Hey everybody! So I know I pretty much failed on the constant updates during my stay in Buenos Aires. The truth of it is that when I wasn't studying, most of the time I was out seeing the city or travelling! The trip was an experience of a lifetime and I hope to tell all of you individually how it went. Of course, one discovers through staying in another country that it has its faults, but overall I am super glad I did it. I've become more independent, open-minded and a better Spanish-speaker : )
Now I'm in Bogota again for one more week before I head back to the U.S. and I am loving every minute of it. Look for pictures on Facebook for more updates!
Again, I apologize for not keeping up with the blog, but I guess it proves that I had a really great time, right? (which I did).
Saludos,
R.A.P.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
An Itch for Exploration and Festing
I should start with the zoo experience.
Zoo Lujan is one of the most controversial zoos I know of (and the most seemingly dangerous). It's located about 2 hours away from Buenos Aires, and I took a bus there with a group called BAIS (Buenos Aires International Students). The group designs events and notifies international students among the several universities here of upcoming things in the city that should be taken advantage of.
Some newly-met friends of whom we met the night before at an BAIS welcoming party went to the zoo as well.
When we got to Zoo Lujan, it appeared to be in the middle of nowhere. Soon enough we saw the cages that people were allowed to enter. Inside was a sleeping dog, a young tiger and lion. They let us go in 3 at a time to actually pet these usually dangerous creatures.
The lion was distracted by licking a toy of his, and there were employees making sure that they remained calm. I pet him but he was irritated and slightly jerked his neck. Well that was enough large-cat touching for me for that day so when Juli and I entered the tiger cage, I decided I wasn't going to touch them.
The zoo was cool, though. I don't know when I'll ever get a chance to touch lions or tigers ever again (or bears, oh my.)
There were also baby lions there, seals, bears, deer, tropical birds, monkeys, a chimpanzee, and geese. Well, the geese were just wandering around all over and weren't technically a part of the zoo, but they added an annoying touch.
A couple friends we've met so far,
Liborio (from Chile)
Charlotte (from Belgium)
Mario (from U.S.)
There are other nice people we met, like Charlotte's roommates from France and Peru, but these three were who we are hanging out with the most.
--
A few other fun things we've been doing is going to delicious pizzerias and visiting museums. The area in which we live, Recoleta, is filled with cool cobblestone streets, cafes, bars, and restaurants, and parks & plazas.
Yesterday afternoon, I played football (soccer) with Liborio and some other guys in a park near Juli's apartment, and later on at night, we went out to see the various light shows and performances during "Noche en Vela". From 7pm to 7am Sat-Sun. there were tons of free activities around the city. We went to this techno concert in a park where a guy was somehow playing gameboy Classic and his game was showing up on a huge screen and there was crazy trance music blaring with flashing lights and dancers.
It started out with me, Juli, Charlotte, and Mario. When we went to see other buildings being lit up by colorful lights, we met up with Liborio. The five of us went to Juli's apartment around 9 to have some instant Colombian coffee to stimulate us for the late night.
An hour or so later, we took a bus to the Obelisque, the famous pillar in many photos of Buenos Aires, where there was a live orchestra outside and about 50,000 people watching. They played Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" and a couple other well-known tunes.
There, we met up with Liborio's friend Willy who is from BsAs and the six of us went to find a place to eat.
After dinner at 10:00pm, we went a few blocks over to this outside dance lesson/bash/i have no idea. There was this lady full of energy with a whistle, leading a group of people (95% women) in a dances that incorporated exercise movements. Juli and Charlotte joined in right after we surprisingly ran into Juli's friend Carola and her two roommates. Our group ended up being more than 8 people and after we got our groove on, we went to another free concert.
The guy that was playing was fantastic, and everybody was getting into the music. There were a bunch of hippies dancing in a circle, and later on when a Gaucho-type band was playing, people in the streets started dancing Samba, and the night turned into a magical festival that I'll never forget.
p.s. I filmed a lot of it and will be posting the footage on the internet in the future.
It was about 2am when we finally went back home, but it was a great finish to a long weekend filled with spontaneous adventure and new friends.
besos,
R.A.P.
