A few Saturdays ago, another important day (though not a national holiday), we had had a field trip for the Argentine History class with a group of Argentine history PhD students. Because we always speak in Spanish and try to befriend Argentines, like good study abroad students, the encounter was nothing new.

We went to Casa Rosada, the Pink House, or the Argentine equivalent of the White House. We also visited Museo Bicentenario and had pizza at a famous place, Las Cuartetas.

At the lunch, Lucia Gimenez, a 22 year-old high school history teacher came and chatted to the people at the other end of the incredibly long table our group was occupying. (We had already been speaking in Spanish to one another, so talking to her was easy.) She was bubbly and chatty and easy to befriend. After really becoming friends (becoming Facebook friends), we chatted online some, exchanged phone numbers, and decided to meet again. The location was Plaza de Mayo on Thursday afternoon. When my friends, Kelly, Colbi, Jessica, and Andrew, and I arrived, our jaws opened wide. Right outside the subte (subway) stop, there was a line of police officers barricading a road with a demonstration happening on the other side. There was green smoke from the group of marching protestors, the CGT (The General Confederation of Labor) as well as fireworks and the firing of blanks to make loud noises and cause commotion. Before Lucia mentioned to us that the demonstration was completely safe and that nobody would get killed (yes, I did ask), it was difficult to stay calm. This protest last week was combined with the weekly circling of the Plaza de Mayo by the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo, who are protesting for the recognition of and more action by the government for their disappeared loved ones from the dictatorship or the “Dirty War” from 1976-83. In the midst of all the commotion and chaos, Lucia sneaks in at once truth and irony in her comment to us: “Bienvenidos al Buenos Aires verdadero Welcome to the real Buenos Aires”

This “real” Buenos Aires seems to be getting ever so real, with the current escalated protests by the CGT. In fact, our program received a detailed email from the U.S. Embassy warning to be cautious yesterday of the demonstration by the CGT and other possible labor groups. Demonstrations seem to be highly common in Argentina, and though they are usually non-violent (says the U.S. Embassy), they are all the while scary to the common foreigner. While I was in no need to go visit the warned protest yesterday, I am glad I got to see the lower-key one last week. Caution and safety are key to anything, but so are experiences. I’m glad I got to see in person and experience a part of the real Buenos Aires.

Green gas, blanks, and fireworks from the CGT protests.

Andrew, Kelly, Colbi, Jessica, and I pose with two of the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo.

Me, Jessica, Colbi, Kelly, and Lucia

Madres de la Plaza de Mayo and their weekly protest

Police on one side of the CGT protest

Pizza lunch with Argentine History classes and Argentine History PhD students at the famous La Cuarteta

Alfredo Bettanin, “San Martín, Rosas, Perón”

Painting of Juan and Eva Perón with a casing of the dress Evita wore posing for the painting.

Army marching band preparing for commemoration of the bombing of the Plaza de Mayo on June 16, 1955.

Overhead shot of Museo Bicentenario.

Group photo of everyone from the excursion.

Christina’s office – Argentine equivalent of the U.S. Oval Office.

Me in a pretty room in Casa Rosada.

Ceiling details of the same pretty room.

Stain glass detail in Casa Rosada.

Museo del Bicentenario

Casa Rosada staircase.

Me in the Casa Rosada balcony.

Fellow students, professors, and PhD students enjoying the guide of Casa Rosada in front of a painting about Gauchos.

My friend Justin and I posing with one of the Casa Rosada guards.

Casa Rosada – Argentina’s Pink House is their equivalent of America’s White House (though the president doesn’t live there)

Hi, I’m Mike and I’m going to be a junior at Saint Michael’s College in Vermont. I’m a biology major and business minor and in one week I will be leaving for New Zealand.

