Cusco, Peru

We arrived in Peru yesterday, tired and worn from our three airplane rides. The afternoon consisted of much needed showers and a brief exploration of the streets around out gorgeous hotel.

This morning we were off and running bright early at 9 o'clock in the morning. Before even leaving the hotel however, I got get my hair braided buy a girl sitting in the lobby weaving a table runner. We were just talking about how braided here in Peru is seen as beautiful when she asked me if I wanted her to put a couple of braids in mine. Answer: of course! She was fast! Writhing five minutes I have six or seven braids in my hair and a new friend.

After my impromptu hairdo I hopped on the bus with the rest of the ACA students to listen to our tour guide explain our first stop: Qorikancha. That means enclosure of gold in Quechua, the indigenous language spoken in Cusco. We hopped out and began our tour inside the temple. There were so many fascinating things about Incas I didn't know. For example, the way they built building was by first pre-selecting the stones there were going to use, forming them, and then placing them perfectly together and without mortar. that's right. The huge building was without glue. The rocks were so perfectly fitted that it was unnecessary. I also got to see where a Guinea pig was sacrificed. Here it's eaten like chicken! Glad I'm vegetarian, but my friends said it was pretty good.

After that we went to a beautiful cathedral, the Basílica Catedral, where no pictures could be taken. Gold plated cedar had been intricately carved and painted in ways that the Spanish conquistadores hoped would help bring the incan souls to Christian ways.

By 12:30, we were free to to whatever we wanted. So off we went to exchange money and start shopping! Peru is famous for it's llama and alpaca scarce and sweaters, etc. So after buying a hat to keep my little head warm, I set off bargaining my way through keychains, bags, and coin purses. I realized how Mich Spanish I actually do know! It into perfect, but I was easily conversing with the stall keepers. One man, Pol, actually had a solid 10 minute conversation with me. He taught me words in Quechua and I learned a but about the culture from him. That was probably one of my most favorite parts of the day.

After a full day of wandering around, Lauren, Vicki, and I grabbed a couple of empanadas and called it a night. Tomorrow we leave at 5:45 in the morning for Machu Picchu! There aren't any pictures now because I'm doing all this from my phone. After I return from my trip however, I'll add the pictures back into this post. Chau!

P.S. Apologies for any bad grammar or punctuation for the next month here. I'm on my phone (not tryna get my laptop stolen somewhere) so typing a little rough. However, the stories are all true!

No Quiero Regresar a Los Estados Unidos

I know I still have almost six more months left here, but after going to Walmart today, I decided I don't wanna leaaaavveee Argentina! I don't want to go back to where I can understand everything people are saying. I can only begin to imagine just how overwhelming it will be to have everyone around me speaking English. I'll be able to say whatever I want anyone-- and they'll understand me! But I don't want to.

Classes. I can't believe that I used to take classes where I understood every word. Here it's a minute to minute struggle to keep up with what is going on. Did I actually understand what was taught to me in the U.S.? I can barely remember what that is like.

And the pesos versus dollars. I'm going to be so confused with the value of the silly pieces of paper we call money. First of all, the U.S. $100 bills look like they were laid out in Powerpoint. Second of all, my mind is all set up for pesos now. When I go back to the U.S. everything will seem cheaper when in reality, it's about the same! That could be a major problem. Thirdly, when I return, I will have huge stores with anything I could ever want at my disposal, 24/7. This equals a lot of buying of unnecessary items. Hopefully I will have that habit broken by the time I leave Argentina. Because unfortunately, that will be happening.

On another note, Christmas break here we come!

Hippies on the Roof

In just one day . . .

- We ate gnocchi for lunch.
- Siesta time: didn't work because we had terere- and we are young and active people.
- So we talked about art.
- Then we climbed onto the roof. In dresses.
- Then we pulled out some clay and made four or five incense holders each.
- Threw them in the ancient kitchen oven and waited for them to bake/explode.
- As we listened to the expected explosions in the oven, we ate more gnocchi, more alfajores, and drank more terere.
- Took the clay out of the oven early to preserve a couple of our incense holders (and not break the oven).
- Painted the holders with nail polish.
- Wrapped hair with thread. Tangled hair.
- Made up songs about each other with an ukulele and a mandolin.
- Left to watch a Christmas roller skating presentation at the town center.
- Ate ice cream and onion rings at 23:00.

We didn't have internet all day, and it was the best.

Acción de Gracias

For the past three years I have not have had Thanksgiving with my parents. Each year it has been a bit easier, especially because I have been with other family members. This year, I was with zero family members and all friends. Let me tell you, I ate some incredible food, and really enjoyed the day. Honestly, it just felt like a normal day, which made the crazy cooking and cleaning and laughing of it all so much fun.

First of all, people were cooking in our cramped, understocked kitchen all day. We had to make food for sixty people! All I ended up doing was chopping vegetables for a salad, with one of two or three knives that we had. There were only a couple of bowls and spoons, and people were mixing vats of toppings with little forks. Half of what we used were borrowed from students who live off campus! Plus the one little oven. There were around 15 dishes made. Wrap your mind around THAT craziness. But when we were done, I have to say, that was some of the best food I've had. We even had a whole vegan section!

