Learning, Growing, and Maturing

Now that it's the end of December, I am officially 4 months into my experience abroad. I could say the usual 'wow! Time is going by so fast!', but I would be lying. Not that it's a bad thing, but time has actually gone by quite slowly. It feels like a lot more than 4 months that I've lived here, and after a lot of thinking, I came up with why it may seem that way. It makes plenty of sense in my head, but it may sound a bit confusing in writing.
We are always learning, and growing, and maturing. Some days we may learn more than others, but when you look at the big picture, each year we probably learn, grow, and mature about the same amount. For the sake of explaining, we'll call it 100 pages. Each year, we fill up 100 pages of new information and new experiences. We tend to look back, hundreds of pages ago, and laugh at how we used to act and think. We shake our heads and say 'I remember back then, when there was so much I didn't understand, when I was so immature'.
This is what happens to most of us, as we go through life learning in school, learning in our careers, or learning from others around us. But, I believe that when you study abroad, you get to add 200 pages to your collection. You learn, grow, and mature at least twice the amount you would living your regular life. It is such a full experience. It teaches you so much more than you expect, and puts you in situations you would never have to deal with in the comfort of your own country. And because I am having to learn, grow, and mature twice as much, everything seems to slow down. It feels as if I have been here for at least 8 months, because I have had 8 months worth of learning, growing, and maturing. 8 months worth of making new friends, becoming familiar with a new neighborhood, and a new city.
But really, only 4 months have passed. Now I have 7 months left to be here, but 14 months worth of new experiences.

My new experiences for the next months start out with the holidays! Thanksgiving was surprisingly not too bad for me, it just passed as a normal day. I talked to my family, but it was a tear-free day. My goal is a tear-free holiday season, which for now, doesn't seem too dificult. Christmas will be different in so many ways, but the best thing to do is be excited about doing things differently, and not be bummed about missing Christmas at home.
The way Christmas is celebrated here is much different. For one, it is summer, so a 'white Christmas' is out of the question. It'll be all about flip flops and air conditioning. Also, pine trees don't grow here like they grow in Oregon, so everyone has a little plastic tree. And, I really mean little. The majority are about 2 to 3 feet tall.





This is our tree. Emilio and I decorated it, it took about 5 minutes :)







In America, we go to bed at a normal time, if anything earlier than usual, on the night of the 24th. If not, Santa doesn't come, right? Well, they think we are weird for doing that. Here, and in many other countries I found out, it is all about the night of the 24th, because at midnight it is officially christmas. So, the families get together and have a big dinner on Christmas eve, and at midnight they open presents and all that jazz. That will be different for me, especially because my birthday is the 24th, so we will celebrate both at the same time. At home, they are somewhat celebrated as one holiday, but it is still separated into two days. One big celebration will be fun, and it may cut down the homesickness a little.

 But, changing the subject...

I had a ballet performance on Saturday! I was on stage for about three minutes, but that's better than nothing, and my teacher told me that she is going to put me up front and on stage a lot more for the next show! I'm also thinking about doing more contemporary classes, because I will be here when all the classes begin, and I wont have to hop in in the middle of the term like I did before.
But, on Saturday, for the show, we were all snakes! It looked really cool, and I probably had more stage makeup on than I have ever had in my life. It took a while to get it off, but it was SO worth it!

The morning of the recital there was a race in the park where I run. It was only 3km, so I just decided to do it because it wouldn't take very long, and I wanted to see how fast I had gotten. The man that organizes all of the races is always in the park riding his bike, and he sees me run, and he told me that I should definitely race more because I'm a good runner. So, I woke up Saturday morning and went by myself to the race, warmed up a little, and...I WON! I was the first girl to finish, and I ran it in 10:33! I am actually a lot faster than I thought I was. All my running has realy paid off, I got a trophy, and the man was so impressed that he gave me a free sweatshirt (in the picture I'm wearing the t-shirt that everyone got) :) I also ended up in the newspaper!

Yesterday I went into Buenos Aires by myself to see my friend Jack! He came here on vacation, and we met up and walked around the city all day. It was so fun, and the feeling of seeing someone from home, especially from school, was so nice. It felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I have no idea why, but I just feel more relaxed, and a little bit happier. He told all about what is going on at home, and how my other friends are doing. Maybe knowing all that made me feel better, or maybe it was getting to speak English. Whatever it is, I'm so glad I got to see him!

