For my birthday, I had about eight friends come over, and my host dad grilled hamburgers to add a little American touch, and also Chorizo, for the Argentinean part ;) They turned out delicious! Then, we ate some of the peanut butter bars that I made with the peanut butter my mom sent me. They tasted just Reese's, and everyone loved them. Peanut butter is something I am proud to say comes from America :) After that, we walked downtown, but it started raining pretty hard, so we came back home and had cake that my friends made for me! It was such a good looking cake, and tasted even better. I felt really lucky to have all of them with me, they are such an awesome group!
On December 24th, my actual birthday, I went on a run in the morning, and I think nature gifted me the perfect run. The weather was perfect, and I felt like I could run really fast and really lo. Starting off my day with that made the rest of the day happy :) It was just the four of us for Christmas: my host mom and dad, my host brother, and I. December 24th is the day to celebrate Christmas here, so we had a nice dinner, and then they brought me my own birthday cake, which was really sweet :) And at midnight, we clinked our glasses and opened presents! There were definitely less presents than what I'm used to, but it was kind of nice that way. I got a running shirt and a little satchel, which I actually use ALL the time now. So all together, my Christmas and birthday celebrations were good, and I was really happy through it all :)
Then, on new years eve, some relatives came over for dinner and stayed the night. They were super nice and fun to talk to, even though they were pretty old :) At midnight, we all greeted each other with the kiss on the cheek, and then we left the house at around 2 in the morning to go watch probably one of the funnest new years traditions I have seen. Here, only in La Plata, they have a tradition of burning dolls. During the day, they build giant cardboard dolls that represent either a movie charater, or just crazy made up animals. They are probably about 30 to 40 feet tall. They put little bombs inside, and between 1 and 3 in the morning, they set them on fire! They burn to the ground and make loud popping sounds as the bombs shoot off. They also shoot fireworks up in the sky while the dolls burn. It is actually pretty scary to be close because it feels like the sparks are going to hit you, but it is so mind blowing! That was for sure the funnest new years I have ever had!
After all the holiday craziness, I got to go to Misiones for a week with Maite. Misiones is one of the northern provice of Argentina, and it is SO hot!
It got up to 100 degrees with probably 80% humidity, but aside from all the heat, it was such a great week!
The northern part of Argentina is so different from La Plata or Buenos Aires, and I really enjoyed being where there weren't cars and tall buildings everywhere.
It is one of the more poor areas, and there was almost nothing city-wise. It was full of cute little houses, miles of green, and red tinted dirt. The dirt looked so cool, I took some in a little jar. Maite's house was so nice, it had a pool and a little hammok and I spent hours laying in the sun or reading. It was so nice to have such a relaxing week.
The absolute best part of Misiones and maybe the best part of my trip so far was going to the waterfalls in Iguazu. They are now one of the 7 wonders of the world, and I can see why! They are so big, that you can't see them all from one place. A little train takes you to a few different places where you get off and walk about a kilometer or so to get to the view points.
When I got home from Misiones, we got ready to say bye to a couple of AFS kids that were on their way home. They got here last February, and their year was over, so we had a couple goodbye get togethers. It was so sad to watch them leave! Especially Champi, one of the best friends I made here. He's from Thailand, and he is loved by SO many people here in Argentina...nobody wanted him to go. So there were a couple sad days of crying and saying goodbye, but I realized after all of it that I am so lucky to have the group of AFS people around, they are so much fun and they definitely make up the majority of my friends in Argentina. We make the best memories, and I really don't know what I would do without them! AFS La Plata, I love you guys so much! And Champi, you are such a great kid, I already miss you!
This Sunday, I'm off to the beach with my host family! Can't Wait!!!! :D
Amo Argentina <3
