la vida Mia

I Guess Time is Funny That Way

2011-07-02T10:51:00.002-04:00

Call it a stretch, but I think Benjamin Button knows a thing or two about Rotary Exchange. I’d seen the movie a couple of times before, but when I watched it while waiting for my flight back home, I really felt like he understood what these years are like.

The minute we land, we jump into a life that is completely new to us, and only us. Just as Queenie took in Benjamin, we are also taken in by our hosts, and we begin to refer to them as “family”, “mamá”, “home”. We have to learn how to communicate all over again, using hand symbols and pointing when the words we want to use are yet unlearned- and unfortunately we realize that sometimes even small children know more than we do. Just as Benjamin was amazed by life around the corner of the house or even just the sound his fork made when whacked against the table- the most mundane things to everyone else are amazing, ridiculous, sometimes even hilarious and we constantly look to satisfy our curiosity in everything. With everyday, we figure out the patterns in the way things work a little more. As Benjamin retold the quirks of the characters living in his home- I couldn’t help but remember the quirks of the characters living in Formosa; the way Vito would sing in the car and talk about Hillary Clinton everyday, or how Maya would apologize for everything- even if it were just helping us, or how those four older men would always be playing chess and listening to Tango music while walking into town in the late afternoon. Gradually instead of being amazed by things that are new, we are instead comforted by things that are normal. We accept that we are always going to be different from those around us in ways and that time will pass differently for them, but we make the most of it- often (especially if we’re blonde) it works in our advantage. As we grow and mature, we are given the chance to explore and see more of the world and to celebrate special moments and holidays, and we take up any and every opportunity that arises. But then all too soon, we become well aware of our end date, and how quickly time is passing by. We then find ourselves ending our journey, reflecting over everything we’ve done, seen, and tried- and realizing our perspectives have always been unique but that, in reality, that has only made the experience all the more incredible.

I really do feel like I lived a lifetime in Argentina this year. Not that time went slowly, but just because it still doesn’t seem possible to me that everything I’ve done down there was done in just under a year. Argentina was unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. It was the best country I personally could have been sent to, I have no doubt about that, and I love it with all of my heart- the good and the bad. But to say that leaving that ‘life’ behind was “hard” would be un understatement. And I know it will probably be a long, long time before I’m able to put into words just how amazing this past year was and what it meant to me.

All I can say is that I’m grateful this whole process doesn’t end at those hard goodbyes. Despite a few complications and delays in my return, it was still before I knew it that my plane was landing in Minneapolis/St. Paul. My ear to ear smile as we flew over lakes and green trees must have been obvious, because as the man next to me looked up from his SkyMall magazine, he knew right away to ask, “You coming home?”. I couldn’t even walk at a steady pace from my gate to baggage claim, knowing I was just minutes away from seeing my family again. Finally I just gave in, and ran. I can’t even put into words the excitement and pure joy of coming (okay, sprinting) down the steps at MSP airport and into the arms of my parents, brother, and two very best friends. That reunion will always stand alone as one of the happiest moments of my life.

I’ve now been home three weeks- and time has flown by faster than imaginable. My summer list of memories grows with every hour, and I already can tell it will go down as one of the best. From sharing stories of our year around bonfires, piling up with all the girls on my swinging porch bed, impromptu kickball games, and ding-dong-delivering homemade fudge to friends on sunny summer nights… to shopping in the cities with my mama, skiing with my brother at sunset out at the cabin, Loaded Questions nights in the basement, road tripping to Omaha, or screaming my lungs out on the Power Tower at Valley Fair- I’ve had plenty of fun to keep myself busy (especially on top of two part time jobs).

It is crazy, however, that despite so much fun, I still miss Argentina so much. I can’t say I wasn’t warned about the reverse culture shock. Being from Northfield, I’d say I had more people warning me about it than most, but it has still caught me off guard. I made the mistake of thinking that if I made it through the first week and a half without much of a glitch, I would be smooth sailing for the rest of the summer. But I think it’s just something everyone has to go through, as brutal as it may be. Brad Pitt really did say it perfectly in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button when he said “It’s a funny thing about comin’ home. Looks the same, smells the same, feels the same. You realize what’s changed is you.” I know I’ve changed this year, it would be a shame if I didn’t let anything I experienced this year affect me. Honestly, these changes and transformations are one of the very coolest things about Rotary though, and in the moments where I feel like this past year was just a dream, it serves as proof that it really did happen. It serves as proof that I really am that lucky, that my life- or rather, my lives- really are that wonderful.

