Everyday sights

Finished with 2/4 classes, I'm trying to stay positive, while soaking up the last days with my Argentine friends, who have become my family while I've been here. This weekend we're going to Iguazú Falls for our last hoorah.

Here are some things I've been seeing in the city lately:

A one-legged pigeon. He was walking really well though, you go bird!

This sign is translated "Give your tit to your baby." A breast-feeding advertisement? They're lining Avenida Santa Fe.

My final art project! Its a statue in the Botanical Garden close by. I got an A- in the class!

This week I'll be correcting my paper, starting the next one, and celebrating Niall's birthday!

Smattering of thoughts...

I have 4 days to write about 8 more pages about tourism, plays and symbolist theatre. This is what I'm thinking about....

New favorite blogs:

blog.caseybrowndesigns.com

inthewabe.wordpress.com

jayandelle.blogspot.com

I made this little cupcake one day and had to fill it with toilet paper because I don't have any polyfil :( I want to make 4 more for all my friends!

I made this little cabley pouch in midst of reading plays and "doing homework"...
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento. El billete de 50 pesos. If you cover the eyes and the bald head, he looks a lot like R.D.V.
Possibly the statue that I am going to draw this weekend for my final project in my art class:
What I will be doing when I get home to Cali:

Movies to watch:

-La Vie en Rose

-Dead Man Walking

Crafts to make:

-make a dress

-embroider things

-finish little birdy mittens (i have made one!)

-tote bag with mexico fabric bought in 2002

Books to read:

-Tulsa-Toni Morrison

-Will Grayson, Will Grayson -John Green

-Harry Potters

-david sedaris

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLL

Yesterday I watched my first partida del Copa mundial, probably ever. Unless I was sitting with Grandpa when he was watching one. It was the third game Argentina has played so far, and the third one they won. I didn't watch the others because of class and the fact that one was at 8 in the morning, but I also was sort of nervous that it would remind me too much of my Grandpa.

I've recently been playing this game where I grade the old men I see on the streets according to how much they look like him. I've seen a lot of good noses and ears and slicked-back hairdos, but obviously no one will ever get an A!

Back to the game--the first half I knitted through, because it was boring and nothing happened. The second half was awesome. Messi (the star and captain of the game) was sort of slacking, but he did make this amazing shot that bounced off the pole of the goal. So crazy. Then finally this other guy made a goal and then Palermo (another famous player, and also the name of the ritzy neighborhood of BA) made a second one, when the team's morale was already pretty high. Of course they gave Palermo all the credit and didn't even interview the player who made the 1st goal! Lame!

We went to a bar in San Telmo to watch. We were lucky we got a seat, it was the second bar we went to because the first was packed. In the minutes before the game, the streets were moving at an even faster pace than normal; everyone was rushing to get to there game-watching station. I know that sports are really important to many people in the states, but I have never seen any event that EVERYONE in the country/city/neighborhood gets so excited about.

At church on Sunday the priest made a pretty crazy connection with the word "mesias" that means messiah and Messi the player. I didn't understand all his fast words around the reference, but the connection was made. I'm sure he only blasphemed a little bit.

Sunday its on: MEXICO v. ARGENTINA. I would cheer for Mexico in Grandpa's honor, but my friend said that if I value my life at all, I should not. We have no doubts that I would get attacked probably by the barra bravas (the super intense fans). So cheer for Mexico for me and Grandpa, I'll be here cheering for Messi!

Meta obsessions

“Me embodying the position that I’m analyzing is the very thing that makes it so powerful.” -Lady Gaga

You must read this article on Lady Gaga. It outlines every reason why I love her.

Life update: I'm happy that everyone liked my father's day video! I'm gonna be even happier when all my work is done and I get to frolic around some epic cataratas with my awesome friends.

Happy Father's Day

Watch this.

Love you Daddy!!! I am so lucky to have a father who encourages me to see the world and live life to the fullest!

Last year Uncle Mickey said it the best, something like Thank you for all the people who guided us, who were fathers, who are fathers and who have been leaders for us in our lives.

Espero que no lloren mucho mis tías, tenemos que agradecer el tiempo rico y lleno de amor que tuvimos con R.V.D.!!!!

Papa-I'm so glad you're driving again and doing well! Have a great day!

Blast from the Past

Hey you L-7 weenies! We decided to have a flashback to childhood night and watch, yup, you know it SANDLOT! We were all re-obsessed with how hot Benny The Jet is and now we're craving s'mores since we all haven't seen marshmellows in fooooreeeeevuuur.

I've been spending my time reading about Belgian playwrights and drama theory--prepping for my 2 monografías (final papers!). June 29th 1/2 of the battle is over. July 2nd I'm going to Iguazú Falls (google it, they're impresionante!).

The count down till return is on, 33 days.

Rosario

Last weekend the program took us to Rosario in the provincia of Santa Fe, Argentina. Above is the calendar garden that gardeners change every night to keep it up to date. Apparently its a tradition to get your picture taken with it every year on your birthday and for special occasions, like weddings.

This was at the Monumento a la Bandera (of the flag). We're all there except Mel! The little boy in the background was so silly, we didn't mind that he ruined our picture.

