Well I started school yesterday. It was great to see all my old classmates and be a part of the excitement of their last year of school. These are my last four months of high school and that is really exciting for me!
My last few weeks of summer were spent traveling. I went to the city of Carlos Paz a lot to hang out with my Canadian and German friends David and Ole. We had a great time exploring the surrounding area and the rivers.
The weekend of the 21st we went to a large Rock Festival called Cosquin Rock. There we got to see the band Deep Purple play (Smoke on the Water). It was a fantastic show but unfortunately I was pickpocketed. I was pushed from behind and while trying to recover my balance someone nabbed my camera and old cell phone. It was a ver sombering experience and I am glad at least it wasnt a violent crime.
Now that school is starting I am starting to get back into a routine. I am now going to tango classes just to try it out while I am here, going back to gym, and looking to start volunteering at an orphanage.
I am looking forward to the North Trip (I hope I can go) in March. That will be an amazing chance to get to know more of the country.
Chau, Evan
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Anecdotes
This is mainly for my benefit just to remember small things later on...
Today when we got back from Alta Gracia Dakota, Coco, Bas, Katrinya, Yasha, and I all hung out in the center. We met up in patio olmos and randomly decided to go to a movie. Coco being coco got us lost at first but I knew where to go and so did Dakota so we made our way to the theatre. We watched a Curios case of benjamin button. Good movie note to self rent for children if have any.
After the movie we realized we had very little time for the planned sushi dinner because people had to catch their buses home to their towns around midnight and it was already 10...So we went to a cyber cafe and called the sushi place to order a pick up meal. We ordered about 10 pieces each or a little more and then wandered off to the sushi restaraunt to pick it up. They stalled like an hour getting us our food so when we got it we rushed to pick up some drinks and run to the terminal. We got there with some time so we sat on a roof at the terminal in Argentina eating sushi off the top of Dakotas suitcase. It was an epic moment. We had fun telling stories and making grandiouse speaches. Then we went running around catching everyone their buses until I was the only one left...cause I actually live in the city. I took a cab home...and on the way home our cab was stopped by cops for a routine ID check. After some discussion the cops excepted my drivers ID and I was on my way. Now Im home with plans for the rest of the week.
Today when we got back from Alta Gracia Dakota, Coco, Bas, Katrinya, Yasha, and I all hung out in the center. We met up in patio olmos and randomly decided to go to a movie. Coco being coco got us lost at first but I knew where to go and so did Dakota so we made our way to the theatre. We watched a Curios case of benjamin button. Good movie note to self rent for children if have any.
After the movie we realized we had very little time for the planned sushi dinner because people had to catch their buses home to their towns around midnight and it was already 10...So we went to a cyber cafe and called the sushi place to order a pick up meal. We ordered about 10 pieces each or a little more and then wandered off to the sushi restaraunt to pick it up. They stalled like an hour getting us our food so when we got it we rushed to pick up some drinks and run to the terminal. We got there with some time so we sat on a roof at the terminal in Argentina eating sushi off the top of Dakotas suitcase. It was an epic moment. We had fun telling stories and making grandiouse speaches. Then we went running around catching everyone their buses until I was the only one left...cause I actually live in the city. I took a cab home...and on the way home our cab was stopped by cops for a routine ID check. After some discussion the cops excepted my drivers ID and I was on my way. Now Im home with plans for the rest of the week.
Jan. 20-Feb. 9
In my last week with my second family, we went on vacation to Carlos Paz, a high intensity tourist city an hour from Cordoba Capital. The father of my host dad has a nice little villa on the outskirts of the town, and we stayed there for a week. The villa is nestled on the top of a hill with a beautiful pool, garden, and patio.
During the week Pablo, Mariano, Jony ( a friend of mine) and I would go to the center of Carlos Paz at night for the general atmosphere. The city is full to the brim with tourists and people, and walking through the streets is like being at a concert with no music. You get confronted by cross dressing show girls, clowns, performers, and all manners of carny folk. Our normal routine was just to eat dinner somewhere, and then walk around for a while until we either decided to go to a club or just went back to the house. The pace of vacationing in Carlos Paz is very slow, and it was good to take a break from the big city for a while.
When I got back in Còrdoba, I had to move families again. Most exchange students are still in the first family, and I am on my third. This is due to a mixture of accidents and poor planning by my Rotary Club, but I don't really mind that much. Anyways, on thursday two weeks ago I moved families. My new family lives only 3 blocks from my first family, in Barrio General Paz, Sarmiento 1874. I was pleased, after living with 6 other people in a fairly small house, to see upon arriving that the house looked decently large from the outside. Upon entering, I met my new host family.