“Its never too late to be whoever you wanna be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of.”

-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

in between home and home

2011-06-12T15:10:00.001-04:00

So I know myself well enough at this point to realize that if I don’t post something now I never will. I’m currently sitting in the Dallas Fort Worth Airport. That’s right…. I’M ON AMERICAN SOIL! And it is so weird. Everything is in English. There are so many blonde people. Everything is clean and shiny. Everyone is in such a hurry. I can see what they mean when the talk about reverse culture shock… I’m sure there will be a lot more of that to come. But I don’t even care right now… because in just a few hours, I will be with my FAMILY!! Words can’t even express how absolutely pumped I am to see them! AKLSJLJK!!! It’s been a while :)

So quickly, an update on this crazy thing called the return…

I knew from my crazy arrival that my year would be anything but uneventful, and I guess I decided I might as well go out with a bang, too. Or by bang, I should say eruption. The Puyehue-Cordón Caulle Volcano in Southern Chile became active last weekend for the first time in half a century, and spread an ash cloud across Argentina, reaching all the way to the Buenos Aires area. Flights all week have been canceled in and out of the capital, and when Thursday night the ash cloud situation was more severe than ever, I was told my flight Saturday from Formosa would most likely be canceled… and that I would have one last Argentinean bus experience left in my year.

The goodbyes then came quickly. Before I even had time to realize what was happening, I was at the bus terminal (sobbing my eyes out) and saying goodbye to Vito and Graciela, Cele and Lucas, Maya and her family, Ro and Mamá, Jim and Philipp. I still couldn’t believe that day had already arrived. It is going to take weeks, months, maybe even years to soak up everything I’ve experienced in the past ten months. The things I have done, places I have seen, and people I have met are simply too incredible for me to comprehend, let alone try to explain. All I know is that I have never cried harder in my entire life than my departure. In all honesty, I am so incredibly lucky, the tears were just a testament to the amazing relationships and memories I’ve formed over the past year, and there are very few other 19 year olds that can say they already have possibly the hardest goodbyes of their life behind them. This year went by fast. Really fast. Too fast. But it only seems that way when I try to sum it all up at once. When I look back at the individual moments, pick the memories and experiences apart and line them up side by side, I have well over a years worth.

In all, my travel log is really somewhat insane. This final 16-hour bus ride bumps my final km traveled to about 41, 591 km (just counting trips). The distance around the world at the equator is 40,076 km, meaning that if someone were to build a road around the earth, it would be as if I hopped on a bus and rode that thing around completely, and stayed on for a little extra just for kicks! I mean seriously, how awesome is that? I don’t even know how to begin to add up hours spent traveling, but I know that I’m going to end up topping my entry travel time of 43 hours, with a whopping 48 hours and 10 minutes, or that is if all goes well! My flight from Buenos Aires to Dallas ended up being delayed until 2:45 in the morning last night, and so I missed the 10:50 flight back home, the 11:15 flight was canceled, and the 12:55 was full, so I am currently scheduled to go home on the 3:45 flight… which as of right now is delayed until 4:50. Whew! Good thing Argentina has taught me just how relax and go with it.

Ah. I still can’t believe this day is here. I’m really at a loss of words right now. I suppose that’s what happens when you mix excitement, nostalgia, exhaustion, reverse culture shock, and okay, just a lot lot more excitement, together. So I guess I’ll just leave it at that, Argentina- you were fantastic. I can’t wait to come back to you soon, and to bring my family with. But right now, it’s time for another part of my life.

And that part starts with some of the worlds biggest hugs and kisses at the MSP airport.

There's something about Argentina..

2011-05-25T16:23:00.006-04:00

So somehow, I went from writing five blog entries before I even got to Argentina- to trying to sum up five months in one final blog at the end of my exchange. Now normally, I'm not one to point fingers, and if there’s one thing my papa’s taught me, it’s to know “when to take responsibility for my actions”... but I SWEAR this time, it really isn’t my fault for being such a negligent blogger! I know I would have done a much better job at updating this if Argentina hadn’t been so dang awesome all the time. But now here I am: with months to update, so much to say, and not a clue where to begin.

So let’s break it down.

