Hey everyone! So last I wrote, I had managed to survive my first crazy week of exams and history overload and was jetting...or rather bussing... off on a weekend adventure to Chile. Now that time is getting rather short here in Argentina we are all trying to take advantage of every opportunity that we have to explore and travel before we have to come back. So, along with Whitney, Deven, and Eric (or as we began calling ourselves 3BP - two blondes, a black man, and a polish man) I boarded the bus to Santiago. The drive there is a rather short one considering the others I've been on and when we went through customs at 3am we were already more than halfway there. Now when we unloaded the bus at 6:30am in the Santiago bus terminal, the first thought on my mind was "gosh its cold"! This was quickly followed by "what the heck were we thinking?"
We had all decided to take the bus to Santiago because we wanted to spend the day exploring the city. What we hadn't really thought about was that when we got there at 6:30am nothing would be open and we would be left in the bus terminal with no real idea of where we were going or what we were doing, and with all our stuff because we were planning to head to Viña (and more importantly our hostel) later in the afternoon. So, we sat in the bus terminal until about 8:30am making a plan for the day. First, we found an ATM to get money we would need for the weekend. Although Chile also uses 'pesos' as their form of currency, they are a completely different type than that of Argentina. Next, we found a tourist information station where we could get a map of the city and suggestions of places to visit. Finally, we bought bus tickets to Viña del Mar for later in the evening (since that was where we were actually staying for the weekend). With a slightly better plan outlined, we set off in a taxi for the center of the city. Lucky for us, the large plaza where we told the cab driver to take us was also next to a pedestrian street with lots of shops and cafés for breakfast. As we walked down the street we saw a Burger King, and a Pizza Hut! Chile has a much stronger western influence where Argentina has more of a European influence. Still in search of a place that had both food and coffee, we rounded a corner and came face to face with a Dunkin' Donuts!!! Being tired, hungry, and excited to see something familiar, we marched right through the doors. After coffee, donuts, and omelet wraps all around we all felt much better and ready for a day of exploring. Eric was the master planner of this day and the main force behind coming to Santiago, so we let him take the lead and headed out the doors towards Cerro Santa Lucia which was just a few short blocks away. Walking down the streets, talking in English and taking photos of all the cool buildings, we must have looked like the stereotypical tourists, but none of us cared. We were on vacation and it felt great to let our hair down and relax for the first time in a long while. Especially with some of our class anxiety out of the way we were all feeling a little more relaxed about life.
We found Cerro Santa Lucia without issue seeing as its a giant hill/castle in the center of town and began walking up the long road to the top. It was free to enter, so we spent a good few hours just exploring. There was a giant fountain part-way up where we stopped to take pictures and then after a LONG and STEEP set of stairs we found ourselves at the very top in a small watchtower of sorts overlooking the entire city. It was absolutely beautiful! And so cool to see this whole city all around. It really reminded me of being on the acropolis in Athens, Greece and looking around at the modern city below. After taking in the view we headed part-way back down to just sit on some benches and talk for a bit. It was so nice not to have to hurry or feel like we were in a rush. For the first time in a long time we just sat and enjoyed. Once we'd gained back some energy we headed back into the city and across a main street to an artisan market across the street. There were a TON of stalls with all kinds of beautiful crafts and gifts. I could've spent HOURS there and still not been ready to leave. However our time was getting short, so we headed back out to walk around a bit more. With Eric's directions we shortly found ourselves in front of the main government building and sat just looking at the building and plaza for a bit. Sitting on a wall looking towards the imposing looking building we decided to play a game with the passersby. Each time someone passed one of us had to guess what their job was. It was a ton of fun and playing in English we definitely got some weird looks, but it was entertaining to try and guess anything about these people's lives. After we'd had enough time to rest (remember we were all carrying heavy backpacks for the weekend) we headed back to the main plaza to look around at the art there before hailing a cab back to the bus terminal. That cab ride was one of the first times I have felt seriously uncomfortable or scared in a car since I've been out of the country. Drivers hardly ever pay attention to lights or lane lines at night in Mendoza, but driving through downtown Santiago in afternoon rush hour this driver was swerving all over the place in and out of lanes, around cars, through stop lights, and cursing when the cars ahead of him didn't drive as expected... Finally we arrived at the terminal in one piece and were all thankful to get out of the car. There wasn't much time until our bus headed out, so we bought water for the ride and sat on the floor talking about the day. The second we had boarded the bus everyone was out! We were all so tired from the complete lack of sleep the night before and from walking around the city all day that the entire 2 and 1/2 hours passed in a flash and when we woke up we were 5 minutes from the terminal in Viña del Mar.
My first impression of the city was crowded! Talk about building right on top of each other, the houses were side by side and a wide variety of colors. Made for an interesting view as we pulled inter the terminal. Then it was right to finding a taxi and the hostel. Thankfully that didn't take long. I certainly wasn't feeling well and I know some of the others weren't either. After a night of basically no sleep and a busy day walking all around Santiago we were exhausted. We checked into the hostel without issue and settled into our rooms before saying hellos all around to the other half of our program that was also in Chile for the weekend. Somehow it had worked out that a ton of people had picked Chile for the weekend getaway and we had all booked rooms in the same hostel. It was certainly going to be a fun weekend. After we'd settled in a bit and looked around people started to talk about dinner and we picked a pizza place a few blocks away with good reviews. Part of the group went ahead and I waited on a few people to get back from the beach. Then we headed to the restaurant as well and met up with everyone else. The menu was certainly interesting and had lots of crazy names for the pizza. I don't remember what we ordered, but it was delicious! After dinner we headed back to the hostel and although some people stayed up to talk or go to local bars, I was exhausted and headed to bed.
The next morning I woke up and went down to the usual hostel breakfast of bread and jam. There was also REALLY delicious juice that was pineapple and papaya! I talked to Lisa while we ate and planned the day. Although Lisa and Sarah had not traveling to Chile with us, they wanted to all hang out together, so we all made plans to head to a beach north of Viña. The boys still weren't up, and I was really hesitant to wake them since Eric for sure hadn't felt well last night. Sarah however was anxious for us to be on our way and woke them up with no hesitation. Then we spent about half an hour waiting on them to get ready. Sarah had planned everything and we left the hostel on our way to the beach. Have I mentioned how impressive transportation is here? Cause this was certainly an example. We caught a bus at the local stop (with some help from the drivers), paid a small fee and took the 2 hour ride to a beac that had been described as one of the more beautiful in Chile. I still wasn't feeling well and slept most of the way. When we finally arrived, Deven and I looked at each other as we climbed out of the bus and into the cold ocean wind... Both of us felt the same way, "I wish I hadn't come." Really the beach would've been fine 5 minutes from the hostel! The wind was super cold and even being wrapped up in a sweatshirt I was cold. We headed into the snack bar and looked around for something to eat (now that it was nearly 1pm and definitely lunch time). The snack shack looked like it hadn't been stocked in months and would shortly be closing down. I was super skeptical of ordering lunch, let alone a burger or empanadas, but the hunger won over and I eventually settled on a ham and cheese empanada. They are SO different in Chile! Much larger and flakier than in Argentina. I was quite impressed actually and enjoyed it alongside a grape soda (which I hadn't had in forever). After lunch Deven and I sat inside for a bit pondering what to do for the afternoon... It seemed WAY too cold to go sit on the beach, but that's where everyone else was, so we decided to give it a try. Stepping onto the sand I finally understood how they were sitting on the beach in suites. Where the air was cold, and felt even colder with the wind, the sand was warm on my feet. In hardly any time I was covered in sun block and happily lying on the sand, basking in the sun. My headache had dissipated a bit with food and the sun felt great. We sat there for nearly 2 hours just enjoying and then decided to go in search of ice cream. Unfortunately the shop wasn't open, so it was back to the snack shack. We sat on the back deck enjoying the cool ice cream and Deven and I decided we were ready to head back. Eric had wandered off and we had no idea where he was and Sarah was on a run. Lisa, however, was happy to stay, so we didn't feel bad about heading for the bus. While we were waiting Eric came back and decided he would head back with Whitney, Deven, and I. We caught the next bus back to Viña and after about 2 hours arrived back in the city. However, the bus apparently didn't drop us off where we got picked up. As soon as we entered the city we found ourselves unceremoniously kicked off the bus and onto a very unfamiliar street. Shops were beginning to close up even though it was about 7pm and we had no idea where we were. We randomly picked a direction and headed out to find someone we could ask for directions. All of a sudden, Eric stopped and pointed, "Its the giant Coca Cola sign!" We'd noticed this flashing sign atop a skyscraper when we came in yesterday and it was a great landmark for where our hotel was! Perfect! After 15 more minutes of walking we found our way to the main-street beneath our hotel. Eric and Whitney decided to tour the shops for a bit but Deven wanted to work on hw and I wasn't feeling well, so we headed back to the hostel. I still wasn't sure what was going on, but I had just felt weird all day. There is no other way to describe it than just weird. We got back to the hostel and I took a FREEZING cold shower before heading to the beach with Caroline. I figured I should at least see the Viña beach and going at sunset could be fun! We watched the sky change colors and attempted to speak in spanish rather than english. Keeping with the touristy theme of the weekend I hadn't done much spanish speaking at all. Oops... When we got back to the hostel people were talking about what to do for dinner. We already had plans though! Another DU friend, Carlie Field (mutual friend of Eric and I) was studying in Chile and had agreed to meet us for dinner and take us out to see the town after. We had a good dinner at a nondescript restaurant and tried the local drink (a pisco sour) for dessert. It was pretty good, but tasted a lot like tequila. We had a great time catching up and hearing about all her adventures. She invited us out to go clubbing with here and some of her friends, but since I was still feeling strange and Deven had to get up early to leave we declined. Whitney and Eric on the other hand were all about going. They walked us nearly back to the hostel and then we split our separate ways. When I got back, everyone and their sister was getting ready to go out. All the girls had had their makeup done (courtesy of 2 girls staying there) and everyone was chilling outside waiting to leave. I mean the ENTIRE hostel was going out together! Turns out they were all going to the same place as Carlie too. I was kinda bummed not to go, but sometimes decisions have to be made. And I was not about to get sick before my parents come. So I went to bed and didn't even hear everyone come back. Even though they apparently had the light on and were talking etc.
