1. There are stop lights in the city, but NO stop signs anywhere...
2. My host mom soaks our salad in salt water, then proceeds to pour 1/4 of a cup of salt on top.
3. There is a street in BA that is 20 lanes long. 10 lanes each way.
4. There are about 13 million people living in they city of Buenos Aires.
5. I've eaten over 15 empanadas since I've been here. Uh oh.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Day 6
I've been using my trusty website spanishdic.com, for whenever I need to quickly translate something. Earlier, I was typing in random things just for fun, and decided to check and see if "que paso" meant "what's up". Clearly my spanish is not as good as I thought it was, because "que paso" means "what happened". So if you're ever wondering why my blog is titled "quepasobuenosaires", it's because I thought it meant, "what's up buenos aires?" not, "what happened buenos aires?".
I'm going to keep it as is.
Anyway, the past few days have been mellow but really great. We started intensive spanish classes last Friday, then picked it up again yesterday. It has been pretty challenging, but I've definitely learned a lot. In the very beginning, our professor told us she didn't speak english (which she does) and that she would only talk to us in spanish. It terrified me at first, but now I'm so glad she does.
I also had my first "Oh-my-gosh-I-live-in-another-country-and-am-so-far-away-from-home" moment yesterday. I knew it would happen but I was definitely expecting something more intense than it actually was. I was sitting in my room and it just dawned on me that I wouldn't be going back to America for a long time. Normally, I would have started crying. But for some odd reason, I just pondered the thought, freaked out only a little, then moved on with my day. It was very strange for me, but I definitely think it was God letting me know that I'm okay here.
Here are a few pictures of what I've been up to lately:
I love my little sisters!
An old theatre converted into a bookstore!
Besos y abrazos para todos!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Life is so good.
You may think I'm crazy for blogging everyday, but not only do I need to keep track of all the exciting things I do, but it makes my mom and dad happy.
Today was another great day. A few friends and I went to a flea market in an area called San Telmo. What made that extra special was the fact that my home-stay sisters (the two older ones, Jesi and Eli) came with us!! They don't speak any english, so we all got to practice our español! They were also a really big help with getting around the city. I loved having them with us today.
After our little adventure, we dropped off Jesi and Eli at our house, then the rest of us went back to Casa Holden for Sunday night worship. Tonight was our first worship night and I can already tell that this is going to be one of my favorite things to do. I think it is so important to have keep worshiping and fellow-shipping while we are abroad. I'm so glad that so many of us are wanting to make this a habit and I am so excited to see what God has in store for all of us during that time.
That's all for now! And now I can add pictures :)
Besos y abrazos
Today was another great day. A few friends and I went to a flea market in an area called San Telmo. What made that extra special was the fact that my home-stay sisters (the two older ones, Jesi and Eli) came with us!! They don't speak any english, so we all got to practice our español! They were also a really big help with getting around the city. I loved having them with us today.
After our little adventure, we dropped off Jesi and Eli at our house, then the rest of us went back to Casa Holden for Sunday night worship. Tonight was our first worship night and I can already tell that this is going to be one of my favorite things to do. I think it is so important to have keep worshiping and fellow-shipping while we are abroad. I'm so glad that so many of us are wanting to make this a habit and I am so excited to see what God has in store for all of us during that time.
That's all for now! And now I can add pictures :)
Besos y abrazos
Saturday, September 11, 2010
I have fallen in love with this city.
