Más fotos

Cristo guarding La Cumbre

So artsy....haha

The town from a little higher up

Fotos de La Cumbre

The (partial) group!

I went the highest out of everyone, nbd
The cliff we ran off of to get air into our chutes
The ride to the mountain

La Cumbre

Ooooh what a GREAT weekend trip!

It started early Saturday morning with a 9:00 am bus trip that took around 2 hours. The bus was a little bumpy, but way more comfortable than any of us were expecting. Our group split up for the ride because the other 4 had tickets for a 7:45 am bus and that was not happening for me! Anyways, we arrived to the weee little town of La Cumbre around 11:30 and found our hostel. It seemed more like a bed and breakfast, with a pool, maid, kitchen, breakfast, computer, etc. It was very nice. The other group had gone ahead to the paragliding place, so we went into the town to explore/eat while we waited for them to get back and for us to be able to go. Just like here in Córdoba, there were a million stray dogs just walking around begging for food, attention, and baths. We made it to the mountain around 2:30 and got all suited up. There was an Argentine girl who hopped into the air first, then a boy from our group, and then me! My guide's name was Marco and lucky for me (I'm being serious, I need the practice), he spoke NO ENGLISH! He seemed very experienced and he said he loved his job (how could you not?) We were in the air for about thirty minutes and it was breathtaking. I only wish my pictures could convey the beauty I experienced at 4,000 meters! Paragliding to some may seem like an extreme adventure, but I found it extraordinarily relaxing. I was basically sitting in a lawnchair wayyyy up in the sky, just enjoying the view! If my internet/blogger will allow it, I'll try to post one of the videos I took! When the "flight" came to an end, the landing wasn't even difficult! My guide just kept telling me "nunca sienta, corre, nunca sienta" (never sit, run, never sit).

After paragliding, my group of five rode back to the hostel to relax until dinner time. Unfortunately the beautiful sunny weather from earlier didn't follow us to the pool, so we couldn't swim...oh well. For dinner, we went to a little pizza place (there are sooo many, everywhere here) where I tried my first glass of Argentine wine (a merlot from Mendoza...muy bien). After dinner, we went to Grido's helado, which is a chain about the size of McDonald's or Starbucks, they're everywhere. I love the prices of food here! My dinner; 1/2 pizza (4 slices) and 1 glass of wine was $21 pesos...that's US $5.25! Then the ice cream was US$2.25 for 2 scoops and waffle cone! After ice cream, we stumbled upon a giant projector screen in the main square of the town playing Tina Turner music videos...whaaat? Once back at the hostel, I took a little nap while everyone played some card games. Most people went to sleep around midnight because they were so pooped, but I stayed up talking with the people in my room until around 2am; I'm SUCH a night owl!

Sunday morning, we had to check out by eleven and booyyy was it complicated having two groups come at different times, with different amounts of people, paying at different times, and not speaking very good spanish! We finally got everything worked out and headed off on a hike to a statue of Jesus (a smaller version of the Cristo in Rio, Brasil). The hike was just as gorgeous as the paragliding, and the weather was excellent; not too hot, not too sunny, a little breeze...After our hike (which also had some snafus since there were no directional signs on the trail), and lunch at a thai restaurant (YUM) we went to an area on the outskirts of the town called "Camino de artesanales". Basically, it was a road with randomly spaced out shops selling handmade leather goods, silver jewelry, mate gourds, etc. I bought 3 bracelets for less than US$4!

Our bus ride returning to Córdoba was scheduled for 7:50 pm, so with traffic, we didn't get to the station until around 11pm and then we all had to take the colectivo (city bus) to our respective stops. I was exhausted, which is why I'm blogging today instead of last night!

After I publish this, I will upload photos...When you look at the pictures, imagine that in real life the scenery looks 30 times better and maybe you can grasp how gorgeous our world is.

chau for now

weekend update

Hoy es viernes, ¡mi día favorito!

Mañana, muy temprano, voy al Cumbre para hacer parapente, oooh!

-Translation: tomorrow, very early, I am going to el Cumbre to go paragliding, oooh!