At the end of our meal, we were all given papers to write down what we were thankful for. Obviously, that mac and cheese was well liked. But besides thankfulness for the food and authentic pumpkin pie, we were all thankful for our families, our new friends in ACA and the UAP, the chance to be in Argentina, and the care of our God. We know we're lucky, and I think I speak on behalf of all the ACA students when I say we are grateful. More than even we may realize right now. And that's what makes Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving. Not necessarily having all your family together, or just the right number of pies baked, but being with those you care about and can enjoy a moment with. A moment that won't happen exactly the same ever again. We made our moment count. Did you?

Wishing/ Working

Yesterday, instead of studying for finals I read through pages of blogs by student missionaries who are out and about this year. Some were my friends, and some were friends of my friends. Some were good writers, and others were just ok, but they all gave me something I've been missing for a while: motivation. Not motivation to learn, but motivation to be. A goal. In being I am learning, so there's the fringe benefit. But when opportunities and ideas seem or become possible to a person, it give solidity to dreams that seemed impossible before. I like that feeling. Too bad it had to come during finals. Now all I want to do is read blogs and plan my life.

Think about that though; your dreams are possible. Just how much do you care about them happening? You might say you want something or to go somewhere or to be someone. Without the work though, you might as well not wish it. My dad always says "'was going to' isn't good enough". He's right. You might say you are going to do something or were going to before, but unless it is done or is in the process of happening, it is just wasted air from your lungs. Make yourself more than words people.

I have to study now.

The Problem With the Internet

The problem with the internet is that it has replaced the zest for real life. There are hundreds of sites where even on just one you could spend hours upon hours watching videos and looking at pictures of the world. We spend so much time looking at pictures of what we could be doing that we never actually do anything. Before the internet, anyone who wanted to see the world and other cultures had to pick up and physically go there. It took planning, effort, and motivation. With a view of the world at our fingertips, we believe we don't have to move from our beds to become "cultured" and educated.

In reality, we are losing the momentum to actually see real life. To experience real life. You could watch surfing videos from Tahiti all day, but unless you get off your butt and go there, you really won't be gaining a single thing. You'll actually be losing. Losing muscle, and losing years of your life. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that the more you sit, the shorter your life span is. This doesn't bode well for desk job workers (unless you make yourself a standing desk). Or students really, but luckily we aren't in school forever.

The point of all this is to not get lost in the imaginary life of the internet. Don't get lost in what you think is "being productive" when you aren't actually doing anything. Being here and away from the type of life I'm used to has made me think a lot about the way I spend my time. I've thought about it before, especially when it is mindlessly scrolling through wimp videos. (Surprise on that: it's fun, but not productive.) But here, with the opportunities I have open, I think about it even more. Use your time to better yourself. Experience life and your friends. After an entire afternoon has passed and you've realized that you could have learned 50 new words but instead watched a movie, life gets real. Don't waste your time on the fake. Be real. Don't just sit and watch life, stand and be in it.

I'm Going to Miss the Meat Here

The world knows that Argentina is knows to have some of the best meat on the planet. Even as a happy vegetarian chica I knew that and upon arrival, was reminded of that by every person here who told me how much I'm missing out.

Mom and Dad don't have to worry though. Since being here, I'm still a vegetarian and probably will be forever. In that case, why would I miss the meat here? Well, because besides mate, carne is part of the heart of Argentina. More specifically, the asados.

An asado is a barbeque, but without fancy grills and chrome plated utensils. No, an asado is down to earth, make a fire on your back patio corner with a grate over it BBQ. Or you use your huge, 10 foot long cement asado area to cook massive hunks of carne (meat). It's not only about the eating, it's about the socializing. The two go hand in hand here like nowhere else I've been.

The first asado I went to was for the University Choir. There were about 25 people who attended, and all arrived late. Upon my late arrive of 12:30, the food was just beginning to be cooked. It was two hours later we actually ate the food. Yes, two hours. The main socializing takes place while the food is being cooked guys! This is KEY to understanding Argentina. It's not a come, eat, and ditch kind of place. You just don't do that. You come, you chill, you eat, you chill, and then you leave. It's all about being there.

Asado number two for me took place just this Saturday night. It was an end of the year fiesta for my mission group. There are about 15 regulars that go every Sabbath in our subgroup, meaning there were about 15 of us crammed into my friend's apartment. The group I walked with didn't arrive until about 9pm (we were supposed to start at 8), and once we were all there and the carne was cooked to perfection (and my veggie patties happily fried) it was at least 10:30. People didn't stop eating until 11:30. And the party didn't end until . . . very late.

So as the title of this post says, yes. I will miss the meat here. I will miss the smell (sorry dad). It carries the sounds of laughing and guitars and games and wind and birds because asados here are so much more than hamburgers. They are friends becoming family and good times making good memories.


