Sunday, November 29, 2015
Friday, July 2, 2010
Las Cataratas del Iguazú :
Iguazú Falls
Last Thursday (June 24th) we headed out to see the Iguazú Falls! I had been wanting to see the falls for over a year and was super excited to acutally get to do it!
Our bus left around 8:30pm from Buenos Aires and arrived in Iguazú on Friday around noon. The trip was ridiculously long - about 17 hours in total - but we requested a first class "coche cama" bus with seats that fold down 180˚ and basically become beds, and it was actually fairly comfortable.
As soon as we arrived in Iguazú, we got off the bus and headed to a sales counter where we purchased tickets for an excursion that day starting at 2:00pm - a walk through the Iguazú jungle complete with a zipline through the jungle and a short rappelling course down the side of a mountain. After purchasing the excursion we quickly headed for our hostel to drop off our stuff before leaving. It was really fun - especially the zipline!
That night we headed to the Iguazú National Park for a moonlit (full moon) tour of the most popular area of the park-- the waterfalls called "la garganta del diablo" (or "the devil's throat"). It was absolutely awesome to see the falls for the first time at night by the light of the moon. It was truly a magical moment, and one that not even our cameras (which had problems taking photos due to the lighting) could begin to capture.
We ate dinner at a restaurant at the park and had all kinds of sausages and meat a la parrilla (grilled) as well as yuca frita (or "fried yucca") which is one of my favorite South American foods. After the tour they gave us all a taste of caipirinha, a traditional Brasilian alcoholic beverage.
Then we returned to our hostel where Andrew headed for bed and Anna and I headed for the nightlife! We took a cab into downtown Puerto Iguazú and went dancing at the town's only nightclub, "Cuba Libre." Even though we got there around midnight, the party in Argentina doesn't really start until at least 2:00am. Of course, we had lots of things to do the next day and we ended up leaving before the party "really got started."
The next day we headed to see the falls during the day. We spent the whole day walking around the park and watching the different and marvelous
views of falling water from all different angles. Near the end of the afternoon we took a short 15-minute boat ride underneath the falls and got totally soaked by the water. It was amazing to be underneath waterfalls that big and feel absolutely choked by the water! I couldn't stop laughing and smiling during the entire 15 minutes.
That night we returned to the bus terminal and headed back to Buenos Aires, this time in a second class bus. In the second class buses the seats only recline 160˚, and I must admit that the difference it notable. For anyone wishing to do this trip in the future, it's definitely worth the money to go by first class if your schedule allows for it!
For me, the only real downside to this trip is that my camera got totally ruined from the water (regardless of my attempts to keep it dry). Even so, I think the trip was worth it!
Our bus left around 8:30pm from Buenos Aires and arrived in Iguazú on Friday around noon. The trip was ridiculously long - about 17 hours in total - but we requested a first class "coche cama" bus with seats that fold down 180˚ and basically become beds, and it was actually fairly comfortable.As soon as we arrived in Iguazú, we got off the bus and headed to a sales counter where we purchased tickets for an excursion that day starting at 2:00pm - a walk through the Iguazú jungle complete with a zipline through the jungle and a short rappelling course down the side of a mountain. After purchasing the excursion we quickly headed for our hostel to drop off our stuff before leaving. It was really fun - especially the zipline!
That night we headed to the Iguazú National Park for a moonlit (full moon) tour of the most popular area of the park-- the waterfalls called "la garganta del diablo" (or "the devil's throat"). It was absolutely awesome to see the falls for the first time at night by the light of the moon. It was truly a magical moment, and one that not even our cameras (which had problems taking photos due to the lighting) could begin to capture.We ate dinner at a restaurant at the park and had all kinds of sausages and meat a la parrilla (grilled) as well as yuca frita (or "fried yucca") which is one of my favorite South American foods. After the tour they gave us all a taste of caipirinha, a traditional Brasilian alcoholic beverage.
