Jardín Japonés

Today I went to the Jardín Japonés (Japanese Garden) in Palermo after class. Palermo is a barrio in the city. I decided today that I really like Palermo because there are so many parks and green spaces. It is such a beautiful part of the city because the green adds so much life to it. There are also a lot of really cool (and huge) monuments decorating the busy streets.

A park in Palermo

The Jardín Japonés was so cool. It was like a Japanese oasis in the middle of the city. There was a lake filled with huge colorful carp. My favorite part was the bright red bridges that criss-crossed the lake. Throughout the park there were all different kinds of Japanese flora and sculptures that represented their culture. It was cool to see all the different Japanese elements of the park because it’s not something you see a lot of in Buenos Aires, despite the large Japanese population. There was also a Japanese restaurant, but we did not go inside because it is apparently pretty pricey. Maybe next time I will buy Japanese food and bring it into the park so I can enjoy all the aspects of Japanese culture!

Wine Country

This weekend I went on a trip with my study abroad program to Mendoza aka wine country. The trip was included in the price of my study abroad, so everything was already paid for! Before I went I was honestly not super excited for the excursion because I am not a big fan of trips with itineraries where everything is planned to a T. It’s more exciting when you don’t know exactly what you will be doing or what your trip will bring you. When you have no plans, it leaves room for a little bit of wonder and spontaneity. But anyway, I really enjoyed the trip. It was a very fun and relaxing weekend.

San Rafael, Mendoza

We departed from Buenos Aires Thursday night at 7 and arrived at San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina at 9 the next morning. Right away we moved into our cabanas that we would call home for the weekend. They were awesome! So cute and cozy. I could spend way longer than one weekend there. The location could not have been more perfect either. We were right next a river, and the mountains were just beyond the river. Our excursion for the day was to a lake in Valle Grande, where we paddled rafts out to a beach on the other side of the lake. We swam (the water was freezing!) and explored the beach for a couple hours. Two friends and I found a nice secluded spot on top of a hill where we laid out and enjoyed the warm sand for the afternoon. It was so relaxing that we just stayed there the whole time. When we returned to the cabanas we ate dinner and had the rest of the evening to ourselves. Since we were in wine country, we decided it was only right to spend the night “wine tasting”.

Cabana 3!

Lake at Valle Grande

The next day we did some real wine tasting. We visited two wineries. The first was a large well-known winery, while the second one was smaller and family-owned. At the first winery we went on a tour where they explained how the wine was made. We were also shown the vineyard and wine cellar. They had some pretty old wine. After the tour we had wine tasting and selling. I bought two bottles of Malbec, a red wine that Argentina is known for. And then we were on to the second winery. I liked this one better because it was smaller and more personal. The owner of the winery gave us another tour. He actually let us walk in the vineyard and try the grapes. One of the students asked if he had a problem with pesticides eating the grapes. He said no, the only problem he had were tourists. Ha! He was right because I could not stop eating them.

Vineyard at the second winery

Me in front of a wine barrel

Very old wine. These bottles were from 1924

Yummy grapes I couldn't stop eating

Sunday was our final day in Mendoza. We returned to the lake at Valle Grande for a ride on a catamaran boat. The driver played music and talked about the lake as we drove around at a nice, slow place. It was interesting to hear about the lake because at the time it was super low, and you could see the old water line in the rocks. We stopped at a different beach for an hour to enjoy the lake. On the way back to shore I took full advantage of the top deck to catch some sun. Afterwards we returned to the cabanas for a free afternoon. I spent mine lying by the pool with my friends, taking in the beautiful scenery, and enjoying the hot weather. The hours flew by and before we knew it the time had come to return to Buenos Aires.

Catamaran we rode on

You can see the line from the old water level

My weekend at Mendoza was short and sweet. Just enough time to make me want to come back as soon as I can!

Field Trip

Yesterday my roommates and I took a little field trip after class to explore the city. We grabbed sandwiches from a little shop and walked to the Recoleta Cemetery, where we ate the sandwiches on the grass outside the entrance. Everything was going great until the sprinklers decided to turn on and we had to make a run for it before we got soaked! We almost made it without getting wet. After our picnic, we walked around the cemetery for a quick 15 minutes because I had never seen it. The Recoleta Cemetery is a walled-in cemetery with graves of former members of high-class society. The most well known grave is that of Eva Perón, who is probably the most famous woman in Argentine history. Her grave is supposedly the largest and most elaborate grave, so you think it would be easy to spot. We couldn’t find it. Anywho, the cemetery was very cool. It was almost like a little city on its own because the graves were so large they looked like buildings, and they created all these alleyways to stroll down. I will definitely have to return for a more in-depth visit.

