Greetings from Home

I got a great surprise this week.  Mom and Dad sent me a package!  Thank goodness it actually arrived (intact!)  It was great to have a little something special from home.  Wanna know what was in it?

4 POUNDS OF PEANUT BUTTER
1 POUND OF JELLY


and a lot of love <3


So it was sort of an adventure to get it.  Apparently the security of Argentinean mail is top notch.  Whilst I could see my sweet package sitting there, behind the counter, they made me wait over two hours to receive it.  I took a number, and after about 15 minutes I was called back.  They took my form stating I had a package and I hoped to receive said package.  Not so fast.  Instead, they handed me another number and told me to take a seat!  I waited, and I waited, and I waited and then I waited some more.  Everyone was waiting and no one was leaving with packages.  It was very stressful for everyone in the room.  The trip wasn't a total bust though, I did learn some new inappropriate words from a very angered and distressed Argentinean.  At least the bureaucracy of this country bothers them as well.  Then, when I finally was called the second time, I had an interview.  The very serious postal worker asked me what was in the package.  HELLLOOO???? I am receiving this package!  How in the world should I know what is inside it!?!?!?!?!?!?! I explained this somewhat calmly and eventually left with love from home hugged tightly in my arms.


All is well that ends well... so now I must go off and enjoy a wonderful Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

Bon Apetit!

Parque Nacional Quebrada de los Condoritos!

... that's not something you see everyday

What a day.  Wednesday is a national holiday in Argentina-Dia de la Memoria (Memorial Day) to remember the last dictator Argentina had in the 1970's and all the disappeared civilians as a result of the military rule.  Ergo, we didn't have class.  I used my time wisely that day, to allow for a Thursday full of adventure!  Class was canceled on Thursday as well, so Brice and I headed out of town.  After a few weeks of being in the city, we needed some fresh air, nature and invigorating activity.  I consulted the "bible" and chose this national park.  The park is at an elevation of 1900-2300 meters (6234-7546 feet) and covers 370 sq km of rocky grasslands.  It's big.  The very unique part, however, is the fact that the quebrada (gorge) that runs through the park is home to many condors, a near threatened species of vulture.  Condors are the largest flying land birds in the western hemisphere.  Additionally, they are the national symbol for Argentina, as well as other surrounding countries.  Stunningly, mature condors have a wingspan of about 10 feet!  It is hard to believe they are quite that large--they didn't look very big while flying... but in retrospect, they could have been over 1000 ft away!

Brice and I left Cordoba at 11 am, and arrived in La Pampilla at about 12:40 pm.  I knew we had to ask for a specific bus stop, but what I didn't know, was that the bus stop was no more than the shoulder of a road.  Literally.  We stepped off the bus and it pulled away, leaving Brice and I to stare into each other's horrified eyes.   We were in the middle of the mountains in Argentina, stranded and alone for the next seven hours.  There was no park entrance, no sign....    nothing but a rickety old gate opening to a dirt road.  We put on our brave faces, followed Frost's advice and took the path less traveled.  Eventually, a few meager signs appeared letting us know we were on our way to somewhere.  After about 20 minutes Brice got bored with the road and decided rock climbing was a better idea.  We scaled and climbed for a little over a half hour.  We finally decided to make our way back to the trail but, just my luck, as I was stepping back onto the trail I slipped and slid down the incline, scraping up my legs pretty badly (see the damage?) but it is already healing thanks to my quick witted field dressing.
      
After we got back on the trail, we ran into the ranger station.  Here we acquired a map of the trails.  So we set off, the wind at our back, sun warming our faces.  The views were incredible.  I have absolutely never seen anything quite like it in my life.  It was like the earth just stretched out in front of you, and if you turned a quarter turn to your right, you saw these impressive rock formations, hills and valleys of the mountain range.  I half expected Frodo to jump out in front of me, looking for his Precious as we walked along.  The walk was tough at times, steep and slippery, but I only had one spill.  My buns are still burning from the inclines and declines of the trail.  Every time the going got tough, there was a majestic view waiting for us on the next side.  We picnic-ed and rested plenty in the cool mountain air; we enjoyed every second of this marvelous adventure.

18 km, 7 hours... one incredible journey

Orientation week = new friends!

