Perfect.

This passage couldn't be any more relative to my life right now and the past year... We've all heard it, but let's just read through it again. I highlighted a passage within the passage that seems particularly relevant.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace."
-Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

As I have probably told a lot of you, the thought of going home right now is a little overwhelming. I came into this trip apparently forgetting that the end was inevitable. And now I'm just not prepared for it at all. Nope. Not at all. I will be meditating on this verse for the rest of my time here.

hmm.

I just didn't know it was possible to start missing a place you're still living in.

Wow...It's been a while.

Hi everyone-

I'm sorry I've let you all down : ( I have become so absorbed with life here in Argentina that I have been forgetting to update you all. I think I have been keeping most of you well-informed, nevertheless, whether it be by skype, email, facebook, etc. But still, it never hurts to just type here what is on my mind.

As many of you may know, last month, in April I took a 10 day trip to Patagonia (southern Argentina) and was able to see some of the most amazing things I ever have in my life. I thought that I would share with you some excerpts of my journal entry I wrote after that trip.

*******
4/13

I had such an amazing experience in Patagonia. I wish I would have brought this journal along to catalog every detail so that I wouldn't forget anything. Of course I took tons of pictures, but for some reason I feel like none of them really capture the amazingness of it all.

I feel like I didn't really realize how truly incredible everything was and how unbelievable the opportunity in general was until I got home and looked back through all of my photos. Not only did I see some of the most beautiful scenery I ever have in my life, but I also met some really cool people along the way, from Ireland, Australia, France and other places. Most of them were all backpackers, and they all made me want to just drop everything and travel. (I had heard about the travel bug before I came, but wasn't aware it could bite so hard!!) I'm not ready to find a job, find a husband, buy a house, have kids. No. The world is so big and I want to see it! I just don't think that right now I am supposed to stay in one my place. For whatever reason, I am feeling emotionally and almost physically compelled to just get out there.

Yesterday was Easter, and it was kind of a had day. Not only was I away from family, but I didn't do anything the whole day either. I got home from Patagonia around 2:30 and pretty much spent the rest of the day in my room, alone....[skipping a few lines....just talking about things that made me do some serious thinking] That chapter is over and done with...And what an amazing opportunity I have now to start a NEW chapter, a new part of my life, here in Argentina! That is what I can't get over. I have reached a new level of freedom. So I need to take all this in and not waste a second. I feel so blessed that God, despite the fact that I do not deserve it, has put me here a different part of the world and I find myself eternally thankful for it, and everything that is happening...all of the ways my mind is being opened up and the ways I am changing and learning. Sometimes I look around and think, "Am I really here? How did I end up here in Argentina?" or else I think about when I was younger, and what I would have thought if someone told me that I would eventually travel to Argentina and live there for a while. It's all so strange, but I love it.
*******

So there you have it. Just lovin life right now I guess.

For all of you who weren't aware, not this Saturday, but next Saturday I will be traveling to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and spending a week there. I am excited beyond belief. The first time I ever saw a picture of that beautiful place, with Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking the ocean, I knew I had to go there. After that trip I will have seen 1 of the 7 wonders of the world. Assuming I make it to Macchu Picchu, another of the 7, should I be starting a check list...?

Huskers.

Random.

Last week I was at the Migrations Office sitting in the waiting room with a couple other friends taking care of my student visa (which could be a long, stressful story in itself!). I was sitting next to a young family with a smiling, energetic three year old son. After a while the mom asked us where we were from and what we were doing here. She was really nice and spoke Spanish very well, so I talked to her a while. Her and her family were from Italy but had come to live in Argentina for three years for her husband's job. We talked about where I go to school and what I'm studying as well. After we had been chatting for a while I took a closer look at her son and saw that his shirt was very very oddly close to the color of husker red. I looked on the front of his shirt, and saw a big Nebraska "N" right there on his chest and "Huskers" written down the sleeve!! I immediately asked his mom where they bought the shirt and told her it was from my state in the U.S. It turns out they had bought the shirt at their home, in Italy! It was very very weird, but oddly comforting in a way as it reminded me of home, fall and football games.


So then last night, I was waiting for the bus after class. I looked to my left and saw a guy wearing a bright red Nebraska Husker shirt! SO WEIRD...So without even hesitating I approached him and asked where he was from, and explained to him the significance of his shirt. Unfortunately I couldn't really understand why he had it. I ended up having to go to a different bus stop on campus so I said it was nice to meet him and took off. Five minutes later I was sitting on the bus, and he was hopping on to the same one as me. My friend and him talked a little more and ended up exchanging numbers and now we're planning on getting together this weekend. So I got a new Argentine friend out of the whole thing as well.