February

My host mom and sister took off on their own summer trip to Brazil a few days after I returned from mine, and I found myself back with my first host parents Vito and Graciela in the middle of February. From my first step in their door, I felt completely at home again. It was funny how quickly I found myself falling back into old routines and habits, and realized then more than ever how much the two of them really do feel like family to me. Between Vito's stories, Graciela's cooking, and the added entertainment of living with the German exchange student, Philipp- there was never a dull moment. The weekdays went by quickly and the weekends even faster, as we spent most of them going to the Cejas' summer getaway home in Pirebubuy, Paraguay. Blame it on my Minnesota blood or just my cabin fever, but I have no other way to describe those weekends than to tell you to imagine what a weekend out at the lake would be like if the cabin was in the middle of a jungle, if a passport was necessary to get there, and if there were fresh picked mangos as afternoon snacks instead of Mr. Freezies and cabin toast. (So okay, it's a stretch- but cabin fever is cabin fever.)

My time with the Cejas family once again came to a close, and I found myself packing my bags and moving on to stay with the next family- this time a family from Minnesota! Ruby Manoles' parents, Tim and Chrysanne, came down to Argentina to visit her, and invited myself and Andy Ward (one of the exchange students from Arizona) to Resistencia to hang out with them for their stay, too! The week was hilarious, and I had a blast hopping around and getting to know the city just two hours south of Formosa.

March

Once back in Formosa, I packed and unpacked my bags for the last time until June and settled back in with the Riveros. School across the country started again in the beginning of March, and the over three-month-long summer vacation came to an end..... for everyone else! Since I was already 18 years old when I arrived, however, I was put in the final year of colegio last year and graduated in November. So I instead of going back to school with my sister and the rest of Formosa, I got to continue the [very rough life of] fiestas, siestas and soaking up the sun!

Jim’s parents and sister came to Formosa mid-March, so I pulled the “I’ll help translate!” card to tag along to all the tasty asados our friends and families offered up throughout the week. They also generously invited Philipp and me out to Iguazu Falls with them for a couple days, so we hopped on the colectivo to Puerto Iguazu- and fifteen hours later were at the base of the world’s longest waterfalls. I’m not sure if it was the fact that we had two absolutely gorgeous days or the fact that we came after the rainy season and there was twice as much water cascading down upon us, but I was even more taken aback by them then than I was when I first went half a year earlier. Plus, I was in good company :)

All of my activities started up the week after the Noras headed back to the States. I began helping out in Carmen Caballero (my would have been second mom)’s classrooms teaching English to 50+ eleven yr olds every Monday and Tuesday. I began taking classes to become a “Profesional Pastelera”, or Professional Pastry Chef, every Wednesday, followed by catering classes every Friday. And every Thursday, I weave baskets with Indigenous women at the local arts center (no, that’s no joke). As random as it is, I absolutely love my schedule and, although it’s made the weeks fly by even faster, I know that I’ve enjoyed every minute.

April

As it turns out, I was sent to the capital city in Arg that shares a birthday weekend with me! When followed by Easter a week later, April turned out to be a month of celebrations.

It all started the night of Thursday the 7^th, as friends and I went to town to celebrate Formosa's cumple with fireworks at midnight, a plaza filled with craft tents and music playing from the grandstand. Since my friend’s brother-in-law is the drummer of a folklore band, we stayed until the very end, singing and dancing Chamamé and Samba.

Friday night, I was invited to an asado to celebrate my Spanish teacher Maya’s sister Ana’s birthday (here in Arg., that really isn’t as distant as it sounds). Their families, Jim, Philipp, Vito and Graciela, and the families of my classmates all sat around eating empanadas, sopa paraguaya, and all my favorite Argentinean snacks. It wasn’t until midnight, when the music was shut off and replaced by the sound of trumpets and maracas, that Ana told me that her birthday isn’t until July- and that they had thrown the whole party (and hired a Mariachi band) just for me. I have no way of describing the rest of the night without being cheesy or cliché. All I know is that I will forever have the memory of standing there under the stars, surrounded by my friends and families, with a big sombrero on my head and Maya’s five year old daughter wrapping her arms around my waist as tight as she could, as I was serenaded birthday wishes in Spanish.

My family threw yet another birthday celebration for my friends and me Saturday night, combining all of my favorite Argentinean things: family, friends, asado, karaoke, and boliches. To top it all off, I was able to skype my family from back home and celebrate a bit with them as well. I’ve had a lot of amazing birthdays in my life, but something tells me this one might always stand out a little bit from the rest :)

Semana Santa, or Holy Week, was a very different experience for me. To begin with, I’m living in a Roman Catholic country. This meant that Thursday through Sunday there was no school or work at all, but unlike the rest of Argentina’s long weekends, this one was quiet. There wasn’t cumbia music blasting from backyards or dancing or even going out. It was far less commercialized, without any Easter Bunnies or baskets, jellybeans or dyed eggs. Instead, my highlights from the weekend include a thunderstorm that took out the entire town’s power and ended in a surprisingly beautiful candlelight asado at Lucas’ house with his family, a last supper meal of Yacaré al Wok (stir fried crocodile), and even attending Easter mass in the Catedral (even though it was three hours long).