It’s crazy to think that the day is almost here. I have been preparing for this moment ever since last October when I had a meeting with the study abroad advisor at my school. I walked into her office not knowing much. In fact, the meeting was a little overwhelming. The first question she asked was, where do you want to go? I kind of thought that was what we were going to figure out at the meeting but I guess I was a little behind. I knew that I did not want to go to Europe. I figure that would involve lots of museums and old building which I don’t have any appreciation for. I would much rather be in the middle of nowhere with an awesome view. Luckily I had been thinking of this question a little bit before the meeting and was able to come up with two places: Africa or New Zealand. I think Africa would be an incredible experience seeing as I love the savannah. We were quickly able to decide that if I were to go to Africa, I would do a program in Tanzania that focuses on Ecology since that is what I’m interested in. The program seemed a little strict for my liking though and didn’t seem to offer students the opportunity to explore the country on their own which is something that I want to be able to do.

This led me to focus on New Zealand and after much thought and some advice from friends who have been there I decided to study with IFSA-Butler at Massey University. The orientation and excursion activities look amazing and I can’t wait to experience them. The school is only a 20 minute drive away from Auckland which is the biggest city in New Zealand but it’s even closer to beaches, great hiking and hot springs. The biggest ski area in the country is also only a few hours away. Then during our breaks I plan on going down to the South Island to get in some more hiking and an adrenaline rush from Queenstown. This promises to be a crazy semester and I promise to keep you up to date on everything that is going on!

As of now not much exciting is happening. I’m working at a grocery store so I can save up for my trip and am starting to say my goodbyes to friends and family. I’m currently working on starting the packing process just to make sure everything will fit and that I don’t go over the 5olb limit. Each day I watch a video or read something about New Zealand in order to learn about the country and start figuring out all the things I want to do while I’m there. I’ve found that it is best not to do this right before bed seeing as last week I was reading a blog from last year and got so excited that I couldn’t sleep for hours. I’m really hoping that I will be able to sleep next Tuesday night so that I’m not tired for the trip but knowing me I will once again be too excited. I hope everyone is having a great summer and I can’t wait to share all of my experiences with you!

P.S. This map below isn’t exciting now but I will be using it to track where I go throughout the semester so it’s sure to get a lot more interesting!

Hello from Sweden!  I’ve just finished my first day of WWOOFing north of Stockholm, and I’m writing this in a greenhouse thing in which you feel like you’re outside when you’re not.  It’s all pretty good so far.  But more about that in the next post.  This one is about France!

It feels kind of odd that it took me so long to get to France, since for most of my life I’d been planning obsessively for my junior year abroad there.  But I finally made it, and it was extra good because I had Camille to show me the country properly.  I arrived in Paris relatively early on the first day so we had quite a bit of time, and I saw the area called Montmartre.  I liked it a LOT, as my mom had predicted, because there were lots of windy streets.  The Sacré-Cœur is also there, a church which was built to remind the defeated revolutionaries of the second French Revolution that religion would always have an important place in France.  Nearby we stumbled across a fantastic vintage store, where I bought a skirt for five euros and a dress for ten.  We also went to the red light district, and I saw the Moulin Rouge of course.  Then we had a very late dinner, which was well worth the wait.  It was actually one of the best meals I’ve ever had.  It was in a tiny restaurant with a hot waiter, and I got a tartiflette (a cheese/meat thing) and a Crème brûlée.  Both were INCREDIBLE.

Over the next few days Camille and I took walks around a lot of the famous sights of Paris.  We went past the National Assembly, the square in front of it where a bunch of famous people got their heads chopped off, some famous fountain, the Louvre, a bunch of university buildings, the catacombs, the Champs-Élysées,Camille’s favorite Parisian graveyards (she’s weird), a beautiful park, and more.  We also visited Notre Dame, which I really liked.  I think it might be my favorite cathedral that I’ve seen in Europe, actually.  We went to the top of it and saw some great views of the city.  We went to the Jewish quarter and ate some falafels on the second night, and then Camille showed me the bizarre and modern library that she spends her life in while she studies in Paris.  We also tried Berthillon, the famous ice cream place, and it REALLY lived up to its reputation.  I think I might have liked it better than the one gelato place in Italy, actually (!).  Another night we went to Shakespeare and Co., the English bookstore, which was THE COSIEST PLACE ON EARTH.  I could have curled up with a book and fallen asleep there.  Oh, and of course I saw the Eiffel Tower!  Maybe because it’s SO famous I didn’t think about it that much before going there, because I knew I would see it at some point, but it was AWESOME.  You can really see how enormous it is because there’s so much space in front of it, unlike the Empire State Building which, of course, is next to a bunch of other skyscrapers.  We spent our last day in Paris at Versailles.  I was amazing, and would have been more amazing without the crowds of tourists, I’m sure.  Unfortunately we didn’t have time to see Marie Antoinette’s nearby castle or much of Versailles’ gardens, which was too bad since Camille said those are the best parts.

