Whadda Weekend!

Mondays: YUCK! There's just something about Mondays that no one likes!


Well, it was quite the weekend here in Buenos Aires!


Last Wednesday, Rossana's son, Ricardo, and her (almost) 18 year old grandson, Gaspar, flew in from Europe. I believe they were at a Rugby Tournament there. They were both staying in our (small) apartment! On Friday, Ricardo's wife, Teresa, and their other two sons, Facu and Santiago arrived with their nanny, Juanita! All this made for a very interesting weekend. Most of the time, the whole family was over, including Rossana's other daughter, Lili and her husband Ricky, along with Ricky's children: (from a previous marriage), Cecilia and Mauricio.  And, Rossana's other daughter, Marcela and her son, Gonzalo. All in all, in this tiny apartment, the noise level was through the roof when all the kids were running around and the adults were yapping it up! But, I must admit, it was pretty fun!


The younger kids finally started feeling comfortable around me when I went into the computer room and started hanging out with them. But, unfortunately for me, they caught onto the fact Gaspar and I were only a few years apart and they started yelling that I was in love with Gaspar! Quite embarrassing! They had fun asking me to say various things in English, including the translation "Un gato feo" (An ugly cat). After the fun, they started making fun of me for the way I said "Los Estados Unidos" (United States) and for the rest of the weekend, they'd walk into my room, count to 3 and all imitate me saying "Estados Unidos"--It got old after a while!


Other than that, on Friday night, Sam, Bot and I were invited over to Julietta's apartment, who we met at church. She told us the meeting time was 10pm, but, being in Argentina, we didn't leave our house until 10! Thinking we were showing up at a reasonable time, we buzzed up to Julie's apartment around 10:20 and she was so surprised at how early we were! She made a joke saying that 10pm really means 11pm for the Argentines! Anyway, she was very welcoming and soon after the rest of the group starting showing up! All in all, we ended up being a group of 7 girls and 2 guys! We ate pizza, talked, and laughed a lot. As the night progressed, the boys took out a guitar and we started signing songs together. Most of the songs were in Spanish, so us Americans didn't know them. But, we did discover some English songs that some of the Argentines knew, including Imagine by the Beatles, Hotel California by The Eagles, along with some others. Further along into the night, after some popcorn had been popped, we started looking up worship songs on Youtube, some in English, some in Spanish! It was amazing to hang out with some locals! Around 3am, Julie suggested we start a movie! Sam, Bot and I were taken aback! Finding ourselves exhausted, we politely declined the invitation, and started saying our goodbyes-which always take FOREVER! We ended up getting home around 4am and I slept like a baby!


The next day, Julie invited us to a lunch at the church where we had met her. We got there a little late, and found that the lunch we were invited to was for the coordinators of different volunteer services that were connected to the church. We ended up meeting a girl from England, Alice, who spoke English and had a good time with her as well as the other (old) people! 
After lunch, we followed Julie outside to meet up with a bunch of other youth from different Methodist churches in the area. Together, we walked to a Memorial March that was happening in Plaza del Mayo! Basically, the march was commemorating and remembering the men who died/disappeared during the time of the dictator here in Argentina in the 70s. We hung out, drank maté, and got to meet some more Argentines, all while learning a little bit more about the history of Argentina (which Julie tried to explain to us in her best English!)

Sam, me, and Bot hanging at Plaza Del Mayo

On Sunday, Bot and I attempted to Skype with Holly and Alyssa in Italy. But their internet connection was a bit shaky, so it ended up being more comical than practical! On Sunday night, Bot and I headed to the church we went to for our first 2 weeks here, we ducked out a bit early because we both had loads of homework to do!

Finally this morning, Bot and I booked our hostel for our upcoming trip to Patagonia ON THURSDAY! We'll be there from Thursday to Monday! It's adding up to be one very expensive trip, but I'm looking forward to it, and it'll be nice to get out of the city! Prayers as we travel, please!

Un beso, 

-C

1 month! Miss me yet?

¡Amig@s!


Greetings from Bs.As. once again!!
So, figured I'd tell you a little about what a typical day in Buenos Aires looks like for me!


