Iguazú!

On Saturday night after my mom left a group of us went to Puerta Uno, a really cool "secret bar" of Buenos Aires. The black door isn't marked and you have to ring a doorbell to get in, but once you're inside it's so pretty--a great place to have a few (delicious) drinks and talk with friends.

On Thursday night we left for Iguazú! We spent about 18 hours on a bus between Thursday & Friday, with a stop at the Ruinas de San Ignacio (ruins of a Jesuit Guaraní mission settlement from the 1600s) and a great afternoon of resting, eating, and swimming at La Chacra, an estancia on a mate farm. We also got to tour some of the fields, see where they process the plant to make it ready to sell, and try some delicious combinations of prepared mate.

Once we got to Puerto Iguazú and checked into our fancy hotel, we enjoyed some all-you-can eat dinner, where I accidentally tried some cow tongue--it was gross. On Saturday we got up early to go to las Cataratas del Iguazú, the actual waterfalls that the area is famous for. It was an absolutely incredible experience--I've never seen anything like it. The whole thing was awe-inspiring, especially standing in front of the Garganta del Diablo. It's not called the Devil's Throat for nothing--the waterfall forms a U shape 270 feet high, 500 feet wide & 2,300 feet long. We got to spend all day hiking along the trails to different parts of the national park, ending with a speedboat ride that took us right up to the base of the falls & drenched us with tons of pounding water!

Later that day, we visited the Hito de las Tres Fronteras, where the Iguazú & Parana rivers converge and you can see Argentina, Paraguay & Brazil all in one place. On the coast of each, there's a monument painted with the country's colors.

The next morning we visited a Guaraní village. The Guaraní are indigenous people who lived in  Argentina before the Spanish came over. We got to see some of their houses, the traps they use to catch food, and listen to a group of children sing some native songs for us, which was really cute. There was also a little feria where we bought handmade crafts & jewelry. It was really interesting to learn more about a native tribe & see how they live, but I was also kind of uncomfortable because it seemed like we were exploiting them for tourism--I would feel like I was in a zoo if I constantly had foreigners coming & taking pictures of me. But it was a good experience overall.

This weekend went by too fast--I can't believe I'm already back in the city! It was really nice to get out for a little while, the lifestyle in the provincias is so much more relaxed and not as fast-paced as Buenos Aires. Iguazú was amazing, and now I have less than 50 days left in Argentina, wow.

Family week

I just spent a wonderful week with my mom introducing her to all of the best parts of Buenos Aires that I have come to know & love. Here's a rundown of our highlights from every day:

Monday: Walked to some of the main tourist attractions in the center of the city, shopped along Calle Florida, then had lunch & a huge chocolate sundae at Café Tortoni, the oldest café in Buenos Aires. At night we went out for a steak dinner with the girls plus Meghan & Maddie's families. It was great for everyone to get to meet each other and share some quality family time.

Tuesday: Went to el Caminito in Boca to see the colorful houses and some street tango. On the way back we stopped by a bakery for empanadas, alfajores, & facturas (pastries filled with dulce de leche) to eat in the park. We had a big night out at La Catedral tango club, where we stayed up late watching the amazing dancers and listening to the live band.

Wednesday: Spent some time in Puerto Madero and stopped at a street stand by the coast for bondiolas--sandwiches made with smoked pork shoulder. We walked along the port and saw the Puente de la Mujer, a famous bridge meant to look like a woman dancing tango. In the afternoon we had submarinos (hot milk that you dunk a chocolate bar into) then had an amazing dinner of ñoquis with brownie & ice cream for dessert.

Thursday: Walked around Barrio Chino in the morning, then after lunch we went to my favorite ice cream parlor for some chocolate tentación--chocolate ice cream with dulce de leche, nuts, and brownie. After visiting Abasto to see the shopping center and fancy painted houses, we enjoyed some real Argentine asado for dinner.

Friday: Visited Susana, my host mom, to introduce her to my real mom. It was really funny to have them both in the same room and act as their translator, and I was glad that they finally got to meet! After lunch we layed out & napped by the pool of our apartment building--it was mom's vacation after all, and it felt great to relax outside.

Saturday: Had a last lunch with Maddie's family & the other girls at a cute café, then walked around enjoying the warm sunny day by shopping and eating ice cream. We also stumbled across a parade along Avenida de Mayo for Integración Cultural Latinoamericano, celebrating the union between Argentine & Bolivian culture with lots of Bolivian dancers & musicians dressed up in traditional folkloric costumes--so cool!

I was really sad to see my mom leave at the end of the week, but I'm so glad that I got to spend this time with her. We had 9 wonderful days filled with sightseeing, great food, and lots of mother-daughter bonding. I love you mom, see you again in 8 weeks!

