Woo! This blog died for a bit, sorry everyone! I have been much busier these days, between working, school, and travelling. Things are really going so well here, even better than I had hoped. I am learning so much everyday, and am truly making real, life-long friends here. The only downside is that the payrate here in AR reflects its economy- not good. So, that means a slightly shorter stay here in South America. I'm very excited about what I'm coming home to, though, new spanish classes and all my friends and family!

Some of my more recent adventures included a trip to the city of Salta (capital, Salta, La Linda) I went there with Lu, my Argentine roomie, and from the capital we went on a bus tour to Las Salinas, giant salt flats, and Cafayate, a mountainous area that made me really want out of the bus more! There were a lot of interesting people in our tours, and in our hostel. Lu had a night of full english immersion with me and two Australian girls from our hostel, who were hilarious. Meeting the backpackers in the hostels makes me definitely want to do it someday.

Some funny highlights of the trip: A Swiss girl was also in our hostel and she was very quiet and a bit creepy, I dubbed her 'Asesina' (spanish for murderer haha) We bought a bottle of wine for the girls in the room, but discovered we didn't have a bottle opener. Someone said, 'we need a Swiss knife' and....wouldn't you know who had one....the Swiss girl...it was on her pillow. Asesina saved the party!

There were many jokes about ways to die in Salta, invented by Lu and I, since many of the things we did seemed a bit less than secure! For example, the second tour through the mountains, the tour guide told everyone to sleep for the first hour, because it was very early and raining outside. The two tour guides and all the tourists were sleeping, except me, and I watched as our driver started to get sleepy as well!!! terrifying, but still funny.

Salta is big on siestas, and we discovered how many tourists were there during siesta. All the stores closed and all of the Salteno people went to take naps. Then all the sad tourists wandered the streets, looking for something that was open haha. Obviously including us. Lu was mistaken many times for an American, because people heard her speaking english, and she has lighter skin. Very useful for getting into clubs! ;)

Pictures speak for themselves, so on to the good stuff:

Hola a todos! I've been in AR for two months now, and I'm happy to say things are going very well. Zaria and I have both found work now, which is a big relief. I am working with children at a school called St. John's, an after-school english institute. Also this week I began working at an english institute for adults, called CEIM.

I am really enjoying both jobs, working with the kids has been a challenge for me because it is not something I have experience with, nor have I ever felt 'good' at. But the kids make me laugh, and for the most part they are well-behaved and very sweet. I'm learning a lot about teaching, as well, since I am working with two teachers, one of which has been teaching for over ten years.

The job with the adults is at a very small school run by one man, named Roberto. Roberto invited me to help him teach his 'post-advanced' english classes, so that his students would be exposed to a native accent. I have gone to three of his classes now, and I really love working there. Its very easy for my part, all I really have to do is talk! At the same time, Roberto has studied linguistics extensively, and I am learning things about english that I never knew. For example, the word 'snob' comes from 'as a noble.' Very interesting things!

I'm learning a lot in my spanish class as well, and I feel my comprehension of the language slowly growing. It is so cool to be here surrounded by language learners, and language teachers. I feel like my decision to come here was the right one. That feeling makes the difficult aspects of living here much easier, and I feel all the challenges I faced and will face are very worthwhile.

More to come in my next post about mummies, collapsed bridges, and debaucherous French girls hahaha!!! (these are not exaggerations ;)

Plaza San Martin, Cordoba at night:

Basílica Nuestra Señora del Valle, Catamarca Capital:

Hello everyone! So the blog is not getting as much attention as I promised, it seems there is so much to say...that its hard to know what to say, haha. These past few weeks in Argentina have been difficult to adjust to. I really underestimated how much I would miss my friends and family from home, and the familiarity of my own culture.

I include myself in the group of people that find it hard to define "American Culture." We are a mash up of so many things, from so many other countries and cultures, that it sometimes seems we are completely new at any given moment, and impossible to 'categorize.' But living in a foreign country, I am realizing some very key elements about the US that I miss very much!

