. Sole left to babysit and Paola called me into the living room to explain that Sole felt really bad and that I shouldn't be upset - everything would be ok. I explained that I felt awful about what had happened and that I was SO sorry. Paola said not to be worried that "sos una buena persona" you're a good person and that its all ok. I felt better, but still went to bed feeling awful.
Saturday I woke up early and left on another exciting excursion with the program to cook in the mountains. We were actually in the closest part of the Andes and learned how to make empanadas, bread, and flan. It was absolutely delicious!!! And I was uncomfortably full, as in worse that a Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner full... As was everyone else, so we took a 45 minute nap in the sun before the buses left to head back on the 2 hour drive to town. I promptly fell asleep and didn't wake up until we were almost back. The evening was spent relaxing and working on hw. I was too tired to go out and we didn't eat dinner until after 11pm, so at that point I should be going to bed anyway. Things were still super awkward and I didn't know what to do or say. I just feel so bad about having disappointed this lovely woman who has given up part of her home for me. I'm hoping that she knows how sorry I am and that things will get better with time.
Today, Sunday was wonderful! I woke up (an hour after my alarm went off) and quickly got ready to leave. My friend Whitney and I had plans to cook lunch for our host families and we still had to buy the ingredients. It took us nearly 2 hours to find everything, but eventually it worked out (with a few substitutions) and we were back to cook. By 3pm it was all ready! Meatloaf, broccoli salad, mashed potatoes (the only part we cheated on cause they are instant), and M&M cookies (cause we couldn't find chocolate chips). I was SO nervous that it wasn't going to turn out or that it wouldn't taste good. I had never made meatloaf before and we were cooking for a chef... However, it was AWESOME! Everything turned out great and our moms just kept praising the food throughout the entire meal. 'Que rico! Riquísimo' (how delicious, very rich). I must have been smiling ear to ear. After we cleaned the kitchen and left our moms (who are also close friends) to chat, we headed to the park for Mate (traditional tea) and spring break planning with our friends. In the next hour the 8 of us solidified our schedule, picked hostels and assigned people to book them, made a food shopping list, and discussed possible activities for while we're there! In 5 days, on Friday, we are leaving for Patagonia!!! We'll spend the week touring 2 main cities (Ushuaia - the southernmost inhabitable city in the world, and El Calafate - home of the incredible glaciers) as well as a quick stop in Bariloche (which is just beautiful and famous for chocolate... I can't wait!!!!
All in all, it was a pretty good week. There were certainly some rough spots, but that's part of life. Especially with our mistakes we just learn from them and move on. Things seemed much better today in particular at the house and I'm sure with time it will all go back to normal. I can't believe how long I've been here already and yet as of tomorrow I still have 3 more months of adventures before I come home. I hope that everyone is doing well and that this first week of school goes well for everyone at DU. I hope you all know how much I miss you and how much it means to hear what is going on in your lives. If you have skype and want to chat, I'm online an absurd amount with the wireless at my house. Look for me as 'Laurel.Story'. Thanks for listening and I can't wait to hear from all of you! Miss you bunches!
ALL MY LOVE!!! Besitos!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Argentinean Friends!!!
Hey everyone! Its hard to believe that another week has gone by already! This past one was filled again with classes and some new exciting adventures.
Monday I had my classes as usual and came home very tired after spanish. As far as the "siesta" thing goes, there are times when I LOVE it and times when I find it rather annoying. For example when I'm exhausted its a great excuse for a 1-3 hour nap in the middle of the day. However when I have errands I want to run or want to meet up with my friends, 1-5 is always out of the question because everything is shut down. We'll make plans and then realize later that this was a dumb idea because everything is closed... The evening was FANTASTIC! I had my first experience with "lomos" a famous Argentinean 'sandwich' more or less and it was DELICIOUS! Sole's friend Fernando came over for dinner and with him being a chef as well, we had an amazing meal! However, it made quite the mess! Delicious none the less. :)
As for Tuesday, it was also business as usual with classes. Sociology went really well though which was encouraging and my professor informed me that I did indeed do my homework right (which was another relief). I was actually able to participate in the class discussion too, which made me really proud because even if I understand the conversation and can come up with an answer to the questions, its often difficult to find the confidence to toss in my opinion (especially when I'm afraid my grammar might be wrong). A fellow student has also joined me, so its nice to have a friendly face in a class of 50. We also had "cafecitos con José" today where all the students can meet up at a designated cafe to talk with our director and share photos, rant, celebrate, etc. It was definitely nice to see some faces that I haven't seen in awhile.