Moral of the story: you can't escape the Husker Nation!

las adventuras de argentina.

Hello friends and family!

Well, as of late I have been a lot busier. I actually have a social life now that other students are here and classes have started. My schedule is fairly relaxed, although my Fridays are not exactly easy. Monday I have one class, Wednesday I have two classes, and two Fridays out of the month I have three classes, and the other two I have four. I'm still trying to grasp the concept of studying here. It's really difficult to find the motivation when there is always something else I could be doing, some where else I could be, people I could be interacting with. Although I came here to experience new things, I need to remember that I came here to STUDY too (I think that's why they call it study abroad).

Last weekend 15 others and I went to Capilla del Monte, a small town about three hours outside of Córdoba. The town is apparently known for its UFO sitings and kind of has a this ongoing alien/UFO theme going on in the little restaurants and other "touristy" places. Though it would have made quite a story, we didn't see any UFOs (or OVNIS en español) but I did see a gorgeous sunrise over the Sierras and seemingly endless chain of mountains.

The afternoon we arrived we set out on a journey up a dirt road outside of town. About an hour into the hike we found out from various locals driving past that there was an 8 mile hike ahead of us with absolutely nothing to see at the end. So with the exception of four others, the majority of us headed back down the hill to find something else to do. We ended up waiting in the shade of a small bus stop hut for about an hour, then finally went back into town. After locating a cute little hostile, we found a beautiful park with a pool made by the river. By this time it was evening, and the harsh sun that burned our cheaks and put sweat on brows just hours before, now reflected gently on the calm water of the river, and peeked through the soft branches of the willow trees (haha).

The next day we woke up bright and early and prepared our backpacks for a day in the mountains, unaware of exactly what we were going to be doing that day. We found the stop where the bus was supposed to pick us up, and after waiting for about a half an hour, we decided to start the treck to the base of the mountain. We reached the center an hour later, where we paid 20 pesos, bought a few last minute snacks for the hike, and then set out.

Within the first five minutes of the hike I think we all began to realize this was not going to be a pleasant trek through the mountains. The entire trail was uphill, and completely made of rock. By the end it felt as though I had basically been climbing really steep stairs for about three hours. But the view from the top was well worth every bit of energy I had spent. There were beautiful clouds in the sky, mountains that seemed to stretch on forever, and a view of Capilla del Monte nestled within the mountains along side a lake. We spent about an hour and a half to two hours just taking it all in, taking pictures, and relaxing against the rocks.

Though I did not do anything nearly as cool this weekend, on Sunday a smaller group of us went to Alta Gracia, where we toured the house of Ernesto Che Guevara, and an old estancia of the Jesuits that settled there over four hundred years ago. It was a very educational day!

As for now, I think it is probably about time to do some homework.

I am falling in love with this city and the people I am becoming friends with.

that is all.

: )

Hmmm.

Hello everyone!

Well once again, more than a week has past with out a post from me... I apologize. Perhaps when school begins and I start procrastinating more you will hear from me a little more often.

I remarked in my last post that I wanted to talk about reasons why I have come to appreciate the U.S more. Perhaps I will elaborate a bit more on that in this post.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about this topic is the cleanliness of the city. Bearing in mind that I come from a particularly clean part of the country, here are some things I have noticed about Cordoba:
First of all there is a lot of trash on the streets. People seem to be ok with just setting their wrappers down on the sidewalk once they are finished. Because of this, the parks and other public places don't appear as pleasant. In the neighborhood, people set their trash in open wire crates for the garbage men to pick up. This looks a bit odd the first time you see it as well, because the trash is just sitting there in plain view. I'd imagine the wind probably blows some of the trash out and litters the streets as well.

The air is a lot more polluted. It feels thicker when you breathe it in, and it has a certain smell of gas, sometimes sewage, and smoke, depending on where I go in the city . If I had to guess, I would say the amount of people who smoke in this city is well over 50%. It's sometimes seems unavoidable...walking down the street, sitting in a restaurant, or sometimes even sitting in my room and having it waft in through the windows from a neighbor's.

Other than the cleanliness, there are other things. There are abandoned dogs EVERY where. Literallly. They don't bother you but it's just unfortunate. There is apparently a dog pound, but it's almost as if there's more dogs in the city than there is room for in the pound. I'm not really sure.

People are absolutely horrible drivers here, and I don't understand why there aren't more laws enforced. People form their own lanes, weave in and out of traffic whenever and where ever they want, sometimes drive right through stop signs and lights and seem to have absolutely no regard for other drivers on the road. The ironic thing is that people don't appear to wear their seatbelts very frequently either...and often there aren't even any seatbelts in the taxis.