My host fathers name is Alberto. He works for the Secretary of Environment in the province of Còrdoba. A energetic guy who seems pretty nice. His wifes name is Rebecca, and she is a stay at home mom who dominates the house. She takes it very seriously to maintain order at home but is also a very nice and loving person. My new host siblings are Philipe, 14, and a girl Belin, 10. Their brother Jeronimo is in Germany right now on exchange and left a few days before I arrived at ths house. Philipe and Belin seem nice. Belin doesn't really talk much and Philipe is always trying to entangle me in a video game or show me something he has but it is generally a good situation and I feel comfortable.
The house is very large, with two main floors, a large basement with ping pong, work out station, and the car, a pool in the backyard and a roof with a view of the entire city. It is a large change from my last family and frankly I am glad I have the big house with all the comodities.
The family accepted me with open arms and there were't any problems. I said goodbye to my previous host parents and settled in.
Shortly, on the next Tuesday, I went to Alta Gracia for a week at an international festival with a group of 20 other exchange students. The entire week was organized by Rotary. I was staying, along with Bas from Holand and Ole from Germany, at the house of some friends of mine, the previous host parents of Joseph from New Zealand. I had stayed there before, and already knew the parents and the two children. Lucas, 3, considers me his older brother, and Juan a baby of 11 months is really cute and fun to play with. Obviously the atmosphere in the house is never calm but it was fun to have two tiny little brothers for a week. During the week in Alta Gracia we went to the festival every night.
The festival is basically many many tents representing countries from all over the world with traditional food, music, and dance. There is a large stage where bands play and many different art fairs. Unfortunately, not many of the tents actually had natives from that country there, so most of the tents were very similar because they were run by Argentinians who know nothing about the cultures they are representing. For example, the U.S.A tent was selling Choripan, a type of sandwich made of sausage that is only eaten here in Argentina, and spelled Hamburger ``Hamburguer``. Their cheesecake was literally jello on top of whipped cheese, and was disgusting. But for the most part it was a very nice festival. We got to present ourselves on stage, and wander around every night. Most nights we all ended up in the Cuban tent, because it had amazing live music and lots of people.
In the last few days of the week we went to a beautiful river to go swimming. The next day we went to a Rotarians house to hang at the pool, and I got to go horseback riding. I havent done it in a really long time but I was able to get my horse up to a fairly good speed. Because I was in a bathing suit my thighs are still complaining about that but it was fun.
The next day we all went out to a Boliche (club) just to have fun. It was a great time and everyone seemed to enjoy it.
On the finaly day, we were invited to the house of Luis Lima. Luis Lima is an operah singer who is supposedely one of the best in the world, and judging by his house its probably true. He is friends with the Rotary club and invited us over to eat Asado (Argentinian tradational meat barbaque) and hang at his pool. This guys house is extremely large. He owns a large amount of land in the country, has a huge pool with diving board, horses, tennis court, stables, and everything else. Everyone had a great time and I had a particularly amusing time trying to teach Europeans to do flip of the diving board. We played water polo and all got sun burnt.
On the last day, everyone was inviting everyone else to come stay at their cities and have great adventures. I have decided that I want to use my remaining 5 months here to adventure as much as possible and visit as many places as I can. My friends and I are already planning trips and get togethers all over the place. I am now back at home in my new family, but have to go meet a group of exchange students in the center for Suchi Dinner!
Chau
During the week Pablo, Mariano, Jony ( a friend of mine) and I would go to the center of Carlos Paz at night for the general atmosphere. The city is full to the brim with tourists and people, and walking through the streets is like being at a concert with no music. You get confronted by cross dressing show girls, clowns, performers, and all manners of carny folk. Our normal routine was just to eat dinner somewhere, and then walk around for a while until we either decided to go to a club or just went back to the house. The pace of vacationing in Carlos Paz is very slow, and it was good to take a break from the big city for a while.
When I got back in Còrdoba, I had to move families again. Most exchange students are still in the first family, and I am on my third. This is due to a mixture of accidents and poor planning by my Rotary Club, but I don't really mind that much. Anyways, on thursday two weeks ago I moved families. My new family lives only 3 blocks from my first family, in Barrio General Paz, Sarmiento 1874. I was pleased, after living with 6 other people in a fairly small house, to see upon arriving that the house looked decently large from the outside. Upon entering, I met my new host family.
My host fathers name is Alberto. He works for the Secretary of Environment in the province of Còrdoba. A energetic guy who seems pretty nice. His wifes name is Rebecca, and she is a stay at home mom who dominates the house. She takes it very seriously to maintain order at home but is also a very nice and loving person. My new host siblings are Philipe, 14, and a girl Belin, 10. Their brother Jeronimo is in Germany right now on exchange and left a few days before I arrived at ths house. Philipe and Belin seem nice. Belin doesn't really talk much and Philipe is always trying to entangle me in a video game or show me something he has but it is generally a good situation and I feel comfortable.