Sunday morning we woke up fairly early and had breakfast as usual. Everyone else was a little slower getting out of bed (owing to the late night they had enjoyed). Eventually we all gathered with our stuff. We had to checkout before heading out for the day, but could leave our things in a secure shed until we got back. Unfortunately, we had not known nor accounted for the fact that Chile charges an outrageous 20% tax if you pay for the hostel in local currency. As a result, Sarah and I took a cab to the mall to draw out money and directly change it into US Dollars to pay for the hostel. What a mess! Luckily we had a really sweet cab driver on the way there who helped us out and we somehow managed to time the whole thing so that he was still there when we were done and could take us back. It took about 45 minutes out of our day, but eventually it all worked out fine. Then we were off the the subway station! Today was our day to spend in Valparaíso (aka Valpo) which is a 10 minute subway ride from Viña. We bought our card and we off! It really reminded me of being in Denmark to be honest. The train looked exactly the same and was automated for the different stops etc. We got off at the harbor and enjoyed walking around the artisan marked for a bit. Then with Sarah in the lead (she'd planned everything again) we began our search for a certain outdoor elevator. The hills in Valpo are so steep and houses are so packed together that they have built outdoor elevators or cable cars to take people up the hills. We eventually found the one we were looking for and took it to the top to look around. There was another small market, so we looked through that as well and then just began wandering the streets before heading back down the hill via the road. At the bottom we located a local bus that could take us to the market. Apparently this was where we would be searching for lunch. I wasn't too keen on the idea, but apparently the upstairs restaurants had gotten good reviews and so off we went. A lovely lady on the bus showed us where to get off and we walked into the fresh market and upstairs. At the top of the stairs we encountered a nice man who offered us a menu to look at and invited us into the restaurant. Not wanting to pick the first one we saw, we told him we'd think about it. He politely accepted, but told us to 'be careful of the climate' in the center. It made me uneasy, but I wasn't sure what he was talking about. We soon found out! In the center of the upstairs are a variety of restaurants fiercely fighting for your money and attention. Waiters come right up to you with menus and try to seat you if you even take a look or say a word. It was quite overwhelming and I was not a happy camper. I felt like a frantic mother trying to keep track of all her children! Eventually we had all had enough and decided to go back to the first restaurant. It seemed to have a nicer atmosphere and was on the outside where we could look out the windows. I was SUPER excited to have some seafood for lunch. Chile is known for it, so it seemed to be something we should experience before leaving. I enjoyed a wonderful white fish with a shrimp cream sauce on top. It was delicious! Then we were off to see Pablo Neruda's house. Since there wasn't time to go to Isla Negra, we elected his house in Valpo and started out. Unfortunately the elevator we would've used was broken...so we walked. The entire way. It took us more than an hour and I was exhausted by the time we got to the top. It was a beautiful view. The tour was decent and set up with the wands that have all the information stored by number and room. so as you walked around you selected the numbers to hear the information that matched the location. Once finished we sat outside enjoying the weather before heading back down the hill. At this point I REALLY wasn't feeling good, but there wasn't much I could do about it.
Once back in Viña I stopped at a local bakery to buy some crackers for the bus and they had just put fresh bread out! I bought that instead and managed to eat all of it by the time we got back to the hostel...guess it tasted good! We had a bit of time to kill, so we relaxed on the steps before grabbing our stuff, saying our goodbyes and heading to the bus station. Then, before we knew it we were on our way home. Customs went without issue at some awful hour of the morning and exhausted I arrived back to the apartment shortly after 7 on Monday morning. I crashed into bed for a few more hours of sleep and was out in a flash, regardless of the fact that my parents would be arriving in hours.
There is one thing that I want to mention about this crazy weekend: the transportation!!! Its phenomenal and the US needs to take notice. In my 3 days in Chile I used the following methods of public transit: subway, local bus system, distance bus system (something similar to greyhound), taxi, and routed taxis (with scheduled loops and set fairs). That's 5 different types in 3 days!!! We need to do something about the transportation in the US! I'm telling you, if we had busses like they do here, I'd be doing a lot more traveling within the country! Anywho, that's my soapbox for this post. :)
I hope everyone is doing well and getting excited about the holidays! I can't tell you how excited I am to see everyone and catch up over break. In the next addition look for details from my family's visit and the end of finals!!!
All my love!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
I think I can, I think I can... (aka surviving my "history hell week")
Hey everyone! So catching up on all of these takes a lot more time than I expected! I hope you're all enjoying the detailed versions of my adventures. I'll certainly enjoy looking back at them in the years to come. :)
So it had arrived. I work up Monday morning still in a frustrated mess from the sad information the night before and the stress of my pressing exam. Trying to relax I studied in bed for a bit before getting ready for class and enjoying a quick breakfast. Sole had bought a ton of eggs over the weekend, so I made some scrambled. Protein for the exam. :) Finally it was time to go and I walked to the university, managing to bump into Deven on the way in. Together we found the classroom and waited outside for the teacher to arrive. We were all aware that her second year class had an exam at 8am, so it wasn't surprising that we were still waiting for someone to show up around 11...30 minutes after our exam should've started. When we finally did begin, our head professor wasn't even there. It was just the assistant (or Monday professor). The exam was hard! Even with all the studying I'd done, it was still a lot of information, and I walked out of there feeling pretty frustrated and wondering if I'd even passed... I just kept reminding myself that if I didn't I could take a makeup exam on Wednesday and it would be just fine. Caroline, Caitlin, and I started walking towards spanish class and they decided to try something new instead of the usual vegetarian place. So we just continued walking up the main street until we found a corner restaurant that looked good. I was in a pretty down mood and didn't really feel like eating anything, but Caroline talked me into ordering a milkshake and I was really glad I did! It was peach and delicious! I also stopped at a kiosk for some gum and it must have been my lucky day, cause I found a Snickers too! That got hidden away for later when I was sure I was going to need it. I left the others to their lunch and headed to spanish on the bus so that I wouldn't be late. When I got there most people were still sitting outside and enjoying the sun. I found my group of girls and we caught up on the latest news. They could tell I was down and it only took one of them asking for me to break down into tears again. It even surprised me how hard this was hitting. I'd known Sasha wasn't doing well and she was pretty old for a dog, but still...maybe being so far away has made me even more sensitive. Whatever the excuse, I pulled myself together and we headed into class. Spanish was nothing exceptional and we simply went over exercises for the final. I definitely devoured the Snickers during break...what can I say, I'm one of those girls who finds comfort in chocolate. Especially in a familiar candy bar from home. After the rest of spanish it was back home for lunch and a nap. In the evening I worked on attempting to study. We won't know our grades from the history exam until tomorrow, so I didn't have any desire to start studying that again. Instead I looked at my spanish notes and even drug out the tango information for a bit. It was a light night though and I went to bed rather early being emotionally and mentally exhausted.
Tuesday morning I woke up with time to study before class and worked on a little more spanish before heading off to development. It was our last real class. Next week is the "final" and we're having a discussion about the worksheets we have to fill out for that class. I've REALLY enjoyed this class and I'm glad I took it. Although it may seem like a cop-out to take another class from the program, it seemed like a stable and confident decision that I would be able to count on to learn and also to have the support I needed to succeed. In the end, I think it was honestly my favorite class! During break we found out from our TA Nico that all of us had passed the second history exam and wouldn't have to take the make-up on Wednesday!!! Hooray! One step down for the week. After class I walked back home and settled in for the usual lunch and a nap. Then it was a focused night of studying for Spanish and a little for tango.