Zoo Lujan is one of the most controversial zoos I know of (and the most seemingly dangerous). It's located about 2 hours away from Buenos Aires, and I took a bus there with a group called BAIS (Buenos Aires International Students). The group designs events and notifies international students among the several universities here of upcoming things in the city that should be taken advantage of.
Some newly-met friends of whom we met the night before at an BAIS welcoming party went to the zoo as well.
When we got to Zoo Lujan, it appeared to be in the middle of nowhere. Soon enough we saw the cages that people were allowed to enter. Inside was a sleeping dog, a young tiger and lion. They let us go in 3 at a time to actually pet these usually dangerous creatures.
The lion was distracted by licking a toy of his, and there were employees making sure that they remained calm. I pet him but he was irritated and slightly jerked his neck. Well that was enough large-cat touching for me for that day so when Juli and I entered the tiger cage, I decided I wasn't going to touch them.
The zoo was cool, though. I don't know when I'll ever get a chance to touch lions or tigers ever again (or bears, oh my.)
There were also baby lions there, seals, bears, deer, tropical birds, monkeys, a chimpanzee, and geese. Well, the geese were just wandering around all over and weren't technically a part of the zoo, but they added an annoying touch.
A couple friends we've met so far,
Liborio (from Chile)
Charlotte (from Belgium)
Mario (from U.S.)
There are other nice people we met, like Charlotte's roommates from France and Peru, but these three were who we are hanging out with the most.
--
A few other fun things we've been doing is going to delicious pizzerias and visiting museums. The area in which we live, Recoleta, is filled with cool cobblestone streets, cafes, bars, and restaurants, and parks & plazas.
Yesterday afternoon, I played football (soccer) with Liborio and some other guys in a park near Juli's apartment, and later on at night, we went out to see the various light shows and performances during "Noche en Vela". From 7pm to 7am Sat-Sun. there were tons of free activities around the city. We went to this techno concert in a park where a guy was somehow playing gameboy Classic and his game was showing up on a huge screen and there was crazy trance music blaring with flashing lights and dancers.
It started out with me, Juli, Charlotte, and Mario. When we went to see other buildings being lit up by colorful lights, we met up with Liborio. The five of us went to Juli's apartment around 9 to have some instant Colombian coffee to stimulate us for the late night.
An hour or so later, we took a bus to the Obelisque, the famous pillar in many photos of Buenos Aires, where there was a live orchestra outside and about 50,000 people watching. They played Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" and a couple other well-known tunes.
There, we met up with Liborio's friend Willy who is from BsAs and the six of us went to find a place to eat.
After dinner at 10:00pm, we went a few blocks over to this outside dance lesson/bash/i have no idea. There was this lady full of energy with a whistle, leading a group of people (95% women) in a dances that incorporated exercise movements. Juli and Charlotte joined in right after we surprisingly ran into Juli's friend Carola and her two roommates. Our group ended up being more than 8 people and after we got our groove on, we went to another free concert.
The guy that was playing was fantastic, and everybody was getting into the music. There were a bunch of hippies dancing in a circle, and later on when a Gaucho-type band was playing, people in the streets started dancing Samba, and the night turned into a magical festival that I'll never forget.
p.s. I filmed a lot of it and will be posting the footage on the internet in the future.
It was about 2am when we finally went back home, but it was a great finish to a long weekend filled with spontaneous adventure and new friends.
besos,
R.A.P.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
hey...I'm starting to realize I'm actually here!
Although I've only been here for about a week and a half, in many ways I feel like Ive been here for a long time now!
My host parents are really nice, Mechu and Julio, and I get my own room, bathroom, and TV, haha. The place is within walking distance with most of the university's faculty.
I think thats good.
Orientation went well - met some other international students (there are people from France, Sweden, Brazil, and more).
Got in touch with a great international student group called BAIS with whom Juli and I are going to do four things (planned so far):
On Friday, we are going to a Vocal Ensemble recital with the group, and a bunch of other international students
Saturday is the Lujan Zoo. A place in which one can literally pet tigers (a little scared about that, but its an adventure after all, right?)
Sunday, we'll be going to a play.