The house is very large, with two main floors, a large basement with ping pong, work out station, and the car, a pool in the backyard and a roof with a view of the entire city. It is a large change from my last family and frankly I am glad I have the big house with all the comodities.
The family accepted me with open arms and there were't any problems. I said goodbye to my previous host parents and settled in.
Shortly, on the next Tuesday, I went to Alta Gracia for a week at an international festival with a group of 20 other exchange students. The entire week was organized by Rotary. I was staying, along with Bas from Holand and Ole from Germany, at the house of some friends of mine, the previous host parents of Joseph from New Zealand. I had stayed there before, and already knew the parents and the two children. Lucas, 3, considers me his older brother, and Juan a baby of 11 months is really cute and fun to play with. Obviously the atmosphere in the house is never calm but it was fun to have two tiny little brothers for a week. During the week in Alta Gracia we went to the festival every night.
The festival is basically many many tents representing countries from all over the world with traditional food, music, and dance. There is a large stage where bands play and many different art fairs. Unfortunately, not many of the tents actually had natives from that country there, so most of the tents were very similar because they were run by Argentinians who know nothing about the cultures they are representing. For example, the U.S.A tent was selling Choripan, a type of sandwich made of sausage that is only eaten here in Argentina, and spelled Hamburger ``Hamburguer``. Their cheesecake was literally jello on top of whipped cheese, and was disgusting. But for the most part it was a very nice festival. We got to present ourselves on stage, and wander around every night. Most nights we all ended up in the Cuban tent, because it had amazing live music and lots of people.
In the last few days of the week we went to a beautiful river to go swimming. The next day we went to a Rotarians house to hang at the pool, and I got to go horseback riding. I havent done it in a really long time but I was able to get my horse up to a fairly good speed. Because I was in a bathing suit my thighs are still complaining about that but it was fun.
The next day we all went out to a Boliche (club) just to have fun. It was a great time and everyone seemed to enjoy it.
On the finaly day, we were invited to the house of Luis Lima. Luis Lima is an operah singer who is supposedely one of the best in the world, and judging by his house its probably true. He is friends with the Rotary club and invited us over to eat Asado (Argentinian tradational meat barbaque) and hang at his pool. This guys house is extremely large. He owns a large amount of land in the country, has a huge pool with diving board, horses, tennis court, stables, and everything else. Everyone had a great time and I had a particularly amusing time trying to teach Europeans to do flip of the diving board. We played water polo and all got sun burnt.
On the last day, everyone was inviting everyone else to come stay at their cities and have great adventures. I have decided that I want to use my remaining 5 months here to adventure as much as possible and visit as many places as I can. My friends and I are already planning trips and get togethers all over the place. I am now back at home in my new family, but have to go meet a group of exchange students in the center for Suchi Dinner!
Chau
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
The Rest of December
Well I have almost been here 4 months now...crazy to think about. Heres how the rest of december has gone so far.
A while back, I believe it was the 18th of 19th, a few family friends of my Moms passed through Còrdoba. Susan and Tom are members of our Temple and were taking a swing through Argentina. Well the morning they left I went over to their hotel for `breakfast`(which consisted of a cup of coffee) and we had a chat. It felt really really good to be able to see some of the people I know from the States in this context, and we had a lengthy and intensive discussion about the societies of these two countries. I explained to them what I have learned; about the stereotyping, state of maintenance, political and economical crisis's and the great attitude of the people. I told them a few of my funnier stories and they gave me a few trinkets. 1) Thanks to Mom for sending me that stuff. It gave me some gift fuel for the holidays and was nice to see. Susan and Tom also gave me some Cow memorabilia from some sort of milk company they visited. It was cool.
The next thing I knew it was already Christmas time. For Christmas in Argentina, or perhaps the Catholic religion, they do all their celebrating the night of the 24th. So we traveled to a little town on the outskirts of Còrdoba to a nice house of the Uncle and Aunt and had a big 23 person family dinner. We at Asado (which is the staple meat product of Argentina, a very rich cow meat cooked slowly over coals) and generally had a good time. They also had a ping pong table and it felt good to be able to play again. For Christmas there was a lot of gift exchanging. I personally received some nice after shave and a few other trinkets, and when we got back to our own house I gave my own presents to my family. Earrings for Silvina, a Rolling Stones shirt for Mariano, a thumb drive for Pablo, a hat for Marcos, a diary for Julieta, and the promise of omelets at a moments notice for Roberto, the father. The next day, funny enough, was like any other day and one only knew it was Christmas because you added ``Feliz Navedad`` to Hola when greeting someone.