After nearly missing our train, we finally made it to Alençon, Camille’s hometown.  It was pretty late when we got there, so we basically just ate and slept.  Camille’s house is SO COOL.  It was built around 1795, and it’s quite big.  There are a lot of mysterious things in it, like the staircase Camille found only a few years ago and the sculpture of a head her family found hidden in a closet.  Camille even has a BOOKSHELF WITH A LADDER in her room.  My dream.  Her town is nice too, as I found out the next day.  It’s kind of exactly what I wanted for a host town when I was thinking about going to France for my junior year of high school – an old, small city.  That night was la Fête de la Musique, a holiday in which everyone is encouraged to go outside and make music for others to enjoy.  Most of the music was bad, but there was some interesting (and comical) traditional dancing and just generally great people watching.

The next day we took a trip with Camille’s parents to Mont Saint Michel, a steep island with a famous church at the top.  It’s an amazing place, with a touristy little town winding up toward the church.  The day after that Camille’s parents took us on yet another trip, this time to the Loire valley to see some castles.  The first one was Amboise, which had a nice perch above a pretty town but was relatively uninteresting inside.  Chenonceau, the second one, was much better.  It’s built IN a river, so the sun reflects off the water and makes beautiful patterns on the walls in some of the rooms inside.  What a good idea for a castle location – I can’t believe no one else thought of it!  The inside was really beautiful in general, and we got to see the kitchen at the bottom, which was the best area for servants I’ve ever seen in any of these sorts of places.

My last day with Camille was spent in Alençon.  We woke up late and then went to a restaurant where Camille’s parents had made a reservation.  It was the weirdest restaurant ever.  It was in the middle of a bunch of random fields, and surrounded by extremely old statues, doors, and other household decorations.  Camille says that sort of thing is normal in France, though, and my duck and chocolate cake were delicious so I’m not complaining.  After the meal Camille’s parents dropped us off at Alençon’s annual cultural festival, where people from different backgrounds come and sell things from their country.  We watched some extremely impressive breakdancing, Balinese dancing, and salsa.  It was a very cold, wet day, so after Camille’s dad picked us up I kind of drank some tea and passed out in the house.  After dinner that night, Camille’s parents brought us to a huge bonfire, which is also an annual thing and is supposed to celebrate summer.  The weather put a damper on things (literally…ha), but it was a great last night.

I left Camille to return to Paris the next day, and I stayed in another hostel so that I could catch my flight to Sweden in the (EARLY) morning.  When I made it to my hostel I locked my stuff up and had a nice, relaxed metro ride to Ladurée, Paris’s famous macaroon shop.  I bought a bunch of flavours and then ate them with a slice of quiche on a bench.  It was a great evening – Ladurée is the BEST THING EVER.  It’s like…more than food.  That’s all I can say.  Just go to Paris and eat some.

After a 5am wakeup the next day and TONS of travelling, here I am in Sweden.  France was great, and it made me think a lot about how badly I wanted to spend a year there during both my junior year of high school and college.  I would be so different right now if I had!

“Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away!”-Dr. Seuss

Packing…oh my god I need to pack. I swear I don’t have any clothes…KOALAS! OH MY GOD!!! I GET TO MEET A KOALA!!! Oh crap…14 hour plane ride. IlovethebeachIlovethebeachIlovethebeach. 4 and a half months…that’s a realllyyyy long time to be away from home…and my friends…and my family…I GET TO BE IN AUSTRALIA TIL’ NOVEMBER!!!! Kangaroo burgers… Spiders….HUGE spiders…I won’t survive….