Also, in a week, we may be going to Iguazu Falls with the group. I will be taking pictures of everything of course.
----
But mostly my status right now is still getting used to the educational environment at my university here. Its somewhat difficult to locate and sign up for classes but step by step, I'm getting it done.
It's actually a lot easier to navigate my way around the city than I anticipated. I'm utilizing my ipod touch's map that helps me a lot. The buses here are called Colectivos and they take you to almost any place you need to go.
Haven't taken a taxi yet.
Oh! We met up with one of Juli's friends Carola and went last Sunday to a neighborhood called San Telmo, where they sell merchandise all along a street, and it's really cool. We're definitely going back.
My host parents are really nice, Mechu and Julio, and I get my own room, bathroom, and TV, haha. The place is within walking distance with most of the university's faculty.
I hope you've been checkin out my Facebook for pictures. Sorry haven't been more diligent with this, but I've been still getting settled here in this big city!!
Un abrazo
R.A.P.
ps. as always, look on facebook for updated photos
Sunday, March 6, 2011
The arrival
After a long day of airport personnel telling us that our ticket payments hadn't gone through, waiting in long lines, not getting my luggage, and having to pay over a hundred bucks to enter the country, we reached our destination: Buenos Aires!
The neighborhood Juli and I are both located in is called Recoleta. Her apartment is a block away from the famous cemetery that contains the famous Eva "Evita" Peron.
Where to begin?
My suitcase was delivered to me this morning, I called my host mom last night and this morning to set up a short visit. Juli and I had breakfast in a small restaurant/bar/grill across the street from her apartment.
Best croissants of my life.
The majority of today was spent getting things set up: finding and connecting to a wifi network, setting the time, getting groceries, etc.
We also got to meet up with Mercedes "Mechu" and Julio, my host parents. They are really nice, gave us a map and some coins if we needed to take the bus, and advice on some things to do.
Everybody here has dogs, and Juli and I saw about 4 different owners who looked exactly like their pets.
There was a sort of strike today for the buses; literally over 2000 people were riding their bikes in a lane, stopping bus traffic. They were whistling, yelling, honking horns, and one guy was actually playing a drum while biking. We didn't really figure out specifically why the strike occurred, but it was cool to see (for pictures.....facebook!)
It's summer here with a temp of like 70ish degrees during the day and a nice summer, breezy night.
I bought Pizza-flavored Pringles at the market in honor of my two brothers and my cousin. Juli criticized me for buying them, as they were kind of spendy, and not healthy. Despite this, she was the one to start the Pop in which the fun did not stop (she ate the first couple of Pringles).
The market was cool. With two floors, and an stairless escalator to push your cart up from one to another. They had a bunch of fresh, tasty food, and it didn't help that I was hungry. What seemed to quench my appetite was seeing the cow brains sitting in the Styrofoam packages with a thin plastic lining around them (again - facebook).
Well, those and the bagged severed pigheads.
I had the best shake tonight at the restaurant that Juli and I ate at. It was called "Tutti Frutti" and it had banana, milk, and a few other fruits. I literally laughed because it was so good.
Anyways, first thoughts of Buenos Aires are - big, nice, antique-ish (lots of old buildings, but they look really cool), elegant, lively, and surprising.
Thanks for reading this entry, I'll keep you posted.
p.s. I start orientation for my classes this week, so things will slow a little bit with blog entries. Hopefully, I will still be able to upload pics and such during this potentially busy time. Rest assured that we are having a wonderful time in this humongous city and that we are quickly adjusting and adventuring :-P
Yours,
R.A.P.
The restaurant Juli and I ate at
The neighborhood Juli and I are both located in is called Recoleta. Her apartment is a block away from the famous cemetery that contains the famous Eva "Evita" Peron.
Where to begin?
My suitcase was delivered to me this morning, I called my host mom last night and this morning to set up a short visit. Juli and I had breakfast in a small restaurant/bar/grill across the street from her apartment.
Best croissants of my life.
The majority of today was spent getting things set up: finding and connecting to a wifi network, setting the time, getting groceries, etc.
We also got to meet up with Mercedes "Mechu" and Julio, my host parents. They are really nice, gave us a map and some coins if we needed to take the bus, and advice on some things to do.
