Almost at the End...

At the casa rosada!




Noche de museos!

I can't believe it has been two weeks since I last updated! I have been so busy with the end of the year for school, finals and trying to do everything before my time in mi querido Buenos Aires runs out! (only 3 more weeks to go)

I will mostly update on the key things of the past two weeks:
I have been working like crazy for Susana, who is in need of translations for her upcoming thesis which she needs to turn in the day I leave. Because of that, I have been literally busting my butt off trying to get things done for her in time. She is a sweetheart and I adore her, but she also gives me tons of work and sometimes it's a little hard to keep up. Surprisingly, she offered me a position at the school she is a director of, for a year, where she will pay for an apartment for me and three friends and we would be payed very generously. As much as I love Buenos Aires and as tempting as it is, I can't know how things will play out, and I do not want to live here for an extended period of time again. The city is actually really dangerous, and the lifestyle here is very tiring. I kind of miss the US! (yes, I said it)

Besides that, I have also been working at the English institute, teaching underprivileged kids. It has been an amazing experience, but unfortunately the last class is this coming Monday. I will really miss all the great people I've met there.

About two weekends ago, I met up with McKenzie to tour a little bit of Buenos Aires, and hit up some spots I've been missing (regrettably my whole life). We met up for breakfast in San Telmo and later went to the San Telmo fair, which is absolutely huge and runs a while neighborhood wide. It was also the anniversary of the fair, so tons of people were dressed up in costumes celebrating and having fun. It was really great, and very funny. After we got our shopping done, we landed right at the Casa Rosada, which is the Argentine White House. We decided to get closer and see if by any chance they were doing tours, and we were so happy to find out that they were! So we toured that, and when we finished we headed over to the Rose Garden in central Palermo.
The Rose Garden was unlike anything else I have ever seen, it was so beautiful and kind of seemed out of place for a busy and dirty city like BA. But it was still awesome, and was made even more awesome by the fact that McKenzie and I decided to rent a rowboat! The day was perfect, and I definitely saw a lot more than I thought I would at the beginning of the day.

A lot of my time, regrettably, has been spent at Starbucks and parks the last couple of days. I have shared a lot of Starbucks time with PoLin, Heidi, Katie and Becca, and lovely park days with Rebecca!
Becca and I are also planning a trip to Mar Del Plata (beautiful beach just outside of BA) for the first weekend in December. It will be spectacular and definitely needed! It's so crazy that we will soon be home in Baltimore.

A week or so ago, the girls and I also attended the Noche de Museos (Night of Museums), which was made up of all museums in Buenos Aires open until about three or four AM and for that one night, they were all free. Although I only went to two (I was tired!), it was awesome to walk around the streets that late and see so many people out. Everyone was taking advantage and the thought of going to a museum late at night was actually pretty cool.

This past Monday night we attended La Bomba De Tiempo concert, where about 6 or 7 persons play different acoustic instruments and create awesome folkloric kind of dances. It was very lively and enjoyable.

Tomorrow is a very hectic day. In the morning I will be going to UP to sign up for finals, then come back home to make a delicious dessert for thanksgiving and then head over to Po's for some shopping for dinner. We will be making asado (bbq) instead of a turkey, since turkeys are really hard to find here, but of course, we will add our own little twist!
Tomorrow night I am going to spend the night at my grandparents' house, since Friday morning MY MOM ARRIVES IN BUENOS AIRES!!! I am so excited, and I can't wait to share the last three weeks of my trip with her! Much more to come once she gets here.

Hasta luego amigitos <3

Joint Blog

By the way, check out an amazing joint blog, created by four american girls abroad in Argentina (I'm one of them), as we take on the hilarity of cat calls in Buenos Aires!

www.quehermosasos.blogspot.com

Gauchitos

I'm finally back to update about the craziness which has taken place after Halloween.
I'm sorry I haven't updated, but my last week of school (yes I'm FINALLY finished!), was one from hell.

Let me just preface this entry, by mentioning that the school system in Argentina is WAY different than the one in the US. While lectures, homeworks and readings are all basically the same, the classes are not only 3 hours, but you must pass the class as a whole AND the mid-term in order to be able to take the final. If you fail the mid-term, then you fail the class, which means you can not take the final for a chance to raise your grade. This means, I had to make sure I not only showed up to at least 80% of classes, but that I studied my butt off for my mid-terms. It was a very tough week.
And this all happened the week after Halloween.

Mon-Thur: International Relations, Spanish, Society and Culture, History, Public Relations presentation, Public Relations mid-term and a Society and Culture presentation which included a 7-page outline. This was why I couldn't update.

Once it was all over, the girls and I decided to head off to San Antonio de Areco, for the yearly Gaucho Festival. The festival is made up of thousands of people from around the country, meeting up at an estancia or ranch, to celebrate the traditional culture of the Gauchos, aka south american cowboys. After eating a delicious choripan at a cute local restaurant, the Gauchos paraded in with their horses, traditional attire (white shirts, black pants, burettes), and lounged around all day, drinking beer and inviting ladies for a ride on their horses. Heidi, Katie, Amelia, Po and I all had our turns! It was a blast, and I definitely got my wish to ride a horse while in Argentina. They also threw tons of piropos our way, and wanted our numbers (which were obviously not provided). The bus ride was pleasant and cheap, and it was a very good day overall.

Also this past weekend, I visited Maru and Gaby at their country club home for Erin's birthday. The party was on Friday, and I was asked to chaperon all the kids on the bus from school to the country club. It was quite an experience, Argentine children are very loud and actually quite potty-mouthed. Let's just say the arrival brought me a sigh of relief. It was a beautiful day out and the party lasted until dusk, and later that night I slept over. It was very relaxing, I always enjoy my time out in the country.

I also want to mention that last week I began working as an English teacher, and it has been wonderful so far. The kids are attentive and willing to learn and honestly, I couldn't ask for more! They listen to what I have to say and seem genuinly interested in learning the English language. The classes go by fast, and I never run out of things to talk about them. They are so interested in learning about America!
The director of the program, Eugenia, recommended me for a job with one of her friends, translating a thesis she's working on. I met with Susan on Monday at a local coffee shop and she offered me the job, which I am excited for it will help me with my finances until I leave! It is definitely much needed!

Now that I am done with school, I will have to focus on helping Susana, but I also want to cross things off my bucket list in Argentina. My mom is actually heading over here in 2 weeks, so once she arrives I will most likely be with her most days. First thing I will be checking off: Puerto Madero as the girls and I will be seeing Social Network there on Friday!

Until the next one mis amigositos! <3

Halloween

lost!

lost!

pre-club lost!

angie!


What a crazy week! I know I say this every week, but this week it is actually true.