Exhilarating excitement. Consuming anticipation. Constant nervousness. Overwhelming anxiety. And my mind continues to race.

 Hi! My name is Alysha. I’m a junior at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania and I am studying biology. I’m a lover of science, the great outdoors, abstract art, traveling, mountain hiking, beach bumming, learning, discovering, great conversations and of course spending time with my family and friends. As I’m preparing for my semester abroad at James Cook University in Cairns, Australia, I couldn’t help but parallel a number of my pre-departure feelings to the very popular and beloved “Oh the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Suess. The man was truly genius.

“You’re on your own.  And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.” –Dr. Seuss

It didn’t seem real. Having the opportunity to go abroad through Susquehanna University’s GO Program…filling out the applications last fall….getting accepted into the program…and finding I had approximately 60 days of summer at home before leaving for Australia at the conclusion of my spring semester sophomore year. In a little less than 2 weeks, I will find myself for the very first time in my life boarding a plane in Harrisburg, PA and heading off on an adventure….alone. No parents to guide me through the airports. No friends to joke with for the duration of trip. All of a sudden the trip of my dreams is starting to become the source of all my anxieties. Yes, I am, in fact, slightly terrified. I am on my own. This is the adult world at it’s very best.

“I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true and Hang-ups can happen to you.”-Dr. Seuss

I didn’t know exactly how I’d feel right before leaving. I talked to a bunch of friends a few months ago who had been abroad, and they all had different experiences. Some felt homesick right when they arrived, others it took a couple months. And yet, they all agreed that at times you would in fact be completely miserable adjusting to your new environment. Yet, in the end, they said the entire abroad experience was entirely life-changing and they’d go back in a heart-beat.

I think one of my friends said it best. He told me that studying abroad would be some of the best times of my life and also some of the worst times of my life. However, in the end, you would find out who you really are. In my mind, that’s truly invaluable. So, with this being said, I hold on to this idea as these weeks progress and I start having feelings of dread of being away from home and sadness in saying goodbye to my friends and family. I know, however, that being away from all the influences and normality will allow me to grow as an individual and find out more about my passions in life.

“All Alone! Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.” –Dr. Suess

I was so excited. For everything. Leaving. Being on my own. Being in AUSTRALIA. Finding out who I am. And then I remembered…. I’m leaving the only place I’ve ever really known. I won’t have the conveniences I’m used to having. And, most of all, the distance is cutting me off from the friends and family I know and love-well, except for the phone calls, Skype and emails (but we all really know it isn’t the same as being with the people you love). And this is where I start to panic. I have already begun to say my goodbyes to some of my closest friends and family. And as much as everyone tells me I will be able to make friends and not have any issues, I can’t help but think that at times I will feel completely alone in what I am going through.

“Do you dare to stay out?  Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?” –Dr. Seuss 

And yet, I know I have to do this. I’ve always wanted to do this. I have so much to look forward to and see and do. I mean, how many people get to say they were able to go abroad for a full semester and actually live in a new country for over four months? I know that I will have the time of my life. It’s truly just a matter of having confidence in myself to be on my own and to recognize that I am only temporarily leaving the life I’ve ever known to create new memories for myself. I truly feel like I can only gain positive things in my life from embarking on this trip. Australia, here I come!

“Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way!” –Dr. Seuss

As a student of the US academic system, let me just say that I have never had to exert so much effort to attend class before. ….! Whereas I’m used to a clear-cut and organized structure with an emphasis on the importance of education, here, it is purely at your will whether you want to learn or not. Below are some of my observations…

1. Education is free here. Which means that no one is forcing you to go to school. It is only for the benefit of obtaining a good job in the future. And to my knowledge, I think that financial aid is available, but only with the condition that students not work.  This also means that since education is free, the students who choose to attend universities are very intelligent. Sometimes, there are older adults who enroll simply to expand on their interests.