Everybody here has dogs, and Juli and I saw about 4 different owners who looked exactly like their pets.
There was a sort of strike today for the buses; literally over 2000 people were riding their bikes in a lane, stopping bus traffic. They were whistling, yelling, honking horns, and one guy was actually playing a drum while biking. We didn't really figure out specifically why the strike occurred, but it was cool to see (for pictures.....facebook!)
It's summer here with a temp of like 70ish degrees during the day and a nice summer, breezy night.
I bought Pizza-flavored Pringles at the market in honor of my two brothers and my cousin. Juli criticized me for buying them, as they were kind of spendy, and not healthy. Despite this, she was the one to start the Pop in which the fun did not stop (she ate the first couple of Pringles).
The market was cool. With two floors, and an stairless escalator to push your cart up from one to another. They had a bunch of fresh, tasty food, and it didn't help that I was hungry. What seemed to quench my appetite was seeing the cow brains sitting in the Styrofoam packages with a thin plastic lining around them (again - facebook).
Well, those and the bagged severed pigheads.
I had the best shake tonight at the restaurant that Juli and I ate at. It was called "Tutti Frutti" and it had banana, milk, and a few other fruits. I literally laughed because it was so good.
Anyways, first thoughts of Buenos Aires are - big, nice, antique-ish (lots of old buildings, but they look really cool), elegant, lively, and surprising.
Thanks for reading this entry, I'll keep you posted.
p.s. I start orientation for my classes this week, so things will slow a little bit with blog entries. Hopefully, I will still be able to upload pics and such during this potentially busy time. Rest assured that we are having a wonderful time in this humongous city and that we are quickly adjusting and adventuring :-P
Yours,
R.A.P.
The restaurant Juli and I ate at
Friday, March 4, 2011
Last night in Colombia...
Suddenly, as I'm getting familiar with everything here in Bogotá, I'm about to leave :-P. The past few weeks have been good, though.
Met up with Londra, a fellow staff member who worked with me last summer at camp.
We went to "The Kings Speech" in theaters. Spanish subtitles, of course.
Visited Juli's old elementary/middle/high school, chatted with a couple nuns, and had lunch with one of her best friend's mom who works there.
We went to a friends house to cook a mixture of things in a fondue maker and jammed out on guitar/danced all night.
Ate a fantastic lunch with Juli's aunt (who invited us over for it), chicken with rice and green beans, patacon (the banana-type chips), and freshly-squeezed maracuya juice.
Went to a park, met up with Juli's cousin Paula, and ate empanadas, and drank tea.
Later we went to a Korean vampire movie shown at an all-male preparatory school. (It was one of the most graphic movies I have ever seen, but it was open to the public and free.)
--
Juli and I found out that we are about a half a mile away from each other in Buenos Aires! We almost couldn't believe it at first, but my host family house is on the street perpendicular to her apartment. Its reassuring to know that we won't be miles and miles apart in the same city.
Tonight, I believe we are going out to dinner. Time here was a blast. I hope you have been getting a hint of what I've been experiencing here. So many things happened that I can't pick a favorite. It's just a really cool thing to immerse yourself in another culture and start to get accustomed to it.
Anyways, feelings for Buenos Aires are the following:
Excited
Anxious
Curious
Ready
Nervous
Confident
(and of course more).
I think the main thing I'm nervous about is the language barrier. Although I've been in Colombia right now for over a month, I still have a long way to go with my Spanish. And Argentine Spanish is a very different Spanish than Colombian. Its got like an Italian twist to it (many citizens were Italian immigrants), and they use a lot of slang. But I'm very excited to start hearing it more and communicating.
Just think, in a week, I'll be moved into my host family's house, starting classes and seeing and doing all new things.
As always, thanks for following me this far. And if there's anything you're wondering about my travels, don't be hesitant to ask me!
Saludos,
R.A.P.
(p.s. if u haven't noticed before, I am unable to upload my pictures on here because I've maximized my available space. Therefore, I've put them on my facebook.)
Met up with Londra, a fellow staff member who worked with me last summer at camp.
We went to "The Kings Speech" in theaters. Spanish subtitles, of course.