It is not uncommon to find buildings, sidewalks, and streets ripped up or broken down, and I trip. A lot. : /

People seem to be way too concerned with outward appearance. It is perfectly normal for teen-age girls to get breast implants for their 15th birthday. People strive to have the body of a model, and for this reason there is a ridiculously high rate of anorexia and bulimia. Sometimes I see women look me up and down, possibly examining the outfit I am wearing that day. I am not quite sure. But wearing fashionable clothes and having all of the right shoes seems to be at the top of the list for a lot of people here. Everyone sort of seems to wear the same thing too (skinny jeans, chuck taylors, flats, sandals) so the fashion here is getting sort of old.

Another thing that took some getting used to was the graffiti. In general when we see grafitti in Lincoln it is in the (for lack of a better word) "poorer" part of town and seen as something rebellious high school drop outs do to make adults mad. At first when i saw graffiti almost every where I went, I applied these same ideas to what I was seeing. But my ideas are changing... One of my friends told me that grafitti is "so South American"...Basically, Argentina wouldn't be the same without it. Now, after having lived here a month, I've began to understand graffiti more as an art form, or political expression. There have been so much political instability in the past and still now, that it is almost as if you can see a little bit of history written on these buildings. People also write poetry and declare their love for each other these walls. I would like to spend a day just looking at graffitti. I'm sure I'd find some interesting things.


I think over all I have just come to see things from such a different perspective. The ordinary, every-day things I have in the U.S now seem like luxuries. Air conditioning, gauranteed hot water, large selections of foods at the grocery store, clean air, buildings that are kept in good shape.

Hmm. I don't really feel like this post has really captured what I'm really feeling about all of this, not to mention my grammar is getting worse by the day. But anyways. I had a good conversation with my parents about how before I came here, the U.S was all I'd ever known, and so I didn't really have any reason to be proud of my country, or grateful for what I have. But now I do. And this is a developed country. I can't imagine what I would be thinking had a gone to a poorer country.

I don't know...I'm just going to post this now. It's hard to explain what I'm feeling.

Update! Sorry it's been a while...

¡Hola!

Sorry it's been a while... To be honest, I haven't been updating this regularly because I feel like I hit some sort of plateau about a week ago. Not a lot of new things are happening because I have fallen into a routine of waking up, going to school, taking a nap, doing homework, going on walks, etc. Going out and exploring the city hasn't really been on my list of things to do yet because I don't really know where any thing is yet, or what buildings are what. (I think my English is getting worse, by the way). But I suppose this monotony is sort of a sign that I am actually...living here.

Last week, I finally met a few Argentinians who are friends with one of my classmates. They are really friendly and have a lot of patience for us English speakers. We're hoping they'll be able to show us around town more.

As some of you may have heard by now, last weekend was my first night out on the town.(For all of you who aren't aware, night life in Argentina is completely different from Lincoln. Here, people start going out AT 1:00 AM, which is when all of the bars and clubs CLOSE in Lincoln). I had a lot of fun! We went in a group of about 15 people who were all from my roomates' school. One of the girls' host brothers was sort of our "guide" for the night, who chose where to go. We went to a small bar first and then hit up a "boliche" (dance club). It was...interesting...to say the least. It was very busy (reminding me of a crowded concert or something of the sort), there were flashing lights, strobe lights, lazers, smoke, etc. I was taken by surprise a little bit when I saw such a large number of VERY affectionate homosexual couples standing around, dancing, etc. I found out later that the club was actually a gay/straight club. Apparently it has the best music! My host mom/brother thought this was rather funny, as it was my first time going out.

But in all seriousness, I have been learning a lot in my class. Although it is all sort of review, it is definitely fine-tuning the things I still didn't understand or needed work on. Altogether I'm glad I'm taking the class. I sort of feel that along with my plateau of events, my language ability has plateaued (I just butchered that word and am too lazy to look it up) as well. Now that I have become accustomed to the language I understand it so regularly that it doesn't really feel like my Spanish is getting better. Plus, all of my friends right now are Americans, and we tend to speak English more than we should. Some days I almost feel like it has gotten worse. Or else I am just realizing I have quite a long ways to go before I am fluent.

This is all I have for now. I wanted to tell you all about the things I have grown to appreciate about the United States, but I will save that for another post, because it's time for me to go to bed! Stay tuned!

Love you all. Thanks for reading.

P.S
I think I fixed my settings so that anyone can comment on my blog now. So...post away!

