its been a while

Last weekend my OU professor was able to get all of us free tickets to a show at Teatro Colon.  Even though my attention span may be shorter than most when it comes to orchestra shows, this was not an opportunity that you could turn away.  We went to the 2 hour show and it was absolutely wonderful. Not only is the inside and outside of the building absolutely stunning, but the acoustics sounded perfect.

DID I MENTION THAT MY PARENTS ARE COMING TO VISIT IN A WEEK?!! I am so excited! Even though it feel like time has been flying here, the only aspect that makes it seem at times slow, is that I miss my family and friends a lot.  And how could I forget my lil pups Bella and Beau?

This past weekend, my roommate, Molly and I traveled to Cordoba, Argentina.  It was about a 12 hour bus ride.  We left Thursday night and we were so excited that we got to the terminal an hour early.  However, we were thinking that this would be just perfect because it would give us a little time in case we got lost.  We were thinking that this lil experience would be just like if you were going to the airport.  We arrived early and were ready to board 40 minutes before take off.  We could not have been more wrong...We began to get anxious when we did not see the bus 30 minutes before it was supposed to leave.  The anxiousness only amplified until we saw the bus pull up to the stop 5 minutes after the time that it was supposed to be leaving the station.  With a sigh of relief we then had to remind ourselves that we are on "Argentina time."

The bus ride was terrible to say the least. (too cold, couldn't sleep, mystery food, and screaming old men) Although, it was all worth it! Molly and I were going to Cordoba to see my friends who I had made when I was in Argentina this past December and January.  They gave a grand tour to Molly of the whole city just as they had done for me before.  Saturday we traveled to the country.  This is the mountain and valley area of Argentina.  It was absolutely beautiful.  We also traveled through a German town and tasted some new food.

I can not put into words the hospitality that my Argentine friends showed us while we were there.  They are some of the kindest people I have ever met and would literally do anything for Molly and I.  We arrived back in Buenos Aires early this morning so it has been a long but GREAT weekend!

world class

Today my group got and exclusive tour inside the world renown Theater Colon.  We started off the morning with a tour with all the other normal tourists, but the fun didn't stop there.  One of our instructors was able to show us all the inter-workings of the theater.  Theater Colon has been know to be "too perfect."  This is due to its acoustics.  It is said that if someone is playing an instrument in one of the concerts and plays the wrong note, it would be very obvious because the acoustics are so perfect.   In this theater there are 3 types of shows: Ballet, Opera, and Orchestra concerts.  Theater Colon is one of the top 2 theaters in the world.  People from all over come to this theater to see shows.  Our tour guide was telling us this is a place to see and be seen.  Lots of people from the upper class spend their nights conversing with the other elites before and after the shows.  Luckily my teacher got us all free tickets to a show on Sunday!

So after our regular tour, one of our instructors, Omar, showed us the exclusive tour.  Omar works at the Theater Colon and knows are the ins and outs.  We first went below the theater into an area called, "Obras de experimentacion."  This means experimental shows.  Its not as weird as it sounds...I promise!  This is where many ideas are made and practiced to see if they would be good for the real stage.  We continued through the whole theater and saw where they make all the costumes, storage rooms, film and video workshops and more!  The coolest part was when we were able to walk out on the main stage of the Theater Colon.  For a few moments we pretended like we were the main act for our audience of 20 people.  I think all of us really didn't realize what a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity that was because our directors of our program kept freaking out and saying how "divina" this experience was!  Here are some pics from it!

Lions, Tigers & Bears, OH MY!

I am continuing to add to my list of things that I have either seen or done in Argentina that I never thought possible.  Adding to that list is the Lujan Zoo.  This is a zoo that is located about a hour and a half outside of the city of Buenos Aires.  This is not your ordinary type of petting zoo because it actually allows you to enter into the cages with lions, tigers, and bears.  I was very hesitant to do so at first, but after watching several people walk into the cages before me and come out alive, I figured that I would be ok.  Clearly I survived my visit to the zoo, otherwise I would not be writing this post right now.  My day consisted of petting tigers, lions and llamas.  Don't forget the camel rides and feeding baby ducks.  Another few of the highlights were the baby lions, the goat that was born hours before we arrived, and my all time favorite (and my mom's), the BABY PIG!!! It's quite possible that I have never seen something so cute in my entire life.  While most of the tourists were fawning over the lions, you could find me playing with the little piglet.

As you might have come to realize, this is not your typical zoo.  I read many articles before venturing to the Lujan Zoo about the treatment of the animals.  To say the least, this is a very controversial zoo.  The management of the zoo say that the animals are so tranquil because they are raised from birth with dogs so that they know how to be docile and interact with humans.  Many of the articles that I have read say that it is impossible just for the animals to have been raised by dogs and behave so calmly.  Therefore, many people believe that that animals are drugged so that they can be around humans.  From my reading from the internet, it was difficult to see what case seemed more plausible. Even after my adventure to the zoo, I am still not sure what to believe.  All I know is that these animals are not meant to be in a zoo and raised so that humans can take pictures with them everyday.  Don't get me wrong, it was one of the coolest experiences to pet a lion, but obviously this is not the ideal life for these animals. The living conditions were also very unimpressive.  All in all, it was definitely an experience I will never forget, but one time was enough for me!

Here are a few other snippets from my list of "never thought...in Argentina"

1. I never thought that I would be locked inside my own house.  This morning I accidentally left my keys with a friend and no one was at the house to let me out.  (you must unlock the door from the inside to get out)  Good thing I discovered this problem 25 minutes before my class started...NOT.  Did I mention I left my cell phone also with a friend.  No communication. Locked in.  Great start...

2. I never thought a dog walker would be such a popular job.  One day I saw a man walking 20.  Some of the dogs have mouth guards, which kinda scare me a little.

3.  I never thought that I would be able to be underneath a waterfall.  Iguazu was an indescribable experience.

4. I never thought that the black and white striped joker pants would be in here.  News flash!! They very much are! Don't worry, I can take orders for anyone who wants them back home!

5. I never thought I would get a tattoo! VIVE ARGENTINA!!!

*just kidding about the last one mom and dad!

full on emersion

So I have been having to do a lot of old, Spanish literature reading for many of my classes and I have finally stumbled across some that I like.  Here is a poem written by Jorge Manrique during the mid 1400's.

Este mundo es el camino

para el otro, que es morada

sin pesar;

mas cumple tener buen tino

para andar esta jornada

sin errar.

Partimos cuando nacemos, 

andamos mientras vivimos, 

y llegamos

al tiempo que fenecemos;

asi que cuando morimos 

descansamos.

Go ahead and look it up if you are so inclined! Yesterday we went to Casa Rosada and we got a tour of the inside.  Casa Rosada is the equivalent to the White House in the United States.  The President, Cristina Kirchner, does not live there, by comes to the house by helicopter every single day.  This is where all the important press conferences, bill passing, and ambassadors to other countries come to meet with the highest authorities in Argentina.  What I have concluded from my local friends here is that the majority of them are not in favor of Kirchner.  I have been told that all of the poor people love her, but the working class and upper class does not.  