On December 27th I officially finished my college applications. What a mountain of relief that was. I am excited and anxious to find out where my future lies. Thinking about that kind of change is great, but seems a little less...I dont know...like a complete reverse of what I know because now I have this experience abroad. If I can live with 6 other people in a house, 2 others in a tiny room with people constantly shouting and having issues then I can surely survive dorm life.
Now...my 18th birthday is only 5 days away...wow. Its kinda crazy thinking about being an ``adult`` and how fast time goes by. I am a little bummed I wont be able to spend it with my family but I will have a great time and I look forward to it.
The next time I write I probably will be 18...soo this is my last Chau as a minor.
Im finally legal.
Haha.
Just kidding guys :).
Chau
A while back, I believe it was the 18th of 19th, a few family friends of my Moms passed through Còrdoba. Susan and Tom are members of our Temple and were taking a swing through Argentina. Well the morning they left I went over to their hotel for `breakfast`(which consisted of a cup of coffee) and we had a chat. It felt really really good to be able to see some of the people I know from the States in this context, and we had a lengthy and intensive discussion about the societies of these two countries. I explained to them what I have learned; about the stereotyping, state of maintenance, political and economical crisis's and the great attitude of the people. I told them a few of my funnier stories and they gave me a few trinkets. 1) Thanks to Mom for sending me that stuff. It gave me some gift fuel for the holidays and was nice to see. Susan and Tom also gave me some Cow memorabilia from some sort of milk company they visited. It was cool.
The next thing I knew it was already Christmas time. For Christmas in Argentina, or perhaps the Catholic religion, they do all their celebrating the night of the 24th. So we traveled to a little town on the outskirts of Còrdoba to a nice house of the Uncle and Aunt and had a big 23 person family dinner. We at Asado (which is the staple meat product of Argentina, a very rich cow meat cooked slowly over coals) and generally had a good time. They also had a ping pong table and it felt good to be able to play again. For Christmas there was a lot of gift exchanging. I personally received some nice after shave and a few other trinkets, and when we got back to our own house I gave my own presents to my family. Earrings for Silvina, a Rolling Stones shirt for Mariano, a thumb drive for Pablo, a hat for Marcos, a diary for Julieta, and the promise of omelets at a moments notice for Roberto, the father. The next day, funny enough, was like any other day and one only knew it was Christmas because you added ``Feliz Navedad`` to Hola when greeting someone.
On December 27th I officially finished my college applications. What a mountain of relief that was. I am excited and anxious to find out where my future lies. Thinking about that kind of change is great, but seems a little less...I dont know...like a complete reverse of what I know because now I have this experience abroad. If I can live with 6 other people in a house, 2 others in a tiny room with people constantly shouting and having issues then I can surely survive dorm life.
Now...my 18th birthday is only 5 days away...wow. Its kinda crazy thinking about being an ``adult`` and how fast time goes by. I am a little bummed I wont be able to spend it with my family but I will have a great time and I look forward to it.
The next time I write I probably will be 18...soo this is my last Chau as a minor.
Im finally legal.
Haha.
Just kidding guys :).
Chau
Sunday, December 14, 2008
December so far
This month has been pretty awesome so far.
We got out of school Dec. 5th, so now I have even less of a permanent schedule than I did before. My days normally are filled with tennis, college work, and friends. That suits me fine.
Some specific adventures I have had so far are...
A week ago Pablo and I went out together both Friday and Saturday nigh. Friday night was fun, but uneventful. We went to a club called La Osa (The Bear), and had an ok time dancing and playing some pool. But the next day was more interesting.
We went out at around 2 am. to the center. We were supposed to meet up with a group of Pablo's friends for a birthday party. Well...the friends took a really long time in coming to the center, and we ended up waiting like 2 hours in the middle of the city. Kinda dangerous.
At one point, a fairly ragged looking guy came up to us. He offered us a few small pieces of paper with drawings on them. This is one way that poor people ask for coins here in the city. When we told him we didn't have anything, he seemed to get angry. He proceeded to very obviously put his bare finger under his shirt and tell us he had a gun. He asked us to give him more. That just pissed me off. I told him I didn't have anything to give him. He proceeded to feel my pockets and when he felt my cell phone, he asked me to take it out, claiming he just wanted to see the time. I am not an idiot. I refused to take my cell phone out of my pocket. That seemed to make him angry, and he grabbed me. Not in a very threatening way, but in a way that said, ''You are not leaving yet.'' Well I was already angry, and now I was just intolerant. I shoved the bloke and tried to walk away. He grabbed my by the neck, and I turned around sharply. I am not stupid enough to start a fight. But is stood there looking at this guy and was angry enough that in the moment I wouldn't really have minded if he tried to attack me, because I was more than willing to defend myself. But he didn't do anything, so I shoved him again and walked away. He shouted and yelled after us, but since we were in the middle of the city with people walking by all around us he couldn't really do anything. Later that night we passed by the same spot and I checked to see if he was around. He wasn't. Better for both of us.
