Man, I tell you... life here just gets better with time =)
Friday I had orientation at la Universidad de Belgrano... I feel like such a nerd, but I am really excited to start my classes! They have an interesting way of enrolling in classes here, so it'll be fun to experience a new way of going through this process. I have three more days of real class, then thursday and friday we have a written and then an oral exam. Then break! I'm going to go with my host parents to the beach! SOO excited!
I went to a show with some friends on Friday night... a little bit of hippie music and a little bit of folklorico. It was really fun- we all just danced and hung out. It was fun to be in a place where the Argentines go to hang out.
Saturday I went to practice again with the running club... I think I'm going to be an official member of the group, and maybe train for another race while I'm here... we'll see :) After practice I met up with the friend from Germany, Annika, and we went to this park that's nearby where they have tango every week. We weren't too sure what to expect, so went with the intention of watching. We both ended up dancing with nice gentlemen, who were patient enough to dance with us/teach us, given that we've each only had one tango lesson.
Today I found a church that a friend from Arkansas (who was here last year) reccommended to me. I got there late, of course, because I thought it started an hour later than it really did... but oh well. The people were so nice and welcoming. But mostly it was just so great to have collective worship once again.
I guess that's about it.. not nothing too crazy, but definitely quite enjoyable =)
Besos, chao chao!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Day 17
(Sorry that I am really bad about updating this, by the way)
Tuesday night (I'm doing a bit of rewinding here) we had a birthday party for a girl who had lived here 5 years ago and was here these last couple of weeks for a visit.. It was another great party. We had tables set up in the back yard, wonderful Argentine beef, grilled veggies and potatoes, Germans, Argentines, North Americans (as they refer to us here)... and we all just sat and talked and laughed for a while. So fun! Have I mentioned how much I like the people I live with? (=
El Asado- like a BBQFriday night Alicia and Jose had a couple over for dinner and a couple of us other residents joined the festivities. We ate in the dining room (we normally eat in the kitchen) and it was set up all fancy. We had appetizers, a wonderful entree, and an even more wonderful dessert! It was fun just listening to the two couples tell stories and laugh together.
Saturday night I went with some friends to this free, outdoor Tango concert/show. It was in the middle of Avenido 9 de Julio (the widest in the world) and there was a band with accordians, violins, a couple cellos, bass, and a grand piano. The music was so good, if you are at all into tango music. And then there were 20 professional couples who danced... oh man, they were good! It was a very enjoyable evening. Afterwards went out to eat with the friends in a new part of the city that I am going to have to return to- it's just a little area away from the main strip and it was SO cute! we ate at an Italian restaurant and between the Italian and Spanish we weren't too sure what we were ordering haha But I ended up with raviolios, a share of a salad, and a share of a bottle of wine for about $10 US! pretty good deal!
Japanese Gardens- explored these on Sunday!
This week has been pretty great so far... not too much going on yet. I had a test in my class on Monday- really just for us to see how we're doing- I did pretty well... at the end of next week we have a written and oral final, which counts for 1/3 of our overall grade... woohoo.
Tomorrow is Brooke Cagle's 21st birthday!!!! The first birthday in about 5 years that I have not celebrated with her, so if you know her or see her give her some love for me!
Hope you guys all have a good week! (I'm not sure who 'youguys' is, but whoever you are, I want you to have a good week!)
Besos,
"Jessi"
Another week in Buenos Aires has passed by! This week went by pretty fast... Lots of little things, but mostly continuing to adjust to life here! I hung out with more people this week- yay I'm making friends! =) One day after class I went with a classmate, Vicki, and 5 other people from class to some other part of town (called Bond Street) and got her nose pierced (above)
El Asado- like a BBQ
Saturday night I went with some friends to this free, outdoor Tango concert/show. It was in the middle of Avenido 9 de Julio (the widest in the world) and there was a band with accordians, violins, a couple cellos, bass, and a grand piano. The music was so good, if you are at all into tango music. And then there were 20 professional couples who danced... oh man, they were good! It was a very enjoyable evening. Afterwards went out to eat with the friends in a new part of the city that I am going to have to return to- it's just a little area away from the main strip and it was SO cute! we ate at an Italian restaurant and between the Italian and Spanish we weren't too sure what we were ordering haha But I ended up with raviolios, a share of a salad, and a share of a bottle of wine for about $10 US! pretty good deal!