Last weekend was definitely a blast. On Friday night I went out with Heidi, Angie and Angie's friends to a club and it was quite fun. There are many stories of the night, and Heidi and I ended up being out till close to 6:30 am. It was one of my latest nights in a long time. Saturday we celebrated Po's birthday once again by singing some Karaoke and going to the club Lost afterwards. It was my first time ever karaoke-ing and I can honestly say it was a blast! We sang anywhere from "Like A Virgin" to "Never Going To Give You Up" by Rick Astley. I really enjoyed it, and to me, her birthday was a blast! (And we all looked fabulous!).

Unfortunately, following an amazing weekend, I got sick. Very sick. Much sicker than I've been in a long time. It started out as a sore throat and then turned into a runny nose, fever, nausea, basically the whole deal. And it has been this way for the past four days. Four days of being a house prisoner, since till today I could not get out of bed. Still though, I've had presentations, mid-terms and regular classes this week so I had to go. Luckily, Wednesday was a "feriado" or holiday because of the national census. Like in the U.S., Argentina only does a census every ten years, but unfortunately in order to do it, their system is to shut down the entire country, declare it a national holiday and force everyone to stay home. So basically, for the duration of the day, all hospitals, kiosks, restaurants, malls, parks, grocery stores, and even gas stations were closed. Nothing and no one was moving. It was one of the quietest days I've ever had in my life. At the same time, I was dying for some ibuprofen to relieve my fever, and you can imagine my frustration to not find a single pharmacy open. It was a day from hell. In addition, ex-Argentine president Nestor Kirchner passed away on the same day, so the news took up every single channel on TV, leaving me with nothing to watch but pictures and talks of the manifestations forming at Plaza De Mayo. I hope to never repeat a day like that again.

Today I actually got out of bed (despite the tsunami-like rain), and headed over to my grandparents' to get some money, and after I had an interview at a teaching center. I interviewed to volunteer in teaching underprivileged kids English, every Monday and Wednesday night. Luckily, I got the job! I am very excited to start THIS Monday. Woo!

Tonight, even though it is Halloween weekend, I will be staying in to make sure that I fully recover. Tomorrow though, I plan on taking my costume for a night out on the town with the girls. I can not believe that Halloween is already here, and that it is almost November. I will be arriving home in less than 7 weeks! It sounds so wild to me, time has gone by so fast. My mom is coming to visit on Thanksgiving, and I just can't believe that's right around the corner. I am so excited!

Colonia

I'm sorry to all my readers for taking so long in updating this week, but school work is really piling up on me! (and it doesn't help that I didn't take a minute out of my weekend to do it)

So I'll skip through my last week of classes since nothing major happened and I'll get to the good stuff. Friday I met up with Becca at the heart of the city and we walked along Florida Ave and settled into a McDonald's. After we order our delicious coffees, we sat to discuss some issues we had been having and made up, which was great! After our reconciliation we headed over to Florida Ave again and decided to do some street shopping, since I hadn't been after my robbery. I absolutely love el centro!
That night I invited Becca to sleep over, and the next day we headed to the feria in front of my house, right at Parque Centenario. The fair was good, and we found some amazing stuff! (Becca got a Louis!). I had taken Nano (my scottish terrier) with us, so after the feria we sat down at a cute cafe outside and had lunch. Nano made friends really quickly! Following lunch, I decided to take Becca to the Abasto shopping mall, which I was sure she had never been to. I was right. There is a type of dave & buster's place upstairs and we decided to hit up a few games. We had a blast being kids again! We even went on the ferris wheel! The day was concluded with a dinner at Plaza del Carmen.

Sunday was a beautiful day, made by the fact that I traveled to Uruguay! About 3 days before, I decided to go to Colonia, Uruguay but I didn't want to do it alone, so I asked my friend McKenzie who I had only seen a couple of times in BA to come with me. We ended up leaving around 8am to go to the port and our boat left at 9. The ride was pleasant and calming, and once we arrived in Colonia, we saw how beautiful it really is! Pictures do not do it justice. The whole historical district of colonia is very narrow and stretched, but to get through it all walking is about an hour. It's very tiny but so beautiful! The water stretches on for miles and it is very colonial and calm. It was a perfect day. I came home exhausted.

Monday was miss PoLin's BIRTHDAY!! We celebrated by going to an awesome thai restaurant in palermo and it was so great to see all the girls after so long! Katie, Heidi, Amelia, Po and I had a lovely dinner and even lovelier drinks! I love girl nights! Her birthday will be followed by some karaoke and boliche this weekend!
Before PoLin's birthday dinner, I met up with Kait! Kait is a girl I met at goucher (back in the day), and she studied abroad in the spring of last year. When I arrived in July, she was still here and we attempted to see each other but it was a bit difficult. She came back now for a week and invited me out for some coffee in the old opera house turned book store! It was absolutely gorgeous and seeing Kait was amazing! She has such an amazing connection to Argentina, and I'm so glad she can see all its beauty. She also has a fabulous argentine man, so who could blame her for wanting to come back?

The past week in school has been awful, since midterms have taken over and will take over next week as well. This week I had Relaciones Internacionales and Sociedad y Cultura. Next week: Relaciones Publicas y Historia de Civilizacion y Cultura. Que bueno no? So, mis amores, this is what I blame for not being able to update. Until the end of next week will also be very hectic, so I'm sorry if I can not update for a while, once again. I promise as soon as all this crazyness is over, I will come back!
Until then, mucho amor <3

Lemon Pie!

Another week has come and gone, and we're winding down to the last two months of my trip. Crazy!
Before I continue, I just want to once again make a shot out to mi novio Mickey =) He has stood and stuck by me throughout my entire trip and so he is amazing for that!

I won't share much about my week sitting in classes, so I'll just skip over to Thursday. Thursday like any other day, I went to classes and later joined Heidi for a shopping trip in once in preparation for her up-coming Cordona Oktoberfest vacation! I finally learned the craziness that is that area, and how much shopping can be done there! After we were done, we were surprised by Katie and PoLin! It was wonderful to FINALLY be able to catch up, and I told PoLin about the amazing shopping and so we decided to take a trip during the weekend.

Friday I met up with my uncle Gabriel, and we had lunch at the very cute restaurant Anamora, two blocks away from Tribunales. It was nice to just sit and talk, and make plans for next weekend since my girls are leaving me for a trip to Puerto Madryn. After that I headed over to Belgrano to visit my grandparents and pick up some much needed money for the weekend. I walked around Cabildo Ave and headed off to meet PoLin for dinner to discuss our girly weekend since Heidi and Katie would be gone.