Cumple & Mom's visit

Another eventful week--and now my mom is here! On Tuesday my friends & went to visit "Tía" Celeste, the travel agent we went to Mendoza with, to start planning our trip to Patagonia at the end of the semester. I can't wait to walk with penguins, see whales, go trekking on glaciers, kayak with sea lions, and tour the end of the world!

Wednesday was Maddie's 21st birthday! We celebrated by having lunch at an awesome parrilla, then after class headed over to the apartment that Meghan is renting for her family for the week to make dinner together. Meghan & I ended up doing the actual cooking, which started out as a disaster but luckily we saved it! Celeste & her husband came too, and brought chocotorta--one of our favorite desserts. After singing 'feliz cumpleaños', Maddie opened her presents and we topped off the night by having a great sleepover. I'm so happy to have friends like these in Buenos Aires : )

My mom got here on Friday morning, and even though it was pouring rain we had a fun first day together walking around Belgrano, eating traditional foods like empanadas & alfajores, and getting cozy in the adorable apartment that we're staying in. She brought lots of the comforts of the United States with her (aka a huge box of Reese's) and gifts from loved ones back home, which really meant a lot to me.

On Saturday we went to Recoleta to see the famous cemetary and shop at the outdoor market, then in the afternoon we did an "aristocratic" walking tour through some of the fanciest, most expensive neighborhoods in the city. It was really interesting to see parts of Buenos Aires from a touristy point of view, because even though I've been here for almost four months, there are some areas that I've never been to before--and it was fun to be able to share it with my mom!

On Sunday, we went to Tigre with the girls plus Meghan & Maddie's families. My mom got her first taste of choripán, and it was nice to roam around looking for gifts for friends & family. For dinner we went to Las Cholas, one of my favorite restaurants that serves great local food, and snuggled up to watch a movie together at night--a relaxing end to a busy day.

I can't wait to spend the rest of next week introducing my mom to life in Buenos Aires!

Rosario

This weekend I went on an amazing trip to Rosario with my study abroad program! It's the third largest city in Argentina, and after a four-hour bus ride on Saturday, our first stop once we got there was to go to a tenedor libre (all you can eat) restaurant. So of course we all stuffed our faces with every kind of delicious food imaginable, then spent the rest of the afternoon walking it off by going to see some of Rosario's interesting landmarks. We visited a modern art museum in what used to be a grain silo, browsed through a feria along the river, and went to see the Monumento Histórico Nacional a la Bandera, a gigantic, 230-foot-high monument near the site of the first raising of the Argentine flag in 1812.

It was really nice to get to experience a new part of Argentina, and even though Rosario is a big city, all of the trees, parks, and nature along the river made it seem much smaller and more homey, which is something that I've been missing.

That night, a group of us hung out in the hotel room that I shared with Maddie & Meghan until we decided to go get dinner at 2:30am--it still amazes me that places stay open so late here!

Sunday was even more fun--we spent the day at a beach on the river! It felt great to soak up the sun, feel the sand between my toes, and take a nap outside : ) After some much needed relaxation and quality time with friends, we all got on the bus to go back to fast-paced life in Buenos Aires sunburned & satisfied.

 

Less than a week until my mom comes to visit, I can't wait!

Acá viene el sol

This week I had some great new experiences mixed in with lots of studying! I had 3 midterms on Monday, which was rough but I was happy to have them over with. On Tuesday my friends & I went to a tango club called La Catedral, which ended up being one of the most amazing nights for porteño culture that I've had here so far. The underground atmosphere was incredible--the club is in a converted barn, and it's the perfect place to sip wine, listen to live music (but only after 2am) and watch authentic milonga that's so different from the commercialized version of tango now common in Buenos Aires. Trying to dance it ourselves was a lot of fun too!

There was no class on Wednesday for día del estudiante (Argentina has lots of extra holidays!), so a friend & I decided to explore Abasto for the first time. It has an impressive shopping center, a row of colorful, intricately painted buildings, and the Museo Casa Carlos Gardel, dedicated to the musician & tango legend of the early 1900s. It was exciting to see a new side of Buenos Aires, especially on a gorgeous day when I got to break out the flip flops!

Friday was a bittersweet day. In the afternoon, some friends & I went to an art exhibit in Puerto Madero, which ended up being more like a really cool looking playground of nets suspended in the air--I have never appreciated fine art so much!

Later on, a big group of us got together for a hearty Argentine dinner to celebrate our friend Coleton, who left for Peru on Saturday morning. It was a great way to spend the night, filled with tears (mostly on Coleton's part), food, and friendship. Adiós amigo, we'll miss you lots!

