Hace Frio!

Man it is cold here but at least its sunny. Just got out of class for the day and decided to stop and an internet cafe to check my, e-mail and update my blog before I get some postcards and head home to play my new favorite board game Rummy with Ana and Marine (my host mother and sister). Yesterday was my first real day of school. I had a large break in between classes so my friend Matthew and I walked around Rosario and went to coffee and then we met with another group of students for lunch. It was fun to wonder around for a bit, Rosario is a really nice city and its easy to get around. Class went well. I am learning a lot and the teachers are really nice and helpful and all of the students are really nice too.
Last night after dinner Alberto, Ana, Marina and I took a drive around Rosario to see the flag memorial and the Victory-Rosario bridge at night. Muy Lindo! It was fun to get a tour of the city. Everyday I am understanding my host mother more and more but my conversations back to her are mas o menos. My host father and I have decided we will help each other learn vocabulary in each other languages. So much for the No Ingles! rule.
Besides that not to much else to report. Still happy and loving it. A few of us girls are trying to organize a trip to Iguazu Falls for our free weekend so I will keep you posted on if that happens or not. It would be pretty amazing. This weekend we are going out to the country to a friend of my host families who has a farm. I can´t wait to see Argentina country side! It will be great to be out of the city for a bit. Also tomorrow after school I am going to go to lunch and to Parque Indepencia to ride in paddle boats with my friend Ana from school. Haven´t done that since I was young. Can´t wait!!! I am buying postcards today so keep your eyes out next week some time. Thats it for now!

La Primera dia de Escuela

So I am now officially settled into my homestay families house I couldn't ask for a better one. My host mother and father are great. My host mother Ana is sweet and welcomed me into the house with open arms and a big smile and my host father Alberto is great. He speaks a bit of English and let me use some the first day there just to get acquainted but from now on no Ingles en la casa! My host sister is Alberto and Ana's grand daughter Marina. Who has been very helpful and fun to hang out with during the day! The house is huge. 3 stories and in the middle of everything in Rosario. It is also really close to my school. My room is beautiful and in a whole seperate area of the house with my own bathroom. I had my first day of class today and it sounds like I really lucked out with my host family. Most just have a single person and had a very uncomfortable first evening.
My first day of class starts tomorrow. I tested into level 2, as exspected and I am ready to get started. All of the other students in my class are really nice and I think this is going to be a really great 5 weeks. However, I am afraid I might never want to come back! But I will.
I found out today that I am able to get a cell phone for pretty cheap, I am unable to call the US with it however, I am able to text. Think I am going to pass though. I am really enjoying my "cell phone free" life and to be completely honest it is letting me take a break from many things, and I think it is good for me. I am able to just focus on me for a change, which is nice, and although I miss people back home, it will just make it that much more exciting when I get e-mails!
So for now Rosario is amazing! I will check in again at the end of the week and let you know how school is going! Adios!

First Night.....

So I have officially spent my first night in Argentina and I slept like a baby. The bus ride from the Buenos Aires airport was good except for I realized that I get a bit of ¨stage frieght¨when trying to talk in spanish. About 10 minutes after every conversation I have I realized what someone was trying to say....or what I should have said....in spanish. Luckily Argentinians are very friendly and helpful and are willing to except by non verbal communication and miscellaneous words. I just need to start thinking in spanish. I haven´t seen much of Rosario so far. I went to a large grocery store called Coto last night where I bought a box or local Malbec, some empanadas and some Nutrogena Face cream....it all came to a grand total of a little less than 10 U.S. dollars. The wine was $1.25 usd! Crazy. Then I spent a nice relaxing evening looking over Rosario Tourist info and maps and watching Top Chef, in spanish!
Also last night I realized that it is weird to have no access to a phone. When I got in I wanted to call or text someone but I couldn´t. I didn´t realize how much I rely on it until now. It will be good for me and the old cell phone to take a ¨break¨ so that we can re-evaluate our relationship. I have until 5 today to do some relaxing or exploring before I have to go meet my host family. As far as I know they speak little to no english, and even if they do they are encouraged not to use it.....This should be interesting! Well off to get some café, I will write again when I can!

I made it!!!

Hey everyone! So I made it safe and sound to Argentina! I am waiting for my bus to Rosario at the Buenos Aires airport and they just happened to have an internet cafe. How Handy! Its been a long day of flying so far, I managed to sleep a little on the plane but not to much due to excitement and uncomfortable airplane seats. I was stressed about the traveling but everything has gone very smoothly and I am finding that I am feeling more relaxed then I have in weeks! Yeah! for being overly organized! I am so excited to be here!!! The weather is sunny and FREEZING! I think its around 42 or so! Anyways just wanted to let everyone know that I made it safe and sound and I will try to write more and the beginning of the week when I have more exciting things to say! Adios!

Eve of my departure!

It's finally the night before I leave!!   The last five weeks since I got back from Cleveland have been so crazy that time has flown by!  We had a great "going away for a little while" BBQ at my friends Colleen and Lauren's that was an awesome all day event with all of my buddies, really was a nice little reminder of how many great people I have in my life in Portland.   When big things are happening in your life, the people that really care about you will make sure they are around to celebrate it and even though all of our lives are crazy it was really awesome that so many of them made time to make sure that they saw me before I left. 

Going through my checklist with the remainder of my evening, making sure I don't forget anything.   Things that I am looking forward to in Argentina:  EVERYTHING!!! but mostly, learning more spanish, drinking good wine, and gaining some worldly perspective to use in my daily life.  Things I will miss in Portland:  microbrews, higher taste breakfast burritos, and my bed (theses are things I will surely get over)......Things I am glad to not have access to:   cell phone, and constant internet access.      It will be nice to be "off the grid" for a while!   It will help me to focus on my travels and perhaps help me to do some good old fashioned thinking.

I will try to post something as soon as I can!   I have about 30 hours worth of travel ahead of me tomorrow so look out for something around Sunday or Monday!  

2 weeks and counting!

So here is my attempt at "blogging."   I created this in hopes that it will be the easiest way to relay what's going on with my trip on a more regular basis!    Two weeks and counting before I leave!  I am excited, nervous, scared and stressed!  Its gonna be great!   I hope that this is the kick off to a relationship with traveling that has been put on hold due to having to go through that whole "growing up process" to figure out what I want my life to consist of.    Travel is definitely something that has resurfaced time and time again as something I am  passionate about.    My life has been created thus far because of all the experiences I have been through, good and bad and for my life I know that I will not truly be complete until I figure out who I am in the context of a completely different cultures.   I am so lucky to have this opportunity and can't wait to share it!