Puerto Iguazu

Two million liters of water per second pass over this fall. El Garganta del Diablo (The Devil's Throat)



This place is one of the coolest things I have seen. Ever.

River Plate vs. Godoy Cruz

Once there was a 'soccer' team (they play futbol). They are called the Club Deportiva Godoy Cruz Antonio Tomba, Godoy Cruz or Tomba for short. As far as I understand, the team used to play in the B league but just recently moved up to the A league... so it was a big deal that they were playing River Plate. River Plate is from Buenos Aires and is one of the most renowned teams in the league. We got the chance to go to the game, it was totally crazy.
We bought seats in the more tranquil section, where people actually sit down, but from where you are you can see the "fan's section". They are out of control. Walking in, there were crowd control police officers on horses, helicopters flying around, and Choripan (delicious spicy sausage sold in a roll) being sold on the side. Everyone was singing, yelling, and getting excited for the game. The energy was... heavier than a sporting event in the states. I knew it was about to be a battle, rather than a game.
The roudy fans were throwing toilet paper constantly, throwing small hand bombs at the police who were decked out in riot gear and had shields. The songs they were singing were hilarious and awesome, I regret not having learned a couple before I went. Moreover, there were flags draped all the way down the section, and banners across the section. At one point, they let the biggest flag I have ever seen fall over the entire section of people. Where did they find a flag so large? It covered the entire section, and it was unreal. It was really fun, and so cool to see.

They tied.

Visit of the Madre

Then my mom visited. I was nervous at first about what she would think of this crazy place I have been living in...and she said it perfectly "I was thinking I would go back home feeling better about where you are, but now I think I might worry more now that I do know." I think by the end of the trip, however, she had changed her mind. Everything went perfectly while she was here, and I think she really liked Argentina. She wants to come back. We went to the Bodega Familia Zuccardi and after a tour, that I had to translate "uh she said something about the grapes....like the go in that thing and then i dunno what happens really....and then it's done." We had a picnic in the vineyard which will be a really special memory. They equipped us with everything we could possibly want, olives, breads, wine, meats, wine, dessert, sandwiches, tables clothes, etc. It was really cool (and delicious). I had a glimpse of the life of the owner of a vineyard.
We shopped. For my birthday, I got a leather jacket (thanks Honey). I also got a leather purse. Both of them are really cool, and we bought them from the sweetest family ever. I won't go into it, but... shoes shoes shoes, clothes clothes, shoes.
I took mom to the big city, Buenos Aires. She loved it. We walked all around the city, I showed her the capital buildings and the national cemetery, the artisan market, and other neat things...then I got tired of those kinds of things so I dragged her to Chinatown, a couple forgotten cobble-stone neighborhoods, and some dusty bookstores. It was so fun and quite a laugh, especially when the subway workers decided to go on strike so the whole city was moving by foot. I bought a book, written by a famous Argentine historian, and not even an hour later I saw on the news that he had just died. Weird.
Lemon pie is really delicious, make a note.
Above is a picture of mi vieja doing a little shopping in Chinatown. Below is...the only other picture I took.

The last entry was about a haircut?!

Oh no, now I have really lost readership. The last couple didn't have any pictures, that is so rude. I'm back. Sorry for my negligence. Where do I start?
My friend from home, who is studying in BsAs visited a few weeks ago, so we did all of the touristy things around Mendoza. It was fun to play the tourist for a short while. We rented bikes from a place called Mr. Hugo's, and spent the day riding along "el camino de vinos" where there are several Bodegas in a row. We did a couple of wine tastings at small boutique wineries and then went to an olive oil factory. All of them were delicious and really fun to visit. The actual bike ride was really bizarre. There is no real path to ride on, so you find yourself riding along the street, on the dirt shoulder. Police officers in cars and on bikes followed us the whole way, to ensure we wouldn't get robbed. It was unnerving. Once we returned to Mr. Hugo's they handed out some wine which I'm sure was bootleg, and we sat around for quite a while just talking to other travelers. It was really fun, and I met a new friend who is just lovely. Beckie and I had a great time. The picture below is from a night we went to a piano concert of a friend here, he was so marvelous I teared up.

Haircut

I walked into a peluqueria, a haircut place, with a comic book action figure on the sign. I thought it would be funny to try this place, but when I walked in I reconsidered because there was a man in the chair with blue hair. I described in very broken Spanish what I wanted, (because I don't remember the haircut vocabulary I learned, if I ever did) then crossed my fingers. The hair-cutter went about cutting my hair in a way I have never seen, but it seemed to be working. It looks great and I am enjoying it a lot, all for the price of $8 US. I'm okay with that.

