The last two days have been very relaxing and calming. Since I don't have class Thursday and only one on Friday, I spent the majority of the time going through my to-do list and crossing stuff off. I got a lot of errands done that I needed to do. Nothing too exciting to report on, but Ill share some thoughts none the less.
Thursday- Bought a new pair of running shoes. I had needed a new pair for a while, and thought it was the right time to get them. I took them out for a nice run in the afternoon, and found a good path in a park not to far away that was perfect for a jog. I think I am going to try and make that a habit, and we will see how long that lasts.
Friday- Class in the morning was amazing, my professor for conversation class is awesome. He is really funny personable and easy to understand. They break my language class in half, so there are only 4 of us in this conversation class. We talked about a lot of stuff and it was almost a two hour conversation with a little teaching sprinkled on top.
Afterwards I wandered home looking for a new pair of jeans. My current jeans started ripping in the crotch, which for some reason happens to every single pair of my jeans. I found a new pair and bought them. They are a little different for me, since there is no zipper, only buttons...but I will live. I took my ripped jeans into a seamstress, and will have them back better than before by Wednesday.
I met up with Alex for lunch at Romario's, a chain of pizza places in the city. The food was actually really good, and I saw one only a block away from my house when I walked home. When I got home later that afternoon I was suddenly in the zone with resume work. For some reason I decided that it was a good idea to fix up the resume, add in my recent additions, and then send it to the GW Career Center for 48 hour critique service. After that spontaneous urge, I took a well needed nap.
I met up with Nell for a drink before dinner since I had to catch up with her, since I have not seen her since last week. Came home for dinner, had a GREAT conversation with Patricia over dinner and then got dressed and was ready to go out. Nell's host sister Macarena (yes, like the dance) had a friend throwing a party, so a few of us decided it would be fun to go. Little did we know what we were getting into. That party didn't start till 1.30am, so before that Nell, Elise and I went to a bar in Recoleta and sat down at a table to have a drink and chill before the party. This bar was great, but great salsa music and a great atmosphere. Around 2am, we left and headed to the next parry. It ended up since we knew Macarena, we got bracelets before the party, got in for free and were treated like VIPs. The party was in a giant building in Recoleta and they had rented out the top floor. Huge disco balls were hanging from the ceiling, lasers were shinning everywhere, and the music was amazing. It was a mix of 80s music with a dancing beat and current Reagatonn. SO MUCH FUN. We didn't leave there till 4.30am since we were starting to get a little tired.
Since the party was close to my house, I walked home and was amazed how many other people were on the street that time at night. What a fun night.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Tuesday and Wednesday - Being productive
Tuesday I returned from Iguazu and my afternoon class was canceled since the professor was ill. Therefore, I had the entire day free to get stuff done and relax from my trip. I steam rolled through some errands, including a trip to the grocery store.
The grocery store I went to was only a few blocks away and looks very nice from the outside. It looks like the most American supermarket I have passed since, so I was comfortable going in and giving it a go. The downstairs had very general products, almost like a pharmacy....basic everyday things you might need in your house. Then I saw a sign for the upstairs which had fresh food. The only way up was not an elevator or an escalator, but a moving walkway (similar to the airports) on a tilt. You rolled your cart onto the walkway, and the wheels interlocked with the material so that the cart did not roll back onto you. The incline was not to bad, but I thought it was a great concept and don't remember ever seeing it in America. Anyways, once I got upstairs it started looking like a normal grocery store. I went over the deli and ordered some Jamon Crudo and Queso. Everything is with ham here, and the Jamon Crudo is very much like Prosciutto. After the deli I went over to the bread section, picked out some rolls and kept cruising. I made it to the fresh vegetables section, picked out what I wanted, and brought it to the counter where a woman weighed it, and stuck a price tag on the bag to avoid confusion at the register. After I was done shopping I checked out, and for my lunch for the whole week, I got away with only spending about 30 pesos (1o dollars).
At dinner I had the best meal in my house so far. Although it sounds gross, it was Corn Lasagna. It is not lasagna like we think we meat and tomato sauce....instead it had layers of noodles with cream of corn, cheese, corn, and a white cream sauce. My description does not sound very good, but it was heavenly. I asked for the recipe, and I am waiting for Juana to write it down since she makes it by memory at this point.
After dinner I made my sandwich for the next day. I packed a lunch with my sandwich of jamon crudo, queso, onions, peppers, and carrots. I also brought some baby carrots to snack on and some green pepper in case it all wasn't enough. I was very proud of myself for being healthy and cost effective.
