Traveling Home!

Thursday, June 21 (Day 29) - Friday, June 22 (Day 30)

Traveling home was a long process. Not as long as traveling to Argentina but it was still a lot of energy. We left Hotel Diplomat at 4:45pm to take a 45-minute bus ride to Buenos Aires International Airport. We got there fairly early but that's good because its a process and a half to get to your gate. The airport was pretty empty compared to when my professor says she normally goes. So we get through security and pick a bunch of seats near our gate and chill. We are just being our normal crazy selves when two guys in suits walk up because they heard English and wanted to talk. They were missionaries that just finished and were traveling back to the states. It was really funny. We of course would attract the other English speaking people in the airport. I don't think the group every learned to be quiet... That's okay. Some of my classmates had an interesting conversation with them. Apparently they first thought they were stewards but then they saw the name tags. They ended up being on our flight. I sat next to one of the ones that was talking to some of my classmates.

Flight from Buenos Aires to Dallas/Fort Worth:

Like I mentioned above, I sat next to one fo the missionaries for this 11-hour flight. I can't sit still for 11 hours. I was so fidgety. At least I had a fun talking to the missionary. He was leaving his two-year mission trip so I was catching him up on what has changed in entertainment in America. Not completely though because if you know me, I clearly don't completely follow the crowd and I forget a lot of things.   He didn't have TV or really most electronics for entertainment. That's okay. He didn't miss much besides more crap TV shows coming out. There were some movies we talked about. I told him he has to watch The Hunger Games. I also let him hear some of the newly popular songs that were on my phone. We also talked about what we were both doing abroad and stuff. Since this flight was at night, we left at 9:05pm (argentina time) and arrived in Dallas at 6am (central time). I tried to sleep but there was this baby that would have little fusses that would wake me up or prevent me from falling asleep. Plus sleeping on American Airlines international planes and not that comfortable. Alitalia had nice seats for international flights but AA doesn't. That's okay I can run on 3 hours of sleep and coffee, crappy coffee because its not from Argentina, but coffee none-the-less. What was really cool about this flight was I got to see the sunrise. Like from pitched black to the glow coming because the window next to the missionary was open the whole time and I couldn't sleep. I got a pretty good photo too!

After the flight we had to go through customs and security before we could get our connecting flight. Customs wasn't that bad but security took forever. We were cutting it a bit close for our connecting flight. Well we were going to if they didn't open up that second security line.... You know you are in America when it takes 5 minutes just to prepare your carry-on items to just go through security.... lol. No other country makes us take out our laptops and liquids, and off our shoes and coats.

Flight from Dallas to Chicago!

Pack flight. Security lady was being mean. Had to check my carry-on bag. I was in the second to last row. There was a kicking kid behind me. Let's just say I was not a fan of that flight. I just read a book that whole flight. I had coffee right before it so I knew I was not going to be sleeping. Plus I have this great record of not sleeping on any of the flights I have taken this trip... Landed in Chicago at 10:30am! By the time I got to baggage claim, my dad already had my bags so I just hugged all my classmates good-bye and departed. :'(

I will dearly miss all my classmates. Everyone brought something interesting to the table. I don't know if I will ever have the chance to click with some many different people all studying some sort of education. Just as a memory I have taken a picture of the group photo and pictures of the newspaper article on us in Alta Gracia.

Now as my travels to and from Argentina are at a close, so is this blog. I'm glad to share my experience and I wouldn't trade anything in the world for the experience I had.

My Sarcasm Never Goes Away...

Apparently no matter where I am my filter for my sarcastic comments is non-existent. During this trip I have said a lot of funny things because I just say things without thinking about it and my classmates start laughing. Hopefully I will be able to remember them all and the stories to go with them...

We were at the street market and this guy made us rings out of a little piece of wire for free. One of my classmates says, "I feel like we should give him a peso or something" and I reply, "No. It's just wire." lol It's true. I could make those rings with the wire I have from old wire jewelry if you gave me some time to figure out how he made them.

We were waiting for the bus and all the people were making comments about all the stray dogs and I said: "They are like squirrels on campus." Apparently that analogy is really funny to my classmates.

In my room just chillin with my roommate, Erica, and the conversation went something like this:
Me: "What was the funny thing I said at dinner?"
Erica: "We didn't eat dinner."
Me: "I meant that 5pm thing."
Erica: "hahahaha our meals are so off we don't know what to call them anymore."
It's funny because dinner here is at 9 or 10pm not 5pm like at home...

I was commenting a classmate on her new hair and she told me it was a sow-in and I gave her a confused look and she told me she was going to teach me all about black hair. I respond, "Well this is my hair and its all I got."

At dinner one night eating steak.
Me: "Oh yea you weren't there because you were eating your rice."
Brett: "Yup"
Me: "You're WEIRD."

Right after the second zip line, my friends were waiting and telling to me come down so they could give me a hug but I couldn't. All I said was: "I can't, I'm attached to him." I was attached to the guy I zip lined with so I couldn't go anywhere....

Paola with her really long pinky nail: "Is this not normal?"
Me: "Well your not normal."

At the cemetery:
Brett: "Why are we here?"
Me: "Because it is the coolest thing ever." (here it in my most sarcastic voice ever...)


*NOTE* I know this is not all the sarcastic things I have said this trip. They are really hard to remember sometimes.... I just have to say I enjoyed every sarcastic comment that brought a smile to a classmate's face. :D

Last Day :'(

Last day in Argentina. :'( Thursday, June 21 (Day 29)

The plan for the day was meet up at 10:30am, go to the art market, see a cemetery of Argentine famous people, eat lunch, see the mothers of the disappeared march, finish packing and head to airport to go home. Did that plan actually happen? hahahaha (Or as the Argentine type: jajajajaja) No. We apparently had to be out of the hotel by 11:30am because they need to turn over the rooms but we had nowhere to put our suitcases so they somehow got it so that 4 of the rooms did not need to be checked out. So as everyone scrambles around before 11:30 to get all our stuff packed and in one of the rooms to store it in our schedule takes its first detour. Then we walk over to where the art market and the cemetery should be to find that the art market closed so we just go to the cemetery. It was interesting but dead people "buried" above ground is kind of gross... Then we were mis-informed about the time of the mothers of the disappeared march so we ended up just having lunch then time to shop and spend all our pesos. Lunch was gross. It was probably one of the worst meals I have had in Argentina. I think the food in Alta Gracia was better than the food in Buenos Aires. For shopping, we bought stuff from street venders and we went back to Florida, the shopping sheet. I spent all but 8 pesos so I just gave some to a friend who needed a few to buy this magic shirt that I also bought. I bought some jewelry. :) After that we rush back to the hotel to unload the four rooms. Not all my classmates were back yet so there was just a few of us with a bunch of suitcases. Then we loaded buses to head to the airport around 4:45pm.

