"Mendoza, land of sun and good wine"

Photo 1: TROLLEY TOUR!! Environmentally friendly, too. (electrically powered and provides public transportation).

We spent 35 pesos (roughly $10USD) each for a city tour at night, in which I had to translate for my parents. On top of that, they didn't take us to lit places, so we couldn't see many things which was a real shame. And we only got off once to take a picture. It was a little silly, I might add. I spent 1.10 pesos (barely $0.35USD) per person to take my parents on a personalized tour (courtesy of myself) of real Mendoza via trolley. "A student's tour" says my host mom (because it's super cheap and it's a glimpse of an exchange student's daily life).

Photo 2: Fountain of the Americas in General San Martin's Park. This was the only stop we took on that somewhat pointless night tour. It's gorgeous though, eh?

And so I offer you a quick tour of the city.

A little history--Gen. San Martin liberated Argentina from the Spanish. He's a pretty big deal here. In Mendoza, he's highly respected because he had a house here and raised his army here. Also, he crossed the Andes from here to Chile. We have a man-made park here in Mendoza that is gorgeous and by the mountains. I mention that is man-made because there is very little vegetation native to this desert climate. Below is a picture of the gates to the park, which were a gift from the French to the government of Mendoza -- my mom pointed out that the French like to give gifts (e.g. The Statue of Liberty).

Wine is exquisite here and this region specializes in Malbec (a red wine). I'm not a sommelier and I don't know much about wine, so I can't describe as if I were one. However, it's quite yummy and I do suggest it. For those who are not wine drinkers, there's always the water here (ask my mom about it because she raves about the water).
Photo 4: The water comes from the Andes Mountains in the Mendoza region (Villavicencio). My mom is not bringing back wine; she's packing mountain water. (Note the artistic quality of the photo above, brought to you by yours truly).

Red meat was cut out of my diet for approximately 11 years and I didn't mind it. Then I arrived in Argentina. Cows are not meals, they define sustenance. Beef to eat, and quality leather to wear. I can't even imagine what the average consumption of meat per capita is in this country. Yet, there's no obesity problem. On the contrary, there's an eating disorder problem thanks to skinny South American models. Below is an example of a 750 gram T-bone steak my daddy ordered (I bet it could feed a whole agency of models).

Mendoza has plazas (little parks) so people can relax and enjoy nature (man-made nature, of course). In some of these plazas, local artisans display and sell their handiworks and crafts.

Photo 6: Plaza Independencia at night. This plaza occupies four blocks and is the center of five smaller plazas (think of the 5 face on dice).

Photo 7: The artisans in Plaza Independencia. And my dad because he likes being in every picture.

Photo 8: Edificio Gomez. On the 10th floor, there is a restaurant-wine bar where we dined. Swanky. Mendoza is on a really big fault line (and unfortunately, I found that out shortly before I left the States) so there is law that states a limit of how many floors can be built (more or less 15 or 16 floors). For that reason, you could see for miles around the city from this building. I was actually able to see lightning storms 3 hours away (or so I've been told).

A family portrait

Photo 1: First meal in Argentina. This exemplifies a typical breakfast here- medialunas (sweet croissants) and coffee (tiny, powerful doses). Oh and I love this; they serve a little shot of carbonated water with coffee so you don't walk around with nasty coffee breath).

Photo 2: Me and my brilliant smile, my sister Amarilis, my host mother Viviana, my real mama, and my GQ daddy at dinner.

How I managed to get my parents in Argentina is a mystery. However, my mom does see more similarities between her hometown in Thailand (Nakhon Panom) and Mendoza in comparison to the US and Argentina. This is a small city, quaint and pretty tranquil.

My host mom came with me to pick my parents up from the airport. When my parents arrived, my momS walked away together, carried in conversation...in their respective languages. I ran to catch up to them, thinking that I needed to translate but I quickly realized that they managed fine without me.

For lunch, we went out to taste grilled food here (parrilla) because if you're in Argentina, you have to eat cow here (which I've learned to eat and appreciate greatly). Or if not, you have to buy leather. Or drink wine (preferably Malbec). Or eat alfajores (chocolate sandwich goodness).

I didn´t grow out of nightmares

The earth moved this past Saturday. I was waking up from a nice little nap (siesta) when I felt the bed jolt. Normally, upon waking up from nightmares (which I admittedly still have), I feel as though the bed trembles. However, I heard the windows rumble and that is what made me jump.

In an earthquake, you run under something sturdy, such as the doorframe. What did I, the east coast yankee, do? I hid under my bed covers. One jolt. Less than a minute. And I hid under the covers like a 5 year old. Smart.

Home Sweet Home

My room in my quaint little house. I have a lot of room to make a mess, but I don't. At first, my bed was a little unusual and really uncomfortable. It sits on a frame with another mattress pad underneath. The mattresses are different from the States, there are no springs. It's just foam, so donuts are almost always guaranteed.