Portrerillos, Argentina

In need of a break and too tired to embark on a grand adventure, we rented a cabin in the pre-mountains of Mendoza province and relax. There were eight of us, so naturally it was hectic trying to organize. After a frenzied search for a cabin (thanks Jacquie) and filling a shopping cart to the brim with groceries we were ready to go. We tried to pack light so we could trek four days worth of food with us in our backpacks, knowing the provisions would be limited. Toilet paper never crossed our minds...We rushed to the bus station, loaded our bags into the back of the bus and got in line to get on the bus. I said "did anyone verify that this is the right bus?" and I heard crickets. It was not the right bus, so we scurried back to grab our bags, and moved them to the next bus over. A man selling ice cream from a bicycle stopped to help us, which caught us off guard sufficiently but was very gracious of him.
The cabin we stayed in was lovely, the town was simple. I made some friends and hung out with them most of the day. They showed me a dried river bed that curved through awesome rock structures then ended where a waterfall would be if there were water. I started formulating escape plans in the case of a flash flood then thought to myself "who am I kidding, it never rains here." The scene was breath-taking. There were snow capped Andes looming in the background saying "welcome, but don't get too comfortable". There were rolling hills with cacti and brush all around, different colors of sand and rock, and salty residue from the river that once was at our feet. We were surrounded by hole-y rocks that reached to the sky. I began to think we are beginning to take scenes like this for granted, because we see them all the time, but they are awesome and if it were the states, there would be look-out points and gift shops on the sides of this site. It would be littered with trails. "Travel slowly" is some of the best advice I have heard, and now I know why.
The next day, while my friends hibernated until noon, I hiked back to that spot to take pictures only to find out I didn't have my memory card in my camera. I showered, wrote in my journal, stretched, then woke them up to make breakfast. Huge breakfasts are what I had been missing so they were key essentials of the trip. That's what we did.
The next day I got up early again and ran, explored the river, and walked around "town". In the afternoon, we went walking to the lake. Someone told us it was 5 k away, which we thought was like 3 miles. It was way further. We were exhausted by the time we got there, having stopped for cookies and empanadas on the walk. It was lovely and fresh by the lake, we relaxed and laughed and chatted.
The next day...consisted of more of the same, movies, breakfast, napping in the sun.

Lamentably, I have no pictures of the weekend except those I have saved in my mind.

Midterms and Halftime

The week of midterms was tough. I had to give a presentation in Spanish about France, to a room full of Argentines. This is harder than speaking in front of your comrades in Spanish class because they are also learning Spanish, whereas the Argentines know Spanish pretty well. The presentation went well, because I had five Mendocinas standing next to me, giving me a thumbs up and nodding fervently to whatever I said. The rest of my midterms I passed...kind of. For one of them, the professor pulled us aside and said "you passed, but that's because I went easy on you since you're foreign. Do better on the final or you won't pass." Ha ha. So, now we know what to expect. Aside from being written tests in a language I only started learning two years ago, they were over information I don't even know about in English. I can tell you all about movie sets, cranes, camera angles...in Spanish only. Moreover, they were over information different than what we were told would be on the test. Something I noticed that is different is that they test the students on concrete information, rather than a thoughtful synthesis of the information.
Because you're expected to read information, memorize facts, and comprehend ideas, in Spanish, then recite them back...in Spanish, even the simplest of information gets jumbled in your head. That's alright. Onward.

Midterms, coincidentally, came at the same time that half-time did. It seemed everyone had been experiencing a sentiment of weariness because we have all been here two and a half months, and have the same amount of time to look forward to. We are past the honeymoon, things aren't quite as new and fantastical. We all have lists of things to complain about. At dinner the other night we were complaining, and a friend said, "we have things to complain about...that only means we're actually living this now." So, I mean to say, it has all settled in now. Here I am.

Northern Patagonian Adventure

Hi! We traveled northern Patagonia for nearly ten days, and it was a blast...but now I'm in the midst of midterms at school and need to be studying. I know, I'm thinking the same thing: since when was I actually in school? So forgive me, but for now this entry will be mostly a photo collage style entry.
In true Latin American style, we started the trip with a little protest that held up our bus for a couple of hours. We never did find out what it was about.

Bariloche is the Aspen of South America, it's a ski town on a beautiful lake and that's where all the vacationers go. They are known for their chocolate which was really delicious.