Depending on the day, I usually get up around 9ish, which is a bit difficult since my host mom sleeps until around 11 everyday, so I don't have too much motivation to get up in the mornings. I spend some time getting ready for the day before leaving my apartment! Not sure if I ever mentioned that I live in an apartment, but I do, on the 4th floor. Before walking out the door, I put my iPod in, my sunglasses on, and start my 5 block walk to the subway station. 
I usually have to wait a few minutes for the subte to come, but when it does, I put my backpack on my chest and brace myself to pack myself in like a sardine! I go 3 stops on the subway, which takes about 10 minutes.
When the subway rolls into the "Facultad de Medicina" stop, I get off, put my backpack back on my back and walk about 7 blocks to my school. Here in Bs.As. there's not really a campus for my school, FLACSO (Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales), it's just a building. When I get to my school building, I have to ring a buzzer to get into the building, then use my magnetic card to get further into the building! I usually head up 4 flights of stairs to the computer lab to kill some time before class!
Classes here are either 2 or 3 hours. Mondays and Thursdays I only have 1 class, but Tuesdays and Wednesdays I have 2. Once I'm at school, I stay at school until I'm done for the whole day. Sometimes I'll go out for lunch between classes, but I usually just grab a snack at a kiosk on the way to school in the mornings.
After I'm done with classes, I make my trek back home on the subte. Bot and I will meet up sometimes after school to grab some food or a drink. I get home and usually do some homework or answer emails in my room while Rossana makes dinner. We eat around 8:30, which is very early! After dinner, I hang out with Rossana, watching TV or talking until I help clean up and excuse myself to do homework for the rest of the night until around 12 or 1am when I call it quits!
Then I do it all over again the next day!


Bot and I went to see The Hunger Games last night, before anyone in the US saw it, which was a special treat! When we're in the movie theater (watching movies in English with Spanish subtitles) it feels like we're back in the US! We don't realize that we're in Argentina until after the movie is over and everyone around us starts speaking in Spanish! 
I joined a soccer team here, which will prove to be interesting since I haven't played soccer seriously since middle school! Although I did play on RECIM Team BANJUKA (Shoutout to Kenny, Jonny, and Drey!) at Gordon last year! But, for 50 pesos (about 12 US dollars), we get to play soccer every week AND go to a professional futbol game sometime during the semester! 




Well, it's been 1 month since I've been in Argentina! Miss me yet?! I still have about 4 to go! Crazy! I'm not sure if it's gone by fast or slow! I've heard that the first month abroad is the hardest, and I think that's true! I've been through a lot of ups and downs recently, but things are getting easier and I'm learning to enjoy myself more! There is so much Buenos Aires (and Argentina) has to offer and I'm looking forward to getting to experience it more and more in the next few months!


Well, thanks for sticking with me for a month! 


¡Chau for now!
-C

Dropping Dollars

Oh my!! I believe that I just made my biggest debit card purchase of all time yesterday!! Bot and I booked our flights to PATAGONIA! We're leaving in a week and two days and staying for 4 nights! Drum roll please...my flight cost me...$536 (American dollars)!!!!! It's only a three hour flight! Sheesh! When did things become so expensive!? As my good friend, Holly Getz would say, I "DROPPED SOME DOLLARS!"


But, as expensive as this flight was, I'm hoping that it will be an incredible trip! Patagonia is gorgeous, from what I hear! The region of Patagonia actually is in both Argentina and Chile, but we'll only be visiting the Argentine side. We'll most likely be staying in Calafate, a small touristy town in Patagonia and I'm hoping that we'll be able to do a little hicking/cramponing on the Perito Moreno Glacier! ¡Vamos a ver! (We'll see)


Besides that new exciting news, this morning was a bit stressful for me! But I must admit, that God had His hand in it all! I randomly decided to get up a little earlier this morning and head to a Starbuck's a few blocks away from my house to do some studying. Well, when I got outside my apartment, it was raining, which is never good if you're walking around the city! About halfway to Starbuck's, I decided that I needed my rain jacket, so I turned around and went back to my apartment, After retrieving my rain jacket, I decided to just head to school instead of Starbuck's. Well, I started my walk to my subway station, only to find out that the gates were closed and I couldn't get down to the subways! Luckily, I remembered that there was a bus I could take that would bring me somewhere close to my school. Unluckily, I didn't remember where I was supposed to get off the bus! But regardless, I hopped on the VERY crowded bus and began my journey. About 15 minutes later, after only having advanced about 15 blocks, we passed another subway stop that was on that same line as mine. I realized that this subway stop was OPEN! So, after the bus had passed this stop by a few blocks, I was finally got let off and backtracked a few blocks to the subway station. All the while, it was raining! Well, I finally get onto the subway car, and it began moving as slow as molasses! It took me about double the time to get to school, but I finally made it!