Then we returned to our hostel where Andrew headed for bed and Anna and I headed for the nightlife! We took a cab into downtown Puerto Iguazú and went dancing at the town's only nightclub, "Cuba Libre." Even though we got there around midnight, the party in Argentina doesn't really start until at least 2:00am. Of course, we had lots of things to do the next day and we ended up leaving before the party "really got started."The next day we headed to see the falls during the day. We spent the whole day walking around the park and watching the different and marvelous
views of falling water from all different angles. Near the end of the afternoon we took a short 15-minute boat ride underneath the falls and got totally soaked by the water. It was amazing to be underneath waterfalls that big and feel absolutely choked by the water! I couldn't stop laughing and smiling during the entire 15 minutes.That night we returned to the bus terminal and headed back to Buenos Aires, this time in a second class bus. In the second class buses the seats only recline 160˚, and I must admit that the difference it notable. For anyone wishing to do this trip in the future, it's definitely worth the money to go by first class if your schedule allows for it!
For me, the only real downside to this trip is that my camera got totally ruined from the water (regardless of my attempts to keep it dry). Even so, I think the trip was worth it!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Fotos! :
Pictures!
Cecilia (mi profesora de gramatica) y yo con mi exposición de MERCOSUR, CAN, y UNASUR en el pisaro
Cecilia (my grammar teacher) and me with my presentation on MERCOSUR, CAN, and UNASUR on the boad behind us
Pateando la pelota para la Copa Mundial, 2010
(Fui a la Plaza de San Martín para ver el primer partido en que jugó Argentina)
Kicking the ball for the World Cup, 2010
(I went to San Martín Plaza to see Argentina play its first game)
Buenos Aires desde el techo del Palacio Barolo
Buenos Aires from the roof of the Palace Barolo
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Uruguay
Hoy día (domingo) fuimos a Colonia, Uruguay. Esta ubicado bien cerca de Buenos Aires- solo 1 hora en buquebus cruzando el mar.Yo fui muy temprano en la mañana para poder tener todo el día en Uruguay. Anna fue conmigo pero Saskia y Andrés llegaron al mediodía y nunca nos encontrabamos en la ciudad.
Anna y yo fuimos a todos los museos en Colonia (5?) y una feria artesanal. Ademas, fuimos a muchas tiendas y un resturante.
Almorzé chivito, que supuestamente es un plato muy tipico de Uruguay con papas fritas y carne. Por la primera vez, tuve la oportunidad de tomar mate. Mate es la bebida tipica de Argentina (y Uruguay y Paraguay también). Mate es una infusión preparada con hojas de yerba maté y tomado con una bombilla especial. Me pareció muy amargo y fuerte, pero me gustó. En el cafe donde la tomé había una gata muy amable y se sentió en mi falda por una hora mientras charlabamos.
Today (Sunday) we went to Colonia, Uruguay. It is very close to Buenos Aires-- just one hour by boat (called a "buquebus" or a "boat-bus").I left early this morning so I would have all day in Uruguay. Anna went with me but Saskia and Andrew went later in the afternoon and we never did end up finding each other once they got there.
Anna and I went to all the museums in Colonia (5?) and to an art fair. Also, we went to lots of little shops and a restaurant for lunch. I ate chivito, which is a
very typical Uruguayan dish (or so they told me) made with french fries and steak.Also, for the first time ever I got to try mate. Mate is the typical drink of Argentina (and Uruguay and Paraguay). It is basically a tea but it is served with loose/ground leaf and you must use a special straw with holes in it to drink the tea without drinking all the leaves at the same time. It is very strong and very bitter-- but I liked it alright.
The cafe where I drank it had a very friendly cat who sat on my lap for an hour while Anna and I chatted.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Una Estancia :
A Ranch
Hoy día fuimos a una estancia en Argentina para ver unos veraderos guachos!Cuando llegamos, montamos los caballos y dimos una vuelta. Despues, almorzamos parrilla. Había demasiado comida!
Despues de almuerzo, un gaucho vino para tocar la guitarra y cantar. Dos bailarines vinieron también para bailar el tango y muchos bailes tradiciones.
Un otro gaucho (muy viejo) empezo a agarrar las chicas para bailar con él. Fue muy chisotoso! No bailaba muy bien y las chicas, despues de unos segundos tratando de seguir sus pasos, cagaron de risa. En la ultima cancion, una romantica, el gaucho me agarró a mi! Durante todo el baile cantó muy fuerte en mi oreja-- la gente reía pero yo más que todos!Despues fuimos a ver una carrera de sortijas, algo que nunca había visto antes. Cuando terminaron las carreras, nos llevaron en los caballos para dar una vuelta muy rapidamente. Yo he montado muchos caballos en mi vida, pero nunca he ido tan rapido! Me diverti muchisimo y creo que todos la pasaron bien.