We took a boat tour to an island where there was a forest of rare trees. The bark was very cool and it gave the whole forest a strange glow.

We also went kayaking on a serene lake, and we were the only ones around. It was incredible, and the color of the water was something I have never seen before. I don't have any pictures because I didn't bring my camera.
Next we went to El Bolson, a sleepy little hippie town tucked away in the mountains. We took a bus there, and the bus would stop in the middle of nowhere and people would run out of the trees and just hop on the bus. That's a different way of doing it. We went hiking looking for a waterfall and got ourselves totally lost, but we ran into some locals who pointed us in the right direction. They told us, "first cross that bridge, it looks broken but really it's okay to walk on."

Then we found the waterfall... and this sign. It says "Please don't yell, enjoy the nature."

In El Bolson, our lodging was rather primitive. We stayed in a lovely, cozy cabin in the woods, with the nicest family. I was sad to leave, as if they were old friends. Here is a picture of the "telefonica".

We went to Puerto Madryn, known for having tons of unique wildlife. This is a picture of a whale swimming underneath our boat. The were Southern Right Whales. The second picture is that same whale swimming around on it's back near our boat.


Then we had a scallop lunch, it was the best I've had in terms of scallops.

This is me.

This is a momma and baby Elephant Seal.

This is a guanaco, related to the llama and alpaca. He's running around among penguins. I can't even tell you how beautiful it was. Totally untouched.

Magellan Penguins holding hands...or flippers. love.

Penguin dance.

Myself with one of the locals.

Viva Chile

I went to class for a couple of days then boarded a bus to Chile. The drive over the Andes was absolutely incredible. The mountain peaks were stunning. We fell asleep for a short while then woke up just before we dropped down into a lush green city, Vina del Mar. We took some money out of the ATMs, and in Chile it's 550 pesos to 1 dollar so we were about to pay $26,000 for a meal and $370 for bus rides. It was entertaining and easy to spend unfortunately. We explored the town and the markets which were overwhelming and colorful. From the beach by our hostel we could see Valparaiso, Renaca, and Con-Con; the views were captivating and it was nice to see the ocean again. That night we boarded a bus to Con-Con not really knowing where we would get off, or how much it cost. The bus driver offered to drive the poor lost gringos straight to the restaurant. The area was a ghost town, but we found a quaint seafood place where we would eat. We enjoyed fresh ceviche and fish, wine, and salads until very late. It was an adventure getting home, but we made it. In Chile, it was our experience that the drivers steer straight for pedestrians, and speed up if there's an opportunity. We had to jump out of the path of one of such drivers, and we fell into the grass laughing.
The next day we explored the town and more markets. The people in Chile are lovely and really friendly. Walking through town you will get whiffs of fresh bread that tempt you at every corner. Oh and the meat! That night we went to a restaurant where they bring you a tabletop grill covered in different meats. Everything was delicious. It was at this restaurant that I lost my new hat...remember this.

The next day we met up with a friend of a friend who is Chileno and he showed us all around Valparaiso, up and down several steep hills with buildings covered in colorful murals. Valpo is right by the water, so you can smell the ocean from the city, and see the ocean from almost any point because it's so hilly that it's organized like stadium seating. For lunch with tried shrimp and cheese empanadas and bubbling bowls of mariscos (not me, my friends did). I ate tons of shrimp. After walking all over this lively town (and adjusting to the Chilean accent) we were totally spent and needed to recoop at the hostel in preparation for the futbol game, Chile vs. Venezuela. The game was really fun to watch because we were in a crowded bar full of excited Chilenos yelling and celebrating and singing Chilean songs. I really enjoyed their patriotism...which we encountered in full force later on with comments like "I don't LIKE the United States". We went to a funky bar after that where there was a man with dreads selling plastic wrapped sushi for four dollars. Globalization? Is was comical. We danced the night away at a really fun place and by the time we got home it was time to leave for the bus home. We arrived at the bus terminal on one hour of sleep only to find out the pass was closed and we had to stay in Chile (fine with us!). So we walked back to the hostel in the rain, told them they didn't need to clean the room and that we just wanted to get back into bed. We slept that whole day and watched movies which was perfect because the next day we would have to stay again and it was finally beach weather. We lazied away the entire next day on the beach until sunset. It was enchanting. Next: spicy Mexican food on the beach, finally some picante! While we were at Tiki Tacos piling on the jalapenos, the server from a couple nights before caught my eye from the sidewalk outside. He doubles back, and shows up fifteen minutes later with my lost hat! The Chileans were good to us.
Note: Bundle up for customs because it's outdoors at the top of a windy snowcapped peak. No wonder I came back with a cold.