May

I suppose it was silly of me to say that April was a month of celebrations, because really- EVERY month here Argentineans find plenty of reasons to celebrate. They start off May with Day of the Worker (which, just like Day of the Student or Day of the Teacher- means not working or studying at all). Quickly after came Philipp’s birthday, and later that week my own dad’s 55th (not sure if you wanted that number in print or not papa.. but too late now!) I was able to skype him on his big day, and skype a few other friends and family the next few days- but since the first weekend in May, this has been one of the very first times I’ve been on a computer at all. I shut down my skype, facebook (with the exception of talking to Argentineans) and email, and have been living incommunicado with everyone from back home since. This isn’t the first time I’ve taken a little hiatus throughout my year, but my motive has always been the same: to cut out anything and everything that distracts me from living entirely in the moment in Argentina. And that’s exactly what I’ve been doing.

With the days and weeks before my departure date burning away quickly, now more than ever I have just tried to soak up as much Argentina as possible. I have no doubt in my mind that this year will stand out as one of the most incredible in my life- many thanks to the places I’ve traveled and once in a lifetime experiences I’ve had. But truth is, I think it will be the little things, the everyday moments, which I will cherish and miss the most. It’ll be moments of sipping mate with my host mom, or with friends down by the river late at night. It’ll be staying up until eight in the morning talking about boys with my little sister. It’ll be asados with 30 some people- all family- and realizing I was invited because this year, they consider me part of that, too. It’ll be siestas, lawn chairs in the middle of the sidewalk, and store hours that read “8-11:30 y 5-9:30” that remind me to slow down, relax, and take time for the things and people that are truly important. It’ll be hearing men selling “CHIPA! CHIPA CALIENTE!” from three blocks away. It’ll be walking downtown or going out with Jim and Philipp and being completely sure I was sent to Formosa with two of the most fun exchange students I could ask for. It’ll be moments of realizing we’ve gone ten days without eggs or flour, but being sent on an emergency grocery run because we are almost out of yerba mate (and moments of having a full aisle and a half of brands to choose from once I get to the corner kiosko). It’ll be ringing the doorbell at the Cejas’ home and being greeted with huge hugs and kisses from Ali, Graciela and Vito, and always feeling like I’ve just arrived home. It’ll be nights of driving around with Lucas, Patricio and Celeste listening to the same CD over and over again. It’ll be waking up to the sound of my neighbor’s parrot squeaking “Hoooola! Hola! Hooola!” It’ll be the assurance that I can run as far as a I want, because I know Formosa so well I know I wont get lost. It’ll moments of staying up until 4 talking in the hotel lobby with Jim, because going to bed at 11 with everyone else wasn’t possible after a summer in Argentina. It'll be getting in (and winning) a cumbia/reggeaton dance off. It’ll be picking tropical flowers from branches hanging over the sidewalk on my way into town. It’ll be the goose bumps I got at 75 degrees after months of upper 90’s. It’ll be days of sitting outside talking about life with the kiosk lady, Venny, across the street. It’ll be moments of forgetting words in English, and realizing that Spanish came more easily. It’ll be the moments that I just stepped back, laughed, and realized that "Yep. This is actually my life.” More than anything, it’ll be having so many moments and memories that I’ll never be able to sum up what ‘it was’ about Argentina, but knowing that bottom line, I have been more happy living here in Formosa (the little, industrial border city in the middle of South America) than I ever imagined I could be. And it’ll be knowing that no matter where I travel to or where I end up, that it’ll be one more place that I will call home.

Where to begin..

2011-03-02T16:46:00.003-03:00

I really have no idea where to begin. The past two months have been some of the most incredible of my exchange so far. I have so many things to say that I know I would ramble on forever if given the time- but thinking that at 1000 words/picture posting photos will do a better job than I could :)

Christmas

Everyone says Christmas is hard. Back home- I can never start the Christmas (insert: music/traditions/countdown/shopping/decorating) too soon. With the exception of a few members of my family and a couple select friends, I am the biggest Christmas-season-sucker around, and I thought spending it 5000 miles away from home would be near impossible. I kept waiting for the Christmas homesickness to kick in, hard, but I never hit that point. Christmas this year was just, well, unique.

