FELIZ HALLOWEEN!

We had a Halloween party filled with candy, jello, and crazy costumes.


Happy: Halloween in Buenos Aires wasn't so bad after all.

 Hannah and I were "Cosa 1 and Cosa 2"(Thing 1 and Thing 2). We had to improvise...

 April, our beautiful Indian :)

Our friends from the senior center.

Chilean miner, Taylor Swift, and Che Guevara. Y'all rocked those costumes!

Crappy:  David Chang shaved his head....

Laughy: David shaved his head. ^^^

Last few days since the EFT...

Randy calls my highs, lows, and funny moments, "happy, crappy, and laughy." I like that.


Happy: Thursday Asado, watching movies in my classes on Friday, going to see The Town (in Buenos Aires it's called "Acciones Peligrosos," meaning "Dangerous Actions," which doesn't even translate and it was in english with spanish subtitles), and going to our favorite American restaurant, Kansas. Yummy.

Crappy: I miss being on our EFT. A lot. The city is great and there's definitely lots to do, but there's nothing like being out in nature, surrounded by friends, without the distractions of cell phones and internet. I want to go back.

Laughy: Nothing really "funny," per se, has happened to me lately. But the day before our EFT, I was walking to school and this guy on the street yelled at me, "Vos sos la barbie mas hermosa en todo el mundo!" Translation: "You are the most beautiful barbie in the world!" Argentine men cat call A LOT. It's usually extremely annoying, but I got a good laugh from that one. Barbie? I've never been called that before.



Besos y abrazos xoxo

Fall EFT 2010

WARNING: This is going to be a rather long post, but definitely worth reading!

Day 1(Friday night):
We flew down to Peninsula Valdes and into the Trelew Airport. From there, we drove to Puerto Madryn, checked into our awesome hotel, and then had dinner.

apparently, the lights were supposed to change colors every night, but they never did.

our room with the big beds

*Background about Peninsula Valdes: The peninsula is located in the Patagonian region of Argentina and in the province of Chubut. This place is most known for it's marine life, especially whales and seal/sea lions. 

Day 2 (Saturday): 

We first went to the Ecocenter in the city and were given an overview of the marine life around Peninsula Valdes. The most interesting part for me was learning about the Continental Shelf and all the different levels of water. *Fun Fact*- Seals can dive over 1,000 meters deep, while humans can only go 150 meters.

Ivan, teaching us about the Continental Shelf. 

After the Ecocenter tour, we all gathered into an auditorium and listened to Roberto Bubas speak about his research on orca whales. This guy is the worlds leading expert on killer whales and he has spent the past 18 years studying a specific colony of orca whales. He has even been given grants from National Geographic for his research. He also became famous for going down to the colony and calling the orcas with his harmonica. It was a huge privilege for us to hear him speak.


Then, we drove about 20 minutes out of the city of Puerto Madryn and took a hike through the mountains that overlook the ocean. It was kind of a gloomy day but still so beautiful. The hike lasted about 3 hours and it was so cool to see all these different fossils and sea shells on the cliffs so far away from the water. This place had a beauty that I can't really put into words because to me, it wasn't the obvious beauty that we see in Malibu or Galveston (kidding). It was more subtle and plain, but somehow, it managed to completely take our breaths away.

view from our hike

Later on that night after dinner, about 20 or 25 of us gathered into my and Nicole's room for some worship. We stayed there for an hour and a half, singing and playing guitar. This was such a cool experience for all of us because despite the fact that we were in a pretty ritzy hotel, we didn't get a single noise complaint and we were all able to come together and praise God for an incredible opportunity to be in Patagonia. 

Day 3 (Sunday): 

Early that morning (early meaning 10 am), we packed our bags and headed to Puerto Piramides. We got there early afternoon, had lunch, and then had time to explore the tiny town until we went whale watching. Some people went sand-boarding, but a few of us decided to go closer to the water. It was a BEAUTIFUL day!

beautiful ocean

such a gorgeous day

After standing in awe for awhile, we finally got on a huge boat and went WHALE WATCHING!!