On the balcony at Casa Rosada

Puerto Madero (Ship is in the background)

After the tour, my friends and I meet up with our local friend, Maia.  Maia is a law student here in Buenos Aires and has been such an amazing friend.  We all went to THE BEST PIZZA PLACE IN THE WORLD, Kentucky Pizza.  It is a chain here and it is honestly the best tasting pizza I have ever had.  We then took our sight-seeing to Puerto Madero where we toured an old war ship.  

keldeck, kesy

Growing Up Experience #238

Yesterday I continued to not feel very well so I decided to get some more meds.  In Argentina, you do not need a prescription from the doctor in order to get medicine at the local pharmacy.  Therefore, I hopped on my computer and decided to WebMD myself.  Even though I was pretty confident that I had a sinus infection, I just wanted to see what it said. Lo and behold...WebMD said that it was a sinus infection.  Then I decided to embrace the rain and go to the pharmacy to get some medicine.  This was only the beginning of the rough day.  The extremely rude pharmacist told me that she could give me some medicine (hesitantly), but she didn't know the quantity and how often I should take it.  After then telling her that I am also allergic to penicillin (the usual remedy for a sinus infection), she became fully confident in the fact I NEED to go to a doctor to find out more secure details.  Clearly my own diagnosis with the backup of WebMD was not enough for her.

I came back home frustrated that this little adventure was turning out to be more difficult than I thought.  My host mom was at the house and told me that she would take me to the local clinic.  Thrilled that I would have someone to help me with any technical vocabulary, we jumped in the car and drove to a private clinic.  Once we arrived, she told me that she had errands to do and that I will do great. UHHH...lets just say I was so nervous.  I had no idea how the system worked here and what if they couldn't understand me? I took a deep breath and walked up to the main check in counter.  I told the man why I was sick and that I needed an appointment.  Then he asked for my identification.  (Susana told me I didn't need to bring it) This is when the eye rolling began...on his part! After conversing with some of his colleagues, they collectively decide that they could make an exception.  He proceeded to ask me what my last name was.  I responded and he looked back at me with the biggest eye roll I have ever seen.  (due to the fact that Kehlbeck is not a common last name and he had no clue how to spell it) I told him how to spell it and he still got it wrong.  Then he asked for my first name.  I told him, "Kelsey."  This clearly did not suffice as I got another eye roll and was told to spell it.  After that whole process, he told me to wait while he went to go get my "factura."  In Argentina, "factura" is a type of croissant with filling.  I was thinking to myself, awww how sweet, finally this is turing around and he is getting me a little snack as a "welcome to the clinic."  I couldn't have been more disappointed when he returned with a long fax looking receipt, which is also called a factura.

I was shown the waiting room in which there were no chairs to sit in expect for this tiny middle spot on a couch.  I got a couple glares as I moved in the direction of the couch to sit down.  After waiting for about an hour, I heard my name called, "keldeck, kesy." Well...I guess thats me! Luckily, the doctor was very kind and I did not have any trouble understanding or communicating with her.  And in conclusion, she told me I had a SINUS INFECTION! She was able to write me a prescription with the quantity on it so now the pharmacist would understand.  So now that I have meds, I am hopefully on the up and up!

Today my group is taking a tour of Casa Rosada.  This is the equivalent to the White House here. I am very excited to see some of the inner-workings of the government.

my new career

So ladies and gentlemen, I am here announcing that I have changed my career path and now I have completely found a new passion for cutting hair.  Just kidding.  (But at least I have a fall back) So anyways, yesterday morning, I had just woken up and right outside my room was my host mom, Susana.  She started speaking super fast and the only work I caught was "hair."  I responded with, "ok."  Minutes later she showed up at my room telling me she was ready.  UMM FOR WHAT? (is what I was thinking)  She had gone to get her hair wet and was waiting at my room with a pair of scissors in her hand.  Now I was getting the picture.  She then told me she tried cutting her own hair but it ended up looking bad and now she wanted me to give it a whirl.  Well, with all my experience that I have had, I was fully confident in my abilities...NOT.  However, she just wanted me to cut off an inch and cut straight across.  Luckily, she was pleased with the outcome.  So once I come home, if anyone needs a hair cut, you know who to call!

What if...

So today I have decided to compile a list of "must knows" for those of you seeking to be a local here in Argentina.  Much of this also applies if you are wanting to travel to South America.

1. In Argentina, they use the word "vos" instead of the Tu form.  For example, you may be asked, "Que queres?" instead of "Que quieres."  It is a little difficult in the beginning to get used to, but with a little practice, it aint no big thang.

2. In the winter, EVERYONE wears dark clothing.  Pack blacks, grays, navy blue, and an occasional white shirt.  However, if you want to stick out, all you have to do is throw in some color.  The umbrella I have been using lately is multi-colored with flowers.  I have already been told from a local that it looks like a "little girl" umbrella.  Oh well, BE DIFFERENT! Also, for all the girls out there, the little booties that stop at your ankles are SUPER in fashion!

3. Do not believe everything you read on the internet.  This past friday it was rainy so I was researching fun things to do on the internet when I came across Tierra Santa.  This Jesus theme park was on a list of top things to do in Buenos Aires.  While it seemed very intriguing by saying, "The first religious theme park in the world," I felt as this was a MUST see.  However, I found it not to be all that it was cracked up to be.  As we walked into the park, there were maybe 2 other tourists in sight.  (And thats pushing it) It was bizarre to see many people dressed up as if they were in Jerusalem and I took it upon myself to get a picture with a centurion.  As we scoured the park looking for the so-called "roller coaster," in which we actually only found a carousel.  (all the figures on the carousel were camels and other biblical characters.  The weirdest experience of the day was when a 50 foot Jesus rose from a mountain every 30 minutes.  As he rose from the mountain, the Hallelujah chorus played throughout the park.  Jesus blinked his eyes a few times, did a circle and then, peacefully, returned inside the mountain.  I have to saw this was one of the craziest things I have seen thus far. (except for the replica of a man I saw in the park who was identical to Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean.  Down to the braids and sword.  He had it all.)  DISCLAIMER: I LOVE JESUS, however, this park was a very weird and definitely an unforgettable experience.

4.  If you throw in the word, "Mira" a few times, people will begin to think you're more Argentine.  It means, "Wow, oh my or golly gee wilikers"  Well maybe not the last one, but you get the idea.

5. If you are here in August, like I am, DO NOT forget a rain jacket, rain boots, or an umbrella.  Trust me, you will regret it daily.

6. If you try the chocolate bar, Kinder Bueno or Mantecol, get ready for a severe addiction.

7.  If you like compliments, this is the place for you.  (Well this does not exactly apply to the male population out there) As you walk the street of the city men say quick phrases as women walk by.  Most of the time they are very nice things.  All you do is keep your head down and walk faster. Or, thats at least what I do.  The one I heard the other day was, "La reina del cielo." This means, "Queen of the heavens."  Niceeeee, I'm definitely going to respond to that one! So original...

