slacking blogger once again but ive been so busy and so tired by the time that i get to a computer that i have no energy to stay up. this past week has been so, so, so, so, so fun and exciting. i have so many stories and great adventures from this week but it would be much better understood over a coffee or frozen yogurt. ill give you highlights tho!!!
::: trip to las pampas to a gaucho ranch with traditional meal, horse racing, and gaucho ranch activities including a folklore show and parrilla (tons and tons of meat served to your table straight from the bbq) meal. it rained but that made it all the more interesting when watching the horse races and exploring the land... ps vo you would be in h-e-a-v-e-n!
::: hilarious and enlightening spanish and culture class daily... except for a little "skive" as they call it on thursday to see the sites and have a day off. oops:) (roomies are you proud???)
::: a great potluck dinner on the 4th floor (where most of the grigos live). great to sit around my our favorite wine and foods the include food products other than the typical jamon, queso, y pan. sooooo lucky to have such a great and fun group in my program!!!
:::tango orchestra show in a back ally warehouse in a sketchy neighborhood with an unmarked building. the most argentine thing i have seen yet. a cool urban warehouse with miss-matched chairs, a bar complete with chalkboard paint to list the drinks, and a fabulous theatrical performance but a 12 person orchestra including 4 men with accordions, 4 men with violins, 2 with chellos, one on the piano, and a perfectly argentina tAAAngo singer. sooo fun and authentic!
::: south american liqueur tasting and class to learn/enjoy ganica, fernet, and hesperidina. these are the tradition liqueurs of argentina and as a change-up to wine tasting our program arranged for us to have a different kind of "cultural class" as they like to call it:)
::: my thursday adventure took me to san telmo district where i browsed argentinan antiques stores, watched street tango, enjoyed the quaint calmness of a sidewalk cafe, and searched the infamous street market for goodies. this was one of my favorite places so far and gave me a little glimpse of the "real" argentina that the locals see
::: walking tour of puerto madera, florida street, and microcentro. three great and vastly different areas within a (long) walking distance from my residencia. puerto madera is the upscale, waterfront area with ritzy bars and resturants that serve everything under the sun... but especially good steak, gancia batido, and helado:) florida street is one of the only pedestrian street in BA and is the location of locations for shopping. the best and most beautiful leather in the world resides here. ohh sooo fun! and as for microcentro, the center of town where "casa rosada" or the pink house (their white house), government buildings, national banks and the main and incredibly important "plaza de mayo" all are located. i was able to take a free (wahoo) tour through this area for a few hours and learn all about the history of argentinas politics. very interesting and a bit sad.
::: continue to next bullet point if you are a grandparent or parent of mine or if i watch your children:).... throughly experienced the "all night" club and bar scene this week in the notorious "vida nocturna de BA" and it is amazing! when they say argentines eat dinner at 10:30/11pm and party until 7:30am in the morning, they are not lying at all. from pub crawls across districts to sampling bottles of vino at traditional bars, i got my full dose of argentinas night (or more like morning) life. and i bet all of you read this anyhow so the disclaimer is that i was still the one to get everyone water, hold hair back, and hold everyones id's and such so im still quite responsible and carful:)
::: tango lesson in the palcio barolo with the one and only, best tango partner ever... alessia my roommate. she gave you a run for your money brandon:) the palace is where my programs office is located and it is b-e-a--t-i-f-u-l! fun little lesson and everyone brought food for a local soup kitchen as their admission to the lesson
::: volunteering- ill write another post to talk about this more. its was great!
::: trip to my favorite place in BA- recoleta! im in love with recoleta... its a district known for its artsy atmosphere and chic cafes. i headed to the market for the second time today and it was so fun and exciting even the second time around. street vendors fill plaza francia, groups of friends pass around mate cups while listening to local bands, women carry around fancy pastries warm from the cafes ovens, and hundreds of people shop the handmade stalls of jewelry, clothes, souvenirs, and all things argentine. its the best and love the local church, cemetery, and cafes aswell!
i know that it is not an exclusinve list of my adventures this week but i have pictures and stories to share when i return. i hope your week was great and your adventures fun too! hasta luego:)
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