And now, here I am, blogging instead of doing my work! :)


Well, I'm definitely being tested and tried everyday here in Bs.As., but I'm still learning to continually trust Him everyday! And I'm so thankful for the little reminders God sends me. On Sunday morning I was blessed enough to be able to Skype with my cousin, Lauren for a good hour an a half! Also, Bot, Sam and I went to a new church this past Sunday, a church that Bot's host parents are involved in. Most of the congregation was on the older side, but 2 younger girls (in their late 20s) invited us to their apartment on Friday for pizza to hang out with some other youth from the church. So that should be exciting and definitely force us to speak Spanish and meet some Argentines!


Continued prayers are always appreciated, especially as I'm starting to be in contact with my advisors back at Gordon to plan my classes for the fall, which is looking to be about 20 credits! Yikes!


Besos, 
-C

Pick-Pockets and Patrick!

¡HOLA!

The end of another week here in Bs.As. They're starting to go by quite fast! What's great here in Argentina is that I don't have classes on Fridays, so I get a super long weekend every week!!

So, on Thursday, I witness what I'm sure will prove to be the first of many pick-pocket attempts! I was heading to class, on my usual subway route, which was SUPER crowded like always. I usually travel with my iPod in (that day I was listening to Josh Garrels, a new artist I've become obsessed with thanks to my brother, Jeff) and I had my backpack on my front (which is the norm here). I was standing on the subway holding onto the railing above my head, just jamming to my music and looking out the window when I saw a man, about 2 people away from me, CLEARLY stick his fingers down his own throat. He began dry-heaving OVER the man who was sitting down next to him. Everyone around this man started backing up and giving this guy space. Needless to say, he did not actually throw up, but there was so much commotion that I wouldn't have been surprised if he was working alongside someone else who pick-pocketed someone who was so caught up in the commotion that they didn't notice! 

And, again, as Bot and I were taking the subway tonight, a man was standing a bit too close to me on the (abnormally) uncrowded subway. I watched him as he covertly hid one hand under his satchel/jacket and tried to inch towards my bag. After about 30 seconds of watching him do this, a bit amused that he thought he could pick-pocket ME, I finally pulled my bag away from him. Almost instantly, he walked away, onto his next victim.

Friday, on our day off, (Bot also does not have classes on Friday) we headed to Recoleta another barrio (neighborhood) here. Recolota has a beautiful cemetery. After getting briefed about the cemetery by a guide who, after learning we were from the United States, spoke to us in her British accent, we spent some time walking around, checking things out. We saw Eva Peron's vault and took silly pictures for the fun of it! 

A street in the cemetery

Casually posing outside a vault!

Last night I got to iChat my family and talk with my Yiayia (my grandmother)! Afterwards I headed up a few flights of stairs to my host sister's apartment where we had a girl's night (my host mom and two grown host sisters) of eating pizza and watching a Nadal vs. Nalbandian tennis match on TV!

Today, I started my day by spending about 2 hours Skyping with my lovely and dearly missed roommate, Alyssa Provencher, all the way in Italy! Believe it or not, we haven't SEEN each other in about a month, which is the longest we've gone in quite a while!

Afterwards, I headed over to Bot's house and we went out for some lunch and then headed to a park near her house! It was quite the walk, and I found my inner child come out as I told Bot that she was 'dying in the lava' because she wasn't only walking on the white lines as we crossed the streets! It was an absolutely gorgeous day! We walked around, climbed in some trees, watched a Ukrainian dance show, and got cotton candy!

After a quick stop back at Bot's apartment, we headed to Plaza de San Martín to check out some St. Patty's Day activities. We watched an Irish step dancing show for a little while before hopping back on the subte to Palermo Soho (another barrio) to grab dinner for a few hours! 

Unfortunately, Bot and I didn't find ourselves hungry enough this weekend to eat our pre-planned steak dinner! Hopefully next week!

Now, my friends, it's time for me to put my iPod in and drift off to sleep once again. If anyone is interested- these days I find myself falling asleep to: most frequently, The Rocketboys, but also, The Pete & Mike Band, Josh Garrels, or my random worship playlist! I highly recommend all of them! :) 

¡Chau, Chau! 

-C

Immersed?

