The End Is Here

Hey everyone! T-minus 2 days until I leave Villa Dolores. My last day of school was on Friday, and we didn't do much. I took my camera and took many pictures (I'll upload them later) and then all the 5th and 6th year (Juniors and Seniors) went to a presentation on San Martin, a famous saint for my town. After school got out, Mariana and I went to Teatro Griego (Greek Theater, which is an outdoor ampitheater with soccer fields and a basketball court) to play volleyball. We ended up seeing a friend we hadn't seen in a while and we talked for a bit and then just hit the volleyball back and forth. That night, Mariana and I went to her neighbor's sister's quinces (15th birthday party) and it was fun. We just sat around and talked for a while and I got to know some new people. Today I have to pack and then Mariana, Noelia (the best friend), Jay (AFS student) and possibly Amanda (another AFS student) and I are going to a club, Afrodita. Tomorrow we have a mate (tea type drink) party at someone's house and then we may be going to Las Turkas, another club for one final huzzah. Monday I leave at 8pm for Buenos Aires. All in all, this trip has been one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I really need to thank my parents for giving me this incredible opportunity. Thank you so much, and I love you. Argentina, I would like to thank you for all you have given and shown me, and my host family here. You have been so kind and you are wonderful people and I am proud to say I am part of your family, and you are part of mine. I cannot wait to come back. Also, thank you to everyone who has been reading this, and I cannot wait to tell you more about this beautiful country and what I have experienced.
-Alex

The End Is Near

Hey everyone! As most of you know, my travels in Argentina are about to end. On August 17th, I leave Villa Dolores to go to Buenos Aires and then I leave late on the 18th to Miami, arrive early in Miami on the 19th, then head home. The past few days have been pretty eventful. I've been going to school and learning and conversing with kids and teachers; I am still amazed by the lack of schoolwork that is done (except for my sisters, who are good students). Two nights ago, we had an "AFS reunion" of sorts at a local club. A few of the AFS students came and brought their siblings and we stayed there and danced til about 6:30. Then, yesterday, two of the AFS students had a going away party, but we were all tired from the night before so we left early. Last Saturday, my parents took my sister, Mariana, her best friend, Noelia, and me to a "concert" by two old cuarteto (famous Argentine music) bands. It was not a concert I was used to! Instead of having a mosh pit (big group of people packed as tight as possible, sometimes jumping up and down), there was a "dance pit" where everyone was very close together, but they were dancing cuarteto style, which requires a lot of movement. This week, I'm going to do as much as I possibly can to relish the last week here, and I will try to post as often as possible.
See you in 1 week!
-Alex

More Pro/Cons

Hey there!
So I've made a list in my journal of more "good/bad" Argentinian ideals/activities/things. For the "good"- 1) beautiful landscape 2) basically everywhere in my town is only a walking distance away 3) good transportation to other cities and towns- many buses 3) people conserve energy 4)school isn't taken as seriously as in the US so it makes for a more fun learning environment 5) the exchange rate right now is 4 Argentinian pesos to 1 US dollar, and the prices are about the same as in the US (3 pesos for a bottle of liquid (soda, water, etc) at the movie theater, 4/5 USD for a drink at the movies). Now for the "bad": 1) as previously mentioned, discrimination 2) siesta (I've decided I'm not really a fan of it) 3) kids drop out of school frequently, or get pregnant at a young age and continue to live at their parents' house and never end up getting a good job or education (not in every case, but it happens a lot, according to my host family) 5)drinking and smoking laws are incredibly lax, letting children as young as 12 smoke, and drinking to get drunk is a common occurrence when present at teen parties.

On to another topic; I started school yesterday (winter break just ended) and I had a lot of fun. I met classmates that had not been at school before break, and when the teachers taught, I understood almost everything they said. The kids, not as much, because when the kids talk to me, they don't speak clearly or loudly, and since everyone is talking at the same time, I find it hard to hear. Unfortunately, I only have about 2 and a half more weeks left in this beautiful country, and I hope to make the most of it.
Chau!
-Alex

It's Not Bad, It's Not Good, It's Just Different

This title is a very apt description of my experiences so far in Argentina. I've been here for about a month, and I've decided to put some of the good/bad things I've experienced (even though it's contradicting the statement above). 1) Siesta. When I first arrived in Villa Dolores, I was amazed that people actually took siesta, and nothing was open during this time. I mean nothing; every store is closed, you cannot buy anything during this time period (1-5pm). I'm still not convinced this is an awful thing, but if you want to do some shopping, it does get in the way. 2) Mate drinking with friends. This is a fun way to hang out with friends and drink an herbal dring called Mate. Luckily, I have bought mate holders and lots of mate, so I can pass this exciting experience on to all of you. It is an acquired taste, however, so it may take a while to like it. 3) Discrimination. Obviously, this is not a good thing. I've talked to my host parents a lot about this subject, of which they realize is a huge problem here in Villa Dolores. They are very accepting, however, and I am very grateful for this. But, in other friends' families, there is an extreme amount of homophobia, racism (against those from Africa, Asia, and natives of South America), and class separation. Although this happens everywhere, it is everywhere in Argentina. Unfortunately, I have to go now and give the computer to my sister, but I will be back to most more good/bad/different.
See you all in 3 weeks!
-Alex