Tips for going to your first asado in Argentina:
1. Plan to eat a lot in advance- Just be ready for the food baby, ok?
2. Don't arrive right on time- If your party is at 8pm, wander in around 8:45pm and you'll probably still be first.
3. If you are vegetarian, either say so ahead of time when you pay your bit or offer to provide the bread. Because you'll probably be the only one.
4. Don't schedule anything afterwards. It's an all day or all night kind of thing.
5. Embrace it. Don't check your phone, don't check your watch (see #4) and just  be there.

The First Big Trip: Buenos Aires

Throughout my four day visit to Buenos Aires, I kept a little bullet list of fun things to remember to tell this white and orange "New Post" page here on my blog. I've separated it into four days, complete with fancy titles for easy navigation. Enjoy.

Day 1: Arrival in Buenos Aires

The bus ride was six hours of sore butts, twisted necks, and freezer-like temperatures. We stopped for lunch in a mall about an hour outside of Buenos Aires. I opted to use my 70 pesos (doled out to each of us for each meal by ACA) on a Subway sandwich. Fun fact: Everything about Subway in Argentina is smaller: the bread, the cheese, the wrapper, even the bag of Doritos. On the plus side, the jalapeños they used were fresh. The were spicy. Even though it was different, that Subway sandwich was very good.

As we entered the city, I saw that people really do live under bridges. There were tent cities set up under almost every bridge we passed, and the shopping carts and cardboard boxes did not make me think they were there on vacation. It was a permanent thing.

Besides that moment of reality and the trash lining every street, my first impressions of Buenos Aires were "big" and "cultured". Almost every single building was not only huge, but also a work of art. With heavy French, Spanish, and Italian influences, Buenos Aires is not a city lacking in beauty.

Day 2: La Boca Caminito, El Teatro Colón

This was the beautiful day. We arrived at La Boca Caminito about half an hour before all the other tourists swarmed the place, giving us a chance to watch the painters set up their stands and peruse the empty streets with ease. The place is a tourist trap in every sense of the word, but it is still a very quaint area. It doesn't feel too overwhelmingly like a big "spend your money here" place. There were guys playing accordions in side shops, and painters painting while a school group of 2nd graders with little fezzes shuffled through the streets. It was an experience indeed. With only an hour there, I know I didn't get to see every cute corner and neat niche in La Boca, but the hour there was certainly worthwhile.

El Teatro Colón: Awe-inspiring. Absolutely incredible. This building was huge. Huge chandeliers. Huge stairs. Huge busts of old men. In the theater itself there were seven balconies for seating (one was for the standing crowd). Specially made with silk on the lower sections to absorb sound and the upper walls are bare to reflect the sound down. It still is a fully functional theater, and is used for classical concerts, operas, and ballet. Incredible mosaic floors. But the actual theater was only a small part of the building. The rest of it was rich chandeliers and painted ceilings that took your breath away. At one point, Lauren and I just lay down on our backs to take it all in. Probably not the most polite thing to do in such a place, but the tour guide was looking away, so we went for it. It was worth it! Our tour guide was wonderful too, and because of him (and the movie Night at the Museum) I wouldn't mind being a museum guide at some point in my life.

Following our incredible tours, we did a little shopping. Not much to say there except that my feet were dying and prices are either ridiculously low or ridiculously high.

Day 3: La Recoleta y el Museo

-Went to a pretty park that had a sculpture of San Martín on a horse.
-Visited a memorial with two guards standing at attention. It was a very solemn place even though it was outdoors. Soon, instead of just taking pictures of the guards, some of the ACA kids got brave and went to take pictures standing between the guards. It felt kind of weird to me to do so, so I just stood and watched. At a break in the picture line, I went up to one of the guards and stuttered out, “Gracias para ustedes servicio". The guy looked at me and gave a slight nod. It was a terrible sentence, but still, he got the message and that was the highlight of my day.
- Recoleta: A very expensive part of Buenos Aires. Lots of parks, very pretty. Cool flower sculpture; a gift from the province of Córdoba to Buenos Aires. A planetario, gardens, AND the incredible cemetery. It was weird to walk through what was really a town of the dead. You could live in those mini-buildings because they were just so large! It was somber to think about the fact that I was taking pictures of dead people's graves. But that was what they wanted.

-Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes: On the way to the National Art Museum I snapped a picture of a street vendor dressed all fancy. Instead of just continuing past him, he threw his arm out and almost clotheslined me. Apparently, he didn't want his picture taken. As he yelled at me in Spanish I deleted the two pictures I'd gotten of him as he watched me and then I went on my way. They were bad pictures anyway. Whatever. Inside the museum was the good stuff. Besides all the work of many international painters, I found a Monet! One of my favorite artists, thanks to my mom's good taste.

In the evening, two of my friends and I perused the streets shopping and just taking everything in. On every street corner there are what we called "cambio guys". Cambio guys are constantly yelling "cambio": an offer to exchange your American money to pesos. They are pretty sketchy, because  number one, exchanging for the blue dollar (the higher street rate) is illegal, and number two, you never know if you are going to get ripped off or not. The normal exchange rate right now is about 5 pesos. The blue dollar exchange rate though, is around 9.5 pesos. Much better. At 8:30 pm, we decided that we were going to exchange money. We found a cambio guy and proceeded to change my friend's money. Honestly, it felt like a drug deal was going down. But we weren't gypped, and the memory was made. Another "worth it" moment.