On Saturday, we played two soccer games and won them both! This new season is looking up : ) After a morning of playing hard and soaking up lots of sun, it finally felt like springtime.

Día de campo & lunfardos

I am now HALFWAY through my time in Argentina--I can't believe it's going by so fast! There have been lots of ups & downs but overall I've had an incredible experience so far, and I'm sure that the next three months will be just as exciting!

One of the highlights of my week was Saturday, when my study abroad program went on a "día de campo" excursion to an estancia (a ranch) about an hour and a half outside the city, where we spent the day hanging out with gauchos, the Argentine version of cowboys. Here they wear Aladdin-style pants, berets instead of cowboy hats, and carry daggers instead of guns!

There were tons of peacocks everywhere--apparently the estancia uses them like guard dogs?

We also feasted on asado, which is meat grilled on a parilla--like having a barbeque. The meal started with empanadas, salad, and fresh bread, then got into the real deal with chorizo, or spicy sausage, morcilla (blood sausage--I tried it for the first time & it was very strange), chicken, and steak. Afterwards we saw the gauchos do cool tricks on horseback, watched traditional Argentine dances, and got to do some dancing ourselves! We finished the day with an afternoon snack of pastelitos (flaky pastries filled with dulce de leche or jelly) and mate. Mate is a traditional Argentine drink made by pouring hot water over the dried leaves & twigs of the mate plant packed in a special gourd, and sipping it through a metal straw--passing the mate gourd around in a circle with friends is an important cultural ritual here, especially out in the country.

Unfortunately, reaching the halfway point also means that I have midterms to study for--three of them in a row on Monday! But I've also been learning a lot outside the classroom, and some of the things that you hear people say every day aren't found in your typical Spanish-English dictionary. The slang of Buenos Aires is known as lunfardo, and to get by in this city there are a few important words you need to learn:

1. Che- hey/hey you -- can be a way to get someone's attention, something to call someone when you forget their name, or a meaningless interjection in conversation
2. Boludo- stupid/dummy -- a fool or an idiot, but can also be used in affectionate joking among friends & is often used with che, ¡che boludo!
3. Dale- okay/let's go -- expression of agreement
4. Quilombo- distaster, mess
5. Onda- vibes -- a person, place, or thing can have buena or mala onda (be cool or uncool)
6. Yanqui- American
7. Chorro- a thief or pickpocket
8. Boliche- dance club
9. Chamuyero- smooth talker or bullshitter -- a guy who knows how to talk to women, but can also mean someone who will tell girls anything trying to pick them up. There are lots of these in Buenos Aires.
10. Telo- sex hotel -- has rooms that rent by the hour, if anyone asks you to go to one with them say no!

There are lots more, but these are some of the ones you'll hear repeated most often. Hopefully learning all of this means that some of what I've been studying in class has stuck with me too!

Chocotorta and PB&J picnic

Had another full, fun week in Buenos Aires. On Friday, Maddie, Kat & I spent 5 hours at the national post office picking up our packages from the U.S., which ended up being well worth it--thanks Mom & Dad, you're the best! Then we decided to make advantage of the (finally) beautiful weather and have a picnic in the park, complete with PB&Js using the peanut butter that Kat just got in the mail, delicious!

The next day, the girls & I went shopping on Calle Florida, a long pedestrian street with lots of stores and street vendors selling everything you can imagine. That night, we went to our Columbian teammate's birthday party where we wore funny glasses, ate cake, and danced under a strobe light! Today a group of us got together for a hearty American breakfast & played scrabble while we were waiting for our food. Now I'm nearing the halfway point of my time here, and only have 4 weeks until my mom comes to visit, I'm so excited!

Also, I though I'd share the recipe for one of the most amazing desserts I've had here so far--chocotorta! To my friends & family in the states: we will be making this when I get home.

Receta para chocotorta

Ingredients

• Cream cheese or whipped cream (320g)
• Dulce de leche "repostero" (500g)
• Simple rectangular chocolate cookies, "Chocolinas" (400g)
• Champagne, sweet wine, port, or brandy (about 1/2 cup)
• Coffee (about 1/2 cup)

Preparation

• In a bowl, mix the dulce de leche with the cream cheese or whipped cream
• In a different bowl, combine equal parts coffee and liquor
• On a flat rectangular baking sheet or tray, spread a thin layer of the dulce de leche/cream mix (so that the cookies will stick)
• Moisten the cookies with the coffee/liquor mix and place a layer of them side-by-side on the tray
• Spread a thicker layer of the dulce de leche/cream mix on top of the cookies
• Place another layer of moistened cookies
• Repeat to get approximately 4 layers of each, or until all the cookies & dulce de leche mix are used up
• Place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and enjoy!