Days 1-3

I am posting what I wrote from my casa-- it´s from a few days ago. I´ll update soon!

It’s Day 3. Let me bring you up to speed on my trip. My vacation, really.
Day 1: Thursday (well—Wednesday, considering that’s when my flight left. It’s never a good sign when you leave on one day and arrive on another date altogether.) Alas, I flew out of Norfolk on Wednesday night at 6, and I got to Atlanta at 8. Then I found the gate for my next flight to Santiago and had about an hour. I wound up meeting someone else from Clemson, Tyler, at the airport. He had flown in from California. So, we embarked on this journey together. We could not have predicted that my seat was 26E, and his? 26F. So we sat directly next to each other and relished in speaking the last of the English that we would be allowed to for months. I had a window seat—good for viewing the Andes, bad for sleeping during a flight that lasted 9pm-8:30am. Aye dios mio it was a LONG flight! I tried to sleep, and Tyler (my new buddy) said that I did but it was definitely fitfully. They played Balls of Fury first, an awful sign, and then we got dinner. It was probably the nastiest thing I had ever laid eyes on—some ravioli with emphasis on the garlic. Needless to say, it was a good thing I had grabbed a piece of pizza before departing. While it was a very long flight, we arrived in Santiago before we knew it. Flying over the first bit of land after being over the ocean since the dawn had arrived was a little surreal—there was no sign of human life; just mountains. Very brown mountains. We were shocked by the lack of, well, anything else. No vegetation, no human life forms, no water, just miles and miles of mountains. Eventually we started heading downward and at last some small towns began to appear. One of them ended up to be Santiago--- much smaller than I had expected, but beautiful and rural, with mountains on all sides. Here was the tricky part—in the US we received boarding passes up until Santiago. Then, we would have to find out how to get the passes for the last leg to Cordoba. First, we went through a pathetic excuse of a security trick, near which sat a case of banned items that included precarious weapons that were definitely not new or unused. We weren’t in Kansas anymore. Everything became Spanish, and as we approached a desk that had some indication of passes and help, the women immediately began responding to my Spanish in English. It was evident that I didn’t belong, but it didn’t bother me. Our passes read Gate “18A.” Easy enough—we found it, and I started getting loopy from the plane ride. I meandered the airport shops to move my legs (don’t worry Amy, I made sure to move them during the flight as well! And I’m still alive...) Anyway, we had two hours to kill. Our next flight was to start boarding at 10:20 and leave at 10:40. So we sat at the gate as they continued to announce the same flight to Mendoza. When that flight eventually left, we realized that there were only about 5 other people still in the 18 and 18A gate area. And it was like 10:30. We figured the plane must be late and speculated on how awful it would be if our flight really left at 10:40 pm. We decided to mosey over to the TV screens that ran flight times. Opps. It read “Rosario via Córdoba: Gate 17.” Well, two other students from the US came up and said they were going to Cordoba too. So we hurried to the other gate, where a frantic attendant told us to run to the plane. Great. I’m the only one hurrying, and then another guy yells at us “Tienen que correr” (yall have to run!”) So we go faster, first go in the wrong door, then go back to the correct one, where we enter the plane and fumble to our seats. I had a coat and sweatshirt, a purse, and a huge backpack. And I was sitting in a window seat, so I had to step over two people with all my stuff (the overheads were full) to reach mine. Que lastima. It was quite the show. Everyone look at the foolish Americans. (Not to mention it was probably 90 degrees F here).
The flight between Santiago and Cordoba was absolutely beautiful. I pretty much stared out the window the entire time, not wanting to disturb anyone by shifting all of my enormous carry-on stuff to find entertainment. Regardless, we passed over the Andes, and they were one off the most awe-inspiring visions of my life. First, all of the mountains were brown but they quickly became white-capped, and the clouds that floated between were dreamlike, puffy in texture and the whitest white you could envision. Not white like Crayon white or ceiling-paint white, but a new form of white—the complete absence of colour, in front of a sky of unchanging blue in the purest form. The Andes stretched on and on. I ordered a coffee. Chilean coffee is no joke. I can’t explain the taste, but it was like a desert rather than a bitter stimulant. Rich in colour and taste, I added my sugar substitute and some Coffeemate (almost all of the brands here are the same), and I was in Heaven. Sidenote—the snacks that they gave were almost equally awesome—a brownie, almonds, and a cookie, in a cute little box. I like LAN Airlines. Anyway, eventually the huge mountain ranges gave way to smaller ones and plots of land. I began noticing a lot of agriculture, and then we approached one more mountain range before we began to greet the cloud puffs head-on. As we got near to the airport, I didn’t see much in terms of settlement, although more neighborhoods, or barrios, began to take form. Still, it turns out that the airport is on the rural outskirts of the city. With a beautiful mountain range in the near distance. There were a ton of cows grazing in one beautiful pasture. I looked at them and thanked them for future asados (Argentine bar-b-ques with steaks and sausages and deliciousness). Anyway, we landed, and I was in my new temporary home.