I had never done this before so I didn't exactly know what to expect. I had assumed that we were going to see a couple whales here and there way out in the water, but to my surprise, the whales were so friendly and put on an amazing show for us right next to our boat!

I barely had to zoom in for this picture. 

incredible

 I totally thought we were about to flip that boat.

Absolutely no zoom and probably the coolest picture I have ever taken.

After watching the amazing whales, we headed out to the middle of nowhere Punta Delgada and arrived at a quaint little resort. We had an incredible meal that didn't end until past midnight, then we all crashed until morning.

Day 4 (Monday): 

Monday was our day to relax and take in all of the beauty that Punta Delgada had to offer. Because we arrived to the resort late the night before, I had no idea where we were or how anything looked. Faro Punta Delgada is a tiny resort located right next to the beach and open land. This hotel is basically the only thing that is on this part of the peninsula and the staff live and work at the hotel. Our entire Pepperdine group took up every room in the hotel and we even had to send 6 or 7 guys to a small ranch about 20 minutes away. 

Faro Punta Delgada! ("Faro" means lighthouse)

After breakfast, we all headed down to see the HUGE elephant seals!! The males are very ugly but the females and pups are actually pretty cute. 

hiking down to see the seals

elephant seals!

she's cute

he's not. 

Day 5 (Tuesday):

We drove from Punta Delgada, which is in the south of Peninsula Valdes, to Punta Norte which is the most north part of the peninsula, to see the penguins!! After about a 2 hour drive, we arrived at a place FULL of penguins! They were everywhere and we could get so close to them. 

AHH!!

So cool!

After seeing the penguins, we headed back to Punta Delgada and 5 of us went horseback riding at sunset!! It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life and also one of the coldest. Being on a horse, in Patagonia, in Argentina, at sunset, made me realize how unbelievably blessed I am. I talked to my mom right before we left for the EFT and she kept reminding me how cool it is that I get to go to Patagonia, and I didn't realize how right she was until that moment. God has blessed me with an incredible opportunity to be in this awesome country and be able to see some amazing things. 

(Pictures of riding at sunset will come soon! My friend Pat had the camera.)

Day 6 (Wednesday): 

We sadly left our little ranch and headed back to Trelew to hike a paleontological area of the city. The hike up to the top of this mountain was pretty boring, but once we got to the top, Rafa made us all stand in silence for 5 minutes and it was AWESOME!!! Standing there listening to the wind and looking out at God's creation was truly amazing. 

group picture on top of the mountain (courtesy of David Chang)

After the hike, we headed down to the city for our last dinner all together. We arrived at an Irish Pub and despite being completely exhausted, the waiters put on some music and we all had a DANCE PARTY!! 

We basically have the best abroad group. Ever. 

On the plane ride back, I sat next to the sweetest old man! He saw all 63 of us students and asked me what we were doing in Peninsula Valdes. I told him all about what we did this week and he got all excited and said that he was a teacher for 52 years and that he loves seeing students studying abroad. We talked about school, Argentina, God, and his family for about 45 minutes of the hour and a half flight and it was all in spanish! :) It was such a great way to end the trip. 

Our Fall EFT was absolutely incredible, amazing, remarkable, and so much more! We all got so much closer as a group, which is something that we definitely needed, especially because we all don't live together. God was completely present during our time in Patagonia and He blessed us tremendously with this opportunity to explore His creation and get to know one another. This past week was a week that I will never forget and cherish forever. 

I love you all to pieces.

Besos y abrazos xoxo

God sent me a sweet old man.

