It's My Birthday I Can Cry If I Want to

    Today had a most unfortunate start to it. I went to sleep last night around 2:30am, and was woken up at 3:15am or so by one of the dorm helper people because half of the ACA people had to leave this morning to go get our student visas and she thought i was on the list--i was not. Then i actually had to get up at 8am... I am so tired i feel a little drugged, my head is all swimmy and when i move it too fast the whole earth seems to spin. So that's an interesting way to start my next twenty-one years of life. Maybe it will teach me to just go to sleep earlier.

   Its an other one of those sleepy, sad, grey days and boy is it chilly outside. Although, its actually colder in the classrooms than it is outside. Go figure. We ACAs are plotting to just bring our blankets to class to keep us warm. Half of ACA was gone as i said, so all of my classes today only had a max of maybe 20 people, on Wednesday it will be our turn to get up at 3am and take the bus. Thank god! This means i can hop over into Uruguay and get USD cash out of the ATM. Here in Argentina you can only get pesos from the bank and for a terrible rate. The official rate is 5 to 1 but if you know where to go you can get a little above 9 to 1, and that makes a world of difference. The second day i was here i exchanged 80$USD and even after getting school supplies, food, a pair of jeans, and a plethora of other things i still have about 100$ pesos...and if you know how 100 pesos can stretch very far.

   Well....i made it through the day unscathed, not thrown in a pond...er fountain, and i convinced my friends NOT to announce my birthday over the loud speaker--thank god! Actually it was a really relaxed day, pretty non stereotypical for a 21st but i liked it. Now....i want to go to bed and make up for my weekend of sleepless nights. Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes!!

Time Lords

    I'm not actually going to talk about Dr. Who but i like the title anyways. But for the record bowties ARE cool ;) Now time...its funny because at home i am actually a morning person, much the the shock of everyone who has ever had the misfortune of waking me up...BUT its true none the less. I just like to be awake in the morning, catch the dawn, creep around the house (or my dorm room) and reflect on how awesome it is to be alive...unless its rainy and cloudy then i simply go back to bed. I digress. Here, literally since day one i haven't gone to sleep before 11:30pm. Now to some people like my brother, boyfriend, and absurd, but loveable roommate Kat (WWU) 11:30 is early...well i'm beginning to agree. I would like to blame my new sleeping habits on being in a foreign country as well as my roommate who is an insatiable night owl--I realize that word may not entirely reflect the meaning i want but i really don't care-- So its 1am and i'm sitting here writing because as far as most of my readers are concerned it's like...9pm and I aim to please.
   My roommate Vanesa (yes only one s) stared at me in shock as i finished my third book this weekend. For some unknown reason i have become ravenous for any book i can get my hands on. It's like the stress of learning Spanish has cause a craving for simple English literature where i can finally read and use (in my head) the big "intelligent" words, which i do so adore. A few of the ACA girls are also avid readers and to my extreme delight (my siblings will understand this) one of the girls has with her an e-copy of A Dance With Dragons. I couldn't be more pleased. Finally! Someone has that crazy, gigantic, expensive book and i get to borrow it. Happy birthday to me!!
   Oh something that made me laugh, in Spanish they don't double letter most things like my roommates name for example. So when they write my name down it looks like "Rebeca", which i personally find a bite comical.

Impatient Soy Bean

     I am getting so frustrated! I just want to be fluent. Right. Now! I understand most of what people say but i fins myself making little comments like oh si...si si....hmmm. Because i don't know the words for what i want to say. It makes me feel crazy!Yes it's been a week and yes i know i'm being ridiculous but its making me crazy. But i guess on the other hand when i do say something and its correct i'm just pleased as punch. So far my roommate is the easiest to understand, which is a miracle because she speaks faster than anyone else.
I met someone the other night who is trying to learn German and i just about fell over. The only thing i could think of was "Thank God!" So far i see German products all over the place but no one speaks it...I guess i shouldn't be so disappointed, i mean i came here to learn Spanish not German.
    
       Much to my dismay i learned upon arrival that in Entre Rios (which is a province) they mainly grow wheat, soy, and corn. So....pretty much everything here has one of those three in it. The juice, has soy milk in it. Its like my most nightmare i'm pretty sure i'm going to just turn into a soy bean. Doesn't ANYONE get that too much of ANYTHING is bad for you? *sigh* Clearly that knee-jerk reaction against...oh like everything, is setting back in. Don't worry i'll get over it. Its just been one of those weekends.  Anyways. If anyone really loves me can they please express mail me my boyfriend? That would be great...

Here are some pictures from the Local Supermarket

Argentinians really like their soda. Although strangely enough half of them are sweetened with steavia.

 

This is kind of a syrup...it does in sparkling water. Its like much less good German syrup stuff. This is all herbal though. And its bitter. I kind of like it. 

 

Right cause who would have expensive cream?!

 

These people REALLY like their dulce de leche.

 

The sweet pastries are AMAZING. if i come back fat its because of these. 

 

The wall of Mate in every type and flavor

She Duck!

     So far classes have been good! Not too bad and not too easy, i really like most of my teachers. The funniest moment from class this week was in my composition class and one of the guys was asking how to say the legs of a table in Spanish. Apparently the word is pata which is also a duck (female) so i asked her "isn't that a duck?!" and she looks at me and starts laughing "you mean a she duck?" it was really funny. I guess it would be funnier if you had been there but anyways.
     Elena and i went out yesterday to take pictures of campus and the town and we ended up finding me a pair of cheap jeans! ...did i talk about this already? Well regardless I'm so happy to have more pants :).
   