Here I am, back in summer vacation!

The school year here goes from March to November, so my summer vacation has begun! I arrived in the middle of the school year, in the cold of winter, and went to school for a little bit more than two months. Now I am back in the heat of summer, and in vacation mode once again...and I am not complaining whatsoever! Although, the snow at christmas may be a little bit sad to miss... 

Anyways, to start off my summer, my host family took me to an event that was really similar to a rodeo. It also felt somewhat like the fair in Bend because they were showing animals other than horses, like different types of birds, bunnies, ect. 

 And here you have the classic Argentinian cowboy...they definitely dress a lot different from the cowboys I'm familiar with. They also use somewhat different gear on the horses. To me, it seemed a little bit 'classier' than the American way. 

Aside from the horses, there were lines of booths selling fun handmade things like clothes and jewelry. There was also a lot of meat being cooked and it smelled really good. Chorizo is really commonly cooked on grills in the parks on the weekends, during an Asado, or at events like this one. I ate what is really popular here called 'choripan' which is Chorizo and bread(pan). Simple but delicious. Argentina is known for it's meat...and now I know why!

We watched a national Argentina sport called 'pato' which is played on horses! It was one of the funnest things I have seen here. There are three people on each team, two goals, and a ball. The rules are pretty simple, I think it is a lot like basketball, except on horses. They just throw the ball to each other and try to score by throwing into the goal, which is this 'basket' type thing. But it was crazy to watch them move so fast and play so rough while ON HORSES! The cowboys here are really talented...Argentina is one of the best countries for horseback riding. 

Dilja, my Icelandic buddy, and I decided to go the park and have a picnic, and just walk around, so I took pictures because I figured I should put some on my blog if I am there running almost every day :)

 

This was our somewhat picnic that consisted of a Milanesa sandwich, cookies, and juice:) Three things that are frequently eaten here.

So I have a lot of legal paperwork to do with my travel visa still, and it is frustrating, but at the same time, its not too bad because I have an excuse to go to Buenos Aires! 

I went with Dilja again, and we walked through a part of the city together, just the two of us! I felt so independant, just walking through a huge crowd of people in a huge city without somebody 'watching over' me. It was a good feeling, I feel like independance is a huge lesson I am getting out of this year. 

Anyways, we walked past a total Johnny Depp look-alike! I almost couldn't believe it wasn't him. We gave him a few pesos so we could pose with him and take a picture...it was AWESOME :)

Then, after eating delicious pizza and ice cream, we went to one of the plazas and walked around. It was extremely hot so we ended up sitting in the shade for a while. But with the sun out, even though it gets unbareably hot, it make the city glow:)

Argentina, you get more beautiful every day! 

My Little List of Fun Things

It's been a while since I wrote anything, and the reason for that is because I have been having way too much fun! The homesickness is fading and the happiness is growing. For the longest time I felt like I was in another country, but not experiencing anything very 'amazing'. People would ask me what cool things I have done or seen, and I really couldn't come up with any sort of list of anything. It felt really lame, until I realized something. I realized that I am not here for a year long vacation. Im not going to go see all the possible tourist attractions in the country. I'm here to learn a new culture, and I'm here to meet new people, and I'm here to learn how to live as an Argentine teenager. Of course I will travel and see the amazing things the country has to offer, but for now, I am accomplishing all that I want to, and more!

So, for all of you that want to know all the 'amazing' things I have seen, I will begin the list with JUSTIN BIEBER :)
Honestly, before I left, I was not a big fan of that kid, but I also didn't hate him. I was just neutral. I thought of him as one of those Disney Channel types that will just come and go. I also didn't really 'love' his music. Of course I knew the songs that were overly popular, but it wasn't like I would go buy the CD, or choose to play it in the car. So anyways, Emilio, my brother, informed me before I got here that he had a ticket for me to go see Justin Bieber in concert. And honestly, I was pretty dang excited. Haha who wouldn't be? It's a concert!

 So on October 12, Emilio, Facundo, Ivan, Renzo, and I drove to Buenos Aires,

 ran about 30 blocks in the rain and mud, ran up 6 flights of stairs, and saw the coolest concert ever! 