Wednesday as well was a nice break. I didn't have class until 1, but I met up with a friend Cati (Caitlin) for breakfast at her favorite cafe. She was here the semester before and decided to stay for a year, so she knows her way around the city. We had a wonderful snack of café con leche, jugo, y medialunas (definitely the best I've had yet). Then we walked around for a bit before I had to walk to spanish class. After spanish it was back home for a quick lunch before tango! The class is going pretty well and I'm really enjoying it. This week we were informed that we will be participating in the end of the year celebration in El Teatro de Independencia which is one of the most important and prominent theaters here. As a result, we started learning some combinations. For the second week in a row I partnered with a guy friend from DU. We have a good time, but sometimes I just can't take him seriously. There is once step that's called a "sandwich" and its his favorite, so the first time we did the combo and counted through the pattern he just said sandwich. The next time is was a turkey sandwich and the third time a ham sandwich. I couldn't help but laugh. At the end of class our professor was teaching us how we're to enter and exit the stage, we're supposed to look very intently at our partner as we leave and the first time my friend wouldn't even look at me. The next time he gave me the strangest look and I broke down laughing and blushed bright red. I think we're definitely going to have a good time.
Thursday was arguably my favorite day of the week! I rushed out of the house in morning (preoccupied as usual that I was going to be late to class) and arrived to sit and talk with my friends. We talked and talked and about 9:50 (20 minutes after class should've started) some of the Argentinean students joined in and we all began to speak together in a mix of spanish and english. Many of them have studied English and can speak practically perfect! After a short time, they decided that we should all have an 'asado' together in the coming weekend! I was super excited since I have not yet experienced an asado. After an HOUR of waiting and talking we were finally informed that our teacher was not in fact coming to class today and that we could all leave. So we headed to the plaza with our new friends for a Coke and potato chips. I was SUPER excited about all of this. All I've wanted for the last few weeks was to make friends with some of the Argentine students and now I finally have! Especially after the frustration and embarrassment in that same class last week, this was a great way to end the day! I went home to Sole for a delicious lunch of spaghetti (can you sense the Italian influence) and then spent the afternoon working on hw before going out for another weekly tradition of free pizza (this time under the disguise of celebrating yet another birthday). I came home early and slept in a bit which was really nice!
Friday morning began with another bank trip for visas... This was the final step thank goodness! Now all I have to do is take all the papers to the office and hopefully my visa will arrive before I go home! :) The rest of the day was spent working on hw and relaxing. I honestly did not even get out of my pj's until about 5pm. However there was an adventure that evening to the much anticipated WalMart. Yes there is one here in Mendoza and before you all judge me for going there...the whole purpose of the trip was peanut butter (which you can't find anywhere else here). We had a fun time getting there and it is an experience that I only intend to repeat when my current jar runs out...which judging by how fast I eat it with a spoon...could be about once a month...maybe every 3 weeks. :) Sole was out for the evening, so one of my program friends came over to watch a movie with me and get ice cream. :) We had a good night and it was nice to just stay in and talk.
Saturday was also filled with homework and relaxing until 8pm when I left to meet up with friends for the asado. We met the girls at the school and from there we all took the bus together to Exequiel's house for dinner and a wonderful evening of conversation, musich, and FOOD! The asado was DELICIOUS! We also had a variety of sides and of course ice cream for dessert. We also watched a very important (and disappointing) soccer match of Argentina vs Brasil - which is a HUGE rivalry. Argentina unfortunately got whooped pretty bad. :( By the time things wound down and we'd made it through half a movie it was 5:30am! and DEFINITELY time for bed. One of the guys there was kind enough to drive the 4 of us home to our separate houses so that we didn't have to call a cab. What a fun night!
