Madres de Plaza de Mayo

I am on my last week in Buenos Aires. There are still so many things I want to do in the city. I definitely feel like I am at a weird point in the trip. The past couple of weeks I have such a whirl of emotions. Some days I can't wait to get back to the United States where there's no dog poop on the street, customer service, or just plain efficiency. But at the same time, I know once I get back I will miss the city...especially the night life. Bars close at 2am in the states - that seems so lame in comparison! We go out at 2am!

It also doesn't help my weird mood that I sprained my ankle...again. (Yes the same one as last time). This time I was running. I was just furious because I was on my block! I literally was about to finish my run when I crossed my street and stepped on the curb the wrong way.

It took about 5 seconds to swell to that size.

I am just trying to stay positive because I am going to Salta for a week after the program. I figure I will have plenty of time to let it heal this summer in Maryland and Ann Arbor.

Last Thursday I finally went to the Plaza de Mayo for the Mothers protest. Every Thursday mothers of the desaparecidos (disappeared) march in front of the President's house. These women have been protesting every week since the 1970s. It is truly amazing the devotion they have to their children. 

The last picture is from a different organization separate from the mothers. They are also trying to find out answers about their lost children during the 1970s.

On Friday, my history class took a field trip to ESMA (the military school). This is where they took the disappeared people. They would torture them there and then push the majority of them out of airplanes above the ocean. Dead bodies started showing up on the coast of Uruguay and Argentina. The military even took pregnant women and gave their newborns to new families for adoption. My host mom told me her boyfriend was taken for 40 days, but was fortunate enough to return. The majority of people who disappeared did not come back.

ESMA

It is hard to truly wrap my head around what happened in Argentina during this time period. 

On a lighter note, I went to my first rugby game. I literally had no idea what was going on. They would randomly punt the ball or lift one guy up in the air. I'm still pretty confused about the rules. One nice thing about the sport is the men are gorgeous.

Tomorrow I am going to barrio Chino with my intercambio friend (We speak half the time in English and half the time in Spanish). Barrio Chino is their equivalent of Chinatown. 

With that I leave you with a picture of Avenida 9 de Julio. This is one of the longest streets in the world. It literally has 4 stop lights and it normally takes me at least two stoplights to pass through the whole thing. This is a view from my school.

 

Iguazú Falls

Last weekend I finally made the trip to Iguazú Falls. It is the quintessential tourist destination in Argentina. It feels like just yesterday I created my blog and made Jake include the picture of Iguazú as my background.
The first time I tried to go with my family but our flight was cancelled. This time I went with Alana and Alexa, two girls from my program.

The trip could not have gone smoother. Alexa kept telling me it was good karma for my first attempt to the cataratas (waterfalls).

I knew we were in for a treat with this view from the plane.

Alana, Alexa, and I were able to use our Argentine citizens and receive a 60 pesos ($15) discount on our park tickets. I always love the reaction we receive when we tell people we are citizens of Argentina.  

Las chicas en Iguazú

We went to the Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s throat) first. 

Alexa told me back in the 1950s they allowed tourists to take a raft to the edge of the falls to get a picture. Finally, one day the current was too strong and a group of German tourists plunged to their death in la Garganta del Diablo. I guess that’s a cool way to go out…

Now I can technically say I saw Brazil and Paraguay. Too bad both countries require a visa to visit.

I will say I was very guilty of taking as many pictures as possible with rainbows and waterfalls.

 I have never been to Niagara Falls but according to Eleanor Roosevelt they are not as amazing. Apparently when she saw Iguazú Falls she said "poor Niagara." 

And with that I have two weeks left to enjoy Buenos Aires and then one week in Salta. The past semester has gone by incredibly fast.

Lujan

Last Thursday I spotted my first robbery. I was running to meet up with Lawrence and Megan when I had to wait at the stoplight. Then I heard a glass break, a woman scream, and a man with a motorcycle helmet casually hop on his getaway and speed through the recently turned green stoplight. Cars around the crime honked, but for the most part all the pedestrians were just watching with their mouths open wide (me included). There was really nothing we could do; his friend was waiting with the motorcycle. It was definitely one of the most interesting things I have ever seen...and scariest.     Last weekend IES provided a free field trip to Lujan. 

Our itinerary broke down to 10 minutes inside the church, 10 minutes at the museum, and a 3 hour lunch. They really know how to plan a day. I have never been so full in my life. We were given empanadas, appetizers, salads, pasta dish, meat dish, and every type of dessert. 

After lunch we went to the farm to look at the animals we just ate. I really could have done without seeing the rabbit bunnies I just tried at lunch :( 

After the farm we went to a mushroom farm. In case we were still hungry they served us mushrooms. How could I resist? I literally could not eat dinner that night. 

Also last weekend my host family had a huge family dinner. We had so much funny listening to the beatles, queen, creedence clearwater revival, and many other favorites. One of the cousins made everyone at the table sing a solo. It was great practice for my spanish (minus the singing in english). 

My host mom and her beautiful artwork.

 I also decided I want to put a couple more pictures of my host family up since they are such a large part of my abroad experience.

Ronnie is so fascinated by the the shower tile.

 And finally my favorite t-shirts. They obviously do not make any sense but they are wonderful.

"The Love, Girls Only, We Love Heart"