Alleyway in the cemetery

Cool grave

Tara and I in front of a grave

After the cemetery we walked to El Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, which has the largest art collection in BA. We didn’t realize it was Monday and that it was closed. We tried to find another museum to go to, but apparently ALL museums in BA are closed on Mondays. Instead we went down the street to La Floralis Genérica, a humungous (23 meters high) steel sculpture of a flower. The coolest thing about this sculpture is that the petals open during the day and close at night. One of the things on my bucket list for Argentina is to watch the petals open in the morning. It ss located in the center of a 4 acre park that attracts a lot of sunbathers on the weekend. After we snapped some pictures (I didn’t get any because my camera died), we laid out in the grass because it was a beautiful day. It was the perfect way to end our trip. The setting and the weather made it hard to leave. 

Bariloche Take 2

Tuesday: Our second day in Bariloche was by far the best of the whole trip. We went white water rafting! Everything about the trip was awesome. The guides picked us up from our hostel at 9am, and drove us 2 hours into the mountains. Our guides, Nico and Martín were great. They were very cool and had a great sense of humor. During the ride, they prepared mate for everyone and pointed out all the landmarks in the region. We arrived to a site along a river, with mountains in the background, where we had a small breakfast and then changed into our gear. We then hopped back in the van and drove to the drop off area. The river had ten rapids total. They were pretty intense at some parts, but I wish it had been a little more powerful. We did get stuck between rocks on the first rapid, and our guide had to maneuver us out. It was actually pretty funny because we all had to move to one side of the raft. We also got to jump into the river and swim two times. The water was freezing! The scenery along the river was surreal. We were surrounded by the Andes Mountains, and the water was a beautiful blue. There was one point along the river where the rocks had been carved away by the water. It looked really cool because there were holes in the rocks and all these neat shapes. One of the coolest parts about the trip was that the river floated into Chile! So after the last rapid, we climbed out of the raft and our guide took us to the Argentina-Chile border. We only got to stay for about 30 minutes, but I can still say I have been to Chile! We took some pictures and changed into dry clothes in Chile, and then we headed back to the same place we had breakfast for an asado (bbq)! It was delicious. We had steak, potatoes, wine, and banana tart.

After we got stuck

Rafting through the Andes, NBD

We're in 2 different countries!!

Wednesday: Our third day in Bariloche was successful only by luck. Jay and I had awoken early that morning to make a reservation for horse back riding, but we forgot to mention it was for four people. By the time we realized our mistake the trip was full, until 2 people luckily dropped out. We were picked up at our hostel in the morning and driven to a beautiful ranch right on a lake in the mountains. They prepared us an asado right away that was just as delicious as any I have had so far in Argentina. Then we walked to the barn to pick out our horses. I, naturally, got a shorter brown horse. Tara got a beautiful white one that was probably one of the biggest. Kelsey got a black one that didn’t listen, wouldn’t gallop, and only wanted to eat. Haha. It was Jay’s first time on a horse, so luckily he got a nice gentle one. We rode through the forest and into a beautiful meadow right next to the mountains. The view was amazing because the mountains were right there in your face. Then we rode along a lake until we ended back on the ranch.

Frolicking in the meadow

Along the lake

Thursday: The weather was not so great on Thursday. It was colder and windy, with a little rain, so we decided to do Canopy to become a little closer to nature. We zip-lined from tree to tree in the top of the forest. I am really afraid of heights but this was really fun. There was only one tree I had to hold on to for dear life. I am pretty sure it was swaying in the breeze at one point. For our last night in Bariloche we decided to go out in style at a local Parilla, or steak house. A guy in our hostel recommended El Boliche, so we took his advice. He told us the locals love it when Americans eat there because they like to see the look on our faces when we see the portion sizes. Let me tell you, they don’t mess around. I ordered a pequena bife de chorizo, which is pretty much a sirloin, and it was massive. The pile of mashed potatoes that came with it was larger than my head. The best part? Throw in a bottle of wine and it only cost me $15 USD. Cha ching! Needless to say we were all pretty satisfied that night.