Chile!

Click on the album to see the photos:

Buenos Aires

A couple of weeks ago (yeah, I'm behind on writing) I had the opportunity to go to Buenos Aires with my host sister, Carolina, and since she has so much to teach me about the language and the culture here, (also I enjoy her a lot) I jumped at the opportunity. The bus ride was a riot. They gave us socks to wear, blankets to cuddle with, and a snack and something to drink. Later they served us a plate full of cold things like salad and bread, and then a warm meal with chicken and wine if we wanted. It was comical. We stayed in a funky hostel in a nice neighborhood in Buenos Aires. I shared a room with a fun girl from California who had been traveling for a few months and was supposed to go back to the states. It was a weird thought, she would be setting foot in the US tomorrow. For me that day was months away.
The first day I was on my own because Carolina was doing other things. I walked all around the area, down shady streets, through markets and bustling shops. It was alive and vibrant. The clothes in the shop windows were totally weird. We saw sandal-boots with strappy sandals on the bottom, then leather boots from the ankle to the knee...don't forget a heel. There were also clothes I really wanted to have in my own closet but I resisted.
I continued my trek to the planetarium. Someone greeted me and said "the next show will be at 4:30." I looked at my watch: 3:00. I asked "is there anything to look at in the meantime?" "No." So, I took myself to the zoo, on the other side of this enormous park. In the states peacocks roam freely around the zoo for small children to chase. Well here, there is an abundance of a certain animal to which I still cannot give a name. Imagine a kangaroo-small dog-cartoon mix and you've got it. The zoo was disheartening because a lot of the animals lived in small white rooms and looked hungry and sad; although they had the largest bug collection I have ever seen. At one point I found myself standing in a dark reptile room, only to notice a small hole in the corner of the glass enclosure. I got out of there quickly.
That night I invited my new friend from California to go out with my friend Beckie and I. Beckie is a close friend who went to El Salvador with me, and she is studying in BsAs. We went to an electronic tango show in an old warehouse, colorfully painted with a funky vibe. It wasn't what we expected, but we enjoyed the time.
The next day I explored the city with Beckie, and we found ourselves at the horse races. When we tried to buy tickets, they turned us away because I was wearing sandals, but someone said "you can go to the free side over there." Luckily, the free side was the most fun. This is where everyone is yelling and swearing and having fun. It was fun to watch the races but it was even better to spend time with someone I really know. We sat and talked for hours. While we talked we watched this man put brick siding on the side of a building, at a painstaking speed. It was so comical to us, we wanted to show him a better way but resisted. Beckie's host mom is the ex wife of a famous celebrity in BsAs and I was fortunate to meet her because she is a hoot. She was so full of energy and gusto. After meeting her, we went out for a steak dinner. It was delicious; the meat here is divine. We finished our meal at 2 am, laughing at the ridiculousness.

The next day we explored more of BsAs and went to Puerto Madero, a fancier part of BsAs because I wanted to see the water. The water was brown, and it was not the ocean, but a river. That's okay, the Mexican food we ate hit the spot and the riverwalk added to the pleasantries of the meal. We also went to an artisan market where I finally found the perfect mate gourd. I changed my mind about Buenos Aires, it's a great city.

La Sonda came, so we left town.

On Friday morning, the woman who cleans our house (Charo) told me "the Sonda is coming, it's better not to leave the house because it's dangerous to walk around in the street." I had heard the Sonda was a strong, hot wind so I thought: I can handle wind, it will be fine. Of course, I found myself walking the streets with some friends when it came. It was a hot, really strong wind that stirred up everything undesirable and by the end of the day I felt like I was scraping layers of dust off my teeth, eyelashes, and clothes. I got home and found towels stuffed under every doorway, and streams of dirt streaking the floor. While trying to use the computer to print my bus ticket, Graciela ran in and said "you can't use the computer because of the wind." Ha. I really needed my ticket, so she let me print it really quickly and just afterward...the electricity went out. Now I see what they were talking about. It's awful. Next it brought with it a cold, rainy front but I missed that because we left for Las Lenas, Argentina (the Aspen of Argentina).