25 Random Things I Have Experienced in Argentina So Far.

1. It was slightly awkward at first, but I have grown particularly fond of the Argentinean greeting. Every time you meet someone for the first time or greet people in general you kiss their right cheek. This avoids any awkward handshakes or hesitated hugs we often encounter in the U.S.
2. The weather here is absolutely beautiful. I fell asleep to a light rainfall last night and woke up to a refreshing morning. The rest of the day I enjoyed the sunny, 85-degree weather.
3. Argentineans are some of the friendliest people you will ever meet. I feel like I have known my host mom for years, and I have only been here for five days.
4. This country has very little sense of time. Everything is so laid back and relaxed! There is simply no reason to stress here.
5. The food is so fresh. The meat, the vegetables, the fruit. Everything.
6. I am still getting used to the Argentinean accent. It took me a couple days to realize that “cah-jay” actually meant “calle”.
7. The accent is creeping into my Spanish anyways.
8. The other day I told my host mom's son that I juice volleyball and basketball. That probably won't be as funny to you if you don't know the "yo" form conjugation of "jugar".
9. Cereal is my favorite food in the whole universe and I've yet to eat a bowl of it here. Every morning for the past five days I have eaten two wheat crackers with dulce de leche or this strange, bland manzana-melisa jelly smeared across the top. The café con leche is a plus though.
10. I've drank more Tang (pronounced "tong" here) in the past five days than I think I ever have in my life.
11. I am currently in the process of mastering the art of riding the city bus to school.
12. Poverty is not hidden here, as it seems to be in the U.S. There are run down, gutted out houses with dirt floors and no doors just blocks away from my house, which is a seemingly wealthier part of town.
13. There are not nearly as many blonds, like me, as I had been told there would be. It has been really interesting to be a part of the minority for once.
14. A lot of women are really, really skinny. Apparently there is a lot of pressure among them to have very tiny, feminine figures.
15. Fashion is a very important part of the culture here. The most recent trend seems to be the European-rocker look, with skinny jeans and Chuck Taylors.
16. Everything you have heard about Argentinean’s love for meat is true. On Sunday I ate it in excessive amounts and had absolutely no regrets.
17. Last night I told a fairly large group of people that Americans put a lot of condoms in their food. Apparently “preservativos” does not mean preservatives here.
18. Despite my slip-up last night, I can feel my Spanish getting better every day.
19. But sometimes I just want to speak English.
20. So far I haven’t really felt homesick. I came close though when I heard an American song on the radio and was reminded of home.
21. Whoever invented siestas was a genius. I do not understand why we don’t make time for these in the United States.
22. My first four days I had absolutely no idea where my host mom said we were going. I basically found out what we were doing and who we were seeing when I got there. Figuring out what clothes would be appropriate was a rather difficult task.
23. In Spanish, Google is pronounced “goo-glay”, which I get a kick out of. My professor was amused when I told her “goo-glay” is a now a verb in the U.S.
24. The word “lindo” is used to describe almost everything nice or pleasant, like a person, an experience, the weather, or a song.
25. I am afraid that time is going to pass way too fast here.

A few experiences thus far.

I've been here for about five days now, and as many of you already know, I feel like my Spanish has improved more than it did this entire semester. Each day sometimes I can feel my Spanish getting better by the hour. The more I converse and the more I listen to people, the more I start thinking and processing in Spanish. I never really understood how people learn languages through immersion. But it works. It just does! And I am so excited.

Today I had my first day of class. There are just two other girls in my class from North Carolina and Iowa. We were quiet the entire first half of class, and right after we walked out the door for a quick break, we all let out the same sigh of exhaustion and I said, "I'm TIRED OF SPEAKING SPANISH". This seemed to break the ice because we all got a good laugh in and from then on we couldn't stop talking to each other. Granted, it was in English. But it was the first time any of us had had contact with the outside world! We couldn't stop talking about all the things we've been experiencing, and the emotions we have been feeling. One of the girls, Lindsay, lives just two blocks away from me, and tomorrow we are going to take the bus downtown to school together. I am meeting people, and getting more and more excited by the minute. I learned a lot about the Argentinian accent, which has been an especially difficult barrier to break through this first week.

My host mom is absolutely amazing. She takes SUCH good care of me! She is very concerned for my safety, and almost every day she goes over a mental map of the neighborhood with me. This morning she made sure I knew exactly where the bus would pick me up and drop me off. She is so cute and friendly! (linda [leen-duh], as we would say here).