The donut in my bed makes it difficult for me to stay balanced in the center, where I like to sleep. I naturally roll into the donut, therefore making the bed go off balance, too. For the first few nights, I would wake up with my bed halfway slid off the frame and being face to face with the floor. Then, I'd have to get up (mind you, it was FREEZING when I first arrived), and push the bed back.

However, I've learned to use the chairs (from my desk and the one by the window) to act as a rail so I don't fall off. Fortunately, within the past 2 weeks, I've learned how to sleep without my chairs. They were kind of like training wheels, I guess.

My seemingly pointless anecdote has a lesson. Improvisation is necessary when abroad. I'm here with one suitcase (only 3 pairs of jeans, by the way) and I left my worries back in the US.

PS I'm really dying for hair mousse. It's ridiculously expensive here and I'm not giving in.

I ran away

Photo 1: Horseback riding in a campo, or farm, in Córdoba. It was really cold. And I got caught in the thorns--twice. And my horse didn´t like me--we went astray and I needed rescuing. As miserable as I was, I loved every minute of it. And the girl on the right is Catty, my friend from my program who also happens to live really close to me.

2 weekends ago, I had a long weekend with no plans. So, as I sat in class at 8pm, I received a text message (as I can no longer do without a cell phone) that read, "let´s go to Córdoba tonight." I had no more information than that and I decided to take the 10.30p bus that night. In the morning, we (2 other girls) realized that we don´t have a place to stay. Luckily, we found a hostel ($8 USD per night) that had room, people were friendly, and had a certificate that stated that they were bug-free. PERFECT. If you´re ever in town, look for Tango Hostel. Great place.

It´s very rare that I´m spontaneous like that. But surprisingly, I had no problems going and letting go. In turn, I had an amazing experience and met wonderful people.

Photo 2: A glimpse of some of the people (other tourists, non-American) I met at the horseback riding excursion. This was taken after the asado, or extremely Argentine barbecue. We sat in the little shed thing next to the stables listening to someone play the guitar. It was dusty, smelly, and "farm-y" but unforgettable and very lovely. City girl in country life doesn´t work well all the time.

Catching up...because me han robado

A few weekends ago, I went to Alta Vista bodega, or winery, a little south of the city (of Mendoza). Though there´s not much life or greenery because it´s winter, look at how gorgeous the Andes are. And get this, these are only the foothills of the mountains.

If you are into wine, look for Malbec, a type of red wine that is absolutely delicious but very unique. It has a caramel-y, dulce de leche taste that is different than its aroma. I´m far from being a sommelier, but Mendoza has some great wines.

It´s been difficult finding patience and time to use the internet here because I can´t use my laptop. Actually, when I finally headed downtown to use my laptop at a wifi station, I was robbed. And this is why I am finally posting.

Mendoza is a tiny little city and relatively safe. However, a city is a city and people are still people. This past Saturday, I was walking (with a friend) a few blocks from our houses towards a trolley stop. A man on a bike got off and went to a door and fiddled with the door with his keys, as if he were going to enter. However, he was staring at us. I am observant, but I shrugged him off, especially in this society of piropos (catcalls) and machismo comments/actions. Soon after, he comes up to my friend and I, points a weapon (he tried to use it as a gun, but it looked more like a waterpipe, so i didn´t take him too seriously) and asks for my cell. I gave it to him, then I took it back, trying to negotiate a little (I know, dumb). So I got hit a little (don´t worry). Then he went to my friend and asked for her cell.

Now, we both had our laptops in our bags, so we were willing to give up our cellulars. He was the dumbest robber in the world, but that makes me really lucky. Ironically, this was the most ideal mugging situation.

Yes, this was in broad daylight and I was only one block away from a busy street. But things like this still happen. That guy had more fear than we did, which could have been dangerous too. However, all I can do is let it be. I am safe, I have my computer, and I will be less trusting (sadly enough). However, I believe in the law of karma.

Textbook Spanish means nada

It hasn't hit me that I'm in Buenos Aires (or even Argentina) yet. The city is similar to midtown and downtown NYC with a little mix of Bangkok. I even see similarities with Thailand: no toilet paper, useless napkins, smog, traffic, people staring, Asians, etc. Where are the black people?

Fortunately, I can comprehend enough of the language to get by and I can speak it to an extent so that others can understand me. However, I wish that my classes taught me how to use Spanish in practical situtations (e.g. at the bank, restaurant, hotel, etc.).

Funny thing is that the culture isn't much different from home (on the outside). The men still cat call from the cars or across the street, people still talk to me in Spanish, and there are cell phones everywhere. On the other hand, their music channels still play music videos back-to-back.

The weather is not as cold as everyone made it seem! It's like NY/DC in the fall! A little humid, but the temperature is comfortable and I do not need a jacket here. However, I heard that Mendoza will be a bit chillier and dry.

Today, we're being spoiled because we're allowed to speak English (or Spanglés/Spanglish, if you will). Tomorrow, not so much.