Weee

Then I got stuck

Feasting at El Boliche

The next day we headed back to BA. I was a little sad to leave Bariloche because I had such an awesome time doing so many cool and new things. However, I was feeling a little homesick for BA, and couldn’t wait to return “home”.

Bariloche

For my “Spring Break” this year I went to Bariloche, a small city in northern Patagonia. It was the best trip of my life. The city is absolutely beautiful- words and pictures won’t even do it justice. It’s a smaller city right on Nahuel Huapi Lake and surrounded by the Andes Mountains. So needless to say the views were breathtaking. The architecture was also very cool, and different from Buenos Aires. It had a German and Swiss influence- so a lot of buildings made from wood and stone. Sometimes it felt like I was in Europe because the buildings looked straight out of Germany or Austria. And I have never even been to Europe.  

View of Bariloche

Cool house in the middle of downtown Bariloche

Our whole trip lasted six days: fours days in Bariloche and two days of travel.

Sunday: My roommates and I woke up early and packed because we failed to do it the night before. Our host parents made us sandwiches for the bus and packed a whole suitcase of food to take with us. They packed us all kinds of snacks, 2 containers of dulce de leche, something that resembles spam (which none of us had the guts to try), a mate kit, and 3 bottles of wine. By the time we finished packing we realized we were ahead of schedule! This almost never happens. When you put us 4 girls together, it’s a miracle if we make it on time. Kelsey, Tara, and I left for the bus terminal, where we met Jay, Kelsey’s friend from class. Lucky him, he was stuck with 3 girls for a whole week.

Our suitcase full of food, courtesy of my host parents

We all got on the bus ready for a 22-hour ride to Bariloche! Flying is expensive in Argentina, so buses are a popular form of travel. 22 hours sounds bad, but it really was not terrible. They played movies the whole time and it was overnight so I slept a good portion of the ride.

Monday: We were on the bus until about 11am, and then we got a cab to our hostel. This is when our luck began. The hostel had exactly 4 spots left. We found our rooms, dropped our luggage off, and went outside to check out the scenery. Our hostel, Patanuk, was the only waterfront hostel in Bariloche so we had quite the view. We wanted to do an excursion that day, but the lady at the front desk told us it was too late in the day, so she gave us some other options. The people who worked at the hostel were so helpful. They helped us throughout our entire trip with planning activities and gave us great recommendations. Since it was a really nice day outside we decided to go to Cerro Companario, a panoramic view from the top of a mountain. They had lifts to take you to the top, but we all wanted to hike. It was a steep climb all the way up, but it was definitely worth it. Once we got to the top, none of us could talk. The view was absolutely breathtaking. We snapped a bunch of pictures, enjoyed the view, and then hit up the café at the top of the mountain where we all got ice cream. Afterwards we hiked back down and caught a bus back to the hostel.

Our backyard at the hostel

Panoramic view from the top of Cerro Companario

Later that night we went to a Mexican restaurant that was amazing. Mexican food is hard to come by in BA, so we were all excited to finally find a good place. Afterwards we went back to the hostel and sat outside on the porch until we could no longer stand the horrible music they were playing.

I will write about the rest of my trip later because this is really long and I am too lazy to finish it now.

La Feria de San Telmo

Last Sunday my roommate Andriana and I went to the Feria de San Telmo. It is one of the largest antique markets in the world, and it is held every Sunday in San Telmo (a barrio in Buenos Aires). With its cobble-stone streets and ancient buildings, the location creates a charming atmosphere that makes you feel as if you are in a different time. The city shuts down an entire street for the whole day so that vendors can set up their stands. It was completely overwhelming! We started at the beginning, walked for 5 hours, and still didn’t make it to the end! You could find anything imaginable there, but jewelry, art, and leather were sold at every other stand. I even purchased a $15 handmade leather wallet for myself. I didn’t buy anything else because I was too overwhelmed by the selection!

Vendors at San Telmo

Art displays set up along the street

             

One of the most interesting things about the fair were the street performers. Every direction you looked somebody was putting on a show for the passers-by. Singers, violin players, tango dancers. We even saw one girl playing an instrument that was bigger than she was. 

I will definitely return to San Telmo more than once!