Saturday, I met PoLin at Once once again and we shopped till we dropped. Literally. Once has some of the cheapest clothes in the entire world, and it was really nice to be able to get some Argentine style clothing. While everything is very unorganized and kind of sketchy, it's definitely an adventure. I very much enjoyed it and I know Po found some good stuff! That night, we had an AMAZING parillada where we had an all-you-can-eat meat dinner. Yum. Nothing is better than Argentine asado. The following day was another girly day at the salon, and later at Sugar bar where we met up with Amelia (yay!). Amelia also goes to GW, like Po, and is from California. She will be staying in Buenos Aires for a year, and she is absolutely the nicest girl. I am so glad I got to hangout with her this weekend!

Today, since it was a national holiday, we did not have classes, and instead Po, Amelia and I met up at the Belgrano Train Station and headed over to San Isidro outside of the city, for some clean air and a picnic! It was a beautiful 70ish degrees outside and we enjoyed it at a local park. And we didn't get up once. We headed back on the train around 6pm, and headed straight home. We were exhausted.

Tomorrow, I also don't have school and I plan on studying my culo off for my very-soon-i'm-freaking-out midterms. They start next week and go until Oct. 28th. Classes end Nov. 10th. Finals start Dec. 1st. Everything is piling up and I need to get it done!
Next weekend since the girls will be gone (including Amelia), I plan on not only catching up on work, but also seeing my family who I have not seen in a while. Monday is Po's birthday so I have to be ready to celebrate! (Wait till you see her in the dress we picked up from Once). Will definitely be updating next weekend after the 18th.
Muchisimos besos!

When I Fall in Love...

What a week! I can't believe it's already October! Only two-ish months to go on my Argentinean adventure. So crazy!

Since I haven't really talked about the things I do not enjoy so much about Buenos Aires, I wanted to do a bit of rant here (skip over it if you don't feel like reading my whining).

The colectivos aka bus system here is amazing. Absolutely amazing. There is about 150 colectivos in this city and with that many you'd think that they'd be completely reliable and available every 10-15 minutes right? Nope. As much as I love my trusty friend colectivo 92, sometimes it takes my dear friend almost 40 minutes to come by. Yup. So, if by any chance I have anything to do and I'm running late (which unfortunately happens too often), I sometimes don't even cut it close. Then, ironically enough, once it comes THREE more follow behind it, and I've figured out why. You see the Argentine population is very chatty, friendly, and always looking to socialize. That becomes a bit of a problem when it comes to colectivo drivers, since they like to drive side by side so that at EVERY red light they can chat with each other and discuss sports, family and how much they hate their jobs. They have no shame in anything they say, and all the passengers get to hear their entire conversations. As a result, you get four to five colectivos at once, and there's nothing to be done about it.

That can be my one rant for this week. Now I can share about my week.

Mon-Thur were uneventful until Thursday night. Katie, Po, Heidi and I headed over to plaza del sol for some drink(s) and it was a night I was not expecting. Right after I arrived, a much older man started staring at Heidi and I, and shortly approached the table. He heard us speaking English and therefore decided that it was his chance to serenade us by singing When I Fall In Love by Rick Astley. Yup, he Rick Rolled us. In the middle of the bar. He later asked if he could take a seat, which Heidi accepted. Let's just say the rest of the night was mixed with Heidi talking to Daveed (David), and it became quickly uncomfortable. So much for girls' night out!

That night Po slept over and we watched one of my favorite movies as a child: Hocus Pocus! For those of you that don't know, Po, Heidi, KT and I were planning on being the three witches (and cat) of the movie for Halloween! While the plans have changed, that movie is probably still on my top ten list.

Friday, Po and I paroozed around Belgrano and later met up with Heidi and KT at mi casa and made the amazing postre which Po's host sister taught us to make! In case I didn't already mention it, it consists of angel food cake, dulce de leche, whipped cream, and strawberries. Layered up. Also, KT and Heidi attempted to make American chocolate cookies, which turned out kind of similar. So close.

That night Po and I had round two of sleepover fest.

Saturday was to be a relaxing day, but instead I did laundry and tidied up my room from the storm of sleepovers. I went grocery shopping and re-stocked my fridge and later got a surprise visit from my aunt Vivian, my uncle Sergio and my cousin Gus. We walked around parque centenario and made plans for an asado the next day!

Saturday night was a Kika night! As always, the girls and I started the night at the bar next door and later headed over to a night of dancing. The place was pumping, crowded and as always, impossible to breathe in. We had a great time dancing, and as true Argentines, our night did not end until close to 6:00am. The next day Heidi and I had to get up for asado at my family's at 12:30pm.

We took the bus 166 from Juan B. Justo y Santa Fe Av. and it was about a 40 min ride. It's nice to be able to know how to get outside the city from just one bus! The barbecue was amazing, and Gus even invited all his friends over to meet us. After dinner about 12 of us headed over to the local pool joint and sat and chatted while others played pool. It was really nice to hang with Argentines for once and to be able to learn some stuff from then. We've already made plans for birthdays, outings, etc!

Today I did not have Spanish again, so I caught up on my sleep from the weekend and caught up on tons of homework. This week coming up I have an intense meeting and session with my volunteering site and I will definitely have to update about next weekend. It will be exciting!

Till next time mis amorsitos! <3

Half Way Point

Before I begin telling you all about this week, I just want to mention that I am half way through my trip and I can't believe it! It's been an amazing 2 1/2 months and I know the next 2 1/2 months will be just as awesome!!!

So like I mentioned in my previous entry, last tuesday we didn't have school so Polin, Katie and I met up with other students to do what all argentines do on the national student day/first day of primavera or spring: picnic! I made my way to Las Heras Parque with my very trusty bus 92, and had a wonderful milanesa sandwich in the midst of birds and really warm weather.

It was perfect, and I am so thankful I brought my own sheet to sit on! Later, Katie, Po and I headed over to Alto Palermo, and enjoyed some very yummy (and missed!) Starbucks drinks which translated into going to see a movie. We went to see amor a distancia or in english "going the distance". Not much to say about this movie, except go see it- it's funny, romantic, heart warming and most importantly describes my life (And Po's for that matter).

Thursday also ended up being a day with no school for me, since my sociedad y cultura teacher was sick, and my historia de cultura y civilizacion class was taking a parcial (midterm) and so I was not to be there. I am having separate work, but I don't take the midterm with the rest of the class. It was a wonderful day to catch up on some reading and get some work done.

Now, I think this is the perfect time to address the issue of PIROPOS or a kind of pickup line which is very often either mouthed, whispered, told or shouted by the men of Buenos Aires to innocent girls walking by. While most of the time these lines are flattering, such as "chica hermosa" or "que linda que sos!", some can be just down right insulting. For example, of one of my good friends here (won't mention names, but you know who you are), was called "puta linda" which means "pretty whore". I mean, that's just wrong! And I have discussed this with my friends, a lot of us dread even walking by a group of men, more specifically construction workers, fruit and vegetable carriers and even paramedics. Today I got the most creative one of all, while a group of guys on the bus next to me, opened up their windows during a red light and made motions for me to open the window and shout things at me. What they didn't know was that the window was already open and I could hear everything. You never know who it will be, or what they will say, and sometimes it's not as flattering as other times.

