octubre

I am currently procrastinating, avoiding studying for an exam I have to leave for in 1 hour. On Friday I went to Tigre, which is a little tourist town on the Parana River about an hour from Buenos Aires. We took a boat cruise on the river which was nice. Even though it was cloudy, we still enjoyed being in the open air and seeing soo much greenery!





Halloween this last weekend was lots of fun! I dressed as a witch and went to a party at my friend's apartment. They had everything decorated and had rented a bartender which was really nice. My friends and I also made Halloween-decorated cookies ( : Most of my friends from the residence came to the party which was really fun...lots of good costumes, from the Mad Hatter, a yerba mate gourd, a lion tamer, a gypsy, an alien, even a 3-person cow made out of boxes and a sheet! A bunch of us left the party for a bit and went dancing at a club for an hour and then returned to the party for the rest of the evening. SO MUCH FUN!!!



Earlier this month I went to Oktoberfest which was outside the city of Cordoba, Argentina. Some friends and I rented a small cabana next to a river. So beautiful...we went to the festival at night and swam in the river during the day. We also spent one day at an "estancia" (or ranch) in the "campo"(countryside) with some Argentine friends. We had "asado"(basically barbeque, but the best steaks and sausage you've ever eaten in your life) and hung out in the sun all day. We also watched the Peru-Argentina soccer game on tv, which, in a room full of soccer-crazed Argentines drinking lots of Fernet and coke was definitely a fun experience!!





(the girl in the first and last fotos with me is my friend Sogol from Germany---she's amazing and my best friend here)

Sogol and I also went to a polo match last month in Pilar, a city outside Buenos Aires. Many (affluent) people here have weekend homes in Pilar, which seems kind of like a Hamptons area...the guy whose house we hung out at there said he has been going to Pilar with his family almost every weekend of his LIFE! Anyway we had a lovely lunch before the match (served to us by a maid) and then went to see polo...which I really enjoyed! That night we had asado (also prepared by a maid) and then came back to BA.





There is a new woman in the residence, Kim from Amsterdam, who I have really been enjoying. She is travelling for 9 months, alone, around the world (she is the one next to me in the halloween foto). She is so much fun and a really wonderful person. I've also been really enjoying all her stories about travelling...it seems like she has really been EVERYWHERE!! I'm sad that I only have a few more days with her because I leave for Peru on Saturday and she will leave Buenos Aires before I get back.

I finish finals tomorrow (Thursday) and will leave for Peru on Saturday! My friend Joey and I are going to travel through Peru, Bolivia, one city in Chile and then a city in northern Argentina. We're starting in Lima, going to Cuzco (and Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca), then to the Amazon for a jungle trip, then to La Paz, Bolivia, then to Salar Uyuni (where there are salt flats and colored lakes) San Pedro in northern Chile, and finally to Salta, Argentina. We'll be gone for a bit over 3 weeks!! I CAN'T wait!!!!

Then I get back to Buenos Aires and dad is coming to visit! Not sure yet if we'll be able to fit this in, but I'm hoping we can go to El Calafayte and Tierra del Fuego in southern Patagonia and check out the glaciers there.

besos!

life lately!!

I went to Mendoza last weekend which was AMAAAAAZING!! We took an overnight bus and arrived in the middle of the day on Friday. The first thing we did was go to a "park"--that was so enormous it had a university, public buildings, like 10 sports fields, houses...and hike up to Glory Hill. There's a monument to General San Martin who was a revolutionary against the Spanish. (I honestly don't remember what specifically he did and had to just ask my friend Liz why he is important) The hill had an amazing view of the entire area around Mendoza which was really cool to see.











The next day we went on a bike tour of wineries in Maipu (yes, pronounced "my poo"). My friend Roni isn't that comfortable on a bike so she and Joey rode a tandem!! I thought it would be harder for her, but they had a great time and said it was really easy! We went to 3 wineries total, 1 industrial winery and 2 other smaller wineries. I thought the industrial winery would be lame, but it ended up being really interesting and gave me a good refresher course on the wine making process in general. They also had a cool museum of the Argentine wine process...