That night, since I had been so productive, as well as the fact I was still a little tired from my trip and the long bus ride the night before, I went to bed very early and enjoyed every minute of it.
Wednesday I woke up early for class at 9am. After class I met up with Alex and Elise and went with them to a deli to buy sandwiches so we could go sit in the park and enjoy our lunches. The park never happened, but we enjoyed them in the courtyard of our school with the sun out. I then had another class at 1pm, and got out of school around 2.30pm. I spent the afternoon going through my to-do list and checking things off.
At 6.30pm, I met up with some other guys on my program for a little pick-up soccer game in a park a few minutes away. We couldn't reserve turf time this week, so we found a paved court with goals and just played a little 3 on 3. It was a great feeling to exercise a little, and after running to the park, I decided that I will start running a few days a week to get my heart pumping and get some good sightseeing in as well.
I enjoyed my dinner tonight since the whole family sat down and discussed a variety of topics. Patricia said that after 3 weeks, my Spanish has improved better than past students at this point. That really made me happy, but I know I have a lot more work ahead of me.
I was supposed to go out tonight and meet up with some friends, but instead I am calling it an early night since I am exhausted from the soccer game. I might still be a little drained from that bus ride, and I think it is a good idea for me to go to bed early one more night before the weekend starts and I don't sleep.
All is well in my life, and I have nothing to complain about. Night.
The grocery store I went to was only a few blocks away and looks very nice from the outside. It looks like the most American supermarket I have passed since, so I was comfortable going in and giving it a go. The downstairs had very general products, almost like a pharmacy....basic everyday things you might need in your house. Then I saw a sign for the upstairs which had fresh food. The only way up was not an elevator or an escalator, but a moving walkway (similar to the airports) on a tilt. You rolled your cart onto the walkway, and the wheels interlocked with the material so that the cart did not roll back onto you. The incline was not to bad, but I thought it was a great concept and don't remember ever seeing it in America. Anyways, once I got upstairs it started looking like a normal grocery store. I went over the deli and ordered some Jamon Crudo and Queso. Everything is with ham here, and the Jamon Crudo is very much like Prosciutto. After the deli I went over to the bread section, picked out some rolls and kept cruising. I made it to the fresh vegetables section, picked out what I wanted, and brought it to the counter where a woman weighed it, and stuck a price tag on the bag to avoid confusion at the register. After I was done shopping I checked out, and for my lunch for the whole week, I got away with only spending about 30 pesos (1o dollars).
At dinner I had the best meal in my house so far. Although it sounds gross, it was Corn Lasagna. It is not lasagna like we think we meat and tomato sauce....instead it had layers of noodles with cream of corn, cheese, corn, and a white cream sauce. My description does not sound very good, but it was heavenly. I asked for the recipe, and I am waiting for Juana to write it down since she makes it by memory at this point.
After dinner I made my sandwich for the next day. I packed a lunch with my sandwich of jamon crudo, queso, onions, peppers, and carrots. I also brought some baby carrots to snack on and some green pepper in case it all wasn't enough. I was very proud of myself for being healthy and cost effective.
That night, since I had been so productive, as well as the fact I was still a little tired from my trip and the long bus ride the night before, I went to bed very early and enjoyed every minute of it.
Wednesday I woke up early for class at 9am. After class I met up with Alex and Elise and went with them to a deli to buy sandwiches so we could go sit in the park and enjoy our lunches. The park never happened, but we enjoyed them in the courtyard of our school with the sun out. I then had another class at 1pm, and got out of school around 2.30pm. I spent the afternoon going through my to-do list and checking things off.
At 6.30pm, I met up with some other guys on my program for a little pick-up soccer game in a park a few minutes away. We couldn't reserve turf time this week, so we found a paved court with goals and just played a little 3 on 3. It was a great feeling to exercise a little, and after running to the park, I decided that I will start running a few days a week to get my heart pumping and get some good sightseeing in as well.
I enjoyed my dinner tonight since the whole family sat down and discussed a variety of topics. Patricia said that after 3 weeks, my Spanish has improved better than past students at this point. That really made me happy, but I know I have a lot more work ahead of me.
I was supposed to go out tonight and meet up with some friends, but instead I am calling it an early night since I am exhausted from the soccer game. I might still be a little drained from that bus ride, and I think it is a good idea for me to go to bed early one more night before the weekend starts and I don't sleep.
