IGUAZU!!!

Sorry I didn't get this up earlier. I had to get straight to homework when I got home in Córdoba. And I really, really wanted this post to have photos this time. I still have to wait for my friend Gabriel to return from Buenos Aires before I can upload them to my computer. I was just going to take pictures from my friends' facebooks, but the blogger photo-uploader says they're all too big. (lame)

I can't remember every detail, but I'll try my best. I probably could have done a day-by-day report while I was there since our hostel had wireless internet connection, but it was too slow for my liking.

I went with Julie and Rachel, fellow students of CC-CS, and two of their friends from Church, Mónica and Nathaneal. Nathaneal is a missionary from Chehalis, Washington. (Represent!) And Mónica is from Colombia, and she's teaching English here in Argentina.
We left around noon on Friday, and the bus ride was a little over 24 hours! (Good thing we took the full-cama bus that served two meals!)

The hostel we stayed at was called STOP hostel Puerto Iguazu. It cost around 32 pesos per person, per night. (That's like $10 a night!) This included breakfast and sheets. Here's a link to their website. (I hope it works)
http://www.stophostel.com/Hostel-Iguazu/en

On the day of our arrival we just took the time to unpack and relax, but we also walked over to El Hito de las tres fronteras where the borders of Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina meet. They're all separated by rivers, but the view was spectacular. It was amazing to be that close to 2 other countries at once.

The next day we took a bus to get to the park (only 5 pesos). I ended up having to pay more than expected to get in the park though. We've heard by word-of-mouth that there was a discount with the International Student ID card, but that's a lie. They did have discounts for Argentine and Brazilian residents though. Rachel was the only one who remembered to bring her UNC card that day, (which counted as proof of Argentine residency) and only had to pay 25 pesos to get in. I, however, was stuck paying 85. I can say that I helped pump the local economy that day.

But my God the falls were so beautiful and HUGE! And I can proudly say it was my first time in a real Tropical rainforest! I felt like a kid at Disneyland! There were these raccoon-like creatures called Coati roaming all over the place. We weren't supposed to pet them, but we tried anyway. They were so cute! And Nathaneal really wanted to see a monkey the whole time, but I was the only one that did!

We also payed around 130 pesos to take a truck and boat tour of the falls. The truck part was only mildly interesting. It did make us think of Jurassic park, or going on a Safari through the jungle. But we didn't see any animals on the way. We did, however, stop at a Palm tree as the tour guide gave a five-minute lecture on how palms are used in Argentine food. Not that it wasn't informative, but I didn't go all the way to Iguazu to get a five minute lecture on palm trees.

We finally got to our embarkation point. We put on lifejackets, and they gave us plastic bags to put our shoes and other items in, so they wouldn't get wet. We rode the boat up the river with Argentina on one side and Brazil on the other. And then they took us right to the base of the falls!

It was incredible! There's something about the weight of the falls at the bottom that makes you stop breathing and just stare. Julie and I wished we had goggles, because we wanted so badly to look straight into the falls, but the water kept getting in our eyes. After the ride, we were totally drenched!

Even though we didn't have our visas to go to the Brazil side, I can say from experience that it wasn't all that necessary to our trip. All of the cool stuff was on the Argentina side. The Brazil side basically just has 3 look out points from across the river. On the Argentina side, you get right on top of them, next to them, or right underneath them.

We also took our own lunch into the park, which every visitor should do, because the prices for food there are ridiculous! It was 10 pesos for a bottle of coke!

The next day we took a different excursion into the Jungle (but not in the park.) We paid 100 pesos each to go rappelling and zip-lining! The company picked us up in front of our hostel, and went around the town picking up other tourists that had reservations. To get to our activities we had to go deeper and deeper through this rural area, where everyone lives in shacks. It was unnerving at first, but when we saw all the young kids running up to wave hello, it was a little relieving. We also crossed a shallow river where we saw two kids bathing, with their cow tied to a tree. It was kinda cute!

The rappelling was okay. It was the first time I jumped the whole way down. They normally do the rappelling down a small waterfall and let you get wet, but since it's wintertime, and it was kinda cloudy that day.

There was an Argentine family there that brought their two small boys with them. I think they were around 6 and 9. I was surprised the company let them come along. The older boy went down rappelling by himself, and they tried to let the younger boy do it too, but he was too scared, so they had one of the guides carry him down at the end.

Then we walked all the way over back to the truck, and rode to where we went ziplining! It was separated into three parts with two platforms in between. I don't know exactly how high up it was, but I know it was the longest and highest zipline I've ever been on. AND IT WAS IN THE JUNGLE! Any fear of heights I had just disappeared because I was so amazed, just taking in the scenery, realizing I was really in some place foreign and exciting. And the actual zipline itself was just incredible. It was amazing knowing I was zipping through the canpopy, having my legs and feet brush against leaves and tree branches!

I am so glad I went to Iguazu! And I would totally go back too to take friends and family. It was a great way to spend a vacation.

