Monday
May 21st- Day 82
I had
classes as normal today and then I stayed in the café pretty late into the
afternoon getting ahead on homework and doing a few things to get started with
an online class from the States that starts this week so I’m going to have a
slightly heavier workload for the rest of my time here making sure I get all of
that stuff done and turned in too. After spending the afternoon at the café, I
went home and hung out since it has been another gray and rainy day and spending
time outside isn’t really an option. My host mom and I finally made the beer
bread mix I brought along and we enjoyed some of that fresh out of the oven
before dinner and Eleonora and Rodrigo were over for dinner as well. We had
soup, salad, and stuffed zucchini with a “dessert” empanada that was filled
with apple and cinnamon instead of meat like a regular empanada. After dinner
my host mom, Eleonora, and I sat and chatted for a while. Eleo is a lot of fun
to talk to so I enjoy it when she comes over.
Tuesday
May 22nd- Day 83
I had
Spanish and history this morning and then a few of us went to El Club de la
Milanesa for lunch as we had planned last week. It was pretty good again, but
not as good as the first time we went. Afterwards, I walked home and did some
homework for a while and then went for a run. I am still sore from my run over
the weekend- stairs are not my friend right now. After that, I did some more
homework and then my host parents and I had salad and chicken for dinner before
I headed off to the English class for the first time in a while.
Wednesday
May 23rd- Day 84
Susan
and I met with some of our UCEL classmates from our public health class to do
some work on our project that we have to present tomorrow. Sus & I are a
little nervous! We headed to class after that and ate our typical Wednesday hot
dogs for lunch before our last class of the day. As it was another gross, rainy
day I stayed in the café for a while and took my first couple quizzes for my
psychology class online. So far, so good- and I don’t even have the book yet!
When I felt accomplished I headed home, picked up my laundry, and hung out for
a little while. Tonight’s dinner was chicken milanesa, which I think has become
one of my favorites, and potatoes. After dinner I was back to work on homework
and getting ready for tomorrow’s presentation and getting packed because I
leave for Mendoza tomorrow afternoon!
Day 85-
Thursday May 24th
Our
presentation this morning went well, we were just glad to have it over! I
finished up an assignment quick to hand in before I left for my trip and ran to
the supermarket to get snacks for the 14 hour bus ride. Maddie and I left for
Mendoza at 4pm on the bus and that about sums up the rest of the day- nap,
watch movies, talk, and get bored. The bus could have selected some better
movies- one was like a Lifetime original, but worse, then a scary one that made
us feel like we were going to die on the bus in the dark overnight and then a
scary/suspense that we kind of got into, yet we still thought we were going to
die. Thankfully, we made it through the night alive.
Friday
May 25th- Day 86
Our bus
was a late and we rolled into Mendoza at 7:30am and we had a quick taxi ride to
our hostel. We checked out the excursions they offer through there and we went
ahead and booked a wine tour for the day. We were there during breakfast, so we
got to go ahead and eat and they definitely had the best breakfast I’ve had so
far at a hostel- the boss makes crepes filled with dulce de leche! I can’t tell
you the last time I had something hot for breakfast that wasn’t coffee…
actually I probably can- before I left the United States! We got picked up by
the tour at around 9:45am and we went on our way. We visited three bodegas
(vineyards/wineries), two bigger ones and one smaller, family owned winery. It
was interesting to see the differences between them and of course, it was
pleasant to participate in the wine-tasting. J After the third bodega there
was a lunch included and WOW was there a lot of food, the lady at the hostel
said it was an amazing lunch and she was not kidding! When we sat down there
was a bunch of meats, cheeses, vegetables, and bread so it was kind of like little
appetizer things (these kinds of platters are called picadas I think…), but
honestly the lunch could have stopped there and we would have been full.
However, after that we got a meat empanada, a cheese and tomato empanada, locro
(a typical soup for 25th of May- a national holiday here) and then
some delicious pasta for the four hot dishes. And of course they didn’t leave
us without some generous glasses of Malbec, the wine Mendoza is most famous
for, and some good ice cream with dulce de leche for dessert. We. Were. Stuffed. We got back and we went to the
supermarket to find food for later when we wanted dinner and we just hung out
in the hostel because we were getting up early for the next excursion in the
morning.
Saturday
May 26th- Day 87
I was
up and ready by 7am to get picked up for a tour to the mountains. Mendoza is
over by the Andes and in this part of the Andes range you can find Aconcagua-
the highest peak outside the Himalayas. We stopped at a few different
viewpoints on the way up and then we got to see Puente del Inca (Incan bridge).
It’s covered in sulfur I believe so the coloring is very interesting. I need to
look up a few facts on the bridge though, because I don’t remember. It was
snowing up here and the roads were closed past this point so we didn’t get to
go on the full excursion up to some caves and a statue that is way up higher on
the mountain and is apparently almost at the border with Chile. This road is
where all the buses go between Mendoza, Argentina and Santiago, Chile and during
the winter it’s common for the road to close for decent periods of time. There
were a few people in our hostel who were just kind of stuck waiting to cross
into Chile when the road opens again. I got back to the hostel around 5:30pm
and then I worked on a little bit of homework and we watched TV. For dinner, our hostel offered an asado so
we signed up and paid for that and got to talk to some new people and enjoy the
food and wine. After the asado we watched a movie in the living room and then
went to bed.