The City that Never Sleeps

When they say that Buenos Aires is the city that never sleeps, they really mean it! I don’t know how they do it, but I swear porteños don’t sleep. Dinner is served after 9pm every night, and we usually sit at the table for 2 or 3 hours eating, talking, and drinking wine. At home, I am usually an early bird, so this has been a big change for me.

This weekend, my roommates and I went clubbing for the first time. In Buenos Aires, nightclubs are called boliches. It proved to support my theory that porteños don’t sleep. In Buenos Aires, if you show up to a boliche before 2 am, you will be the only one there. Usually you start the night off at a bar for a few drinks, and then head to the boliche from there. Once at the boliche, prepare yourself for a night of dancing, hundreds of people, and really loud music. Don’t be surprised if the sun is rising when you walk out the doors. Some places even have a terrace outside where you can watch the sunrise.

Crowd at Crobar

DJ at Pacha

I didn’t think I would make it all night at the boliches, but I was definitely wrong. Once inside, you don’t even realize how fast time goes by. You are so busy dancing and talking to people that before you know it, the doors are closing and the sun is rising. I am beginning to understand how they do it!

Bienvenido a Argentina

Despite a horrendous 7-hour delay and almost 24 hours of traveling with little to no sleep, the trip was well worth it! Upon my arrival, my host family graciously welcomed me to their home with a hug and kiss on the cheek. As I was the last one to arrive, they had been waiting for me all day and were excited to meet me. As soon as I arrived we sat outside on the patio were we ate homemade empanadas, drank glass upon glass of vino (wine), and talked for hours- mostly in Spanish.  For our first night, Carlos and Cristina, my host parents, threw a welcome asado (barbecue) for the four of us. I have never had better food. Everything was delicious, and it never seemed to end! We started with choripan, grilled sausage on toasted bread. Next came the salad, grilled chicken and veggies, and steak. I don’t eat a lot of red meat, but this steak was not on my plate for more than 2 mintues. And to top it off, we had chocolate mousse with dulce de leche. Dulce de leche is a well-known caramel spread that porteños put on everything, from bread to fruit. And let me tell you, it is everything its cracked up to be.

Welcome to mi casa!

My host parents, Carlos and Cristina

Carlos working his grill

Carlos and Cristina are giving us daily lessons on Spanish and how to behave like an Argentine. Last night, Carlos and Cristina demonstrated the Tango for us, and then taught each of us the first steps. We also learned some folk songs while Carlos played his guitar. One goes a little something like this: “Drinking, drinking, drinking, what a pleasure. Water is for drinking and for frogs that can swim well.” Haha. Its also very possible that I will have an English accent by the time I return to the states because Carlos only understands British English, and therefore sometimes we have to speak with an accent!

Backyard- the view from my window

A little tango demonstration

Final Day in America!

Hello all! It is my final day in America before I head off to Argentina! I am studying abroad there for 3 whole months! I will be living with a host family in the capital city of Buenos Aires, along with 3 other girls from the US. Right there in the city is La Universidad de Belgrano, where I will be taking Spanish classes 5 days a week with the other students in my program. This is an independent study abroad program outside of JMU, so I won't know anybody in the program, including my roommates, until I get there. Exciting, right!? The nerves haven't kicked in...yet.

The purpose of this blog is to keep all my friends and family back home in the US updated about my travels, adventures, and experiences while I am in Argentina. I figure this is the best method to share my experience with everyone since I won't have easy access (or the time) to contact everyone individually. I will try to update as much as I can (with pictures!), so that you all can see what sort of things I am up to!

My time abroad will be a learning experience, filled with lots of "differents". Different foods, different customs, different ways of thinking, and not to mention a different language. It will take some getting use to, I'm sure. But what better way is there to learn about a different culture than to totally immerse yourself into it? I cannot wait to learn from los porteños (citizens of Buenos Aires) how to live like a true Argentine!

For my final night in America I am going out to eat with my parents and brother to celebrate his 20th birthday, which happens to be the same day as my departure. Tomorrow morning I leave my house at 11AM to catch a 3PM flight out of Dulles to Miami. After a 3 hour layover in Miami (where I will hopefully get to meet up with one of my roommates!) I embark on a 9 hour overnight (ugh!) flight to Buenos Aires!! Hopefully I sit next to someone interesting!