Yes, I know, we are exremely far away. This picture was taken with full zoom...but thats okay, it was still AmAzInG!
I also really enjoyed the screaming competitions with Facundo each time a song ended. He was actually tough competition! Haha :)

The way everything was lit up and put together made Justin seem so much more amazing than he actually is. Ha :)

Okay, the next cool thing to add to my list is eating Asado! For some families here, it is something they do every Sunday! I can't imagine eating that much food every week, even though everything was super delicious! Asado is just a barbeque, but they cook a lot of different types of meat, and it's all really good quality. Argentina is known for it's meat :) 

 My host dad was the chef, and he was very proud of the meat :) As he should be, because it was all amazing! I would write all the different kinds, but honestly I don't remember...

Other than the meat, there was all kinds of salads, like a salad with apples and celery, a salad with rice, corn, and peppers, a salad with beets and something else, and a few others. They mix the best vegetables here, they are so delicious! And all the fruit and vegetables are always so fresh tasting. Then after eating, we had ice cream! The ice cream is also SO good, and there are ice cream places everywhere! Ice cream and pastries...good thing I run down here :)

The next awesome thing I did was spend another day in the city of Buenos Aires! It was different this time because I actually got out of the car and walked aroud the streets. I had my Icelandic friend with me which made it super fun! She is another exchange student living in my city, and we do a lot together lately. I love having someone to really talk to that is physically close to me :) I was also with an AFS volunteer, Ignacio, and he took us to the coolest places. 

First, we walked down a street with no cars, just a bunch of people. There were stores lining the street, and street vendors here and there. The vibe was so uplifting and fun!

CHICAS <3

Then, we went to the first mall, which was really big, and everything was so beautifully designed!

 I felt like we were in the lobby of a really nice hotel. Everything in the malls here
is really expensive, but it is always fun to go just to walk around.

Then, after being amazed by the size of that mall, we went to a different one, and I was blown away!

Yes, a ferris wheel INSIDE!!!!!

 And if you think the ferris wheel is cool.......There was a little THEME PARK too! INSIDE! It was so cool:)

So there you go...my little list of fun things I have done. When I'm not doing those things, I am going to school, running like crazy, and going to dance. I just bought pointe shoes for ballet and tonight I will be trying those for the first time. Yikes! 

I feel like a happier person, like I am getting the hang of things...

:)

Cooking Adventures and Running Race

I have now learned to cook Cheesecake and Bagels from scratch, thanks to Renzo :) 

Cooking has been a hobby I think I might take up here...and continue when I go home. Baking is something that almost everyone does and I don't think I have seen so many pastry shops in one city before! Mmmm...

 Cream cream and more cream... :) 

The cake turned out great, and tasted even better than it looks! We also made a sugary strawberry sauce to put on top. And because the fruit here tastes so good without sugar, the sauce was like heaven...

Then, the next cooking project was bagels! With the help of a Martha Stewart Cookbook, we made the dough, and the best part was playing with it!

Then, we boiled to dough in water, and cooked them for about thirty minutes, and they were golden brown and delicious! They have Philidelphia Cream Cheese here, but it is actually really expensive. We decided to buy it for the occasion. It was sorf of interesting that I was eating cream cheese for a special occasion. Usually I throw it on a bagel when I'm in a hurry. 

 

  

So aside from eating a ton, I have been getting ready for the 5K run! My little cross country team got together and went into town for the race! It was so much fun and we even wrote on our arms to add to the spirit. My friends were so much fun to run with, and I ran the race in 21:40! Afterwards, they signed my t-shirt so I can always remember:)

Thank you everyone that ran the race and made it so enjoyable! I can't wait for the next one!

The update with dance is that I am doing ballet for 4 hours a week, and I stopped doing contemporary because I kind of like the idea of having a more easy going life. The past month I was trying really hard to add things to my scheldule because I had so much on my plate back home, but then I realized that that wasn't really what I wanted. One of the reasons I left my old life was to get away for all the busyness, so it really is okay if I dont have 10 hours of dance and 20 miles of running a week. I can calm down, and it is okay. But anyways, I am continuing with ballet, and my performance is on December 17th! Ah!

Now, I am on my way to get ready to 'go out' for the first time...late! Meeting my friends at 12 o'clock! At home, that was definitely when I had to be home, and here, that is when I am leaving. I don't plan on making this a habit, but you never know. We'll see! Until next time!