Wednesday I didn't have anything until the Spanish exam, so I slept late and then studied some before leaving for class. The spanish exam was roughly what I expected and I was super happy to be done with that. One more class checked off the list. I left walking with 3 other girls from class and we had all decided to have lunch together. However when we arrived at the restaurant, I was afraid it would take too long, so I headed back home to drop off school books and study a bit more tango. I met up with the girls as usual at 5 and we walked to our last tango class reminiscing about the semester and fun moments. None of us expected the Tango exam to be complicated. It was all supposed to be multiple choice or true/false. However, it was arguably harder than the history exam I had taken earlier in the week! There was vocabulary on there that I'm pretty sure we never discussed in class, as well as different types of steps and movements... I left feeling absolutely ridiculous! How could I possibly fail a tango exam...that would look great on my transcript. Passed all the hard classes and failed tango... I'm sure I didn't actually fail it, but I was surprised by how hard it was. As per our usual tradition, us girls stopped for ice cream on our way back. I was supposed to be at a meeting with my history group for our upcoming presentations, but when I had texted Caroline, she said they were almost done. Since I had sent in my slides the night before I didn't feel too bad, but I still felt weird about not being there... When I got home I had time to quickly type up a written summary for the group project and mail that off before meeting with Whitney to go buy tickets to Chile. We'd all decided that this weekend was our last chance and so finals or not we were going! The plan was to meet at 8:30pm since most stores don't close until 9, but when we all met and walked to the store, we found that they had closed at 8:30... go figure. Then a surprise Zonda came in without warning and within 5 minutes we were all running back to our respective houses from the blowing dust and grime in the streets. When I got back I actually washed my face and wiped off my arms and legs, it was that bad. The rest of the evening was spent trying to relax and think about Chile while also gathering more details for tomorrow's presentations.
Thursday morning bright and early at 8:30am found us all waiting outside the Congreso auditorium for our professors who were...you guessed it! Late as usual. By the time we actually started, it was already after 9. Predictably, our professor (who has a mild obsession with my friend Caroline) asked us to go 2nd. The poor class didn't know what they were in for (and honestly neither did we). Our classmate, had sent us the presentation after he finished the powerpoint early in the morning, but what we didn't know, was that he had added slides and changed words in our parts so that when we got to our slides we were slightly confused. Overall, I thought that the presentation was a disaster. By the time our group was finally finished, we had been up for more than an hour!!! How UNNECESSARY!!! With presentations like that we really were going to be there until 6pm! At this point we took a short break and students disappeared to the university buffet for a coffee or snack before we continued. By 1pm we had hardly gotten through 4 more presentations... It was driving me crazy to sit there and slowly as people finished their presentations they left. By 2:30 I was the only foreign exchange student left from the 8 in my class. Overall, there were only 3 of us that stayed until the end of all the presentations. They finally ended at 3:30 and I went straight home for a bite of lunch and a nap. My stomach was acting up, so I didn't eat much, but after the nap I felt much better. Then, week of hell down, I left with lighter spirits to meet up with Nico (our TA) and some others for ice cream in celebration of the end of this week. It ended up just being Nico, Augusto (another guy from the class), and me, but we had a great time talking and eating. I headed back to the apartment after a couple short hours to pack for Chile. We were officially leaving at 10:30pm and I couldn't be more excited! Of course Whitney met me at the house at 10 so that I had time to watch the latest installment of Vampire Diaries...I seem to be developing an addiction to this show. Then it was off to the terminal!
So I survived the week. After 3 exams and 7 hours of presentations I had survived. Now its down to my final history exam, one more tango class (just for kicks), and the development final. I'm still crossing my fingers about Sociology, but I still don't know my grade for sure on the project or our global...so that's still up in the air. It was quite a relief to get this week over with. I've been stressing about it for months and with all of it out of the way, it seems like a big weight has been lifted. Even if I'm not yet done, I'm that much closer and feeling much better about the overall outcome. Not to mention, that the day I get back from Chile (Monday) my parents and little brother come into town and I could not possibly be more excited to see them! It will have been just over 4 months since I've seen them and I miss them more every day. If there is anything that this trip/semester has taught me, it is to truly appreciate those who are important in your life. You never know when they might disappear or be gone forever. I know that coming home and learning to show how much I appreciate all of you in my life will be a new focus for me. I certainly wouldn't be the same person without your support, love, encouragement, and strength. To every single one of you who is a part of my life, THANK YOU! You've made my world a better place. :)
I'll save all the fun details of Chile for their own blog coming soon!
Hope things are all well back in the states. I can't wait to see all of you soon!!!
All my love and besos from Argentina!
So it had arrived. I work up Monday morning still in a frustrated mess from the sad information the night before and the stress of my pressing exam. Trying to relax I studied in bed for a bit before getting ready for class and enjoying a quick breakfast. Sole had bought a ton of eggs over the weekend, so I made some scrambled. Protein for the exam. :) Finally it was time to go and I walked to the university, managing to bump into Deven on the way in. Together we found the classroom and waited outside for the teacher to arrive. We were all aware that her second year class had an exam at 8am, so it wasn't surprising that we were still waiting for someone to show up around 11...30 minutes after our exam should've started. When we finally did begin, our head professor wasn't even there. It was just the assistant (or Monday professor). The exam was hard! Even with all the studying I'd done, it was still a lot of information, and I walked out of there feeling pretty frustrated and wondering if I'd even passed... I just kept reminding myself that if I didn't I could take a makeup exam on Wednesday and it would be just fine. Caroline, Caitlin, and I started walking towards spanish class and they decided to try something new instead of the usual vegetarian place. So we just continued walking up the main street until we found a corner restaurant that looked good. I was in a pretty down mood and didn't really feel like eating anything, but Caroline talked me into ordering a milkshake and I was really glad I did! It was peach and delicious! I also stopped at a kiosk for some gum and it must have been my lucky day, cause I found a Snickers too! That got hidden away for later when I was sure I was going to need it. I left the others to their lunch and headed to spanish on the bus so that I wouldn't be late. When I got there most people were still sitting outside and enjoying the sun. I found my group of girls and we caught up on the latest news. They could tell I was down and it only took one of them asking for me to break down into tears again. It even surprised me how hard this was hitting. I'd known Sasha wasn't doing well and she was pretty old for a dog, but still...maybe being so far away has made me even more sensitive. Whatever the excuse, I pulled myself together and we headed into class. Spanish was nothing exceptional and we simply went over exercises for the final. I definitely devoured the Snickers during break...what can I say, I'm one of those girls who finds comfort in chocolate. Especially in a familiar candy bar from home. After the rest of spanish it was back home for lunch and a nap. In the evening I worked on attempting to study. We won't know our grades from the history exam until tomorrow, so I didn't have any desire to start studying that again. Instead I looked at my spanish notes and even drug out the tango information for a bit. It was a light night though and I went to bed rather early being emotionally and mentally exhausted.
Tuesday morning I woke up with time to study before class and worked on a little more spanish before heading off to development. It was our last real class. Next week is the "final" and we're having a discussion about the worksheets we have to fill out for that class. I've REALLY enjoyed this class and I'm glad I took it. Although it may seem like a cop-out to take another class from the program, it seemed like a stable and confident decision that I would be able to count on to learn and also to have the support I needed to succeed. In the end, I think it was honestly my favorite class! During break we found out from our TA Nico that all of us had passed the second history exam and wouldn't have to take the make-up on Wednesday!!! Hooray! One step down for the week. After class I walked back home and settled in for the usual lunch and a nap. Then it was a focused night of studying for Spanish and a little for tango.
Wednesday I didn't have anything until the Spanish exam, so I slept late and then studied some before leaving for class. The spanish exam was roughly what I expected and I was super happy to be done with that. One more class checked off the list. I left walking with 3 other girls from class and we had all decided to have lunch together. However when we arrived at the restaurant, I was afraid it would take too long, so I headed back home to drop off school books and study a bit more tango. I met up with the girls as usual at 5 and we walked to our last tango class reminiscing about the semester and fun moments. None of us expected the Tango exam to be complicated. It was all supposed to be multiple choice or true/false. However, it was arguably harder than the history exam I had taken earlier in the week! There was vocabulary on there that I'm pretty sure we never discussed in class, as well as different types of steps and movements... I left feeling absolutely ridiculous! How could I possibly fail a tango exam...that would look great on my transcript. Passed all the hard classes and failed tango... I'm sure I didn't actually fail it, but I was surprised by how hard it was. As per our usual tradition, us girls stopped for ice cream on our way back. I was supposed to be at a meeting with my history group for our upcoming presentations, but when I had texted Caroline, she said they were almost done. Since I had sent in my slides the night before I didn't feel too bad, but I still felt weird about not being there... When I got home I had time to quickly type up a written summary for the group project and mail that off before meeting with Whitney to go buy tickets to Chile. We'd all decided that this weekend was our last chance and so finals or not we were going! The plan was to meet at 8:30pm since most stores don't close until 9, but when we all met and walked to the store, we found that they had closed at 8:30... go figure. Then a surprise Zonda came in without warning and within 5 minutes we were all running back to our respective houses from the blowing dust and grime in the streets. When I got back I actually washed my face and wiped off my arms and legs, it was that bad. The rest of the evening was spent trying to relax and think about Chile while also gathering more details for tomorrow's presentations.