Day 4: La Estancia
Best day ever! After driving for forever we got out in the rain to warm empanadas and juice. Everything looked authentic. It was a true tourist spot and i imagined I was at a luau in Hawaii. I even got my pony ride with two gauchos. The visit to the gift shop had me walk away with a nice mate (pronounced mah-tay) and bombilla (bomb-bisha). Finally, I'm Argentinian!

After the gift shop we were served dinner. For most it consisted of five or six different types of meat. For the vegetarians however, there was salt-less spaghetti. The salad however, was amazing. Once again proving that that's all a vegetarian needs (not really)! But the food wasn't what filled me up. It was the lively ethical discussion that occurred and the tangos and singing and dancing that happened throughout the meal. We even got to dance a little ourselves!

After our meal, we headed outside to watch a little demonstration of horse herding complete with a sheep dog. There were a few other demonstrations and then people were offered the chance to ride behind a gaucho as they galloped around the arena. Of course every girl shamelessly formed a line and died of happiness when they got the attractive one. It was just easy fun, and we all enjoyed it.

A couple of our profesoras and our awesome ACA director

The trip was indeed a success, and served to help me fall in love with Argentina. Up until Buenos Aires I had been a bit ambivalent on liking Argentina or not. Now however, I've been getting more and more into the culture, and I must say, I don't really want to leave. It's only been two months, but Argentina is slowly stealing my heart, and starting to feel like home.

Jardín de Rosas

10 Años

Tonight instead of the main Vespers service, I attended the vespers/anniversary party for JABES (Jovenes Adventistas Brindando Esperanza y Salud (Young Adventists Bringing Hope and Health)), the missionary group I'm in. The room was decorated with pretty green, black, and white streamers, balloons, and a poster my friend painted yesterday that proudly declared, "JABES, 10 Años de Servicio". After a song service of music videos with lyrics (singing in Spanish, is a struggle) we prayed. Each person took a paper from a basket that had one of the letters of JABES and then formed groups that spelled the whole word to pray for each other and for the group.

After a little talk and a skit and a special music, people dug into the little finger foods and I dug into my Spanish speaking. I took pictures with the people who are becoming my friends, and I talked with people who love Jesus and it was fantastic. I understood more in this mini vespers than the normal vespers and that was just what I needed this week. Good thing God and I are on the same page here.

Each person took a cookie and found someone without a cookie in order to pray for them. 

Just a small part of the group of many.

Most of my sub-group in JABES.

Six Weeks

I've been in Argentina almost six weeks now, and I'm starting to catch myself settling in. Here are six things that have changed, that I've accepted, or that have become normal for me in the past six weeks.

1. I no longer have to repeat "toilet paper, trashcan" over and over to myself to get things right en el baño. It's now automatic.
2. I don't have to re-explore the Villa (this lil' town) every day.
3. I've purchased soaps and lotions here (living where I am) and know what I'm buying.
4. I've got the hang of doing laundry now.
5. All my pictures are up on my walls.
6. I'm an active part of the missionary group that I go with each Sabbath afternoon. That's right, I'm making the little memory verse cards to give to the kids. #crafttime #feelinguseful. (I know, I'm sorry, I promise I'll never use hashtags here again.)

I've come to realize a little bit about myself too. Things about my personality and how I relate to people that I like, and things that I don't. Most interesting of all however, is that my determination to learn Spanish has not yet waned. This is a surprise to me, and may be a bit of a surprise to those who know me quite well. See, I'll get excited about a project, an idea, a job, and pound out some work for it for a decent amount of time. But soon, my excitement and determination to complete the job, or complete it well, ends. I'll become lazy and just finish up quickly to say that I got it done and move on. Here, I haven't gotten bored of studying yet. I haven't become tired of trying and trying to learn. I'm still going strong. This is something that I haven't really experienced before so I don't know how it will turn out. Will I be annoyed with trying to learn a new language by tomorrow? Will I burn myself out?

What I do know is why I haven't lost interest yet. I'm still motivated to learn Spanish because it is the one thing in my life that I am sure I want to do. Being in college is a big enough challenge for people, but being in college without knowing what you want to do after you graduate is another. Visits home require a lot of stamina, positivity, and self-given pep talks. Everyone wants to know what you're going to do, why you're going to do it, and how you're going to get there. Last year, school was difficult because I had no goal for when I graduate. Honestly, I still don't quite have a goal. But right now, for this year, I do have something I am working towards. It is something I want to do, and I guess I'm willing to put in the work for it, because I'm still trying.

Last week I purchased "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" in paperback . Every time I open that little book to scribble translations and memorize words, I'm not reluctant or annoyed. I want to struggle through it. Just like Don Quixote (which I never finished. It needed to be returned!), I have been finding the headaches I get from struggling through my homework and reading in Spanish to be satisfying. That's how I know I'm trying. And I'm going to keep trying until I can speak without hesitating, understand without translating, and laugh at all the jokes that everyone else gets except me. I've got seven more months. I think I can do it.