La Semana de Primavera: Days 3, 4 and 5...and more :)

So I have some bad news. I didn't go to school the last three days of the week. I slept in each day and then I would go on a run, and then back home, and then something else would happen and I would never make it to the point where I actually showed up at school. I don't really regret missing it because I didn't exactly know what I was missing, and I had a lot of fun during those three days running in the park!

Wednesday was "Día del Estudiantes" or "Students day" and nobody went to school. All of the schools had the day off, not just ours. It was the first official day of spring and it was gorgeous! The sun was out and people were walking around in shorts and tank tops. I went to Maite's house and then we walked to the park and went running. It was kind of hard because there were people everywhere, but then again, it gave the day a happy feeling. I ran for about thirty minutes, went back to Maite's house, then home, then to my first ballet class. Ballet was amazing! The teacher is such an amazing dancer and she is so sweet. At the same time, she pushes me really hard, and afterwards I felt like I had already become a better dancer. I also felt like a ballerina for the first time. Maybe it was the atmosphere, but I felt like I was actually moving and walking like a ballerina. She also told me that within a month I will be on pointe shoes! YAY!

Thursday, Emilio was sick and couldn't really do anything. But that was fine because the day turned out to be the complete opposite of Wednesday. The clouds were gray, the wind was blowing, and the air felt dirty. Probably because there was a protest going on and there were things burning in the streets. The weather is almost as unpredictable as Bend weather, believe it or not. We walked downtown to try to use the credit card that my parents had sent me, but the ATM wasn't working. The reason turned out to be that I had the wrong password, but I didn't know that at the time and I tried over and over again and eventually, for safety, the machine kept my card and said that I had to come back on Monday. So that was another downer that went along with the ugly day. But then later on, Maite and I used some tickets that Graciela, my host mom, had given me to go see a performance put on by the dance studio that I go to. It was a performance of contemporary dance, and it was beautiful! It was beautiful in a completely different way than I had expected because the contemporary that I have danced has been to somewhat pop-ish songs, and this performance had french music, tango music, and classical music. The costumes were also really different. I feel like if I saw that same performance in the United States I would think it was just flat out crazy, but somehow the idea that it is in another country made it seem beautiful.

Friday I went running again in the park. It was the last day of La Semana de Primavera and I was planning on going to school. But on the way to school, my host dad just dropped me off at Maite's to make things simpler. I didn't really have a problem with that, considering I really didn't know what to expect at school, and I really wanted to run. Friday was pretty and sunny and we went to the park again. We went pretty early, and then hung out at Maite's for a few hours. Then, I went home and went to ballet again. That was when I found out I am going to perform in a recital in December! I am way more nervous than excited, but I am still pretty excited. And I'm sure that when it comes along, I will be a lot more accustomed to everything.


Then, Saturday I slept really late and then walked to Maite's to go to the park...yes, again. I can't stay away, it is so beautiful. We went with her twin sister, Ana, and one of her friends. They were on roller blades, which is extremely popular here. Everyone rides on these paved pathways through the park, and it looks super fun. I ran for about thirty minutes and then tried Maite's roller blades. We rode a couple laps and it was so much fun! I really want to buy some now. Then we bought little ice cream bars and went back to her house.

Then, I went home and made burritos for my family the same way we do at home. Surprisingly, Mexican-type food is unheard of here. They don't have sour cream or beans in a can or tortillas! But we made it work with similar type things. We boiled the beans, and used really tiny tortillas, so I guess they were more like tacos.

I couldn't have made them without Cati's help :) We made them together and I taught her the way my dad makes them at home. She loves to cook and she is so good at it! 

Sunday, I watched The Big Bang Theory(in English of course) and ate Lay's potato chips, and drew pictures on blank pieces of paper with markers. It really felt like I was in America, at home, hanging out with Alex and Alicia...without Alex and Alicia. :)

Today, I went on a run...surprise, surprise...and afterwards, I made the best fruit salad ever at Maite's house! I went to a fruit stand, and everything is all so fresh! There is apple, orange, kiwi, banana, and strawberries. Yummmm :)



I took pictures of one of the Plazas called Plaza San Martin on the way to Maite's today :)

Que Lindo Todo! Me Encanta Mi Nueva Ciudad :)

Everything Is Beautiful! I Love My New City!