Chilecito

Primavera (Spring)

I found some time this week to walk around Chilecito with Cielo and take a few pictures so that I can show you my new hometown. This is Chilecito in the Spring. I'm not sure how it's going to change in the summer or if it even will! But if it does, then I'll do a whole new portion on Chilecito in the summer.

"El Cristo" is a very prominent statue in Chilecito. It appears to be the largest tourist attraction in the city and is always featured on posters for Chilecito. And yes, those are a lot of stairs.

From the top of "El Cristo" there are two views. The view on the left is back down the stairs from the way I came which displays a portion of the city, a little bit of the park in the bottom right corner and the mountains in the distance. The view on the right is behind the statue and down a small mountain. This is the road that I came into Chilecito on. As you can see, outside of the city limits there isn't much going on.

Here is a better view of the park at the foot of the "El Cristo" statue. This is where I go when I run.

There are several things in Chilecito that are seen everywhere, but the most peculiar of them all for me is the abundance of dogs, both stray and domestic. These are three dogs that live on my street (strays, I do believe). There are always at least three strays at the plaza and I've even seen several loitering in the hallways at school. However, my school is very open and easy for dogs to wander into. You'll better understand when I have the opportunity to post pictures of my school.

There are many trees of this type with few leaves lining the sidewalk. I don't know if it's because winter is just ending or just that trees like this adapt well to this area.

There are also many orange trees around the area. The orange tree I see outside of my bedroom window has many more oranges in it, but unfortunately belongs to my neighbors.

Motorcycles are a very popular mode of transportation in Chilecito because there is always traffic and they can slip past cars easily. There are long lines of parking spaces reserved specifically for motorcycles.

Allow me to point out how businesses work in Chilecito. Stores open in the morning around 8 then close around 1 for lunch. Then the stores open again around 5 or 6. Therefore, Cielo and I had to go out in the evening to catch the city in motion.

Here is one of the more expensive clothing stores. There are a lot of clothing stores.

There are also an abundance of shoe stores, like this one here. I do enjoy the big window displays. There are some nice shoes here.

Here is a restaurant just across from the plaza that I've been to a couple of times with friends. Unfeatured is the popular ice cream chain, Grido. These two businesses are always busy.

These three small stands can be found around the plaza. Much like the small stores in the plaza at La Rioja, these small shops sell sweets, drinks, some food and the one on the right also includes magazines and newspapers. These stands are also very popular and the one on the far right is open all day long unlike most businesses.

In the middle of the plaza there are several statue. This statue is in the direct center of the plaza. My little sister says it is for the "Torres".

This statue is of the man that founded Chilecito, Joaquin Victor Gonzalez.

This statue is of the man that founded the schools in Chilecito, Domingo Castro y Bazan.

Mi hermanita, Cielo, tying her shoe for the hundredth time. Thought I should feature my tour guide!

Across from the plaza is the building in which my host mom works every weekday. I meet her there an hour after school to go home for lunch!

Also across from the plaza is a church that is regarded with respect, like every church we ever pass.

Here are two of the many schools in the city. I honestly don't know how many schools there are, I keep finding out that there are more every day. The school on the left is a public school across from the plaza. The school on the right specializes in art. Neither of these is the school I attend.

Religion, if you can't tell, plays a big roll in the city of Chilecito. This little display is something we happened to come across, built into the side of a reasonably big hill. I've seen several of these sort of displays not only in Chilecito, but in the surrounding towns.

And then, after our long walk around the city, we had to break into our own house! We were careful and successful :)

Now you've seen a brief glimpse into my new city! Once I get to know it better, I'll do another post with better pictures/details. I don't know what I'll post next, but I've got my school to document and an array of Argentine cuisine to show you. 

Chao! 

La Rioja

Friday, September 13th, I visited the capital of my province, the city of La Rioja. I went with my host mom and my host sister and, though we didn't stay long, I saw a few cool things that I wanted to share.

We went to the city because of my host mom's work. She is a lawyer of some sort (would tell you what sort if I could understand her completely) and needs to have her paperwork reviewed here at this courthouse before she proceeds is how I understand it from the explanation of my hermanita (little sister).

While my host mom worked, my herminita and I wandered around the plaza. In every city there is a plaza and every plaza gets a lot of traffic. The plaza of La Rioja is lovely.

There were a lot of flowering trees because it's spring here and everything's coming to life.

The man in this status was the founder of the city. The fountain was in the middle of the plaza.

More flowers in the plaza

This small shops are full of sweets like cookies, candy bars, gum and soda. There were two in the plaza alone. There are very popular both in La Rioja and Chilecito, especially for purchasing gum and soda is what I've noticed so far.

This is a mosque that was across the street from the plaza. Bells chimed from it every half an hour.

After my host mom had finished working, we walked around the city. We stopped at a uniform store because every school, private or public, wears a uniform. My host mom only had to say the name of the city and school and the saleswoman was able to find the uniform my hermanita needed. Then, while my host mom went to the bank, my hermanita and I wandered around a book fair of sorts in the cultural center building because the bank had a very large line.

The cultural center building also included a movie theater. On the other side was the restaurant where we ate lunch.

There was also a candy booth at the book fair. My hermanita and I both got chocolate. This chocolate was like a tree trunk, peeling back like bark. It was delicious!

I still haven't got all the pictures I want of Chilecito. It's been ridiculously cold the past few days-- well, no colder than it gets in New York, but the houses here are not heated and I didn't pack thinking that it was going to get this cold. It is a rare occurrence, after all. 

Tomorrow's my first day of school. Wish me luck!

I Have Arrived!

The Andes Mountains.

I flew over this stunning sight on my third flight in my long journey to Chilecito, Argentina. The flight was from Santiago, Chile to Cordoba, Argentina. When I first caught sight of the mountains, my breath was literally taken away. I've never seen something that has had that effect on me. I love window seats!

After arriving in Cordoba, I was welcomed by my host family as well as a friend of my host family and several Rotarians from Cordoba that were there to also escort another exchange student from the US to the bus station. My host mom, Elisa Toledo, and my little sister, Cielo, went to great efforts to make me feel welcome. Cielo made me a wonderful poster! 

She made the big poster in Cordoba, but had back ups she made at home as well.

After the airport, I was shown around Cordoba then taken back to the home of my host family's friend. We spent the night there (and I slept almost twelve hours), then on my third day of travel we drove the almost seven hours home to Chilecito! 

They were hard to capture in a moving car, but in the distance we have the Sierras de Cordoba. The city of Cordoba, which is a very large city, is surrounded by this mountain range. It continues far past the urban part of the city for many kilometers.

Here we have a mountain range just outside of Chilecito. There are so many mountain ranges that I'm already forgetting the names. This one reminded me of the mountains in Nevada!

I start school on Monday. I'm still unsure as to what school I will be attending, there are three possibilities; an art school, a public school and a private school. I will admit I am a little nervous to start school since I have quickly discovered that whatever level of Spanish I thought I was at, I was very wrong. I hardly know anything! Luckily, I know enough to get by. . .

Pictures and further details on my city are forthcoming! I've only been here for one full day, so I might as well get to really know it before I act like some sort of expert.