     So far i am most excited about the dancing here. Almost everyone that i have met here knows all these cool Latin dances and they are SO good at them. A few of my fellow ACA girls know them so they have been teaching me and i dance every chance i get. I LOVE IT. My goal is to be able to know them and do them well before I leave Argentina. Also i decided i like their way of greeting. Honestly, hugging is so much more personal and the "kiss" on the cheek is still a way to break the personal space barrier without having your whole body touching the other person. I'm going to trying to start it up in the USA....it probably won't take but i can try!

     Today was a town-wide Holiday so no classes! My friend Callie woke me up at 10am and we went on a long walk. It was sooo nice! It was even sunny today. I just can't get over how much i love South America. Its nothing like i expected but i love it. It makes me think i never want to go back to the US. Speaking of Americans, for some reason it is painfully obvious that we are Americans...everywhere i go people stare or start talking about us. Its like we are a kind of novelty or something, but i guess we kind of are.  Maybe after a few months Argentina will rub off on me enough that is not so painfully obvious. Although everyone keeps saying its because i'm blonde....i could have sworn my hair was brown. What do i know though?!

   In case you want a different perspective here is the link for my friend Elena's blog. She is a great photographer (I'm learning) so maybe check out her pictures! http://veggielocomoco.blogspot.com.ar/

But here is what i have.

 

This is my dorm, the "new dorm" can't say how new it actually is...

 

The pink dorm, with the blue in the background (the pink dorm has the laundry room)

 

This i believe was once their church now it is.....something

 

Flag avenue as i like to call it

 

Back side of the Pink dorm

 

This is like a little Prayer circle or something like that

 

This is right outside the Portico, its the internet cafe...so if i have bad internet on Skype you know i am NOT here.

 

Cool iron fence outside of campus. Fences are around everything here

 

This is in the Plaza...this is where my friends are threatening to throw me in on my birthday....The water is actually brown...YUCK.

 

Colors of Spring :)

Boldo Sucks

      What is Boldo exactly....i really don't know. But its an herb for tea and its TERRIBLE.
Also when you're roommate says wanna come to the gym, she actually means want to come have a crazy Brazilian women yell encouragement at you while you slowly die. So sore. everywhere. My. Goodness.
   Also....I forgot what i was going to tell you...but i'll work on a subcribe thingy as suggested by my amazing little sister (who is amazing and beautiful). Yup. Oh...when planning a weekend trip, don't plan it last minute or it will cost you a 100$ fee (in pesos). Expensive way to learn even if its only like 18$USD.
That is all. :)

Just Keep On Drinking..

      Title caught you off guard right? Well let me explain...the water here in Argentina is actually a little bit salty, so you drink it because you are thirsty but because its not very refreshing you just sorta keep on drinking. Its a problem. You just sorta get to this point where you accept water just isn't the same here and get over it. 
    2nd day of classes...EVERYONE is sick. Muahahaha...this is funny because i got sick before i left for Argentina and i told my mom it was ok because then i wouldn't be sick when everyone else got sick. I'm convinced i infected everyone on my plane because i was the only one coughing and sniffing then 5hours later i heard a bunch of people starting to cough and sniff. I am patient zero!!! And i don't care if it wasn't my fault keep your medical opinions to yourself. But now all the ACA students are getting sick and i'm almost done being sick. Ha!
Ooo look at the adorable lolipop i found today! Also its called a chupete or something like this.

    I mentioned in my Alles kommt aus Deustchland post that things here are often color coated to distinguish between genders. Well its really weird, the bathrooms en el Comedor, the ACA stuff given to girls was all pink and the guys all got blue. We got Spanish Bibles and the women all got purple ones and the guys got gold. Also the first girls dorm they had here is pink and the old guys dorm (which is now also a women's dorm) is blue. Like...the outside of these buildings are stereotypically baby blue and pink. 

     So by now you are ready for me to admit that i under packed...well here is your chance to gloat. I SO UNDER PACKED!!! Oh. My. God. So...i had two pairs on jeans (2 pairs what on earth was i thinking!??!) then i left one at Caity's house (for those of you who don't know my family she is my amazing older sister). Luckily I made friends with an awesome girl, Karla, and she gifted me a pair of jeans that didn't fit her. Also i only brought my running shoes as my close-toed shoes (again, seriously?!). So...its rainy and cold, like 40 degrees cold and i only have two pairs of warm pants, one pair of shoes and one hoodie...for 9 months. Apparently i should have requested a new brain because this one failed to recognize that although summers are hot as hell here, i am here mainly for spring and fall which are cold and rainy. But hey i wouldn't be me if i hadn't forgotten to bring my pants. Pants, for some absurd reason, are the main thing i forget to bring in multiples, or at all for that matter, when i am packing. So...If you are headed down to Argentina anytime in the next 9 months I beseech you, please bring me a pair of NORMAL shoes, a pair of jeans and a hoodie. I'm dying.

Ok dad this is for you, you asked for some pictures and i'm working on it. But here is what the surrounding Land looks like.

This is what i see looking down the street right outside the University Portico 

This is the field i pass by on my runs on their aerobic track as they call it. Its all flat and grass. Also here is my messy room...because i have no shame i am posting a picture of it anyways.

I am the top bunk. 

 

This is my Ashland shrine. It makes me feel happy. In case any of you are wondering why i have an unopened manila envelope...its my birthday present from Nathan. I have been so good and have not opened it early! Next Monday i get to open it finally :)

  

Alles kommt aus Deutschland

This will be a running post because i keep finding German stuff here in South America and i always get super excited when i find it. Its like my birthday every time i find a German product.. so here is what i have found so far.

 

They have nutella! But its in a glass jar.

 

I brought one stabilo pen with me and just had to get a few more. 

 

Kinder Surprise Eggs (gender colored...meh) And Milka!!!

Almost everything here is gender coated...in the caf there is a blue and a pink bathroom its weird. Caity, you would hate i.

 

Milka Cow!! In the Super Mercado...haha