I never realized how commercialized Navidad is in the States until this year. There are Christmas pageants, carols, sales, cookies, sweaters, candies, lights, trees, presents, parties- you name it. Here in Argentina, however- I hardly knew the holiday was coming until it was already here. (Okay, that's not entirely true... a countdown was the background on my computer for weeks, but still.) Christmas was just SO different, and I knew I would never have another anything like this one, so I made the most of it. Instead of decorating a huge pine tree- I decorated a little cactus and a papaya tree. Instead of making snow angels and playing broom ball, I made a sand angel and went swimming in possibly piranha infested waters. And instead of curling up tight at Grandma Beske's with my cousins at midnight Christmas Eve, I danced with Vito and stood out on my Argentinian Grandma's balcony with my head on Graciela's shoulder watching the sky above Formosa light up with fireworks. It was a Christmas unlike any other, and a Christmas I will never forget.

Besides, with my good friend Skype again- I was able to carry on at least a few of the annual traditions:

Erin Tollefson and I carried on our annual Christmas arts n' crafts over skype- bringing snowflakes to Argentina for the first time ever.

I was able to sit down at the dinner table with my family for our annual Christmas dinner fondue. (I had stir fry and pasta, with a side plate full of mango, pineapple, and papaya).

My first Christmas as a Catholic girl- going to mass with my host mom. It was a beautiful service, and completely different from Hector's back home... that is until they turned off the lights, passed around candles, and started singing Noche de Paz (Silent Night). I would be lying if I said I made it through that one with dry eyes- but it was absolutely perfect.

Me, Graciela, and Alicia (our housekeeper), baking up a storm in the kitchen. We blasted my x-mas tunes and the AC and got to work- ending up making roughly fifteen loaves of budin and twenty five loaves of pan dulce- the two staple snacks of the holiday season- in one afternoon.

New family, New home, New Years

Christmas Day ended up being very bittersweet for me. Here in Argentina- the real celebration comes right before and after midnight (of course)- and the actual Christmas Day is very relaxed. I spent it laying out in the sun, eating an asado with my family, and unfortunately- packing my bags. The next day was moving day. Vito and Graciela, my first host parents here in Formosa, were absolutely incredible. They not only welcomed me with open arms and made me feel at home- they really truly do feel like family. I will never be able to show my appreciation for all they did enough, and 'gracias' will never cut it. Saying goodbye was far from easy.

Fortunately, my incredible luck with my Rotary exchange just kept continuing and I found myself at the house of Laly Gomez and Rosarito Rivero. Instantly I felt like family with them. My sister, Rosarito, is so bubbly and fun, and has become one of my very very best friends here in Argentina. Even on nights when we went out late and came back tired, we would stay up for hours talking and laughing. My host mom, Laly, told me right away that I was her hija and to call her mamá... and that is exactly what she has been ever since. She is a strong-willed and spunky, and runs her own business, takes care of her house, and still manages to balance a social life with ease.

This picture above is of Midnight on New Years Eve! On my right in the white is my host mom. On my left in the blue is my oldest host sister, Mavi, her husband, Matias, is poking his head out from behind, and their 7 month old son Gino is still awake somewhere in the room soaking in his first new year. To the right of my host mom is a family friend and, in the purple, the sweet lady who works at the corner store across the street, Venny. Family members not pictured are: Rosarito, host brother Dani, oldest host brother Mario, Mario's wife Gisella, and their son Tiago (5).

BRAZIL!!

Then, for an entire month after New Years, I had the incredible opportunity to get to know the country and culture of Argentina's neighbor, Brazil. As a group, we represented 23 different countries, roughly 10 distinct languages, four Minnesotans and TWO NORTHFIELDERS! Aletha Duchene, who is living in Mato Grosso, Brazil, was also on the trip! It was soooo fun to be able to meet halfway through our exchange, catch up, compare experiences, and spend the most amazing January ever together. In 30-some days, we covered over 13,000 km and made stops at several of Brazil's most impressive cities and beaches, including; Brasilia (the capital), Fortaleza, Natal, Recife, Salvador, Porto Seguro and Rio!

In Brasilia with the group on our first day of the trip. From here, we traveled to the Northeast ...

where we spent the rest of the month hopping from peninsulas of turquoise waters and white sand beaches,

to islands of turquoise waters and white sand beaches,

through colorful little villages,

and bustling urban centers,

... and to some more white sand beaches.

Every place we stopped seemed even more amazing than the last, and our last destination of the trip, Rio de Janeiro (what I assumed would be an over rated, crowded city) became a personal favorite.