That was the first time in my life someone had tried to rob me like that in the street. How pathetic people can be...
This weekend (today is Sunday) was fun. Last night, Mariano, Pablo, and I took a bus to Carlos Paz, a city about 45 minutes away that has some really amazing clubs. We went to a club called Molino Rojo (which means Red Windmill...). I met up with some exchange student friends of mine, a boy from Germany, Moritz, and a girl from Denmark, Nannah. We all hung out in a group in the club and generally had a great time. It was a really fun night. We met lots of cool people and the music was really good.
Now I have to work on college apps. Chau
We got out of school Dec. 5th, so now I have even less of a permanent schedule than I did before. My days normally are filled with tennis, college work, and friends. That suits me fine.
Some specific adventures I have had so far are...
A week ago Pablo and I went out together both Friday and Saturday nigh. Friday night was fun, but uneventful. We went to a club called La Osa (The Bear), and had an ok time dancing and playing some pool. But the next day was more interesting.
We went out at around 2 am. to the center. We were supposed to meet up with a group of Pablo's friends for a birthday party. Well...the friends took a really long time in coming to the center, and we ended up waiting like 2 hours in the middle of the city. Kinda dangerous.
At one point, a fairly ragged looking guy came up to us. He offered us a few small pieces of paper with drawings on them. This is one way that poor people ask for coins here in the city. When we told him we didn't have anything, he seemed to get angry. He proceeded to very obviously put his bare finger under his shirt and tell us he had a gun. He asked us to give him more. That just pissed me off. I told him I didn't have anything to give him. He proceeded to feel my pockets and when he felt my cell phone, he asked me to take it out, claiming he just wanted to see the time. I am not an idiot. I refused to take my cell phone out of my pocket. That seemed to make him angry, and he grabbed me. Not in a very threatening way, but in a way that said, ''You are not leaving yet.'' Well I was already angry, and now I was just intolerant. I shoved the bloke and tried to walk away. He grabbed my by the neck, and I turned around sharply. I am not stupid enough to start a fight. But is stood there looking at this guy and was angry enough that in the moment I wouldn't really have minded if he tried to attack me, because I was more than willing to defend myself. But he didn't do anything, so I shoved him again and walked away. He shouted and yelled after us, but since we were in the middle of the city with people walking by all around us he couldn't really do anything. Later that night we passed by the same spot and I checked to see if he was around. He wasn't. Better for both of us.
That was the first time in my life someone had tried to rob me like that in the street. How pathetic people can be...
This weekend (today is Sunday) was fun. Last night, Mariano, Pablo, and I took a bus to Carlos Paz, a city about 45 minutes away that has some really amazing clubs. We went to a club called Molino Rojo (which means Red Windmill...). I met up with some exchange student friends of mine, a boy from Germany, Moritz, and a girl from Denmark, Nannah. We all hung out in a group in the club and generally had a great time. It was a really fun night. We met lots of cool people and the music was really good.
Now I have to work on college apps. Chau
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
A brief history of my life this month
This month has been pretty full of stuff for me.
First of all, I have moved families. A little over a week ago, on a Friday, I was told by Rotary that I was moving families...the next day. They did not tell me, however, where I was going or who I was going to be living with. The next day I got in the car of my Rotary counselor still not knowing where I was going. He explained on the way that I was going to a family who lived on the other side of the city. When we got there, I noticed the proximity of the house to a very nice sports club with tennis courts. Also, the house is literally in between a hair cutting place, bakery, and video rental store. As I walked in a greeted my host dad and one of my host brothers for the first time, there was that inevitable few moments of slightly uncomfortable conversation as I met for the first time the people who I would spend the next four months with in their house. My counselor left, and there I was in the kitchen with all my bags. They showed me around...kitchen, living room, my room (which I share with my 20 year old host brother Pablo and 15 year old host brother Mariano), parents room, bathroom, and the bedroom of nine year old Julieta and 13 year old Marcos. That makes seven of us in this house. A little crowded, but I like it here.
After a few days I started to get a better feel for the family. The parents are both very nice, and the kids are all cool. The family is very fun and engaging and they really enjoy having me here, so I am happy. Also, I was able to start tennis classes at the local club. Tennis being my favorite activity, I am now really happy with my schedule because I am doing a sport that I love.
