South Trip

I spent the past two weeks on one the most fantastic trips I've ever been on exploring Patagonia, the southernmost province of Argentina with a little less than fifty other exchange students. We stopped at five different places, traveling from each destination to the next by bus. So much happened that I can't cover it all in one blog post. Let's start with the first stop!

First Stop

This map illustrates the three main events that Puerto Madryn included. First, there's the city which we arrived to on Day 2. To the North there is a small town called Puerto Piramides which we visited on Day 3. Then, way down to the South, is Punto Tombo which we visited on Day 4 on our way out.

Puerto Madryn

After departing from Cordoba around 3 PM on Friday (Day 1), we arrived in Puerto Madryn around 1 PM on Saturday just in time for lunch. After settling in at the hotel, we boarded the bus and went on a brief tour of the port city.

The city is right on the water, but was too cold to swim in.

The water in the South of Argentina all has a slightly green-blue tint.

The bus stopped at a small park on the ocean named "Parque Historico Punta Cuevas". It was extraordinarily windy and the shore wasn't sand, but black rocks with lots of tide pools. In this picture I'm standing above the beach.

Here I'm down on the beach and these are the giant rocks I was standing on above. These cliffs were hallowed out by the sea before the ocean the water receded. 

Then, after our short tour of the seaside city, we were allowed free time to wander about, buy souvenirs and go to the bank if necessary. Like most of the cities we visited, the stores were fairly expensive and the food was more expensive (if only by a few pesos) than where we live. I didn't buy much, but my friend Bregje from the Netherlands did.

A street vendor saw us looking at his gadgets, came up to us and hooked us right in. The ropes were criss-crossed and we had to figure out how to untangle them. We tried for nearly twenty minutes before the man took mercy on us and showed us how to properly do it. It was way too easy. 

Puerto Piramides

Day 3 we got on a bus headed an hour or so North to visit the small, tourist city of Puerto Piramides. We were given time before and after lunch to hang out on the beach or the rocks. 

The island just of the shore there is called bird island and is apparently inhabited by many species of birds such a flamingos and penguins, although this is the closest we ever got.

 This is the city as we entered. There is not much to the left of the photo. It was, as I said, a very small tourist town. Half of the buildings belonged to whale watching companies.

These are the rocks we could pass time on. I stayed here as opposed to the beach.

Again, the water was that same lovely blue-green.

The rocks were completely sedimentary, made up of broken shells like this and covered with fossils.

These two dogs were hanging out with the rest of us and made everyone jealous as they jumped in and out of the water as they pleased. It was sunny and quite warm that day, the water looked very appealing.

After lunch we got aboard a beached boat, were pulled out to the water and rode out past the harbor. The guide told us to not talk above a whisper and instructed that we had to sit on the side of the boat where there was a whale and could stand on the opposite side. Several exchangers had previously pessimistically that we were probably just going out for several hours and not see anything. It almost seemed that may happen after five quiet moments. Then a mother whale and her baby appeared!

Here you see the baby's tail and the mother's head.

A whale using its blow hole, being a whale and such.

The white spots are growths that developed on the whale at a young age to protect its skin.

The mother whale even gave us a show. She jumped four times! Even time she landed it sounded like thunder.

Punto Tombo

Day 4 was day of the penguins! Let me start this brief journey by saying the penguins were definitely one thing-- disappointing. They did not huddle, they did not slide on their bellies, they did not surround us as we walked. They mostly just laid around like they were dead or in their nests, only a few were up and about. Regardless, they were still adorable.

First we visited the small museum which included exhibits on the development, lifestyle and habitats of penguins. This photo here illustrates the latitudes of all the different penguins in the southern hemisphere.

Here is a lazy penguin laying on its belly.

Two lazy penguins on their bellies. This is the closest I got to huddling penguins.

I'm pointing at a penguin huddled in its nest. The girl on my shoulder is a Danish exchange student, Kia Black, that also lives with me in Chilecito.

Here are two penguins up and about! They would flap their wings but they never did fly . . . At least that was as I expected.

 I did happen to see penguins swimming! The water looked lovely, but their was no belly sliding. They just waddled in and splash flopped right in.

This is a picture of the shoreline of the penguin habitat. The colors were very vivid and beautiful!

I had the pleasure of a penguin crossing my path on the way back! Not sure if I mentioned it, but we were walking on a marked path that had no fences to restrain the penguins from joining us. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to touch them because they bite.

Then we boarded the bus for a 24 hours on the way to Calafate, my favorite stop! Sorry it took so long to get this posted. I'm not sure when I'll get the next one up. There's been some disorientating changes here, but all will be normal again soon. 

Ciao!

Argentinians

Clearly there are going to be some differences in social interaction and lifestyle after you travel to an entirely new country and hemisphere. I'm going to share with you the top 10 things I have come to notice to be most prominently different in my approximate month here. 

Dos de mis companeras me muestran la saludar de Argentina.

Two of my classmates showing me the Argentinian greeting

1. First and foremost, we have the Argentinian saludar or greeting. I absolutely love this and would take a kiss on the cheek over a handshake or wave anyway. The only tiring part of this greeting is that when you come up to a group of people you know (or even don't know, but someone you're with knows them) then you have to kiss the cheek of everyone there. Most of the time, as you kiss or are kissed on the cheek someone will ask "Todo bien?" or "Como estas?", both of which mean "How are you?", however hardly is the question answered.