At the Tango show
Japanese Gardens- explored these on Sunday!
This week has been pretty great so far... not too much going on yet. I had a test in my class on Monday- really just for us to see how we're doing- I did pretty well... at the end of next week we have a written and oral final, which counts for 1/3 of our overall grade... woohoo.
Tomorrow is Brooke Cagle's 21st birthday!!!! The first birthday in about 5 years that I have not celebrated with her, so if you know her or see her give her some love for me!
Hope you guys all have a good week! (I'm not sure who 'youguys' is, but whoever you are, I want you to have a good week!)
Besos,
"Jessi"
Monday, February 14, 2011
God is love.
Feliz dia de san Valentin!
(Let me just say that my boyfriend, Matt, is the sweetest. He woke up at 5am his time so that he and I could have a skype date this morning for Valentine's day! The best!)
Much has happened in this last week:
my new school...It's official- I'm a student at the Universidad del Belgrano... I even got a student ID (=
Classes started Tuesday and they've been going pretty well. I tested into Intermediate 1, which so far has been covering the things that I learned my freshman year of college. But, like my profesora (Cecilia) keeps reminding me of, if I would have KNOWN these things well, I would have tested into a higher level... Therefore, I'm remembering that it is good to be humble, and it's not a bad thing to have to swallow my pride every now and then.
my Argentine cat, MumiJust to throw it out there- my host mom, Alicia- much like my mom- cooks very well and makes dinner for Jose, Devon, and I every night. We eat dinner and talk about lots- tv, politics, the day, our life, and more... it's definitely one of my favorite parts of the day!
I experienced my first night on the town this Friday... I went to a bar and bought my first drink. I drank not even half of it, because I was too scared of getting tipsy haha
Saturday was the best day yet! One of the girls that lives with me, Katie, the freelance writer from CA- apparently she ran track in college, and is a member of a little group of older people that run with a coach. She invited me to go to practice with them on Saturday, so I went to this super cute park and ran with the team! It was so fun and I'm going to go back tomorrow! After running we stopped outside her coach's house and his family invited us in for mate (a very Argentine hot drink- has the caffeine like coffee but the health of green tea, not too bad) So we went up to their house and just sat around the table drinking mate and eating some pastries (much like an afternoon tea would be in England) The Saturday evening we celebrated the birthday of a guy that lives here with an asada(BBQ/backyard party)... there were like 15-20 people there and it was SO fun! There were people from the states, Germany, and Argentina... at one point we were all sitting at the table and there were like conversations going on in like 4 different languages!
my current place of residence
Sunday was very relaxed... I took some sun as the say in Spanish on the patio out back, ate lunch with some friends, and then went to mass with Alicia (host mom) and Devon (official housemate). I liked the music a lot- it was a "contemporary" service. They sang "Go tell it on the Mountain" and I hummed along...
Things I've learned this week, unfortunately all from experience:
-most restaurants charge a cover fee
-if you leave the clubs/bars at 3-4am, that's early
-the lavadoria (laundromat) is closed on Sunday as are most stores
-order water without gas
-if you don't want to pay for water- order specifically from the tap
-meeting new people is fun
-having to make new friends kinda sucks
-look at a map and know which direction you are walking before you go 20 minutes and realize it was the wrong way...
-you don't make eye contact with strangers who are walking by you
-when men meet for the first time- they shake hands...pretty much in every other interaction, you are greeted with one "kiss" on the cheek (though really you just touch cheeks and make a kissing sound)
-dinner time: anywhere from 9 to 10:30 at our house
-the post office (which is really just a kiosk that happens to mail things) closes before 7...