Hi friends, 


I guess I want to say that I'm almost at the point of being immersed here. Maybe not though? This is the second week of classes and I already feel overwhelmed! (seems like most of the time, that's the way I'm feeling!) I was so excited for classes to start because I needed a routine and something to fill my time. But now that they have started, I'm feeling weighed down by all the reading I have to do (ALL in Spanish, mind you!) So, prayers that my Spanish competency would continue to increase!


Let's see, what have I been up to the past few days? On Saturday, I met up with some friends and we went to a Nation's Fair in the middle of the city. Basically, a bunch of different nations had set up their own booths and were selling food and little souvenirs. I, of course, headed right for the Greece stand, where I got a gyro and baklava for lunch! It was good, and reminded me of home, but the gyro wasn't as good as the Greek Corner OR St. Paul's Greek fair and the baklava was no where near as good as you make it, Katie Falb! 

My Argentine Gyro

Bot and I at the Nation's Fair

Sunday I spent doing lots and lots of reading for my Tango class! I had some trouble with the reading, but thankfully we went over it pretty thoroughly in class yesterday. Bot and I headed to church with her host parents later that night, to a Presbyterian church. The pastor preached on Matthew 13: The Parable of the Sower. Bot and I agreed that the only reason we were actually able to understand what the pastor was saying, was because we already knew the parable of the sower. After service, as we were leaving, Marta and Ariel (Bot's host parents) introduced us to the pastor, who asked us if we understood the sermon. We told him 'más o menos' (more or less) to which he responded in English that he speaks very fast and if we can understand him, we'll be able to understand anyone. 


Yesterday, I woke up early enough to get some more reading for Tango done, then headed to Tango class. Afterwards, I came home to ask my host mom, Rossana, where the nearest Starbucks was. She gave me directions and I headed to Starbucks to get some work done. Bot called me about 2 hours later and we met up for a late lunch and some grocery shopping. (Bot's been desperately searching for pretzels recently, and has failed in her attempts, but I brought her to my grocery store which, indeed, has pretzels). 


Today, I got up around 8:30 and have been working on my reading for my two hardest classes that I have tomorrow. I've been really nervous about one of my classes: Language in Action, which is a Literature class. The professor just seemed to be all over the place last class and I had a hard time understand her. Hopefully, it gets better! Major prayers for that. 


A few other random things:
1) This weekend, Bot and I have decided that we want to treat ourselves to a typical Argentine dinner: STEAK! So we're on the hunt for a nice restaurant to indulge at.
2) Have I mentioned that the PDA here is pretty intense. Argentines are very touchy-feely people, so they have no shame in being all over each other in public. Very different from the US, where it's almost faux pas to show any signs of PDA.
3) Also, one of the most common hairstyles for men here is not only the infamous mullet, but imagine a mullet, in which the mullet part, is actually dreads! It's a very peculiar look!

Dreads are all the rage here in Bs.As. 

Anyway, that's what's been going on in my life here in Argentina. Hard to believe I've been here almost a whole month, feels kind of crazy. Thanks for following me on this journey of mine! 

Besos, 

-C

Psalm 40

"I waited patiently for the LORD; 

   he turned to me and heard my cry. 

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, 

   out of the mud and mire; 

he set my feet on a rock 

   and gave me a firm place to stand. 

He put a new song in my mouth, 

   a hymn of praise to our God. 

Many will see and fear 

   and put their trust in the LORD."

Psalm 40:1-4 (NIV 1984)

What an incredible way to start my day today! I started reading through the Psalms a few days after I arrived in Argentina, and I found them extremely relevant to whatever had happened to me that day. When I was struggling and stressed, David's words were so helpful! And now that I GOT INTO MY LITERATURE CLASS, David's words are even better! Praise the Lord that things are starting to work out for me. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me in this stressful situation of working out classes and credits!

I can barely remember what's been going on the past few days. The stress definitely overtook me and consumed most of my days! BUT yesterday we took a trip to El Tigre! El Tigre is, I guess you can say, a river town! All along the river, there are houses and little camps. I had quite the startle yesterday morning! Bot and I had planned on meeting at my subte station at 7:45am. Apparently I had been snoozing my alarm clock up until about 15 minutes before I needed to meet Bot. For me, 15 minutes is simply not enough time to get ready. But, Bot's text telling me that she was 15 minutes away, woke me up and I frantically began packing my bag and brushing my teeth to meet Bot. Thankfully, we made it to the train station with plenty of time to spare. Meeting the 80+ other students from our group, we took an hour train ride to Tigre. (Just a little prespective: it cost 1.35 pesos to take the hour train ride. 1 US dollar is approximately 4.30 pesos...so, all that to say, our train ride was SUPER cheap! If only amtrack worked the same way!) After arriving at the train station in Tigre, we took a half hour boat ride to a Campo de Recreo (recreational camp). We had the whole place to ourselves. There was a soccer field, pileta (pool), playground, and just hang out spots. 