Here in Argentina, adventure sports (turismo activo) are super popular, safe, and CHEAP! To go paragliding, I have purchased a bus ticket (for a three hour trip) for $30 pesos (US$7.46!), then we will hike and paraglide for $200 pesos (US$50), and stay in a hostel for $50 pesos (US$12.40)...Can you beat that in America? I think not. I'm really having such a great time here, I'm thankful to everyone for being so supportive and whatnot!

Yesterday, we had a special culture class where we learned how to bake the traditional bread (criolla), and ride horses! While kneading the dough, our instructor brought out this bowl of little meat pieces that are commonly baked into the bread to give more flavor. Luckily, I was able to make mine "sin grasa" (as opposed to "con grasa) and it turned out "muy rico" (an expression commonly used to describe food as rich or delicious). After the bread, we hopped on horses, which was really awesome except for the fact that I was wearing flipflops and my feet kept slipping out of the stirrups! We get to go back next month to continue our lessons, and the instructor said that by the end of term, we'd be probably all be jumping! What a thing to look forward to!

During our regular class yesterday we talked about the slang here (there is SO MUCH) and safety...finally something practical! Last night, I went into el centro (downtown) again, and actually got off at the correct stop! I had dinner with my tutor and her boyfriend again; we made veggie fajitas! During/after dinner, they introduced me to more slang, popular music, and a few card games! They even showed me some slick salsa moves! After dinner, we ate the bread I made with dulce de leche...not to gloat or anything, but it was pretty decent. When it came time for me to go home, we walked to the bus stop and waited for literally an hour before realizing that my line stops at 1am, so I had to get a cab. I don't mind taking cabs with other people, or when necessary because they're decently cheap (~$27 pesos for a 15-20 min ride=US $7), but a bus ride = US$.50, so...at least now we know!

I'm starting to feel more at home with my family...the running joke is of course, about my vegetarianism (but all in good humour!). I really like my sister Carla, but I never could tell if she thought I was a nuisance or not. I got so excited the other day though, because she asked my opinion on some shoes she bought! ACCEPTANCE!!

While bored in class the other day, I started a list of things that I miss from home (no people, because I can at least communicate with them), and here is what I thought of:

1) Alex B

2) Chipotle

3) Pretzel M&Ms

4) Books in english

5) Clothes that I should have packed, but forgot

6) Saturday Night Live

There aren't that many things, which is good right? I'm sure I'll come up with a billion more once I've been here for longer. I'm adjusting to the hoots and hollers of the men...kind of. The toilet water flushes the opposite way, electricity is "muy caro" (very expensive), and the weather is all over the place.

I'll post pictures of parapenting if possible (I've heard that it is)

chau besos, jes

Más da La Manzana Jesuítica

La Catedral
A statue depicting the Indigenous people that the Jesuits tried to convert

La Manzana Jesuítica

Outside la Universidad Jesuítica

The ceilings of la Catedral

The Pulpit of la Catedral

tour update

We were whisked away to another estancia, but this one was an old Jesuit mission. The guide ran us through at warp speed, and even after we asked her to slow down four times, I probably only caught 1/4 of what she said! It was interesting, but I won't be able to show proof that I was there because cameras were prohibited. The mission was set up by Jesuits in some century a loong time ago in order to convert the indigenous people (the Sanvirones). The building we visited was only occupied by the three Jesuit priests and was serviced by black slaves (funny how they were hurting one race while helping another). After we learned about the different ways they practically threatened the indigenous peoples into converting, we left to hang out at a sporting complex. Basically, I just hung around and tried to sleep for 3 hours because I didn't have very good shoes to play soccer... and also, the people playing were so intense I'm sure they appreciated my sitting out. There was a pool but it was no more than 74 degrees with a strong wind to look forward after getting out. Saturday night, one of the tutors from the University had a fiesta at his house which was soooo nice! There was a basketball court, and a pool, and a separate cabana for the party. I'm pretty sure there was a dj there also, how legit.

