im home. unpacking.
wow.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
FINALLY A FUCKING SENIOR!
ya esta.
i am done. finally. with all things academic for this semester abroad!
i had my oral final for my hist argentina class this morning and it actually went fairly well, meaning i passed! wooohoooo!
now im going to enjoy my next two days in BA until i come home on saturday! sooo excited!
i am done. finally. with all things academic for this semester abroad!
i had my oral final for my hist argentina class this morning and it actually went fairly well, meaning i passed! wooohoooo!
now im going to enjoy my next two days in BA until i come home on saturday! sooo excited!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
final countdown
i am officially going home in less than 5 days now. but more importantly i *should* be done with my hist final in less than 48 hours! the thing about this final, other than that it is oral, is that i dont no exactly at what time ill be able to render it. the way it works is that students show up in the morning, close to the time the table opens which is 10am, and put their name on a list. the order of the test then goes in order of names on this list but timing is not at all figured into the matter. so pretty much my goal is to arrive wicked early to the test on thurs, like about 8am, and start my own list..if there is not already one started. i really hope that i will be able to get high up on the list and not have to wait a very long time before giving my test....fingers crossed! and trying to be confident!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
the end is near..
so today is technically the last day of my program. so a lot of ppl from COPA are going home today including nicole... its going ot be very weird here in BA during the next week bc only a few of my friends remain and then all of them are leaving to go home or traveling before I am done. i still have my history oral final on thursday the 17th, for which i have absolutely NO desire nor motivation to study for..after that i will think about packing etc.. right now i really want the next week, or at least the next five days to go by really quickly so that i can just be done with academic shit! im def ready to go home right now, and wish i were...i just feel really weird right now that nicole is gone and my other good friends are leaving soon too...
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
trip to the northwest
yesterday nicole and i got back from our last trip in argentina. we went to the northwest of the country up near bolivia and chile to the two cities of salta and jujuy. we flew thursday morning to salta and then took a bus up to jujuy. between me checking my backpack in Buenos Aires and getting it back in Salta, my camera was stolen out of my backpack. i feel more upset with myself for not remembering that my cam cam was in my unlocked backpack than that someone actually took it, although that is pretty shitty too. apparently you cant trust ppl here. the only good thing about the situation is that i had already taken all of my ushuaia pics off of my memory card so i didnt lose any pictures...
anyway, thurs night we stayed in jujuy, which is a "city" but more like a town. friday we went on an excursion north of jujuy to see the countryside and some pueblitos in the mountains. we went to purmamarca, where i bought a sweater knit of alpaca wool, and saw the mountain of 7 colors. then we went to humahuaca which is a larger town and had lunch there. on the way back to jujuy we stopped in tilcara where there is an arqueological site that is associated with the UBA, where i took my hist class. the countryside was beautiful -- like a desert and the most different things about this part of the country is that the ppl there are indigenous., which is a huuuuuge difference from the city where everyone is pretty much white.
saturday morn we took the bus back to salta.
sunday we went on an excursion with out hostel to Cachi, which is southwest of salta toward chile. the countryside was very different from that of jujuy bc the mountains were green and covered in vegetation even though it is winter. we went on a really windy road over the mountains, which looked like we were in peru. it was gorg.
monday we took the gondola up the mountain right next to salta for a view and then in the afternoon flew home.
i really enjoyed the trip bc it was soo different from the city. its amazing how argentina can look so different..
i wont be able to post any pics on facebook from this trip since i didnt have my digital camera but i did buy a disposable camera, which was really strange to use(!), and will get those pics developed when im home. which is in 12 days!!!!!!!!!!
anyway, thurs night we stayed in jujuy, which is a "city" but more like a town. friday we went on an excursion north of jujuy to see the countryside and some pueblitos in the mountains. we went to purmamarca, where i bought a sweater knit of alpaca wool, and saw the mountain of 7 colors. then we went to humahuaca which is a larger town and had lunch there. on the way back to jujuy we stopped in tilcara where there is an arqueological site that is associated with the UBA, where i took my hist class. the countryside was beautiful -- like a desert and the most different things about this part of the country is that the ppl there are indigenous., which is a huuuuuge difference from the city where everyone is pretty much white.
saturday morn we took the bus back to salta.
sunday we went on an excursion with out hostel to Cachi, which is southwest of salta toward chile. the countryside was very different from that of jujuy bc the mountains were green and covered in vegetation even though it is winter. we went on a really windy road over the mountains, which looked like we were in peru. it was gorg.
monday we took the gondola up the mountain right next to salta for a view and then in the afternoon flew home.
i really enjoyed the trip bc it was soo different from the city. its amazing how argentina can look so different..
i wont be able to post any pics on facebook from this trip since i didnt have my digital camera but i did buy a disposable camera, which was really strange to use(!), and will get those pics developed when im home. which is in 12 days!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
i went to the end of world.