Visited Juli's old elementary/middle/high school, chatted with a couple nuns, and had lunch with one of her best friend's mom who works there.
We went to a friends house to cook a mixture of things in a fondue maker and jammed out on guitar/danced all night.
Ate a fantastic lunch with Juli's aunt (who invited us over for it), chicken with rice and green beans, patacon (the banana-type chips), and freshly-squeezed maracuya juice.
Went to a park, met up with Juli's cousin Paula, and ate empanadas, and drank tea.
Later we went to a Korean vampire movie shown at an all-male preparatory school. (It was one of the most graphic movies I have ever seen, but it was open to the public and free.)
--
Juli and I found out that we are about a half a mile away from each other in Buenos Aires! We almost couldn't believe it at first, but my host family house is on the street perpendicular to her apartment. Its reassuring to know that we won't be miles and miles apart in the same city.
Tonight, I believe we are going out to dinner. Time here was a blast. I hope you have been getting a hint of what I've been experiencing here. So many things happened that I can't pick a favorite. It's just a really cool thing to immerse yourself in another culture and start to get accustomed to it.
Anyways, feelings for Buenos Aires are the following:
Excited
Anxious
Curious
Ready
Nervous
Confident
(and of course more).
I think the main thing I'm nervous about is the language barrier. Although I've been in Colombia right now for over a month, I still have a long way to go with my Spanish. And Argentine Spanish is a very different Spanish than Colombian. Its got like an Italian twist to it (many citizens were Italian immigrants), and they use a lot of slang. But I'm very excited to start hearing it more and communicating.
Just think, in a week, I'll be moved into my host family's house, starting classes and seeing and doing all new things.
As always, thanks for following me this far. And if there's anything you're wondering about my travels, don't be hesitant to ask me!
Saludos,
R.A.P.
(p.s. if u haven't noticed before, I am unable to upload my pictures on here because I've maximized my available space. Therefore, I've put them on my facebook.)
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Villa de Leyva + Friends + Medellin = Fun week!
Thank you for being patient with me. If you aren't constantly seeing blog updates, it probably means I've been having a fun, busy time. This is true for the time spent between my last blog and this one. Where to start?
Juli and I had a 3 hour bus ride from Bogota to Villa de Leyva, but it wasn't too bad. One thing you all should know about Colombia is the landscape, flora, and climate all change from one place to another. As the bus rolled on, we started seeing more cacti and desert landscape, and the temperature climbed.
It's cool to think that in Minnesota there's snow, when it's like 70's here :-)
Anyways, when we got to Villa de Leyva.This place has such an old-fashioned feel to it that makes it really interesting to be in. We ate at a great restaurant, had freshly-squeezed Passion Fruit juice and a wok, all for like 5 bucks each. It was a great deal.
We spent the rest of the day visiting little shops, walking around the town, and witnessing the Colombian soap opera "La Pola" being filmed there! There were a lot of people who volunteered to be an extra soldier in it.
The following morning, we had a fresh breakfast at a small cafe and Juli brought along a grenadilla which is a South American fruit that looks like an orange on the outside and like a lot of fish eggs on the inside. Despite its appearance, you just swallow the seeds and its really good.
We biked to these Blue Pools and dipped our feet in there. They are natural, turquoise ponds that have sulfuric sand that is good for the skin.
We met up with a nice couple from Ibague and Medellin and had lunch and waffles together. They rode there on a motorcycle, and were a few years older than me and Juli. We ended up having dinner with them as well and having a good time. A town local gave us a lift to a thermal pool in which we went in the pouring rain.
Later that night, we got to meet up with Casey's friends from Yellowstone, Diego and Luis. We are meeting up with them again this Thursday.
The very next morning, me, Juli, Felipe and Manuela headed for Medellin. It's about an 8-hour drive away from Bogota through windy, tropical mountains. Many reckless drivers here made the trip adventurous :-P. We got to stay in Felipe's cousin's farmhouse, right outside of the city.
We met up with Andres, Juli and Manuela's second cousin, and he spent the night with us there.