 Some pretty trees on the walk to the cemetery.

Evita's grave.

Worst meal ever.... It wasn't even meat.... It was soy....

Buenos Aires, Day 2

Wednesday, June 20th (Day 28)

The only full day in Buenos Aires. It was great fun. We basically could do whatever we wanted but we had two group meals. Well you didn't have to go to group meals but I don't know why you wouldn't want to go to group meals. Since we had group meals I ended up with more pesos left over than I needed so in the morning we went shopping. I bought an Argentina soccer scarf and this magical shirt that can be worn at least 20 different ways and at least one of those ways in a skirt. They ladies at the store selling them are wearing them over their clothes so they demonstrated it for us. That made me and 3 of my classmates sold, so we all got one. I tried mine on back at the hotel and it fits! Its not long enough to be a dress (yea that was one of the ways too) but it could be a dress on some of my classmates. I think it is the coolest thing. I'm so glad I bought some sort of clothing item while travel abroad. Normally I can't find something that fits.

Our group lunch was at 1pm at Havanna. It this place that is known for its dulce de leche cookie things. I had one, they were okay. But I think I think they are okay because I am not a huge dulce de leche fan. They have sandwiches, coffee drinks, and smoothies. I got this awesome sandwich and a smoothie. (I will add a photo later when I have time to get my photos from my camera to my computer)

After that we could do whatever we wanted so four of us (Callie, Brett, Jeremy, and I) went on a walking adventure. We were trying to find this amazing bookstore but it ended up us just walking around and enjoying the city. Here is the link to a picture of the library we were trying to find: El Ateneo. Apparently, the boys went walking and stumbled upon it after we came back to the hotel to take a break. So basically the boys went without me and Callie. That's okay. I don't think my suitcases could take me buying a cookbook or something. It was a really nice walk. I kind of like adventures were we get a bit lost but magically find our way back. :)


Last group dinner! :( It was amazing! :) We ate at Sigo la Vaca (Follow the Cow) in Puerto Madera. It is a meat and salad buffet. So you get one drink and one dessert but then it is all you can eat of whatever else is out which is salad and meat. It was amazing! I made this really yummy salad at the salad bar then I got plates of meat! Some of it was overcooked for me but my classmate for a really rare piece and gave it to me because she can't eat rare meat. So happy! I am so glad that was our last meal. Then I got a chocolate volcano cake for dessert. It was okay. I've had better. Nothing beats chocolate souffles on a Disney Cruise but this comes close.


After that we came back to the hotel and took forever to decide that we wanted to just go out a chill for our last night instead of all sitting in our rooms on facebook. The part of town we are in is basically dead at night. We went to this one bar across the street because basically nothing else was open. It was interesting. Apparently they closed around 2am and we were there until 2:30. We were locked into the bar and one of the bartenders had to let us out. LOL It was weird but a good last night with some of my classmates.

Buenos Aires: Day 1

Tuesday, June 19 (Day 27)

Woke up ridiculously early to leave Hotel Hispania at 7:15am. So when I was moving my suitcases to the lobby it was still dark outside... -_- Not cool, world, not cool. We had a 10:30am flight from Cordoba to Buenos Aires but we had to take an hour bus ride into Cordoba from Alta Gracia. Since we went from a bus to a plane I thought I would sleep on the plane so I didn't have any coffee for breakfast. That was a big mistake. At least the plane was empty so I had a whole 3 seats to myself. But I couldn't sleep. I don't understand why I couldn't sleep. Also, my ears were building up pressure for most of the flight. I was in a lot of pain. They wouldn't pop. I tried everything. I finally got one to pop but the other one didn't pop under we were at the hotel. The only really stupid thing from this flight is they made me check my carry-on even though some of my classmates had bigger carry-ons and the majority of the overhead compartments were empty. It was so stupid. Not like it really matters. It took two seconds to get our suitcases from baggage claim because the flight was so empty. But to get baggage claim from the airplane we had to get on a bus. The hilarious part was the bus basically took us 20 feet. Our plane was parked right by the baggage claim entrance. LOL. I kind of like this flying trip when it came to how we got on the plane. We had to go up and down those rolling stairs thing instead of the normal terminal covered ramps we use in Chicago. I like these old style getting on and off planes. Well only because it isn't raining or snowing...

We briefly dropped our bags in Hotel Diplomat. The rooms are tiny. They are kind of like an RA dorm room in F.A.R. but with two twin beds. Actually this room could be smaller. :/ Oh well, it's only two days. That's what I have to keep telling myself. After that we had 30 minutes to get food so we found a place take you can get food to go on the corner so a bunch of us got sandwiches or salads. They were pretty good. I just had a ham and cheese sandwich but it was on this bread that was kind of buttery. It was nice and different from what I have been eating all month.

This bus tour was interesting. We thought it was just going to be our group on a bus. Nope. It was a public bus tour. I think it was the free one. It was kind of funny because we get on the bus and have confused faces because there are strangers on the bus. It was still good because it was in English and Spanish. All of us were pretty sleepy so most of us took little naps in the long drive around town parts. The Spanish just puts me to sleep. LOL. I was dozing in and out. There were parts we got off and got to take photos but the majority of it was on the bus. So some of us got decent naps. I don't think I did. I was in and out the whole time. I was trying to pay attention since it was pretty interesting. There were a lot of nice picture areas. I let my classmate use my camera to take pictures so I actually don't know what most of my photos from this tour look like. lol. I'll find out when I go through all my photos. :) The bus tour was 3 hours long... I kind of wanted a nap since I didn't sleep at all on the plane and I didn't have coffee for breakfast. So today was an off day.

