BARIOLOCHE!!!!!!!

Last Wednesday 5 of my friends and I boarded a bus bound for Barioloche, Patagonia...26 hours later we arrived! Yes, 26 hours...on a bus. It was supposed to be shorter, but for whatever reason our bus stopped at least every 2 hours, sometimes for over half an hour. We had a "semicama" bus, which means the seats recline halfway, which doesn't seem bad...but with all the stops (and the resulting burst of freezing air that would rush into the bus) it was impossible to sleep for any real length of time. Anyway--I will not do a semicama for such a long trip again.

It was defnitely worth it though!! We stayed in a small hostel that reminded me of a winter cabin. Really fun and lively with people coming and going all the time. We just had dinner and went to sleep the first night we were there, and skiied the next day. Didn't get in much skiing the first day because we were trying to teach our friend Juan how to ski...unsucessfully. The skiing we (my friend Ben and I) did get in was a little terrifying but it was nice that we were both on the same page so I didn't feel silly going slowly. The snow was horrible--very icy and there was so little snow that most of the easier (read, green) runs were closed. The second day I took a lesson with my roommate Ashley, which was SO FUN!!! After our 2 hours I felt sooo much more confident and by the end of the day was zooming down the mountain, even the runs that had been terrifying to me the day before. (The attendees of the Miller girl Sugarbowl ski trip 2008 would be SO IMPRESSED by my progress. I was skiing like a pro. I think I just needed 2 days to work on my skills!!) Lots of narrow, curvy and icy trails that I felt resembled a bobsled track more than a ski run. Oh--and the scary runs were often a cliff on one side with lots of trees and absolutely zero safety nets.

The scenery was by far the most amazing thing about the entire trip. Just driving around the town you can pretty much always see the mountains and the huge lake...it was kind of like Tahoe, but like 1000 times larger and 1000 times more amazing. (So I guess it was nothing like Tahoe besides the lake+mountain combination) Then once you go up a ski lift, you are basically on the top of a snowy mountain, and everywhere you look are more beautiful peaks and you ski down facing an enormous lake. I can't even describe it, but it was just mesmerizing. I only have a few photos, but will try and post them soon. It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen...and the view, combined with my awesome skiing the second day just filled me with so much gratitude and happiness and joy. Saying it was awesome, or beautiful or amazing doesn't even do it justice...I just had the best time!!!! ( :

I'm hoping to get back to Patagonia before I leave, possibly to ski again or if not, at least in the summertime to do some backpacking further south. If anyone wants to visit...get ready for me to pressure you to go there with me!!!!


I had my first day of school today! Comparative history of Argentina and South America or something like that. I think I will like it a lot! I have class Monday-Thursday and am taking 4 classes total. My other 3 are: Spanish, comparative literature and some kind of Argentina/South American economy class. Besides Spanish (obviously) I am taking all classes in English.

Tonight I'm going to a drum show called "La Bomba" which everyone says is amazing, so I'm excited about that!

Overall, I am very happy and good and loving Buenos Aires and just everything about life!!!! ( : ( :

Feliz Dia del Amigo!

I recieved this email from my program:


Hola a todos,

This Monday July 20th, don't forget to say "Feliz Día del Amigo" to
all your Argentinean friends.

The "Día del Amigo" is a very important cellebration in Argentina.
The idea for Friendship Day was started by an Argentine teacher, who
lobbied to turn the anniversary of the first moon landing into an
international day of friendship. The Friendship Day was officially
recognized by law in 1979.

Día del Amigo is often a good excuse for a friendly gathering, getting
in contact with old friends, buying presents for them, etc. Since it
is not a public holiday, the gatherings usually take place during the
evening. Most restaurantes will be full this Tuesday and people need
to make reservations several days in advance.

In recent years the "Día del Amigo" has turned into a very popular
mass phenomenon. Next Tuesday the mobile phone networks are expected
to collapse for several hours due to the big number of calls and SMS
sent.


kind of cool!!


I got my cell phone today, but can't use it until I buy a phone card, which I am going to do this afternoon. From the states the number is +54-9-11-32963354. As I recall from trying to call Kersti the + is either 0 or 00...but I could be wrong. I am also on skype, and my skype name is julia.miller25

I somehow got internet reception in my room last night and skyped with my friend Nikki which was fun. Thanks dad for the camera and Kersti for the microphone!! I might be moving out of this residence. I realized it's mostly people on a 1 or 2 month program and seems a bit like a hostel. The doors don't lock and there is lots of noise, etc. It seems perfect for staying a shorter length of time, and as I talked about with my adviser, I would probably be much more comfortable in an shared apartment somewhere else. She actually asked me, "why did you think you even wanted to live there???"