ok so i think im just going to make one post on going to Ushuaia bc im about to fall asleep even though its the middle of the afternoon and i have to write it before i go on another trip..tomorrow..
friday afternoon nicole and i flew from BA to Ushuaia, which is the southern-most city in the world located on Tierra del Fuego in Argentina at 54S 68W. this is further south than the Straight of Magellan..so yea.
we arrived around 9pm or so and it was completely pitch dark. sunset at this time of year is about 5pm and it stays light until about 6pm; and sunrise is at 9am but its not really light until about 10am. the sun never gets very high in the sky -- it takes until about 2pm for it to rise above the mountains..
saturday morning we took a fairly sketchy bus to the national park where we were completely alone for about an hour. the driver of our bus gave us a map of the park, told us not to be worried about getting lost, and then said he'd pick us up at 4pm at the little rest stop about 7 to 9 km from where he dropped us off...thus started our extremely weird day. we walked a little bit toward one of the trails in the park -- the driver had told us that it would take about 10 mins to get to the beginning of the trail. it took 30. and it was cold. and that part of the trail was covered in ice. so we turned around and walked back to where he had dropped us off. luckily another driver arrived not too long after, took pity on us, and drove us to the end of Route 3, a highway that runs the length of argentina and then some in S. America and ends in the national park there. once we got there, there were other ppl around, including some park rangers, so we felt a but more comfortable..once we explored around there, we walked to the confiteria, and on the way ran into a very large fox. we had been walking on the road and all of a sudden i saw it stand up and growl at us. we got really scared and quickly walked to hide behind a parked car...thank god for that parked car. by this time the fox had already been walking toward us but luckily kept walking past. we were able to make it to the confiteria without any more fox run-ins. we got back to our hostel safely...which we had been afraid of not happening.. in the afternoon.
saturday night we went on the most amazing excursion ever. along with 7 other ppl we went to a ski resort, went snow shoeing in a snow covered valley surrounded by mountains in the pitch dark and saw soooo many stars including the southern cross and some of the milky way. we then arrived at a little wigwam-teepee thing that had a bonfire inside. there we ate dinner and sang some songs and listened to one of our guides play traditional music of the area. after dinner we dog sledded (!!!!) back to the ski lodge under the stars. and were taken back to our hostel. it was the most amazing excursion ever. perfect for both nicole and i. :D
sunday morning we took a boat into the Beagle Channel and saw the southern most light house in the world, some sea lions, and saw the panorama of the Chilean and Argentine mountains from an island in the middle of the channel. gorgeous.
sunday evening we were supposed to fly back to BA, but didnt find out that our flight had been cancelled due to fog in BA (!?!?!) until we tried to check in. they told us that they would call us when they found out about a flight back for us, so we went back to our hostel and spent another night.
monday afternoon we went to the airport and ended up waiting for about 8 hours until be got boarding passes for a flight out of Ushuaia at 330am on tuesday morning. which we almost didnt get.... whats even better is that those tickets turned out to be first class (!!!!) which was soooo amazing. never have i ever traveled on a plane in first class and i got to do it in argentina after a flight was cancelled, etc etc! i completely passed out after we took off until we were landing. we arrived in BA around 7am, after which i got home and slept a little. i am still needing to make up for the lack of sleep i had during the whole trip....and tomorrow im going to salta and jujuy (in the NW of the country near chile and bolivia).
i am so happy that i was able to get down to Ushuaia. it was one of the places that i had wanted to get to even before i got down in argentina in february. but thank god i was able to leave! lol
friday afternoon nicole and i flew from BA to Ushuaia, which is the southern-most city in the world located on Tierra del Fuego in Argentina at 54S 68W. this is further south than the Straight of Magellan..so yea.
we arrived around 9pm or so and it was completely pitch dark. sunset at this time of year is about 5pm and it stays light until about 6pm; and sunrise is at 9am but its not really light until about 10am. the sun never gets very high in the sky -- it takes until about 2pm for it to rise above the mountains..
saturday morning we took a fairly sketchy bus to the national park where we were completely alone for about an hour. the driver of our bus gave us a map of the park, told us not to be worried about getting lost, and then said he'd pick us up at 4pm at the little rest stop about 7 to 9 km from where he dropped us off...thus started our extremely weird day. we walked a little bit toward one of the trails in the park -- the driver had told us that it would take about 10 mins to get to the beginning of the trail. it took 30. and it was cold. and that part of the trail was covered in ice. so we turned around and walked back to where he had dropped us off. luckily another driver arrived not too long after, took pity on us, and drove us to the end of Route 3, a highway that runs the length of argentina and then some in S. America and ends in the national park there. once we got there, there were other ppl around, including some park rangers, so we felt a but more comfortable..once we explored around there, we walked to the confiteria, and on the way ran into a very large fox. we had been walking on the road and all of a sudden i saw it stand up and growl at us. we got really scared and quickly walked to hide behind a parked car...thank god for that parked car. by this time the fox had already been walking toward us but luckily kept walking past. we were able to make it to the confiteria without any more fox run-ins. we got back to our hostel safely...which we had been afraid of not happening.. in the afternoon.