We also went to an artisan place where they make olive oil, chocolate, liqours and jams, etc. I sampled a delicious banana chocolate liquor and then had absinthe!


We ended up sitting at one winery for like 2 hours, just enjoying our wine and sunning ourselves.


At the end of the day we ended up back at the bike rental place, drinking yet more wine, and chatting with other travellers. Really fun day! My friends and I were the only people that wore helmets...which struck me as very strange. Wine+bike=a bit dangerous, wine+bike+no helmet=dangerous and stupid. I'm proud to say we had no problems! I was SO sore by the end of the day though! I had imagined a leisurely day, biking a really short distance between the wineries...which was NOT what happened. Good exercise though!!

That night our hostel had a party for the first day of spring, which is a holiday here. We had asado (basically a huge meat barbeque) and then they opened up the bar and there was dancing, etc. After a bit we all headed out to a club.

The next morning we hopped onto a bus and headed out for our adventure day--rafting, repelling and trekking! Rafting was so fun! There weren't any serious rapids, but we had lots of fun in our boat and it was just wonderful to be out in nature, watching the mountains go by and enjoying the open space.



After rafting we went repelling...we basically hiked up a really steep hill and then repelled down. It was cool I guess, if uneventful.


Trekking was last, and amazing! ("Trekking"=hiking) We hiked up an even steeper hill and just sat at the top for a bit, surveying the Andes and the river below and taking everything in. Then we hiked down through a canyon/dry river bed. (dad, it reminded me of 4-wheeling in Cabo do you remember??) It was really cool to see a whole other type of terrain...it's SO dry there and I loved seeing so many cacti!!

After having dinner and heading home, exhausted, we decided to stay an extra night so we could go paragliding on Monday! We had Monday off from school to celebrate the first day of spring...everyone goes and has picnics, etc and enjoys the day together which I think is really cool.

So Monday we went paragliding!!! I was surprised I wasn't scared at all...even though I didn't exactly know what paragliding even was before we got there. We got suited up (basically you wear a backpack that looks like a bee stinger hanging from your butt that turns into your seat while you're in the air and connected to the guide behind you) as my guide explained taking off and landing. Then he started filling the massive parachute behind us with air...told me to start running and we were off!! I basically took 2 or 3 steps toward the downward slope and then we were flying!!!! It was so amazing...I was suprised I felt absolutely no fear at any point. My flight was definitely the best out of my friends and mine--my guide was the first pilot to paraglide in Argentina and has been doing it for 25 years! We flew the highest and for the longest time. We saw a falcon and he showed me that when we turned, the falcon kind of turned too, almost like we were playing a game circling around each other. We also did a simulated free fall with centrifigal force which was ridiculous (and badly timed as I realized I was extremely motion sick right before) but so fun! We did a few other acrobatics things which was really cool.

We picnicked in a plaza park that afternoon and got back on a bus that night, headed home to BA.

All in all, an amazing, ridiculous, crazy, fun, beautiful, fantastic, perfect weekend trip!!! It was great to get out of the city a bit and enjoy nature and fresh air and wide open space...and non-jaded city people! AMAZZZZZZING!!! ( :




I had 2 midterms this week which were fine. My classes are so unstructured and feel so...casual. I enjoy them a lot and am glad they don't stress me out too much. It just feels like everything in South America is very laid back and relaxed, which is perfect for me! ( :

I didn't go out much this week...tried to exercise and eat healthy for once, which didn't end up working that well. I saw my first Argentine film in theaters, called "El Secreto de Sus Ojos," "the secret in your eyes," which was very, very good. An Argentine friend told me that here they make crap comedy movies but great drama films, and after Secreto I definitely believe her! All the actors were great and the story was really interesting, if intense as well. If it is released in the states on video or anything I would highly reccomend it!

I have been reading a lot latel...unfortunately I lost Atonement in Mendoza right before I finished it! It's driving me crazy...I might have to find it in a used bookshop here.