"A Riot of Color*" (La Fiesta del Naciones)

I thought of my dad as I hesitantly reached a hand up to cover my ear. The prime seating of the third row came at a cost-- my hearing for the night. It's normal for my dad to sneak his way out of loud venues. He takes good care of his ears, as do I. But this moment was one to experience fully, and eventually, I just gave up. The cultural music of Chile, Argentina, and Colombia (among many others) refused to be blocked by the feeble skin and bone of my left hand. Plus, I needed it to clap along with the rest of the three or four hundred people seated behind me in the auditorio (gymnasium). We clapped and clapped as the reds and blues and greens and blacks flashed and swirled, guitars danced, and drums and other unknown instruments pounded.

Los Estados Unidos (the United States) stand I had begrudgingly agreed to help with the Thursday before the event of this past Sunday turned out a lot better than I'd planned. Yes, I did spend two days and a night of studying that I needed for the three tests I have this week on making banners for E.U. football teams and coloring E.U. flags. Which I am still a bit bitter about. But it was worth it. Our stand was a success, and the entire afternoon was amazing!

First of all, here at the UAP, it seems that things are done halfway. They go all out. There is no little mini-stand with a few pictures and some red carpet. Oh no, there are jungles and beaches and food. Such delicious food shouldn't be allowed to spread apart in so many different countries. With all the incredible creativity and action taking place, imagine Adele music blaring in the background, people in their traditional outfits dancing up to you, an entire train (non-working) made out of cardboard and dollies, and bamboo jungles to explore. With only two days to plan and put our measly little E.U. stand into action-- as well as come up with a presentation to represent our country-- the few ACA students who rallied together to make this happen did a pretty decent job.

The overall theme of the Fiesta this year was the history of your country. We decided to go with a Superbowl/ patriotic themed booth. One side of the booth consisted of banners with different football team logos on them, a TV playing football game clips and commercials, and a little couch. The other half of the booth showed snippets of our history through hand drawn posters (we discovered there are a LOT of talented artists in our ACA group) and then a game of Twister. In the middle was home-made macaroni and cheese and Orange Fanta floats for people to try. We even had a fancy little Statue of Liberty with the face cut out for photo-ops. Surprisingly, people loved it! There were always three or four people playing Twister, the floats were a hit, and the mixed Spanish and English in the air made the constant stream of people interesting to interact with.

Now jump back to the load music and bright colors. That was presentation time. Each country had a video clip play first showcasing their country, then a little act or song or whatever up on the stage. In total, each was about 5-7 minutes long. For our presentation, we sang the Star-Spangled Banner and then had a gymnastics routine to "Cotton-Eyed Joe". Success! I have to say, even though our ACA group is pretty diverse this year, we have some pretty amazing people in it. Singers, gymnasts, artists, leaders, organizers, and supporters alike made our booth a success and inadvertently helped with a little bonding as well.

Among the countries repping on Sunday were: Perú (they literally built the mountains of Machu Picchu into their corner of the gym) Colombia, los Estados Unidos, Curaçao, Canada, South Korea, Europe, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina, Cuba, Ecuador. After the presentations came the annoyance of cleaning up, but it was quite easy in light of our simple booth.

If your not bored reading yet, here are a few other unrelated things I've learned the past couple of days:

- My Spanish is getting better.
- I've been writing my tildes (the little accents on Spanish words) wrong. The are written from top to bottom, not with a little flick up kind of stroke.
- I can go a full day without eating something deliciously sugary here.
- I need to study my vocab more if I want to learn Spanish faster.

Now it is off to an early bedtime for me! I still have two more tests to get through this week.


*The phrase "a riot of color" is taken from one of my favorite movies, A Knight's Tale and describes perfectly what the presentations were like. I've been waiting years to use it. Even if it is only in the title of this post, I am now content.

What My Afternoon Was Like

I scribbled this little blurb during class today. Your assumption is correct; I stopped paying attention. After having the class once in the morning for two hours, and then three more hours of other classes before this second session of my morning class, my brain was no longer hearing what the teacher was saying. So I decided to look around me instead. There were some angry faces, some bored faces, and some faces with their eyes closed, squashed to the desk.
-----
They sit. Each in a different state of attention and awareness. Some doodle on the desks making the chronic wobble more pronounced. Others highlight in their workbooks while the teacher grates his chalk on the board. Feet and pencils stretch and tap while the fans above attempt to free themselves from the ceiling. The murmured conversations of boredom or confusion skip around the room once again. And I dig a pencil into my leg to keep myself from nodding off. Phones mean either Facebook or a dictionary, but I've already looked up every word on the page. So I reach for my water bottle beside me to pass another three seconds of the class. A bug falls to my desk and I flick it across the room. I force myself to stare at the wall as Spanish verbs stare back at me. I heave a shallow sigh. One more hour to go.