That night, at 2:30 am we boarded the bus headed for Las Lenas. I fell asleep right away because that's what I do. I woke up once, and we were driving through a wildfire. It was shocking and incredible. This quite, solitary bus driving slowly through a wildfire...is this a good idea? I feel back asleep and woke up again to the brightest stars I had ever seen, and the moon ascending from the flat plains over some rolling hills. The sky is inverted down here, so of course there are a whole new set of star patterns in our sky.

We woke up and they gave us cookies and hot chocolate, and once we got within 100 m of the resort, the bus got stuck. We waited for nearly an hour while they towed us out of the snow. So close, yet so far. Then another set back: we found out the resort was closed for the day because it had snowed too much (avalanche risk), but to make matters worse the only bus to town (80 km away) leaves at 5 o clock. So, we sat around all day in the restaurant, surrounded by our packs and layers of clothing, waiting. Then, the server wouldn't let us play games on the table, and that pretty much topped things off. It was snowing like mad, and it was white-out most of the day so we didn't even see the mountains.

The hostel was beautiful, antiquated and home-y. The family that lives there was lovely and welcoming. We rented our equipment that night which took forever. I'm sure they dug my board out of the back and he handed it to me saying "anything else?". I was thinking, are you going to ask which way I need the bindings to face? I snowboard "goofy"? Nope. He wasn't about to adjust the board. Then we walked all the way back with all of our stuff and the store was closed so we went out to eat. The food was great, but we felt awkward hauling all of our equipment through their nice restaurant.

The Andes were incredible the next day. We finally got onto the slopes, after taking the bus and waiting in lines to buy tickets, around 11 o clock. The first run of the day offered powder up to our knees. It was powder on powder on powder, not powder on snowpack like I'm used to so if you fell you were down for a while. I spent a lot of time floundering around in the snow. (most of us had the same experience on that run) I was humbled by the Andes, and my talent as a snowboarder was debased. BUT the views were beautiful.

On the bus ride home I sat next to an irritating man who was playing Madonna and other awful tunes on his phone and singing along. I told him to turn it off (please) because people were trying to sleep and the lady next to me was starting to fume. He said "the night-time is for sleeping, and for it to be quiet in here the bus would need to stop anyway." So, we dropped it. Are you serious? We passed this very old man's homestead, with goats and horses on the side of the road. He had no lights, and just a small one room hut. He wore authentic looking gaucho clothing. He smiled and waved at the bus when we passed. It was a lovely scene, I can't describe it.

The next day was also rough, we tried to blame it on equipment and other things, but then we decided... how good of a snowboarder are you really if you can't use awful equipment and traverse inclement conditions? Humbled again. I am grateful for how easy it is for me to toss my gear in the car, drive an hour and a half to the mountains and just get on the lift, board all day, then go home to my own bed. Another night in the hostel was really fun, playing games, cooking in the kitchen, and snuggling up.

The next day we had to take the bus back to Las Lenas at 8, but our bus to Mendo wasn't to leave until 5 pm. So, it sounds ridiculous but we decided to rent an apartment for the day, instead of spending the day in the restaurant again. We were able to cook lunch, nap, and lounge around giggling. Not to mention, the shower was worth every penny, and might have been the best one I've had in a month.

It was a strange weekend, but really fun. I haven't laughed so hard in quite a while.

The first day of school went like this...

I walked to class, and got there on time. It was 9:35. Cool. I searched for my classroom then walked in, staking my claim in the back. There was a student in the professor's chair, who I thought was the professor. Three girls sat around me and talked about the weekend, skiing and dancing, asked me questions and were very friendly. Waves of people came in to say hello and kiss each other on the cheek as the custom goes. Many of them greeted me with a kiss as well. I thought to myself: "where are all these people going to sit, in this tiny room?" By this time it was probably 9:50. They came and went in waves, some stayed for quite a while and it seemed like everyone knew each other. At about 10:15 someone came in to tell us the professor was sick and would not be coming today.

So, two friends and I went to Cafe Congreso, the cafe across the street, then went school shopping. I bought everything I needed (not much) for less than $6 US. So far so good.

Mira mis fotos:

Click on the stack of pictures to see the whole album.