Thursday morning bright and early at 8:30am found us all waiting outside the Congreso auditorium for our professors who were...you guessed it! Late as usual. By the time we actually started, it was already after 9. Predictably, our professor (who has a mild obsession with my friend Caroline) asked us to go 2nd. The poor class didn't know what they were in for (and honestly neither did we). Our classmate, had sent us the presentation after he finished the powerpoint early in the morning, but what we didn't know, was that he had added slides and changed words in our parts so that when we got to our slides we were slightly confused. Overall, I thought that the presentation was a disaster. By the time our group was finally finished, we had been up for more than an hour!!! How UNNECESSARY!!! With presentations like that we really were going to be there until 6pm! At this point we took a short break and students disappeared to the university buffet for a coffee or snack before we continued. By 1pm we had hardly gotten through 4 more presentations... It was driving me crazy to sit there and slowly as people finished their presentations they left. By 2:30 I was the only foreign exchange student left from the 8 in my class. Overall, there were only 3 of us that stayed until the end of all the presentations. They finally ended at 3:30 and I went straight home for a bite of lunch and a nap. My stomach was acting up, so I didn't eat much, but after the nap I felt much better. Then, week of hell down, I left with lighter spirits to meet up with Nico (our TA) and some others for ice cream in celebration of the end of this week. It ended up just being Nico, Augusto (another guy from the class), and me, but we had a great time talking and eating. I headed back to the apartment after a couple short hours to pack for Chile. We were officially leaving at 10:30pm and I couldn't be more excited! Of course Whitney met me at the house at 10 so that I had time to watch the latest installment of Vampire Diaries...I seem to be developing an addiction to this show. Then it was off to the terminal!
So I survived the week. After 3 exams and 7 hours of presentations I had survived. Now its down to my final history exam, one more tango class (just for kicks), and the development final. I'm still crossing my fingers about Sociology, but I still don't know my grade for sure on the project or our global...so that's still up in the air. It was quite a relief to get this week over with. I've been stressing about it for months and with all of it out of the way, it seems like a big weight has been lifted. Even if I'm not yet done, I'm that much closer and feeling much better about the overall outcome. Not to mention, that the day I get back from Chile (Monday) my parents and little brother come into town and I could not possibly be more excited to see them! It will have been just over 4 months since I've seen them and I miss them more every day. If there is anything that this trip/semester has taught me, it is to truly appreciate those who are important in your life. You never know when they might disappear or be gone forever. I know that coming home and learning to show how much I appreciate all of you in my life will be a new focus for me. I certainly wouldn't be the same person without your support, love, encouragement, and strength. To every single one of you who is a part of my life, THANK YOU! You've made my world a better place. :)
I'll save all the fun details of Chile for their own blog coming soon!
Hope things are all well back in the states. I can't wait to see all of you soon!!!
All my love and besos from Argentina!
Program Escape to San Rafael
Hey everyone! I hope you're enjoying the multiple updates lately as I try to catch up with all the fun details of my adventure. Here comes the next one!
As you've all read, school is coming to a close here in Mendoza and with that lovely thought in the distance also comes the dreadful rush of activities/projects/assignments/exams/ and finals scholastic events as teachers rush to finish the material in time for finals. History has been no exception and with our "history week from hell" beginning on Monday, it would have been rather easy for me to skip out on the last program excursion and simply stay locked in the apartment studying all weekend. However, that is NOT what study abroad is about. For all of you reading this at DU (including my advisors and staff) I do not mean to say that studying is not important or that study abroad is all about playing and not about school. My point, is that with such a wonderful opportunity in our programs, there is no sensible reason why this experience should be completely controlled by classes. That is to say, school is very important and I have no intention of slacking off in my last few weeks of classes, but I also refuse to miss once in al lifetime opportunities in a country I might never see again, with people I might never be with again, to lock myself in a room studying Plato and Aristotle. As a result, I packed my bags and signed up for our weekend escape to San Rafael. I certainly wasn't the only one feeling this way and at least half of the students on the trip had brought some sort of study materials with them.
Friday afternoon I awoke after a very long night of sleep to a message from Louisa asking if I wanted to go back to Brazos Abiertos with her. Of course the answer was yes and so we spent another few hours with the children that I have grown to love. When we got back, I skipped my usual siesta and instead focused some solid energy on other homework that was coming up for the week. My goal was to get as much done as possible so that the only things I would take to San Rafael would be those blasted history notes to study. After achieving success with the other assignments, I began packing for the weekend. Our bus was leaving from Independence Plaza at 6:30am on Saturday morning, so the only thing I wanted to have left for tomorrow was getting dressed and heading out the door. Packed and ready, I had a lovely dinner with Sole and Paola before saying goodbye and heading to bed.
Saturday morning at 5:45am is easily the earliest I have been up in months! And it was not an easy task to drag myself out of bed. However, the excitement of the weekend ahead was a helpful motivator and I soon found myself on a bus with most of the program on our way to San Rafael. If I haven't mentioned this before, the town/province we were going to visit is where our program director grew up and where his family still lives, so it is a nice escape for him too. A little after 10:30 we arrived at the cutest little cabins along the river in Grand Valley. After splitting up into rooms and settling in, we had a few hours until lunch. As a result, we shortly found ourselves lying in the sun poolside, soaking up some rays and enjoying each others company. What a relaxing way to spend a morning! I am convinced that this weekend will be just what we need to rejuvenate our spirits for that extra push to the end of classes and exams. A surprise guest had also joined us for the weekend in the form of an adorable black fluff ball who still didn't have a name. This poor puppy had been found by a few of the boys in the plaza that morning and so they brought her in a backpack to our weekend getaway. She was absolutely adorable! I'm pretty sure all of us took our turns fawning over her before it was time to go to lunch. Lunch was delicious and it was really nice to sit with all these close friends and just laugh and enjoy our time together. After lunch it was time for a quick change before everyone loaded into the bus for our afternoon activities on the lake. We took a catamaran out to the other side where there was an empty 'beach' for us to play on and relax for a few hours. The beach wasn't very wide and sloped STEEPLY upward into a hill pretty fast, but we all found spots to relax and some of the braver ones even went into the FREEZING water. I personally had no intention of getting in, but everyone else had a different idea. I was happily standing on the edge trying to get accustomed to the water, when this crazy bee decided to try and land on me. Being slightly allergic, that was the last thing I wanted, so I dove right into the water. It was awfully cold, but worth getting in with my friends to swim around for a bit. When we were shivering and couldn't take it anymore, we climbed out and went to sit in the last rays of the day on the front of the catamaran. What a wonderful and relaxing way to spend an afternoon. When the sun started to set we all packed up and headed back to the bus and back to the cabins. After hot showers and a change of clothes, I met with Deven and Caroline from my history class to start going over some notes. We studied until dinner and although we didn't bring our notes to the table, we were still discussing back and forth the important political authors of the middle age (much to the annoyance of the others at our table). The rule was quickly pronounced that the second any type of food hit the table all home work and studying had to stop...and we dutifully obeyed when the waiter brought the bread just a few minutes later. After an interesting dinner that was much too large to eat, we headed back to the cabins and resumed studying for another hour or so. Then unanimously deciding it was time for bed we turned in for the night.
Sunday morning I was a nervous bundle of indecision. We had a day full of optional activities and I still hadn't decided what I wanted to do with my day or if I would rather spend it studying poolside... Remember that the purpose of this trip was to relax, but I also had to be responsible too. I hadn't missed the entire trip, but I also wasn't going to completely forget about studying for this exam. Eventually I decided that I would go on the hike after breakfast and then decide in the afternoon what I wanted to do then. Play the day by ear I suppose. After breakfast a decent group of us met at the entrance to our little hideaway and waited for the bus to take us to our hike. With a vast majority of us being from CO or of the outdoor nature, we were all expecting a decent hike in the nearby mountains before lunch and had come prepared with water and decent shoes. That was our first mistake...having expectations. After an hour in the bus, we stopped at a scenic overlook to take pictures of the lake below and mountains around. It reminded me SO much of CO at the end of a summer when things are starting to go brown. After some lovely photos, we piled back onto the bus (many of us wondering if we had misunderstood and that this was a bus ride adventure instead of a hike). 30 minutes later we 'arrived' at a pullout spot on the road surrounded by peaks and valleys with, as Argentinean style would have it, no trails. While we waited on our 'guides' to scout a short hike for us since we were quickly running out of time, we snapped more pictures and enjoyed our time together. About 10 minutes later we began our adventure behind our guides and started hiking down into a canyon nearby. It wasn't very long before they realized that hiking through the canyon was impossible for a couple reason. 1) it got super skinny between the walls rather fast and 2) right after that it dropped sharply into the valley below. As a result, we all turned around and started to follow them up and over the left wall instead. This too turned out to be a disaster as we got up onto the ledge and found ourselves scrambling over loose rocks and shale on a rock that sloped steeply into the valley as well... Hmm...so much for a "hike" we all turned around and headed back to the bus. Shaking our heads at what had turned into a very sad excuse for a hike and laughing about how common things like this were. Then as we waited for the stragglers and sat around outside by the bus. A large group of friends sat near the sloping edge of the road that dropped into the valley. Ironically enough, it was at this point that the guides got protective and started telling us to "be safe" and "get away from the ledge". After the more than dangerous hike we had just been on, sitting on a sloping hill was an issue? I just continued to shake my head at the irony of this morning's adventure. After every student had been gathered, we loaded back onto the bus for our 90 minute ride back into camp. There it was time for lunch and time for me to make a decision about the afternoon. Reluctantly, I decided to skip the afternoon activities and instead stay put at the cabins studying and relaxing. I figured I would feel better about that decision afterwards and would enjoy the time to breathe rather than going rafting and stressing that I wasn't studying. Relieved to have made the decision, I happily put on my suite, slathered on the sunscreen and planted myself by the pool to continue studying. As the hours passed, I began to feel much more comfortable with the material and was really thankful I had stayed to relax. It was nice to spend some time with the others who had stayed behind as well and we all enjoyed the time to relax and talk. By the time everyone got back from their adventures, it was time to pack up and load the busses for the drive home. Deven and I snagged seats next to each other and spent the majority of the drive studying. Labeling people and all their famous facts or tossing ideas back and forth about the specific ages and time periods. We took a short break from studying to eat dinner (provided on the bus) and then resumed for another hour or so listening to podcasts about the authors (courtesy of Caitlin). At some point, we both decided we'd had enough and put the notes away in favor of a nap. Pretty soon we were both out and slept the rest of the way back to Mendoza.