We got to see that Christ the Redeemer is even bigger in person than it appears in photos

(so big that in order to get a picture you have to literally lay on the ground)

we walked the most famous street in the world for Carnival,

enjoyed the view of Rio from the top of Sugarloaf Mountain

and soaked up rays on Copacabana Beach.

It really was an absolutely incredible trip, and the memories and friendships made along the way were unbelievable. I still can't believe how lucky I am- to have seen so much of not my own country, but of Brazil as well.

I learned quite a few things about myself along the way, too. While I had prepared myself for language to be difficult in my first weeks/months of my exchange, I had also been told that January is usually the time when exchange students hit that "waterfall" of fluency when everything comes together. Having had a background in Spanish before Argentina, my transition in August was fairly smooth.. yet at the point I had imagined being able to speak nearly perfectly- I was suddenly trying to maneuver in Portuguese. I wasn't prepared for how difficult and frustrating it would be at times, and I have to give even more credit to all the exchange students learning a new language from start.

I also realized how much I missed Argentina while gone- the culture between Brazil and Argentina was surprisingly different, and there were certain things that I really began to miss while away. Formosa really feels like "home" to me, my families really feel like family, and Argentina really feels like where I belong. It began to sink in that if I was homesick for Argentina after just a few weeks- while in just the neighboring country- and while enjoying Brazil's best beaches and cities with 100 friends... leaving in June is going to be even harder than I imagined.

Time is absolutely FLYING by, and now that I have my return date set (leave here June 11th at 2:50pm), it is all feeling even more real. As excited as I am to see all of my friends and family back home, I know the 3 1/2 months until then are going to sneak up on me. I will just continue making the absolute best of my time and situations and soaking up as much Argentina-spirit as possible. I said it in July, and it still holds true today: I have no idea what the rest of this year will bring. I don't know what my challenges will be, nor can I imagine what memories I will return home with. All I know is that I am ready to speak some Spanish, dance a little tango, and try to take on whatever Argentina decides to throw my way.

home sweet home

2010-12-10T16:05:00.001-03:00

Back at the end of October, I remember having conversations about the heat or how much people in Argentina go out at night, and being told "Oh Mia, just you wait... this is nothing." I would laugh and make a joke about 'nothing' in English must mean something very different, then... but after a few days of 90 degree temperature differences between here and Northfield and not being able to quite remember what it was like to not stay up till morning, I finally am realizing that I should never doubt a Formoseño again. The time since returning from Patagonia has gone by just as fast (if not faster) than the trip itself. While all the traveling I've been able to do so far has been absolutely amazing, I can't tell you how good it feels to be "back home" again. And Formosa really does feel that way- like home. Not in the sense that it feels like my home back in Minnesota, in fact, it doesn't feel like Northfield even slightly. It feels like home in the sense that I can give directions and know which bus line to take to get from place to place, I know which banks allow me to take out the most money at a time, and of course have the ice cream flavors at both Grido and Gnomo practically memorized (not that deciding on just two flavors is any easier that way). My family here really does feel like family and, despite being 5'7" and blonde, I feel like I fit in with them perfectly. There's not a doubt in my mind that I hit the jackpot with where I am right now- my family, my friends, my home, my city, everything. But the four month mark came out of no where this time and with the way December is going so far, I can already tell time will only pick up from here. So how bout a few highlights from the past two weeks, eh?

Festival de Folklore

The night we arrived back in Formosa, Mauricio (my future host brother) had a performance at the amphitheater in town. Not knowing anything else, but convinced it would be adorable, I tagged along with Carmen (future host mom) and Jim (other American). As we found our way to our seats, we were surrounded by little boys dressed as gauchos and girls in bright colored dresses running around in every direction. The south may have been stunning, but there was nothing like three-hours of traditional dancing and singing to make me appreciate how unique and rich Formosa's culture really is.

Mural

Back in October, I started taking these art classes at the theatre downtown. For 10 pesos a month (virtually nothing), you can take as many classes and subjects as you want. Besides the buck fifty double-scoop-chocolate-dipped-crunch-topped ice cream cone downtown, it's the best deal around. So naturally, I was just itching to start classes back up in December. Once I walked in the art institute, however, I realized they were taking everything down- and was told by Roque (the incredibly nice man that works there) that unfortunately there aren't classes until February because the air conditioning is too expensive during the summer! I was bummed but fine with this knowing how busy December was going to be and the fact that I'll be in Brazil all of January, but Roque wouldn't let me leave without being able to offer me something to do. So I am currently on a team of artists working to construct and paint a mural for a nature reserve here in Formosa! Can't believe my luck on landing that one.