El Sábado Pasado (Ayer)

Yesterday turned out to be a fantastic Sabbath. I debated on going to church or not because I was so tired from a late, late afterglow the night before. But, of course, my brain woke me up at eight so I was up and ready by 9:45. A little late for the 9:30 beginning of church but it was fine. As usual, I only understood about 1/8 of the service, and when it is over, I head to English Sabbath school to get a little more knowledge. During song service, someone was playing an ukulele. Of course, I went up afterwards to play it and made four new friends out of the deal. Winning. So that was my morning.

After lunch in el comedor I changed and got ready to go to JABES with my roommate. JABES is one of many, many little mission groups that go out each Sabbath into the nearby towns. Groups go to help with Pathfinder clubs (called "Conquistadores"), old folks homes, or just to play and spend time with kids. The group I went with (and plan to go with again) went to play games and tell a Bible story to a group of children in Diamante, a town about half an hour away by bus. Two other boys in ACA came in my same group, and we were worried we were going to be completely lost because of out lack of Spanish. But hey, guess what? I found someone in our group who speaks English! So when we were really having trouble understanding what was happening, my new friend would come and explain. It was a lot of fun, and made me really miss camp and surprisingly, Mexico. Here's why:

After singing a few songs with the kids, one of which I knew thanks to my mission trip in Mexico, we played tag. Then another version of tag. Then ANOTHER version of tag. Though at first one of little boys thought I was Japanese, by the end I had a couple little girls giving me hugs and trying to talk to me. Mostly I just said "que lindo" and "necesitas ayudar?" and they seemed to get the message. This is why I loved the day so much. I had missed giving back to others instead of just taking time for myself.

We got back on campus around 6:45pm and after dinner in the cafe, I stopped by my friends' room to say hi. We ended up going out for a walk to explore la villa at night. People were out drinking mate and chatting on the side of the street just like during the day! We stopped by the indoor cancha de fútbol (soccer court) and watched a game. I got to practice my Spanish a lot and even got a random stranger to pose for a picture when my phone flashed. I just wanted to sneak a pic of the fancy motorcycle cart, that's all! But a blew my cover, which actually turned out better in the end.

It's Been a Long Day (and I'm in the Mood to Blog)

I'm supposed to be studying for a Geografía test I have tomorrow on the 23 provinces of Argentina. However, I wanted to blog a bit instead. At this point, I've almost given up on journaling in my actual journal because of the time it takes to write a blog , write emails, and write letters to people (that I have yet to send). By the time I'm done with all that, I'm no longer in the mood to repeat the same story to myself with only the reward of a hand cramp from the work. So, here we go!

I can say with surety that this has been the most busy week of my time here so far. I have finally hitched my wagon to that of the choir's. I'm not taking it for credit, and there isn't a uniform other than black and white. To join, I literally walked in, told the assistant director (I assume that is what he is) that I am a soprano, and plopped myself down in a chair with the single sheet of music he'd hurriedly shoved into my hands. Quick reminder: the normal UAP students are currently in the last trimestre (quarter) of their school year. Normally, people wouldn't be allowed to join a choir whenever they feel like it right? Well, here, the ACA students who wanted to join had only to walk in and start singing. I learned one song in only three practices, and we will be performing on Friday evening as part of the current Week of Prayer.

That's another reason this week is crazy. The Week of Prayer (or Segunda Semana de Oración) meetings don't even begin until eight o'clock at night, and usually run until about 9/9:30. Then the choir practices after that. I usually don't get back to my room until 10:45 or 11:00. On top of the three practices we will have this week (Sun., Weds., Thurs.,), today the second group of ACA students had to travel two and a half hours to get our visas finalized. This required a 4:00 am departure from the bus terminal a block or two from campus.

My first day here (the second for everyone else besides Becca) everyone was fingerprinted and had their pictures taken for our visa applications. Unlike Spain, students traveling to Argentina are not required to have a visa to enter the country. We are only required to pay a "reciprocity fee" of $160USD. Once inside the country we take care of our extended stay visas. This is what I found myself doing today. 

Up at 3:20 in the morning to quickly brush my teeth, I watched in the mirror as about 10 or so ACA girls haunted the halls back and forth from bathrooms to dorm rooms. We all met down in the lobby and begin the 3-5 minute walk to the bus terminal, blurry-eyed and groggy. We had heard the stories from the first half of the group who'd gone the week before: "Prepare for a lot of sitting and doing nothing." Our breakfasts and lunches were taken care of, so I only needed to prepare to occupy myself for hours on end. That's what I did.

On the two and a half hour bus ride to Concepción de Uruguay (I'm still not clear on whether that was the name or not) I alternated between watching a movie with some friends, half sleeping, and trying to read through "Don Quijote de la Mancha" in Spanish.

I'd like to take a quick side note to discuss my relationship with written Spanish words. I thought we used to get along. Back in high school, we were better friends than I was with spoken words. Understanding simple shampoo bottle and chip bag translations was easy, and I was confident in my limited knowledge. I could have lived happily ever after.

But no.