I arrived back at the apartment rejuvenated, relaxed, and tanned from the weekend away and was happy to sit down for a snack with Sole and Paola before heading to bed. I wanted to make sure I got plenty of sleep for my exam the next day and for the beginning of this crazy week to come. However, when I checked my mail, I had some seemingly urgent messages from my mother and called her on Skype. Of course the one night we have to talk the internet decided to keep cutting out. Eventually I got the news Mom had been holding for me. While I was away on my relaxation weekend, my family back home had been suffering with a hard decision. Our dog, Sasha, whom we have had for more than 8 years had spent the past few weeks struggling with what appeared to be cancer and over the weekend it started to get the best of her. The decision simply couldn't wait, and my parents had taken away her pain and put her down on Saturday. I was so upset. After such a lovely weekend I had to come home to this news. I broke down in sobs over the video chat and it was all I could do to say goodnight. I went to bed torn and crying. I would have felt just as helpless at home, but at least then I would have been with others for comfort and we could have all been helpless together. Instead, I find myself half way around the world with absolutely NOTHING that I can do. I fell asleep thinking about my beloved puppy and dreading the week that was coming in the morning.
Unfortunately these things happen and the unfortunate news by no means ruined my weekend. It just put a damper on my mood and brought me sharply back to reality. However, I am confident that I can face this next week with my head up and before I know it it'll all be over and I will have survived.
Thanks everyone for reading, and for listening. I hope you're all doing well and I can't wait to see you very soon upon my return!!
Besos and all my love from Argentina!
As you've all read, school is coming to a close here in Mendoza and with that lovely thought in the distance also comes the dreadful rush of activities/projects/assignments/exams/ and finals scholastic events as teachers rush to finish the material in time for finals. History has been no exception and with our "history week from hell" beginning on Monday, it would have been rather easy for me to skip out on the last program excursion and simply stay locked in the apartment studying all weekend. However, that is NOT what study abroad is about. For all of you reading this at DU (including my advisors and staff) I do not mean to say that studying is not important or that study abroad is all about playing and not about school. My point, is that with such a wonderful opportunity in our programs, there is no sensible reason why this experience should be completely controlled by classes. That is to say, school is very important and I have no intention of slacking off in my last few weeks of classes, but I also refuse to miss once in al lifetime opportunities in a country I might never see again, with people I might never be with again, to lock myself in a room studying Plato and Aristotle. As a result, I packed my bags and signed up for our weekend escape to San Rafael. I certainly wasn't the only one feeling this way and at least half of the students on the trip had brought some sort of study materials with them.
Friday afternoon I awoke after a very long night of sleep to a message from Louisa asking if I wanted to go back to Brazos Abiertos with her. Of course the answer was yes and so we spent another few hours with the children that I have grown to love. When we got back, I skipped my usual siesta and instead focused some solid energy on other homework that was coming up for the week. My goal was to get as much done as possible so that the only things I would take to San Rafael would be those blasted history notes to study. After achieving success with the other assignments, I began packing for the weekend. Our bus was leaving from Independence Plaza at 6:30am on Saturday morning, so the only thing I wanted to have left for tomorrow was getting dressed and heading out the door. Packed and ready, I had a lovely dinner with Sole and Paola before saying goodbye and heading to bed.
Saturday morning at 5:45am is easily the earliest I have been up in months! And it was not an easy task to drag myself out of bed. However, the excitement of the weekend ahead was a helpful motivator and I soon found myself on a bus with most of the program on our way to San Rafael. If I haven't mentioned this before, the town/province we were going to visit is where our program director grew up and where his family still lives, so it is a nice escape for him too. A little after 10:30 we arrived at the cutest little cabins along the river in Grand Valley. After splitting up into rooms and settling in, we had a few hours until lunch. As a result, we shortly found ourselves lying in the sun poolside, soaking up some rays and enjoying each others company. What a relaxing way to spend a morning! I am convinced that this weekend will be just what we need to rejuvenate our spirits for that extra push to the end of classes and exams. A surprise guest had also joined us for the weekend in the form of an adorable black fluff ball who still didn't have a name. This poor puppy had been found by a few of the boys in the plaza that morning and so they brought her in a backpack to our weekend getaway. She was absolutely adorable! I'm pretty sure all of us took our turns fawning over her before it was time to go to lunch. Lunch was delicious and it was really nice to sit with all these close friends and just laugh and enjoy our time together. After lunch it was time for a quick change before everyone loaded into the bus for our afternoon activities on the lake. We took a catamaran out to the other side where there was an empty 'beach' for us to play on and relax for a few hours. The beach wasn't very wide and sloped STEEPLY upward into a hill pretty fast, but we all found spots to relax and some of the braver ones even went into the FREEZING water. I personally had no intention of getting in, but everyone else had a different idea. I was happily standing on the edge trying to get accustomed to the water, when this crazy bee decided to try and land on me. Being slightly allergic, that was the last thing I wanted, so I dove right into the water. It was awfully cold, but worth getting in with my friends to swim around for a bit. When we were shivering and couldn't take it anymore, we climbed out and went to sit in the last rays of the day on the front of the catamaran. What a wonderful and relaxing way to spend an afternoon. When the sun started to set we all packed up and headed back to the bus and back to the cabins. After hot showers and a change of clothes, I met with Deven and Caroline from my history class to start going over some notes. We studied until dinner and although we didn't bring our notes to the table, we were still discussing back and forth the important political authors of the middle age (much to the annoyance of the others at our table). The rule was quickly pronounced that the second any type of food hit the table all home work and studying had to stop...and we dutifully obeyed when the waiter brought the bread just a few minutes later. After an interesting dinner that was much too large to eat, we headed back to the cabins and resumed studying for another hour or so. Then unanimously deciding it was time for bed we turned in for the night.
Sunday morning I was a nervous bundle of indecision. We had a day full of optional activities and I still hadn't decided what I wanted to do with my day or if I would rather spend it studying poolside... Remember that the purpose of this trip was to relax, but I also had to be responsible too. I hadn't missed the entire trip, but I also wasn't going to completely forget about studying for this exam. Eventually I decided that I would go on the hike after breakfast and then decide in the afternoon what I wanted to do then. Play the day by ear I suppose. After breakfast a decent group of us met at the entrance to our little hideaway and waited for the bus to take us to our hike. With a vast majority of us being from CO or of the outdoor nature, we were all expecting a decent hike in the nearby mountains before lunch and had come prepared with water and decent shoes. That was our first mistake...having expectations. After an hour in the bus, we stopped at a scenic overlook to take pictures of the lake below and mountains around. It reminded me SO much of CO at the end of a summer when things are starting to go brown. After some lovely photos, we piled back onto the bus (many of us wondering if we had misunderstood and that this was a bus ride adventure instead of a hike). 30 minutes later we 'arrived' at a pullout spot on the road surrounded by peaks and valleys with, as Argentinean style would have it, no trails. While we waited on our 'guides' to scout a short hike for us since we were quickly running out of time, we snapped more pictures and enjoyed our time together. About 10 minutes later we began our adventure behind our guides and started hiking down into a canyon nearby. It wasn't very long before they realized that hiking through the canyon was impossible for a couple reason. 1) it got super skinny between the walls rather fast and 2) right after that it dropped sharply into the valley below. As a result, we all turned around and started to follow them up and over the left wall instead. This too turned out to be a disaster as we got up onto the ledge and found ourselves scrambling over loose rocks and shale on a rock that sloped steeply into the valley as well... Hmm...so much for a "hike" we all turned around and headed back to the bus. Shaking our heads at what had turned into a very sad excuse for a hike and laughing about how common things like this were. Then as we waited for the stragglers and sat around outside by the bus. A large group of friends sat near the sloping edge of the road that dropped into the valley. Ironically enough, it was at this point that the guides got protective and started telling us to "be safe" and "get away from the ledge". After the more than dangerous hike we had just been on, sitting on a sloping hill was an issue? I just continued to shake my head at the irony of this morning's adventure. After every student had been gathered, we loaded back onto the bus for our 90 minute ride back into camp. There it was time for lunch and time for me to make a decision about the afternoon. Reluctantly, I decided to skip the afternoon activities and instead stay put at the cabins studying and relaxing. I figured I would feel better about that decision afterwards and would enjoy the time to breathe rather than going rafting and stressing that I wasn't studying. Relieved to have made the decision, I happily put on my suite, slathered on the sunscreen and planted myself by the pool to continue studying. As the hours passed, I began to feel much more comfortable with the material and was really thankful I had stayed to relax. It was nice to spend some time with the others who had stayed behind as well and we all enjoyed the time to relax and talk. By the time everyone got back from their adventures, it was time to pack up and load the busses for the drive home. Deven and I snagged seats next to each other and spent the majority of the drive studying. Labeling people and all their famous facts or tossing ideas back and forth about the specific ages and time periods. We took a short break from studying to eat dinner (provided on the bus) and then resumed for another hour or so listening to podcasts about the authors (courtesy of Caitlin). At some point, we both decided we'd had enough and put the notes away in favor of a nap. Pretty soon we were both out and slept the rest of the way back to Mendoza.