2. There are no majors or minors here. No words or concepts exist in Spanish. Instead, students declare “carreras” (careers) in a facultad (department).

3. Students choose their carrera before entering the university, which has a set track. Therefore, everyone already knows each other in the same facultad, but never cross paths with other students who aren’t taking classes with them. And since they’re all on a set track, it’s nearly  impossible to take a variety of classes in different facultades, since they all overlap. We discovered this early on.

4. Nothing is online. Information can change last minute. The student has to go to a bulletin board of their facultad, where class info is posted. Everything is done in person, and tend to be disorganized.

5. Classes never start on time. Professors show up late (and sometimes super early), and often there are technical problems that delay the lecture or presentation. (One time, in my art class, someone asked who was the first one to show up to class. My professor remarked, “Obviously the Americans!” It was all lighthearted, but true).

6. Classes also end very late or very early.

7. Classes are also canceled frequently due to strikes, commemorations, and numerous holidays.

8. Usually, there isn’t a huge emphasis on attendance (and professors tend to be more flexible toward exchange students), and often share mate with the students during class. (My professor would begin the lecture, pause, ask for mate, take a sip, then resume).

9.  There is a lot of activity during class: students walk in and out  (usually to get  hot water for mate), and talk/text/show PDA.

10. Students don’t buy textbooks. They go to a fotocopiadora, where they pay  for the readings & materials. A cheaper option than textbooks, but so much paper! Note: there are always loooong lines at the fotocopiadora!

11. Students and professors often engage in passionate and intensely charged debates that take up most of the period. Both extremely interesting and difficult to follow.

12. When the professor says, “and that presentation was by the foreign students, who clearly had difficulty with another language,” or “how difficult it must be for the foreign students, who are trying to work through a new language,” it is considered a courtesy.

Although I’ve had some frustrating moments, I’ve also learned a lot from my classes here. At first I felt intimidated to ask other students or my professors for help, but I found that everyone was patient with my Spanish and very helpful. My professors were also lenient about the work (“It’s okay if you want to turn this in later, since you should be traveling instead/you’re still learning Spanish,” etc). They were certainly more understanding than I thought they would be!

On the last day of my class at UNCuyo, we sipped on (good) wine and everyone kissed each other goodbye. We exchanged double kisses and everyone told me “good luck, ” and “it was nice to have you in class.” Sigh. I certainly wish that I spoke up more instead of sitting there, trying really hard to understand the rapid flow of conversation and feeling intimidated! But all in all, I definitely had a valuable experience.

Sunday, June 24 

So I know it’s been like years since I’ve written anything, but that’s obviously because I’ve been doing everything!  haha Or at least that’s what I’ll say my excuse is for now.  But yep, I’m still abroad!! Still in classes!  It’s like I go to high school in the northeast or something when they don’t graduate until nearly July.  poor kids.  (in AR, we were free in May, but the majority of Tulane kids thought I was crazy when I told them that bc they’re all from up north)

Realtalk though, I have done a lot of awesome stuff over the past howeverlongit’sbeen and I’ll give y’all a little taste of that with some pictures and videos below!

Buuut the reason I’m finally getting around to writing this old thing again is obviously because I have other more important things to be writing.  So of course, I choose to write about my life rather than my 12-page human rights paper (monografía).  The paper’s chugaluggin along, but it’s definitely been a struggle to remember what it’s like to do homework, other than reading and writing papers with a 2-pg limit.

Which brings me to one of the most bizarre things about studying abroad in a different hemisphere–it’s WINTER here!! Which means while all of my friends at home are running around in bathing suits and sundresses and not in class, I’m here bundling up, still in my boots, and taking finals.  Hilarious sidenote: one of my friends from home, who will remain unnamed to prevent embarrassment, messaged me that she was jealous that I was going to come back so tan.  I had to remind her that I’m a little bit further down on the map, so the 30-40 degree weather hasn’t been so conducive to loungin in my bikini.   But even though I should have expected it, well I did expect it, it’s still weird to actually live in the opposite season during this time of year.  However, the weather lately has been gorgeous and in like the 50s-60s so it’s perfect for explorin’ and doing fun things.  Thank god I have so much free time to do just that…oh wait, just kidding haha but my time is coming! I just hope it’s still as pretty when I’m free to enjoy it!