Que te cumplas feliz! e Invierno

So this past Saturday was Alexis' 21st birthday party ¡Feliz Cumpleaños Alexis! She had her party at a friend's apartment close to the Plaza España. Now the first part was basically a previa which is when everyone drinks before going out dancing. There was Fernet, Quilmes, and Gancia, with Coke and Sprite to mix it with. They also had brownies with dulce de leche spread on top. (It was like a sweet mouthgasm with bite!)

Fernet is this nasty drink that's really popular here in Argentina, but it's too strong to drink alone, you have to mix it with something. Even when I had some that was like, one tiny spit of Fernet drowned in Coke, it tasted nasty. Although the taste is growing on me a little. I don't like it, but it doesn't bother as me much. I guess that what happens when it's frequently the only free drink at certain places. What's funny is that Fernet is an Italian drink apparently, and that it's all imported here, but I don't ever remember seeing or hearing of Fernet when I lived in Italy. I guess Argentina is what solely keeps that business going. It's also an herbal drink, and one of the CC-CS students concluded that the reason the Argentines drink it so much is to help their digestive tracts since they eat so much meat, which makes sense.

The one thing that made this party different from other Argentine parties that I've been to is that Alexis and her friend bought all the booze and food beforehand and didn't require anyone to brink their own drinks or money. (Taylor brought over Fernet and Coke anyway, and the bottle of Fernet got knocked over and spilled all over the floor.)

At about 1:30 we all left the apartment and all walked over as a group to Club Illia. On the way we were stopped by a traffic officer, not because we were doing anything wrong, but because he wanted a picture with Alexis, and then Doreidy. And of course when he was getting his picture taken, the traffic just went on behind him. (This is how most Police officers do their job here in Argentina.)

We all got in line and it moved pretty fast, even though it was long, and it wasn't a bad boliche really. Because we all managed to get in before 2 am we all got in free. (To get in free at ZEN you have to put your name on the list online and show up before 1am) And luckily there was a coat-check at Club Illia, only three pesos for my coat and scarf.

I stayed there with Alexis and some of her friends until closing time at 5am. A few people were trickling out and leaving early for different things. I know Taylor and Brian left about 45 minutes before I did to get a pancho. (A pancho here is a long hotdog with a lluvia de papas fritas which a bunch of tiny crunchy french fries that they cover the whole hotdog with.)

The line at the guadaropa took awhile to get through, but when I finally got my coat, I went outside and saw the huge crowds of people milling about on the streets exiting all of the boliches, and trying to catch cabs. I walked over to Avenida Velez Sarsfield where it was better lit and less crowded so I would have a better chance of catching a cab home. It was a pretty good night.

I know I've been saying how much I dislike boliches and don't really care to go to them, but the idea of going to one doesn't scare me as much as it did back in February when I had that one really crappy night. I think it's because now I have a game plan with friends before I go in, and I don't get nervous when I go to places that I have been to before. A lot of it for me is knowing what the boliches are like beforehand, and knowing that I can trust the whole group of people I am going with.

There are quite a few CC-CS that are having or have had birthdays here in Argentina. Taylor did back in February, Rebecca, Alexis, and Heike this month. Some of them have asked me when my birthday is, and what I plan to do. They look kind of disappointed when I tell them I already had mine waaay back in December. (And I already know what I'm going to be doing! Studying for finals and packing my bags for Christmas break!)

And winter really has arrived here in Argentina. The good news is, is that it doesn't get cold enough here to snow in the city. But I've been wearing my winter jacket these past two weeks. I brought a jacket, gloves, and two scarves down here in Argentina, but I don't have a hat. I guess that should prompt me to go buy Argentine knitting needles and yarn to make myself one to wear while I'm down here. But I'm going to hold off on spending until my trip to IGUAZU!!!!!!!!!!!

I am soo excited! And we looked at the weather report. It's up north, so it won't be as cold there as it is here when we go up. It would suck to go up and walk around the giant waterfalls and get wet and cold at the same time. I'm going up on Thursday and coming back to Córdoba next Wednesday. And the bus tickets are only 275 pesos for each way, and the hostel we're staying at is only 37 pesos per person per night (3 pesos is around 1 US dollar.) But the bus rides are going to be sooo long! The ride is going to be over 24 hours. My bus on Thursday leaves around 12:45 pm and we'll get to Iguazu around 1:30 pm the next day. I'm going to have to pack a good book, some snacks, and make sure my ipod is good and charged. I can't wait!

Also, sadly, Federica is going to be leaving us soon. Her last day is May 28, two days after I get back. But we get yet another exchange student in the house! We're having another college student from Texas, Megan, arrive on the 25th of May. (A day before I come back.) I don't remember if Megan is going to be here for one or two months, but she's taking classes here in PECLA I think. There's at least 2-3 universities that have their own private programs here at PECLA/UNC, outside of CC-CS.

I'll be writing again after I get back from Iguazu Falls! And I'll try to use my Gabriel's SD card reader so that I can post pictures with it!

¡Buenas Noticias!

. . . . . Or Good News! as we would say it in English.

Soledad is pregnant! Juan Pablo and Soledad are going to parents and Mimi is going to be a grandmother. Sole has been going through different types of in vitro treatments and such this past month and a half, and with success!

