Más, más, más!

I should probably update my blog about everything that's been going on, since I didn't really talk about anything but food in my last post. Let's have a run down. But before I begin, I'd like to copy my new friend Luke English (a very ironic last name) and say that I really wish I didn't have to blog in English. For all but maybe 5 sentences today I spoke in and listened to Spanish. The people that I've become close with have for the most part very good Spanish and all value the immersion experience. It's frankly quite annoying when most of us are trying to improve our fluency and I hear others speaking English. But anyways, I've been speaking so much Spanish and remembering words like albahaca (basil). I'm also starting to pick up the sweet argentine accent, and use their alternative you, the "vos." Es "super cool."

SO, our first day was honestly pretty lame. We arrived at the airport and once we got to the hotel, we had a ridiculous 8 hours of free time before the first organized group activity. I had two roommates and after showers and naps, we went in search of food and cell phones. Food we found, but cell phones, not so much. I had no idea where we went, but now I do. I'm quickly orienting myself to the city, and because it's set up in a really easy grid and the subte (subway) is relatively simply, I've been going places successfully by myself! Look at this country mouse all grown up! Finally after maybe one more nap, we all met up with the program coordinators and headed out for dinner. Keep in mind that this is at 8 pm, and that's definitely early to eat. We went to this nice restaurant, and as I mentioned before, I had a wonderful steak, and I also met some nice people. One of them lives not far from me so we might be carpooling (walking together) to FLACSO, our host institution. After dinner we walked around for a little bit, but really not for long, and then I went to bed.

Friday, the next day was a lot of logistical stuff. We went to FLACSO, had an oral exam which was actually a conversation that lasted maybe 10 minutes, and some lectures about housing and transportation. But then we met our families and went home! It felt so nice to unpack after having been in Israel for 2 weeks and traveling back and forth to Colby and other colleges to visit friends. I really like my family and their house. Veronica is very pretty and nice, and is 6 months pregnant, with the baby girl Antonia due in early May! Also her birthday is May 3rd so we're going to have a big birthday/welcome home baby party. Francisco is a really cool guy and does lots of art on the side of his governmental environment job. Manuela is 3 and actually quite like I was when I was 3, I imagine. I think I looked just like her, and danced and sang like her also. Of course her seemingly perfect Spanish grammar makes me feel pretty dumb, except that people can understand me when I talk because I'm not 3. Like I said in my last post, we made empanadas, which was so fun! And the house, which is the top floors of a condominium-style building in a safe, residential neighborhood, is spacious with lots of light and windows. My room is quite big--my clothes don't even fill the entire armoir. I have my own bathroom too, as I've mentioned, which is definitely invaluable. Here's what my room looks like:

 Notice the sweet sign my family made for me: "Welcome Rachel"

This is my bed, with my pictures of my family and my friends, my map of Israel and other decorations. That metal thing in the top right corner is the staircase to the loft in my room! Currently there's nothing up there because it's so hot (more on that in a minute) but Francisco says in the winter we can move my desk and/or bed up there. Sweeeeeeet. 

Yep, gotta show the closet...and full length mirror. I appreciate it.

Pues, on Saturday we had more orientation with a written exam, for which 1.5 hours was alotted and it took me 20 minutes. I was placed in Post-Advanced Spanish 1, or level 3 essentially, which is what I thought I'd be and what I wanted. Then we learned about some more boring stuff. After all the talks were over, I tried to go find a place to buy a cellphone. The main stores were closed so I was advised to go the mall, which is just a few subte stops away from FLACSO. As I was leaving the building I ran into some friends who were going down the same road as me so I went with them. Not knowing where exactly I was going, I ended up in the opposite direction, many, many blocks away from where I needed to go. However, I got to know these people better (Matt Getz here is your shout out), and we ended up at Avenida 9 de Julio, the widest road in Argentina, or South America or the world. Not sure on that one. I didn't count but it's something like 14 lanes across. At the center is an obelisk and I honestly don't know exactly what it commemorates but here's what it looks like:

So finally I find my way to the mall to buy a cell phone, it's a complete hassle and I have a headache and my feet are hurting like whoa because I decided to wear cute sandals not knowing I'd be walking a collective 50 blocks or something. But I arrived home, only having slightly frightened my host mom for coming home 3 hours after I said I would be. My phone took about 5 hours to activate and therefore I couldn't contact any of my friends to go out to a bar or anything, but I was tired so I really didn't mind. As a family though we did go to a nice restaurant. It was kind of on the outskirts out town so we drove there. This is significant though, because many people don't have cars. Knowing that my family does, even if they don't use it much, tells me that they're probably upper middle class. I definitely got lucky. 