We spent the whole day here, just relaxing, chatting, and having fun. Lunch was fantastic! For a meat lover like me, I was in heaven! We started with bread of course, followed by chorizo sausage and blood sausage (which I am not a fan of). Next came more meat, followed by pollo (chicken), and then steak. It was great! 

Gordon girls <3

Sam and I on the boat ride back

Me, Erica, and Sam just acting like kids on the swings!

After getting back to the city, Erica, Sam, Bot, and I headed to Plaza del Mayo to grab some smoothies at a coffee shop and relax a bit more. Afterwards, Sam and Erica headed home and Bot and I walked around before choosing Pizza Roma to eat dinner! Our Italian girls (Lyss, Drey, & Getz) are all visiting Rome now, so we thought it was an appropriate choice! It was a pretty low key night after that, Bot and I chilled at the obelisk for a little while, taking off our nail polish with the nail polish we had bought at a pharmacy. 

I came home and Rossana was out eating dinner at her daughters apartment, so I watched some good American TV: SEINFELD--coincidentally, The Puffy Shirt episode, which reminded me of my brothers (Ryan, Jeffrey, and Eric) who I miss very dearly! ((Kramer: Jerry, - this is gonna be the new look for the 90's. You're gonna be the first pirate!)) 

Since sleeping in this morning, I've had really good devos as well as iChatting with my parents and Eric and his friends visiting Long Island for Spring Break. Bot and I and a few friends are gonna meet up in a few hours to check out a fair in the middle of the city. Looks like it's gonna be a weekend filled with some homework too, as this week begins our second week of classes!

Everyday I'm getting more and more acclimated to Buenos Aires! Still missing friends and family from the States though. But I know God has big plans for me while I'm here! 

-C

And so, classes begin

It's time! Classes have started! Ironic, since all of my Gordon friends are almost on Spring Break! But for once, I can say I'm excited for classes to start (which, if you know me well enough, you know that I am NEVER excited for classes), because I'm in desperate need of some type of schedule!

Yesterday I had my Tango class. The two professors are both amazing Tango-ers and they started off the class by saying that we'd be learning more than just the Tango dance. We'll be learning a lot of history of the dance as well. We began learning the basic step of the Tango and every now and then, our professors would stop us and do their own little demonstration. Tango truly is a beautiful dance. I'm not one to be into the arts, but Tango is gorgeous, not to mention, very sensual. A lot of the dance is improvisation, and the woman and man must read each other's body's to know what move to make next. I can only hope that after I finish this class, I'll be half as good as my professors!

Last night was very stressful. I was (still am) in the midst of trying to figure out how my credits are going to transfer back to Gordon. I'm having some trouble getting into a Literature course here in Buenos Aires, so major prayers that this would all work out for me so I don't have to take a ridiculous credit load next semester (or more online classes or spend another semester at Gordon)

Today, I picked up my laundry that I dropped off yesterday at the Lavandera (laundromat), which is so interesting for me, since I've always done my laundry on my own. But here, not many people have washing machines. Then I  headed to FLACSO (my school) a little early to meet Bot for a quick lunch of medialunas (kind of like sweet crescent rolls) My first class was my grammar class, which wasn't altogether horrible. But grammar already is a tough thing for me (even in English), so I know that a whole class on it completely in Spanish will be pretty difficult too!
I had a two hour break before my next class, which I spent in the computer lab, sending some e-mails and starting some homework! Then I headed to my Spanish Oral class which was fantastic! I loved my professor and the class was small enough for lots of interaction. Again, this is very out of the ordinary for me to be saying. We spent the two hours just conversing a lot in Spanish about the different words used in Argentina vs. the words we use in the Spanish we learn in the States. I'm definitely looking forward to this class!