Sunday I didn't even get out of bed until after 1pm and spent the rest of the day doing homework and catching up on things around the apartment. The reading in some of my classes is getting out of control and I plan to catch up this week with some dedicated time to history in particular...
Some clarification on Argentinean words/food:
~Lomo: GIANT sandwich with thin slices of beef, lettuce, tomato, ham, cheese, fried egg, and salsa golf (basically thousand island dressing)
~Dulce de leche: DEADLY delicious dessert that is about like caramel only 100 times better!
~Café con leche: coffee with milk and definitely an Argentine favorite for breakfast and afternoon snack
~Medialuna: directly translated means 'half-moon' and is a croissant usually topped with honey DELICIOUS!
~Asado: Argentinean version of a bbq that is famous for absurd amounts of meat and delicious sides, traditionally only men are aloud to cook them
~Merienda: afternoon snack usually enjoyed after siesta
~Siesta: afternoon nap, officially between 1-5 (but at my house can go as late as 7 or 8), a cultural tradition where everything shuts down and people go home for lunch and a lovely nap
I hope everyone had a great week and that this one is equally as good. For everyone at DU (and especially the Orientation staff, freshmen, and my sorority sisters) I hope the year starts great and I'll be/have been thinking about you lots! I'm definitely bumming that I'm missing all of this right now! Keep me posted and have a WONDERFUL time!
ALL MY LOVE!!!
Monday I had my classes as usual and came home very tired after spanish. As far as the "siesta" thing goes, there are times when I LOVE it and times when I find it rather annoying. For example when I'm exhausted its a great excuse for a 1-3 hour nap in the middle of the day. However when I have errands I want to run or want to meet up with my friends, 1-5 is always out of the question because everything is shut down. We'll make plans and then realize later that this was a dumb idea because everything is closed... The evening was FANTASTIC! I had my first experience with "lomos" a famous Argentinean 'sandwich' more or less and it was DELICIOUS! Sole's friend Fernando came over for dinner and with him being a chef as well, we had an amazing meal! However, it made quite the mess! Delicious none the less. :)
As for Tuesday, it was also business as usual with classes. Sociology went really well though which was encouraging and my professor informed me that I did indeed do my homework right (which was another relief). I was actually able to participate in the class discussion too, which made me really proud because even if I understand the conversation and can come up with an answer to the questions, its often difficult to find the confidence to toss in my opinion (especially when I'm afraid my grammar might be wrong). A fellow student has also joined me, so its nice to have a friendly face in a class of 50. We also had "cafecitos con José" today where all the students can meet up at a designated cafe to talk with our director and share photos, rant, celebrate, etc. It was definitely nice to see some faces that I haven't seen in awhile.
Wednesday as well was a nice break. I didn't have class until 1, but I met up with a friend Cati (Caitlin) for breakfast at her favorite cafe. She was here the semester before and decided to stay for a year, so she knows her way around the city. We had a wonderful snack of café con leche, jugo, y medialunas (definitely the best I've had yet). Then we walked around for a bit before I had to walk to spanish class. After spanish it was back home for a quick lunch before tango! The class is going pretty well and I'm really enjoying it. This week we were informed that we will be participating in the end of the year celebration in El Teatro de Independencia which is one of the most important and prominent theaters here. As a result, we started learning some combinations. For the second week in a row I partnered with a guy friend from DU. We have a good time, but sometimes I just can't take him seriously. There is once step that's called a "sandwich" and its his favorite, so the first time we did the combo and counted through the pattern he just said sandwich. The next time is was a turkey sandwich and the third time a ham sandwich. I couldn't help but laugh. At the end of class our professor was teaching us how we're to enter and exit the stage, we're supposed to look very intently at our partner as we leave and the first time my friend wouldn't even look at me. The next time he gave me the strangest look and I broke down laughing and blushed bright red. I think we're definitely going to have a good time.