Everyday for school I wake up at 6 to take a bus with Mariano. He goes to school very near my school, so we bus together and hang out a bit before school starts. Then when I get out of school, I walk 7 blocks along a very cool canal to my bus stop, and take a bus home. At home, I usually sleep a little siesta, and then eat something. Then its off to tennis most days. After tennis I work on college stuff or hang out with my family.
Yesterday was a day to remember, unfortunately. I got home from tennis, and went to a cyber cafe to check my email and work (they have a computer here but the atmoshpere at the house is too hyper to do work in). I saw an email from my father that was sent 16 hours ago. My Uncle was in the hospital and wasn't going to make it this time. My uncle broke his neck at 17 and has lived with many medical problems for many years. This time, he couldn't recover and choose to pass in peace. I ran out of the cyber cafe after buying some phone cards and started calling my family to try and talk to my Uncle before he passed away. Because of the time difference and the fact I didn't get a chance to check my email until later in the day, I found out that he had already passed away. They told me it was very peaceful and he had all his family with him, but I am very sad I couldn't have at least talked to him one last time over the phone. My Dad gave him my love and told him all about my adventures here in Argentina. I know he liked that because he too was an exchange student in South Africa, and I grew up hearing stories from my dad (exchange to Thailand) and my Uncle. Dealing with this situation is hard, but having a fun schedule and lots of people I like here in Argentina helps. I will continue having a good time and making the most of my experience here, because I know that is what my Uncle always wanted for me.
First of all, I have moved families. A little over a week ago, on a Friday, I was told by Rotary that I was moving families...the next day. They did not tell me, however, where I was going or who I was going to be living with. The next day I got in the car of my Rotary counselor still not knowing where I was going. He explained on the way that I was going to a family who lived on the other side of the city. When we got there, I noticed the proximity of the house to a very nice sports club with tennis courts. Also, the house is literally in between a hair cutting place, bakery, and video rental store. As I walked in a greeted my host dad and one of my host brothers for the first time, there was that inevitable few moments of slightly uncomfortable conversation as I met for the first time the people who I would spend the next four months with in their house. My counselor left, and there I was in the kitchen with all my bags. They showed me around...kitchen, living room, my room (which I share with my 20 year old host brother Pablo and 15 year old host brother Mariano), parents room, bathroom, and the bedroom of nine year old Julieta and 13 year old Marcos. That makes seven of us in this house. A little crowded, but I like it here.
After a few days I started to get a better feel for the family. The parents are both very nice, and the kids are all cool. The family is very fun and engaging and they really enjoy having me here, so I am happy. Also, I was able to start tennis classes at the local club. Tennis being my favorite activity, I am now really happy with my schedule because I am doing a sport that I love.
Everyday for school I wake up at 6 to take a bus with Mariano. He goes to school very near my school, so we bus together and hang out a bit before school starts. Then when I get out of school, I walk 7 blocks along a very cool canal to my bus stop, and take a bus home. At home, I usually sleep a little siesta, and then eat something. Then its off to tennis most days. After tennis I work on college stuff or hang out with my family.
Yesterday was a day to remember, unfortunately. I got home from tennis, and went to a cyber cafe to check my email and work (they have a computer here but the atmoshpere at the house is too hyper to do work in). I saw an email from my father that was sent 16 hours ago. My Uncle was in the hospital and wasn't going to make it this time. My uncle broke his neck at 17 and has lived with many medical problems for many years. This time, he couldn't recover and choose to pass in peace. I ran out of the cyber cafe after buying some phone cards and started calling my family to try and talk to my Uncle before he passed away. Because of the time difference and the fact I didn't get a chance to check my email until later in the day, I found out that he had already passed away. They told me it was very peaceful and he had all his family with him, but I am very sad I couldn't have at least talked to him one last time over the phone. My Dad gave him my love and told him all about my adventures here in Argentina. I know he liked that because he too was an exchange student in South Africa, and I grew up hearing stories from my dad (exchange to Thailand) and my Uncle. Dealing with this situation is hard, but having a fun schedule and lots of people I like here in Argentina helps. I will continue having a good time and making the most of my experience here, because I know that is what my Uncle always wanted for me.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
South Trip
I just got back to Còrdoba from the Rotary South trip, and it was amazing. I will try to comment on a few of the more memorable experiences.
First of all, we travelled in a pretty nice double decker bus for the entire trip, logging more than 5,000 kilometers (about the same as going from the west coast to the east coast of the States, roughly). There were 49 exchange students, 2 coordinadors, 2 drivers, a Rotary counselor, and the counselor´`s wife and daughter. I thought it was BS that the counselor got to bring his wife and daughter FOR FREE on the trip and do everything we got to do while 2 more rotary students had to stay home because the trip was too expensive. But thats how it goes.