Friday night, I had planned on going to bed super early, but my tutor, Maru, invited me to come have dinner at her house. I managed to hop on the correct bus, but also managed to hop off at the incorrect stop! I wasn't too worried though so I just kept walking, hoping to find a street that looked familiar. Soon enough, I recognized "Av. General Paz" and made the decision to turn there. After a few blocks, I was still a little unsure so I stopped and asked a policeman who congratulated me on being a mere three blocks from my destination! Cheers for good instincts, right? There was a bit of a snafu when the other girl she tutors never showed up (and doesn't have a cell phone), but we enjoyed dinner anyway! I didn't get home until 2 or 2:30 which was most excellent considering I had to wake up at 7:30 Saturday for the tour, but I'm really glad I went. Maru is 24 and her boyfriend Daniel is 30 and they are such a cute little couple! Daniel is from Peru, and he likes Boyz II Men and a lot of other older R&B groups which I found really hilarious. In case anyone was wondering, they don't really like Justin Bieber here, probably because of his hair!

K, gotta run, more pictures later today!

Ew, the tour wasn't much better and it was 39078 degrees out. The guide was just spitting facts at us. In spanish. Very quickly.

Wednesday, we watched a movie called "The Mission" with Robert DeNiro; it was in english, with spanish subtitles which was AWESOME but then later, we had a three hour long class about the Jesuits that arrived here. I like history as much as the next person, but THREE HOURS?! jeez louise! Today I had two interviews in spanish, and a midterm exam that was way harder than I thought it would be. The grammar that we worked on I should have grasped by now, but I was pretty stumped! Preterite and imperfect come easily to me when I'm the one writing because I know my intent, but when it comes to fill-in-the-blank stuff, I'm pretty dumb! Tonight, I think I'm going to brave the bus system alone to go have dinner with my assigned tutor in el centro. I'm a little nervous, because I've never ridden the bus alone, much less at night, but I think I can handle it. If I do end up getting lost, the people here are sooo nice and can probably (hopefully) help me out.

I haven't gone crazy with shopping, but I have bought a few staples since I've been here: a crop top, some gaucho pants that are baggy in the legs but tight around the ankles, a leather (actually semi leather) bag for my school books, some wedges, heels, sandals...Now I'm deffo on a spending hiatus!

I signed up to take intro to portugese beginning in March so I can know a little bit once I go to Brazil!

Tomorrow we have yet another tour at La estancia de Las Jesuiticas, but supposedly this one will involve games and swimming or something so it's already sounding more fun

k, more later xx

Horses at La Granadilla

The river near La Granadilla

One of the many churches in downtown Córdoba

La estancia

The photos I posted were from a field trip we had Saturday to a farm about 2 hours drive from Córdoba. The farm "La Granadilla" was gorgeous, and so was the drive there...it's located in the north of the region of Córdoba so there were mountains, beautiful pastures, rivers, and hills; It reminded me a little of the Sound of Music. The weather was nice, and the day was just long enough to allow for exploration without getting too boring. We arrived around 11am and were greeted with platters of traditional dulces (sweet snacks). There were little cookies and delicious pastries with dulce de leche. Afterwards, we explored for a little while, and then experienced a traditional asado (barbecue) for lunch; it began with empanadas (typically beef filled pastries...I got veggie), then we were served 6 different types of salads (carrots and corn, potato, cabbage, classic, bitter lettuce, and beets with egg) and a TON of different meats (non for me, thanks!). After lunch, we chose from either flan or fruit salad...I don't normally like flan, but this was delicious!! Then it was time for more exploring, more snacks, and the return home. Yesterday (Sunday), I went to Paseo del Arte with my friend Missy. Paseo del Arte is a section of streets in downtown Córdoba with booths set up by local artisans; there is so much stuff! I saw anything from silverware to key holders to stuffed animals. I didn't buys anything, but I have a feeling that I'll be back because the leather goods and jewelry were DIVINE. Tomorrow (Tuesday) we have a tour of "manzanas Jesuiticas" and I hope it's better than the last tour we had (snore!). I'm not really sure what it is, but I'll definitely share my experience if it is noteworthy. I'll also, put up some more pictures of the farm and the city!

xx

At la estancia de granadilla


My friend Missy and I

intensive class...