That’s one sad thing about not having done much throughout the semester–everything is piled on at the end of the semester, which happens to obviously coincide with the last two-three weeks before we all go back home.  So, I CANNOT wait until this coming Thursday at 7pm, which is when I will officially be donezo with the semester.  Right now, though, it seems like years away because I still have papers, presentations, and exams between now and then.  I’m so excited to be able to do fun things and just enjoy my last few days in the city.

One of my good friends here turned 21 Friday, which is sadly not at all a big deal here.  haha But at least we made it as big of a deal as we could.  Saturday night, I brought her over some goodies and a couple of bottles of champagne for our mini-celebration.  I wish we had videoed us trying to open the bottle…First, she struggled with it because obviously she should pop it for her birthday.  But she wasn’t having much luck, so I wisely took my teeth to the plastic pull-tab.  I thought I might lose an eye, but I was very careful and only pulled on it with my teeth until I could get it with my hand.  haha and I still have both of my eyes.  So then I handed it back to her right before the plastic strip was completely off so she could pop it…as she pulled it hard and carefully aimed away from both of our faces, the strip came off clean, but no pop! so anti-climactic! so theeenn, I took another shot at it and realized it had little slots to push it off, so I handed it back to her to make the final effort and get the POP!  Of course, it wasn’t budging, so I took another shot at it and it slowly started easing out.  I was wiggling it up and out slowly but surely and was ready for it to just slide off unexcitingly, when it finally decided to shoot out like a bullet, luckily at the ceiling and not at my face.  Obviously we both screamed at the top of our lungs like we’d been shot and then died laughing at how ridiculous we felt.  It did actually terrify me though! hahahaha and luckily her host mom wasn’t home and no neighbors came to ask if anyone had died.  So we enjoyed the bottle of champagne and then went for a late dinner (11pm) which is pretty normal here for Saturdays.  I found a 30% off deal for El Estanciero, which is a parilla–steak/grill restaurant, over in a semi-swanky part of the city.  So we ate amazing steaks and drank a delicious red wine that we had never tried before and talked about how weird it will be to go home.

I’m ready for it to feel like reverse culture-shock when I get back to the US.  Like, hearing so much English is just going to be weird.  I heard these guys saying some kind of rude stuff in English the other day on the bus, and I almost died laughing when an Argentine told them to shut the **** up (in English) and be more mindful of what they say in public.  Obviously, when I do speak in English, I’m aware that there are a lot of people here that might understand me, but when I get back to the States, it’s just going to be bizarre knowing that everyone understands me.  Also, it’s going to be harder to tune people out.  hahaha Like, in Spanish, if I want to listen to what people are saying, I can, but it’s a lot easier to just focus on my reading on the bus/in a park and not listen to everyone around me.  In the US, everyone’s louder and harder to tune out.    It’s little things like this that I think will really take me by surprise the first few weeks when I get back.  Which is why I’ll be writing at least one more blog post (maybe more!) about those strange little/giant changes.

In the mean time, enjoy my pictures from barrio chino (chinatown) and Iguazú!

super market in barrio chino (chinatown), BsAs, Argentina

Cataratas del Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina

Cataratas del Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina

Las Cataratas del Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina

Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina

Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

so I bought it for the pretty packaging, but they turned out to be somethingsweet-covered peanuts. glad I’m not allergic!
barrio chino, Buenos Aires, Argentina

super market in barrio chino: so much fresh seafood!

Cataratas del Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina

My name is So Yeon, said together like Soyeon, pronounced Soyuhn, and punned So, yawn! But people (especially those from Spanish-speaking countries) call me Soy. Yes, like the bean and the sauce. And yes, I do say “Soy Soy” in Spanish when first meeting people. If you thought of that before you read it just now, don’t think you’re too clever. I’ve heard the whole gambit, so good luck with getting me to react to anything you come up with.