 

Since I didn't have coffee I have had this migraine, head ache thing that really hurts. Like everyone can see it on my face because I just can't hide this much pain. I drank a Coke Light at dinner but it didn't really help. I think I became addicted to coffee/caffeine while I was here when I tried so hard in the last couple of years to not depend on caffeine as much. When I get home I will go back to working on not drinking so much caffeine. Which means more migraines/ head aches to come...

Dispedidas :'(

Dispedidas Day and last day in Alta Gracia. Monday, June 18 (Day 26)

Saddest day ever! Or at least the first day of many tears.

At 11:45am we had our second dispedida of the trip at Misercordia. This one was hard for me because this was the school I was placed with. I am going to really miss the students and the teachers. Especially Analia, she was so nice and really helped me learn so much by sitting in her classes. I also grew to love the students in 6th year Naturales class, the class that Analia taught. I am glad I got some pictures with the girls that I have met. I didn't get to see the guys in the class. I think they hid in their classroom. :( I wish I had a picture with them but oh well. I still have the awesome memories of all our conversations. The dispedida started with all of us meeting with the principal and the head nun to present our gift to the school. At the end I gave my gift to Analia. She first thought it was from everyone but Jana had to clarify that it was just from me. Everyone else either found their teacher during the big assembly or gave it to Analia to give to the certain teachers later. I kind of missed most of the big assembly because I was trying to get Cupid Shuffle on a flash-drive so that we could do it for the school. It didn't work. That's okay. I heard it wasn't much. It was just the 'sports' dance group performed and some sort of speech. I was there to receive the gift from the school, its a magnet. Then there was a lot of picture taking. I didn't cry but I feel like it will come soon. I am being strong now but one day I will think back and be really sad and cry.


Me and some of the 6th year Naturales and one other student from Misericordia.














Me and some more 6th year Naturales students.











Me and Analia.










The classroom I spent many hours in.












The Magnet I received.



Lunch at Cafe De Los Viejos Tiempos for one last time. I shared a lomito simple and a torta de chocolate with Callie. It was sooooo good. I basically inhaled it. I will miss that cafe and the food there.


At 1:30pm we had our third dispedida at San Martin. There was so much crying and students not letting us go. The 6th graders literally wouldn't let us leave. They kept chanting "no se van, los chicos no se van." which means, "do not leave, the people do not leave." They even blocked the door before the assistant principal made them go outside and made us a tunnel of people (two lines of students on both sides) to walk through to leave the school. It took forever to leave the school. The students are really attached to the people who were placed there.

 Lexus surrounded by her students.

Paola's students wouldn't let her go.
The students all lined up as Bret walks through.

After that we had a long break, well everyone except the people who were placed at El Anglo. Those people had to go to the dispedida at El Anglo. Apparently no one else was allowed to go. I think that is how all of them should have gone but then again I am glad I witnessed what happened at San Martin. I did my closing interview with one of the doctoral students, Natasha. It was just an interview of what we learned and how we can influence our teaching back in the states. It was very eye-opening to what I have actually learned. I can't wait to bring everything I learned back into the states and start applying it back to my own classroom one day.


 The hotel gave all of us a Starbucks cup filled with cookies and some chocolates. I think it is so sweet. I am definitely going to miss the hotel staff. We had a dispedida with the hotel at 8pm that night. It was short and brief. We gave them a card and a photo frame with the group photo and we all signed the frame. It was cute. We also took a group picture with the hotel staff. I am really going to miss them. They are like a second family. They made Hotel Hispania a home away from home.

  


I ate my last meal at Pizzaron. It was really good. I ate a Chicken Sandwich. After that a bunch of us went to someone house to say good-bye (a mini dispedida) to all the guys we have met that are our age. We had a great time. I think everyone is really going to miss everyone but thanks to facebook we can keep in touch. :)

Argentine BBQ (AKA Asado) at Professor's house

Sunday, June 17 (Day 25)

Second Argentine BBQ! This one was at my professor's house. There were lots of different salads and a lot of meat. I was so full from that one meal. It was almost my only meal of the day because it was filling. There was so much meat! If they eat like this at least once a week I will find me an Argentine man and move down here permanently. lol. Just kidding... maybe... I think I would have to learn Spanish first, but I really like all the meat they eat here. :) Something will never be able to be replicated in the states and this kind of BBQ is one of them. They start the fire on the side and then move the hot coals under the meat to cook. Apparently it is a very delegate process. The cooks serve the meat as it gets ready because it is juicer that way and way better than American BBQ. So the cook doesn't really get to sit down and eat until the very end. At the end when the cook(s) come in you stand up and clap fro their amazing work. Our cooks were Analia's husband, her two sons, and Jana's husband. They did an amazing job. I will never forget that amazing meal.

  

After the amazing meal we had a little question and answer panel with Analia for whatever unanswered questions we still had after observing in the classrooms. In the picture below from left to right: Analia(principal at Misericordia), Jana(translator/professor's daughter), Marilyn(my professor), and Daniel(doc student/translator).

Special Education and New Curriculum

There has been so much change in the Educational System in Argentina in the recent years. I am so honored to have been able to learn about what has been changing in the educational system in Argentina. We got to learn about the Special Education Program and the new curriculum. I was very eager to learn about the Special Education Program. My heart goes out the these types of programs even though I am not in Special Education.

Special Education:
Special Education is different in Argentina than what I can remember from my high school and from field placements back at UIUC. There is a school for special education but that is just for the very extreme cases. All the other people they try to integrate them into normal classrooms. There are no special education programs in the schools. There are just a group of certified teachers that work to set goals for the students and adapt the curriculum for them. The way to evaluate if a special needs student passes a grade is if they reach the goals that were set in the beginning of the school year. They do not need to take the same test as all the other students. The teachers have to submit their lessons to this one teacher who will adapt it for the special need student. There are classroom aids that come by but they don't work everyday so some days its just the normal teacher that is there to work with them. Not all special needs students go the whole day. Some just come for a few class periods or a half session since schools in Argentina and broken into morning and afternoon sessions. It is harder for this group of teachers that overlook special education when the student gets to high school. Some high schools study up to 20 subjects so some special needs students just have to follow the normal curriculum because not every curriculum can get adapted for them. When it comes to the special education program, there are 4 parts that need to work together or the program in order for it to work. I think they were the special education team, the school/teachers, the parents, and the student. I love the fact that the parents are completely involved in this process. I know I should remember the 4 parts but I just remember the lady saying that there are 4 parts that need to work like a table needs all 4 of its legs.  An other part that I found interesting is that the teachers tell the parents that just because the special needs students is getting a lot of help at school does not mean that help from doctors or psychologist outside of school can stop. Some parents apparently think that the school will fix all the problems and that they do not need to do anything outside of school to help their child. I guess this is an other reason why to be qualified for this program is very extensive. Sometimes it takes years to be qualified because they want to make sure that these people are not taking advantage of this program that is instilled by the government.