It's 2:30 am and I just got home. I don't really know why I'm still awake, but I really wanted to share this story.
A bunch of us went out to a bar to celebrate being done with "hell week", then most of the group went somewhere else after the bar, but my friend Bridget and I decided to head back to our houses. She got dropped off first and I live about 10 minutes away, so I had to ride in the taxi by myself. I've been pretty paranoid about ridding in taxis by myself, because I've heard a few horror stories about my girlfriends riding alone. As soon as Bridget got out of the car, I started praying that God would keep me safe. After I told the driver my address, he asked me where I was from and what I was doing in BA. I told him that I'm a student from the states studying abroad. He had a huge smile on his face and started to tell me how great BA is (as if I didn't already know haha). He said that people he's talked to that have come to BA and then gone back to their home country, always long to come back. We had a nice little talk and when he dropped me off at my apartment complex, I paid him and then he grabbed my hand, gave me a sweet little kiss, and told me that me studying abroad is "muy buenisimo". I started to get out of the car, and he said that he was going to wait until I got into the building. Aww!
This may not be a crazy taxi story like some of my friends have had, but it was something that I will never forget. God was totally watching over me and I'm so grateful that He showed me that He can take care of me in the littlest of ways. It showed me that even when I'm in potentially scary situations, God is always with me, no matter what.

God is good.



Besos y abrazos para todos!


p.s. We're leaving for our EFT tomorrow, so I won't be able to blog until next Thursday (*tear*).

California comes to Argentina!

High: Today was a good day, so there are a few "highs"
1. Finished my pysch paper a day early! WHOOP!
2. Rafa's new baby, Rafita, came to see us today! He's only a week and a half old and he's PRECIOUS!

Rafa and baby Rafita! 

3. California Burrito Company catered for us tonight for convo dinner! Closest to Chipotle I'm gonna get for the next 2 months...
4. Family Time (worship/fellowship) was incredible.
5. We found out that this is what we're going to see on our EFT:

http://picsicio.us/image/d7a8cb13/

Low: Psych test tomorrow....

Funny moment: We were eating the burritos and my friend, Molly, dropped hers on her lap mid-bite. Picture is DEFINITELY soon to come :)



Besos y abrazos!

Americans!

High:  
1)Went to spin class today with my friend, Hannah. It kicked our bootays.
2) Sat in Starbucks to do my homework, and I heard these two girls (who looked about my age)              speaking english. For me, it has been pretty rare to find Americans in Buenos Aires, so I finally got up the courage to ask them where they were from and they said they were students from Nebraska and UPenn studying in BA for the semester! We talked for a little bit about how we like BA and they gave some really good advice about what to do in the city. It was so cool to see American girls my age, speaking a familiar language, in a city that is still not completely familiar to me.

Low: 
One paper and two tests in the next two days. Plus, we still have 3 more days until our EFT/vacation.

Funny moment: I plugged my Mac charger (with a converter, by the way) into the wall of the library and it created some massive sparks and then all the lights on the bottom floor of Casa Olleros went out. Way to go, Morgan! :)



Besos y abrazos xoxo

This is for you, Randy Luck.

My dear friend, Randy, wants me to post everyday. I tried to tell him that I go to school every day, so there aren't many interesting things that go on during the week. He wouldn't give up, so I decided to start writing a high, low, and funny part of the day.
However, I cannot guarantee that this will happen every day. But for you, Randy, I will try my best.

Here it goes.

High: I finished two papers that are due this week and skyped with some of my best friends who are in Heidelberg, Germany!

this was yesterday, but I'm still so happy that I got to see Sean and Par!

(I also skyped my friend, Tia, but her picture won't upload :/ )

Low: This happened about two days ago (nothing bad has happened today... yet). I was sitting on my bed when I discovered a cockroach sitting right next to me. Surprisingly, I managed to kill it without screaming bloody murder. I got on facebook and changed my status to "found a cockroach on my bed. now I can't sleep. this is not okay." Well, my oldest hermana saw that and I'm guessing Google translated it because when I got home the next day, my room reeked of chemicals. I asked my madre what the smell was and she said that Jesi (my hermana), showed her my status and she felt so bad that she had an exterminator come! Needless to say, I felt horrible! But at least there are no more roaches.

