Odds and Ends

I feel like a lot has happened in the last couple weeks, but I’m going to try to keep the majority of this as photos so that you can see, rather than read about what I have been doing.   The majority of my time spent on the weekends these last couple weeks has been wandering around the city checking out the history and the random things that we can find. :)

This is my favorite fruit stand, I thought it was AWESOME!

Some friends and I visited the house of Ché.  He was a part of the Cuban revolution and was born in Argentina so they take a lot of pride in that.  In fact, people here use the word “Ché” as a greeting to a friend or relative.

I also went to the top of the flag monument.  You have to pay a whole 2 pesos for the elevator ride up there, but it is definitely worth it. :) The majority of the remainder of that day was spent walking around looking at fun little shops and trying to find bargain deals.

The last couple of Sundays I have gone to church with my friend Natalie.   The church is called Iglesia Cristiana Vida Eternal. (Blake you can look it up for me if you feel a desire to. :) I’m only kidding!) It is SO much fun to experience worshiping the same God in a different language.  Although I may not be able to understand everything the pastor says I still enjoy it and I absolutely love singing the songs because I can read the words and I know what I am actually singing 99% of the time.  After this last Sunday, Natalie and I had the pleasure of going to a lady’s house for lunch after church and that was a lot of fun.  I’m hoping we will also get the chance to go to the “young adult group” sometime soon as well.

During the week the program had a Tango Party for us.  It was a blast!! We learned some tango, ate some food, watched a tango show and then spent the rest of our evening with a dance party.  It was so much fun for me because I love learning new dances and now I am determined to go to a tango bar. (Not that I wasn’t planning to in the first place.)

This past weekend I was able to go out with my cousin, some of his friends, and a couple people from the program.  We went to Strokers, which is a bar with pool tables and bowling.  When I was playing pool some of the Argentines thought it was crazy when I told them that I had a pool table in my house… Apparently that isn’t all that common around here.  I was also able to go to La Parque De La Independencia, which is an enormous park very close to my house. There is a lot to do there and I plan on discovering it more when there is a bit more sun outside.

We also went on a Boat Tour this weekend.  It went out on the Río Paraná just along the coast of Rosario.  It was a bummer that it was cloudy, but it was still enjoyable.  That evening a few of us also enjoyed a home cooked meal by one of our Argentine friends.  It was very delicious and a wonderful evening!

On a side note: Tonight, while eating dinner, I learned a new tradition.  On the 29^th of every month you are supposed to put a piece of silver (money) underneath your plate.  Also, you are supposed to eat ñioques (ñioccis), which are ABSOLUTELY delicious! A must find when I get home.  Supposedly by doing these things, in a sense, it brings you good finances for the upcoming month.  Of course, it depends on how much of the pasta you eat, because if you only eat a little off your plate you will only receive a little and opposite if you eat all of your meal.  Very fun tradition… Probably because I love the pasta so much! :)

To keep you posted on my future plans, I am very excited for the next couple weeks.  This coming weekend we are going to Buenos Aires for a two-day excursion.  It will be very packed with tours and museums, along with a spectacular tango show.  Then the following week, from Thursday to Monday some friends and I are going to take a trip to Mendoza.  Last week I booked our hostel and we bought tickets for our overnight, 13-hour bus ride.  It is going to be a wonderful time and I am looking forward to it!! I’ll be sure to let you all know about it when I return!

All my love!

Estoy en las manos de Dios. :)