Written Spanish is not all cotton candy and fluffy feather pillows. That stuff is hard. My homework is tiresome, and takes a long, long, long time to understand. I have to ask my roommates to re-explain things to me (also in Spanish mind you) and if I still can't get it, I have to find my friends who know both languages. It is the most aggravating, time consuming, frustrating thing I have experienced thus far in my life (besides math and the physics of diving). I thought reading Don Quijote would be different. Alas, it takes me about half an hour to read one page on my nook because I look up every third word I read. Even though it takes a decent amount of time to make it through so little (especially annoying to a voracious reader as myself) I find it extraordinarily satisfying when I am done with my page for the day. I may not remember all the words I've looked up, but I made it through. And with all the discouragement of not knowing the language fluently right now, that is enough.

Back to the visa trip. Suffice to say once we arrived it was all long and boring and mostly just us writing our signatures 15 different times. As the five or six hours in the bitty waiting room slowly passed, I saw a couple of funny pieces of life here that I want to share with ya:

-A man and two of his kids rode down the street in one of those horse-drawn carts again. The "clip-clop" of the horses hooves sounded just like in the movies.
-A travelling billboard. Literally a billboard pulled by a truck (decorated with the same logos and pictures of the billboard) complete with a loudspeaker announcing the product.
-A bazillion mopeds and motorcycles of all types.
-A garbage truck with the four garbage men sitting/standing inside, with the garbage.
-Once again, dogs everywhere.

After an eternity of butt-numbing seats on the tile floor and plastic chairs, we loaded the bus and headed back to the UAP, arriving at around 3:45 in the afternoon. Upon getting to my room, I promptly collapsed into my bed, pausing only to set my alarm for an hour before dinner. Of course, I slept through the alarm and woke up just in time to eat.

Needless to say, it has been a long day, and I am ready to go to bed and sleep. Good NIGHT!

And So it Begins . . .

. . . the growing up I mean. It started a while ago, but today (over skype) it got real.

My mom threatened today to turn my room into her craft room.

I guess not coming home for what will be two years gave her a little leverage in the brief, "civilized discussion" that took place, but what will she do with all my stuff? My room is the cleanest room in the house. It's the guest room. My loft is a haven for the weary. I have my own balcony, she can't turn it into a craft room . . . yet. I want to say I'm ok to sleep on the couch first. I want to sleep in my cozy bed (at least) one more time. If my room becomes a craft room, that means I have no place of mine in that house, which means I'm homeless, which means I'm a bum.

Ok, that's a bit over dramatic, but seriously, a craft room? Mom (I know you read this) just gimme a little more time, por favor!

Much love,
Elena

Oh Happy Day!

The title of this post will reoccur once more on this blog. That will be the day when everything magically clicks in my mind Spanish-wise. Because I can hardly spit out the proper conjugations for present tense, I can't even imagine what it will be like for everything to make sense. I'm told that it will be in few months. Until then, this post will share the title because it marks my first day of talking in Spanish (almost) all day! I'm not saying it was very good Spanish, but the fact that I went out with friends who weren't from ACA and who only spoke Spanish to me (though if I really, really couldn't get it, one of them would explain it to me in English) has made me one happy chica. I feel like such an adventurer! Even though our adventure was only to the park five minutes away.

The goal of the trip: to drink terere. That's it! After today, I have officially decided that I like terere more than mate. For those who don't know, terere is basically mate, but ice cold, mixed with something sweet. I'm very much a hot tea lover, so to admit that I like a cold tea is a little surprising for me. However, it is the truth. Here's why it was so good. Today, we used some TANG , lemon and orange flavored drink mix to sweeten the whole deal. I felt like I was drinking heaven. All five of us shared one cup and one bombilla (strainer/straw). Each person drank from the bombilla until the cup was empty when it was then refilled and passed to the next person. Mate (the herb) contains caffeine, and technically caffeine is not allowed to be consumed on campus. It was funny to look around and see half of the UAP sitting on blankets in the park, sharing terere as they played guitars or kicked around a soccer ball. And you thought Adventist schools in America were strict? Think again.

 Terere. (Yes, of course I brought my hammock.)

All in all, it was a good day filled with lots of learning, laughing (when I actually understood the jokes), and making friends. Perfecto, perfecto, perfecto.

I Get Laughed at for More Than Just My Spanish

A few days ago a couple of my friends and I went up to the roof of the girls' dorm to workout. When we got up there I was greeted by rows of laundry drying in the deliciously warm sun. While mis amigas were setting up the workout video on a laptop, I snapped some shots of these photogenic clothes as they laughed and laughed at me for doing so. Why is laundry drying on the roof anyway?

Because my dear readers, laundry here is an ALL DAY event. There is one laundry room with about 10 washing machine and 10 dryers. This is for all dorm dwellers on campus to use. It is open for very specific hours of the day and once closed, it is closed. If your wet clothes didn't make it to a dryer, you find another way to dry your clothes. When I did my laundry on Tuesday, I luckily did not have to wait for a washing machine, but did have to wait over two hours for a dryer. I actually didn't even get to put my clothes in myself, my friend had to for me while I went to class. All this time spent on waiting provides a great opportunity to do homework or talk to people. Both girls and guys use the room, making it a sweet hang out spot. There are usually at least 15 to 25 people in there at a time. A small downside however is that, just like when entering all other buildings on campus, girls are required to wear shorts that reach the knees or longer pants. This is not a flexible rule. They will make you go change. To end on a positive note; even though I only get to wash clothes once a week, I don't have to pay for the machines or the soap! It's a win-lose, but I've got enough free time for it anyway.