Hello,

Monday, we had a test to place us in classes. I am in the self proclaimed "dumb group" which I think will be very good for me. Yesterday, we had a "city tour" but it was a big disappointment because we stayed on the bus the whole time while the beautiful downtown flew by at lightning speed. Eventually we got off the bus and did a tiny tour of another university, where we examined the graffiti that is painted on EVERYTHING by the more radical young people...After the tour, I experienced the Argentine take on pizza; it's actually quite nice. There is minimal sauce, and lots of fresh tasting herbs (which I'm loving), and the cheeses here are sooo good. One girl described the cheese on this particular pizza as being "like butter" (in a good way). I'm eating so well here; my family doesn't eat breakfast, which is taking some getting used to, but they have big lunches around 1pm, snacks around 5pm, and then dinner around 9:15pm...They think I don't eat anything, but I do! They just give me really well balanced meals that satisfy me after only a few bites! For example, two nights ago I was given vegetable soup, salad, an eggplant patty with cheese, AND potatoes- of course I couldn't eat it all! I'm really enjoying my family, we don't interact that much because I'm not here a whole lot, but they are being very patient and I'm adjusting to their accents well. Last night, we got a little group together to have a casual drink on one of the main streets near my house. The bar was called "Johnny B. Goods" and we decided that it's probably the most American bar here, so we don't want to go back. If anyone is wanting to come to Argentina, be warned that they do not split checks, so have cash handy! Right now in class, we are doing little speaking which is frustrating, but we really only have had one session so I'm assuming it will get better! The weather is beginning to change, it's not that warm anymore especially because these past few days have been dreary and gray. I tried to go for a run yesterday, the first one in over a week and it was sooo painful. The temperature wasn't scorching, but the humidity had to be around 1 million percent so that didn't help AT ALL.

Anyways, I swear I'll post some pictures soon------more later

xx

shopping rules here

So yesterday I left the blog to go explore a busy street near my house with two of my classmates, Gracen and Amanda. We walked for a long time, passing businesses, kioscos (little convenience stores), pilates studios, quaint cafes, &etc. but nothing was open because it was Sunday! Finally, we found a small cafe that was in service and we sat there for a while and ordered drinks. Amanda got basically a frappucino, but Gracen and I got chocolate milkshakes...they were more milky than the ones I'm used to, but they were good and it was a relaxing atmosphere. Then on our walk back, we saw an open clothing shop and HAD to go in. Many of the stores here are "one size fits all" type places which is ok (most of the time, haha) for me, but difficult for Amanda (she's like 5"10 or "11) and Gracen. Luckily, we managed to find some cute and fashionable things. Crop tops are very popular here, and I was able to find one that covers most of my stomach but is still stylish! Once I got back to my house, I flipped through the channels in hope of finding the super bowl and what do you know? We had it! So I sent out a mass text to the Americans and we had a little viewing party at my house. Unfortunately, we did not have the luxury of watching the commercials, we did consider ourselves lucky to be able to watch it in english. Today we had our first class, and at the end, we had to take the hardest placement test known to mankind. I feel very confident that I will place into one of the dumber groups, if such thing exists. After the test, we were free to go so I went exploring another major street near my house with Amanda and I found a really pretty/comfortable cardigan, bracelet, and ring for under $30! I love being able to walk everywhere! There is a Wal-Mart here, and I will probably dedicate an entire post to that alone because I'm sure it will be an adventure! Tomorrow, despite the forecast of foul weather, we are taking a tour of Córdoba and I think it's safe to say I'll be able to post some decent pictures afterwards. I'm depressed because even though I finally have WIFI in my room, Hulu does not work here, so I am unable to keep up with such shows as "Parks and Rec", "Modern Family", and "SNL". Maybe that's a good thing?

My conversational spanish with my parents is improving, but very slowly. I'm sure that since I have now begun classes, it will speed up a bit. Speaking of class, tengo tarea (I have homework)

BESOS (kisses)

hello sorry!