Ay caray! No hay carpetas

Hey there everyone! Hope you are all having a good summer. Down here in Argentina, it has been a mild winter. No snow so far, with temperatures in the 10s-20s (celsius). I met my extended family (some aunts, uncles, cousins and my grandfather) at an asado (bbq) last night, which was far from boring. Apparently, abuelo (grandfather) was drunk, and the cousins and I hung out around town, went to the plaza and walked by the nigthclub, which we didn't enter, seeing as our cousins are 6-14. It was definitely different than US get-togethers; the adults were almost as loud as the children, and the party didn't stop til about 3 am. The day before, on Friday, one AFSer, Jay, had a party at his house. A bunch of people showed up and we all ate empanadas (like a taco) and pizza and played this hand clapping game and then Mafia. Again, that party didn't end til early morning (we all went home around 1:30 or 2 am). We have 1 week left of winter break and then it's back to school. I'm looking forward to that because I haven't really met a lot of people, only my sisters' friends. Not that that hasn't been fun, but I want to meet new people, even though my sisters and I get along really well, which is lucky, because we can definitely see "problems" with other AFSers and their host siblings. I definitely am thankful for such an amazing family.
Chau!

Alex

Ah, pobrecito

Hey there friends and family! Since my last update, a few interesting things have happened. On Wednesday, my friend Jay and his family took me to Nono and Mina Clavero to see the sierras and go to Rocsen Museum. The sierras were beautiful, but unfortunately we were in a car most of the time so we didn't get to enjoy it much. The Rocsen Museum was much different than any museum I've ever been to- it was basically a lot of items thrown into glass cases held together by scotch tape, but they did have some interesting things. Jay soon became afraid after he saw multiple human skulls and quickly started to rant about how horrible this museum was. We got back to Villa Dolores and my sisters and I then got ready for Roxie's (a 6 month AFS student) going away party. All the AFS students and some Argentines decided to meet at a store so we could all walk together, but Jay and his brother were 30 minutes late, so we were all standing in the cold for a long time. They finally arrived, and we went to Victor's house (where the party was). It started around 9, and people started dancing around 11. We all danced "American Style" (in a large circle, just moving/jumping) and then we danced cuarteto, a traditional Argentine dance, kind of like Tango, but less difficult. Then we all talked until 2 when people started to leave and our parents picked us up. Skipping to yesterday because we didn't do much on the rest of the week, we went to Dique La Vina, a dam, to walk around and see the lake. It was incredible; the lake, the sierras, and the blue sky all together made a beautiful sight. Unfortunately, when we got back, we had to go to the bus station to say goodbye to Roxie, so it was very sad. It turned out that she missed her original bus and had to go on a different one that left 20 minutes later! After the sad parting, Jay, Alex, Victor, my sisters, some friends and I decided to go to the carnival, but because the rides looked unsafe (none had seatbelts) we chose not to buy tickets, but instead go to Victor's house to watch a movie. Mariana, Iris (my sisters) and I then took a taxi home after the movie. Hopefully you all are having a wonderful summer, because I am having a wonderful winter!

Chau!

-Alex

¿Conoces a Jamie Gonzalez?

Bienvenidos a my blog!

Hello everyone; sorry for the lack of updates. Right now I'm sitting in my house waiting to go out to go to the centro to hang out with the AFS kids and their host families. We do this pretty much every day; we'll go to the centro, look at stores, talk, go to a park or something, and just hang out. Winter break started on monday, but Mariana and I were both sick on Thursday so we stayed home, and no one went to school on Friday because a lot of kids had the flu and those who didn't just decided not to go and start vacations a day early! School is so different here- teachers move around the classrooms and don't show up some of the time! The kids are loud and talk all the time, even when the teacher is talking.

On Saturday, the AFS students and their siblings went to a boliche (discoteca). It was very different than anything I have ever experienced. They played a lot of American music, which apparently isn't normal, and there was a fashion show. We got home around 6 am (we left around 2 am) and the next day we had an asado (like a barbque) for all AFS students. It was delicious, and there was a blurb about it in the town newspaper!

I have found that a lot of the AFS kids can speak very little Spanish and that I'm one of the better speakers and I understand more than most. I've been talking to a few of my AFS friends and they tell me that they communicate via hand signals in their houses, whereas I talk in Spanish and when I need help with a word, I ask my sisters.

I've also been taking dance lessons to learn cuarteto and tango, but they've been cancelled due to the flu (not swine, just regular flu) and apparently everything is completely empty in the larger cities. Hopefully this will all pass, but we were given an extra week for winter vacation to sanitize the schools, so who knows.

Here are some pictures to enjoy!

Buenos Aires

(Left to Right) Victor, Alex, Iris, Me, and Jay backstage at some theater.

AFS kids and kids from Villa Dolores the first night

Well that's all for now!

Chau! (Yes, this is how you spell it. It's Argentine vernacular)

-Alex