New Curriculum:
Now my memory about this part of the meeting is kind of spacey because I was really interested in the Special Education so I lost concentration when it came time for the new curriculum information. I remember the principal of the school holding up a new curriculum books for the teachers that are now required. They have a little section to record when students leave the room, what students are misbehaving, and such. They are now required, by the government, to make curriculum books and they kind of look like scrapbooks for the elementary teachers. I posted a picture of one in an earlier blog post. Some schools have been requiring for awhile, like San Martin, but now every school has to have plan books. There were so many different school changes that I barely remember anything. I just remember her talking about the government passing new laws and taking more charge then they have in the past. It was also mentioned the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd were grouped more together in goals for the students and that 4th, 5th, and 6th were grouped together. There are also different foci for both groups when it comes to subjects. I know the government is taking for of an initiative to help schools out by providing netbooks and books to schools that need them. There have actually been a bunch of days throughout the trip that had information about the different educational laws but I definitely don't remember all of it. I just know that at the moment I was very impressed with the initiative that Argentine government has been taking for their schools.

Last Day of Placement :'(

Friday, June 15 (Day 23)

Last day of placements. :'( It's so sad. Even though I haven't gotten ridiculously close with any class,  still feel sad that I am leaving. I decided to sit in the 6th year Naturales class again instead of going to completely new math classes. They had Chemistry and something like Biology but they just watched A Beautiful Mind. This class is hilarious. In the Chemistry class, the students were trying to talk to us but the teacher wouldn't let them. They were suppose to work on a worksheet but they were secretly moving so they could talk to us. Apparently, the teacher like never smiles but they caught her smiling in that class. It's so interesting how depending on the teacher is how the one group of students act. I guess that is the same in America but since the people in the classes change all the time its harder to tell unlike in Argentina. Anyways, students are just really funny. During the movie, the teacher left so one of the students says, "Stephanie, I'm boring." I told him he isn't boring, he's bored. LOL He really needs to work on his English. I think this class has been the most opening out of all that I have sat in but I have sat in their class a lot since Analia always had me sitting in her math class and she only taught the 6th years Naturales. I also think it is because the people loved the peson I kept observing with but whatever. I still had a good time observing in classroom. I learned so much! I'm going to really miss sitting in these class, trying to understand what is being taught, and trying to understand the broken English that all the students are using.

After the last placement I went to go help my professor find out what is wrong with the projector that the group two years ago bought them. There was nothing wrong with it. We spent most of the time trying to get on the internet. They told us that the screen was so small but I think they had the projector to close to the wall. So in reality I didn't need to be there to help them out. I have no idea how I become the most tech-savvy person on the trip. I guess its because I know how to use a Mac with an external monitor/projector. I helped the professor with the movie we saw at her house. LOL Everyone at home would say I am not tech-savvy. I just google things I want to find out. Oh well. It made me feel really important. :)

I came back to the hotel for a very short nap since I had to be back at San Martin for a presentation on Special Education and the new curriculum. This will be it's own blog post since there was so much information that I learned.

After the presentation we took taxis to my professors house for some spaghetti with home-made sauce! Yum! We also finished up the movie Motorcycle Diaries. Well finished as much as we could since the DVD had a scratch. So basically I need to watch the rest of the movie when I get home.

So many laughs, so little time...

Thursday, June 14th (Day 22)

Hilarious day! I don't even think I can blog about all of it.

This morning was interesting. I sat through the 6th year Naturales math class with Analia again. That class is just awesome. They are so welcoming and hilarious. By far my favorite class to sit in. I learned a lot about how to teach how to find the values that don't exist in a function but I also learned that seniors can be ridiculous. One of the guys blew me a kiss as I left. I felt really awkward because he is the age of my future students and I have never talked to him ever. Just his friend, who is hilarious because he really doesn't know any of the material so I have no idea how he is going to pass his test next week. It is very interesting how students always help each other out. They focus on working in groups and supporting each other. In America, most students are all for themselves but in Argentina it's all about helping your fellow classmates and progressing together. These students also make me laugh with the funny things they say to us every chance they get. Like one boy coming by and telling my classmate that this guy wants to give her a kiss or blow a kiss or something like that.

After that class I was in an English class for 3rd years. I find it hard for the students to learn English because their teacher is not a native English speaker. I guess that is one advantage in America, we can find native speakers to teach our foreign languages. I think it is also difficult for the students to learn English when the teacher is giving instructions in Spanish. The teacher needs to speak more English in the classroom so the students get used to hearing English. Their workbooks are really interesting and I think they are really helpful to learning English. They just need to have more conversations instead of just fill in the blank.

I finished all my afternoon visits so a group of us Misericordia placed kids got together to start the thank you letter to Misericordia. It will be a really long heart felt letter. We were goofing off a lot too but when you get a bunch of friends working together, what do you expect? It was a great bunch of laughs. I actually ended up going to Dee's dance group and Charmaine's 'sports' dance again. This time it was with the 6th year Naturales students. It was really funny. In total two guys were there but they didn't participate. I wish they did. The dances we did were for everyone. I kind of understand why they didn't want to do the 'sports' dance (i.e. cheerleading) thing but there are guy cheerleaders. Whatever. I think they probably just had a bunch of fun watching their classmates try everything we were teaching.

While we were waiting for our professor, things got very interesting in the lobby of the hotel. One of the guys that works at the hotel is in love with one of my classmates and the way we joke around with it can keep me laughing for days. Then one of my classmates had to share what happened with me to the dude that worked there and he told me that there is no law against me dating someone 4 years younger than me that is in high school. The worst part of that was he started that pretend making out with someone where you basically hug yourself and wiggle weirdly. Yea I couldn't stop laughing... But I am a bit mad at my classmate for telling the hotel person. That was such a awkward moment...