After a couple days of traveling by bus and staying one night in cabins in route, we arrived in Puerto Madryn, a nice ocean front town. We had the day off, so Joseph from New Zealand, Hans from Germany and I all walked around the city and found a pool hall to have some fun. We all played each other, and we all won exactly once. Joseph beat me, then Hans beat Joseph, then I beat Hans. That was a lot of fun.
During our time there, we took a day trip to a national park on the coast where we got to see Sea Lions, Sea Elephants, and lots of penguins. We went to a special penguin park where we walked on a walkway directly through a penguin colony with penguins all around us. It was very cool because I had never been that close to penguins in the wild before. Also, the sea elephants where massive and we had fun watching them fight each other in the water.
The next day we took a 4 hour bus ride to Puerto Piramedes to watch whales. We went on a nice sized boat out into the ocean and came very close to a pod of small blue whales, sometimes as close as 10 to 15 feet from the boat. Once, I saw the dark shape of a whale pass directly beneath our boat before surfacing on the other side. I had a lot of fun watching the whales and took some cool photos that will be on facebook soon.
After Puerto Madryn, we traveled a day and a half by bus to Calafate, a town on the shore of Argentina´s biggest lake, Lake Argentina. There we all stayed in cute cabins, and out of luck I got put into a nice little shack with another guy, Robert from Germany, so I didn`t have to share with many people. The day we arrived we had free, so Robert, Hans, Mo (also Germany) and I decided to take a run, which turned into the longest run and the most beautiful run I have ever taken. We ran from our cabins around a bend in the lake and up a small hill. At the top, we had a view of the entire town along with the snow capped mountains and the beautiful lake all together. It was very very pretty. In all we ran about 5 miles up and down hills in the freezing cold (at time snowing lightly) but it was a good work out and a lot of fun.
The next day we took our bus to the National Glacier Park, home of the worlds largest growing glacier, Perito Moreno. This glacier we got to take an exclusive hike on, which was amazing. We took a boat ride right along the glacier to a forest encampment, where tour guides helped us put on crampons that help your feet grip the ice. Then we began to hike up on the glacier itself. I have amazing photos of the surface of the glacier and the vistas that we saw. The glacier itself was more than 110 feet tall out of the water and had a completely alien landscape, with deep blue pools and jagged ice teeth everywhere. It was one of the most beautiful and unforgettable experiences I have ever had. After hiking the glacier for an hour and a half, we returned to the lodge to eat, and after that went back to Calafate. There, I bought a nice beanie hat that says Patagonia on it.
After another day and a half of traveling, we arrived in Ushuaia, the southermost city of Argentina. We stayed in a small hotel close to the center, and when we arrived had a day off. I bought a nice necklace with a small metal figure of a dragon head in the artist fair, and later that night we ate at an All You can Eat seafood buffet. Bad idea for me, because I love seafood. That night I got terribly sick, and vomited a lot. It passed the next day, but a large blood spot appeared in my right eye, and while it is going away, it is still there today. I feel fine though. In Ushuaia we had a chance to go to another national park and see a group of amazing lakes and forests. This national park reminded me a lot of Oregon, with pristine lakes and large forests all around me. The normal scenery of that trip was flat grassland and shrubbery, nothing more.
After Ushuaia, we went to Bariloche, a famous town in Argentina for its clubs and its chocolate. It is tradition here that when you graduate high school, your entire class goes to Bariloche to party. In light of this, the tour guides allowed us to go out to a club one night in Bariloche and it was very fun. We met many graduating classes, all of whom were dressed up in costumes of some sort. They had sky dancers performing and live music along with a great space. Earlier that day we had a chance to visit a chocolate factory. I bought some amazingly good chocolate, and I´m sorry I couldn´t save any for my mom and grandmas. It was quite exquisite.
After Bariloche we started making our way back to Còrdoba. We spent many long hours on the bus watching movies and attempting to sleep. On our way back, we stopped for dinner in a town called Cipolletti, where an exchange student from my district in Oregon is staying. Alyssa (my friend from Oregon) was able to meet us for dinner and it was nice seeing her and talking about our experiences.
The next day around 2 in the afternoon we arrived back in the city and I took a taxi to my house and promptly fell asleep because I was so exhausted. In all, the trip was absolutely amazing and the experiences I had in the national parks and the coast of Patagonia are unforgettable and I am so glad I had this opportunity on my exchange.
