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.