Yesterday, after getting together with Maru, Heidi, Katie, Po and I headed up to "El Barrio Chino" or china town. While it is no where near as big as the one in NY or DC, it was pretty impressive, full of very cheap knick knacks to look at. We later had din din at one of the restaurants, and it was absolutely delicious. Although I like the chinese food at home more, I will have no problem settling for the one here.

Today, I met up with Polin to explore the Recoleta fair and look at all the awesome hand-made stuff by artisans. We both picked what we will bring loved ones and I can't wait to get it! The day ended by a yummy ice cream stop. Later, I met up with Becca and we grabbed a bite at one of the local pubs in plaza del sol which is usually pumping, but since it was a sunday- it kind of wasn't. Still it was nice to get to know a little bit more of the area.

Tomorrow my spanish teacher is sick, so I will be catching up on the work I avoided all weekend. Awesome (not). Until the next time mis amorsitos!

Villa Crespo!

At my new apartment! It's been an amazing week, with tons of new stuff since I am finally at my new place.

Last Wednesday, I had my grandpa and Po help me move in to my new pad and afterwards Katie and Heidi joined us to get some coffee and some groceries to stock up my fridge. Later Po stayed for a night of slumbering filled with conversations and The Notebook. I am so glad she stayed with me, because I can't handle a first night by myself!

The house is really really nice, and the family is very warm. I have my own space upstairs separate from the house, so it's really nice to just have some privacy (I lacked tons of at my grandparents'). The sun hits my room all day so I am always surrounded by sunlight and I never have to turn on a light during the day which I LOVE. Natural light is always the best =) Raquel is my host-mom and she has 4 kids, two which live here. Gabo is the youngest and he is a musician who plays in San Telmo on Wednesday nights and practices singing with his guitar almost 95% of every day. Laura is an elementary school teacher who is mostly MIA and I have only seen her twice since I moved here. They are both very nice, but I am definitely enjoying Raquel's company.

Raquel is a speech pathologist for children and has her office in the house. So, tons of times I've walked in to the living room to find about 12 kids playing with toys, waiting to see Raquel. A lot of them have disabilities such as autism and down syndrome, and it seems like she really helps them. I am very impressed by her work and her techniques.

Thursday Po and I hit up the subte to get to each of our schools, and I went to school and took my first ever successful colectivo ride home! The 92 bus is now my bestest friend. It literally takes me everywhere and it's so easy to ride for only ARG$1.20! (US$.40)

Friday I reunited with Sabrina and we spent the day at Plaza Serrano where lots of individual designers have their stores and there is also a fair right in the heart of the town. Being able to not only look at but also buy authentic and original pieces from up and coming designers in Buenos Aires was amazing, and I will definitely have to go back (with more money). Afterwards, we went to a Parilla Libre or an all-you-can-eat meat buffet for lunch. For the equivalent of $10USD we ate as much meat as our hearts desired and it was A LOT of meat. I was in a food coma for the rest of the day.

Saturday Heidi, Katie, Po and I headed to El Tigre which is in the outskirts of the city where you can sit by the water and walk by the streets full of cobblestones and vendors. It was absolutely amazing and it brought back a lot of childhood memories since I used to row there with my rowing team. As the captain I always chose the paths to row on, and that was always my favorite! Rowing is still my passion.

Saturday night was Dario's (my uncle's) birthday and we celebrated by going to his house and breaking fast with pizza, and it was DELICIOUS. His wife Laura made them from scratch, I'm going to need her to come over and cook for me.

Today I mostly caught up on some household chores, such as doing laundry and tidying up my new home. I laid out on the terrace and enjoyed the amazing weather which hit the 70s today! Spring is coming! Around 5pm I helped Becca move to her new home (yay!) and later had my aunt Vivian and my uncle Sergio come visit me and we had some very hot and yummy mate. They were really sweet and conversed with Raquel a lot. She really liked them.

Since this week the nice weather is coming and Tuesday is the national students' day so there is no school, I will be making the most out of my private terrace and laying out in the sun as much as possible. I absolutely love spring time.

GOL!

What a crazy hectic week and weekend!

On Tuesday the 7th, I went to the Argentina vs. Spain game with Heidi, Katie and Po! It was an experience unlike any other, and the Argentine spirit did not let me down. After four goals against one on the Spanish side, the crowd was happy and excited to have won against the champions of the world cup. The victory was followed by fireworks which were just as amazing

as the game itself!

Fireworks!

Celebrating one of the firsts goals!

The rest of the week went as usual, until Thursday. After classes, I met up with my uncle Gabriel to go to Rosh Hashana services and dinner. I went to services at a local synagogue called Lambrot HaKol and the service was absolutely amazing! I really liked the rabbi. Later, we celebrated at Maru's best friend's house located in Olivos. She has an amazing house which comfortably fit all 40 of her guests, and the food was amazing. The night went awesome, but it brought a lot of sadness to me when I saw everyone immersed in their families and all I wanted was to be with mine. I definitely got emotional and had to step outside for a couple of minutes. I would have loved to share it with my family and friends.

Friday I had a very girly day full of shopping and salon work, and then met up with my uncle again to head over to Maru's country club house for Rosh Hashana dinner with my step-uncle, step-aunt, my 5 year old cousin Ezequiel, and my step-grandmother and her husband. It was a lot of fun, and we stayed together until about 2 am. I slept over there on Friday night.

On Saturday I joined my uncle while he looked at apartments in the city and fell in love with the idea of one day living here. Not that I would actually go through with it because it's not what I want, but some of these apartments were gorgeous! We saw one really good one which I hope he gets. That night, we celebrated back at Maru's my aunt Vivian's birthday. It was nice to see them and my cousin Gus who I've only seen a couple of times since I got here. It was another 2 am night, followed by me finally coming home!

Last night, for my last weekend at my grandparents' house, we went to see a French movie at the Arteplex cinema near the apartment and later ate some delicious mozzarella cheese pizza for dinner. It was the perfect last night.

This week, there is nothing too major except for the fact that I am moving on Wednesday! The house will be very close to where I grew up while I lived here so I'm very excited to go back in time, sort of...I'll post pictures when I'm all set up.

Until next time amores!

Rain, Rain Go Away

Empanada making was HIGHLY successful, and we ended up making about 40, and eating 38 (We saved two for Po's host-sister and boyfriend!). Along with some delicious white wine, we were complete. (Pictures to come soon, as soon as Po chooses to download hers).