Customs scared me. I think it’s supposed to. Firstly, I wasn’t sure how to fill out the forms because I don’t yet have a Visa. I told them I was vacationing. The man at the booth quickly stamped my forms and my passport, and I went to collect my baggage, which was easy to locate and quick in its arrival. It should always be like this. Before greeting the family with whom I would stay, I exchanged some money. I think I got a bad deal, but I’m happy to have some pesos for these first few days. My padres and this other kid with a rattail—I don’t know exactly the relaction—nephew maybe, greeted me, along with the program director, and Tyler and I separated. I was on my own, with my school Spanish as my only guide.
One of the first things I noticed was the traffic. There doesn’t seem to be any concern for any regulations whatsoever. In fact, I have only seen two traffic officials in two days. One was hailing a train, and the other was getting into the passenger seat of a commercial car. Regardless, Alberto, the father who was driving, passed people left and right, and at the same time got passed my mopeds and other vehicles. I was scared out of my mind and tried not to clench my fist or grind my teeth, at least not obviously. There are a lot of mopeds and also an occasional horse and buggy sort of deal. All of a sudden we pulled to a halt at the front door. The houses are all very very close together along these parallel streets. As soon as I walked into the house, I was greeted by a gato! He is muy feo (ugly) and crazy--- perfect for my taste. Then I learned of another cat. They call her negrita and hijo de puta (I’ll translate as much as son of a …) But I think she’s very sweet. Both come into my bed sometimes when I’m taking a siesta or in the early morning to wake me. The family is very happy that I like cats.
The mother made almuerzo (lunch), which consisted of very fresh vegetables in a salad with rice and bread. It was very tasty. We had fruit- melon- and flan de dulce de leche for dessert. Flan in my new favorite. I never liked it when I attempted to make it for Spanish classes before, but this stuff is out of this world, esp de dulce de leche. Yum. The fruit is all very fresh also. And the juice is delicious. I am definitely a fan of the food here. I then took a nap and read for the majority of the afternoon. Before I knew it, it was after 7, and the sun was still up. I went with the parents to a supermercado so that they could shop, and I could use the cybercafé. To begin describing this place, I will start with Walmart. Then add boutique shops, a McDonalds, cafes, kiosks where one can purchase cars, and surfshops. This place was amazing!!! I paid one peso (three pesos= US $1, so this was about 33 cents) for thirty minutes of Internet use to email my parents. That night, we went to the house of a relative that was three blocks from our house. There were probably 12 adults there in total and 3 or 4 young children. We passed mate—also a new favourite—and talked. Eventually, around probably 11 or later—we ordered pizzas and ate. The kids were still up! We had Coca-Cola and Sprite, along with juice and water (they serve a lot of carbonated water—like everywhere, in these very unique bottles). They also opened a bottle of Budweiser and wine. I tried a little bit of the wine, and like the coffee, it was just my style- dark red and fairly dry. By 1:00 am I was about to fall asleep but feeling more and more comfortable. I understand almost all of what people say, but I think they have a hard time understanding me! But everyone is very patient, and they compliment my Spanish for some reason. I’m trying…
We went home, and lucky for me, the mother has a sweettooth. So we had some melon and this pear-like fruit that is soooo sweet and delicious, it’s my other new favourite. It seems that often times the mother, Julia, and I are the only ones eating dessert. Typical. Also, the mother’s name is Julia (hoo-lia) and there is a kid (again- a nephew??) named Julio. So, I look up every time I hear the sound “Who.” They call me either Juli (Hoo-lee), or they try it in English and it becomes “Chu-lee.”