Funny moment: Went to the gym today and couldn't figure out how to work this ab machine. This hot Argentine instructor came over to help me but I didn't know how to ask him to fix it in spanish, so I said, "Hablas ingles?" He laughed and said (in spanish, I just can't remember what it was word for word/how to spell it), "Yes, but I want to hear you speak spanish." Just so you know, my spanish is horrible. 

Happy, Randy? :)

Apology

I just wanted to take the time to apologize for my blog design ADD. I can't seem to figure out how I want this thing to look. Please bear with me.

:)

The Casa, chocolate, and dulce de leche.

Not a lot has happened this week, so I have decided to finally post some long overdue pictures of Casa Holden... and some yummy desserts.

The following pictures of Casa Holden are courtesy of Kat Kharitonova. Thank you for being the only person in our program to take pictures of the things we forget to take pictures of. We love you :)

Casa Holden!!

front entrance

auditorium

backyard patio, preparing for Asado! 

Casa Holden pool (there's one on Casa Olleros's side, too)

I love Casa!

classrooms in Casa Olleros

Abuelo and Rafa (our program director)!!

Thursday Asado... yummy.

The Boom Boom Room! (aka nap room)

Now for some pictures of amazing desserts, consisting of chocolate and dulce de leche. I may never leave this country.

heavenly. 

delicioso! 

On a side note: We leave for our EFT (Educational Field Trip) in exactly ONE WEEK! We are going to Puerto Madryn and... somewhere else that I can't remember at the moment. We are all so excited!

Besos y abrazoz para todos! xoxo

Adulam take 2!

This weekend, 8 of us went back to Adulam to play with the kids and help out in any way that we could. We ended up constructing a volleyball court and playing A LOT with the kids. It was really neat going back to Adulam with a smaller group of people. It gave us a chance not only to play with the kids on a more individual basis, but I also got to know a few of the parents that were around. Two mothers in particular, Alexandra and Isabella, were very helpful and hospitable to us staying there. After the first 5 hours of playing non-stop with the kids, they came and rescued us with cookies and dulce de leche! We were able to get to know them better which was really neat. Alexandra told us that she came to Adulam over 12 years ago, when her husband was addicted to drugs. They wanted to get out of the city but didn't have a place to go, so they found Pastor Omar (the founder/creator of Adulam) and have lived there ever since. Their love for the Lord shines brightly through them and it is so inspiring.

In my last post about Adulam, I didn't really know much about the place. After this weekend, I learned that families go there if they have no where else to go, and they learn to sell leather goods and plants and food from their garden, in order to receive money to pay for food and other necessities. The also receive donations that goes toward helping the community as a whole.

me and my friend Cameron with some of the kids!

They have also taken in some children who have parents that can't take care of them. My friend Blaire and I stayed in a house with 15 other people, and at least two of the kids didn't have parents, so the other parents at Adulam have taken them in as their own. Being there in with a smaller group also showed me that while Adulam is indeed a place with lots of joy and happiness despite what little they have, there still is a lot of poverty and sadness that lingers around. One of the mothers in particular made me realize that. I didn't get a chance to talk to her at all, but she was clearly a recovering drug addict that had come there to escape her addiction. It was so sad to watch her struggle with the stress of living with her 2 children in a tiny room, while also trying to stray away from drugs. It was comforting to know that she was able to come to a place where other people could support and encourage her.

This weekend was yet another reminder of how blessed I am to be an American studying in Buenos Aires. I too often take that for granted, but Adulam has taught me to count my blessings and to know that no matter how rich or poor you are, God is present in each and everyones lives. How cool is that? :)



Besos y abrazos para todos!

Time flies when you're having fun!

Yesterday marked the first month anniversary since arriving in Buenos Aires. I can't believe it has only been a month, but at the same time, I feel like I've been here forever. The other day, I went to Starbucks with a friend and stayed there for about two hours. By the time we left, it had taken me to walk about 2 blocks before I realized I was in Argentina! I guess being in an American coffee shop makes you think you're back in the states. So far, living abroad has been an incredible experience and I know it will only get better!