Basketball games

Formosa's basketball stadium is just a little over three blocks from my house, and I have been running around it all year long, but over the past two weeks my friends and I have really made the most of it and are becoming true Union fans. Their star player, David Jackson, is from the States and naturally Jim and I are determined to go to enough games and cheer in enough English to catch his attention and become chums. While that plan is still in action, we did end up meeting Meaghan Mikulas from North Carolina. She is married to another of the players, is super sweet, and in her very Argentinean way has already invited us to go to the beach or out to an asado! Only in Formosa, I'm tellin you.

Asados, Poker, Mechanical Bulls and Flood Football

All separate highlights, of course, just all with the same crazy Argentinean group. One of my closest friends here in Formosa comes from a big family with even bigger personalities. They are all so extremely generous and friendly, and although I never know what exactly a night with them has in store, I can always be sure my cheeks will literally sting from smiling once it's over (so usually around 6 in the morning). With their backyard and patio as the stage, they bring the entertainment with nights of dancing cumbia, playing poker, singing karaoke, playing football in the middle of a downpour, or even renting a mechanical bull just for kicks and giggles. Fortunately Lucas and his girlfriend Cele are two of the few from my course staying in Formosa to study next fall (March, that is), so I know the memories made with this family will keep coming all year long.

Summer Heat

The days here in Formosa can get hot. And I mean really hot. There have been a number of days where weather.com has showed an 80 or even 90-degree temperature difference between here and Northfield. It feels absolutely nothing like December, and naturally- I'm loving it. My favorite pastime has become laying out in the sun in my backyard, listening to music and eating the fresh fruit I bought from the corner. (side note: the fruit itself should deserve it's own highlight bullet point- I am pretty sure I eat my body weight in papaya, pineapple, mango, watermelon, kiwi and strawberry every week here). Add in some cool tereré and talks about life with Graciela and it becomes a truly perfect day. The sun is stronger down here, though, which meant that I got my first non-snow induced December sunburn, but it was well worth the red, and since my goal is to become more tan by February than I ever have been in August, the strong summer sun with work in my favor by the end.

"one serving"

Graduation

It took me two tries, but I am officially done graduating from high school! I walked out the doors of Colegio Nacional for the last time this morning after the ceremony and couldn't help but to think back to my real graduation back at NHS. The two ceremonies were almost nothing alike. Of course there were the inevitable similarities between every graduation: the principal or superintendent that gives the long welcome, the parents that patiently wait through the list of students until their child's name is called so they can cheer loudly and snap a dozen photos, and

my diploma

the student speaker that begins their speech with "Well, class of (insert year), we did it." Here, however, there was neither the graduation song nor caps thrown in the air at the end. Instead, the ceremony went something like this: at 8:15, students began to gather in the courtyard of our school. The 'patio' (or big open area with a stage on one end) was covered in plastic chairs and had been decorated by sheets of fabric strung overhead. Of course millions of pictures were taken as people gathered around the classmates they would soon part with, and the excitement in the air was mixed with that all too familiar feeling of nostalgia. About 15 minutes before the ceremony was supposed to actually begin, the sky opened up and everyone climbed over each other to escape the pouring rain. The students then took full advantage of the extra 45 minutes without power to take more pictures, chant more songs, and clap and dance all over the patio. Finally, the lights came back on and the ceremony began (see long welcome/waiting through list of students/sentimental speech, above, for info on that) but instead of patiently sitting through all of this- there were chanting and clapping, constant cheering, and 'the wave' was even pulled out a few times as student after student went up to receive their certificate. It was nice to see Colegio Nacional was as much of a chaotic fiesta the my last time there as it was my first, and while I can't deny that I'm happy to be on summer vacation for a number of reasons, I think I might actually miss that crazy place.

It's Starting to Look a Lot Like Christmas (sorta)
Although it seems impossible to believe this is December, and that X-mas is just (check the countdown) 15 days away- I love that I am finally able to blast Christmas carols and hang lights in the middle of summer without getting the usual eye-roll from Sam! And though it seems bizarre to see the decoration-section snowman-free, the fact that there are palm trees hung with ornaments completely makes up for it. I think that if Christmas weren't completely new and different this year, the homesickness would kick in a lot more- but I won't EVER have a Christmas anything like this one again, so I'm going to make the most of it.