I know I've learned way more, but I'm pretty tired right now so I'm not functioning at my best. So, with that I leave you.
(Let me just say that my boyfriend, Matt, is the sweetest. He woke up at 5am his time so that he and I could have a skype date this morning for Valentine's day! The best!)
Much has happened in this last week:
my new school...
Classes started Tuesday and they've been going pretty well. I tested into Intermediate 1, which so far has been covering the things that I learned my freshman year of college. But, like my profesora (Cecilia) keeps reminding me of, if I would have KNOWN these things well, I would have tested into a higher level... Therefore, I'm remembering that it is good to be humble, and it's not a bad thing to have to swallow my pride every now and then.
my Argentine cat, Mumi
I experienced my first night on the town this Friday... I went to a bar and bought my first drink. I drank not even half of it, because I was too scared of getting tipsy haha
Saturday was the best day yet! One of the girls that lives with me, Katie, the freelance writer from CA- apparently she ran track in college, and is a member of a little group of older people that run with a coach. She invited me to go to practice with them on Saturday, so I went to this super cute park and ran with the team! It was so fun and I'm going to go back tomorrow! After running we stopped outside her coach's house and his family invited us in for mate (a very Argentine hot drink- has the caffeine like coffee but the health of green tea, not too bad) So we went up to their house and just sat around the table drinking mate and eating some pastries (much like an afternoon tea would be in England) The Saturday evening we celebrated the birthday of a guy that lives here with an asada(BBQ/backyard party)... there were like 15-20 people there and it was SO fun! There were people from the states, Germany, and Argentina... at one point we were all sitting at the table and there were like conversations going on in like 4 different languages!
my current place of residence
Sunday was very relaxed... I took some sun as the say in Spanish on the patio out back, ate lunch with some friends, and then went to mass with Alicia (host mom) and Devon (official housemate). I liked the music a lot- it was a "contemporary" service. They sang "Go tell it on the Mountain" and I hummed along...
Things I've learned this week, unfortunately all from experience:
-most restaurants charge a cover fee
-if you leave the clubs/bars at 3-4am, that's early
-the lavadoria (laundromat) is closed on Sunday as are most stores
-order water without gas
-if you don't want to pay for water- order specifically from the tap
-meeting new people is fun
-having to make new friends kinda sucks
-look at a map and know which direction you are walking before you go 20 minutes and realize it was the wrong way...
-you don't make eye contact with strangers who are walking by you
-when men meet for the first time- they shake hands...pretty much in every other interaction, you are greeted with one "kiss" on the cheek (though really you just touch cheeks and make a kissing sound)
-dinner time: anywhere from 9 to 10:30 at our house
-the post office (which is really just a kiosk that happens to mail things) closes before 7...
I know I've learned way more, but I'm pretty tired right now so I'm not functioning at my best. So, with that I leave you.
Monday, February 7, 2011
The Beatles
I have 4 framed Beatles posters in my room. I stuck my own pictures in the corners of the frames (=
Yesterday was real orientation. We had a 2hour meeting with the director of ISA, then some empanadas (fried bread stuffed with whatever you want and oh so yummy!) for lunch, followed by a 4 hour bus tour of the city. That was so fun! We just got a little taste of the whole city, and I can't wait to go back and really explore all of the various places!
Last night was the Superbowl, so several of us decided to meet back up after the tour and go to an American owned restaurant to watch the game. We took the Subte (the subway) several stops down and finally found the place, but it was so packed that they wouldn't let anyone else inside. So... after much debate and exploration, 4 of us ended up eating at a Pizzeria and watched a futbol game (= But, I feel like that was more appropriate given that I'm in Argentina, not the States.
