La llegada

So I made it! The flight was long and my feet swelled, which was really painful. I decided that I LOVE traveling but I do not like the entire process. It's too long and uncomfortable haha. I had a 5 1/2 hour layover at JFK in NY which was pretty boring. I just tried to read a lot and do sudoku.

Anyway, let me fast forward to the actual arrival. When the plane landed, the agent for Delta was MIA which resulted in us practically being held hostage in the plane for about an hour; without the agent, the airport did not know which doors we were permitted to enter, so we couldn't get off the plane. Right about now I was really claustrophobic and just wanted to get out! The couple sitting next to me said that this would happen "only in Argentina" with resignation in their voices which was funny to me ; )

After we finally exited the plane, we were piled in three buses to go through customs and then get our luggage. I found my bags immediately, and was not stopped by customs after I got my luggage. The CEA sign was easy to find and Pamela one of the coordinators led us to a shuttle with a bunch more CEA students. Not gonna lie, my first impression of the girls was that they were catty, but then the girl I sat next to opened up to me. I was the second person to be dropped off at their homestay, so I wasn't nervous at all on the shuttle, but as soon as they told me that I needed to pay attention to where the girl lived that got dropped off first, I became really nervous.
I wonder if being in a homestay is going to be okay with hanging out with people. I'm sure everything will be fine, but so many people are in the residencia master that I wonder if it will be harder to make friends. But in actuality, I don't really care because I LOVE my host mom.

Okay, let me tell you about my family. Marcela and Mariana greeted me at the door and helped me bring my luggage inside and into the room where I would be staying. But before this, I got to meet Marcela's nieta (granddaughter) Renada who is 2 1/2 years old. She is soo precious, though it took her a while to warm up to me. But I told her that I have a gift (un regalito) for her. I gave her sidewalk chalk and she really liked it because later she was scribbling all over her board. Then, I went up the stairs which were really steep to climb with my heavy luggage. My room could not be more perfect. It is larger that I ever thought it would be (yay closet space!), and the best part is that I have a terrace connected directly to my room. I dropped off my bags and Marcela asked if I was hungry, so she made me an omlette with tomatoes and cheese, toast, and juice. Then later she made me my first (of many I'm sure) café. We talked and asked/answered questions about each other and then Dolores came back from the peluquería, where she got her hair permanently straightened. She had Renata's sister Caramela who is only 3 months old. It was fun to see her big eyes peer at everything, and they do this thing that makes the little one laugh : ).

I then went upstairs to take a shower and unpack completely. It felt good to shower after being on a plane so long. I took my time unpacking and writing in my journal. It was really laid back and nice. So far, I don't think there's been too many awkward moments but what do I know?

When I went downstairs, I gave Marcela her gift, a book of photos of North America and a card. She seemed to enjoy it and she helped me through some grammar issues I had in the carta (letter) that I gave her. Gosh...not taking Spanish for a year makes things a bit difficult but it's coming back to me. I figure that this is why I'm here...to learn. We then took Lila, the golden retriever, on a walk around San Vicente, the neighborhood where I live. Marcela treated me to helado (ice cream), and I ordered Tiramisu. Let me tell you that the Argentines know ice cream. Lila who was outside managed to bite through her leash completely which was hilarious! Marcela kept saying ¡qué verguënza Lila! (how embarrassing Lila). When we returned home, I asked if I could go to the cajero automático to get smaller bills, and we proceeded to take a tour of San Vicente Olivos, y el puerto olivo. The weather was just beautiful!

Okay I'm almost done. When we got home, Marcela made milanesa and vegetables. Milanesa is simply breaded meat and I really liked it. We ate and talked a little politics which was fun, and then we had tea and talked about everything really. It's been a memorable first day for me, and now I just will take it one day at a time.

¡Ciao!

Julieta

My Pre-Departure Blog!

Hey everyone! So I was told by a cool person that I should write a pre-departure blog (ahem Jessica), so here I go. First of all I'M SOOO STOKED! Second of all, I'm really nervous too, but I think stoked wins this one. Just a warning before you get too excited about reading my silly blog...it's just that...it's going to be very random because I just write whatever I think about in that order (freewriting), so no complaining about how it's all over the place. I can't help it...

Anyway, I leave Denver tomorrow at 10:30 am and fly to NYC (JFK if you're interested). I then get to do sudokus and read until I fall over since I have a really long layover with no cell phone and no outside communication (5 1/2 hours! AHHH!) It's okay I'm used to it because I had a long layover when I went to Spain that was 5 hours (I had to beat my record this time around). I then have an 11 1/2 hour flight and arrive on Saturday...icky. Wish me luck!

Well my bags are packed full, and I think I have everything that I need. Hopefully I'm not forgetting anything but it's going to be too late once I leave I guess. Also I can buy stuff there, which I plan on doing. I need a hairdryer, a curling iron, a Cosmopolitan en Español to name a few. That's right. I NEED all those things, especially the Cosmo. tehehe

So another goal is to write in this marvelous blank journal everyday, where I can tape in ticket stubs and other things (I have to thank my amazing boyfriend for that!!). Pretty much an authentic, awesome scrapbook/travel journal to document all the fun/memorable/hilarious things that come my way. I might even draw little pictures in it. If you're lucky, I'll show it to you when I return to the Estados Unidos.

Okay well I don't want to go on and on so I'm going to stop here. The next entry will be about my first experiences in BUENOS AIRES!!! I can't wait! (But unfortunately I have to wait a loong time) ¡Ciao!

Before my Trip

Hey all! Welcome to my blog for my upcoming trip to Argentina. I will be leaving at the end of January, so stay tuned for my first experiences when I get there. A few of my goals for my 5 1/2 months abroad are the following:

1. Obviously become fluent in Spanish.

2. Talk to strangers as much as possible (I know, I know...they tell you never to do this when you were a kid).

3. Volunteer with children (maybe something medical related?).

4. Talk to a Mother who walks on the Plaza de Mayo to honor her children.

5. Learn how to make dulce de leche and empanadas.

6. Learn to TANGO!!! (hopefully really well...I love ballroom dancing)

7. Be more familiar with Buenos Aires than any other city I've known or been in.

8. Meet lifelong friends.

9. Travel around Argentina (Bariloche for chocolate, Mendoza for Malbec wine, to name a few).

10. Have a ton of fun!! (whatever that may be)

To be continued...