Saturday night the rain started and it did not stop until yesterday, making most of Buenos Aires extremely wet, and in many cases flooded. Puddles were extremely hard to avoid by Tuesday, and even harder to deal with on Wednesday. Thursday I gave up on going to school because not only do I find my Sociedad y Cultura class a COMPLETE waste of time, but the flooding halted the subte from working. It was quite a disaster.

So, my weekend started on Thursday and it really started. Po, Heidi, Katie and I decided we were very much missing Mexican food, so we dove into a restaurant called Tacos for dinner. The food was not so great but it was made up by an american bar called Sugar, where ladies night brings a $15 peso cover (the equivalent of almost $4USD) and an all-you-can-drink experience. The bar was very nicely located in the heart of Palermo Soho, and the drinks were very yummy. The atmosphere was chill and pleasant, definitely worth relaxing with. Although the rain brought us down a bit, the experience kept us warm!

Friday was our night of FUERZA BRUTA, another unique show in this city. Fuerza Bruta has made a name for itself all around the world, so it was highly recommended that we go see them. While I thought many of the acts were cool, it was also an extremely weird experience and very claustrophobic! After the show, the space was made into kind of a boliche with techno music and some showers (literally!) I was soaked by the end.

Last night I was in dire need of a night in, so I slumbered over at Po's. I never knew we could talk SO much. I arrived at 11:30ish and we talked until about 3:30 am. Wow! It was a much needed girls-night in.

Today, Heidi and I headed over to the Recoleta cemetery which I saw last week to meet up with Becca and McKenzie, but this time to visit the next door fair. There are hundreds of vendors all selling incredible handmade crafts. I bought myself a mate cup, which is very traditional and

common here.

I have come to realize in my almost eight weeks here, that I really don't appreciate home as much as I should. I really miss a lot of people from home and a lot of the aspects of home. Just simple things as having my own stuff in my own room and being able to jump in my car and go wherever, whenever, is so underappriciated.

I keep thinking about how my life is going to be when I get back to the states, all these fantasies, all these wishes. They're all so good, but I kind of want them NOW. Don't get me wrong, I love being here and there's very little I would give it up for, but you just don't know how much you miss home until you're not there anymore. It's so confusing. *Skip this if you're grossed out by mushiness*; I really want to just be with my man, day-to-day basis, having fun and just helping our relationship grow. That's what I daydream about! It's so difficult to do that from a distance. A relationship is really tested when it's done from the point that you can't even physically touch or emotionally bond in person, you are forced to talk with the person. It can be wonderful, but also extremely frustrating. Still, I wouldn't trade it for the WORLD =)

This week should bring a lot of fun adventures: soccer games (Argentina vs. Spain!), the jewish new year, country clubs and *hopefully* some relaxing.

Until next time!

Land of the Dead

Grandpa and Grandma at the Palermo Bosques (Lake and Forest)

In Recoleta. The door to the telephone booth said "uso exclusivo para superheroes" (use exclusively for super heroes!)

So it has been two weeks since I last updated (sorry!), but things have been slow and hectic at the same time.

Since my last entry, I have started school and kind-of gotten into a routine of some sort. My mondays are very short, just filled with spanish in the morning. In my spanish class there are about three girls from France, me, and about ten chinese kids. Now, while I sympathize with the chinitos for being new to the country and having to learn a latin language, I really do not think these kids should be in advanced spanish. Only about two of them can really comprehend what's going on, and the others just speak chinese to each other the entire class. It's really frustrating,

especially when we are paired up with them. Other than that, spanish is really boring.

Tuesdays are probably my toughest days, since I have to get up and out of bed by 6:30am and take the very busy subte to school. Once at my stop, I have to walk about 7-8 blocks to school, which I usually do half-jogging, half-walking. I then have my PR class for about three hours. I leave exhausted.

Wednesdays are just challenging, intellectually. I am in school from 10am until about 6pm. My day consists of spanish (snooze), sociedad y cultura (society and culture of the 21st century in Argentina), and a 3-hour lecture on relaciones internacionales (international relations). Now, while the classes themselves are not hard, trying to follow them in spanish and understand all of the technical terms, can be really hard. I don't think even a native can stay focused through a 3-

hour lecture. It's really torture.

Thursdays are my days of sociedad y cultura, and historia. History wouldn't bother me so much if the professor was not a 95-year old monotone man. Has anyone ever tried to sit through a 3 and 1/2 hour lecture with a monotone professor? By the end, I was drawing puzzles on my notes.

Since my fridays are free, I try to fill them up with as much fun as possible. Last friday I had to take on the annoying task of picking up my background check for my visa, and although it was very quick and easy, I really hate having that kind of chore, since people there are usually not the nicest. After picking that up, I got coffee with my tio Gabriel, and shortly after I headed home, but not before I received a call from Sabrina, one of my friends from elementary school here. She invited me to coffee at her house, and I headed over there around 6pm. Now, I

attempted to take my first colectivo (public bus) here, but it didn't quite work out as I hoped. The bus broke down halfway down to where I needed to get, so I had to get off and walk about

15-18 blocks. I was surprised to find that my memory of my childhood served me well, since I found my way just with my photographic memory. Sabrina's house is located near my childhood apartment, so it was very nostalgic. I arrived at her house, and saw her family that I hadn't seen since I was 10 years old. It was really nice, and we decided to meet up for drinks later that night. After coffee, I headed over to Benjamin and Adriana's house, two of my french friends and had dinner with them. It was really pleasant, and we got to meet other people. After dinner, I met up with Sabrina again and went for a drink, where we ended up going to her house for a slumber. It was just like when we were girls, it was so cute.

Yesterday, I walked the streets of beautiful recoleta, where the famous recoleta cemetery is located. It was a beautiful day of about 70 degrees, and walking around the parks and the graves

was amazing. I definitely enjoyed it.

Messing around Recoleta

The graves

Last night Heidi, Katie, Po and I went to a bar at San Telmo, a place known for their vendors, but not so much their nightlife. The bar was very cute, styled after an Irish pub (there was a shrek mask staring at us and everything!). Our cosmos were absolutely delicious (and very sex and the city-esk!).

Today awaits me a girly shopping day with my aunt Vivian and some empanada making with Po and the girls. I am teaching them how to make empanadas and I hope they turn out good, since I haven't made them in quite sometime. I can't wait!

Until next time,

Heidi

PS- A shout out to the most amazing man in the world, my boyfriend Mickey, who's birthday was yesterday. Happy 23rd baby! You are my rock, my love and my best friend. I love you!

Get Me A Beast!

Oh my, what a week! Brace yourselves, this one is going to be a long one.

Tuesdays I finish class around 11:15am, and usually have nothing to do, but I have now discovered that Miss Heidi does not have class on Tuesdays, making it an ideal day to get together.