Today we went to a ranch in Argentina to see some true Argentine gauchos (like cowboys)!
When we arrived we went on a short horseback ride. Then we ate lots of grilled meat for lunch. There was tons of food!After lunch, a gaucho came to play the guitar and sing. Two dancers also came to dance the tango and other traditional dances.
Another gaucho (an older gentleman) started to grab different girls in the audience to dance with him. It was very funny! He didn't dance very well and the girls, after trying to follow his lead for a short while, ended up giving up and laughing. In the last song, a romantic one, he grabbed me and during the entire dance he sang really loudly in my ear-- everyone laughed, but I think I laughed the hardest!
Afterwards, we went to see a carrera de sortijas (or a "ring race"?), which is something I had never seen before. When the races ended, they took us horseback riding once more but this time we got to go really fast on the horses. I have ridden horses many times in the past but I have never gone so fast! It was very fun.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Las Madres de la Paza de Mayo :
The Mothers of the May Plaza
Hoy día fuimos a ver las madres de la plaza de mayo. Ellas son las que perdieron sus hijos durante la dictadura de 1976-1983.
Antes de verlas, tuvimos la oportunidad de hablar con una de las madres y escuchar a su historia.
Today we went to see the Mothers of the May Plaza. They are the mothers who lost their children during the dictatorship of 1976-1983.
Before seeing then, we had the opportunity to speak with one of the mothers and hear her story.
Antes de verlas, tuvimos la oportunidad de hablar con una de las madres y escuchar a su historia.
Today we went to see the Mothers of the May Plaza. They are the mothers who lost their children during the dictatorship of 1976-1983.
Before seeing then, we had the opportunity to speak with one of the mothers and hear her story.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Mis Primeros Días en Buenos Aires :
My First Few Days in Buenos Aires
ESPAÑOL
Cambiaron mi boleta al ultimo minuto para que llegaría en el mismo avión que los de más estudiantes de la universidad. Llegue bien y Doctora Demello, la coordinadora del programa, nos encontró en el aeropuerto para llevarnos a nuestras casas.
Mi "familia" acá consiste de 2 personas: María Silvia (la "mama") y su hijo, Joaquín, que tiene 27 años. María Silvia también tiene dos otros hijos, Juan y Ani. Ellos ya están casados y Ani esta embarazada y tiene un hijo, Pedro, que tiene 1 año y 3 meses. Pedro le encanta jugar con llaves y solamente sabe una palabra: "agua."
Estoy pasando mi clases con la Fundación Ortega y Gasset. Queda cerca de la casa (una caminata de 20 minutos pero, bueno, aquí caminan mucho y 20 minutos no es nada). La fundación esta ubicado en el tercer piso de un edificio de shopping del siglo 19.
En las mañanas empiezo con una clase de gramática a las 9:30 de la mañana. Después de eso, tengo una hora y media (más o menos) para almorzar antes de que empieza mi clase de cultura. Como no alcanza el tiempo para volver a casa, almuerzo en las cafés y restaurantes cerca de la fundación.
El tema de la clase de cultura cambiará cada semana. Esta semana nuestro tema es de los derechos humanos. Estamos aprendiendo acerca de la guerra sucia y los desaparecidos de Argentina. Lunes escuchamos a una lectura de historia por un profesor argentino. Hoy día fuimos a la Plaza de la Memoria. Las esculturas que tienen me hacen recordar de Washington, D.C., y el monumento para la guerra de Vietnam. Tiene un muro parecido a lo de Vietnam que tiene los nombres de los desaparecidos durante la dictadura de 1976-1983 (y algunos nombres también de los años anteriores). Mientras dicen que lo de Vietnam es como una cicatriz en la tierra, dicen que este es como una herida abierta en la tierra.
Ayer era mi cumpleaños y me compre unas flores en la calle! Lo que me encanta de Argentina es que venden flores en todos los cuadros de la ciudad y son muy baratos! Por supuesto, también hay algunas cosas que no me gustan... hace mucho frío y no tienen salteñas (las empanadas-- no la gente de Salta, Argentina, como pensaba María Silvia cuando le pregunté acerca de salteñas)!