Highlights of the week
Convo dinner at Madero Tango : The group when to a restaurant and tango show called Madero Tango. We had amazing food and I got to watch my first tango show! (Pictures soon to come)

Hospital de los niños:  Last night, we went back to the hospital and passed out sandwiches to the patients and their families. This time, we all decided to say "estamos orando para ti" (we are praying for you) while we walked from room to room. My friend Veronica and I also had the opportunity to pray over a family whose daughter is battling cancer. It was kind of awkward asking them in spanish if we could pray for them in english. Luckily, they said yes and while it was kind of uncomfortable, it was so neat to be able to pray over them. Next week we're hoping to be able to pray a simple prayer in spanish!

Random pictures I just found:

drowning in the waterfall... haha

girls bible study!

Besos y abrazos para todos!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Shout-out to Grandmom!

Happy (belated) birthday, Grandmom!! If I wasn't in another country I would have called you, but I know you read my blog so this will have to do! I love you and miss you very much! :)

IGUAZU FALLS!!!!

Long weekend in Iguazu Falls

I just returned to Buenos Aires from a 5 day trip to Iguazu Falls! The Falls are located in the northeast corner of Argentina, so we left Tuesday night, drove 16 hours in a fairly comfortable bus, and got to Puerto Iguazu on Wednesday late morning. I was pretty nervous about the bus ride, considering that it's so long and I can't really sleep well if I'm not in a bed. Via Bariloche, however, is an awesome bus company that offers completely reclining seats! I got about 4 hours of sleep but felt pretty rested by the time we got there.

We got lost trying to find our hotel but once we did, we couldn't believe how nice it was. We stayed in a place called Los Troncos and it was awesome!

View from the balcony

beds with a queen upstairs!

We paid 360 pesos for 3 nights there (less than $100 dollars)! The owners were so nice and helped us with things we wanted to do while we were there and we got free (delicious) breakfast every morning. 

On Thursday, we took a bus to the Falls and walked down a trail that took us right next to the waterfalls. 

the group (minus Ben) at the start of the trail

I bet God had so much fun creating this.

When Eleanor Roosevelt saw the Falls, she said, "Poor Niagra". She was right. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, and the pictures don't even do it justice. On your right, you see waterfalls coming in from Argentina, and on your left, you see them coming in from Brazil. It was SO cool!!

After we walked around for a bit, we went on a little jungle safari ride that took us down a bunch of stairs to get on a boat that took us UNDER the waterfalls! It was crazy. We went through rapids and then approached a huge waterfall, our driver took us under, and we got SOAKED.  There was a man who recorded the whole thing so we all bought a video of it afterwards. 

me and Hayley wet after the boat ride

terrified haha

After drying off and getting some lunch, we went to the "Devil's Throat" part of Iguazu Falls. This is a place where water pours in from three sides. It's absolutely beautiful and we got to stand right above the waterfalls! 

me and my friend April at Devil's Throat!

On Friday, after a wonderful day at the Falls, an awesome safari bus came and picked us up at the hotel to take us deep into the jungle to zip-line and repel down a waterfall. It was SO much fun! I had never zip-lined before so getting to "fly" through the jungle was an awesome experience. Repelling down a waterfall was terrifying but SO exhilarating! Loved every minute of it. 

We finished at around noon, just in time for a thunderstorm to come and put us all to sleep for the next 4 hours :) 

On Saturday, before we boarded our bus back to BA, we walked over to the point where Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay are connected by a river. Standing on the Argentina side, you can see Brazil on your right and Paraguay on your left. 

It was so nice to get out of the city with my friends and explore another part of Argentina. If any of you ever get a change to go to Iguazu Falls, take the boat ride (it's only 50 pesos, which is less than $12), and zip-line through the jungle! Oh, and stay at Los Troncos because it was SO worth the money! 

Besos y abrazoz para todos!