First of all, we travelled in a pretty nice double decker bus for the entire trip, logging more than 5,000 kilometers (about the same as going from the west coast to the east coast of the States, roughly). There were 49 exchange students, 2 coordinadors, 2 drivers, a Rotary counselor, and the counselor´`s wife and daughter. I thought it was BS that the counselor got to bring his wife and daughter FOR FREE on the trip and do everything we got to do while 2 more rotary students had to stay home because the trip was too expensive. But thats how it goes.
After a couple days of traveling by bus and staying one night in cabins in route, we arrived in Puerto Madryn, a nice ocean front town. We had the day off, so Joseph from New Zealand, Hans from Germany and I all walked around the city and found a pool hall to have some fun. We all played each other, and we all won exactly once. Joseph beat me, then Hans beat Joseph, then I beat Hans. That was a lot of fun.
During our time there, we took a day trip to a national park on the coast where we got to see Sea Lions, Sea Elephants, and lots of penguins. We went to a special penguin park where we walked on a walkway directly through a penguin colony with penguins all around us. It was very cool because I had never been that close to penguins in the wild before. Also, the sea elephants where massive and we had fun watching them fight each other in the water.
The next day we took a 4 hour bus ride to Puerto Piramedes to watch whales. We went on a nice sized boat out into the ocean and came very close to a pod of small blue whales, sometimes as close as 10 to 15 feet from the boat. Once, I saw the dark shape of a whale pass directly beneath our boat before surfacing on the other side. I had a lot of fun watching the whales and took some cool photos that will be on facebook soon.
After Puerto Madryn, we traveled a day and a half by bus to Calafate, a town on the shore of Argentina´s biggest lake, Lake Argentina. There we all stayed in cute cabins, and out of luck I got put into a nice little shack with another guy, Robert from Germany, so I didn`t have to share with many people. The day we arrived we had free, so Robert, Hans, Mo (also Germany) and I decided to take a run, which turned into the longest run and the most beautiful run I have ever taken. We ran from our cabins around a bend in the lake and up a small hill. At the top, we had a view of the entire town along with the snow capped mountains and the beautiful lake all together. It was very very pretty. In all we ran about 5 miles up and down hills in the freezing cold (at time snowing lightly) but it was a good work out and a lot of fun.
The next day we took our bus to the National Glacier Park, home of the worlds largest growing glacier, Perito Moreno. This glacier we got to take an exclusive hike on, which was amazing. We took a boat ride right along the glacier to a forest encampment, where tour guides helped us put on crampons that help your feet grip the ice. Then we began to hike up on the glacier itself. I have amazing photos of the surface of the glacier and the vistas that we saw. The glacier itself was more than 110 feet tall out of the water and had a completely alien landscape, with deep blue pools and jagged ice teeth everywhere. It was one of the most beautiful and unforgettable experiences I have ever had. After hiking the glacier for an hour and a half, we returned to the lodge to eat, and after that went back to Calafate. There, I bought a nice beanie hat that says Patagonia on it.
After another day and a half of traveling, we arrived in Ushuaia, the southermost city of Argentina. We stayed in a small hotel close to the center, and when we arrived had a day off. I bought a nice necklace with a small metal figure of a dragon head in the artist fair, and later that night we ate at an All You can Eat seafood buffet. Bad idea for me, because I love seafood. That night I got terribly sick, and vomited a lot. It passed the next day, but a large blood spot appeared in my right eye, and while it is going away, it is still there today. I feel fine though. In Ushuaia we had a chance to go to another national park and see a group of amazing lakes and forests. This national park reminded me a lot of Oregon, with pristine lakes and large forests all around me. The normal scenery of that trip was flat grassland and shrubbery, nothing more.
After Ushuaia, we went to Bariloche, a famous town in Argentina for its clubs and its chocolate. It is tradition here that when you graduate high school, your entire class goes to Bariloche to party. In light of this, the tour guides allowed us to go out to a club one night in Bariloche and it was very fun. We met many graduating classes, all of whom were dressed up in costumes of some sort. They had sky dancers performing and live music along with a great space. Earlier that day we had a chance to visit a chocolate factory. I bought some amazingly good chocolate, and I´m sorry I couldn´t save any for my mom and grandmas. It was quite exquisite.
After Bariloche we started making our way back to Còrdoba. We spent many long hours on the bus watching movies and attempting to sleep. On our way back, we stopped for dinner in a town called Cipolletti, where an exchange student from my district in Oregon is staying. Alyssa (my friend from Oregon) was able to meet us for dinner and it was nice seeing her and talking about our experiences.
The next day around 2 in the afternoon we arrived back in the city and I took a taxi to my house and promptly fell asleep because I was so exhausted. In all, the trip was absolutely amazing and the experiences I had in the national parks and the coast of Patagonia are unforgettable and I am so glad I had this opportunity on my exchange.
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