Well, here are a lot more miscellaneous items:
          -I'm really starting to embrace city life. I feel like a regular city-person! I know my subte route pretty well and I'm beginning to enjoy the few minutes that I have to walk from home to the subte stop and then to school.
          -The subtes always seem to be super crowded! Sometimes I feel like more and more people are getting on and no one is getting off! Plus, it's SO hot down in the subways!
          -So, I must be starting to look like a regular Argentine! Today some girl asked me directions about the subte and I was able to answer her with confidence!
          -Have I mentioned that the Argentines wear THE weirdest shoes? Picture platform Birkenstock sandals made out of  suede in bright colors, and that's what the girls around here wear! Gross, I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing them!
          -Not sure what the going rate is in the States is, but I got my laundry washed, dried, and folded for 16 pesos, which is a little less than 4 bucks, pretty good, huh?
          -I often find myself saying things like "back in the States" which is just incredible! I'm still grasping the concept that I'm in a whole 'nother country!

Well, for the next little while, I'm relaxing and listening to (one of my) my favorite band, DISPATCH, which always puts me in a good mood! Bot and I are going to meet up tonight for some coffee, mind you, it's 9:30pm here, which is a completely acceptable time to go out and get coffee!

Continued prayers are appreciated! I'm finding that God's will is greater than my own! And I'm learning to wholly and completely trust in Him!

Love you all

¡Chau! (the way the Argentines spell Ciao)

-C

Much Needed Relaxation!

Hi friends!!


Again, it's been a few days since I've blogged last! But, now, time for me to process the past few days!


Late Friday night, Bot and I went to a cafe and just talked for a few hours, which, of course was great! And a much needed break! 


Saturday morning, I headed over to Bot's apartment around 10. Bot accidentally slept in late, so I got to enjoy the sunshine while I waited for her to pick me up at the subte stop! Around 12, Marta, Ariel (Bot's host parents--in their 80s) Bot, and I got in Ariel's van and started driving! I didn't know exactly where we were going, but almost 2 hours later, after a very sleepy car ride, we arrived in Gowland, a very rural town outside of BsAs. We were at some sort of retreat place, but there was not a soul on the property! After asking a few questions, Bot and I found out that this place was a retreat-type place and that the people who normally take care of it were on vacation, so Ariel was taking care of it. Lucky for us, there was a pool! So we spent the whole day swimming, tanning, and reading! And of course, walking around the property taking pictures! It was SO relaxing and I definitely needed it!

It was gorgeous, and green!

Bot came back to my house that night, and we just watched a movie in my room and then got some sleep!

Yesterday, we planned on going to a new church. Our friend, Sam, had looked up this church on a website and Bot and I had checked it out too. So we all planned on meeting up at church for the 12:30 service. Well, Bot and I strolled into church around 12:30 to meet Sam and Chelsea. We sat in some chairs while all the people around us were socializing! Three girls came over and greeted us with the traditional kiss on the cheek. We talked to them for a few minutes, then continued waiting. No one else was sitting down, we just figured it was like everything else is in Argentina, lax and late! But after about 15 minutes, the number of people socializing was getting less and less. Sam finally asked someone if service was going to start...at which point we found out that there was no 12:30 service! Well, we laughed about it and then got up and left! 

The four of us headed over to La Casa Rosada(The Pink House), which some people think is the equivalent of the White House. But it's actually not, it's just a government building where the President works but doesn't live! We got a free tour of the place, from our tour guide, Santiago! He did half the tour in Spanish and half in English (his English was horrendous, probably the way we sound when we talk in Spanish!)

Bot and I with some guards inside La Casa Rosada

Coat of Arms of Argentina

Sam, me, Chelsea and Bot after our tour!

After our tour, we headed to San Telmo, which is a barrio (neighborhood) where every Sunday, hundreds of vendors come and set up their tables along the road. We spent a lot of time checking out what the vendors had to offer! We grabbed lunch at an outdoor cafe, where we ordered pizzas and spent the time relaxing and talking! Later on in the day we stopped at Starbucks and Bot and I decided to head back to the church we went to the previous week, Chelsea decided to head home, and Sam decided to go back to the church we tried that morning for the 7pm service. Church went well, it was again, a very long service, but the pastor continued his sermon from last week on Resolving Conflict according to the Beatitudes. 

I came home to find a note from Rossana telling me she was out for dinner and that my dinner was in the kitchen. I took my tarta dinner into my room and began iChatting with Eric and his/our friend, Nate Funk, who is now in the Marines! Eric and I then chatted for another hour--always good to catch up on life with my baby brother! Afterwards I iChatted for awhile with my parents and finally headed to bed! 