Last Tuesday we headed over to the free Argentine Museum of Art, where tons of artists are featured and are mostly Argentinean. Now, let me just tell you that this place is particularly huge, and almost impossible to do all in one day. So Heidi and I stuck mainly to the main floor

where there is an overwhelming and dominant theme: Mary and Jesus. Yup. I spent an afternoon with Jesus and his family, seeing how he was portrayed according to each artist. It was actually interesting, and in some cases, beautiful.

Wednesday brought a day of frustration and misery. Why? Because I had to do what most of us fear: a visit to a state building to ask for criminal background. Now, we all know that any type of transaction like this is awful and long in the U.S., but Argentina seems to be able to achieve a whole new level of frustration when it comes to handling these types of activities. They not only make you stand in line OUTSIDE on the curb, but once inside, it is a miserable 2-hour wait to

even TALK to someone. And once you have completed what you needed to do, you have to come back a week later to pick it up only to stand in line in the freezing cold once again, and wait

for your name to called. Wonderful? I think so (not!).

I arrived at 11:00am, and left at 2:00pm. Argentina, you really out-did yourself.

After my terrible morning at the Argentine Police Department, I met my uncle Gabriel for lunch. Mi tio, being a lawyer, works about a block and a half away from the Police Department, so we met at one of the most delicious and beautiful restaurants in the area. I have to pre-phase this but saying that the area in which all the "legal" stuff is found, is architecturally gorgeous. A lot of thought and love went into the building of these grand masterpieces.

We met for lunch and decided to talk about the upcoming weekend, since he informed me that it

was my step-grandmother's birthday last Sunday.

Friday was a chill day, until the night time of course. Katie, Becca and I grabbed some very awful chinese food, and later met up with Heidi and Po at the famous Club Serrano, located off of Plaza Serrano. They were hosting a Study Abroad Fall 2010 kickoff event, so obviously we all fit right in. It was a very cute place with an outdoor terrace, where heaters filled up the place, but they did not help much. We were all freezing and once the alcohol wore off, we could barely stand it. We ended up leaving at around 2:30am, but it was still a good time.

Saturday was one of my laziest days so far. I met up with Po and Heidi at a little cafe near Plaza Italia, since Po was picking up the tickets for a very special event the next day. We chatted and gossiped, and later went into this beautiful little clothing shop right across the way. We have to come back and buy these gorgeous dresses that were there for the equivalent of $17 USD.

Awesome!

Later, my tios abuelos (great uncle and aunt) treated me to dinner at a restaurant nearby, where I enjoyed the most delicious chicken breast and fries and an awesome fruit salad for dessert which came packed with its own Argentinean flag! (so cute).

Sunday was a very magical day. It was Beauty and the Beast on Broadway day! For the equivalent of $13 USD the girls and I all bought tickets to the show, and we enjoyed it as much as

the little kids in the audience. The play was really well done and the actors were funny and convincing. I would see it again and again if I could. Although it was a little odd to see it in Spanish, it was well worth it and we all enjoyed it.

The show was followed by a trip to the nearest McCafe on Calle Florida, and later I headed home to meet my tio Gabriel.

Gabriel, Maru, the girls and I went to my step-grandmothers birthday dinner at her house. We saw a bunch of family that I probably hadn't seen since I left, and we ate delicious empanadas!! It was really enjoyable, and I even got to see my cousin Ezequiel, who is five now and absolutely adorable. I fell in love with him.

After the birthday dinner, I decided to spend the night at Maru's country club house outside the city, since yesterday was a national holiday! We filled up our day off with tennis classes, more empanadas and familia. My aunt (my mom's and Gabriel's sister) came over with my cousin Gus and Roman and my uncle Sergio. It was great having the whole family together again, especially since we were all enjoying the spring-like weather and some really good food. Maru's house is gorgeous, and I wish I could have stayed there longer. I didn't get home last night until about 11:30pm.

This week is my first real school week since I arrived. My new schedule is as follows:

Monday: Espanol Advanzado- 10:00-11:30am

Tuesday: Relaciones Publicas- 8:00-11:15am

Wednesday: Espanol Advanzado 10:00-11:30pm, Sociedad y Cultura- 12:00-1:30pm and Relaciones Internacionales- 3:00-6:00pm,

Thursday: Sociedad y Cultura 1:00-2:30pm and Historia de la Cultura y Civilizacion- 3:00-6:00pm

Fridays: FREE!

So not looking forward to it, but I am looking forward to having something to keep me busy...

I am really starting to miss home. Boyfriend, I miss you. Best friends (You know who you are!) I miss you. Dante, Mommy and Daddy.

PS- *photos credit of PoLin So*! Love you chica.

Lions, Tigers, Bears, Oh My!

PoLin and I at Florida Ave

From Left: Katie, Jenny, Heidi, Becca, Po, Me, Carlos at the zoo!

Caricature!

The rest of the week went consistently well, without too much fuss.

I met up with Benjamin and Adriana on Wednesday to have some lunch over by Santa Fe Ave, where we enjoyed some very yummy pizza and beers. I have to mention that the beer here is much more alcoholic than in the US, so I tend to get tipsy just off of one. I don't know if that makes me an extreme light weight but it sure is funny.

After lunch, I wondered around the streets since it was a busy day and I didn't feel like going home. I ran into this woman who makes scarfs made of thread which she says takes her about five days to fully finish. She was only selling them for five pesos each (the equivalent of $1.25 USD) so I bought two. Argentina is full of these women.

Thursday I went over my cousin Cynthia's again to visit her baby girl Mia. This time Mia was in a fabulous mood and I stayed for about two hours just playing with her. I am officially in love.

Later in the day I met up with my step grandmother, Marta. Now, Marta is a very peculiar type of female. She is adamant about everything, and will speak her mind. She sometimes has verbal diarrhea, but can be very sweet when she wants to be. I am not going to go into details, but I will say that it wasn't the most pleasant coffee date I ever had.

Friday was a very fun day. Heidi, Po and I decided to take a trip over to Florida Ave, where the streets are solely for pedestrians and there are tons of vendors in the streets selling everything you could possibly imagine. There is live music, tango and tons of artists. We all got our caricature drawn as well! It is hilarious.

It was quite an adventure. We walked along the five or six blocks which fill the street, and at the end there is a beautiful plaza with huge trees. In front of the plaza is the Argentine military base, which was built so long ago that it is quite rare it is still standing. It was gorgeous.

The three of us sat down at a McCafe halfway through, since it was cold and we were starving. When we headed out of the cafe, around 6:00 pm, tons of new vendors were out in the streets and that is when our shopping got really intense. I swear, this country makes me spend so much money.

Once it became night time, we decided to head over to the obelisk, which is just another version of the Washington Monument, but in Buenos Aires. While we don't know who copied who, we still loved it and it was a very fun experience. I have to mention that we ran across a very busy crossing just to get the perfect shot of us and the obelisk. It was quite hilarious, and I wish I could have caught it on tape.