ARGENTINA 2009

Tango y Vino: They go hand in hand

They picked us up at ten o'clock in front of the Hyatt, and since ten was far too early we took little naps on the way to the La Bodega Norton. After a welcome glass of champagne, we embarked on a tour of their expansive winery. The tour guide allowed us to try the wine at each step, which I thought was the most interesting part. We tried very young wine straight from the spigot of a giant stainless steel tank. It tasted like very bland grape juice. We continued into the room where the wine gets "oaked" (spends time in oak barrels), this is where the sharp taste in the back of your cheeks comes from, and the wine was better but my friend Jon turned to me and said "I still prefer the finished product" while another friend, Deven, said "tastes like cigarettes." Next we went into a chic tasting room and tasted the finished product. This was a great way to illuminate the wine-making process. The view of the Andes from the winery was unimaginable. I can't wait to go back in the spring.

We had a light, delicious lunch of finger foods and wine then rested in the sun until tango class. Picture it, the looming Andes mountains to the west, dried vines in perfect rows and columns in the foreground, and a beautiful bodega to the east...grass below, the sun above. It couldn't have been better.

Tango class was a blast. The instructor explained that there is a marriage between wine and tango...they even have competitions where people will watch a couple dance the tango and guess exactly how the dancers feel about the wine they like down to the aromas it renders. Or at least that's what I heard. The tango is very fun because the man leads and the woman follows a series of clues. The partners mirror each other, then there are opportunites for one partner to shine. For example, the woman will draw a figure-eight on the floor with her feet and the man can change her direction, signal her to stop, or take it in a different direction entirely. It's a communication without words, the instructor repeated. Pat, my dance partner and I had a great time trying to figure it out, and now I am considering taking a tango class at school, for credit.

The walk home entertained me a lot, the streets were jam packed with chaos...people selling baby carriages, wind up toys, dolls, clothes, underwear, watches, and anything else you could imagine. Cars honking, and people yelling. I believe "el dia de los ninos" is coming up, people are scrambling for some gifts. After siesta on saturdays, people are out and about in mass.

In other news, I lost my phone at the bar the other night. I thought putting it in my boot was a good idea, but apparently it was not. Luckily it was only $30 or so in the first place. It's hard to get around without a cell phone because if people want to go out or visit you, you have to plan it in advance and only if you're lucky enough to see them. Ha ha. Lo que sea.

Bienvenidos/as

Hello everyone! I finally decided to start a blog to keep you all updated because the funny stories keep coming. This doesn't mean I won't be emailing you still, so you're not off the hook as far as writing back to me! So far, everything is going very well.

My host family is wonderful. I live with Graciela, the mother, who is a German professor and an administrator of some sort. She is very chic and hilarious so there is a positive energy in the house all the time. Her daughter, Carolina lives here too. She sings opera, beautifully. Both of them are fluent in more than two languages which is intimidating but extraordinarily useful for me because they are fantastic at explaining Castellano to me, and correcting me so I am learning a lot. Graciela's sister, Viviana lives a block away. Vivi has a student living at her house to, so we have become good friends. They are a lovely and warm family as well. Their mother and father live in town too and are equally as wonderful people. So, there is no shortage of family get togethers and big, noisy, welcoming meals.

The city is not exactly what I expected. It has a dusty backyard appearance, worn down by wrath earthquakes and dry winters among bouts political and economic struggle. Inside a bland exterior, you will usually find a vibrant and warm interior of a home or a vivacious restaurant. The whole town seems to spend most of the day spending time with one another. Here, they don't start work until later in the day, take a couple hours off in the middle of the day, then return to work and stay there until dark. Meals last for what seems like hours, and sometimes is. After class, which ends around 6, many of us will go out and share a pizza and a bottle of wine (or more) which can cost around $3 US but will last a couple of hours. There is a little stray dog that sleeps on the steps of the hostel nextdoor, and he is the "welcome" into the neighborhood. I live right off of a busy street so there is a lot of noise at all hours of the day but it makes it easy to get around.

We toured some wineries the other day, which were quite and sleepy. Because it's winter down here, there is no green on the vines at all. We toured a deep underground cellar which was very cool (literally too) and then did a wine tasting at another very fancy, modern winery, Alta Vista. We took a nap among the vineards. Later in the day, we went to a beautiful, quaint spanish food restaurant where I tried my first oyster and some shell fish which I had a small allergic reaction to...

We ran into some people on the bus the other night, exchange students from Mexico, who were lost, so we said "why don't you just come out with us?" So they did, and it was a blast. I think we will become friends with them in no time. Otherwise, we have spent a significant amount of time around bottles of wine, or a pizza, or going to clubs (that's an experience)... oh yeah, and attending orientation and Spanish class.

I have really started to miss breakfasts and spicy food....and my family and friends.

I think that's enough for now. For your sake and mine, I'm going to close.