This night was the first of 4 dispedidas (good-bye event) at the teacher's college. We just went to 4 different classrooms and said good-bye and thanks for teaching us so much. It was nice but it was also long. We also had to introduce ourselves to the first class just to say good-bye. It was weird.

The picture to the right is of Ricki, Paola, and Brigid (left to right) waiting to go into a classroom to say goodbye.

After that a few classmates and I went to the Mexican restaurant/bar again. I got tacos this time. It was amazing! We had hilarious and partially inappropriate dinner conversations. It was great! I don't know if I have ever laughed that much during a meal.

Weds, June 13th (Day 21)

Morning after half to class parties at the disco means that barely anyone shows up to placement. So it was just three of us. It was kind of a waste of a placement. We sat in a study hall for the first block and it was really boring. The second block was a little bit more interesting. Due to sickness, a lot of the teachers are out sick. The history teacher was out sick so Analia had Callie do the bilingual book club to the class that would have showed up in the afternoon. It was good. The students read in English and Spanish then we picked some words for them to translate.

The rest of the day was pretty boring. I think I slept for most of it. We did go to a new restaurant for dinner. It was really good. I got some chicken cannelloni with mushroom sauce.

Surprise Party!

Tuesday, June 12th (Day 20)

June 12th is my classmate, Arianna's birthday. Therefore, Monday and Tuesday have been distract Arianna as other classmates prepare a surprise party. But before I get to the party I have to talk about my interesting placement day.

So it was suppose to just be an other Tuesday of me sitting in the back of a classroom listening to a subject, hopefully mathematics, in Spanish. That's what it was the first block so it wasn't too interesting. I was in the 6th year Naturales class. They were learning limits with Professor Adrianna, who I have been placed with before. We are suppose to look at the teacher in week so things were pretty boring that block. The next block is half math and half biology with the same class. This was the interesting block. First off, it wasn't just a continuation of the first block. This math was a totally different subject. They went back to functions: domain, image, increasing/decreasing, zeros, and graphing. I think it is crazy that they are learning two different subjects of mathematics at the same time. That was shocking but what was funny was the kid that sat next to me. So in the first block there was 3 of us visiting at we sat at the desk in the front right corner of the room. Weird right? But in the second block there was only 2 of us so the seat next to me was empty. Next thing I know one of the guys in the class moves next to me and makes me and Charmaine write him a note on his binder in white out. When he first came over one of his classmates told us that he is in love with Charmaine, which would explain why he moved to sit by us. He didn't speak a lot of English so the conversation was really funny and sometimes we had to call over the classmate of his that normally translates for us. Apparently the teacher (the principal) doesn't like him because he is a 'bad' student. He was quite funny. We tried to help teach him what he needed to know for that math class. He told me he doesn't understand this stuff in Spanish so there is no way he could understand it in English. lol. We tried to teach him a bit of English and he decided to teach us a bit of Spanish. He also asked for our Facebook names which are just our names that we wrote on his binder. He made me write his name in my notebook so that I could find him on Facebook. I don't think I will friend him but if I do I will after I leave Alta Gracia for good. I know we aren't really their teachers so we aren't breaking any rules (not like there really are any about this stuff here in Argentina). I just find it weird unless they friend request us first. Anyways... I just found that interesting because most male students don't want to talk to us compared to all the girls that always come up at talk to some of us.

The afternoon was also interesting. We went to a public technical high school. This one specializes in electromechanics and metal mechanics. This school is in the poorest part of Alta Gracia so right now it is getting a lot of help from the government to make the school better. It was very interesting to see there different labs and to hear how this school is very different then the 3 that we are placed in. There is more fighting in this school because it is a public school with lots of boys in a poorer neighborhood.

One we came back there was a brief break before the second session of Dee's dance group. It was mainly a different group of students then the day before. We taught them the Cupid Shuffle, Cha Cha Slide, Electric Slide, and the Macarena. Then they briefly showed us some of their dances before it was time for the 'sports dance' (i.e. cheerleading) thing. I left, mailed postcards, and finished my souvenir shopping.

Surprise party time! It was a scheduled dinner at Marilyn's house. One of my classmates faked having asthma problems so that Arianna had to slow down with her while the rest of us walked quickly to go in and surprise her. She had no idea. The funniest part was we were doing a horrible job at distracting her and she never caught on. It was make your own pizza and movie night. There was also a cake made by the hotel for her birthday. It was a chocolate cake with dolce de leche filling. It was amazing! We only watched half the movie before we had to leave so that people could get ready to go to Cordoba and finish celebrating Arianna's birthday. I didn't go but I hear people had an amazing time.

Mining High School anyone?

Monday, June 11th (Day 19)

We started the morning by going to a rural school. We were running a little late so we just jumped right into a presentation about Antartica by the husband of the coordinator of the teacher college. It was very interesting. One of the rural school's classes sat with us. It was really cool to learn about how Argentina says they own part of Antartica and how they run the base that they have there. I don't think I could ever live in those conditions. Though the pictures made it look really pretty and it would be cool to see sea lions and penguins in person. I don't think I could handle the cold. It got really cold here and I really didn't like it. But then again I wasn't prepared for 30 degree F weather. They 'fed' us really sweet Mate and some bread during the presentation. That was greatly appreciated since it was freezing in the classroom. It was so cold I had to hunch over to stay warm. One of my classmates that I was asleep so she took a picture of me... :/ After the presentation we just briefly saw the school. I kind of wish I saw more of the school or at least learned more about the school.

From one rural school to a technical high school close by. We went to visit a mining school because it was near by. It was interesting because these students graduate with a degree in mining when the graduate high school. I think that is just crazy. Apparently they could go onto college and get an other degree if they really didn't want to work in mining. There were two brothers that were originally from Argentina but lived in America and came back to Argentina like a year ago. We got to talk to them. They apparently like America better. Or at least school in America. They study like 20 subjects at this technical school compared to the 6 or 7 you study in America in one year. Twenty subjects is a lot! The school is also a boarding school for some of the students. Some live there during the week then go home for the weekend. Six students live in one room. They also have a lounge type room that students can bring their mattresses in and watch TV. Since this is one of the few boarding schools there were some behavioral problems then they got a school psychologist and things are better now. This mining school is, if i recall correctly, around 250 students and only 53 of them are girls. That means when my class of 15 females and 2 males show up the boys were staring like there was no tomorrow. It was quite funny. When we were walking and getting a tour one of the classes had students that were whistling at us, in the derogative way. On the street we think the guys are just pigs but it is kind of funny when high schools are doing it. I still think it is rude and that they are pigs but we couldn't help but laugh. I'm guessing those 53 girls can get a boyfriend real quick if they want one.