I arrived back at the apartment rejuvenated, relaxed, and tanned from the weekend away and was happy to sit down for a snack with Sole and Paola before heading to bed. I wanted to make sure I got plenty of sleep for my exam the next day and for the beginning of this crazy week to come. However, when I checked my mail, I had some seemingly urgent messages from my mother and called her on Skype. Of course the one night we have to talk the internet decided to keep cutting out. Eventually I got the news Mom had been holding for me. While I was away on my relaxation weekend, my family back home had been suffering with a hard decision. Our dog, Sasha, whom we have had for more than 8 years had spent the past few weeks struggling with what appeared to be cancer and over the weekend it started to get the best of her. The decision simply couldn't wait, and my parents had taken away her pain and put her down on Saturday. I was so upset. After such a lovely weekend I had to come home to this news. I broke down in sobs over the video chat and it was all I could do to say goodnight. I went to bed torn and crying. I would have felt just as helpless at home, but at least then I would have been with others for comfort and we could have all been helpless together. Instead, I find myself half way around the world with absolutely NOTHING that I can do. I fell asleep thinking about my beloved puppy and dreading the week that was coming in the morning.
Unfortunately these things happen and the unfortunate news by no means ruined my weekend. It just put a damper on my mood and brought me sharply back to reality. However, I am confident that I can face this next week with my head up and before I know it it'll all be over and I will have survived.
Thanks everyone for reading, and for listening. I hope you're all doing well and I can't wait to see you very soon upon my return!!
Besos and all my love from Argentina!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Iguazú Photos
Hey everyone, so as some of you may know, I spent my last week traveling to and from and also exploring Iguazú Falls. I just put pictures up. This place deserves its own album and is titled Iguazu falls. Again there is a link next to these posts, so check it out and let me know what you think. Looking forward to seeing you all in a few days! I can't believe the semester is practically over.
All my love!
All my love!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Exams, Home work, and VERY little sleep...
Hey everyone! Here comes the next addition in my attempt to catch up!
Monday began bright and early as I still had to finish writing responses to this week's home work assignment for history. However I finished with just enough time to get ready and go to class. Once there I immediately asked myself why I had gotten up early to make it to class "on time". The professor was of course about 30-45 minutes late as well. He then collected all our assignments and proceeded to call every student by name through the list to observe how many absent days they had acquired and if they were eligible to participate in the class still... Here if you miss more than 25% of the classes you fail the class and have to take it again. For history that meant more than 6 missed classes and it was amazing to me that the approximately 35 Argentineans we had started with were down to less than 15!!! At any rate, we spent the rest of class going through and analyzing students. He didn't even bother to look at the 8 of us and we left shaking our heads and wondering why we had bothered going to class...oh yeah, to turn in our assignments. :( As usual it was off to spanish class. We're down to just 2 more after today and then the final. I can't believe its almost over. Feels like just yesterday that we had arrived from BA and were trying to find our way to spanish class during the first week (remember how frustrated I was with the busses? How much time I spent waiting on them?). After class I went immediately home to work on studying for Sociology. With all the history over the weekend, I hadn't had much time to study for my huge exam! If I pass this exam with a 78% or better and pass at least 75% my class work I won't have to take the oral final!!! Therefore, lots of enticement to study. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) Sole had a couple friends over for dinner (including my uncle Fernando) so I didn't get quite as much studying done as I would've liked before dinner. It was absolutely delicious! We had some type of fish with a white sauce on top, mushrooms in a white wine sauce on the side, bread, and salad. It was SUPER good! Right after dinner it was off to bed for me.
I woke up Tuesday morning and managed to get some studying done before heading off to Development class at the office. As my schedule has gotten gradually busier with the extreme amount of studying, I have begun taking the trolley more often and walking less in order to save time. Its also hard to convince myself to walk when its in the 80's or 90's outside. Class went pretty smoothly. We're talking about the period of Peronism, which I find fascinating, so it was a good class. Then it was straight back home to eat and study. I missed my siesta studying and then went to class hoping that I had prepared enough for the exam. We reviewed a few things before beginning and then the prof handed out our tests... I felt like it went pretty well, but I can never be sure. I know I lost a few points (left one space blank) but overall I felt like it was a decently easy exam. Now I just have to wait for the results... After we met with our group quickly to work out details of the project and headed for home. Christa and I are going to meet on Thursday afternoon to complete our part and mail it in. Hooray for doing an entire project through e-mail! After the exam I went home to work on my final project for Childhood. With all the other work this week, I hadn't even started it! I have a presentation and paper due tomorrow and haven't even started it. The good news was that I had my topic: Child Labor (focused on Argentina). After a good few hours of researching, pasting photos, word, and powerpoint, I was finally finished at 3am!!! Nearly an all-nighter here in Argentina. I went to bed exhausted and knowing that my alarm would ring WAY too soon!
I was up Wednesday morning around 6:30. :( Class was good though to see all the presentations and then I stayed at the office for a bit reading and working more on history timelines... Then it was off to spanish, which went as usual and had nothing super exciting. Then I went home for a nap and even skipped lunch to get a longer nap before Tango. Tango was nothing exciting (although our professor was back). She gave us more theory and technique notes for the exam and we continues practicing basic steps. At the end I was EXHAUSTED and only wanted to go home and sleep. Which I pretty much did. Sole had to work late, so we didn't eat until pretty late. I was practically asleep on the couch when they called me to dinner.
Thursday I woke up and dragged myself to history. Then it was back home for a quick lunch before going to my last volunteering session. :( I can't believe its over too! I am really going to miss these cute kids! We had fun playing with them and coloring to practice english words. Then I rushed home to meet with Christa in a cafe to work on our part of the sociology project. We managed to finish in a decent amount of time with the help of a few snacks and ICED coffee!!! Then I went back home to sit infront of the tv and relax! I watched a few shows with Sole and then headed to bed to catch up on all the sleep I've missed. It was nice to sleep in and since I did not have TOO much going on the next day.
In the next update look for all the details of our San Rafael getaway!
Have a great week!!! I hope to hear from you all soon.
All my love!
Monday began bright and early as I still had to finish writing responses to this week's home work assignment for history. However I finished with just enough time to get ready and go to class. Once there I immediately asked myself why I had gotten up early to make it to class "on time". The professor was of course about 30-45 minutes late as well. He then collected all our assignments and proceeded to call every student by name through the list to observe how many absent days they had acquired and if they were eligible to participate in the class still... Here if you miss more than 25% of the classes you fail the class and have to take it again. For history that meant more than 6 missed classes and it was amazing to me that the approximately 35 Argentineans we had started with were down to less than 15!!! At any rate, we spent the rest of class going through and analyzing students. He didn't even bother to look at the 8 of us and we left shaking our heads and wondering why we had bothered going to class...oh yeah, to turn in our assignments. :( As usual it was off to spanish class. We're down to just 2 more after today and then the final. I can't believe its almost over. Feels like just yesterday that we had arrived from BA and were trying to find our way to spanish class during the first week (remember how frustrated I was with the busses? How much time I spent waiting on them?). After class I went immediately home to work on studying for Sociology. With all the history over the weekend, I hadn't had much time to study for my huge exam! If I pass this exam with a 78% or better and pass at least 75% my class work I won't have to take the oral final!!! Therefore, lots of enticement to study. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) Sole had a couple friends over for dinner (including my uncle Fernando) so I didn't get quite as much studying done as I would've liked before dinner. It was absolutely delicious! We had some type of fish with a white sauce on top, mushrooms in a white wine sauce on the side, bread, and salad. It was SUPER good! Right after dinner it was off to bed for me.