Thursday was arguably my favorite day of the week! I rushed out of the house in morning (preoccupied as usual that I was going to be late to class) and arrived to sit and talk with my friends. We talked and talked and about 9:50 (20 minutes after class should've started) some of the Argentinean students joined in and we all began to speak together in a mix of spanish and english. Many of them have studied English and can speak practically perfect! After a short time, they decided that we should all have an 'asado' together in the coming weekend! I was super excited since I have not yet experienced an asado. After an HOUR of waiting and talking we were finally informed that our teacher was not in fact coming to class today and that we could all leave. So we headed to the plaza with our new friends for a Coke and potato chips. I was SUPER excited about all of this. All I've wanted for the last few weeks was to make friends with some of the Argentine students and now I finally have! Especially after the frustration and embarrassment in that same class last week, this was a great way to end the day! I went home to Sole for a delicious lunch of spaghetti (can you sense the Italian influence) and then spent the afternoon working on hw before going out for another weekly tradition of free pizza (this time under the disguise of celebrating yet another birthday). I came home early and slept in a bit which was really nice!
Friday morning began with another bank trip for visas... This was the final step thank goodness! Now all I have to do is take all the papers to the office and hopefully my visa will arrive before I go home! :) The rest of the day was spent working on hw and relaxing. I honestly did not even get out of my pj's until about 5pm. However there was an adventure that evening to the much anticipated WalMart. Yes there is one here in Mendoza and before you all judge me for going there...the whole purpose of the trip was peanut butter (which you can't find anywhere else here). We had a fun time getting there and it is an experience that I only intend to repeat when my current jar runs out...which judging by how fast I eat it with a spoon...could be about once a month...maybe every 3 weeks. :) Sole was out for the evening, so one of my program friends came over to watch a movie with me and get ice cream. :) We had a good night and it was nice to just stay in and talk.
Saturday was also filled with homework and relaxing until 8pm when I left to meet up with friends for the asado. We met the girls at the school and from there we all took the bus together to Exequiel's house for dinner and a wonderful evening of conversation, musich, and FOOD! The asado was DELICIOUS! We also had a variety of sides and of course ice cream for dessert. We also watched a very important (and disappointing) soccer match of Argentina vs Brasil - which is a HUGE rivalry. Argentina unfortunately got whooped pretty bad. :( By the time things wound down and we'd made it through half a movie it was 5:30am! and DEFINITELY time for bed. One of the guys there was kind enough to drive the 4 of us home to our separate houses so that we didn't have to call a cab. What a fun night!
Sunday I didn't even get out of bed until after 1pm and spent the rest of the day doing homework and catching up on things around the apartment. The reading in some of my classes is getting out of control and I plan to catch up this week with some dedicated time to history in particular...
Some clarification on Argentinean words/food:
~Lomo: GIANT sandwich with thin slices of beef, lettuce, tomato, ham, cheese, fried egg, and salsa golf (basically thousand island dressing)
~Dulce de leche: DEADLY delicious dessert that is about like caramel only 100 times better!
~Café con leche: coffee with milk and definitely an Argentine favorite for breakfast and afternoon snack
~Medialuna: directly translated means 'half-moon' and is a croissant usually topped with honey DELICIOUS!
~Asado: Argentinean version of a bbq that is famous for absurd amounts of meat and delicious sides, traditionally only men are aloud to cook them
~Merienda: afternoon snack usually enjoyed after siesta
~Siesta: afternoon nap, officially between 1-5 (but at my house can go as late as 7 or 8), a cultural tradition where everything shuts down and people go home for lunch and a lovely nap
I hope everyone had a great week and that this one is equally as good. For everyone at DU (and especially the Orientation staff, freshmen, and my sorority sisters) I hope the year starts great and I'll be/have been thinking about you lots! I'm definitely bumming that I'm missing all of this right now! Keep me posted and have a WONDERFUL time!
ALL MY LOVE!!!
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