We got back and basically had the afternoon to ourselves or we could go help out with an after school activity that my classmate, Dee, came up with. It wasn't the original idea because sometimes you can't get the idea past administration and you don't always get the amount of time you want. Apparently they taught the students the Cha Cha Slide and the students taught my classmates some dances they do in Argentina. I slept and read a book. I was not feeling well.

For dinner, we went to a nice restaurant down the street from our hotel because Tuesday, June 12th is a classmates birthday and we have a planned dinner at our professor's house. It was a good restaurant. I had ravioli filled with ricotta, ham, and nuts with pesto sauce. It was good and filling. I couldn't even finish it. It was funny because I wasn't the only one who couldn't finish so we were passing plates around trying to get other people to eat out food. We left for dinner around 10:30pm so we left the restaurant around 12:45am. Which means I just came back and went to bed.

Argentine BBQ! (AKA Asado)

Sunday was a day off, like completely off. I woke up when my body wanted me to (unfortunately at 9am) and I just laid in my bed all day resting. Well except for the hour my roommate and I decided to go shopping for a bit. It was interesting because neither of us speak Spanish at all, well besides what we have picked up here.

At night we did go out. Nacho and his friends put of an Argentine BBQ, or what they call an Asado, for us. It was really nice of them. There was salad (lettuce and tomatoes), corn, and a lot of meat. There were 3 different kinds of meat that kept coming out as we ate because they have to keep the meat on the grill until we eat it or else it will dry out. It was really good. The guys did a really nice job. At the table I was sitting at we played broken telephone which was really funny because one of the Argentine guys was playing and he was the only who would always dramatically change the chain of words. It was a fun night until I went home early with whoever wanted to leave. I had a horrible headache that would not go away. Other than that, those few hours out that day was a great time!

The grill with all the meat with Patricio, the cook, and Callie, the assistant.

panic attack on a zip-line, no worries, a cute guide came to the rescue.

What an Adventure! The day (Sat, Jun 9/Day 17) started off with a scary charter bus ride through the mountains for a ridiculously long hike up a mountain to this beautiful waterfall. So the hike was totally worth it, even the part where I had to stop and take my inhaler. I would have never sat that out because it was so breath taking. These are the kind of trips that I love. I wish we had more time up at the top to hang out and take pictures. I was wearing WAY too many layers. We thought it would be cold but boy were we wrong... I think that might be part of the reason my asthma was so bad. I was boiling hot and was carrying too much stuff. After that long hike up we had to hike down and that was hard too. We ate lunch at a restaurant at the entrance. I ate a steak. It was okay. It is no steak from La Rosa.

Zip Lining! Yea what a first for me. First time zip lining and my first panic attack. Too bad the first panic attack was in the middle of my first zip line... Because I am on a heavy side and I am short I sat really low so my arm couldn't be in the position that it should have been. Even though I wasn't pulling down to stop, my arm was stopping me so I stopped dead center of the zip line. The guide that catches people had to come and get me. I was freaking out. He had to calm me down a bit before pulling me to the platform. It was horrifying! The guide was cute though... LOL! He kind of looks like Seth Green in the Italian Job. Not an exact look-alike but very close. I got a blister from the first zip line... I guess physical proof I did zip line. That and all my classmates seeing me cry because I was freaking out. I was freaking out so much I wouldn't do the next one until this other guide said that I could zip line with him. I was literally attached to the guide in the back on my harness. So I didn't have to worry about having my hand on the cable to stop me. Zip lining that way wasn't that bad. I think I am kind of afraid of heights and it is a billion times worse when just a little carabiner if holding me to a cable. The guides were so nice. I was really freaking out. My classmates were also awesome. I don't think I would have calmed down enough to finish without them. They were cheering me on for the second and third one, even though I opted out of the big scary one for a shorter "baby" one to finish. I love my classmates. They are really supportive. Now I can say that I have zipped lined. Whether or not I ever do it again is a different story...
<- my classmates waiting to go down the third line that I opted out of.

My blister...->







German Town! We went to a little German Town afterwards and it is apparently famous for its chocolate and desserts. I bought quite a bit of chocolate and after the zip lining experience I had I think I deserve it. I also watched and laughed as the two guys in my class were deciding what beer to try since the town is apparently also known for their amazing Germen beer.


Wasn't much too the night since I was so exhausted from the hike and freaking out on the zip line. I did share a chicken with the two guys in my class. That chicken is so good. Next time I eat it I need to get a picture. I'm just so hungry that I forget to take a photo...

Cripta in Cordoba!

Criptas are gross. There are dead people in the walls. But other than that it was pretty cool. We also took a tour of a different building that nuns used to live it. It was very interesting to see different old place of the city that are under the current city. It was a little creepy to see where the nuns where buried when they died because people didn't know that the wall they were leaning against was the grave of a dead person. Some of my classmates were grossed out and wished they didn't lean up against that grave. Everything was pretty cool. I kind of like the cool city history that I am learning during Study Abroad. I feel like learning this stuff in a history book is really boring but learning in by taking a tour is way more interesting. I'm not a history person so for me to be interested in history is a big deal.

After the tour we had about 2 hours of free time to go shopping. I finally got postcards! Apparently they are ridiculously hard to find. Hopefully they are not expensive to send like they were in Italy. I also got some more souvenir stuff. I need to stop shopping. Well I will once I find the last gift on my list. My suitcase can't take any more weight. lol.

Dinner was at a Mexican Restaurant and bar. It was so good! I got a chicken quesadilla and a strawberry daiquiri. They were both really good. The daiquiri was a little on the strong side but drinks in Argentina are WAY stronger than they are in America.

Thurs, June 7th (Day 15)

The illegal adventures in Argentina are fun! lol. Just kidding. I don't think it was illegal, we were climbing under this fence with one of the teacher classes and some professors. 