Soledad learned that I know how to knit a few weeks ago, and a few days past I showed her pictures of all the things I knit for Anya's baby. She really liked the overalls I made and now wants me to make some for her baby. If I had my needles and instructions I could just buy yarn and whip up a new pair in three and a half days. But it's all going to have to wait, at least until after my trip to Iguazu falls.

We celebrated the good news by ordering empanadas and having them delivered to the house. And they were DELICIOUS!

I have to head to bed now. It's almost 12:30 am and I need to get up by 7:30 in order to get up and put of the house on time to catch a decent bus.

¡Hasta Mañana!

ZEN

So last night after dinner I met up with Gabriel, Jennifer, and Meike in the Plaza de Intendencia, where we just chilled for awhile drinking mate and smoking from Gabriel's hookah. Meike then suggested we go to ZEN later that night, which is known as Córdoba's best gay club.

Somewhere around 9 we split from Meike and went over to Gabriel's house to hang out until 12:15. Gabriel was having dinner, so Jen and I bought some empanadas and some coke so Gabriel's family wouldn't have to feed us dropping in unexpected.

We met up with Meike later that night and took a taxi over. But we got there a little late and the line was kind of long, because by the time we got to the entrance it was 1:15, and at 1am is when they start charging to get in. Next time we're going in earlier. Thank God the coat check was cheap.

But the drinks we shared were alright, and the music kinda sucked at the beginning of the night, but got better later on. And the people we met got better later on too.

The first guy that came up to us asked us where we were all from, and when he figured out we were estadounidenses he tried to speak English to us. His English seemed to be limited to "You're Beautiful" "How old are you?" and "F**k me please!"

But we met nicer people when we sitting outside during the times Jen needed her cigarette break. So here's how a lot of these meetings go. People come up to Meike first, and she introduces herself. She tells them she's from Germany, but the moment she points to us and tells people we're from the United States, they light up and try to see if they can use their English on us. (If they actually know any.)

But there was one group of nice guys that we talked to. I don't remember the names of anyone we talked to last night though. They couldn't remember ours either, because one guy kept referring to both me and Jen as 'Katerine.' One of the guys was really nice to talk to. He said he was from near Iguazu falls, and that he wished more people knew about Latin America and how diverse it was. I talked about how I had lived in other countries before, and that I was half Lithuanian and half Slovakian. He told me that I looked Lithuanian (though I doubt he actually knows what Lithuanians look like.) He was then pointing out his friends and saying what all of their ethnicities were, and he said his grandparents were German immigrants. I also learned that this same guy lives only three blocks from me. He told me where he lived first, that he lived in Alta Córdoba and that he lives along a street not too far from mine. I didn't give him my exact address, just that I lived close by. If he was going to try looking for me though, I think Mimi would be answering the door, asking who he was, and then turning him away. (So no creepy stalkers. I think I'm safe.)

A common theme that comes up when we talk to Argentines, is our impression of their country and their city, and how much of Argentina we've seen. Most of them are aware that there's a huge majority of Americans that don't understand that not all of the countries in Latin America are the same, and that they're not all like Mexico, and they're not all poor. I think they take the time to ask these questions to make sure that as representatives of the US that are going back, they want to be able to leave a good impression, so that we can bring it back with us, and let people know. Especially since many say they don't have the money to go to the United States themselves.

They also ask us about what it's like in the US, because the majority of what they know comes from the slough of Hollywood movies that come pouring through. Every English slang term or colloquialism they know comes from seeing american movies. Last night it was specifically about high school. One of the guys asked, "In all the movies I see about high schools, it's all about this popularity? Is that true? Is that what it's like?" So we got into this discussion of what my high school life was like, that Hollywood overdramatizes everything, and that other high schools are different, and that I especially noticed this from going to so many different schools, and then meeting all the different people in College who went to different places.

Now I'm still not a huge fan of the boliches. This was actually the first time I've been to one in weeks. It's just something the majority of the Argentine youth does for fun. I went enough to figure it out and experience it for myself, but if I don't do it anymore, I don't think I'll be missing out on much. But if I do go back to a boliche, I may just stick with ZEN.

But the rest of our night consisted of following around a drunk Meike trying to make sure she didn't get lost and hurt herself. And we stayed until it closed at 5:15 am. There's a recent law here in Córdoba saying that all boliches and bars have to close at 5am, so around that time the police show up to monitor and make sure everyone leaves without any problems. We all shared a cab, and I ended up getting home and in bed around 6am, and waking up around 2:15 am. Just another weekend here in Argentina. Though I don't feel like partying that hard any time soon.

Boletos

So basically I've just been hanging out around Córdoba, going to classes, finishing up school projects, studying. But all this week I've been working on what I'm going to do for the Semana de Mayo, and finally got it figured out.
I'm heading up to Iguazu with Raquel, Julie, and their Colombian friend Monica. We bought our bus tickets today for the way up, now we all we have to do is make reservations for our hostel.
And that's what I'm doing! And I haven't been getting a full 8 hours rest these past couple of nights, so now it's time for a siestaaa!!!!!
Hasta Luego!