8. Volunteer, get involved, meet new people! This is some of the best advice I could give to someone going to study or live abroad.  It gives you new insight to the culture and people.  No one knows the culture like the locals do, so do not be afraid to make new friends!

9. TRY NEW THINGS and be open minded.  There are many new foods here, some of which I would never touch back home.  However, it is rude to not try some of the foods that people prepare for you.  I have actually found that I like many of these new foods.  Adding to that list are: onions, red peppers, gourd and others that I'm not even sure of the name.

10.  Out smart them before they outsmart you.  It is beyond OBVIOUS who are the tourists when they come to visit Buenos Aires.  Therefore, know the tricks of the trade before you arrive.  Many of these are:
-never carry your passport with you
-carry only the amount of money you will need for that day
-keep your purse close to you
-do not be on your cell phone in a bus or crowed place (people will take it right out of your hand)
-walk with a purpose
-know the money.  Know what is a fair price and what is a "tourist price"
-do not let them cheat you.  If you know spanish this is SUPER helpful when it comes to paying.  If they know you don't know the language, they will often give you a less amount back if you are needing change.
-Try to appear as though you do not have much money at all.  Do not wear jewelry or fancy clothing.

While many of these things might portray Buenos Aires to be a scary place, it really is quite the contrary if you are aware of your surroundings and the tactics.  I AM HAVING THE TIME OF MY LIFE! The cheesy quote, "Do not let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game" just popped into my head, but it is the perfect way to describe my thoughts.  If you are too worried about the "what ifs" in life, then you will miss out on a lot that life has to offer.  You only have one life, TRAVEL, DIVE INTO NEW CULTURES, DO SOMETHING YOU NEVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE!

Quick Update

1. I got my hair cut for $15 USD yesterday.  Yes, people that is correct! However, the process was a little different than in the U.S.  I walked in hoping to make an appointment, when the hairstylist tells me that you don't make appointments, first come first serve.  Alrighty then...I waited for about 20 minutes until my turn.  He took me over to the sink to wash my hair, however he didn't wash it, he just got it wet. (Apparently to wash your hair is an additional cost)  I then told him that I would just like a nice trim to get the ends of my hair healthy again.  Well surprise! He cut off 5-6 INCHES! For the male population that reads my blog...you may find this to be not a big deal or slightly dramatic, but trust me that is ALOT! Anyways, he spent about 5 minutes cutting my hair and then blew it dry for one minute. Therefore, my hair was still soaking as I left the salon.  All in all, it was a very different experience. But, a very cheap and quick one!

2. Susana and I watched the final episode of "Missing" last night. WOOOWZERS that was a heart stopper.  I think some of her personality is now rubbing off on me because throughout the whole show we are both gasping and screaming at the T.V.

3. Today is Recruitment Bid Day at the University of Oklahoma.  I could not be more excited for my sister! LOVE YOU KAT!

PEACE, LOVE, AND TRI DELTA

No words

I have no clue where to even begin to start describing what an amazing weekend I had.  So friends...lets start at the beginning.

Thursday, we all boarded onto this double decker bus and set out for la provencia de Missiones.  This little side trip lasted 13 hours on the bus.  However, as dreadful as that sounds...this bus was top of the line.  The hostess/flight attendant man came around and offered us all chocolates. Not a bad way to start ehh? We later were offered dinner and snacks and when the lights went off, I reclined my chair and fell asleep.  Bright and early at 6 the next day, the lights flickered on as we were approaching our final destination.  We had a delicious breakfast of a few crackers and dulce de leche and we were on our way!

We finally arrived and our first stop was a ranch were we spent the whole day.  This blew my expectations out of the water.  It was a beautiful piece of land that stretched for many miles.  There was a swimming pool, tennis court, volley ball court, and a ping pong table.  The whole day we went from sport to sport competing against each other.  It was a little hard to restrain my competitiveness.  I mean...who really likes to lose? The owners at the ranch also served us more food than I would be able to eat in an entire lifetime.  Maybe thats an exaggeration, but really.  I have to admit, I have become quite a connoisseur of meats.  In the afternoon, the owners showed us their mate farm.  For those of you who do not know what mate is...here we go! This is literally an addictive drug to the people here.  It is sort of like hot tea.  People walk around the city carrying their mate mugs with long straws and they always offer to share with their friends.  I'm not a huge fan of this tradition, but the majority of people in Argentina are OBSESSED with it.

Saturday was one of the best days of my life.  This is not an exaggeration people! We went to Iguazu Falls and I wish there were words that could accurately describe it.  We hiked around the falls all day and I took millions of pictures of the waterfalls.  It was one of the most breathtaking sites I have ever seen.  The coolest part of the day was when we took a boat inside the waterfall.  This was an experience I will never forget.  We all climbed into the boat with our huge, orange life jackets and were ready for the adventure.  As we got close to the falls, the guide put his waterproof hood up and tightened it so only his eyes were showing.  This is when I knew it was about to get real.  And boy did it get real fast.  The driver drove straight into the falls and I was dripping in water from head to toe.  However, this did not stop us as we screamed, "Mas, Mas!"  That means, "More, More!"  The driver would then drive even farther into the falls.  It was the craziest thing to look straight up and watch the water come rushing down.  Although, the majority of the time, I was squinting my eyes because the water was so powerful.

Sunday was our last day at Iguazu Falls and we went to visit a civilization that lives in the middle of no where.  They still use many forms of hunting and gathering in order to obtain food and substance for their village.  They live in many ways that people did about a 100 years ago.  They pride themselves in being a tight-knit community of about 2,000 people that they like the slow pace of life.  However, I found it sad that the majority of their income comes from giving tours of their village to foreigners.  I'm not so sure I would like tours to be given of where I live.

It is safe to say that this weekend I had the time of my life and luckily the only downer was that I got sick.  Only for about a day and a half did I lose my voice but now I believe I am on the up and up.  One last thing...I am so sad that I am not in Norman right now during rush with my little sister.  She is going through the Recruitment process right now and I wish I could see her in all her adorable outfits!

 TRI THE REST...PLEDGE THE BEST. RUSH DELTA DELTA DELTA!

my mind is spinning

Evita

I think I am currently on the way of developing ADD.  This past week I feel like my mind has been all over the place.  Half of the time I am thinking, talking and reading in Spanish and then the other times in English.  So much has happened in the past few days that I just have not been able to slow down and think (in either language).  I actually was on the phone the other day with my mom and I ended up asking her the same question several times because I was listening but I guess it just was not registering.  I mean...it is very distracting here.  Constantly I am dreaming of these frozen chocolate bananas that I buy at a little corner shop, or I am focused on not stepping in dog poop (which is literally everywhere), or I am making a mental list of everything I have to do that day.  Wow geeezzz my mind is spinning.  Did I mention that we are going to Iguazu Falls on Thursday and for the weekend!!! I seriously can't wait! If you have not heard of these, then I don't know where you have been and you better be googling them right now!