Tonight was so much fun. Betty's nephew had a birthday party at a really good restaurant, and rather than sitting with her and the rest of the adults I sat with her cousins' sons and her own sons. I felt really comfortable just talking to them and saying whatever I wanted to say. I have found that when I don't say things correctly, it's just sort of funny to most people. And I'm never going to get better with my Spanish if I don't talk to people. A lot of them understand what it is like to learn another language and have a lot of patience for me. I even found out that the son of one of Betty's cousins listens to a lot of the music I enjoy like Radiohead and Sigur Rós. He told me Radiohead is coming to Buenos Aires in April! Díos mío.

Unfortunately tonight I had my first major embarrassing lingual moment. I told about 5 or 6 people who were listening to me that american food as a lot of condoms in it : ( Yikes. I said "preservativos" assuming that was the correct word for preservatives. They just burst out laughing, and one of them explained to me that "preservativos" means condoms in Argentina. I think I turned bright red. But at the same time, everyone was laughing, so I didn't feel too embarrassed. Tomorrow I will have to tell Betty that story. She'll get a kick out of it.

I have to wake up in four and a half hours. Oops. Thanks goodness for siestas, ¿no?

Chau.

The Flight

Hi everyone! So this is where I'm going to be keeping you all updated on my life as an Argentinian. I've never really been into the whole "blog" thing but I suppose it has its advantages in situations such as this. To start off I'm just going to write a few things I wrote down in my journal on my way from Atlanta to Chile. It's a lot of rambling and a bit extensive. Read it whenever you have the chance or need something to do!

***********
1/28

Well. I'm off. Right now I'm on my flight to Santiago, Chile, where I will take my last flight to Córdoba, Argentina! There are so many emotions running through me right now. None of this seems real. Since I have never been to Argentina let alone out of the country, I have such a vague picture of what it will be like/who I will meet/what I will do. Right now all I can picture in my mind are the photographs I have seen and literally a geographical map of South America (haha).

Just as I predicted, the fact that I am going didn't hit me until the announcement that they were beginning to board for my flight. My heart dropped into my stomach and my eyes filled with tears. All these months of excitement and preparation, and the past few days of stress, packing, and goodbyes had all led up to this. I was really nervous, sad and excited all at the same time.

Two hours later we arrived at the Atlanta airport around 7:50 pm. The man I sat next to and chatted with a bit the whole way to Atlanta asked me what time my next flight was and I told him 9:15 pm. We both agreed I had plenty of time until someone sitting in front of us reminded us that the time was actually 8:45. I had 20 minutes to get to Terminal E, and I was at terminal C.

He showed me where the train was located and I took off running, wheeling my carry-on, my backpack flailing behind me and a look of sheer terror on my face. I finally found the trains that were going the direction of my terminal and hopped on. I looked at my watch and it read that I had 7 minutes until the plane took off. I quickly exited approached what appeared to be the tallest escalator I had ever seen in my life. There was no time to lose so I picked up my carry-on and climbed the escalator. Of course gate E7 was the furthest gate from where I was. Tired and out of breath, I was tempted to walk the rest of the way but decided there was no time. Running was my only option at that point.

I got to the desk at my gate and managed to explain with the few breaths I could gather that my plane from Omaha was about a half hour late. But the man informed me it was too late. And I didn't really know what to say to that. This was my first time traveling alone and I had absolutely no idea what I would do had I missed the plane. But right as I was about to say, "What do I do now?" someone else came to the desk and informed us that they were holding the plane. Apparently I wasn't the only one running late. They let me on and I made my way to my seat, sat down, and let out a sigh of relief. I felt like I was sweating profusely. But after the rest of the passengers got on the plane, it took off and all was well again.

There are currently six hours left of this flight. I wonder if I will actually be able to catch some sleep. My mind is racing as I am still attempting to think through and process the fact that this is actually happening. In six hours I will walk off the plane and on to South American ground. It will be summer. English will no longer be my official language. I will be thousands of miles away from my home.

I have already learned something in these past couple days. I undoubtedly have the most amazing family and friends in the world--(that vague statement in itself doesn't really do them justice). I have always felt grateful for the relationships I have with them, but the past couple days have made me even more thankful. I just can't believe how supportive and excited for me they have all been. I don't think I really realized exactly how much I am truly loved and cared for by these people.

As for now, I will keep myself occupied with sleep, music and books. I have a feeling these next six hours will go by much slower than the next six months ahead of me. It is crazy to think that in just a short while I will be back on this plane, headed in the opposite direction. I am looking forward to every minute of this opportunity and realize I can't let these months slip by.

Along with becoming a better Spanish speaker, I am looking forward to meeting new people and experiencing life as a minority. I am hoping that God has brought me here to experience him in a different way than I ever have. Perhaps I will find a renewed and refined faith in him. After the past year, I am ready for change and to be changed.