So you may have been able to guess that I am Korean from my name. I’m not actually an American, though you would never know unless I told you. I speak English like a native, because I kind of am a native. I lived in America for longer than in my own country, South Korea, and though my permanent address is in Korea now, I’m living in America on Wellesley College campus as a student. And at the moment, I’m living in Argentina on the study abroad summer program by IFSA-Butler.

I’ve been studying Spanish since my first year of high school, and since I’ve just finished my first year of college, it’s been a little more than five years. Spanish had at first been a replacement for a French class I couldn’t take, but now it plays a significant role in my life. I’m here in Argentina to improve my Spanish, learn new things, make great memories, experience Argentine culture, and meet incredible people. This laundry list of clichés speaks the truth.

I’ve actually been a horrible blogger and haven’t posted anything yet. And now more than half the program has gone by. But, for now, my memory and journaling habit will have to help me with the recaps that will have to take place of the live, in-the-moment blogging. Don’t despair too much; my recaps will be fun reads (you can trust me) and I’ll soon be writing as in-the-moment as I can.

So for this first recap, I’ll bring you the most recent tidbit of gossip.

Daniel, our program director, creepily tries to win people over. He makes people want to be his best friend. He uses his giddy laugh and perpetual smile just make people anywhere in somewhat near proximity think they’re happy. He’s notorious. Let’s be honest, that perpetual smile can’t be real. Along with Griselda, our academic advisor, and Goyo, our activities coordinator that may be a student crush, they are the three musketeers of student advising and of happy goofiness.

Just Daniel casually on the see saw with IFSA student Sara

And of course there are so many more people including all my fellow students and many of the advisors and professors. You’ll soon hear about them all. Muahahaha.

The boys all together

And all the girls.

In my clichéd list from above, you saw that meeting new people is one of the reasons I’m here in Argentina. Meeting new people can be tough. You don’t know what these people are thinking about you. They could be zoning out and admiring your sense of style or be truly listening to what you’re saying. It’s tiring to put on your meeting-new-people face and not being completely yourself. Especially when you are meeting people from places and backgrounds that you are not used to, it’s hard to know what to expect. It’s been pretty great so far, and you can see all the students on the program from the picture above. But meeting new people can be so rewarding with lasting friendships and memories. Especially when people are as wonderful as they are here, not much can go wrong.

Soy

June 20th was the national holiday here in Argentina. The day of the flag or flag day, whichever you prefer. Accordingly, this national holiday celebrates the country’s national pride and one of its revolutionary heroes, Manuel Belgrano.  And of course to help us better understand Argentina’s national pride, IFSA took us to a magical place where dreams come true: a ranch.

In all seriousness, ranches or las estancias have been an integral part of Argentine culture for quite some time. Cattle and agriculture have played and still play a very large role in Argentina’s economic policy and social structures, affecting cultural factors like food (they eat a lot of meat) or fashion (they wear a lot of leather). So the trip to the estancia was a unique and quintessential experience, a must-do for every tourist who really knows what they’re doing. That’s why I wasn’t expecting: 1) peacocks in a farm, 2) boys so interested in a game similar to bachi ball, and 3) breaking a swing in a playground in the ranch.

I also wasn’t expecting any Korean karaoke.

But, the world doesn’t revolve around my expectations, and decided to surprise me. Our majestic lunch in a huge dining hall with servers and performances began. We stuffed ourselves with the complementary bread and garlic-y good sauce before anything from the menu actually came out. We then proceeded to eat chorizo (amazing sausage), sdlfkj (essentially blood sausage), grilled chicken, and steak. Because we all have separate stomaches for desserts, we also had some flan and coffee to top it off. This of course, is after we had a beef empanada and some mate tea. And of course we had some more mate tea and some fried pastries after lunch. Because our stomaches are made of nylon and can stretch eternally (something my grandma always says to my grandpa).