First of all, the biggest difference I can point to is variety. Such variety! Our food comes from many cultures, Mexican food has a very prominent place in our restaurants and grocery stores. For example, here it is extremely difficult to find tortilla chips or tortilla shells, a staple back in the US. Consider too our vast choices in the grocery store: there is an asian aisle and a mexican aisle, not to mention entire grocery marts completely dedicated to both in other locations. As for restaurants, we have Thai, Chinese, Mexican, Indian, Ethiopian, Italian, Greek, etc! And though many of these are "Americanized" versions of the foods and flavors, when owned by people of the parent country, they are fairly authentic.

Secondly I should point out a difference that many people already know. Americans can be very unfriendly and distant. The people here are very warm, they touch each other often, they always kiss hello and goodbye on the cheek (I was kissed hello at more than one job interview!) They are eager to talk to you and happy to answer your questions. This openess translates to other relations, too, of course. For example, men yell at women from across busy streets, and are not shy about hitting on women anytime, without 'polite' filtering. Latino culture is very direct. One night you may be told you are pretty, and the same hour you may be told your spanish is very bad. The good news is, you never have to guess what people are thinking, which is an advantage when learning a language, for sure.

Of course some people in the US act this way. But the majority of us like our space, our personal bubble, we don't want to be touched without warning, especially by strangers. Men would be slapped for many of the things I've heard here. We want to be treated with a reserved politeness, and often we want things very much sugar-coated, and the blunt truth is deemed rude. I am in no way saying one is better than the other. I respect that directness is in many ways better, and I also know that in some cases gentle truth is much easier for relationships.

These are just a few examples. In reality our culture is indeed an Americanized 'melting pot' of other cultures. I think that is a very good thing, and something to really be proud of and celebrate. Argentina is also a cultural 'melting pot' but with a strong Latino undercurrent.

Some days are very difficult here, and I feel its probably the most challenging experience of my life. I know how lucky I am to be here, and how very grateful I am to have good friends, here and at home, to help me through the rough spots. I will never regret knowing another culture and in comparison seeing my own culture more clearly defined. Hopefully, in turn, I will begin to see my own self with true clarity.

Hola queridos, lo siento que hace mucho tiempo hasta escribi. Hello friends! Sorry I have not written in a while. Zaria and I are now in Cordoba, Argentina, which is northwest of Buenos Aires, and closer to the Sierra mountains. We took a double decker night bus here, it was about nine hours, and we sat on the top deck, right in front! It was fun until I woke up in the middle of the night and saw other buses racing towards us in the night haha.

Cordoba is a city about the size of Kansas City. We came here because we have a friend, Luciana, who is renting out two rooms to us. Luciana is a lot of fun and she speaks fluent english, so she has been a great guide for the city and Argentina. She is also sharing a lot of the history of the city with us and studied spanish grammer in school, the perfect person to hang out with! She has been helping me with my spanish.

I am starting spanish class Wednesday and I'm really looking forward to it. This is what I came here to do, learn spanish. I feel like I have already learned so much here, about cultural differences and what it takes to adjust to living in a foreign country. I have so much respect for my own ancestors that travelled to the US and made it their home, and also for the immigrants that come to the US today. Learning a new language and culture is no small feat. There are sooo many things I miss from home, both small and large. Nachos! and fake cheese haha. I'm getting used to not having air conditioning, and dealing with many bugs. I've also had to eat a lot of ham and cheese (they LOVE it here!) These are some negatives, but there are many positives. In adjusting to a diet overhaul, I've discovered foods that I really like here. One is jugo de pomelo (grapefruit juice) which at home I would never have even tried. All of the juice here is literally squeezed right from the fruit into your cup. Such a simple concept, yet in the US we can't seem to acheive it.

Everyone we've met is very friendly, with few exceptions. The Argentines are definitely night owls, it is not uncommon at all for them to be out until 6am, and get up for work at 8am the next day. They have a 'sleep whenever' lifestyle, hence, there are siestas from 1pm to 3 or 4pm, when all the stores close and everyone goes home for lunch and a nap! It is much more prevelant here in Cordoba than it was in bustling Buenos Aires.

In traveling one must admit that there are high points and low points, some higher and lower than others. here are some examples:

Low: being called gorda (fatty) by a homeless drunk man with a horrible sunburn.
High: being called bonitas divinas (divine beauties) by a man on a motorscooter.

Low: almost dying everytime you get in a car or cross a street (the driving is so scary here)

High: realizing you can make a phone call in spanish (albeit badly ;)

Low: washing your clothes and hanging them to dry, only to have the rain flail them into the mud later.

