mucho vino en Mendoza

So I just checked weather.com for the weather report. When I saw 30 degrees, I thought maybe the website automatically switched from Fahrenheit to Celsius. Well I looked again, the city was still Ann Arbor, Michigan. That sounds about right. All I could think was thank god I live in Buenos Aires. This weekend: 70 degrees Fahrenheit all week!

This past weekend I took my long weekend in Mendoza. While riding back in the taxi, I just couldn’t wait to get home and by home I meant my Buenos Aires home. After a 15 hour bus ride all I wanted to do was take a shower and sleep in a proper bed. But this was the first time I remember calling this city my home. After a month of living here, I finally feel at home. It was definitely a cool feeling.

People in Argentina will take a bus anywhere. A 15 hour bus ride does not phase them. I don't even know how far a 15 hour car ride would take me in the United States because I would never consider driving such a far distance. The buses were pretty comfortable and we took it overnight both directions. By the end of the trip I was so sleep deprived that I slept the majority of the way back...Except for the moments when I was practicing my Spanish with the portena sitting next me. 

It is amazing how far my Spanish has come in the past month, but then again there is still so much room for improvement. I was still pretty proud of myself for pushing myself to hold a conversation with this girl. Sometimes I just wanted to shut down and return to my English cave. Luckily I was stuck next to her and she refused to speak English (even though she knew it). I need more people to push me like that. The good thing is I have three more months to practice!

Mendoza was absolutely wonderful. Our hostel gave us a free complimentary glass of wine (or two) every day. The first night Lawrence and Tony grilled the whole group of girls some delicious steak, sausage, and vegetables. It was kind of funny having 20 girls sitting around the table sipping their wine while the men went to work. Kudos to Larry and Tony for a delicious dinner.

The first full day we rented bicycles and went to the vineyards. We went to five different places throughout the day. My favorite place was 15 pesos (almost $4) to try all of their products. We were given bread and olive oil, different types of jam, olives, cheese spread, etc, pieces of chocolate, and a shot of liquor. They even offered absente, which they set the sugar on fire. I opted for a different option. I didn't think I could handle an entire shot considering it is illegal in the United States. I bought my parents authentic olive oil from Mendoza because they are not wine drinkers. I also want them to share with me because it was so delicious.

The vineyards

At the end of the day we attempted to teach Christina how to bike ( somehow she has gone 20 years without learning how to ride a bicycle). She did master the tandem with Alana during the day, but we felt it was time she graduated to a real bike. I also took my first ride on the backseat of the tandem and I think it is way scarier than a solo bicycle. Anyway Christina is about 5 minutes away from mastering the art of bicycling. Next time… there was just no safe piece of gravel to teach her.

The next day we went paragliding. We had the most amazing view of the Andes Mountains. The whole experience is surreal and hard to imagine that you are actually flying. It was a little chilly up there. If i could go again I would definitely bring gloves.

I was pretty bumped that I did not have my camera for that ride, but this weekend my parents are coming with their camera. I am just going to borrow theirs for the rest of the semester since there is not much going on in Fulton Maryland.

Time to go to bed. I need to be productive this entire week since I will be entertaining Ellen, Michael, and Rachel for the next ten days (starting Saturday). I am pretty excited to see my mother’s reaction to Argentine culture. This is really not the place to go if you do not like being touched. Even when I return from a run, dripping in sweat, everyone greets me with a kiss.

Tú eres mi gordita

Right now my favorite song is Gordita by Shakira. Yes this means little fat one. In Argentina this can be a term of endearment. In this country they are very honest and calling someone gordo (fat) or gordita is not uncommon. The professors have told us there is no such thing as PC here. I wonder if Americans are just too sensitive? 

So more pictures from my city explorations: 

I have decided this is my favorite type of architecture around the city.

La Boca - A neighborhood in Buenos Aires

The most bizarre graffiti I have ever seen.

So Thursday was el dia de san patricio (St. Patrick's Day). It was interesting to celebrate this holiday in a foreign country. We could not have gone to a more American bar. It was called Spot and even the bartender was from Boston. Rumor has it he gave free drinks to people wearing Celtics Jerseys. But the night ended tragically with the loss of my camera. I still have no idea where that thing is. 