Today we had the placement exams. I didn't do great on it because I tested into Intermediate 1 (at Arkansas I'm beyond advanced) but it's alright... I'll just try it out and see how it is first. Then, if by the end of the the week I feel like I'm back in 9th grade, I can change. After our exams, I ate lunch at a cafe with some girls, then ran some errands, had some meetings, more errands, and eventually back home. I'm getting the hang of things!! I now know how to take the Subte to the ISA office and also to school. I know how to walk from the school to the office. I know how to walk from the house to the Subte woohoo (: That's my victory of the day.
Tomorrow classes begin. This next month I will be in an intensive Spanish language program and I have class Mon-Fri 10-3... I haven't had a schedule like that since high school; and it will be even worse because I don't switch classes! But thankfully, it's just a month, and I know it will help me because my grammer is terrible! I probably sound FOB to them.
But anyway... that's all I got! I love you and miss you all!
Chao
Yesterday was real orientation. We had a 2hour meeting with the director of ISA, then some empanadas (fried bread stuffed with whatever you want and oh so yummy!) for lunch, followed by a 4 hour bus tour of the city. That was so fun! We just got a little taste of the whole city, and I can't wait to go back and really explore all of the various places!
My housemate, Devon
Buenos Aires...downtown
some stinkin cute ladies
Today we had the placement exams. I didn't do great on it because I tested into Intermediate 1 (at Arkansas I'm beyond advanced) but it's alright... I'll just try it out and see how it is first. Then, if by the end of the the week I feel like I'm back in 9th grade, I can change. After our exams, I ate lunch at a cafe with some girls, then ran some errands, had some meetings, more errands, and eventually back home. I'm getting the hang of things!! I now know how to take the Subte to the ISA office and also to school. I know how to walk from the school to the office. I know how to walk from the house to the Subte woohoo (: That's my victory of the day.
Tomorrow classes begin. This next month I will be in an intensive Spanish language program and I have class Mon-Fri 10-3... I haven't had a schedule like that since high school; and it will be even worse because I don't switch classes! But thankfully, it's just a month, and I know it will help me because my grammer is terrible! I probably sound FOB to them.
But anyway... that's all I got! I love you and miss you all!
Chao
Saturday, February 5, 2011
HERE!!!!!!!
After a 3 hour car ride through snow, a one hour flight to Atlanta with a 4 hour layover, and then a 10 hour flight across many countries... I finally arrived in Buenos Aires this morning at 9am. The flight was definitely not the most comfortable but I got SOME shut-eye... Met up with ISA (my program), they took us little Americans to the University where we met out host families. I was met by a cute little 60-something year old lady named Alicia. She took me to her lovely home where I eventually met the other 5 residents- Jose (her husband), Devon (my true housemate; she's doing the same thing as me), Katie (a cool bum from CA), Eric and Harrison (dudes that live in the apartment out back; from CA; also students, but different program than I). So that's us... the Pasarello-Luna familia (=
Haven't gotten to do too much exploring yet... we have a real orientation tomorrow.
That's about all that's been going on. I'm wearing shorts because it's not ZERO degrees here! (It was like 86 when I arrived and is currently a wonderful 72)
I can't believe I'm here in Argentina, and I'm staying here! I am so excited to get to know the city and the people and just to experience life as an Argentine...I know God's got some good plans for me while I'm here, and I can't wait to see those play out.
Somewhere in Argentina
My good friend Lauren is in Buenos Aires with me!
The widest "toll" I've ever seen!
outside a balcony in my house
Buenos Noches.
Haven't gotten to do too much exploring yet... we have a real orientation tomorrow.
That's about all that's been going on. I'm wearing shorts because it's not ZERO degrees here! (It was like 86 when I arrived and is currently a wonderful 72)
I can't believe I'm here in Argentina, and I'm staying here! I am so excited to get to know the city and the people and just to experience life as an Argentine...I know God's got some good plans for me while I'm here, and I can't wait to see those play out.
Somewhere in Argentina
My good friend Lauren is in Buenos Aires with me!
The widest "toll" I've ever seen!
outside a balcony in my house
My street
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