High: sunning yourself by the pool drinking mate (a strong tea, seen pictured above), all while learning new spanish words. Buenisimo!

I miss you all very much! Besos a todos!

left to right : Zaria, Luciana, Luis, and yours truly :)

Hoooola! Oh my what a crazy time its been here in BA. Zaria and I are finally settling in more, learning the bus routes, how to identify familiar food dishes, and how to avoid some of the 'pajeros.' We've started avoiding places that attract foreigners, because they also attract 'pajeros!'

Nonetheless, BA is a beautiful city with friendly people. As big cities go, its a great place to visit. I feel much safer here than I would in New York or Chicago, especially at night. There are so many people here eager to speak with us, and none of them seemed turned off by our accents or lack of language skill. It is a huge contrast with the US, where foreigners are often scorned or sometimes simply turned away. Also in major contrast, almost everyone I've talked to here knows at least a little english. They all study it in high school, and are brave enough to give it a try. I'm very impressed by this, having come from a country where studying a foreign language is seen as a trivial matter.

Finally there is a slight reprieve from the 'Golpe de calor' (literally, 'hit of heat'), so we've been out doing more sight-seeing. We've made friends with Leo and Virginia, who took us out dancing to a 'boliche,' it was hilarious and fun. On to the pictures!

In case you were wondering, no, the tip was not included, we'll put it in english for you:

Not sure how it was supposed to open the can...I just hacked and pulled until I could dump out peas and carrots....

Zaria and I with our new amiga, Virginia (pronounced Veer-heen-ee-a) ;)

Dia seis in Buenos Aires...

Buenos tardes a todos! I've been in BA for six days now, and the heat is really starting to overwhelm us! It is in the 90s everyday here, and the humidity is very high. Argentina is close to the equator, too, very hot! I've learned a few lessons about eating here, my friend Zaria and I have both gotten sick from different foods. They use less preservatives in the food, which is good, but means you have to eat it when you buy it.

A bit of craziness has ensued with the nightlife here. I broke a shoe the other night (a sandal, right in half!!) and some of the men here have turned into pajeros (that's spanish for creeps!). We have made a few friends though, and in Cordoba we'll be settled in more than we are here in BA.

The tourist sights are impressive! Today we saw 'Casa Rosa' which is the equivelant of our White House, but pink. The significance of the color was the blending of the two political parties colors, red and white, to mean unity. We also went to the national cathedral, a huge and very intricately designed church. More tourist stuff tomorrow! Chau!

Hola a todos!! Today is day two of the trip to Buenos Aires. The first day Zaria and I were very tired from our twelve hour flights, but we still did quite a bit of exploring. BA is a huge city, the ninth largest in the world. There are people from all over the world here, touring and living. The Argentinians are very Italian /European looking, most of Argentina's indigenous population was wiped out long ago, much like ours in the US. Many of the men have mullets!!! ha ha! And there are not many overweight people here, even though they eat a ton of meat, pasta, and cheese. I can only theorize that the food is very fresh here, and not filled with preservatives. Vegetables are much harder to find on the menu. The picture de la calle is of Plaza Serrano, a busy and trendy part of the city with many young people and cool boutiques. (I already bought three new clothing items, help!!) Note the colorful buildings. The architecture here is sooo much cooler than the US. The photo of the older lady is from the same area, she is standing outside a "kiosco," a sort of convenience store found on almost every block here. The mural next to her is a common sight, the painter in me loves this detail! The photo to the left is Zaria on a sidewalk under an awning of plantlife. There are so many trees here for a large city, its amazing. Though there are sad sights (and some scary ones!) as well, BA has a calmness about it that I find unusual for a large city.

So far the food here is very good!! Nothing too weird yet, although I received some squid thing in the center of my pasta last night that I promptly removed. In this photo you can see the yogurt, which is all liquid in Argentina, being poured into a bowl of granola, yum!! Another thing to get used too, the outlets, which can be tricky. We already tripped the breaker in our tiny apartment here, and had to ask the security guard downstairs to turn it back on!

There is so much more to say, but it will have to wait! for now I leave you with the view outside the apartment, day and night. Chau amigos!!