I'm going to try and be a little organized and give you a list of some cool experiences that I have had lately:

1. Saturday night was the celebration of one of the guys's birthdays in my group.  We all went out to dinner and then hit the night life in Buenos Aires.  So here is the down low on the boliches (clubs): it is so much better to be a girl! It costs less to get in and you get to cut the forever ending line waiting to pay.  So anyways if you like to dance and if you like to dance to Spanish pop music, the boliches are for you! The whole night I found myself trying to imitate the dance moves of the locals and I was moving my lips a little to pretend like I knew the lyrics.  I am sure they all thought I was a true Portena (A girl born in Buenos Aires).

YUMMY CHEESE FRIES

2. REY DE REYS! This means King of Kings.  This is the name of the church I went to on Sunday with some of my friends.  A few things you need to know about attending church here: a) you must wait in line outside the church until the indicated time it starts (good time to make new friends!) b) be prepared for a 3 hour service c) as I have said, dancing and singing are very popular here.  Get ready to move and shake! d) Don't be shy! This is by far one of the coolest experiences I have had while I have been here in Buenos Aires.  They played sounds by Hillsong and many other popular artists, but they were in Spanish! It was amazing to see how the people are so outspoken about their love for Christ.  This is exactly how we should be! While Argentina is dominantly Catholic, I couldn't believe the amount of people that were at the 1 of 4 church services that are held.  The energy in the room was something that is indescribable and something that someone must experience in order to fully comprehend what I am saying.

3. Well folks, it is week 2 of school.  Yesterday started off with a bang, as I had a new teacher in my Latin America and U.S. Relations class.  She is a spunky, blunt, and is an engaging Portena that is very interested in her students.  Our discussion began with her telling us about her experience.  She was born in Buenos Aires, but has taught school in the U.S. for many years.  She grew up in the 60's and 70's and explained to us that she was brought up to think that the U.S. was the imperial evil.  This is because it appeared as if the U.S. was flourishing and that no one was poor.  It was considered close to heaven because it had Hollywood and money.  Boyyy, was she surprised when she arrived to see for herself.  While the U.S. did live up to many of her pre-concieved thoughts, it also did not in many ways. As time has passed, the Argentineans view the United States in a different light, but for those that have not visited the "land of the home and the free," they still believe much like my teacher did.

4. My new favorite corner shop = Crazy Chips.  Don't ask me why the name is in English, but all you need to know is the empanadas rock and the frozen chocolate banana will change your life.

5. I went to the Ronald McDonald House yesterday.  I spent the majority of my time playing with an 8 year old girl.  We were outside and pretended that the treehouse was a boat in which we sailed to many different countries.  We first started out in Argentina (duh!), then I showed her my home in Texas  (we rode a few horses), then we went to England and met the Queen, and we finally ended up in Australia and swam with a few sharks.  It was so much fun playing this pretend game and I had forgotten what large imaginations children have.  Tomorrow is another one of the kids birthdays, so my friends and I are going to celebrate with him!

6. The temperature is on the rise. Hallelujah!

7.  Watched the second to last Episode of "Missing" with my host mother last night.  You better believe there were tons of gasps, shouts and groans!  I have to admit, I am really getting into the show.  Next week is the finale and you know where Susana and I will be at 9 PM!

la cucaracha

La Boca

Creepy cat, Mora, that meows all night out my window!

My new university!

My mom is an AMAZING cook! Just our typical steak meal and she always cooks dessert!

Just repping our new favorite soccer team: RIVER PLATA

Cool wall art

In the Evita museum

Well guys...I have had my heart attack for the day.  As I was standing next to the little heater in my room trying to warm up a little, I notice a little movement by my toes. (Side note: you can change the heater in my room from the icon, one flame or two flames.  Its a 2 flame kind of day and I guess that little guy down there wanted to warm up too!) WHAT THE HECK, IT WAS A COCKROACH! This sounds really pathetic, but these creatures rank up there with some of my least favs.  I immediately jumped onto my desk chair and called my mom.  (haha yes I understand there was nothing she could do in the US)  As I was frantically telling her the dire situation, the creature starts making weird noises.  So the dilemma was: kill it myself (you have got to be kidding me. That was ruled out fast) or go ask Susana (my host mom) to kill it.  Well it ended up being the second option and I ran downstairs saying, "Susana, por favor, ayudame!!! Hay una cucaracha esta en mi dormitorio!"  As we were marching up the stairs all I could hum in my head was, "la cucaracha la cucaracha eyyy." It kind of was like our march into battle.  With the bug spray in head, Susana marched over and slapped it with her shoe and told me that it was so easy.  Well, if another comes she better understand that I will need her assistance again!

So for the past few days the weather in Buenos Aires has been very dreary.  Yesterday my friend Sterling and I got caught in a serious down pour.  I had clearly made a huge mistake in picking out my outfit yesterday because I was wearing vans, absolutely no waterproof clothing, and did not have an umbrella.  Sterling and I were running the streets while I ran with my red jacket over my head.  Im sure the locals thought we were completely mental.  Last night I cranked up the heater to 2 flames and let all my clothes and shoes dry overnight.

Today, Karlye and I went to the Evita museum.  Let's just say today was another adventure for the books.  It probably took at least 10 people to help direct us in the correct location.  I seriously thought I had just finished a marathon by the time that we made it.  (Little did I know this was just the beginning) Evita is also known as Eva Peron and she was an influential woman in Argentine history.  She was beloved among the people and always did what she believed to be in the best interests of the country.  She was an actress and a political activist.  If you have time, you should research her because she is super cool!

So anyways the trek back to my home ended up being very misleading.  Karlye and I saw a street that we recognized so we walked a little to try and find a bus stop.  There was not one. For almost 4 miles.   We kept coming up to the next block and we would say something like, "Oh, this next one looks promising."  We did this until we ended up almost home.  Boots with the little heel I wore today = bad bad idea.  Did I mention that it was raining the whole time?  Well, we made the most of this little excursion and found some cool sites along the way.

Argentina has been so good to me so far and has been teaching me a lot.  I love to go on adventures (just not cockroach killing ones) either with friends or by myself and lately God has been showing me that I need absolutely nothing but Him.  One of my best friends has now gone back to the U.S. because of health reasons and it has been weird adjusting from living with 90 girls last year to by myself now! I now have a lot more time to myself, but I really am missing having a million friends living in the same house as me.  All in all, it is simple.  God will give us everything that we need.  And I am not one that can read into the future, but I trust that God knows what he is doing with my life as I am continuing to learn and grow every day here in Argentina.

