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!