 

On Wednesday I am going to Mendoza. We have no class Thursday or Friday because it is the Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice. It's the anniversary of the coup d'etat (March 24, 1976) that overthrew the dictatorship. Side note: I have yet to see the mothers protest in the plaza de mayo. I hear they protest every Thursday. It is on my bucket list.

Mendoza is known for its wine vineyards...should be a great weekend!

vamos river plate!

Today is my first day of classes. I don't start until 1:30 on Mondays and Wednesdays, which is pretty cool. I am also somehow the only Spanish class that meets on Friday. It is hard to believe we are just starting class since Michigan is way past their spring break. I'm ready to have a little structure in my day.

This past week has been a great ending to orientation. We checked out more highlights around the city. A few favorites...

1. The Cemetery in Recoleta which includes the body of Eva Peron. While I was walking around in the cemetery these two guys heard my friends and I speaking English.  After talking for a little I found out they were two grad students from Michigan's business school. Even in Buenos Aires I manage to find a Michigan student...

 

 

 

The cemetery in Recoleta

 

 

 

 

Casa Rosada - The presidents home

 

 

El oblelisco

This last picture is an awesome view of the city from my friend Alana's apartment. 

So this weekend we checked out hip hop night at club lost. They played only American Rap Music. Besides Shakira, I feel like I always hear American music in the bars and bariloches. I also purchased Shakira's latest album Sale de Sol...definitely worth the $10.99 on itunes


Yesterday I went to San Telmo to browse the antique markets. It was a little more expensive than I expected, but it seemed to be a bit touristy. I bought a bag for $11 and a picture of a couple doing the tango in front of the home of la boca. 
Afterward I experienced my first south American soccer game - Go River plate! I still haven't figured out what a plate is.  Anyway it was so much fun to see how crazy people went for futbol. Alana and I want to learn all of the chants to prepare for next game. They lost 2-1 which was extremely disappointing. They had to let the opposing side leave the stadium first to prevent any fights.

Time to get ready for my first class! Ciao

Shakira Shakira...Waka Waka

This weekend was carnival in Argentina aka no orientation classes Monday and Tuesday! On Saturday night I went to the Shakira concert.

The concert was on the other side of the city but it gave me an opportunity to explore a new neighborhood. 

She sang all of the songs in Spanish except Hips Don’t Lie. The concert was especially amazing when Lawrence let me sit on his shoulders to see the stage. Normally my height does not bother me, but at times I could not even see the video screen. 

Still I got to see Shakira in Buenos Aires. We decided she must work out for at least 3 hours a day to have abs like that.

The next day I went to mar del plata for the extended weekend. I have never seen a beach so crowded in my life. 

I decided not to go out that night because I desperately needed sleep. The previous three nights I only had 3-4 hours of sleep a night. I honestly do not understand how people keep up with this lifestyle. The next day it poured which was pretty unfortunate for a beach trip. We made the most of it and walked around the city. We cooked dinner at our hostel, which was delicious. After eating food like this I really just wanted a healthy salad.

My Spanish is definitely improving. I went to the grocery store and talked to the guy next to me for like 15 minutes. I have noticed once I am tired I kind of shut down and want to escape to my English cave. I have also found no one can pronounce my name. I think in the future I am just going to go by Maria.

We start actual classes next Monday. I am probably taking Spanish Grammar, Spanish Writing workshop, the Impact of Globalization in Latin America, and Modern Argentine History. I was disappointed because apparently I am not allowed to take the Tango class. It is exclusively for dance majors. I might try to take a local dance class. Our university offers a mini cooking course that I definitely plan on taking advantage of. We can also try out for the local field hockey team. I am definitely playing Frisbee here, but I might also check out the hockey scene.

I need to catch up on some much needed sleep. Last night we went to the bar Mr. Jones until 5 am and we had to wake up at 7 am to catch our bus. We will see how much longer I can maintain this lifestyle.