Seriously though, Buenos Aires is the coolest city ever. Pepperdine gave us a list of about twenty different activities to do, and we had to chose five of them, so today we had planned on doing four but ended up doing only two. A group of about eleven of us took the subway from Casa Holden and went to the Japanese Gardens and had sushi! It was a pretty far walk from the subway stop to the gardens, so we got to sightsee a little. After that, we went back to the Casa then my friend Melissa came over to meet my family! We watched the final game of the Women's Field Hockey "World Cup" tournament, and Argentina beat the Netherlands 3-1! It was a very exciting game and we all got really into it. It was also really neat for me to introduce my friend to my new family. I feel so blessed to have such great new "padres" and new sisters, so I love showing them off whenever I can :)
Here in Buenos Aires, people don't usually eat until nine or ten, and then they go out to café's or bars at midnight. My sister's, Jessica and Eliana, and I ordered in empanadas and then I went out with a group of friends. We usually all meet at the Casa and then go as a group to the café or bar. Tonight, there were sixteen of us and we all had to get on the same bus to get to this café that is half an hour away from the Casa. All sixteen of us got on the bus that already had about twenty or twenty five people on it, and all the locals looked at us like we were lunatics. When we finally got to our stop thirty minutes later, the bus driver stood up from his seat, and shouted for us to get off! We all leaped off that bus like it was on fire! It was one of the funniest things that has happened to me so far, and it made me realize how crazy Americans can look in foreign countries.
After all of the madness, we got to this wonderful café called "Café Tortoni". We stayed there until 2ish, which is actually when most young people START going out! However, we Americans have not gotten used to that and were exhausted by 2 am.
It was yet another wonderful day in the city of Buenos Aires and I am continuing to thank God for this amazing experience.
Besos y abrazos para todos!
Here in Buenos Aires, people don't usually eat until nine or ten, and then they go out to café's or bars at midnight. My sister's, Jessica and Eliana, and I ordered in empanadas and then I went out with a group of friends. We usually all meet at the Casa and then go as a group to the café or bar. Tonight, there were sixteen of us and we all had to get on the same bus to get to this café that is half an hour away from the Casa. All sixteen of us got on the bus that already had about twenty or twenty five people on it, and all the locals looked at us like we were lunatics. When we finally got to our stop thirty minutes later, the bus driver stood up from his seat, and shouted for us to get off! We all leaped off that bus like it was on fire! It was one of the funniest things that has happened to me so far, and it made me realize how crazy Americans can look in foreign countries.
After all of the madness, we got to this wonderful café called "Café Tortoni". We stayed there until 2ish, which is actually when most young people START going out! However, we Americans have not gotten used to that and were exhausted by 2 am.
It was yet another wonderful day in the city of Buenos Aires and I am continuing to thank God for this amazing experience.
Besos y abrazos para todos!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Second day in this wonderful city
Hola!
Today was our second day in Buenos Aires! We got to the Casa at around 9 am and went on a bus tour of the city. BA is a beautiful city with gorgeous architecture and tons of people! Our first stop was in the downtown area and we went inside a beautiful cathedral (I can't remember the name), and then we our next stop was La Boca, which is so far, my favorite place in BA. It is a very colorful area. Almost every building is yellow, blue, pink, or any other bright color you can think of. There are lot's of little shops and it's just a very fun place to walk around. My mistake was thinking that some things were free. We got of the bus and I spotted one of those things where you stick your head in the hole and there's a body cut-out and you take a picture with it. My friend Taylor and I stuck our heads in to take the picture, and this lady grabbed my hair, put a flower in it, and said "ah okay, 10 pesos!" Haha Taylor and I didn't have time to say no, so we took the picture and I'm so glad we did! (look in my "about me" section!)
After the city tour, we went back to the Casa and ate delicious empandas! Then, I went with a few friends to buy a pay-as-you-go cell phone. NOBODY speaks english so it was quite an experience, but the man was very nice and helpful, and we all ended up with phones!
At the end of the day, I was walking home with a friend who lives in the building next door to mine, and instead of the 10 minute walk that it normally is, about an hour later we finally got home! We got so lost and eventually found a police officer who didn't speak english, but thankfully, was standing with a friend who did. He then called my friend's "madre" and she told him where to tell us to go. I finally got to my building, but then couldn't open the elevator and the staircase didn't have any lights! Fortunately, this little boy opened the elevator for me, looked at me like I was a crazy person, and I finally got into the apartment!
All in all, it was a crazy and fun day, and I'm looking forward to more adventures!!
God is GOOD!
