After the whirlwind that was my last week in Argentina, I spent the past 4 days in Spokane, Washington and Sandpoint, Idaho for my cousin Sara's wedding to Rob! They are really awesome people and seemed so happy together all weekend long, throughout all of the stress! I've really come to look up to them and am so happy they are in my life, and that we were able celebrate their special day with them.
The wedding party on Schweitzer Mountain!
The view from the ski lift we rode up to the wedding!
All of Sara's cousins! The ones in the front are mine too! :)
Mia and I at the rehearsal! The view was spectacular!
I love weddings, especially because one can take hints and tips on what would be ideal at yours! This also was my first weekend back in the states, and it went by very fast and it all felt very surreal. I don't see my cousins very often from Spokane, so it was a treat to spend some time with them. I just got home to S. Pasadena, and that return has been the weirdest. My house and my room seem like artifacts from a previous life! I'm sure by tomorrow I'll feel right at home again, especially after I visit Grandma!
Above is my favorite picture I took at El Caminito en La Boca. Its a really dangerous area, but we heard that we HAD to see that street with the colored houses, so we took a cab there and back--just to be safe. It turned out to be sort of a let down--just like most hyped-up tourist attractions. It was fun to wander and see a different part of the city that we have lived in for so long.
After La Boca, we went to Plaza de Mayo to see Las Madres de los desaparecidos (Mothers of the disappeared). They are the mothers, and some grandmothers, of the citizens who were unrightfully captured and obviously killed during the dictatorship that ruled between 1976-1983. In many ways Argentina is still in a post-dictadura phase, and the country is still very much hurt by this terribly violent and oppressive rule. These mothers' faces are so sad, and many of them hold the picture of their lost child. Some people (like Niall's host mother) HATES them, even though they were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for all their lobbying. Its mainly because many of their sons/daughters could have been criminals and so many people don't see why everyone feels so sorry for them. I'll tell you why--there is NO REASON ever to kill another human being! 
The day after was 9 de julio which is Argentina's Independence Day! We went to Tigre for our last hurrah. Above is a beautiful Van Gogh-y pic of the river! 