2. Up close and personal, that's how Argentinians like their relationships. My family is constantly hugging me or looping their arm in mine as we walk while my friends and classmates are quick to lean on or put an arm around my shoulder. It's a lot more affectionate than in the US and some people might find it intolerable, but, like the saludar, I love it!

3. As a result of the warm, desert climate, Argentinians have a very different sleep schedule. Bedtime is no earlier than 11:30 at night, but you can always catch up on sleep the next day after almuerzo or lunch (which is always eaten at home even if it means returning to school or work afterwards). The whole population seems to shut down from 2PM until 4 or 5. Then, as it gets dark and cools down, everyone is out and about again.

4. What do these Argentinians do when they are up and about? Well there are 4 things I've noticed that they are particularly fond of. 
               1) Getting ice cream. The popular ice cream shop "Grido" must turn a very good profit. I know several friends that frequent it almost everyday! It has an array of flavors, including ones that can't be found at home. But I'll talk more about that when I do my post on Argentinian cuisine.
               2) Eating. This is apart from the ice cream they are eating. Argentinians love to stop at one of the many little shops around town and pick up a sandwich, cookies, or facturas, then a Coca-Cola to wash it down. I'd like to credit this habit to the need to keep up one's blood sugar during the summer months. It gets ridiculously hot here and, as my exchange student friend from Denmark discovered, if you don't eat enough on a hot day then you'll most likely pass out!
               3) Vueltas. A common time to eat these snacks and drink that Coca is when you park your car between vueltas, random, aimless laps around the city in a car. Argentinians love to drive. They blast the music (it's not uncommon to be walking down the street and have several cars pass you with its music blaring) and drive around until they either decide it's time to go home or stop, buy some Coca-Cola and sit on a curb by a park and chat. I enjoy vueltas, they're relaxing and the people I ride with play good music. However, unfortunately for me, car rides make me sleepy...
               4) Watching tv. Yet another common thing to do while eating food. Every house that I have visited has a tv in the dining room. Likewise, every meal I've eaten has had a tv playing at the same time with the exception of when my family hosted a lunch of asado, a traditional Argentinian food. They have many of the same channels and shows that we have in the US, some in Spanish and some with just Spanish subtitles. However, on the shows that are originally from the US the characters are still speaking English, so the words don't usually match up. I enjoy this habit, it makes it easier for me during quiet dinners as I still can't talk conversationally yet.

5. Now Argentina has quite the reputation for its dancing and I can assure you, it's all true. Currently, I am taking tango lessons and will hopefully learn how to be good at that. I could also take lessons for salsa and folklore, if I so desired (and I might!). As for the normal dancing, seen at clubs and parties, I don't think I will never master it. Everyone is so good! This is also ridiculously different from the dancing seen at US parties/balls/proms/clubs. They have cuarteto, reggaeton, rock nacional, electro, and cumbia, a faster paced sort of dancing to Spanish songs that can be danced solo but is most often danced with a partner. With your partner you hold hands and twirl each other and it can't very be explained through writing! I'll have to do a whole different blog entry dedicated completely to the dancing.

6. Argentinian men. They are something. The most culturally shocking difference with the men here is their confidence in expressing verbal approval of a woman's appearance. For example, whenever I am walking down the street with mi hermanita, Cielo, I can expect whistles, cat calls, kissing noises and "oye, linda" from cars of men as they drive by, men in shops that I walk through, and men across the street. I can't go running alone with at least one guy calling out something about my legs. It's just a culture difference, something the girls here are immune to that, though at first was flattering, I can't stand.

7. I have a maid! Her name is Maria and she comes every weekday morning as we leave for school and work. She irons the clothes, sweeps the floor, cleans the bathrooms, makes my bed and has lunch ready for us when we come home. You can expect that when I to return to the US I'll be sneaking Maria back with me.

8. In Chilecito, there are upwards of five different schools ranging from public to private to art to specialized for work (sort of like BOCES). Every school lets out at one for lunch and after eating, some students have to return for a second part of the day, however the schools that Cielo and I attend (two different schools) do not have that second part. Therefore, school is usually only a four hour day for me. School is also a great deal more relaxed, with most of the professors not minding when students listen to music, text or talk while they write notes on the chalkboard as long as the notes get copied down. But more on school when I get that blog entry up!

9. Everyone knows of Disneyworld and Miami, Florida. In fact, two of my most frequently asked questions are "Conoces Disney?" and "Conoces Miami?" (conoces meaning "do you know"). Most girls here have gone to Disneyworld for their fifteenth birthday, or quince, which is as big an occasion as a sweet sixteen (if not a little bigger) and have sweatshirts that say "Club15", which is a special program just for the occasion! I see at least one sweatshirt with Mickey Mouse a day and everyone is in awe when I tell them I've been twice. Unfortunately, I hardly remember my trips! 

10. Hablan en espanol aca. Este es la diferencia mas grande que todos otros. En la mes he pasando acá, he aprendo mucho pero todavia es muy dificil comunicar con la gente de Argentina.
      They talk in Spanish here. This is the greatest difference of them all. In the month I have spent here, I have learned a lot but it's still very difficult to communicate with the people of Argentina.

Sorry this took so long to get up, folks! I have a bunch more on my agenda, it's all a matter of getting the pictures. Additionally, my trip through the south of Argentina is at the end of this month! It starts October 25th in Cordoba (a city 7/8 hours from Chilecito) and goes as far south as the glaciers! If nothing else, keep an eye out for a long winded post on that 16 day adventure. 

As the Argentinians say after a kiss on the cheek, Ciao!

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!