Week at the beach followed by Waffle Night!

Life is good:) 

My host family took me with them on a trip to the coast for ten days, and it was definitely different from the beach experiences that I've had in the past. It had it's ups and downs, but was all together a great experience. The main downside was that I got sick on the first day and spent the rest of the trip with a sore throat, and some of the days with fever chills. I was addicted to these little throat drops, and slept during the day, so I made the most of it. 

 Our hotel was pretty and cozy...there were different buildings surrounded by garden-type scenery. I see so much green as I travel around, and its so beautiful! It's really something I will miss when I go home. Bend is such a dry desert environment, and all the places I have visited here in Argentina are lush and rainforest-like. I decided that I prefer more green:)
Anyways, the hotel was cute, and served really good food! I know I've said it plenty of times before, but the meat here is delicious! They gave us complimentary breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The breakfast was coffee, croissants, and little crackers with jelly( it was so little because people here rarely eat breakfast). Then for lunch and dinner there was always really good chicken or steak.

Aside from eating good food, I ran on the beach quite a lot. It is definitely a lot harder, but it felt nice to run in such fresh air, and be able to splash my feet in the water every once in a while. Being barefoot was also a plus.
The beaches have a whole different vibe from the beaches of Hawaii, or Florida, or Cali. It reminded me of a mix of the Oregon Coast and the Gulf Coast. They weren't lined with palm trees, they were just full, and I mean FULL of people! It was a wide open coast, with just water and sand. Anything else that was there was manmade. There were cute little cafes and restaurants that lined the beach, and it was always nice to hang out there and drink smoothies in the afternoon.
The one thing that bothered me about spending time at the beach is that there was always wind. The wind got really strong, and could blow the sand at you to the point where it hurt. Those days, I would stay by the hotel, which was still enjoyable.

So after a long 5 hour drive back from the beach, I went to ballet, which definitely wore me out. It had been more than a month since I had gone, and I had to wake up those muscles again. But it was so nice to see all my ballet friends, I really enjoy being in that environment. All those girls are so sweet! 

Then, straight from ballet, I got to walk about 15 blocks in the pouring rain to get to my friends house for dinner. It was definitely worth the unfortunate walk, because they made waffles! It had been forever since I ate waffles; I'm pretty sure pancakes and waffles are an American thing. Anyways, we made empanadas, and then ate waffles with ice cream on top while we played UNO! Having such a great time made me realize how much fun my friends here are, and how lucky I am to have met all of them! Making friends and enjoying myself here in Argentina has gotten exponentially easier as my spanish gets better. I can have a really great time without needing someone to translate every other sentence for me. I'm starting to pick up on the little slang words and phrases, and I can finally show people that I DO have a sense of humor, and that I'm not really that quiet. 

This was my half way through post, because I have officially gotten through exactly half of my year abroad! The lessons I have learned and the challenges I have had to face are all too much to put into words. Being an exchange student is something so extremely different from traveling, and just visiting other countries. The real difference is that when you travel, you see, but when you live, you experience. The moments I have loved, and the moments I have hated, I am thankful for them all, and I dont regret anything. I realize more and more each day how beneficial all of this is. I am so happy I have pulled through the first half, and SO ready to enjoy the next! Can't wait to see what lies between now and July 18th!