Y El respondió: Mi presencia irá contigo , y yo te daré descanso. Exodo 33:10

First day of school

Well its official.  Summer has come to a screeching stop and classes have begun.  Yesterday started out with a lot of frustration and panic.  All of the international students were told to log on to their University of Belgrano accounts to register for their classes at 8 AM sharp.  Well...just like how Argentineans handle everything else in their life, this process was laid back and let's just say the ability to register for classes was not opened until later that afternoon.  Around 8:10 was when the panic started to set in among the students in my program.  People were calling and messaging on Facebook wondering if anyone else could register.  Well, all in all, I was able to register by yesterday evening. However, I still went to my one class assigned for yesterday (U.S. and Latin America Relations).  After now attending all of my classes that I will take this semester, I would have to say that this class (the only class I am taking in English) was the MOST boring.  Although, I am nerdily and happy to say that I LOVE all my other classes! The teachers are very kind and patient.

Here were are few of my first observations from my first day of school! (EEEPERS!!)
1. Cliques do exist here among the natives.  I found this quite hilarious...
2. My university is a 20 story office building
3. There are elevators for the students to use that only stop at every 5 floors (then you walk the stairs) and there are elevators for the teachers to use. DO NOT use the teacher ones or you will incur serious consequences...the evil eye and often a talking to.
4. It is cold...bring a jacket.  Unless you are in the library and you like sweating.
5. I forgot how much work there is to do in school.  Bummer, theres homework. and tests. and projects.

Yesterday afternoon, 3 friends and I went to the Ronald McDonald House for our first day of volunteering.  It was INCREDIBLE! The Ronald McDonald House is a place where families are able to stay free of charge while they have a child who is extremely sick in the hospital 2 blocks away.  The motive behind this is that the Ronald McDonald House gives families the opportunity to sleep in a real bed, wash their clothes and have access to many other home-like amenities.  The kids that are often at the Ronald McDonald House have cancer, a terminal illness, severe burns, and the list goes on.  The mission of the House is to provide the children and their families with a place that is joyful (not scary like the hospitals and doctors) and that makes them feel like home.  My friends and I were able to stay for 3 hours yesterday playing board games, coloring, tossing balls, and playing dress up with the kids.  No matter what my work load or schedule is like, I will always make time to go to the Ronald McDonald House because the feeling is indescribable when you are able to connect with a child in their own language and encourage them! My friends and I are going to go every Monday afternoon.

This is just a lil' cultural fact for all of you...did you know that it is customary to take your dirty clothes down the block and have them washed and dried for you at the local lavanderia?  Let me assure you that it is true! I carried my little sack of clothes there this morning and picked up the freshly scented and folded array of clothes on my way back from school today.  It costs less than $5 and all I have to say is thats a mighty fine deal.

Wild Goose Chase

Yesterday some friends and I went back to La Boca.  This is where all of the houses are painted different colors.  Some of you may remember me talking about this in a previous blog.  We had tons of fun walking around, talking to the locals, and even checking out a creepy wax museum.  I even bought my first soccer jersey for one of the hottest teams here in Buenos Aires, RIVER PLATA! Check out some of the pictures below because I literally almost fell over and died when I saw these precious little pups! As I was taking a few pics of their sagging jeans and precious little boots, a lady came over to me and was holding out a basket for money.  She was saying, "Give money so that we can buy food for these dogs."  I mean, you would have to be out of your mind to refuse to give any sort of donation! Look at those precious little faces!

After leaving La Boca (you can't be there at night because it is dangerous), we hopped on a bus and went to Recoletta.  I have added a pic for all of you to see what the bus ride is like here.  Can you say party mobile!! Im not sure some of the locals appreciated my dance moves while he was playing some Flo Rida and Rihanna.  Whoops! Anyways, we got to Recoletta and tried to meet up with some other friends for about 2 hours. It was a serious wild goose chase.  Finally we were successful and we ventured into one of the top best kept bookstores IN THE ENTIRE WORLD! It is over 100 years old and use to be an old theater in Buenos Aires.  The pictures do not even give this place justice.

Today I am going to the Ronald McDonald House to meet up with the manager there.  Hopefully I will get to start volunteering soon!

OLYMPIC UPDATE: If I thought that my host mother was crazy when watching her usual television shows, I clearly had not seen anything until the Olympics aired 2 days ago.  OH MY WORD. In the mornings I watch with her as she cheers for Djokovic and gasps when a gymnast makes a wrong move.  As we speak, I hear her screaming in the other room...Olympics.  As I was in a cafe last night with some of my American friends, I really wanted to get a lil U-S-A chant rolling, but I restrained myself.

ADIOS AMIGOS!

All the Haps

Hands down one of the coolest things I have done in Buenos Aires was seeing a movie in one of their movie theaters.  I saw Valiente (Brave) the other night and the whole movie was in Spanish.  This is what I was expecting until one of my friends told me that many of the movies here are shown in English, but have Spanish subtitles.  Anywhoo, I LOVED IT!! #1 it is a Disney movie which are always good #2 it is mainly for children which is a check plus for me because it was easier to understand #3 well I don't have a third reason...just go see it!

A couple days ago my friend, Brittany and I were stumbling across websites on the internet and we found this pilates studio 2 blocks down from our homes.  We decided to drop by yesterday and see what it was all about.  The told us that we could try out the class for free sometime to see if we would like it and then we could join if we wanted.  Well folks, today was that day! I tried out the pilates class. It caused quite a stir when my friend and I walked in because I could tell what everyone was thinking, "These girls are definitely not from Argentina." It might have been my hot pink work out top that gave it away.  Sidenote --> everyone wears darks clothes here in the winter! The only acceptable colors are black, navy, and gray.  Missed the memo on that one and stuffed my multicolored clothing in the back of my closet.  Ok back to the subject at hand...pilates.  This quite possibly might have been one of the funniest experiences I have had while in Buenos Aires.  My friend and I ended up being the only ones in the class which meant special attention...at let me tell ya that was definitely needed.  I don't know if any of you readers are avid pilates class attenders, but it is HARD! First of all all the technical vocabulary in spanish was a rough beginning and then to throw in the exercises.  Woah I needed a siesta after that one.  All in all, I totally recommend doing an exercise class while abroad because 1) I am eating so much food and sweets here and 2) It helps you get to know the local people.

This afternoon I met up with a guy named Alan who lives in Buenos Aires.  Alan stayed in the United States with my Uncle Scott and my Aunt Deanne a year and a half ago! My aunt messaged me on facebook and told me about Alan and how I should meet up with him.  Today we went to a cafe and it was so funny to hear him talk all about my family who lives what seems a world away.  Here are a few remarks he said:

1. Gosh I miss that Dr. Pepper nothing compares
2. I met your grandfather. (He immediately points to his chin as he forgot the word "beard") For those of you who do not know my grandfather, he looks very similar to Abraham Lincoln.
3. I gained 15 pounds in the U.S. because I always ate Sonic, McDonlads, Whatabuger and all the fast foods.
4. I miss it very much and your family was so kind! He wants to return so get ready Aunt Deanne and Uncle Scott!!!

What does wealthy mean?