Sunday
May 27th- Day 88
We
slept in a little extra today and got our stuff packed up to check out of our
room. We put our stuff in the lockers, ate breakfast, did a little homework,
and went to the store to get things to make for lunch. We walked to a plaza
near our hostel that is supposed to be really nice and have a lot of artisans
on Sundays, but it wasn’t really going yet so there were only a few there.
After that we walked back to the hostel and made a big lunch since we’d be on
the bus later. After we ate we changed into comfy clothes and took a taxi to
the bus station and hopped on our 4pm ride home.
Monday
May 28th- Day 89
We
arrived in Rosario right on time at 6:30am and I went outside to the bus stop
and what luck, hopped right onto my bus home! I got to eat breakfast and put
all my stuff away for once instead of taking all my things to school for my
8:30 class. After class I spent some time on homework, Skyped both my parents
since my dad was home on Memorial Day and then I headed back home. We had locro
for dinner that my host dad had tried making for the first time for the holiday
Friday. It was pretty good, very different from the locro I had in Mendoza.
They said that each province or area has its own style of locro. Don’t tell my
host dad, but I kind of liked the one in Mendoza more- that one kind of “tasted
like Iowa” with the corn and beans!
Day 90-
Tuesday May 29th
I
really can’t believe that I’ve been here for 90 days already. The time has
really flown by. Today would be the day our whole group would be needing to pay
for a visa extension if we hadn’t gone to Uruguay and it marks 3 entire months
since the last time we were on United States soil. I had my regular classes
today and then we had to watch a movie for our project class so I was at school
all day. After class, Maddie and I went and bought some supplies and we went to
a café and she taught me how to knit. Almost all the girls in our group know
how and a bunch of the others started learning so I thought I’d better get on
board. It will be something to do on the long bus rides I still have coming in
the next month. After that I headed home and found the biggest surprise of the
trip! I finally got the package my parents sent almost a month ago! I had just
decided yesterday that it wasn’t coming and if it did, it would be extra
special, so I guess I lucked out! I’d been awaiting my Cadbury eggs from
Easter, chapstick, and a couple clothing items- I’ve already been enjoying an
egg and the chapstick. We had pasta for dinner the rest of the night I did
homework and practiced some more knitting.
Day 91-
Wednesday May 30th
Today
is my later class, but I woke up at a decent time to do some reading for my
online class before I headed to UCEL. After my two classes today I went home
and my host parents and I went to the casino here in Rosario. I think it’s
pretty new and it’s really pretty. The inside definitely looks like something
you could find on the Vegas strip. My host dad kept saying my host mom only
wanted to take me there so she could play the machines, while he doesn’t like
to gamble. I went ahead and put 5 pesos in a machine and checked out with 8
pesos and 30 centavos- a gain of less than $1 US, but still winning! I had been
up to 9.40 I think and then went down a little. I technically “lost” it all
though because I decided it’d be more fun to keep the ticket for a souvenir
instead of cashing out the very minimal amount. We had baked eggplant for
dinner and then I went and met up with students from the various groups that
are now here from the US and some ambassadors as well.
Thursday
May 31st- Day 92
Susan
and I went to our last public health class today. It turns out the final isn’t
until July so we don’t have the option to take it; next week they have a
partial exam, we might be traveling, and after that we have a lot going on so
we’re calling it good enough. Maddie and I headed to the bus station when she
got out of our class and bought our bus tickets to Iguazu Falls. We lucked out
and got discounts on the fully reclining seats (cama), which they told the
other groups they only offer the 20% student discount on the semi-cama seats.
Add in the fact that we’re in the front row so no one will be reclining onto us
and I am not even dreading this 20 hour bus ride! After that we headed back to
UCEL to welcome another group from the US that finally arrived after have bus
and plane problems and an unexpected day spent in Lima, Peru on their journey
to Rosario. I came home after that and napped and did homework before dinner.
Some of us met some of the English students our history professor has at El
Club de la Milanesa and we had a nice dinner altogether where we could practice
our Spanish and they could practice their English.
Friday
June 1st- Day 93
Typing
the word June just doesn’t quite feel right. It’s not hot outside- it can’t be
June. June is when we have to leave Argentina! A month from today I will be
arriving back to the US early in the morning and back to Iowa in the afternoon.
It doesn’t feel like I’ve been gone for three months and I know I’m not going
to be ready to leave. I’m going to be gone traveling for what’s going to feel
like half of this month so I am kind of in shock right now. I didn’t do a whole
lot today other than go to class and do homework at school. Maddie, Nathan, and
I went and got ice cream for lunch (because, why not?!) and played some cards
before I went home for the day. Back at home I just hung out and did some
homework. Eleonora was over for a little while so we talked some and watched TV
until she had to leave and then my host parents came home and we had dinner.
After dinner I took a break from homework and just relaxed for the night.
Saturday
June 2nd- Day 94
I went
to try to rent a movie that we need to watch for a class, but couldn’t find it
and rented a different Argentinean movie to watch later that won the Oscar for
best foreign film a few years ago. I did some homework for my online class and
then Maddie came over to watch the movie for class on Youtube. I had dinner
with my host parents and then I met up with some of the other students from
Simpson and from the other new group from the US and we hung out for the night.
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