"How is Argentina?", I am asked this question at least once a day, but usually more. The answer, Argentina is amazing! I am so happy I was placed in Salta and that I chose Argentina. I love the culture, the food, the music, school, the people, my family, friends, and oh yes, can't forget the parties. :) On Nov. 21st, I will have been living here for three months. It is crazy for me to think that it has only been three months because I feel like I live here. In just three months I have adapted to this new culture and my new environment. I now not only speak the language, but understand things like how the weather changes, or what is the right time to show up some where (If you didn't know, in Latin America when they say to be there at 12, people show up 2 hours later). One of the hardest and biggest challenges here has been school. Not only is hard to understand classes in Spanish, but they are at the end of the year and instead of learning new things, we have been taking tests and reviewing old material. The year ends on Dec. 17th, and we start final exams on Nov. 24th. I am lucky that my teachers understand that I just can't keep up right now, but I have shown them that I am trying and I have learned that is all that matters. I got a 6 (65%) on a Biology test and an 8 (85%) on a Math test, so I am learning something, thankfully. My friends and I are extremely exited for the year to end and summer to begin. It is kind of strange for me since I pretty much just had summer vacation, but I am definitely not complaining :) We have lots of fun plans for the summer and I cant wait!
The past three weeks have been pretty much normal. I go to school, go to swim practice, hang out with the family, and go out with friends on the weekends. Swimming is hard but great! I have never understood why I like the sport, but we have a love hate relationship, which most swimmers share. I started swimming everyday now with an occasional 3 hour practice on Saturday mornings. Woohoo! One of the reasons I cant wait until summer, is because we have a practice at 9am and another one at 5pm everyday. Everyone here thinks Im crazy, which I probably am so I dont really disagree. In the US, a lot of kids do 2 or 3 sports for the different seasons, but here, you do the same sport all year round. Im taking advantage of this opportunity because back at home, I only get 4 months to get in shape and compete, but here, I can really improve my swimming :)
I figured I should just tell you more about the past 3 weeks with pictures :D Which is always more fun!
My second time visiting the horse, I havent ridden it, and sadly I dont think I will be able to :( The horse hasnt been ridden in awhile and it probably isnt safe if a stranger were to be the first to try. So, my host family is taking the safe road, which is probably a good thing :)
This is one of my friends (Manuela). This picture was taken before we went to our friends house in San Lorenzo. Her house is beautiful, has a pool, and is perfect for a party. We met all of our friends there and the girls stayed tell the next day. It was a lot of fun! Its always great when all of us get together :)
While Halloween was canceled in CT because of the unfourtunate early snow storm, I went to my first halloween party and dressed up like a pirate with my friend Dai. :) The party wasnt great, but it was still fun to dress up and do anything halloween related. (My friends couldnt believe that it was snowing in Oct., especially since it never snows in Salta)
AFS Reunion! It was great to see everyone from Salta in the same place. This gathering included the exchange students in Salta as well as the departing students that will be leaving in January. My host sister is one of them. She will be going to New Zealand and she is REALLY exited. It was great to be able to talk about our experiences and share them with the other students going abroad. Some of us have had really great experiences and some have of have had more downfalls then others. But the students learned that no matter what, it ends up as a good experience, because the truth is, any experience you have abroad is a good one. You end up learning about yourself and how to deal with different situations, and to me, thats a pretty good experience to have. That is one of the best parts about foreign exchange. It will change your life forever and it sure has changed mine. :) ALREADY!
This is my host mom trying to cook! My host family is similar to my family in many ways, but the one thing being very different is the cooking. My birth mom is a chief and has written 3 cook books, so its safe to say thats some pretty tough competition. My host mom is a lot like me when it comes to cooking. Most of the time it doesnt really work out, or it just ends up tasting a little.... funky. She was so happy to try cooking this meal so I just had to capture it on camera :) It actually wasnt that bad! :D .... but im still not sure what it was exactly.. haha my guess is chicken stir fry??
It is HOTTT!!! Like really hot! But, today and yesterday its been cold and rainy (Which is not normal). The weather here is very bipolar and your never sure how the day will turn out. Right now, it usually gets really hot during the day and chilly again at night. The key, I found, is to wear layers. (There are these little frogs that come out at night, so you have to be careful not to squish one while walking on the street. Thats one of them in the picture on our window.)
The 11/11/11 party this weekend! Im not going to lie, they know how to have fun here in Argentina :)
So.... Hows Argentina?? Well, its pretty amazing. I learn more about myself everyday and my Spanish has improved A LOT. Im studying up on my Spanish grammar and writing down all the words I dont understand to hopefully speed up the process and I am keeping pretty busy, which explains the lack of blog posts.
Thanksgiving is coming up soon and Im expecting it to be a challenge. My host family knows that its a big family tradition back at home and Im sure they will be fully supportive. AFS has a saying which has definitely come in handy. "You must be aware of the ups and downs, that way at least you wont get whip lash, but you still have to go through it. Its apart of the entire experience."
~Livin' it up and taking advantage of every moment!
(Stay safe CT!)