Wealthy.  This is a term that I have been reflecting on for the past week I have been in Buenos Aires.  There is a great difference in the the definition of this word depending on the person you ask.  In the United States, I believe many people would say that wealthy is an exuberant amount of money and (unnecessary) items.  It has been so interesting to see a different meaning to the word here in Argentina.   There is a great difference between the people that are considered wealthy in the U.S. and the people here.  However, there are many families here that are wealthier than those in the United States and I am not talking money wise.  My host mom considers herself wealthy because she has a family and 2 grandchildren.  And let me tell ya...those grandchildren are her LIFE! She constantly is telling me about them saying, "Son divinos, que carinosos, perfectos!"  My host mom has lots of friends and is able to watch her nightly television show.  She is considered wealthy.  

Just a little side note about the nightly television shows...every single dinner we have the t.v. on to watch the nightly news, then after dinner comes the shows.  We have watched House, Law and Order, CSI, and many other shows in spanish.  Lets just say you have not experienced the full entertainment of a television show until you have watched it with my host mom.  There is constant shouts, squeals, and occasional spanish phrases.  This has been highly entertaining!

Something else that I have learned a lot about lately is SOCCER.  When I saw soccer is life here in Buenos Aires, that is an understatement.  There are 2 teams that I have grown to know a lot about: River Plata and La Boca.  They are famous teams here in Buenos Aires and their fan bases are enormous!  I really hope I can go to a game while I am here and experience the craziness! 

See for Yourself

This video was from the other day when we went to the Fair at Recoletta! Today We went to an industrial fair at Plaza Italiano.  There were many sheep, horses, cattle, and cows being shown.  Check out my facebook for more pictures!

This was a little excerpt of the tango presentation that I saw at the University of Belgrano yesterday.  Friends...how bout we be trying a lil of this at the next date party??!

Today I had a typical Argentine lunch of Corizpan! My Argentinian friends in Cordoba would be so proud of me because when I tried this with them last December, it was not my fav at all, but today it was FABULOUS! It is fresh bread with cow meat in the middle.  Add a little salt, throw on some of the mysterious pesto and pepper sauce and you are good to go!

Firsts

There have been a lot of new things that I have tried or learned lately.  I'll let you in on the good and the bad.
1. Some of my friends and I went to the Recoleta Fair yesterday.  It was amazing and was an explosion of culture in one single park.  There are tons of venders that set up shop in the park every sunday and it is an excellent place to buy artisan goods and souvenirs.  (maybe you will be one of the lucky ones who gets one!)  There was also lots of musicians and carts selling food from cakes to corizpan (it is like subway sandwiches but 1000 times better!).  Actually, get the subway image out of your head because you can not even compare it to that.  But you know what kind of sandwich I'm talking!!

2. I attended a Catholic mass last night with one of my friend's host mom.  I have never attended an actual mass service so it was very interesting.  The priest talked super fast so it was often difficult to understand what he was saying.  There was a lot of up and down movement of the congregation.  What I mean is that we sat and then we stood up many times as they recited prayers.  After the service everyone exits out the main door and gives the priest a hug and exchanges a few words.  I thought this was a pretty cool gesture because the priest was not just someone in the front of the church giving a message, but makes a conscious effort to know everyone that attends.  It is cool to reflect on the fact that God knows every single language in the world. GEEEZZ thats a lot of knowledge!  Here is one of the verses that I love.  (It is in Spanish, so LOOK IT UP! You won't be disappointed!)

"Siempre pido en mis oraciones que, si es la voluntad de Dios, por fin se me abra ahora el camino para ir a visitarlos." Romanos 1:10

3. IT IS A LOT COLDER HERE THAN I THOUGHT! holaaaa winter!

El sello de mi universidad nueva

4. Today I went to my orientation at the University of Belgrano.  This is where I will be taking half of my classes.  It was awesome and the orientation consisted of all the international students from all over  the worlds.  I talked to many people from Sweden, Germany, and France.  One of the neatest phrases the director told us is that, "we are not citizens from our specific country, rather, we are citizens of this world."  Once I got home today, I remembered him saying that and what a powerful phase that is.  There are no lines of division, but we are are here to be educated and learn from each other about different cultures and customs.
5. I saw a demonstration of Tango today! woah. oh. my. word. I do not think that will be possible in my book.  Especially thinking back to my time as a cheerleader (that lengthy time of 1 year in high school), I was off by either 1 or 2 beats for every dance and chant.  I'll let you know how it goes when I go to a Milonga (Tango dance bar).
6. I got a Subway card! Now I will be flying in the undergrounds!
7. The ravioli here is not your typical 3 cheese, but it had a meat and other ingredient mixture inside.  Not a fan.  
8. Ok so here is the history lesson for today. (Feel free to zone out if this is not your thing)  Buenos Aires is a very old city.  For instance, one of the churches I visited was built in the 1700s.  In the beginning many residents in Belgrano lived in La Boca (neighborhood).  However, when yellow fever hit Buenos Aires decades later and wiped out 1/3 of the population, the rich folks moved to a distinct neighborhood in Belgrano.  They did this because it was less population which created a smaller chance of them catching the disease.  Therefore, as you can imagine, this neighborhood is like the Beverly Hills of Buenos Aires.  The starting price for many of the smaller residences is 5 or 6 million dollars.  The majority of the houses have their own private security man that stands in front and many video cameras.

The city that does not sleep

So before I embarked upon this new journey, many people told me that I would expect to find Buenos Aires very similar to NYC.  As far as I can tell, this has proven to be completely true.  Some similarities: there are lots of dogs with sweaters, mass amounts of people walking everywhere, tons of restaurants, beautiful parks, and a huge night life!

Yesterday we had our orientation and meet many people in our group.  There are also other students from California and Michigan.  After lunch we took a wonderful city tour through many of the neighborhoods in Buenos Aires.  We went through Puerto Madera, Palermo, Belgrano, and La Boca.  La Boca was one of the first ports and all of the buildings are different colors and made from a wide variety of materials.  This is because when new inhabitants first got off the boat, they did not have many materials or a large quantity of paint, therefore all of there buildings are a mish-mash of items found on their boats and on land.

One of my favorite aspects of the trip has been getting to know the locals.  I was in a local coffee shop yesterday and some of my friends and I got to talk to some Argentine lawyers that were sitting next to us.  Not only does it help improve your spanish, but you get the real scoop on the best places to go in BA.

Today we all traveled to China Town (yes your read that correctly, there is a China Town in BA!) and bought some rinky dink cell phones.  This has been a problem since we have gotten here because we have not been able to contact each other in the program and therefore it has been a nightmare trying to meet up with friends because we hardly know our way around! Don't worry mom and dad, I'm getting the hang of it!

Check out this video! This is one of the craziest things I have seen in BA.  This was right outside the University of Belgrano and it is a tradition that has been carried on for decades here.  When someone graduates, their friends and family wait outside the university from them to come out and then they start throwing eggs, tomatos, mustard, ketchup, flour, and many other items at the newest graduate! IT WAS CRAZY! Apparently I ended up being right in the middle of the action and scurried out of the way fast! Not so sure I want to graduate in Argentina...plus the smell was absolutely horrendous!