saturday night we went on the most amazing excursion ever. along with 7 other ppl we went to a ski resort, went snow shoeing in a snow covered valley surrounded by mountains in the pitch dark and saw soooo many stars including the southern cross and some of the milky way. we then arrived at a little wigwam-teepee thing that had a bonfire inside. there we ate dinner and sang some songs and listened to one of our guides play traditional music of the area. after dinner we dog sledded (!!!!) back to the ski lodge under the stars. and were taken back to our hostel. it was the most amazing excursion ever. perfect for both nicole and i. :D
sunday morning we took a boat into the Beagle Channel and saw the southern most light house in the world, some sea lions, and saw the panorama of the Chilean and Argentine mountains from an island in the middle of the channel. gorgeous.
sunday evening we were supposed to fly back to BA, but didnt find out that our flight had been cancelled due to fog in BA (!?!?!) until we tried to check in. they told us that they would call us when they found out about a flight back for us, so we went back to our hostel and spent another night.
monday afternoon we went to the airport and ended up waiting for about 8 hours until be got boarding passes for a flight out of Ushuaia at 330am on tuesday morning. which we almost didnt get.... whats even better is that those tickets turned out to be first class (!!!!) which was soooo amazing. never have i ever traveled on a plane in first class and i got to do it in argentina after a flight was cancelled, etc etc! i completely passed out after we took off until we were landing. we arrived in BA around 7am, after which i got home and slept a little. i am still needing to make up for the lack of sleep i had during the whole trip....and tomorrow im going to salta and jujuy (in the NW of the country near chile and bolivia).
i am so happy that i was able to get down to Ushuaia. it was one of the places that i had wanted to get to even before i got down in argentina in february. but thank god i was able to leave! lol
Monday, June 23, 2008
Boca Juniors
last night i went with some friends to see the last Boca Juniors futbol game of the season. it was absolutely amazing and i have now found the love of my life. like literally, ive become completely obsessed with Boca now that ive seen them play live. it was glorious :D !!!
they played the Tigre team and won 6 to 2. both palermo and palacio scored two goals each. the fans were absolutely great and crazy. they never stopped cheering! occasionally some fans lit some things on fire that made yellow and blue smoke (the colors of boca). during half time there was an explosion of some sort. i have not effing idea what it was, but it happened again. scared me shitless both times! toward the end of the game, my friends and i had been sitting in the back of the second pier, and from the pier above us some ppl were dumping some liquid, prob water, over the side and down onto the fans below. i was glad i wasnt sitting further forward for that reason. Boca games are known for the crazy fans that go and violence has been an issue in the past so as a precaution the police were there is full SWAT-like riot gear. it was ridic and a bit creepy. as my friend spenser and i were walking to the game, we passed by a whole row of these police, and while i didnt make an eye contact, spenser told me that all of the police officers looked me up and down. how nice!
anyway, it was an awesome night and i am soooo happy that i was able to see a soccer game here in argentina where it is sooo popular and important and the teams are acutally good! the rivals of Boca Juniors is another BA team classes River Plate (very castellano i know). they're rivalry is comparable to that of the Red Sox and the Yankees.
so thing to conclude: SOY HINCHA DE BOCA! BOCA, TE AMO!
they played the Tigre team and won 6 to 2. both palermo and palacio scored two goals each. the fans were absolutely great and crazy. they never stopped cheering! occasionally some fans lit some things on fire that made yellow and blue smoke (the colors of boca). during half time there was an explosion of some sort. i have not effing idea what it was, but it happened again. scared me shitless both times! toward the end of the game, my friends and i had been sitting in the back of the second pier, and from the pier above us some ppl were dumping some liquid, prob water, over the side and down onto the fans below. i was glad i wasnt sitting further forward for that reason. Boca games are known for the crazy fans that go and violence has been an issue in the past so as a precaution the police were there is full SWAT-like riot gear. it was ridic and a bit creepy. as my friend spenser and i were walking to the game, we passed by a whole row of these police, and while i didnt make an eye contact, spenser told me that all of the police officers looked me up and down. how nice!
anyway, it was an awesome night and i am soooo happy that i was able to see a soccer game here in argentina where it is sooo popular and important and the teams are acutally good! the rivals of Boca Juniors is another BA team classes River Plate (very castellano i know). they're rivalry is comparable to that of the Red Sox and the Yankees.
so thing to conclude: SOY HINCHA DE BOCA! BOCA, TE AMO!
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