The next morning we went to a sweet botanic garden, where we saw a bunch of cool plants, butterflies (in a butterfly house) and other animals. We also had an amazing lunch in an outdoor cafe there.
Medellin is the city in which the famous Colombian artist Fernando Botero was born. We took a train to the Botero art museum. . I've already mentioned him in previous blogs because some of his works are in Bogota, but most of them are in his birthplace.
After this, we hung out in Andres' apartment and went out to a bar that night. It was really cool to compare the accents between how he talks and Juli. Not to mention, the weather was perfect throughout or time there.
Today (23 February) Juli and I are going to meet up with Londra, a friend who worked with me last summer at Good Earth Village. She lives in Bogota, and we're going to have a dessert with her at Crepes and Waffles.
Thanks for reading!
R.A.P.
Juli and I had a 3 hour bus ride from Bogota to Villa de Leyva, but it wasn't too bad. One thing you all should know about Colombia is the landscape, flora, and climate all change from one place to another. As the bus rolled on, we started seeing more cacti and desert landscape, and the temperature climbed.
It's cool to think that in Minnesota there's snow, when it's like 70's here :-)
Anyways, when we got to Villa de Leyva.This place has such an old-fashioned feel to it that makes it really interesting to be in. We ate at a great restaurant, had freshly-squeezed Passion Fruit juice and a wok, all for like 5 bucks each. It was a great deal.
We spent the rest of the day visiting little shops, walking around the town, and witnessing the Colombian soap opera "La Pola" being filmed there! There were a lot of people who volunteered to be an extra soldier in it.
The following morning, we had a fresh breakfast at a small cafe and Juli brought along a grenadilla which is a South American fruit that looks like an orange on the outside and like a lot of fish eggs on the inside. Despite its appearance, you just swallow the seeds and its really good.
We met up with a nice couple from Ibague and Medellin and had lunch and waffles together. They rode there on a motorcycle, and were a few years older than me and Juli. We ended up having dinner with them as well and having a good time. A town local gave us a lift to a thermal pool in which we went in the pouring rain.
Later that night, we got to meet up with Casey's friends from Yellowstone, Diego and Luis. We are meeting up with them again this Thursday.
The very next morning, me, Juli, Felipe and Manuela headed for Medellin. It's about an 8-hour drive away from Bogota through windy, tropical mountains. Many reckless drivers here made the trip adventurous :-P. We got to stay in Felipe's cousin's farmhouse, right outside of the city.
We met up with Andres, Juli and Manuela's second cousin, and he spent the night with us there.
The next morning we went to a sweet botanic garden, where we saw a bunch of cool plants, butterflies (in a butterfly house) and other animals. We also had an amazing lunch in an outdoor cafe there.
Medellin is the city in which the famous Colombian artist Fernando Botero was born. We took a train to the Botero art museum. . I've already mentioned him in previous blogs because some of his works are in Bogota, but most of them are in his birthplace.
After this, we hung out in Andres' apartment and went out to a bar that night. It was really cool to compare the accents between how he talks and Juli. Not to mention, the weather was perfect throughout or time there.
Today (23 February) Juli and I are going to meet up with Londra, a friend who worked with me last summer at Good Earth Village. She lives in Bogota, and we're going to have a dessert with her at Crepes and Waffles.
Thanks for reading!
R.A.P.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Trip to Villa de Leyva...Coming Soon!
Hello followers. Tomorrow morning Juli and I are travelling to Villa de Leyva, a beautiful little town a few hours away from Bogota. We'll be staying in a nice hostel, possibly visiting a vineyard, riding horses, and hopefully a eating a lot of good food! Will be returning Thursday of this week with a ton of great memories and photos.
thanks for reading!
R.A.P.
p.s. if you wanna take a look at some pictures, here's the official site
http://www.villadeleyva.net/
p.s.s. here are some photos of us at the Lagoon of Guatalvita.
This lagoon was so amazing to see. The indigenous people that lived in this area threw tons of gold artifacts and creations into it as sacrifice to their gods.
thanks for reading!
R.A.P.
p.s. if you wanna take a look at some pictures, here's the official site
http://www.villadeleyva.net/
p.s.s. here are some photos of us at the Lagoon of Guatalvita.
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