The week before last was our orientation week.  Although the students who had been here for the pre-intensive course felt orientated enough we still had to sit through a few days of information.  This was really a wake up for me about how used to Spanish I was... it sounded to me like the staff was talking painfully slow but perhaps the people who had just arrived weren't as accustomed as we have become.  Of course, some of the students have a little bit of an advantage... the students from Spain, Mexico and Puerto Rico.  We also have about seven people from Germany, a couple Frenchies and one Brazilian.  Half of us are from the States, but we are even more varied now.  We've added a few more Mississippi's, two West Virginians, a girl from Iowa and a boy from Texas.  Also, the people who've been here for six months already have returned from traveling.  I met a fabulous girl who is quickly becoming a close friend.  Her name is Katie and she lives just outside of London, England.  We both are addicted to licuados (a fruity milkshake,) movies, and talking to each other!  I expect this is a beginning of a beautiful friendship.  (I just watched Casablanca for the first time and I understand so many more pop references!!!!!)  Another new friend is Juliette, from Versailles, France.  She is very sweet and funny and loves to travel as well.  A few days after she returns from Argentina, she leaves for a month in INDIA!  Jealous much?  I am... don't worry Mom and Dad, I'll stick around home for awhile... this time :)

So what have we been up to then?  Well, we've been ruddy busy! Besides just hanging out, going to cafes to talk/ gossip/ mingle, we've had a few adventures.  Last Saturday, Katie, Juliette and I headed to some museums and spent the afternoon in the park by the lake.  By park I am referring to Parque Sarmiento, the huge park here in the city.  It is so peaceful there... the entire time I forgot I was in the middle of a city of 1.5 million people and instead just enjoyed the ducks splashing and families picnicing.  We've seen a few movies on rainy days--here nearly all movies are in English with Spanish subtitles; it is a fun way to learn new words and also a nice, comforting reminder of home as well.  Finally, yesterday Katie and I joined a gym!   It is quite a swanky place--the Jockey Club.  It has a pool, a big gym area and marble in the foyer... yeah... it's high livin' here in Argentina!  We worked out for the first time today.  Let's just say... we are seeing this as a great opportunity to get fit.  Everything is more fun with a friend.

Everyone is so much fun to be around and so open.  No matter how this experience turns out, it will be amazing to travel the world and know you have friends in so many countries!

Classes, Classes, Classes

Ay, ay, ay I know it's been too long.  But I'm here.. writing away.


Classes started!  I am taking four courses.  All classes here at UCC are taught in Spanish, which is a challenge but very rewarding.  The school offers some classes geared towards exchange students.  I am taking two of these courses.  One is the History of Argentina 1912-present day.  It is a fascinating course.  During the last century, Argentina went through many changes on a political, economic and social level.  I can't wait to learn more about what led to so many military rulers and dictatorships and how Argentina still managed to keep it together as a country and be as prosperous as it is now.  The other class offered for exchange students is just a grammar course for Spanish.  The professor also taught my pre-intensive course so I know she is a fabulous teacher and a wonderful person.  Even though I've had many years of Spanish, it is still a great experience to learn from a native speaker, and be able to walk out on the street and use the things I learned in class.  Lastly, every other weekend I have class on Friday night and Saturday morning.  These are two literature classes: the literature of Latin America and contemporary literature of Argentina.  I am excited to bring what I know about literature to class discussions and see what others have to say about their culture through literature.  It should be a very fulfilling experience.  Interestingly, my professor of literature of Latin America moved to Minnesota for ten years after she got married!  She knows Wisconsin very well.  It is strange to find something so familiar in a place that sometimes... well... isn't so.  My classmates in the exchange student classes are great--I have close friends in every class.  Ally and I have two classes together, and Brice, Kelsey, Katie and I share one class.  It is wonderful to mix old friends with new and keep making more each and every day.  In the other classes I have met some very nice people.  The literature classes are technically more for graduate students, so the class consists of either adults coming back to school or older students.  It is a very different dynamic from what I am used to in the classroom but all my classmates are incredibly welcoming and supportive.  I am still a little shy (I know, me shy, right?) to jump right into the class discussion, usually because by the time I assure myself that I know the proper grammatical structure to use, the conversation has moved far beyond.  I know I just have to go with my instinct and start talking!

Well, sorry for the lack of posts lately... I will try to keep everything more updated!

Call me when you are done doing.... whatever.