I woke up Tuesday morning and managed to get some studying done before heading off to Development class at the office. As my schedule has gotten gradually busier with the extreme amount of studying, I have begun taking the trolley more often and walking less in order to save time. Its also hard to convince myself to walk when its in the 80's or 90's outside. Class went pretty smoothly. We're talking about the period of Peronism, which I find fascinating, so it was a good class. Then it was straight back home to eat and study. I missed my siesta studying and then went to class hoping that I had prepared enough for the exam. We reviewed a few things before beginning and then the prof handed out our tests... I felt like it went pretty well, but I can never be sure. I know I lost a few points (left one space blank) but overall I felt like it was a decently easy exam. Now I just have to wait for the results... After we met with our group quickly to work out details of the project and headed for home. Christa and I are going to meet on Thursday afternoon to complete our part and mail it in. Hooray for doing an entire project through e-mail! After the exam I went home to work on my final project for Childhood. With all the other work this week, I hadn't even started it! I have a presentation and paper due tomorrow and haven't even started it. The good news was that I had my topic: Child Labor (focused on Argentina). After a good few hours of researching, pasting photos, word, and powerpoint, I was finally finished at 3am!!! Nearly an all-nighter here in Argentina. I went to bed exhausted and knowing that my alarm would ring WAY too soon!
I was up Wednesday morning around 6:30. :( Class was good though to see all the presentations and then I stayed at the office for a bit reading and working more on history timelines... Then it was off to spanish, which went as usual and had nothing super exciting. Then I went home for a nap and even skipped lunch to get a longer nap before Tango. Tango was nothing exciting (although our professor was back). She gave us more theory and technique notes for the exam and we continues practicing basic steps. At the end I was EXHAUSTED and only wanted to go home and sleep. Which I pretty much did. Sole had to work late, so we didn't eat until pretty late. I was practically asleep on the couch when they called me to dinner.
Thursday I woke up and dragged myself to history. Then it was back home for a quick lunch before going to my last volunteering session. :( I can't believe its over too! I am really going to miss these cute kids! We had fun playing with them and coloring to practice english words. Then I rushed home to meet with Christa in a cafe to work on our part of the sociology project. We managed to finish in a decent amount of time with the help of a few snacks and ICED coffee!!! Then I went back home to sit infront of the tv and relax! I watched a few shows with Sole and then headed to bed to catch up on all the sleep I've missed. It was nice to sleep in and since I did not have TOO much going on the next day.
In the next update look for all the details of our San Rafael getaway!
Have a great week!!! I hope to hear from you all soon.
All my love!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
WInding Down and Appreciating New Lessons
Hey everyone! SO...as you all know I'm VERY behind on these blog entries... Terribly sorry for those of you who constantly check this for new information. :( I will try my very best to get caught up soon, especially since I am heading for home 2 weeks from today! Can't even believe it. But, let me take you back to the very first week of November...
Monday morning in history started with a discussion about the book we blazed through over the weekend and then we left for spanish. After the traditional stop at our favorite vegetarian restaurant we were off to spanish class. It was the same as usual. Exercises in class and a little bit of home work. Its hard to believe we're winding down the semester already and getting close to the end. After class I walked home and enjoyed a lovely lunch and nap. With no sociology class tomorrow (courtesy of passing both the partials and not needing to take the make-up exam) I didn't have much to study for. However, I did have the history exam hanging over my head for Thursday... As a result, I spent lots of time working on the massive timeline I seem to be developing in order to get my thoughts in order for this class. Overall it was a relatively relaxing evening with little excitement.
Tuesday I didn't have anything to do until Regional Development at 1pm, so I slept in and worked on some more work in the morning. After it was back to the house for lunch and a nap. I'm still amazed at how much I sleep here and I know I'm going to miss siestas when I get back. In the afternoon I worked on some more history and spanish home work. I also attempted to come up with a plan for my final project in my childhood class... We are supposed to have our ideas formulated by tomorrow, but I just haven't found mine yet. I also got to register for my DU winter classes today!!! It was super exciting to pick them out and have plans finalized. What a gift to already know when my finals are for the end of the quarter. All the uncertainty here has really made me appreciate the organization of DU and our USA schooling system. As much as I love my life here and all the people, I don't think I could ever stay another semester just because I can't imagine putting up with another semester of the school system. It was a relatively early night with such early classes as usual on Wednesday.
Our class went smoothly as usual at 8am and after Louisa and I didn't have much to do so we walked to spanish SUPER early and sat in the sun talking about our lives, the semester, things at home, classes, etc. She's such a wonderful friend and I'm really excited to hang out with her when we get back. Lucky there are so many CO students in the program both from DU and CC. I guess the rivalry will remain strictly for hockey... :) After a lovely few hours "studying" and practicing our spanish skills, it was time for spanish class. Our professor wasn't there on time (the very first time for her) and so we all sat and talked for nearly 45 minutes about the classes we'd registered for, what we're looking forward to back in the US, the first things we're going to eat or do. I swear these conversations get longer and more detailed every time we have them. We spent a good 20 minutes just talking about all the things we're looking forward to with school. What an insight this experience has given me into the type of school system I can function in. How different the 2 places are. For example, when I get back to DU, I know that I will receive a detailed syllabus on the first day of class with dates of exams, projects, final, and other important/non-negotiable information. The professor will be in class on time and probably early, If class is going to be cancelled, I will likely receive an e-mail before. Should the teacher not show up in the first 15 minutes, I have every right to leave because class is then considered cancelled. I will have a book to read from instead of disorganized photocopies that may or may not be in the photocopier. And the list goes on. It made me very grateful for the education and opportunities I do have back in the states. After spanish it was back home for the usual quick lunch and nap before Tango. Class went just fine, although the teacher didn't show up...so we were taught by some of the students and worked on basic steps. I feel like this instruction would've been very useful at the beginning of the semester with all the technique and basics, but I understand that they were just trying to get the choreography done for the show. After a shorter class I left to go find my sociology group at Congreso, but to no avail... Instead I somehow missed them. We have a rather large project due next Tuesday, and I am hoping to get as much done as possible before then. Unfortunately I still don't know what part I'll be responsible for. At the apartment, I had possibly the more Argentinean afternoon yet. While studying history and searching every author on Wikipedia (which is a perfectly acceptable source here) I drank mate (the local tea) and ate crackers with dulce de leche. It really doesn't get much more Argentinean than that. :) I feel pretty prepared for the exam tomorrow and honestly I'm just looking forward to being done with it all. THe evening was rather relaxing and I was in bed at a very decent hour.
Thursday I arrived in history very nervous and spent our usual time waiting on the professor studying my notes and reviewing concepts. Class was interesting with a little new information about some of the modern thinkers and the slides are supposed to be in the photocopier later this week... We'll see if that actually happens. The next partial is coming up along with the rest of what I have dubbed "Hell Week with a Focus on History". After class, we waited until everyone had left and then the professor began with me. Asking questions about the 2 books we had read by "Maquievelo" and "Moro". I was nervous to describe them, especially cause one of my friends, Nico, was in the class listening too...but it went smoothly. The professor also collected our timelines and breezed over them looking for dates and people. She said mine was very complete and for the first time in that class I felt proud of my work. I felt awful for 2 of my other friends though, Deven and Caitlin. Both of them didn't pass the first partial and we had all thought from an e-mail that was sent to us that they would get a second chance today too, but unfortunately that wasn't the case, and the professor told them that they would just have to take the make-up exam. :( It didn't seem fair at all that Dylan and I (who had clearly gotten a second chance) would pass the first exam and the other 2 wouldn't. After class it was back home for a birthday celebration in honor of my Aunt Paola. Sole made a wonderful lunch and surprised her with a couple friends at the house. It was a lot of fun and even though I didn't say much the whole meal it was nice to be included and to just be there. I've gotten pretty attached to my Argentinean family and I know its going to be super hard to say goodbye. After lunch it was off to volunteer work. I arrived slightly late, but happy to be there. Unfortunately a not so lovely sight awaited me. Hundreds of donated eggs had been placed in the study room and since a vast majority of them were destroyed, broken, or at least cracked, they had attracted an enormous amount of flies... It was like walking through a buzzing cloud to get to the tables and it almost made me sick to keep swatting at them for 2 hours or to try to walk around the room. Some of the women were going through the crates and throwing away the ones that were completely destroyed, but lots of them remained and when the kids started leaving at the end of the day each child was sent home with a crate of eggs. Usually I look forward to my time at Brazos Abiertos, but today I couldn't wait to leave. With the heat and the flies I had had enough! I happily left at 5 and came back to the apartment for a much needed nap. I then proceeded to relax through the evening and watched an absurd number of movies on TV before heading off to bed.
Friday I spent a decent amount of time working on assignments for history and catching up on sleep. I didn't really feel like going out, so I stayed in for the night. It was nice to finally have a day to just relax and chill. Of course I did also spend time studying for my Sociology exam that is upcoming this next Tuesday. The next few weeks will certainly be trying, so it was really nice to have some time to lay back and breathe before diving right into it.
Saturday I again spent the time studying and working on home work and other assignments. Between all I have to do this next week, my hours were certainly filled. By the time it reached the evening, Sole thought I had had enough time studying for the day and practically sent me out of the house. "You're going out tonight," she said, "Too much studying isn't good for your brain." So with that I left to meet up with a friend Lisa for drinks and to chat. It took us forever to find one another and by the end I was frustrated, but we finally connected and sat down for peach daiquiris and a brownie dessert. It was really fun and we sat and talked for a few house about upcoming exams, classes, the semester, etc. I think its just starting to hit everyone how fast the semester has gone and yet we don't really have time to think about it yet with finals bearing down upon us.