Next: Sunday. My family left early to go to an uncle's birthday outside of the city so I had the day to myself. I went to San Telmo, one of the nicer neighborhoods and known for its tango, and for the feria, a kind of flea market. It was extremely hot and I got sunburned walking around all day, but it was definitely worth it. There were lots of antiques, maté mugs, art, clothing and leather. I resisted buying anything quite yet but I'll be back. There was also a little tango show in the square!

After a funny lunch where a Canadian couple told me that I had very good English (before they knew I was from the US), I walked to the Plaza de Mayo and into Palermo for a walking tour with my group! Palermo is an old neighborhood that's pretty upscale, and has a nice plaza with famous bars and good nightlife. We made our way through the area and at the end many of us stopped for a snack, because we're still not used to eating dinner so late. Palermo is also where Jorge Luis Borges lived. He's one of my favorite Spanish authors and one of the reasons that I chose Argentina. He also helped shape the Porteño identity through his writings. Fun fact: I'm taking an Argentine Fiction course at FLACSO and hopefully I'll read some of his work! We got to see the house where he lived for a while as well as lots of other cool architecture. I'm definitely coming back to Palermo soon. 

Plaza de Mayo, I'll explain that more later as this post is definitely long enough. Or you can google it. 

Borges' house!

 A typical Palermo Soho street. I think this one is even cobble stone.

Finalmente, the weather is really nice. Very hot and humid, but I'd so much rather be here than in snowy Maine or Mass. I bought a new dress today and will wear it soon. And with the upcoming long weekend because of Carnaval, some friends and I are going to Uruguay and the beaches. I'm looking forward to traveling, but I'm not sick of the city yet. Just trying to make the most of every moment here. I miss everyone though, so please keep in touch! 

Besos de Buenos Aires, 

Rachel

The most important part of Argentina

I'm sure you're all dying to hear about how Argentina is going. I could go on and on about our orientation and the people I've met and even my host family and how big but easy to navigate the city is, but I know what you're all waiting for: the food.
Even since my first meal here, it is evident that there is no way that anyone could survive as a vegetarian in Argentina. There is so much meat, and the steak is quite incredible. The first night we went to a restaurant off of one of the main streets. I ate the chorizo which I thought was a sausage like meat but it was just a nicely grilled steak. The girl across the table from me was a vegetarian "even though she likes meat" and I'm pretty sure she was drooling. Screw veggies, i'm going carnivorious from this moment on.
Empanadas, individual pies with fillings like corn, spinach, ham and cheese, beef and veggies, etc, are a pretty typical and oft-eaten food here. So you get the idea, I've had them for the last 3 of 4 meals, and that was a coincidence. Actually there was an empanada at my dinner table tonight so let's say 4 out of 5 meals. On Friday during our lunch break, some friends and i found a cute cafe and all ordered empanadas. They're each about US$1, and are delicious, so it's a pretty ideal meal. my drink was actually more expensive than my 2 empanadas combined. Then after meeting my host family, who are awesome and so nice, and waiting until 10:30 to eat, my host mom Verónica and I made empanadas. They're really easy to make and it's very fun, I got into a nice rhythm. We made almost 50 and there was more beef stuffing, so we're going to be having leftover empanadas for a while. That's okay by me though. Tomorrow I don't have any obligations until a walking tour with my small group in the neighborhood of Palermo (think Borges) at 3 PM, so I'm going to explore the Sunday market in the neighborhood of San Telmo. There are lots of places to eat there, but I'm going to stash at least one empanada in my bag to ward off hunger.
One food that I have never been fond of eggplants, and much to my father's chagrin, I've been eating them! The argentines cleverly fool me with the name (berenjenas) which I finally mastered, so between the confusion and the overwhelming essense of garlic, they have become part of my diet. I even told my host mom that was one of the only things I wouldn't eat, and then it was on the dinner table a few hours later.
Last but obviously not least: desserts. So far I haven't had nearly as many opportunities to eat sweets as I would like, most people haven't been ordering them in restaurants so I don't want to hold everyone up. We've eaten fruit a few times--not that exciting. However, during my walk along Avenida Corrientes, a main street near FLACSO (my program), I was lost and hungry so I stopped at a gelato shop and got dulce de leche ice cream with chocolates. SO. GOOD. At the market tomorrow I'm definitely going to stock up on all sorts of pastries and sweet, but especially dulce de leche.
Let me just conclude by first apologizing for the lack of pictures. I've taken 3, and one was at Logan Airport. I'm not ready to look like a tourist and have all of my belongings swiped from me while I aim my camera at every old building (hint: there are lots). And secondly, to all of my dear friends and family dealing with the rain and the cold: it's sunny and in the 80s, I have to wear sunscreen tomorrow. Sorry your lives are not quite as warm as mine.
Kilos of carne,
Rachel

A Few Final Thoughts

I'm leaving today! My flight from Boston to Atlanta leaves in 5 hours. Oh man. I'm not really nervous; I'm excited to meet everyone and to see Buenos Aires and get into the swing of things. I am, however, dreading this plane ride. I really love traveling in different places but I hate flying, especially on long flights. Just two weeks ago I was in transit for over 24 hours on my way back from Israel, so I'm not particularly looking forward to doing this again. Fortunately there is barely a time change so my body won't feel jet lagged or confused.