But that's what my class in the morning. We hopped on a bus to go to a rural school and see what it is like. The kids were so cute! I made a friend. She spoke some English and loved using gestures so we had a little bit of a conversation. She asked me if I had any siblings and I said I had one brother then she asked me if he was on this trip. I had to say no and laugh because I am assuming she thought the only other Asian on the trip was my brother. lol. We all look the same right? hahahaha. We DON'T!!!! Don't tell me we do because that is just plain mean... But to these kids I guess we might all look the same or related since they don't see many/any Asians. It was really funny at the time but in any other circumstance I probably would have not laughed. Anyways, it was very interesting to learn about rural schools and how they are changing. It was so cute. All the kids wanted to hear us speak in English even though they couldn't speak in English. 

After visiting the school we went to the forest area near by and climbed under a barbed wire fence to walk around a forest with horse poop everywhere. We learned about different places that are native and not native to Argentina. The teacher college students were doing an assignment so they were collecting plants. We were just kind of walking around, looking, taking photos, and being bored. It was partially interesting. I was just really tired so I kind of didn't want to be there. Climbing under a barbed wire fence was kind of fun. Something I have never done before and now I can cross it off my bucket list. lol It was never on my bucket list because I never thought I would have the chance to do it without it being illegal. There wasn't much after we climbed out of the enclosed area. We kind of had a sing-a-long on the bus ride home. It was pretty fun.

The rest of the day was pretty chill. I think we cut back on night activities which is great because I don't feel as exhausted at the end. I took a 3-hour long nap. Then it was time to go to an "early" (6pm) dinner at my professor's house. Yes, she has a house in Alta Gracia. It is beautiful! We had a nice dinner of empanadas, pizza, salad, and bread with vanilla, chocolate, and dolce de leche ice cream for dessert. There was some discussion of what we have noticed in schools and about politics in Argentina. Then it was back to the freezing hotel to just hang out with my classmates until I got tired. The hotel said they would turn up the heat but I haven't noticed any difference. I almost feel like I am sleeping outside in a tent not in a hotel room... 

Weds, June 6th (Day 14)

I can't believe its already been 14 days in Argentina. Sometimes it feels like a really short time but sometimes it feels like forever with all these siestas that I am taking.

Today was just a normal observation day. I went to Misericordia but instead of going to random class to sit in a certain subject I stayed with a certain class. I got to stay with the 6th year (or seniors in America) through Theater and History. It was very interesting and very different from math. The funniest part was the students acted very different in each class. In Theater they were loud and couldn't stop talking while in History they were dead silent and paid attention the whole time.

I went to visit San Martin today and I was visiting the 6th grade class there. These kids are so cute. I was visiting with Lexus and the kids love her so she has to sit at a different table every class. The were learning about legends. It was very interesting. The one legend they went over two was an African legend that had to do with humans and monkeys.

The rest of the day was to myself. Some of my classmates went for tango lessons but it is freezing outside and I wasn't feeling up to learning more in-depth tango. It was all good because I had a great dinner with the people who didn't leave. I got a steak again. YUMMY! I don't know how they cook that Entrecott at La Rosa but it is so good I could probably go everyday.

Tues, June 5th (Day 13)

It was a pretty chill day. I was in a 2nd year math class for the first block, then I was in the 6th year math class for half of the second block. After that I left because there was no math class that I could go to for the other half. Nothing new there. I just did some student case study notes. What was funny in the 6th year class is that one of the boys came up to my and my classmates and introduced himself and his two friends. Then he asked the girls next to us to say, "We are very friendly." When the girls told him that sentence he just said, "what she said" in spanish. It was pretty funny. It was the first boy to talk to us. Normally the boys hang back and stare as the girls come up and talk to us all the time.

After that I went to El Anglo for my visit. I got to sit in a 4th grade class. It was very interesting because they were doing a marathon of problems where they solve a problem then they have to run to a different room to get the next problem until they finish all 5. It was so cute. One problem with the way the class was run is that after the first break the students were given more time to finish but a lot of them were finished and there was nothing for them to do so they just sat around and kind of read books. I feel like the teacher should have had some sort of activity to do while they waited. Then when almost all were done she started them on a response to the activity which she could have started earlier when a lot of them were waiting. According to Arianna (the girl placed in the class that I was visiting with) said that students having a lot of time to do nothing is very normal and that it never happens in America. They are taught to have activities fo the students to be always working on or the keep the kids active somehow.

There was nothing planned for the evening except to talk to the professor about our final project. I am grouping up with the other Secondary Education juniors to do a presentation to some College of Education faculty, staff, and students in the fall. After that I went shopping with some classmates and bought some souvenirs. I bought a lot but barely spent any American money. It was great. I got a pair of boots for myself. It was a good night. We came back and ate at a resto-bar that was down the street from El Anglo. It was decent. It was called Legends. lol. Chambana bar names are in Argentina. Besides that it was a bum night. :)

Mon, June 4th (Day 12)

Even though it was a Monday, it was a great day! lol.

I sat through two different math classes at Misericordia and one teacher kept asking me about the differences from schools in Argentina and in America. I told her about tuition at my college and she told her students that we pay a lot in America so there is no reason for them to not go to the free college in Cordoba. Yes, their public university is free. Why didn't I go there for college??? LOL Teachers get paid crap like a bilion times worse crap than in America so I would rather be a teacher in America.

After my morning placement, I went to San Martin to visit Nicole's class of 1st graders. They are so cute! We got to see the teacher plan book and it was really interesting. Like I said about the plan books at El Anglo is that they look like scrapbooks. The kids were so cute. They were working on counting until 29.

                   The plan book.                                                A student and her worksheet.

After that we basically had the night off except for a short meeting with the professor. I just bummed around because I really need to after trying to understand Spanish for 4 hours. Some of my classmates and I went on a little walk to the supermarket because a lot of us needed water and such. That was an adventure. We were looking at Mate and trying to figure out if we can bring it back into the states because it is so awesome! Then we went to get this chicken for dinner that you can only get to come eat back in your room. So we all ate these half chickens in someone's room and it was a great time. We were laughing like crazy. I got an ab workout from laughing so hard.

