Little Summary of 1st Two Weeks

Besos...
Kiss on the cheek. That's the greeting here-and I love the love here! People are generally very warm, and it's always exciting to meet new people. I'm pretty sure that when I go back to America, I'm going to want to kiss everyone on the cheek when I see them. (A warning!)

It's Cold...
Well, it's been 2 weeks since I've been in Argentina-and I'm having a wonderful time! I have to admit, I was really homesick at first. I was cold (well, I still am) and just wanted to sit in a warm room for at least half an hour. I think I only know one of my friends who has central heating heating. That big marshmellow jacket? Yep, I wear that a lot, although recently the weather hasn't been too bad. It did snow here in Cordoba last Wednesday though! It didn't settle, but still- it snowed. I can't be sure if I've actually put on weight or not because I'm ALWAYS wearing soooo much clothing, haha.

However, in the midst of all this cold - my weakness for ice cream is really strong... One day, I was one of 3 customers in a Grido store (Una heladeria - ice cream store). One of the other customers was one of my friends.

First Impressions...
When we drove away from the airport into the Central Cordoba - I was a little sad. I felt like it was a mixture of England and India. - Not that I don't like India or England- I just expected to see something very different. There are a lot of little stores everywhere, but the city is not as clean as England. I think I expected to see old historic buildings with great architecture...but I think I'll have to go to Spain to see that! Now I've learned to love the city in all it's uniqueness. It has its own personality.

Home/Buses...
I don't live near downtown though. I live in a relatively nice neighborhood called ¨Villa Belgrano.¨ It's about a 35-40 minute bus ride to downtown, where I have my class in Universidad Nacional de Cordoba. So I thought UT was big. UNC has more than 100,000 students! Since I do live far from downtown, I spend a great deal of time just riding the bus, which can be a little bit frustrating when you have to stand the whole time and can't keep your balance! Also, I have to keep my backpack in front of me, or put a lock on it. Yeah...gotta be careful in Cordoba!

So, everytime you use the bus, it costs one cospel - they don't accept money on the bus, which is a primary method of transportation for many people. One cospel is now equivalent to 1.50 pesos. The price changed on Sunday from 1.20 pesos to 1.50 pesos. 1 dollar equals about 3 pesos. You have to buy cospeles at kiosks located all around the city. I got a card that I just put a certain amount of money on, which is the alternate to paying with cospeles. I have to ride the bus at least 3 times per day Monday-Thursday. Home to work, work to class, class to home. I will never take for granted free bus transportation in Austin!!

Nightlife...
I get tired really early - about 11ish, so it's really hard for me to see nightlife in Argentina. So in Austin, you might go out 11ish and come back 2 or 3ish. 2am is when Argentinans start going out, and they don't get back until like 7am!

I did go to a jazz concert downtown and had a wonderful time. The saxophonist and clarinist were amazing. "The Small Jazz Band" also had someone playing the banjo! Oh- one day I was on the bus, and I heard "With or Without You" by U2 playing on the radio, which reminded me of ISA Talent show rehearsals. Also, when I went to a rock cafe, some of my fav. songs were played, like Hero by Enrique Iglesias and Unchained Melody by Righteous Brothers...Mmmm, I love music.

My Host Family and Food!
I love my host mom! She is 29 years old and very caring. I have found myself having long, and actually meaningful conversations (in Spanish!) with her on different occasions. She is an amazing cook, and I we eat a healthy variety of food. So my mom sent different Indian spices, like tumeric, etc with me. One day, I came home, and my host mom had made masoor daal - one of my favorites!! She didn't even realize that she cooked it almost exactly like ma does at home. The funny part was when she asked if I wanted cheese with it. Well, I decided to do something different, and I ate it with cheese! It was actually really good.

My host mom's housemate is also extremely sweet. She worked abroad in Colorado, so she knows the challenges that one faces when you're living abroad and not fluent in the language. She's really helped me with my Spanish.

She has a dog, named Vicente, who looks like a black lab. He always stays outside the house because I'm allergic to dogs. The strange thing is, I've started to like him! He's a cute dog and very enthusiastic.

Nature...
Me encanta nature! When it's sunset here, the sky is absolutely gorgeous - una mezcla de azul y rosado (a mixture of blue and pink). I know we see this in America, but I have noticed the brilliance of the pink streaks blended into the blue sky so much more here.

Last weekend, our group went to the Jesuit Missions, which were nice to see. Then we travelled through the mountains until we got to a really nice restaurant in the middle of nowhere. There was a fire going, so we warmed ourselves up by the fireplace before sitting down.
So, I'm not sure the concept of vegetarian really exists. Argentina is the biggest meat-eating country in the world. About 5 of us told the waiters that we are vegetarians. They said, "ok!" But then they brought us ravioli with something that looked like ham. When I asked if it had meat, the waiter said, "No, no. Solamente tiene un poquito jamon!" (Which means, "It only has a a little ham.") So, they brought us something else. Guess what? This time it had chicken in it!! We had a laugh and then just ended up eating desserts.

There were also beautiful llamas right near the restaurant that you can see in my pictures.

There is so much more that I could write, but I should actually sleep now. Tomorrow I'm going to Iguazu Falls, and Monday I have an exam. I just started my internship and have a lot to write about that too.

The sun has gone to bed and so must I -from "So Long, Farewell"