While I am shamelessly eating a shameful amount of food, there is in fact a performance happening on stage. It started before the meal when everyone stood up and sang (or lip sang) the Argentine national anthem. It continued with different types of dances and music from all of Argentina. It featured our beloved Griselda Lopez and her beautiful voice. Then the man singing makes a shout out to all the different countries that people in huge dining hall are from. He proceeds to ask for a Korean to come up on stage. My only fear is singing. So when he tells me I’m going to help him sing a song, I start to freak out a little bit.

But then he starts to sing the most famous Korean folk song (), and I am so surprised. How does he know the lyrics? After he finishes the first bit, I sing the melody and hear my friends. Throughout the whole 30 seconds on stage, I can’t believe I am singing a Korean folk song with an Argentine man in an Argentine ranch. My fame ends when I leave the stage and return to my seat. So was the Korean karaoke.

The more typical activities of the day, such as a gaucho horse performance and a brief empanada and pastelita cooking lesson, were relaxing and fun. The performance was perhaps one of the more culturally educational activities, giving us a sense of the gaucho culture that characterizes the more rural areas of Argentina. Riding the galloping horses, the performers had to catch a hanging ring on their mini spear-like object for a kiss from the audience (the prize used to be a bride). Well planned, like every IFSA organized trip, we got on the bus at once exhausted and satisfied.

DSC_0798 DSC_0796 DSC_0780

Me, with IFSA friends Noah and Jessica at the estancia (and with Andrew attempting a photo-bomb)

Gauchos attempting to get a hanging ring through their “spear” for a kiss from the audience.

Me, and IFSA friends Colbi and Jessica at lunch

Our lunch table watching the various folk dances on stage.

Singing the national anthem.

Donkey at the estancia.

Learning how to make empanadas and pastelitas.

Audience intently watching the gaucho horse show.

A gaucho intently explaining horse traditions.

Two IFSA friends walking and beautifully estancia scenery.

One week.

One week until I leave Philadelphia to head out to LA, and then from there fly to New Zealand. I haven’t started packing yet, I’m kind of dreading it.

It’s getting quite quiet around Durdham Hall as friends and flatmates trickle home. Two of my flatmates have gone so far – Mat to Portsmouth and Hannah to Los Angeles, CA. It’s slowly setting in that I will eventually have to leave, and I feel a bit sick whenever I do have to think about it. I will miss this place SO MUCH!!! I know I will be back at some point, but it certainly feels far away in the future as I am completely broke from studying abroad twice over the course of my uni career so far… Anyway, I have every intention to make my last few days here count.

After my exam last Thursday, (So glad that’s done!) the flat got together one last time to celebrate Hannah and Steffan’s birthdays and also to wish Hannah a safe journey home as she left Durdham at 4am the next morning. Lots of tears, but overall a good last night here for her.

On Friday we celebrated another set of birthdays, and then on Saturday my hall hosted ‘Durdhambury’, a day-long music festival with food, facepainting, and plenty of other fun things to do. I didn’t spend that much time down in the quad as it was raining for quite a bit of the day, but I heard most of the bands from our kitchen anyway as it overlooks the quad. It was a great chance for everybody to see each other one more time before most people headed out on Monday and Tuesday.

Yesterday I finally walked along my running route on the Downs to take some photos – something I’ve been meaning to do for ages! It was a bit cloudy, but no rain!

(The best bit of my running route – when I get to see the Clifton Suspension Bridge in all its glory)

Today my plan is to go back down to the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery to explore a bit more. (Last time I was there, it was mobbed with little kids…) Then I’ll probably grab my last ever Felafel King felafel on laffa (SO GOOD) before I come back up to Durdham to pack and finish a book. Friday will probably be all about packing and saying goodbyes, although I hope to be able to squeeze in a visit to my favorite coffee shop Café du Jour at some point.

My next post will probably be coming from the other side of the Atlantic, which I can hardly come to terms with. It just sounds so ridiculous that I will have to leave Bristol and all of the great people I’ve met here. Wish me a good flight and a good ‘re-entry’ into American culture, and I will be back with an update from the US of A in a few days!