Today was our second day in Buenos Aires! We got to the Casa at around 9 am and went on a bus tour of the city. BA is a beautiful city with gorgeous architecture and tons of people! Our first stop was in the downtown area and we went inside a beautiful cathedral (I can't remember the name), and then we our next stop was La Boca, which is so far, my favorite place in BA. It is a very colorful area. Almost every building is yellow, blue, pink, or any other bright color you can think of. There are lot's of little shops and it's just a very fun place to walk around. My mistake was thinking that some things were free. We got of the bus and I spotted one of those things where you stick your head in the hole and there's a body cut-out and you take a picture with it. My friend Taylor and I stuck our heads in to take the picture, and this lady grabbed my hair, put a flower in it, and said "ah okay, 10 pesos!" Haha Taylor and I didn't have time to say no, so we took the picture and I'm so glad we did! (look in my "about me" section!)
After the city tour, we went back to the Casa and ate delicious empandas! Then, I went with a few friends to buy a pay-as-you-go cell phone. NOBODY speaks english so it was quite an experience, but the man was very nice and helpful, and we all ended up with phones!
At the end of the day, I was walking home with a friend who lives in the building next door to mine, and instead of the 10 minute walk that it normally is, about an hour later we finally got home! We got so lost and eventually found a police officer who didn't speak english, but thankfully, was standing with a friend who did. He then called my friend's "madre" and she told him where to tell us to go. I finally got to my building, but then couldn't open the elevator and the staircase didn't have any lights! Fortunately, this little boy opened the elevator for me, looked at me like I was a crazy person, and I finally got into the apartment!
All in all, it was a crazy and fun day, and I'm looking forward to more adventures!!
God is GOOD!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
My new home
After being in and out of planes and airports for 22 hours, we finally arrived in Buenos Aires! Unfortunately for me, I fell asleep on the ride to Casa Holden (Peppperdine's house) and didn't get to see much of the city. We did, however, spend a few hours in the Casa and it is beautiful! We had our welcome orientation and then "Asado", which is Argentine barbeque. Argentineans eat lots of beef and bread, so I cannot wait for all of the meals! At around 4 pm. my host mom came and picked me up from the Casa, to take me to my new home for the next 8 months. Despite the language barrier, Cristina (my "madre") is wonderful and made me feel so welcomed in her home. She and her husband, Roberto, have four daughters: Jessica (16), Eliana (13), Jazmin (8), and Briza (6). These girls are absolutely precious and very excited to have me here. The youngest, Briza, is fascinated with my blonde hair!
My room is about 5x7 and it's been really hard trying to fit my things in it, but it's really comfy and secluded from their tiny apartment... except for the pigeon cave outside my window! We're on the fourth floor and looking out the window, it looks like a giant cave with pigeons flying around! I'm not in suburbia anymore, that's for sure.
Tomorrow we are going on a city tour then starting our Intensive Spanish classes, which I so desperately need.
Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers!
Besos y abrazos xoxo
My room is about 5x7 and it's been really hard trying to fit my things in it, but it's really comfy and secluded from their tiny apartment... except for the pigeon cave outside my window! We're on the fourth floor and looking out the window, it looks like a giant cave with pigeons flying around! I'm not in suburbia anymore, that's for sure.
Tomorrow we are going on a city tour then starting our Intensive Spanish classes, which I so desperately need.
Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers!
Besos y abrazos xoxo
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
THE DAY HAS FINALLY COME!
Tomorrow at 1:20 pm, I, along with many other students, will be departing from LAX to Lima, Peru, then to Buenos Aires! I still cannot believe that after months of anticipation and preparation, we are finally leaving! God has truly blessed me with amazing people to share this journey with and I can't wait to see what He has in store for us. Please say a prayer for all of us who are traveling to Argentina, and for the others who are traveling to Heidelberg, London, and Shanghai!
Muchos abrazos para todo :)
(lots of hugs for all!)
Muchos abrazos para todo :)
(lots of hugs for all!)
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