Day 2:
This synopsis will be much shorter. Viernes, I didn’t do much. I woke up around 10 and no one was really home, but I wasn’t sure. So I ate a granola bar that I brought and got dressed to go running. One problem: I couldn’t figure out how to open the front door. So I was locked inside. Interesting feat. The family came home from shopping for yarn and such and showed me the key, which was directly next to the door. I’m an idiot. Anyway, I went running at like 1pm. It was hot. Like, very hot. They told me to leave the iPod at home so that I didn’t get robbed. Sweet. Anyway, I went down this path that exists mostly for riding bikes and motos (mopeds) and followed it all the way to my school. It is about a 40-minute walk, so I guess it’s between two and two-and-a-half miles. After a long bout of running past residential streets lined with these small houses, the path opened up to a street, and I was in a busier part of the city. My University was about two blocks further. I walked along the street outside, and it was very pretty. It was very hot and I was getting tired, so I turned and ran back home. I was sweating pretty badly when I returned, and they were just about to eat lunch, at about 2 pm. We had geiso (sp?), which is a dish unique to Argentina. It was really just pasta with a tomato sauce and chopped up meat. DELICIOUS. I love the carne here, and this dish was amazing. It was assisted with juice, salad, and bread. They put these long loaves of French bread on the table and you just cut it right there! And then they just shake out the tablecloth afterwards. It works wonderfully. Then we (the two parents and I) had melon and other fruit for dessert. As is becoming routine, I went upstairs to hide in my room, reading and resting for the afternoon. Eventually, I went downstairs and later helped one of the girls transfer her photos from one camera to another using my computer b/c theirs is horrible. The parents don’t know how to use the Internet, nor do they really care. Julia said that she will learn one day when she has more time, but now it’s not important to her—she says she’d rather cook or sleep than sit on the computer looking up information that she doesn’t need. I think that the Internet and cell phone craze is hitting the younger crowd now but that it’s too late to sink in with the older folks. Then we had dinner at 10:30pm. We had these pot-pie things, and I have no idea what was in them. But they were good! Same deal—melon for dessert. Then I sat and spoke with Alberto, the father, about sports and Argentina in general. All education is free here, and students in upper-middle class never work. Summertime is three months of kicking back. Sometimes, middle-class students will work, but not usually. He’s very insightful, and patient with my language. Sometimes they will use a common word and they have to repeat it like 4 times before I catch on. Opps.
I went to bed at like 1:30, right when one of the girls left with her friends to go out I suppose.
Day 3: Hoy.
Today I had my orientation to the UBP (Universidad Blas Pascal), where I will study this semester. I decided to walk, rather than face the taxis or busses. It took about 45 minutes, but when I got there I saw many familiar Clemson faces. We listened as they told us about using phones and safety and health. All healthcare is free, and to for a doctor to come to your house for whatever reason costs 5 pesos (less than US $2). Then we used the computer labs, which are very nice, to set up our version of BlackBoard. Then we got a campus tour, ending at some tables for our ASADO!!! I hadn’t eaten breakfast, and let me tell you that I was very ready for this asado. It began with empanadas—a common snack here of these bready packets filled with anything (once again, I have no idea what was in mine- steak I think)- then continued to slabs of steak and salad and Coke and carbonated water and bread. We also had rice and these sausage things that I think are made from beef, but I can’t ever remember their names. Yum. Flan was dessert!!! I was very excited about this, and I sat with my tutor and some other kids that were very nice. My tutor is interesting, but the other tutors at the UBP are awesome. Very chill and outgoing at the same time. I was so happy to see other students struggling with the language. Haha maybe that’s rude, but I’m sure they’d agree. We played games outside—stupid, kids-camp games with balloons and chairs too-few for the number of people playing. I figured I couldn’t beat them, so I joined, and I danced as we circled around and around to tango music. Afterwards, we all made plans to “salir” tonight. Salir= go out. We are going to a bolliche. There are bolliches and barros. Bolliches are where you go to dance, and barros are like pubs. We are all very excited to dance, and to be together. I think that my tutor is picking me up, but I couldn’t understand him. Haha. We are meeting at 12:30 in the morning. Hopefully we will be done eating dinner by then!!! The 40-minute walk home was hot. Very hot. But I think that I’m already getting tan, and my shorts are already becoming too big.
Well, it’s 7:00 pm, so I’m going to take a nap so that I can last until 6 or whatever time in the morning that I will return to sleep. We surely won’t eat until 9 or 10, so I should have plenty of time. Tomorrow I’m going to “Paseo del arte,” where a ton of “hippies,” as my friend described them, sell clothing and stuff on the street. It turns out that the women in my family sell their clothes there. Sidenote: I think I’m going to learn to sew. I’m thinking it’s inevitable. Once again, I’ll join em and dance.