Sunday, June 3rd

Sunday was basically a day of rest. The best part was the morning. At 6am two of my roommates came in and one flipped on the lights while the other one basically yells, "What are you doing Stephanie is sleeping!" I was actually kiled over my bed in pain because I got a charley horse right as they were coming in. It was really funny so as I was stretching they were telling about the club and stuff that happened. Then around 8am I wake up to knocking on the door and it was my 4th roommate coming back from apparently getting breakfast with some of the people from last night. (In Cordoba, it was groups of 3 or 4 in a room instead of in Alta Gracia where it is mainly pairs.) Then we had a bus tour and it was really funny because people were passes out because of the lack of sleep. Then it was a bus ride home and we had the rest of the day for ourselves. Some people had to switch rooms which is kind of sad because now we are not all in a row but what can you do? I like the fact that we did have to whole day to ourselves. It was great. I just chilled in my room watching tv and reading the 3rd Hunger Games book: Mockingjay. We went to dinner at the Hot Dog place down the street. I actually got a hamburger and it was amazing! I also got ice cream from next door. It was so good. Sunday was a great day to just bum around. I hope I have more of these in my schedule. :)

Day 2 in Cordoba!

Today was pretty relaxed, which is awesome but somehow it was kind of off...

We had the morning off which is nice since we went out yesterday. We had a tour of Colegio Monserrat which is a historic, elite private elementary and high school. It was very interesting learning about the school and its history but I'm sure most of the class was a bit hung over... Especially those who stayed out all night and by all night I mean until 6am. All of us were tired so that probably also didn't help. Then we had a small walking tour through the main historic part of the pedestrian street mall area. It was interesting but I was so tired I barely paid attention. I caught info here and there but if I was in the back of the group and could barely hear I would just zone out.


We had lunch at Solar De Tejeda. I ate Milinesa Napolitana, or bread thin steak with tomatoes, ham, and cheese on top. Yum! It was really good. I also had a side salad which you only get oil and vinegar for a dressing but it was really good. I might eat my salads like that in the states.

Shopping time! After lunch we were technically free until the next morning when we are leaving. I went shopping with some classmates and we went to just the few stores that were open because apparently all stores close Saturday around 2pm and don't open up again until Monday. I think they lose a lot of business this way but whatever. I also like the fact that we only have free time when stores are closed. How am I suppose to get souvenirs for people if I can't go shopping? Anyways.... I bought some stuff. Everything is a decent amount of pesos but really cheap in American dollars. I bought a scarf for my grandma for 38 pesos which is about 7.30 American dollars. It's about 5 pesos to 1 dollar. A great exchange rate if you ask me. While walking around shopping I found a Red Lion. It's like I am back on campus. Since we shopped for a long time, I only got about 45 minutes for a nap. Which is not enough if you want to party all night...


We got ready and I looked really cute (if I had a photo I would put it up but my classmate has it...). I went to the apartment to pre-game with my classmates, Nacho, and friends but I just wasn't feeling it. My allergies are flaring up. I also feel nauseous from the pizza they ordered for us. That's why I can't sleep right now... So I left when two of my classmates wanted to leave. Its just been one of those nights where you don't feel like going out. I am also not the type of person to go out two nights in a row. I've done it once and the second night wasn't that great that time either... Oh well. I hope my classmates don't judge because I tried to stay and participate, my body just beat my will to live the Argentine life.

Day 1 in Cordoba!

We took a bud to Cordoba for the weekend because there was some big event in Alta Gracia so we didn't have our hotel rooms for the weekend. So basically everyone got on the bus really tired because we had to leave Alta Gracia at 9am. On the bus, Lauren was so determined to get my phone out of its case because many have tried and none have succeeded... Here is a victory photo!

We arrived in Cordoba around 10:45am. We got to throw our suitcases in our room and get taxis to a public schools that has this musical requirement. Students have to audition in singing and playing an instrument. If students don't improve while they are at the school they have to leave. It is kind of intense for a public school... It was so interesting. The kids were really good. I got to sit in a language arts class, an orchestra class, and a couple of choir classes. It was really interesting. The orchestra class was really cool. There were a lot of recorders. I have more photos of the orchestra but those will probably just be put on facebook.

 

 Nicole with some kids in choir.

At the end when we were leaving a choir class the group I was with walk into the main entrance area to find my other classmates being surrounded by little children giving out autographs. It was hilarious! I gave out two autographs. My classmates were saying they knew how celebraties feel when people are shoving paper in their faces for autographs. Paola, one of my classmates, said it was pretty mild until she sarcastically asked them who else wanted an autograph from an American movie star. hahahahahahaha or as the Argentines type, jajajajaja. It was so funny!

                                          Lexus (left) and Charmaine (Right) being celebraties!

We went to a cafe and had lunch. I had a Lomo Completo, which is the same thing as a Lomito. After that we went shopping. I didn't buy anything but that's because I didn't have enough pesos, well I did but if I bought something I would run out of pesos and I don't know where the money exchange place is in Cordoba. We met with the Dean of Education at Universidad Católica de Córdoba. It was very interesting for her to share the history of education with us. Then we had some more free time until dinner at 9:30pm. I just chilled on my computer. Talked to some people at home. I kind of wish I took a nap but oh well... The we went to a restaurant called Il Gatto Cafe. I got a Chicken Caesar Salad.

After that we went out to the disco! We met up with Nacho and 5 of his friends. Sorry folks, if you think I'm just a good girl who doesn't drink at all, you're wrong. I'm 21, why can't I just have one drink at a discoteca? Now one drink in Argentina has the same amount of alcohol as 3 drinks in Champaign-Urbana but only 1/3 the amount of the mixer. Like my cup with 3/4 Absolut Vanilla and 1/4 coca-cola. (I know the math doesn't add up but I just don't feel like figuring it out...) I felt I like I was drinking straight up vodka... It was expensive, by American standards so I might not ever get a drink in a bar or at the discoteca anymore in Argentina. It was really fun dancing with most of my classmates. They played American music. It was really fun. I left early with a few of my classmates and some more trickled into the hotel a couple of hours later. And when I mean I left early, I left at 2:30 in the morning... I didn't go to bed until 5am because we were busy talking. I kind of wish I slept more... I'm really sleepy and have not had coffee. We are just going to have to see how day 2 in Cordoba goes.