Este viernes estoy planeando ir a una estancia para ver los guachos! El sábado estaré en Buenos Aires porque voy a ver el primer partido de la copa mundial en que juega Argentina. En la noche voy a ver una danza en un teatro y el domingo voy a viajar a Colonia, una ciudad de Uruguay.
Por favor, estoy aquí para mejorar mi español así que si encuentran algún error en este blog, mándenme un correo electrónico o escriben un comentario para que lo puedo cambiar. Gracias!
---
ENGLISH
The changed my plane ticket at the last minute so that I ended up arriving in the same plane as the other students from the university. The flight went well and Dr Demello, the coordinator of the program, met us in the airport when we arrived and took us to our host families.
My “family” here consists of just two people: María Silvia (the “mother”) and her 27-year-old son, Joaquín. María Silvia also has two other children, Juan and Ani. They are married and Ani has one son, Pedro, and is expecting another. Pedro is 1 year and 3 months old and he loves to play with keys. The only word he knows is “agua” (which means “water”).
I am taking two classes here with the Fundación Ortega y Gasset (Foundation Ortega and Gasset). It is about a 20 minute walk from the house, but in Buenos Aires this is considered to be very close. The fundación itself is located on the third floor of a 19th century building which is also used as a mall.
In the mornings I start with a grammar class at 9:30am. After which, I have an hour and a half or so to eat lunch before returning to the fundación for a culture class. Since this doesn’t give me enough time to return to my host family’s house and eat there, I have been eating lunch in the nearby cafés and restaurants.
The topic of the culture class will change every week, but this week our topic is human rights. Right now we are learning about the Dirty War and the desaparecidos (or disappeared ones) in Argentina. Monday we listened to an Argentine speaker talk about the history of the war and today we went to the Plaza de la Memoria, which is a plaza full of sculptures memorializing the events. The main memorial reminded me a lot of the Vietnam memorial in Washington, DC, because it is a similar wall-like structure. Whereas the Vietnam Memorial is often described as a sort of scar in the earth, this memorial is described as an open wound in the earth. The walls of this memorial are covered in the names of the desaparecidos from the years in which Argentina was ruled by a dictatorship (1976-1983). There are also a few names from the years leading up to this dictatorship.
Yesterday was my birthday and I bought myself flowers from the street! This is one of my favorite things about Argentina: there are vendors selling flowers on every block (and for very cheap)! Of course, there are also many things that I am not too fond of here… namely the cold and the fact that there are no salteñas (by salteñas I mean the kind of empanadas that I used to eat all the time in Bolivia. When I asked María Silvia about them she thought at first that I was talking about the people from Salta, Argentina!)
This Friday I am planning on going to una estancia (a ranch) to see some gauchos (the stereotypical Argentine cowboys)! This Saturday I will be in Buenos Aires for the first game in the World Cup of soccer in which Argentina will play. Then, at night, I will go to see a dance in a local theater. Sunday I will travel to Colonia, Uruguay (because Uruguay is so close that all I have to do is take a short boat ride to get there!)
I will write more once I’ve had more adventures to share!
Cambiaron mi boleta al ultimo minuto para que llegaría en el mismo avión que los de más estudiantes de la universidad. Llegue bien y Doctora Demello, la coordinadora del programa, nos encontró en el aeropuerto para llevarnos a nuestras casas.
Mi "familia" acá consiste de 2 personas: María Silvia (la "mama") y su hijo, Joaquín, que tiene 27 años. María Silvia también tiene dos otros hijos, Juan y Ani. Ellos ya están casados y Ani esta embarazada y tiene un hijo, Pedro, que tiene 1 año y 3 meses. Pedro le encanta jugar con llaves y solamente sabe una palabra: "agua."Estoy pasando mi clases con la Fundación Ortega y Gasset. Queda cerca de la casa (una caminata de 20 minutos pero, bueno, aquí caminan mucho y 20 minutos no es nada). La fundación esta ubicado en el tercer piso de un edificio de shopping del siglo 19.
En las mañanas empiezo con una clase de gramática a las 9:30 de la mañana. Después de eso, tengo una hora y media (más o menos) para almorzar antes de que empieza mi clase de cultura. Como no alcanza el tiempo para volver a casa, almuerzo en las cafés y restaurantes cerca de la fundación.