What My Momma Taught Me: Part 1

It is funny to see how different people react to the freedom of living on their own. I know that there a few things that my mom has taught me that will forever be ingrained in my way of life, but I must skip or disregard currently for good reasons. I'm not talking about the good solid moral rules. I mean those little bits of wisdom that moms around the world pass down from generation to generation. I will share two very important ones today that I currently don't follow: the purchasing of water and the separating of laundry.

The Purchasing of Water

I can't tell you how many times my mother has gotten on my case in regards to buying water. "It's free from the tap at home! Why do you want to waste your money, no, our money, on something we already have? Think of what else you can buy with that? Next time, bring your water bottle from home."

Now, if we were desperate for something to drink and there was no chance that we would be home anytime soon, of course she would buy me water. Unfortunately, here I find myself having to break the smart and worthy habit of not buying water. The water bottles in the cafeteria contain 140mg of sodium each. I didn't know this until someone brought it to my attention, offering the thought that maybe that was why I'd felt so stick my first week and a half here. We headed to the grocery store around the corner to purchase large bottles of water with waaaay less sodium and for less than one american dollar each.

Needless to say, spending $15 in pesos on two bottles of water hurt. I hate purchasing things that I have available to me for free. But, for the sake of my health and peace of stomach, I have been buying water. Fortunately, my roommate gets water in a big jug dispenser, and she shares! I don't yet understand if it is just hers or for the entire room (three of us) but either way, less sodium=happier Elena. I love my water and those of you who know me realize it is pretty much all I drink. I'm glad to have found an alternative, because I've definitely been rationing myself. I don't want hypertension.

The Separating of Laundry

Oh how to begin this one. There are three main types of loads in my family: darks, lights, and towels. If you want to get picky there are also nice work shirts, messy/dirty work shirts, rags and kitchen towels, sheets, sleeping bags, and delicates. But we'll stick with the first, main three categories that plague me the most.

When I'm at home, the clothes are separated. We have laundry baskets for darks and whites, and towels are done each week. In fact, I am in charge of the laundry for the entire household. For a family of four we seem to make quite a lot of laundry. With all the separation required, this adds up to more than just one load a week. These days when I'm home, that means I'm not in school, giving me less stressors on my time. We get our water for free because we are on a catchment system, so I'm not worried at all about wasting water. And, I don't pay a bunch of quarters each time to do the loads. I understand how both my washer and dryer work, and this makes laundry time easy, simple, and it doesn't use the money I need for toothpaste next month.

However, when I am away from home, laundry requires an entirely different system. Time and money are of the essence, and unless you are planning on paying for my multiple loads, everything will get thrown into one. I repeat, EVERYTHING. Once in a blue moon will I do a load of whites for those two silly shirts that I really, really want to stay white. Other than that, my quarters are precious, and so is my soap. When away from home, the separating of the laundry rule does NOT apply.

So there you have three things that I have carried from my childhood AND teenage years into the now.
Some mornings I just stop and think, "My goodness, I got myself ready for school and rolling on time all by myself. How on earth did I manage that?!" I still clearly remember when my mom would wake me up in the morning, tell me what to eat for breakfast and to take out the trash (oh wait that was during Christmas break). Then at times like now, as I watch the early morning sun sneak into my room through the curtains I remember, "Oh yeah, I can do all that on my own now, because that's what my momma taught me."

More from Last Week's Explorations

It is quite impossible to get away from sugar here.

The wall of Mate

Like a peanut butter KitKat

Anniversario de Libertador San Martín

Five Minute Friday

I set my stopwatch for five minutes and just wrote using this weeks prompt word "true." The whole point is to write without editing yourself for five minutes and see what comes out! I got this from my friend's website who got it from another website, the original. Try the Five Minute Friday thing if you are so inclined! If you want, do it right now, it the comments section here, but be sure to visit the link to see what it's all about.
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True.

Straight, honest, a line; necessary for life.

It's true. What is? What is true?

I'm in South America.
I have dreams.
I have problems.

But I have friends.
I have ways to accomplish those dreams.
I am where I have chosen to be.

Hmmm, three more minutes.
I like to draw. I actually really do. I don't count myself as an artist, but it's better than twiddling my thumbs.
Today I decided to depict my adventure of yesterday in a drawing. Dare I say I sometimes wish I were an artist? It's true.

But I'm not. I'm a writer, though that could be questioned as well. Sometimes words don't come to mind when they are needed. They skip work for the day and leave me to fend for myself. They work even less when I try to use my Spanish. It's true!

That's why this year is going to be hard, but worth it; tiring, but fun. I'm out of time.

This is all true.

Day Off #1

My little corner in mi pieza.

Adventure today with my new friends

This little perro is almost more adventurous that I am, but not quite. 

Puente Negro. After we rappelled down and walked across the river.

Yeeeeaaaaahh!!!