Estoy aquí!

woah, golly geee that plane ride was a rough one! It was about 10 hours and anyone want to take a guess at how many hours Kelsey slept?? Ding Ding Ding, whoever said zero is correct! I was so lucky to be on a flight with 6 other members of the program I am in in Buenos Aires! A few of them I knew already, but the others instantly became my new best friends I would have for the next 4 months.  After we left the airport, I was taken to meet my new family.  I am living with a woman named Susana and she is, as they would say in Argentina, divina!! She loved the book about Texas landmarks that I brought her and when she saw a picture of some cowboy boots, she proceeds to tell me that I should have brought mine because they are totally in style here! (missed the boat on that one!)

After unpacking and taking a 1 hour nap, I went on a tour of the city with another girl in my program and her host mom, who live across the street.  Buenos Aires is beautiful, however, there is tons of trash on the streets and people are walking everywhere.  Don't expect to get anywhere in a car very quickly.  Anyways, we are having dinner in a few hours, of course around my American bedtime, but luckily Susana has lots of snacks!

Well folks...this is just about it for now.  My brain hurts from being so tired, but I promise to update you on all the haps soon! Adios!

Buenas Noticias!

I am so excited to say that I will be returning to Argentina this coming July! After my wonderful experience in December, I have decided that I will study abroad in Buenos Aires for the fall semester.  The school semester is a little different in Argentina.  My classes will start in July and I will return to the grand ol' USA in the beginning of November.  This time, I will be going with a program though the University of Oklahoma.  There are 17 students going and we will all be studying at the University of Belgrano.  I will be taking 4 Spanish classes and 1 International Area Studies class.  I can hardly wait to immerse myself into the culture again.

When I arrived back to the United States after my 3 weeks in Argentina over the winter break, I made a radical decision.  I CHANGED MY MAJOR!! It was a tough decision and really scary to drop 9 hours of class that I had been enrolled in, but looking back on the semester, I know it was the right thing to do.  I am still a Spanish major, but I am also majoring in International Area Studies.  You might be wondering, so why did Kelsey go and shadow doctors in Argentina then and give up on being pre-med?  Well lemme answer that for ya...I still absolutely love helping people and medicine, but after experiencing the culture and people in Argentina, I decided that I could not spend many more years studying in medical school because I wanted to return to a spanish speaking country as fast as I could! Therefore, my current plan is to finish my undergraduate studies at the University of Oklahoma and apply for the Fulbright Scholarship my senior year.  If awarded the scholarship, I would hopefully be teaching English in Spain for 8 months and then return to the U.S. for graduate school.  I would love to then study public health, but all of this is definitely subject to change!

While it will be hard to say good bye to everything I know for 4 months, I know that this is the path the Lord has set before me.  I will be able to volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House in Buenos Aires and I have already talked to the director, who is ecstatic to have a new American volunteer soon! I know the Lord will move in mighty ways while I am there and I can not wait to be used by Him.  To Him be all the glory!

P.S. Check out this sweet blog with tons of pictures of Buenos Aires, Argentina! http://www.akworld.net/webblog/

my heart will stay in argentina

I'm. going. home. in. 5. days.

This can't be real! I feel like I just got to Argentina and I can't believe that the time is going by so fast. As I keep meeting other volunteers in the program and they tell me that they are staying for a couple months, I can't help it but to get a bit jealous. This past weekend I went to the "country." That is what everyone here calls where the mountains and rivers. Many people have vacation homes in the country where they go to escape from the city. Some friends I had made at the Ronald McDonald House and I drove to one of their homes that was about 2 hours away. This weekend I truly experienced hospitality like I have never seen before.

Before I went to the country, I worked on friday in the hospital! Friday was a fantastic day because the older doctors have begun to talk to me more! I got to explain to one of them why I was in Argentina and what I am hoping

to do with my life. THIS IS HUGE because

the older doctors don't really like the volunteers that come and and the doctors are typically cold towards them. In the hospital, it was a typical day where I followed Dr. Ellie as she saw each patient. Another kid brought her a letter and a picture. It is the coolest thing to see the relationships between Dr. Ellie and the patients because she has more love to give than anyone I know.

After working at the Ronald McDonald house in the afternoon, (I have now decided that I want to volunteer in the house in OKC when I get back to school because I LOVE it so much) we headed for the country! After miles (actually kilometers, but I don't really know the metric system!) of driving through the mountains on winding roads, we arrived at my friend Yani's house. Her family welcomed me with open arms and treated me as one of their own children. That night we went to one of the pueblitos near by and had dinner in this old German village. It was SO cool!! All the architecture and wood work resembled Germany because that is where the Germans settled when they immigrated to Argentina. One of my favorite parts were the people dressed up in old fashion, German clothes who came to your table to play the flute or trumpet. Woahhh ok...enough there!

On saturday, Yani, Nico, Martin, and I went to another pueblito where there is this famous river. As we drove to the river, the view of the mountains and landscape was breathtaking. We arrived at this old fashioned village in which you had to walk every where because cars are not allowed. All of the shops are tucked into the mountains and it was fun walking up and down the cobble stone paths to the river. This was another day that I clearly wore the

wrong shoes! (I think the count is up to 3 now?) I wore sandals and after wading in the water, we climbed some rocks and my slippery shoe caused me to fall. Don't worry mom, I'm fine! Embarrassing moment #1. One of the coolest things was when we found this waterfall and all of us climbed to the top and jumped into the chilly waters below. Time after time we climbed the rocks and did different tricks into the water. This has been one of my favorite mems so far!

That night we went back to the house and Yani's father cooked a typical Argentinean meal. This consisted of Asado (meat), grilled vegetables, bread (OF COURSE!), and lots and lots of coke a cola. I don't think I have ever drank as much coke in my life until I came to Argentina. The meat was absolutely delicious, as was all of the other food. And let me just tell ya that every single item had salt! oh my word, I thought I might die from a heart attack, but it was yummy! Even the salad had salt...and lots of it! Lots of the other volunteers came out to the country this afternoon so we had about 15 people eating dinner together and lots of different spanish convos going on. As you can imagine...my head was spinning! Hold on people, can we each just talk one at a time and maybe a little slower? Just kidding! So here is embarrassing moment #2: At dinner at everyone was talking, I leaned back in my plastic chair and it broke. Both of the handles snapped and and I put the room full of 15 vibrant and enthusiastic spanish speakers to silence. And then everyone began to laugh! After I regained my breath, I laughed too as the father insisted that I now come and sit next to him in a chair that was unbreakable.

On sunday, all of us went to the lake that is really close to Yani's house. It was a relaxing day spent by the water as we laughed and joked about just about everything. When we came back to the house, it was back to school for kelsey! I learned how to cook empanadas! This is a specialty in Argentina and when I first arrived I thought that they were just desserts, but NO! We made ham and cheese empanadas and meat ones! I will be willing to teach anyone back home as long as you pay for me to go back to Argentina some day. Just kidding...kind of! But after a lot of corrections and re-dos, I have perfected the art of empanada making. Before we left to go back to the city, I went into the bathroom and locked the door. Alright...embarrassing moment #3...As I tried to turn the handle to leave, I realized the lock was stuck. So yes, I locked myself in the bathroom and had to pound on the door and shout "hola" periodically in hopes that someone would come help! Soon, help came and the door was unlocked from the other side.