All is well in my life, and I have nothing to complain about. Night.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Iguazu Falls Weekend Adventure
Check out the link to pictures to the right to see the highlights from this weekend trip!
We left Buenos Aires at 7pm Friday night and arrived in the small tourist thriving town of Puerto Iguazu at 11am Saturday morning.
This town is at the tip of the Argentine province Mission, and borders Paraguay and Brasil by two surrounding rivers. The town survives due to the high flow of tourist traffic to Iguazu Falls, one of the world's largest waterfalls. Four times the width and taller than Niagara Falls, the only other waterfall I have visited, it was awesome in the true sense of the word.
We started our adventure Saturday after we landed and found our way to the hostel in which we were staying. After unpacking and laying down for a minute we walked to a local place for a good lunch to start our day. After some food we decided to walk to Tres Fronteras, the lookout area onto the intersection of the River Parana and River Iguazu....meaning the point where Argentina, Paraguay, and Brasil meet.
We enjoyed the view of the rivers and the surrounding countries and took a path alongside the river and enjoyed the calmness of the countryside. We walked to the end of the trail, up to the highest point in the town, and down again through the local market area. After a few hours of wandering, we returned to the hostel to rest and get ready for dinner. After asking around we found the perfect place, La Rueda (the wheel) and enjoyed the fine wine, great food, and fantastic live jazz music. After dinner we met up with some other IES students visiting Iguazu this weekend and partied a little with them. We called it an early night since we were starting bright and early the next day.
On Sunday we woke up, walked to the bus station, and took the short 15 minute shuttle from the town to the National Park Site. After paying our entrance fees and entering the park, we spoke with the Tour Providers and made a reservation for a waterfall boat ride at 2pm. We walked from there and explored the upper circuit, a walkway along the top of one part of the waterfalls. The walkways consisted of metal grating, and took us to the edge of a few waterfalls. It was so close and so dangerous it was a little unnerving. We finished the upper and lower circuits before our 2pm appointment for the water boats. The girls bought ponchos, but of course I thought my raincoat would be fine. Little did I know how close to the waterfalls and how soaked I would really get. The boats brought us close to one of the smaller falls, and literally got under the water. Since Kate and I got lucky with the first row seats, we were literally getting water pounded on our heads. Then the driver took us close to the Devil's Throat, the main large gigantic waterfall, and got as close as possible. We were absolutely drenched. After toying with us under the water, we took the speed boats down the river after the falls over rapids. After a while of rapids and figure 8's, we arrived at a dock in the middle of the jungle and got off the boats, dried off, and got onto Jungle Trucks. From there we had a tour guide and drove through the national park preserved jungle back to the main gate of the park. During the tour, in Spanish, I thought I misunderstood the tour guide when she pointed to a spot in the forest and said, "Here, about ten years ago, a little boy was feeding the Coaties (large raccoons) when a hungry Puma mistook the boy for a Coatie, and ate him.....This is why we encourage all of you not to feed the animals." We all laughed and looked at each other thinking we misunderstood.....nope, it was true. After the ride we took the train and walkway over to the Devil's Throat, a enormous overpowering massive waterfall that makes Niagara look like a creek. The millions of gallons pouring over the falls created a turbulent cloud of mist coming from beneath. It amazed us how close the walkway came to the falls, and the the edge of the cliff no less. The railing was only up to my waist, and I was scared that if I tripped over a crack in the walkway I would fall sideways and topple over into the pit of the falls. Even the best pictures in the world can not even start to describe the power that you feel standing at the mouth of this giant work of mother nature. Wow
We left the park at closing and went home to rest, after another great dinner at the same restaurant from the night before we called it an early night again.
On Monday, we only had a little time in the morning since our bus left at 4pm back to Buenos Aires. We woke up early, checked out of the hostel, and checked our luggage at the bus station lockers. We took an early bus and decided to go on the last trail we couldn't fit in the day before, the trek around the Isle de San Martin, and island formed by the falls, in which you took a water taxi over to the beach and walked and hiked around the island. We spent about 2 hours walking around the island and since it was the National Holiday and most tourist had already begun their trip home, the park was empty compared to the day before. We could spend some significant time at the lookout points and we were able to soak in the beauty without having to take a quick picture and move on.
We got back to the town with enough time to have a nice lunch and buy some sandwiches to enjoy on the bus ride home. The bus left exactly on time, and we started our departure back to BA.