Friday night, Becca, Katie, Heidi and I got together for dinner at Pompeii where we enjoyed a delicious meal, followed by some margaritas. Delicious.

Saturday, Carlos, Jennifer G, Po, Heidi, Becca, Katie and I all took a trip to the Buenos Aires Zoo! I've been looking at it for a couple of weeks now and I couldn't wait to actually go in. The zoo here lets you purchase food to feed the animals, so we purchased a bucket for the equivalent of $4 USD and fed all the animals in the park. It's actually really cool because you can get close to the animals since they are used to people, and you can basically pet them. It's a very different experience from the US. In addition, the zoo itself is beautiful, a version of Central Park in the middle of the busy Buenos Aires. It was a lot of fun.

Saturday night just consisted of bar hopping in order to try which place had the best drinks. That is all.

Sunday was supposed to be a lazy day, which included an asado and some sleeping. I headed over to Po's around 2:30pm for an asado, the Argentine version of a bbq, but what makes it different is not only the amazingness of the meat, but also the fact that the food just doesn't stop coming. ever. There were about four rounds of meat, which just kept coming off of the grill. It was heavenly. After dessert all I wanted was to hibernate with my food coma, but Angie called me.

Angie is my friend who I met while she was living in the US, at Bonnie Ridge Apartments. After she moved back to Buenos Aires in 2005, I make it a tradition to see her every time I'm here. We got together for coffee right around Belgrano, my neighborhood, and caught up on our lives. She looks great and it's awesome to have another friend here in BA.

After such a hectic weekend, today is my day of rest. Classes don't officially start up until next Monday, but I have tons to do this week. Volunteer also starts next week so I need to get ready to be completely busy all the time. I love being busy, but it is quite a change from my laziness now. Wish me luck!

Welcome Back

Club Araoz

At Hillel, enjoying our drinks

So I decided to update mid-week this time because I feel like this week is going to be a big one, since it has already been hectic enough and it's not even wednesday.

Last Saturday I grabbed dinner with Becca at Pompei, a beautifully crafted coffee house/restaurant where you can get baked fish with all kinds of sides for only $7. I ordered way too much food, but it was the most amazing meal I've had here by far.

After dinner, Becca and I headed back to my apartment to wait for Gus, who was being brought over by my aunt and uncle. They drove us to the Hillel house.

There are no words to describe the Hillel house. After looking at pictures for a little over a year, I have to admit it's much better in person. The house is an old rustic built, but it is crafted very nicely. It is definitely a place I'd love to live in. Because the activities were mediocre and nobody was really bonding, the three of us left at around 1:30am, and headed over to Santa Fe and Araoz to party it up at Club Araoz. It was amazing.

The place is jam packed with people by 2 am, and if you're pretty you are made V.I.P (which of course we were!), so it's an awesome location to be at on a Saturday night. They were giving out all kinds of little ears too, and I was humorously given the devil horns.

We left Club Araoz around 5 am.

Sunday was another full day. Heidi, Becca, Po and I all headed over to the Evita museum in Recoleta. It was a long walk from where we met up, but it was worth it. We learned a lot and afterwards had coffee at a really cute cafe right near the museum. It was a perfectly chill afternoon, before the start of classes.

I started classes today, at 8am sharply. Or I should have. After not only leaving late, I arrived at University of Palermo's PR building only to find out that my class for the morning was in another building 7 blocks away. I did not make it in time, but was 35 minutes late. Not my best first day ever, but the professor was really nice and was understanding once I told him I was an exchange student.

The class is all girls, which I don't quite enjoy because of the competitiveness but I'll get over. The lecture is three hours long, so I guess it's a good thing that the teacher makes jokes. I almost fell asleep by the 2nd hour, but he also gives us a half an hour break. It's really not that bad, except for the time it starts.

Tonight I got together with Becca to have some coffee. I think that's what I enjoy most out of this country, the fact that you can just sit down and have some coffee for hours and it's completely normal. It's definitely a lot different from the US. I could get used to it.

You'll Never Change

enjoying my mojito

Heidi, Heidi, Jennifer, Po

Carlos, Me, Jennifer, Po

My last week of vacation went unfortunately very fast.

Wednesday I went to visit my cousin Cynthia who recently had a baby. Her newborn, Mia, is the cutest little baby girl in the world and I am so glad I got to meet her. Cynthia lives right next to the Zoo de Buenos Aires and it's really easy to get to from my house. Mia was being restless and we thought a walk around the neighborhood would calm her down, so we set off around the zoo, where there are tons of parks and great things to do. It was a beautiful day and an awesome opportunity to catch up with Cynthia. She offered me a part-time babysitting gig which I happily accepted!

That night I headed over to my dad's friend, Mago, to have dinner. His son and I are right about the same age so we had a bunch to talk about. They promised to invite me for lunch Sunday.

Thursday was probably the most important day of my week. I had University of Palermo's orientation at 11:00 am that morning. After looking for the school for about an hour, I arrived regrettably late and went straight to the room. Turns out the orientation hadn't started yet, but everyone was already waiting outside. And by everyone, I mean about 30 kids, all mostly from France. Not one was American. I knew it was going to be a long day.

Our orientation leader explained to us everything, from how to register for classes and where the best night clubs are! It was great to get a bit of information from someone who knows.

I made three French friends who I found to be really friendly, very different from the rest of the group. Adriana, Benjamin and Cedrick are now my foreigner friends!

After orientation my uncle called me and we headed over to Alto Palermo, where we had lunch and some ice cream. We did a lot of catching up. About 5 years worth. It's nice to talk to someone who can give some insight to life, but still has a young mind.

Now, last night was crazy! I first want to mention that I saw Inception. Which I have nothing to say but, AMAZING. GO SEE IT.

I met up at the movies with Heidi, and I was introduced to Carlos, Jennifer, and Polin. All three of them are super cool, and we decided to meet up to go out that night.

Heidi, Carlos, Jennifer, Polin, Matt, Mitch, Benjamin, Cedrick, Brad, Gina and Gina's friend, and me all met up at Palermo Soho, where we sat at a bar and shared delicious mojitos. It was a great time, and at about 2 am we headed into none other than Kika, where Heidi and I really enjoyed last weekend. While the music kind of sucked, it was very fun to be in such a large group. Heidi and I headed home at around 5 am.

Today, I will be enjoying my laziest day so far before I head over to Hillel for a night of dancing and stand up comedy with Becca and Gus. Later we are meeting up with Heidi to party the rest of the night away.

My life here never stops. Classes start monday. Maybe, that will slow me down.