Hi!

So, I know it's been a while since I posted, I STILL don't know the WIFI password in my house, so I'm at my friend Gracen's using her internet! Friday, I had orientation at Universidad Blas Pascal where I met all the other Clemson students. It was so nice to be able to speak english again, but then we had to sign a contract saying we wouldn't speak in english...oops. Noone has followed it so far. Friday night, a while after the "asado" (it's like a traditional barbecue), we went out to "el boliche" (the club). It was really fun, but it was funny because we got there at midnight and that's when they open...people don't really arrive until 2 am. It was much different from the clubs that I have been to- the dancing was varied between people; some were very latin, some were very American, and some didn't really dance at all! We didn't leave el boliche until 4:30, and even then, there were still tons of people! They don't close until 5am, and then afterwards if people don't want to go home, they just go to little restaurants or bars, it's kind of crazy! When I got home, I couldn't get the key to work in my gate, and so instead of waking everybody up, I jumped the fence! Then the next morning when I told my family about it, they got kind of annoyed at me, but whatever it was 5 am!! Then, Saturday we went to a mall in the downtown to get phones. It's funny, because we all got the same one; a dinky little LG with the teeniest buttons. It doesn't have a camera, which is totally fine, but it's really slow and difficult to type on! Today is Sunday (obviously) and all of the Americans are a little upset because there isn't really a place to watch the super bowl. One of the girls is originally from Green Bay, so I feel bad for her... Honestly, I don't care much because I'm not a big NFL fan, but I do like the commercials!! I'm about to go exploring, so I'll post again later!

¡CHAU!

days 1 to 3

Hola,

I made it alive! I do not know how these things work, and i am on a computer that has funky characters, so you will have to bear with me...
Luckily, I was able to get on my flight, thanks to Gretchen, and I even had THREE seats to myself which made sleeping a breeze. The flight was about ten hours from Dulles to Buenos Aires. Once in B.A., I made it through customs and tried to find my baggage. After standing at the baggage carousel for probably an hour, I started to wonder where the heck my suitcase was...well, I was at the wrong carousel! When I looked at the computer, I thought it said to go to carousel 2, but it was saying to go to desk 2 if your bags were lost. That was fun, luckily, there was a man that made the same mistake and he spoke good spanish to get us around the chaotic airport. Then, with bags in hand, I had to find a legit taxi company to get me to the domestic airport that is 45 minutes away...easy peasy. I followed the guy to his car and buckled up for the ride of my life! The people here have noooo concept of traffic rules...they were on the wrong side of the road, not even on the road, cutting people off, speeding, the works. All of the sudden, we came to a standstill and my driver said that people were running bulls across the road in some kind of demonstration...WHAT! He was able to maneuver around the mess, but it took some really creative driving. While on the highway, I noted that the landscape was like Florida. Well, some of it, then we got to the poorer areas I guess and there was a LOT of grafitti. It was amazing how many people were walking around on the highway, near the highway, etc. Once at the airport, I had 6 hours to kill, which I managed to do between calling the parentals annd people watching. The women all have looooooong dark hair and are tan and skinny and glamorous. >They make me feel like a short haired, blonde, american blob with pale skin and no sense of style. Also, they talk sooo fast and in a dialect that slurs words like I have never heard before. To say that I am out of my element is the biggest understatement ever. I made it on to my plane and into Cordoba without incident, and now I am in my new room. My host family is composed of Carlos, my dad, Mirta, my mom, Luciano, 30, Mika, 27, Laura, 24, and Carla, 21. Carla speaks really good english, but the parents hardly speak any at all. I thinkk they think Im stupid because i cant understand, but I will be able to eventually! I am looking forward to tomorrow because I get to meet everyone from Clemson...it will be nice to see Americans even though we are technically not allowed to speak english. Soon, I will buckle down and be all Spanish, all the time, but right now I need to ease myself in. My house is so nice, it is pretty big with a pretty courtyard and lots of room-there is no air conditioner, but it is actually not that hot considering it is like 84 degrees. Alright, that is enough for today, more tomorrow maybe


chau