Adventure, adventure, adventure.  Kelsey, Ally, Karina, Brice, Patrick and I spent our long weekend in Mendoza, Argentina.  Mendoza is the fourth largest city in Argentina and has the largest peak in the Andes and lots of vineyards.  It has a lot more to offer as well.  We left Cordoba at 9 pm and arrived in Mendoza a little after 7 am.  The buses are not your typical school bus.  They have plush seats that recline to a near laying position, I'd guestimate about a 60 degree angle.  There is plenty of legroom and a footrest as well.  It was funny, as we pulled into the bus station, I kept expecting to hear the flight attendant talk about remaining in your seats until the aircraft has come to a complete stop and that the use of electronic devices is prohibited until the seat belt sign is turned off.  However, I have never been on an airplane as comfortable as that bus!  After we arrived, we dropped our stuff at the Itaka Hostel.  This hostel was really incredible.  Tons of their services were free, including internet.  Their staff was friendly and approachable.  By the end, we knew the receptionists by name as they did us.  But I know what you are thinking.  Becky, hush about the hostel... tell us about the earthquake!  Sorry to disappoint, but I was sound asleep on the bus during the quake.  Rumor has it that it was felt all the way to Cordoba, but in the huge coach bus, I didn't feel anything but the bliss of slumber.  Apparently, there was an after-shock in Mendoza on Saturday night as well... but once again, I was sound asleep.  The earthquake is another tragedy but, luckily, Chile was far more prepared than Haiti.  The infrastructure, for the majority, stood up to the quake.  I think the best thing to do is pray for the families that have lost a loved one, and pray for those left.
Well, we arrived on Saturday morning and got right to the fun and games.  We went to Maipu, which is a small town fifteen minutes outside of the center of Mendoza where there are many vineyards.  We rode bicycles along the roads lined by tall trees, bordering views of the extensive vineyards and the towering majestic mountains in the background.  It is absolutely one of the most beautiful places on earth.  While some of my compatriots enjoyed the wine more than others, we all enjoyed the tours and we definitely all loved the olive oil tasting and the chocolate tastings.  I bought a lot of treasures for myself, including marmalades and olives, some balsamic vinegar and the best extra virgin olive oil you've ever tasted in your life!  It is so fresh and light and flavorful without being rich.... fantastic.  Did you know... the best way to see if you have a good olive oil is to put it in the refrigerator?  If it is a quality oil, it will uniformly turn white and harden, whereas if it is of a lesser quality, you will see separation and disunity.  Doing this doesn't hard the oil at all.  There was over 12 kilometers of the route of the vineyards (called bodegas in Spanish) so we biked over 24 miles that day.  We had a nice quiet night at the hostel.
The next day we spent sightseeing in the city, just walking around.  The highlight of my day was Parque General San Martin.  This is a park of over 420 hectares.  It is on the western side of the city, so the Andes are clearly visible from the park.  It is huge--very extensive.  As it headed towards twilight, the sky turned the most glorious shades of blue and purple.  I loved being surrounded by the greenery; there were all sorts of trees of every shape and kind stretching towards the sky.  So beautiful.
Monday--one of the best days of my life.  Ally, Kelsey, Brice and I spent the day rafting in the Andes.  I love mountains.  I love them so much.  We rafted down 26 kilometers of a glacial fed river.  This activity was a little too adventurous for Patrick and Karina, but he was more than happy to tell us to call when we were done doing.... whatever the next nuts thing we dreamed up happened to be.  The guides at our rafting service were knowledgeable, professional and so much fun!  They were from distinct countries--from Peru to Canada.  The four of us had a boat to ourselves and our guide, Oscar, took us to the best places in the river.  We rafted for over three hours.  I loved being in the front of the boat, feeling the powerful, freezing cold water splash into my face.  Oscar permitted us to leave the raft and swim around in the river when it wasn't too strong.  Even so, I have never been swimming in such a strong current.  I know I am a great swimmer but there is no way I would ever go into a river without a life jacket.  I know it would be nearly impossible to stay afloat without a preserver.  We never fell out, although we did crash into each other in the boat multiple times (I have the bruises to prove it).  Brice insists he has forgotten the commands in English as Oscar "Adelante! Adelante! Alto! Alto!" into us the whole time.  I personally think he was a little too busy screaming obscenities into the waves to pay much attention to anything.  Nevertheless, it did prove to be quite an amusing experience.  It was a great day to spend on the river and I now have a new goal in life--raft down a class 5 river.  A guide who hails from Chicago explained to me that the best way to describe class 5 is to say that if there were a class 6, it would be physically impossible to raft down because of the rapids.  What can I say?  I like to keep things interesting.  

Safe and sound, we left Mendoza on Monday night.  Today was a great day and I have really enjoyed meeting the new exchange students.  I would love to go back to Mendoza, given the opportunity.  Want to come along?

(pictures coming soon!)