Crazy Argentina

So friday night with Heidi and Katie was insane. Originally, there was four of us, and we all met outside of Becca's apartment and headed over to Santa Fe and Scalabrini Ortiz to Plaza Del Carmen. There, we ordered wine, original Italian pizza and some other stuff. After we had polished at least half of the wine bottle off, Becca didn't feel well and took a taxi home. I went with her and re-joined the girls at the restaurant. We were down to three, but we were prepared for a good night out! After paying about 60 pesos, 25 dolars each for dinner (which included wine, champagne and coffee!), we headed over to the hip district of Palermo Soho.

Palermo Soho is nothing like what you'd find in the States, unless it's obviously in New York. As soon as you arrive in the area (usually by taxi, since its kind of dangerous to take any form of public transportation at that time), it's usually 1 am, and bars are already filled for pre-game. Heidi, Katie and I all sat down at this cute little bar, which had outside heating so it was comfortable to just sit outside. We drank a bit, and then headed over to Kika.

We met one of my friends at the door, who knew a guy, so we got in without a cover charge which was awesome! Inside was crazy, with two dance floors, one for electronic music and the other for hip hop. While hip hop is not my favorite, it seemed to be more american music and not so much noise, so the three of us just stuck to that side. By 4 am, the place was packed. It was so hard to dance or even move! But, it was amazing. While you kind of have to fend off some men, it becomes really funny after a while. It's just an all-night kind of party.

We called a cab around 6 am, and I got in bed at around 7. I slept til 2 the next afternoon. It will take a long time to get used to this life.

Saturday, my uncle picked me up and we headed outside the city to my aunt's house. They live in a quite suburban neighborhood, where my mom, her sister and brother all grew up. My aunt currently lives about 10 blocks from my grandpa's house. It's a bit sad to walk by there.

That night, the whole Luftman clan got together and we all shared wine, pizza and lots of sweets and cakes. It was fabulous, and it didn't end until about 2 am. It was definitely one of my best memories so far. As much as my family can be a pain in the ass, I love them when they're all together. I slept over.

Yesterday I left my aunt's around 4:00, and I headed back over to the city. I met Becca for dinner at around 7:30 and we chatted about our weekends. I was glad to see she was feeling better, but I started to feel a little sick. I bailed on dinner early, and I've been in bed with somewhat of a flu since. So today, I am taking it easy.

It hit me last night how homesick I am. I guess being sick and far from home kind of did it. It's going to be a long trip, so I better brace myself.

Chocolate

These past 4 days have been a blurr. I can't believe its been four days! It only feels like one.

This week I have been pretty much relaxing and trying to get acquainted. The streets here and very confusing, and you have to make sure not to get lost and end up on the wrong side of town. But, unfortunately, the only way to do this is to explore, and since everyone I know here is either taking exams or have programmed activities, I'm pretty much left to do it by myself.

I have been pretty much getting around by Subte D, which is the only one I have been able to master so far. It's easy because all I do is go to Becca's apartment and come back, which is right off the subway line. I am a master at this.

Yesterday, I told Becca I'd go over after she was done with exams, and I found myself greeting about 8 girls when I arrived. I met Maria, Alexis, Stephanie, Carrie, Katie and Maya outside the apartment building and then we all walked towards Alto Palermo, to get them all cellphones. We went to the same place I had gone to when I needed one, and the sales guy recognized me. He is a guy about the same age as me, and he was so happy that I brought him so much business. He thanked me by giving me a new Argentina jersey! It was awesome!

After that, we all headed over to the food court to get a snack, but the lines were soo long. Argentineans are everywhere, all the time. Everywhere is crowded, all the time. But, I was so glad to have been able to spend that time with the girls, everyone seems really nice and its comforting to know people here that aren't directly related to me.

Today, I woke up knowing all I wanted to do was get a haircut. I needed one so bad, and for those of you who saw me in Baltimore before I left, you know it was so long. So I cut it. And dyed it...I am now a auburn brunette, and I love it.

Last night the real homesickness kind of took over. I realized I really miss my family, my friends, and definitely my boyfriend. It's kind of hard not having people here that I can be myself 100% around, since I don't want to freak them out just yet (hehe!), but I do miss everyone...already.

Tomorrow is a new day, I am exploring the city with Heidi and then going out at night. Which by night, I mean like 1 am, because apparently Argentineans do not go out before 1. It's not cool. And you must be out til 7 am or you're a loser. I'm going to need a long nap.

Whirlwind

So, it has been a whirlwind the past 2 days. So many things blend together that I am doing my best to keep them all straight! We left Washing Reagan Airport the day before yesterday, after having a very tearful and emotional goodbye with our parents. We headed over to the terminal where our Miami flight was leaving from, and after 2 hours and some turbulance we touched down in very rainy Miami International Airport. From there, we had 20 minutes to walk all the way across the airport in order to reach our flight in time. The stewardess was already calling out our last names over the intercom.The flight down to Buenos Aires was absolutely delightful. Becca and I ended up having our own seats, so I spread out and passed out for about 75% of the flight. I woke up refreshed and anxious, an hour and a half before arrival.Once at the Buenos Aires airport, we hit up immigration and customs, where it also took us about an hour to get our bags. We figured that's what things are mostly like in Argentina: slow and irritating. Hispanic people are so relaxed!After passing over to arrivals, I looked all over the place until I pinned down my uncle who was waiting for us. We walked to his car where we immediately headed over to my grandparent's house.

My grandparents are lovely and I am so happy to be able to stay with them, even if it for such a short time. While my grandma talks a lot and is always in my business, she really cares about my wellbeing and that I am very grateful for. My grandpa is more concerned with making me electronically connected, so that's cool too.

After my grandparent's, we headed over to the hotel in which we were to stay for the night.Caseron Porteno is a wonderful little bed and breakfast, where the stay is cheap and breakfast is obviously served. It was comfortable and warm and that's all we needed.

After that, we headed over to a parilla or grill, a very cute and upscale place in Palermo Soho. I filled my tummy with nothing but beef, and we celebrated our arrival with some wine and champagne (I love Argentina!). There, my aunt Maru joined us and we had a great time just chatting and catching up on life.

It was a long day. We returned to the hotel and fell asleep.

Today was an even longer day. After waking up at 10 am, we had breakfast at the hotel and headed over by taxi to Becca's house of stay. Her neighborhood is wonderful, and after chatting with her "mom" for an hour or so, I realized she is at the right place.

We left her house to go to Alto Palermo where we could get cellphones, and where we met up with Maya, my friend from Goucher. The 3 of us had lunch and enjoyed just talking about Maya's experience, since she has been here since March. It was wonderful to hear some stuff from her.

Once we were done, I dropped Becca off at her house and I left with Subte D to get home. While I was jammed packed on the subway, I also felt a huge since of independence and happiness. I am at home. I arrived safely and I quickly started unpacking my things, and of course checking my e-mails.

I am now off to bed, since it is almost midnight here. I have a huge day planned tomorrow and the next. Definitely a huge weekend, so check back for updates!