Even after knowing these people for just a few days, I am going to miss them so much! They are some of the kindest people I have ever met and especially my friend Yani who is kind of the mom of the group! She always was is looking out for me and saying, "Kelsey, cross the street now! or, Make sure your passport is in a safe palce!" Yani always put others needs before herself and is the kind of friend that you never want to let go of. As I said in the beginning, I only have 5 days left, but I am going to make sure that I deff make the most of it!

sassily serious

WOW! I do not even know where to begin! I guess I will begin by saying thanks be to God for all the blessings I have had here in Argentina and for a new worldly perspective. The past 2 days there has been a lot that has been going on some I'm gonna give it to ya straight!

WEDNESDAY MORN:

It was my second day at work with Dr. Ellie. I realized how exhausting it is to deal with really difficult people. Heath care is here in Argentina, therefore every one and their cat and dog comes to the doctor for really minor problems or for bigger issues. When I first started, the doctors would occasionally going into the break room and sit down and talk with each other as they ate a snack or drank mate. I was thinking to myself, "THERE ARE SICK KIDS OUT THERE, LET'S GO HELP THEM!" Also, I was wondering why the heck we were just going to sit around when there are things to do! You can see I was a little ancy! I have now come to realize that this is an important part of the doctor's day. This is the 5 minutes that they take every now and then where they can relax and not have to think about their work. Remember: the careers in the medical profession here do not get paid very well, so these doctors are working because they absolutely LOVE what they do!

Sometimes it is a little hard to understand what is wrong with the child because of the difficult Spanish terminology. For instance, today a mother came in with a 5 year old who was about the size of a 2 year old. His head was really small in comparison to the rest of his body. What I gained from the conversation was that he is really sick and this is due to the fact that the mother was an alcoholic when she was pregnant. Dr. Ellie told me that it is really sad to see so many cases that are completely preventable, if only the parents had only been informed about what to do and what not to do. (Although, some people don't always do what they are told!)

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON:

This was my first day to work at the Ronald McDonald house here in Cordoba and OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS GOODNESS I love this place! This is a large building that looks like a house and holds up to 18 families. Families apply to live here and if they are accepted they are given a room, bathroom, and they are able to use the community kitchen and laundry room. The families that apply to live here have a child that is in a serious condition and the child has to receive daily treatment from

the hospital next door. Many times the families that live here have a house that is really far away from the hospital or don't even have a place to live at all. This has been one of the places that has helped my spanish get so much better! There are absolutely the nicest people you will ever meet working there and they would absolutely bend over backwards for these families.

This afternoon, I went with my new friends

Mattie and Yani, and many other volunteers from Argentina, as they gave me THEIR tour of Cordoba. And woahhh I thought my feet were going to fall off by the end of the day because we walked so much! We went to the town center, saw many famous statues and buildings, and ended it all at the shopping mall! Throughout the whole afternoon, one of my friends had my camera and was taking pictures. Constantly he was saying, Kelsii, Kelsii, picture here! I could have been in front of a trash can and he was wanting to take a picture! All my friends told me that I need to remember every single part of Cordoba, so therefore, the pictures are a MUST. At first they would ask, "Do you want a picture of yourself here?" and I would just say something like, "oh, no it's ok!" Well...I learned quick that no was not the acceptable answer and it was just easier to go along with it! Looking back, I am really glad I have all 80 something pictures from that afternoon so that I can look back and remember.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT:

I went with 5 of the volunteers to one of their houses to swim in the pool and eat pizza! It was super fun, but it is hard to explain how hard it is to understand them when they speak at the speed of light. It is how we talk with our friends in English, (really fast and shorter terminology) but in Spanish. That was nothing compared to when we started to play a game where there are 2 teams and you take turns drawing a card from the pile. The card has a main word at the top and 5 words below it. You say the 5 words below the main one to the other team and the other team tries to guess the main word. For example, the main word was glasses. The five words below were: sun, reading, vision, optometry, and help. That game is hard enough in English, but in Spanish, ummm hola? Let's just say I wasn't that much help for my team! One of the really popular songs that I am now OBSESSED with is this one. It is from Brazil. CHECK IT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-AbEQNHi2A There is a dance to it and everyone here knows it. I'm determined to learn...even if it takes me a year!

THURSDAY MORN: I woke up at my usually time, 7 AM, but it was a little more difficult after having gone to sleep at 2 AM. Last night I wanted to stay and hang out with my new friends even though I knew I had to wake up early. I mean you only live once right? I can always sleep later! Today I have made headway in the medical community here at Casa Cuna Hospital! One of the really stiff doctors who never cracks a smile, smiled at me today! At first I really only liked the brand new doctors because they would talk to me, but I have turned a corner with the older, grouchy ones! HIP HIP HORAAHH! I finished the book I have ben reading, "Heaven is for real" and if your reading my blog right now. STOP!! And go read this book because it is now one of my favorites! In summary, a 4 year old boy, Colton goes under for surgury and died for a few minutes on the table, but came back to life and was able to tell people about his experience. If your wondering to yourself, umm so what the heck does this have to do with my experience...just wait! Colton constantly talks about in the book how Jesus LOVES the little children. This is not just said once, but over and over and over again. Today I saw a glimpse

at why Jesus loves these children SO MUCH. Kids are innocent, they see things in black in white, and for the most part, put their whole heart into something they believe. Kids are generous and kind, and are never worried about what others think about them. We can learn a lot from kids. There was a kid today that absolutely broke my heart. He was born in Bolivia and his family moved here. He is now 5 years old and can't talk. The doctors have nothing to make conclusions from because the mother has no medical records and it appears as if he hasn't received very much medical attention, EVER, in his life. They have no idea why he can't talk and are at a loss of what to do. But, his smile would make you absolutely melt to the ground. It was hard seeing the most precious boy, so helpless, and the doctors had no conclusions. Thank goodness no one is ever sick when they get to heaven!

THURSDAY AFTERNOON:

Back to the Ronald McDonald house! Today was a special day because it is a holiday where everyone celebrates the 3 kings that came to see Jesus. In honor of today, there was a party held for all the families and the kids and the kids each received a present! There was laughter, food, and the company of such AWESOME people! What else could you ask for? One of the girls got a new tea set and was going around taking orders and pretending to make us tea. When I was pretending to drink the tea, she said, "I'm waiting! Finish, so I can make others tea!" It made me laugh so much in the way that she was so sassily serious. SO SWEET! It was a great opportunity for the kids to forget about their medical conditions and to have fun and laugh A LOT!

THURSDAY NIGHT:

I am back at my house and we are going to have dinner soon! All of Alicia's kids are coming over and we are eating together. I haven't seen them in a few days so I am excited to be reunited with them!