Today, I start classes! I only have one class: TANGO! Thank God, my tango class will be accepted for CORE credits at Gordon. Unfortunately, it will not be accepted for Spanish credits! MAJOR prayers needed right now as I try to figure out my credits transferring back to Gordon!

Thanks for following me on my journey! Miss you all!

-C

Subte Strikes and Scavenger Hunts

Hola chicos!

Another day gone by in Buenos Aires! I guess it's been two days since I've updated the blog. I must admit to you all that this blog is sort of a way to process my time here in Argentina! For any of you that know me well enough, I don't particularly enjoy journaling/writing too much, so it's surprising how much I enjoy blogging! 

Anyway, God brought me through a pretty chaotic day yesterday! For some political reasons, the subtes (subways) were on strike! Not that big of a deal, right? WRONG! I'd be bold enough to say that most of the people in the city use the subways as their regular form of transportation! So, the buses and taxis became the only way to travel around the city yesterday, causing MASS traffic jams. I was pretty nervous to use the buses because they are so complex! Plus, yesterday was a very important day since we needed to start the process of changing our visas from "tourists" to "residents". The staff made it very clear that we needed to be at Registro de Antecedentes Penales (criminal history registry-a place we had never been to before) at 10am, and that we needed to be punctual! Of course, the subtes being on strike messed everything up. So it ended up taking me an hour and a half to get to where I needed to be (on a subway, it probably would have taken me 20 minutes?) I ended up walking at least 20 blocks to get to the Registry. The craziness continued the rest of the day, as we had more traveling to orientation activities and registration for classes, which was very stressful!! All in all, yesterday was a super rough day, my worst yet in BsAs. But, thanks be to God, I made it through alive!

Last night, we were able to go to a tango club to learn a bit about how to tango. It ended up being a lot different than what I expected! Our program (CIEE) was coordinating the whole thing and we thought it would be a private class for just us students. But it ended up being a tango bar with about 80 other people there. The professional dancers put on a quick show, which proved to us just how complex tango is, and then a professional taught about 50 of us the first few steps of the most basic form of tango. I wish I had been more energized for it, but after the day of experimenting with the buses, and walking ALL over the city, I was SO tired! Bot felt the same way, so we ended up leaving the bar around 12 and waiting 45 minutes for a bus back to our neighborhoods, and then I passed out in my bed!

I know, it's a bit fuzzy.

Luckily, today the subways were back up and running! Unfortunately, Bot and I were told to still plan on leaving our houses a little earlier in case the subways decided to strike again. So, we got to FLACSO (our school) an hour earlier than we needed. But, I spent the time in the computer lab, answering some e-mails! Today, our orientation activity was to participate in a scavenger hunt all over the city with groups. After such a crazy day yesterday, and waking up early today, I was exhausted! But I made the most out of the scavenger hunt and enjoyed the time with the people in my group! (it was SO hot today and I wore jeans, which didn't help). The last stop of the scavenger hunt was a famous pizza place where we met our student coordinator, Leandro. We had lunch with our entire red group (about 1/4 of the CIEE students) and then headed back to school for another quick session. 

Since coming home, I've taken a nap, watched a little TV, and had dinner with Rossana. Bot and I are planning on meeting up a little later to hang out and do whatever. Tomorrow, I think we're taking a day trip with Bot's host parents to...well, we don't know where! But, it'll be nice to get outta the city for a few hours!

Some more miscellaneous items that don't quite fit into any part of my blog:

          -Yesterday my big brother #2 (Jeff) sent me an e-mail that encouraged me so much! I had been feeling a little down and Jeff's words were so encouraging, wise, helpful, and uplifting! 

          -Wednesday night I was able to iChat with my parents and update them on my life here in BsAs. It was good to hear their voices and see their faces, as always! Looking forward for you guys to come in April (which now seems a lot closer!)

          -As I walk down the street to my subway stop everyday (and all around the city), I am sprayed with a myriad of liquids. Gross, right? I'm fairly certain that most of this is just the water dropping from the air conditioners in all the apartments!

          -Classes start on Monday! Crazy! Prayers that the classes I'm taking will go towards fulfilling my credits at Gordon. This is a MAJOR concern of mine! 

Suerte (Luck),

-C