This was the 3rd course of our 6 course dinner the program provided for us. 1=Empanada de carne. 2=ensalada. 3=Cow brain, intestine, sausages, and blood sausage. 4=más ensalada. 5=steak. 6=ice cream with meringue. Delish (minus the brain).
Pretty sunset-ey bridge picture.

Overall it was just another city, and compared to my last weekend trip (patagonia) it was just another day in Argentina urban life. It is always nice to get a change of pace from BA and spend time with the group and not have to worry about our host families. The best part of the trip was watching Project Runway and Sex and the City reruns together in the Holiday Inn Express we were all staying at.

The next week and a half will be filled with finishing 2 final papers, doing my final art project, and preparing an oral presentation. After that day (June 29th) I'll be done with 2/4 classes, and everyone else in the program will be done with all of their classes. Wahoo. At least I'm writing about theatrical things. It could be worse!

Amelie

Yesterday I got back from Rosario in a funk. I was seriously homesick for the first time, missing my bed, hardwood floors, the morales girls, aunts, everyone, and just the comfort of consistency and love. There was no way I was going to do homework, so I decided to google "happy movies" and found a great list that had Amelie on it.

This movie did the trick. I have always allowed movies to affect me very much, many times too much, but this one affected me for the better. I didn't want to watch a sappy love story, and although there is a quest for love in this film, the best parts about it are the quest and the beautiful nuances of the characters and the film-making.

I suggest everyone should watch this movie now! Even if you've already seen it lots of times, I think that the magic and happy details will bring some sunshine into your life, like it brought to my cloudy night yesterday!

"Without you, today's emotions would be the scurf of yesterday's." Thankfully I have all of you to thank and to know that my emotions are never scurf.

My new favorite hangout...

One of my friends from UBA recently shared a vital piece of information regarding being a student in BA. There is a library called the Biblioteca Nacional that's 7 blocks away from my house, silent and beautiful.

There is a view of the river on the 5th and 6th pisos and you can see the famous metal rose in the park (I'm not sure of the significance of the rose, just that its on lots of post cards and people seem to know it as a point of reference).

Due to the 3 final papers and 2 oral exams (these consist of giving a speech about a prepared topic to the professor and then answering questions that can potentially be about ANY of the material we have gone over all semester) that I have in the last weeks of my stay here, I will be living in this library for the majority of that time.

My friends are all leaving July 10th, and I'm here until the 21st finishing my assignments. Yay for picking the hard classes at that most exigente universidad in the city.

Patagonia Adventures

Glacier Perito Moreno, El Calafate in the provincia Santa Cruz, Argentina

Patagonia is the general term for the south of Argentina that actually occupies the majority of the country. Patagonia is known because of the sport clothes store in the U.S. The logo is based on a mountain in El Chaltén that we would have seen on Day 2 if there wasn't so much fog!!!

My facebook album is finally complete and you can see it here, even if you don't have one! Its really hard for me to pick the best pictures and put them here, so check it out!

The whole weekend was a well needed break from the city life. It was so nice just to chill for a couple days and explore new things and not have to worry about how many pages of theory I have to read! Now I'm back to the grind and missing that peaceful place! I loved remembering what its really like to be a traveler, finding a hostel to live in with your stuff on your back and constantly meeting other travelers with the same passion for discovering the world as you.

I wish it weren't true, but I'm hooked on seeing the world. My next points of travel: India, Ireland, Greece, Finland, Finland, Finland. More practically, I'm going to the city Rosario next weekend with the program.

I hope you like the pictures! I simply can't explain the wonder we experienced there!

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

So apparently there was some widespread worry about my safety this weekend while I was traveling in the south of Argentina.

I'm home and incredibly happy. In short this weekend was one of the most magical weekends of my life up to now.

I can't wait to share with you more details and epic pictures tomorrow. Special shout out to everyone that helped make this trip possible, especially Tutu, Auntie Cristina, Nana&Papa, Gramsey and my incredibly supportive muther and popper doodle. I feel so honored and loved to have been able to experience this weekend and that people worried about me while I was even farther away than I already am.

My friends always make fun of me when I say this but, what did I do to deserve this love? I just think I got lucky enough to be given such a beautiful family filled with love and support. So, thank you, and get ready for some majestic glacier pictures.

Bundled up!

I packed my toiletries, I'm going to pick up my clothes at the laundromat and I'm trying on my new fleece I bought so, I think I'm ready for Patagonia!

All be back Monday night in time for the last 3 hours of my Beckett seminar, unless the glacier wipes me out and I can't handle it.

Get ready for the pics!

Post parcial purchases

My parcial came and went. I wrote lots of things that were right and that related to one another, but I think I wrote them in a rushed, extranjera (foreigner) way which isn't 9 or 10 (A) material para la UBA. Mis amigas argentinas told me that they'll probably ignore the spelling and grammar mistakes. Vamos a ver!

I've been craving some clothing with llamas (pronounced here jamas) for a really long time. Since I'm going to El Calafate in patagonia on Friday, I realized it was time.
Back to reading for my other classes that I sort of forgot about for a while...