Sunday was completely devoted to history studying. In the afternoon I met up with 2 friends at our favorite local bakery for a study session of history and to complete our timelines. It was quite the project and took us nearly 5 hours!!! Needless to say when I got back to the house I had a history headache, but was no where near done. Turns out that the professor had decided he wanted a written piece about each of our book discussions along with the home work for Monday. As a result, I spent the late hours of Sunday night and early into Monday morning finishing my written version of the assignment from last week, my timeline, and the assignment for the next day. Oh that which does not kill us makes us stronger...or just hate political theory...or appreciate the US system... The lessons I'm learning. :)
Things to look forward to in the next week/blog: Sociology Global (could mean the end of the class for me), Childhood Final (written and presentation), a weekend escape with the program to San Rafael. :)
Hope everyone is doing well! I miss you all bunches and can't wait to see you in a short time!
All my love!
Monday morning in history started with a discussion about the book we blazed through over the weekend and then we left for spanish. After the traditional stop at our favorite vegetarian restaurant we were off to spanish class. It was the same as usual. Exercises in class and a little bit of home work. Its hard to believe we're winding down the semester already and getting close to the end. After class I walked home and enjoyed a lovely lunch and nap. With no sociology class tomorrow (courtesy of passing both the partials and not needing to take the make-up exam) I didn't have much to study for. However, I did have the history exam hanging over my head for Thursday... As a result, I spent lots of time working on the massive timeline I seem to be developing in order to get my thoughts in order for this class. Overall it was a relatively relaxing evening with little excitement.
Tuesday I didn't have anything to do until Regional Development at 1pm, so I slept in and worked on some more work in the morning. After it was back to the house for lunch and a nap. I'm still amazed at how much I sleep here and I know I'm going to miss siestas when I get back. In the afternoon I worked on some more history and spanish home work. I also attempted to come up with a plan for my final project in my childhood class... We are supposed to have our ideas formulated by tomorrow, but I just haven't found mine yet. I also got to register for my DU winter classes today!!! It was super exciting to pick them out and have plans finalized. What a gift to already know when my finals are for the end of the quarter. All the uncertainty here has really made me appreciate the organization of DU and our USA schooling system. As much as I love my life here and all the people, I don't think I could ever stay another semester just because I can't imagine putting up with another semester of the school system. It was a relatively early night with such early classes as usual on Wednesday.
Our class went smoothly as usual at 8am and after Louisa and I didn't have much to do so we walked to spanish SUPER early and sat in the sun talking about our lives, the semester, things at home, classes, etc. She's such a wonderful friend and I'm really excited to hang out with her when we get back. Lucky there are so many CO students in the program both from DU and CC. I guess the rivalry will remain strictly for hockey... :) After a lovely few hours "studying" and practicing our spanish skills, it was time for spanish class. Our professor wasn't there on time (the very first time for her) and so we all sat and talked for nearly 45 minutes about the classes we'd registered for, what we're looking forward to back in the US, the first things we're going to eat or do. I swear these conversations get longer and more detailed every time we have them. We spent a good 20 minutes just talking about all the things we're looking forward to with school. What an insight this experience has given me into the type of school system I can function in. How different the 2 places are. For example, when I get back to DU, I know that I will receive a detailed syllabus on the first day of class with dates of exams, projects, final, and other important/non-negotiable information. The professor will be in class on time and probably early, If class is going to be cancelled, I will likely receive an e-mail before. Should the teacher not show up in the first 15 minutes, I have every right to leave because class is then considered cancelled. I will have a book to read from instead of disorganized photocopies that may or may not be in the photocopier. And the list goes on. It made me very grateful for the education and opportunities I do have back in the states. After spanish it was back home for the usual quick lunch and nap before Tango. Class went just fine, although the teacher didn't show up...so we were taught by some of the students and worked on basic steps. I feel like this instruction would've been very useful at the beginning of the semester with all the technique and basics, but I understand that they were just trying to get the choreography done for the show. After a shorter class I left to go find my sociology group at Congreso, but to no avail... Instead I somehow missed them. We have a rather large project due next Tuesday, and I am hoping to get as much done as possible before then. Unfortunately I still don't know what part I'll be responsible for. At the apartment, I had possibly the more Argentinean afternoon yet. While studying history and searching every author on Wikipedia (which is a perfectly acceptable source here) I drank mate (the local tea) and ate crackers with dulce de leche. It really doesn't get much more Argentinean than that. :) I feel pretty prepared for the exam tomorrow and honestly I'm just looking forward to being done with it all. THe evening was rather relaxing and I was in bed at a very decent hour.
Thursday I arrived in history very nervous and spent our usual time waiting on the professor studying my notes and reviewing concepts. Class was interesting with a little new information about some of the modern thinkers and the slides are supposed to be in the photocopier later this week... We'll see if that actually happens. The next partial is coming up along with the rest of what I have dubbed "Hell Week with a Focus on History". After class, we waited until everyone had left and then the professor began with me. Asking questions about the 2 books we had read by "Maquievelo" and "Moro". I was nervous to describe them, especially cause one of my friends, Nico, was in the class listening too...but it went smoothly. The professor also collected our timelines and breezed over them looking for dates and people. She said mine was very complete and for the first time in that class I felt proud of my work. I felt awful for 2 of my other friends though, Deven and Caitlin. Both of them didn't pass the first partial and we had all thought from an e-mail that was sent to us that they would get a second chance today too, but unfortunately that wasn't the case, and the professor told them that they would just have to take the make-up exam. :( It didn't seem fair at all that Dylan and I (who had clearly gotten a second chance) would pass the first exam and the other 2 wouldn't. After class it was back home for a birthday celebration in honor of my Aunt Paola. Sole made a wonderful lunch and surprised her with a couple friends at the house. It was a lot of fun and even though I didn't say much the whole meal it was nice to be included and to just be there. I've gotten pretty attached to my Argentinean family and I know its going to be super hard to say goodbye. After lunch it was off to volunteer work. I arrived slightly late, but happy to be there. Unfortunately a not so lovely sight awaited me. Hundreds of donated eggs had been placed in the study room and since a vast majority of them were destroyed, broken, or at least cracked, they had attracted an enormous amount of flies... It was like walking through a buzzing cloud to get to the tables and it almost made me sick to keep swatting at them for 2 hours or to try to walk around the room. Some of the women were going through the crates and throwing away the ones that were completely destroyed, but lots of them remained and when the kids started leaving at the end of the day each child was sent home with a crate of eggs. Usually I look forward to my time at Brazos Abiertos, but today I couldn't wait to leave. With the heat and the flies I had had enough! I happily left at 5 and came back to the apartment for a much needed nap. I then proceeded to relax through the evening and watched an absurd number of movies on TV before heading off to bed.
Friday I spent a decent amount of time working on assignments for history and catching up on sleep. I didn't really feel like going out, so I stayed in for the night. It was nice to finally have a day to just relax and chill. Of course I did also spend time studying for my Sociology exam that is upcoming this next Tuesday. The next few weeks will certainly be trying, so it was really nice to have some time to lay back and breathe before diving right into it.
Saturday I again spent the time studying and working on home work and other assignments. Between all I have to do this next week, my hours were certainly filled. By the time it reached the evening, Sole thought I had had enough time studying for the day and practically sent me out of the house. "You're going out tonight," she said, "Too much studying isn't good for your brain." So with that I left to meet up with a friend Lisa for drinks and to chat. It took us forever to find one another and by the end I was frustrated, but we finally connected and sat down for peach daiquiris and a brownie dessert. It was really fun and we sat and talked for a few house about upcoming exams, classes, the semester, etc. I think its just starting to hit everyone how fast the semester has gone and yet we don't really have time to think about it yet with finals bearing down upon us.
Sunday was completely devoted to history studying. In the afternoon I met up with 2 friends at our favorite local bakery for a study session of history and to complete our timelines. It was quite the project and took us nearly 5 hours!!! Needless to say when I got back to the house I had a history headache, but was no where near done. Turns out that the professor had decided he wanted a written piece about each of our book discussions along with the home work for Monday. As a result, I spent the late hours of Sunday night and early into Monday morning finishing my written version of the assignment from last week, my timeline, and the assignment for the next day. Oh that which does not kill us makes us stronger...or just hate political theory...or appreciate the US system... The lessons I'm learning. :)
Things to look forward to in the next week/blog: Sociology Global (could mean the end of the class for me), Childhood Final (written and presentation), a weekend escape with the program to San Rafael. :)
Hope everyone is doing well! I miss you all bunches and can't wait to see you in a short time!
All my love!
Even MORE Photos!
Hey everyone! So I uploaded more photos today and now they are up to date again. I did change the name of the album to Study Abroad #2, but all the pics are there. I just FINALLY finished up with my finals this week and my family came out to visit, so I have not had ANY time to write. :( That is part of the plan for this weekend! Hopefully look for more blogs soon!
Miss you!
All my love.
Miss you!
All my love.
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