El tema de la clase de cultura cambiará cada semana. Esta semana nuestro tema es de los derechos humanos. Estamos aprendiendo acerca de la guerra sucia y los desaparecidos de Argentina. Lunes escuchamos a una lectura de historia por un profesor argentino. Hoy día fuimos a la Plaza de la Memoria. Las esculturas que tienen me hacen recordar de Washington, D.C., y el monumento para la guerra de Vietnam. Tiene un muro parecido a lo de Vietnam que tiene los nombres de los desaparecidos durante la dictadura de 1976-1983 (y algunos nombres también de los años anteriores). Mientras dicen que lo de Vietnam es como una cicatriz en la tierra, dicen que este es como una herida abierta en la tierra.Ayer era mi cumpleaños y me compre unas flores en la calle! Lo que me encanta de Argentina es que venden flores en todos los cuadros de la ciudad y son muy baratos! Por supuesto, también hay algunas cosas que no me gustan... hace mucho frío y no tienen salteñas (las empanadas-- no la gente de Salta, Argentina, como pensaba María Silvia cuando le pregunté acerca de salteñas)!
Este viernes estoy planeando ir a una estancia para ver los guachos! El sábado estaré en Buenos Aires porque voy a ver el primer partido de la copa mundial en que juega Argentina. En la noche voy a ver una danza en un teatro y el domingo voy a viajar a Colonia, una ciudad de Uruguay.Por favor, estoy aquí para mejorar mi español así que si encuentran algún error en este blog, mándenme un correo electrónico o escriben un comentario para que lo puedo cambiar. Gracias!
---
ENGLISH
The changed my plane ticket at the last minute so that I ended up arriving in the same plane as the other students from the university. The flight went well and Dr Demello, the coordinator of the program, met us in the airport when we arrived and took us to our host families.
My “family” here consists of just two people: María Silvia (the “mother”) and her 27-year-old son, Joaquín. María Silvia also has two other children, Juan and Ani. They are married and Ani has one son, Pedro, and is expecting another. Pedro is 1 year and 3 months old and he loves to play with keys. The only word he knows is “agua” (which means “water”).
I am taking two classes here with the Fundación Ortega y Gasset (Foundation Ortega and Gasset). It is about a 20 minute walk from the house, but in Buenos Aires this is considered to be very close. The fundación itself is located on the third floor of a 19th century building which is also used as a mall.In the mornings I start with a grammar class at 9:30am. After which, I have an hour and a half or so to eat lunch before returning to the fundación for a culture class. Since this doesn’t give me enough time to return to my host family’s house and eat there, I have been eating lunch in the nearby cafés and restaurants.
The topic of the culture class will change every week, but this week our topic is human rights. Right now we are learning about the Dirty War and the desaparecidos (or disappeared ones) in Argentina. Monday we listened to an Argentine speaker talk about the history of the war and today we went to the Plaza de la Memoria, which is a plaza full of sculptures memorializing the events. The main memorial reminded me a lot of the Vietnam memorial in Washington, DC, because it is a similar wall-like structure. Whereas the Vietnam Memorial is often described as a sort of scar in the earth, this memorial is described as an open wound in the earth. The walls of this memorial are covered in the names of the desaparecidos from the years in which Argentina was ruled by a dictatorship (1976-1983). There are also a few names from the years leading up to this dictatorship.
Yesterday was my birthday and I bought myself flowers from the street! This is one of my favorite things about Argentina: there are vendors selling flowers on every block (and for very cheap)! Of course, there are also many things that I am not too fond of here… namely the cold and the fact that there are no salteñas (by salteñas I mean the kind of empanadas that I used to eat all the time in Bolivia. When I asked María Silvia about them she thought at first that I was talking about the people from Salta, Argentina!)This Friday I am planning on going to una estancia (a ranch) to see some gauchos (the stereotypical Argentine cowboys)! This Saturday I will be in Buenos Aires for the first game in the World Cup of soccer in which Argentina will play. Then, at night, I will go to see a dance in a local theater. Sunday I will travel to Colonia, Uruguay (because Uruguay is so close that all I have to do is take a short boat ride to get there!)
I will write more once I’ve had more adventures to share!
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