Anyway--my day has been great so far!! Also had fun last night, went to some bars...nothing crazy. Even though I slept only 3 hours before my orientation at Universidad de Belgrano this morning, I am somehow still standing and not drooling on myself. The weather was SUNNY today and I got a much better feel for the city. There is a beautiful plaza near my building called Plaza de Mayo, and today there were lots of people milling around the neighborhood which was a nice change from the really quiet (and grey) weekend.

Off to do some errands, including the biggest bookstore in Latin America, called El Ateneo. Apparently it is one of the most beautiful in the world as well, and if you want to see some photos here is a link:

http://images.google.com.ar/images?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aes-ES%3Aofficial&hl=es&q=el+ateneo+buenos+aires&btnG=Buscar+im%C3%A1genes&gbv=2&aq=f&oq=

(I just google image searched el ateneo buenos aires if the link doesn't work)


Feliz dia del amigo!
xx

and of course those kisses are going on your right cheek, per Argentine custom (:

!!hola de buenos aires!!

I have officially arrived and moved into my residence at Av Callao 86! I got picked up (alone) at the airport by a taxi, who drove me to my building. When I got inside and handed off to the next Argentine, who is a nice young guy (I think he is the doorman?) named Quiti or something, he taught me a valuable lesson--don't give anyone a tip just because they ask for one after helping you. (Like the taxi driver I felt guilted into tipping because he gave me a tangerine to eat)I felt so silly, because at home that's something I feel so much more comfortable dealing with. Lesson learned I guess.

The building I live in is neat--it has an old fashioned elevator with the metal gate you have to close and spiraling pretty white marble stairs. The doors on each floor are tall and narrow, like the building, and there are pretty glass chandeliers hanging in the hallways.

I was shown to my room on the second floor, and I was shocked by how quiet it was. I guess most people in Buenos Aires really do sleep through most of the day, especially on a Saturday after probably staying out until at least 3 or 4am! My room is a triple, with one single bed and a bunk bed. 2 girls already live in there, leaving the single bunk bed to yours truly. There is no ladder, and the bed is quite shaky--I have to first climb up onto a table to then climb onto my bed. There is also not enough storage space, and not only because I overpacked. There is room for maybe 15 hangers and 2 drawers each the size of a box of cereal. There is a cabinet on the top of the wardrobe that you have to stand on a chair just to see into. NOT GOOD for me. Not good at all.

I haven't met my roommates yet. I hoped they would show up at some point today, and as a result was quite lonely and clueless. The program has provided me with zero information or direction, and it took me hours to even see enough people in the building to ask my questions of. I tried unpacking earlier which was frusturating, then I tried walking around to get some water and food which was dreary, and then I tried lurking around my piso ("floor" in spanish) trying to find new friends and eventually found a nice French girl named Astrid who is doing some sort of fashion internship here in BA. I also ended up meeting another girl who told me my roommates are in Iguazu Falls this weekend and should be back by Monday.

Enough of my complaining!! Anyways, I enjoyed walking around the grocery store by myself...it was fun to see all the different packages and ways people interact. I bought some crackers and decided to treat myself to some cheese for lunch (I know, I know, not cleanseworthy), but some horrific smell unfortunately sent me running from the dairy/meat section. I had delicous olive tapenade with my rice cakes instead.

Dulce de leche is "the" sweet of Argentina, in ice creams, coffee drinks, candy bars, and I saw they even have it in some sort of gel form in the refrigerated section at the store...maybe so it's easy to add to pastry or something? I bought a small chocolate bar with dulce de leche inside, so I will let you know how it goes! ( :

After running out of options, and unable to work the internet without the wireless password I went walking around the neighborhood again. I live in "Congreso" which is home to national buildings like Congress (surprise!!). It's more of a downtown area rather than a residential neighborhood, and supposedly most of the restaurants around here close early in the evening because they cater mostly to buisnesspeople.

Lets see...I am currently sitting in the kitchen on the 3rd floor, which is apparently the only place to get internet, so I'm not sure how skyping will work. I will hopefully get my cell phone soon, though. I have an orientation for university on Monday so I will also meet more people then.

I am planning on going to dinner in an hour, at 1030, with some people on my floor. Buenos Aires doesn't really even go out to eat until 930 or so, and people can dine until around midnight. It makes sense that people stay out until the early morning hours I guess, then, if they're not even starting their night until 12am! Yikes. That will definitely take some getting used to...especially since I'm not even sure I'll be able to stay up to eat tonight!

I hope this wasn't too boring...more exciting and upbeat news and updates to follow! And pictures!!

Muchos besos y abrazos!! Chau!!!

love julia