After an hour, the bus stopped, and men in official looking uniforms came on the bus and asked for every ones passports. We had thought we had mistakenly taken the wrong bus and that we were going into Brasil, where Americans need special passports to travel, and got very nervous. It ended being a simple security check in Argentina looking for drug smugglers.
Our bus was scheduled to be back in BA for 7am, but we didn't arrive till 10:30am. Although we all felt dirty after the long bus ride, we had gotten a good amount of sleep.
This trip was a great start to an amazing semester of weekend trips to come. We made sure not to forget how special Buenos Aires was, and that we should not travel to much and miss out on all BA has to offer. Iguazu was a natural beauty that will never be fully explained in photos or literature, just a sight I will encourage all traveling in South America to make sure they go and see.
We left Buenos Aires at 7pm Friday night and arrived in the small tourist thriving town of Puerto Iguazu at 11am Saturday morning.
This town is at the tip of the Argentine province Mission, and borders Paraguay and Brasil by two surrounding rivers. The town survives due to the high flow of tourist traffic to Iguazu Falls, one of the world's largest waterfalls. Four times the width and taller than Niagara Falls, the only other waterfall I have visited, it was awesome in the true sense of the word.
We started our adventure Saturday after we landed and found our way to the hostel in which we were staying. After unpacking and laying down for a minute we walked to a local place for a good lunch to start our day. After some food we decided to walk to Tres Fronteras, the lookout area onto the intersection of the River Parana and River Iguazu....meaning the point where Argentina, Paraguay, and Brasil meet.
We enjoyed the view of the rivers and the surrounding countries and took a path alongside the river and enjoyed the calmness of the countryside. We walked to the end of the trail, up to the highest point in the town, and down again through the local market area. After a few hours of wandering, we returned to the hostel to rest and get ready for dinner. After asking around we found the perfect place, La Rueda (the wheel) and enjoyed the fine wine, great food, and fantastic live jazz music. After dinner we met up with some other IES students visiting Iguazu this weekend and partied a little with them. We called it an early night since we were starting bright and early the next day.
On Sunday we woke up, walked to the bus station, and took the short 15 minute shuttle from the town to the National Park Site. After paying our entrance fees and entering the park, we spoke with the Tour Providers and made a reservation for a waterfall boat ride at 2pm. We walked from there and explored the upper circuit, a walkway along the top of one part of the waterfalls. The walkways consisted of metal grating, and took us to the edge of a few waterfalls. It was so close and so dangerous it was a little unnerving. We finished the upper and lower circuits before our 2pm appointment for the water boats. The girls bought ponchos, but of course I thought my raincoat would be fine. Little did I know how close to the waterfalls and how soaked I would really get. The boats brought us close to one of the smaller falls, and literally got under the water. Since Kate and I got lucky with the first row seats, we were literally getting water pounded on our heads. Then the driver took us close to the Devil's Throat, the main large gigantic waterfall, and got as close as possible. We were absolutely drenched. After toying with us under the water, we took the speed boats down the river after the falls over rapids. After a while of rapids and figure 8's, we arrived at a dock in the middle of the jungle and got off the boats, dried off, and got onto Jungle Trucks. From there we had a tour guide and drove through the national park preserved jungle back to the main gate of the park. During the tour, in Spanish, I thought I misunderstood the tour guide when she pointed to a spot in the forest and said, "Here, about ten years ago, a little boy was feeding the Coaties (large raccoons) when a hungry Puma mistook the boy for a Coatie, and ate him.....This is why we encourage all of you not to feed the animals." We all laughed and looked at each other thinking we misunderstood.....nope, it was true. After the ride we took the train and walkway over to the Devil's Throat, a enormous overpowering massive waterfall that makes Niagara look like a creek. The millions of gallons pouring over the falls created a turbulent cloud of mist coming from beneath. It amazed us how close the walkway came to the falls, and the the edge of the cliff no less. The railing was only up to my waist, and I was scared that if I tripped over a crack in the walkway I would fall sideways and topple over into the pit of the falls. Even the best pictures in the world can not even start to describe the power that you feel standing at the mouth of this giant work of mother nature. Wow
We left the park at closing and went home to rest, after another great dinner at the same restaurant from the night before we called it an early night again.