I thought I'd share some of my goals, expectations and challenges on my blog so my family and friends that read this will have some notion of my motives in Buenos Aires. First and foremost, I am studying abroad in BA to improve my Spanish. I have had a less than satisfactory experience with the Spanish department at Colby, yet I think it says something about my love of Spanish that I am already so psyched to be immersed it in. I've changed my computer and even my facebook(!) into Spanish. I want to blog in Spanish but I know this might alienate some of you. My Spanish is already pretty good; I can't wait for it to get even better. I want to come back from Argentina dreaming in Spanish.

I am also hoping to embrace the BA city life. I'm definitely a country mouse so to speak, and I sometimes am not even completely comfortable in Boston. Buenos Aires is about 15 million people if you include the metropolitan areas. And consider this: both Concord and Waterville have about 17,000 people. University of Buenos Aires alone has 300,000 students. I know that number is hard to believe but it's true. Needless to say I think I'm going to feel out of my element. When I chose BA as my study abroad destination, I figured this was a good time to see if I could survive or thrive in an extremely urban environment. I'm definitely looking forward to being cosmopolitan, but I also am aware that cosmopolitan is not my natural state of being.

What hasn't truly hit me yet is the length of my time abroad. Even at school, I somehow manage to come home once a month. So not only have I not been away from my home, my bed and access to things in my room for very long, it also means that I've seen my family and pets often as well. But now, I won't be back home until July, and I'll see my family once between now and then. I think it's going to be very hard. Skype is definitely going to be instrumental for staying in contact, but it won't be the same. I am actually going to be independent from my family. I like to think that I am usually, but never before have I been this far removed from them. I think I'll be fine, but we'll see.

At this point I just have to shower, finish packing (and hope that my suitcase is under 50 lbs), and get my car washed before we leave for the airport. I have a long day of traveling ahead of me, and I can't wait to get there. Once I have stable internet, a shower and a nap I'll update again.

70s and sunny,
Rachel

One week until Argentina!

In one week I leave for Argentina and I am finally getting as excited as I should be because....I got an email from my host family today!! I requested a family with small children and that's exactly what I got. This is Francisco, Verónica and Manuela. He is 37 and she is 32, and Manuelita is 3. Additionally, Verónica is pregnant with another baby girl. I'm really excited to meet them. They seem very nice and genuinely happy to have me. They also said that I have a big bedroom and my own bathroom so that definitely helps.

I've started my packing and I'm headed up to Colby this weekend one last time to say my final goodbyes. I'm looking forward to the warm climate and warm reception that awaits me in Buenos Aires!
Argentina bound,
Rachel

One more Israel post

I forgot to include one really important photo: this was our first view of Jerusalem. I think the photo speaks for itself.

Pretty incredible, huh?

Back from Israel- so many superlatives!

So after 2 incredible weeks, I'm home safely from Israel. I really can't explain how wonderful and enlightening and fun my birthright trip was. We went to so many great places and I met some of the coolest and most interesting people. I know I've been saying that Argentina is the coolest country in the world, but Israel could truly give it a run for it's money...shekels or pesos?
I could give a minute by minute account of the trip because every moment of it was that great. But let's see if I can distill my trip into a handful of meaningful pictures:

Day 1: My friend Mike and I found this incredible view on the roof of a building in Tzfat. We had a 180 degree view of Northern Israel, including the Sea of Galilee. Tzfat is especially important to me because that's where my grandfather and his father came from. 

This is our entire group with the Negev desert behind us. There were 38 of us, plus 2 American staff members, an Israeli tour guide, an Israeli guard and medic and 8 Israeli Defense Force soldiers that joined us for the half the trip. Meeting these Israelis was one of my favorite parts of the trip. 

The Kotel, or Western Wall, was the most moving experience I had on the trip because of the spirituality and the centrality of God, and the power of all these Jews praying together. This is why I came to Israel. 

I also was fortunate to extend my stay and see my cousins Julia and Nissim and their babies Coren (1.5 years) and Or Bella (2 months)

I put up most of my pictures on facebook so take a look there. For the next week and a half I'll be visiting Colby and other friends at their schools. As sad as I am to be home from Israel, and as much as I already want to go back (Aliya, anyone?), I'm getting really excited for Argentina. Living in the states is starting to seem really overrated...

Camels and sun,
Rachel