I had a great weekend! Friday night was a friend's last night here in BA so we went out to a club we like called "Asia de Cuba." Nothing crazy, just some drinks and dancing. Yesterday some friends and I went to "Tierra Santa," which means "holy land," and it's basically a Jesus theme park. No rides, but attractions with a, you guessed it, holy land theme. Last night I went to a friend's flat party and then we all headed out to an electronic music club called "Pacha." There are other Pacha clubs around the world and I guess they usually have very famous DJs playing. I didn't think I would like it but ended up having an amazing night and had to be basically dragged out at 7am! Really nice club, and lots of crazy dancing which was funny.

We stopped for "choripan" sandwiches at a stand before going home (chorizo=sausage, pan=bread, so choripan is just like a sausage sandwich that they put this delicious vinegary, oniony sauce all over) and as we were stuffing our faces, my friend Sogol all of a sudden screamed and pointed to the counter...which we saw a huge cockroach scurrying across. It didn't really bother me, because well, we were not only outside where bugs live, but dirty street food is, well, dirty. The guys hands didn't exactly look like Purell was part of his regular repetoire. Anyways she totally flipped out and started screaming "OH MY GOD!!! I'm GOING TO THROW UP, OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!" as I just kept eating my sandwich, unfazed. But then my friend Joey started getting really grossed out, and then HE almost threw up. All of this was happening in half light of early morning, but in the middle of this ridiculous wind/rainstorm that had come out of nowhere with everyone flipping out and running around. It was really funny and a great way to end the night. haha

I went shopping with some girlfriends today which was nice and tonight will probably just curl up in bed with tea and a movie (and by tea I mean chocolate, cookies and tea). Even though Spring has officially started the weather was really bad today...grey and cold out, which makes me not want to leave my building at all.

GREAT trip to Mendoza, GREAT weekend!

I have lots of old pictures to put up as well, but my internet is going sooo slowly no pictures will load so I'll add them all soon. (the first picture was the only one to work for some reason)


LOTS OF LOVE!!!

no longer on my deathbed!!!

So I was very sick this past week...quite possibly the sickest I've been in a long time. I'll spare you the details--I'm feeling almost 100% better! I made it out a bit this weekend with friends which was nice. The weather has been so warm and beautiful I think that also helped to cure me.

I went to a park yesterday that basically was a big manmade lake surrounded by crappy grass and dead trees, but all the Argentines seem to just loooove it. They all bring chairs/tables as if it's the beach and suntan in bikinis or shorts!

I miss real nature, but I love the city and my neighborhood is really growing on me. At first I didn't like it, but every day I fall more and more in love with it! We are literally right next door to the Congress building which makes for a loud environment(especially with several LOUD protests per week) but it really is a lovely part of the city. There's a plaza in front of the Congress building with a huge fountain and lots of carts and people relaxing...today my friend Adrienne and I walked around to enjoy the afternoon and we just couldn't stop talking about how much we love it! ( :

I bought a camera on Monday and will add photos soon! (For some reason my computer isn't recognizing SD cards...anyone have advice?)


Miss everyone very much!

Besos,
Julia

lately...

Hola! Nothing too exciting to report...I went to new classes this week, in Spanish instead of English like the first week, which was definitely the right decision. Now I am taking a Spanish language class (the same), a contemporary Argentine literature class, and 2 other Argentine sociology classes. One is called Argentina, Sociedad Abierta (Open Society) and the other is Tradiciones y Culturas de Argentina. I'm happy I switched, and the sociology classes seem like they will be very interesting!

I've been going out a bit, to "boliches" which is what they call night/dance clubs here. Lots of fun, lots of dancing. I see very few people really drunk out here in Buenos Aires which is definitely different than at home.

My first roommate, Ashley, moved out last week. I was sad because she was really cool but heaps new people have moved to the residencia which is nice. There are people from Spain, France, Germany, Venezuela, England, Australia and Argentina...and I like everyone a lot for the most part! I have a new roommate as well, from OZ!!! She is just here for a month, but is nice and we get along well.

Tonight our program is having a welcome party for everyone (free drinks!) which should be fun.

My friends finally posted some pictures from Barioloche on facebook, so here are some highlights!














I feel like I have no idea what is going on at home!! Give me updates!

chau! xx lots of love

julia

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