On Monday, we only had a little time in the morning since our bus left at 4pm back to Buenos Aires. We woke up early, checked out of the hostel, and checked our luggage at the bus station lockers. We took an early bus and decided to go on the last trail we couldn't fit in the day before, the trek around the Isle de San Martin, and island formed by the falls, in which you took a water taxi over to the beach and walked and hiked around the island. We spent about 2 hours walking around the island and since it was the National Holiday and most tourist had already begun their trip home, the park was empty compared to the day before. We could spend some significant time at the lookout points and we were able to soak in the beauty without having to take a quick picture and move on.
We got back to the town with enough time to have a nice lunch and buy some sandwiches to enjoy on the bus ride home. The bus left exactly on time, and we started our departure back to BA.
After an hour, the bus stopped, and men in official looking uniforms came on the bus and asked for every ones passports. We had thought we had mistakenly taken the wrong bus and that we were going into Brasil, where Americans need special passports to travel, and got very nervous. It ended being a simple security check in Argentina looking for drug smugglers.
Our bus was scheduled to be back in BA for 7am, but we didn't arrive till 10:30am. Although we all felt dirty after the long bus ride, we had gotten a good amount of sleep.
This trip was a great start to an amazing semester of weekend trips to come. We made sure not to forget how special Buenos Aires was, and that we should not travel to much and miss out on all BA has to offer. Iguazu was a natural beauty that will never be fully explained in photos or literature, just a sight I will encourage all traveling in South America to make sure they go and see.
Thursday and Friday - And the best steak ever
Sorry for the delay but I was away this past weekend. Here is a short recap of the end of last week:
Thursday: Woke up late and went to the kitchen to make some eggs. Was surprised by a bowl of medialunas (some stuffed with dulce de leche) on the counter with a note that read. "Happy Birthday!" It was a great start to my day. After relaxing most of the day and wandering around the city briefly during the afternoon, I was able to revamp my engine and enjoy a day of peace.
A group of us went out to the best steak house in BA, Cabanas De La Lilas. It was amazing. I had a huge 650 gram (who knows how big that is?) steak that was cooked perfectly medium rare and was fantastic. Dinner was great, the service was great, and the experience was fantastic. The check was expensive, but for the quality that we got, it was a bargain in American standards. After dinner we met up with another group of people we met from the states and had a great night barhoping and partying it up for my birthday.
Friday: After sleeping in and feeling a little worn from the night before, I went out for lunch and sat at a cafe and enjoyed some food with my book. It was a really nice way to end a good week that went by really fast. I was preparing most of the day for my upcoming trip to Iguazu Falls this weekend. After packing and getting everything ready, I left my house around 5.45pm and took a bus to the bus station.
The bus station is a giant place in Buenos Aires, mostly because busses are the best way to travel within the country. Although some of the girls I were traveling were a little late to meet up, we got onto the bus on time and it actually left the station 1 minute early. The seats were big and spacious and leaned back nearly the whole way. We were served drinks and dinner although we had brought our own food and relaxed before falling asleep and waking up in the countryside only 2 hours from our destination Saturday morning.
Thursday: Woke up late and went to the kitchen to make some eggs. Was surprised by a bowl of medialunas (some stuffed with dulce de leche) on the counter with a note that read. "Happy Birthday!" It was a great start to my day. After relaxing most of the day and wandering around the city briefly during the afternoon, I was able to revamp my engine and enjoy a day of peace.
A group of us went out to the best steak house in BA, Cabanas De La Lilas. It was amazing. I had a huge 650 gram (who knows how big that is?) steak that was cooked perfectly medium rare and was fantastic. Dinner was great, the service was great, and the experience was fantastic. The check was expensive, but for the quality that we got, it was a bargain in American standards. After dinner we met up with another group of people we met from the states and had a great night barhoping and partying it up for my birthday.
Friday: After sleeping in and feeling a little worn from the night before, I went out for lunch and sat at a cafe and enjoyed some food with my book. It was a really nice way to end a good week that went by really fast. I was preparing most of the day for my upcoming trip to Iguazu Falls this weekend. After packing and getting everything ready, I left my house around 5.45pm and took a bus to the bus station.
The bus station is a giant place in Buenos Aires, mostly because busses are the best way to travel within the country. Although some of the girls I were traveling were a little late to meet up, we got onto the bus on time and it actually left the station 1 minute early. The seats were big and spacious and leaned back nearly the whole way. We were served drinks and dinner although we had brought our own food and relaxed before falling asleep and waking up in the countryside only 2 hours from our destination Saturday morning.
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