Sam and his ginger beard, a christmas tree, and santa ornaments... ah the holidays

Plus, with my very good friend Skype, I was able to take part in the Estenson holiday traditions this year as well! Last Sunday, I sat down with my computer and skyped the fam as we had part 1 of our family Christmas. We hung up our santa and angel ornaments (a tradition our family has- throughout the year we keep our eyes peeled for a santa for Sam and an angel for me that represents our year in someway. Sam's ornament this year was a Santa with a yellow lab, in honor of our new dog, Abbey, and mine was an angel that I had bought with Erin and Lizzie on our spring break trip down to Mexico) we set up our Dickens' Village, and mom even read me a Christmas story by the fire. It was exactly as it always is each year, (which is also a clear display of how Grandma Beske passed the sentimental/tradition loving gene straight through Mom to me) but I couldn't help but to be reassured that despite not being there this year, that there are some things that will never change. I love those three so incredibly much- I think I could travel the world twice and still not come up a better crew.

to the south and back

2010-12-01T16:36:00.000-03:00

Argentina just gets more amazing everyday. I knew even before I left that this trip would be hard to put into words once I got back, I just didn't realize how near impossible it would be for me to summarize the highlights.... mainly because I didn't think just about every point would be a high for me. The truth is, however, that when you take 80 outgoing, energetic, adventurous people from all over the world and put them on a bus to travel throughout gorgeous Patagonia for three weeks, you can't expect anything but a good time.

Córdoba

We arrived in Córdoba mid-morning on Tuesday the 9th and we spent the first couple hours in a shopping mall in the city getting to know each other. About a fourth of the crew I had already met during our weekend at Iguazu Falls, and since in the exchange-student world a weekend is all the time you need to become best friends, it was fun to reunite with so many of them. A few hours (and my first McDonalds experience in Argentina) later, we were loaded up on busses and headed for our first stop: Puerto Madryn.

Puerto Madryn

Though the drive was a long one (1,500 km!), time passes quickly when you're playing games or watching movies or turning the bus into a make-shaft disco and getting to know people from all over the world... and the final destination was well worth spending a night on the bus. We took advantage of a chance to stretch our legs immediately after arriving and spent the evening exploring the coastline, grabbing a bite to eat at a corner cafe, doing an already much-needed YouTube abs workout to try to battle our alfajore intake, and enjoying some quality girl-talk as we fell asleep (okay, crashed) in our rooms.

The next morning we were up bright and early at 5:20am with an incredible day of sights ahead of us. Our first stop was at Puerto Pirámides. Here, we piled out of the busses, strapped on some lovely orange life jackets, and boarded the boats to go whale watching. Admittedly, I thought we were just in store for a nice boat ride and pretty view of the coast, with the chance of seeing a whale or two in the distance... but just a few minutes out on the water and we were snapping our cameras like crazy at whales not more than 10 meters away. Before heading back home, we stopped at Caleta Valdés where we saw one of the world's largest colonies of adorable, chubby sea elephants laying out in the sun. Back in Puerto Madryn that night, a group of us decided to get a game of ultimate frisbee going down on the beach, and once we realized that it was far too windy, we improvised and our game of frisbee turned into a two hour game of beach-rugby and one of my favorite nights of the trip. It was the perfect way to cap off our stay at Puerto Madryn before heading further south to El Calafate!

El Calafate

After another nightlong road trip (highlighted with satisfying my craving for microwave popcorn and stopping at a penguin colony!) we arrived in El Calafate, Argentina. Of all the amazing cities we stayed in throughout the trip, El Calafate ranked way up there. The clear touristic highlight of the trip was spending a day at the Perito Moreno glacier- the only growing inland glacier on earth. We took a million pictures of the glacier and the Cerro Fitz Roy mountain peaks from our cruise boat and from land, where we could really get a good view of the calving. Call me a sucker for the simple stuff- but as amazing as this day was, it was equally matched by the ways we spent our free time: tanning and playing frisbee at the base of the Andes, grazing through the souvenir shops and local art fairs, and making an "American breakfast" of french toast, scrambled eggs and bacon in our cabin.

From El Calafate, we took off for EL FIN DEL MUNDO, Ushuaia!

I know I just said El Calafate ranked way up there, but I think hanging out in the Southern-most city in the world took the cake. If you look on a map, you'll see that the very tip of Argentina is actually not connected to the rest of the country, meaning that you have to drive through Chile in order to get to Ushuaia (more importantly, meaning more stamps to our passports and adding dolphins to our list of spotted wildlife!).

Though we didn't arrive in Ushuaia till late at night, it's far enough south that the sun was just setting behind the mountains and we got a perfect view of the city and harbor below lit up like a little Christmas village.
Our schedule for down in Ushuaia was really relaxed and open, with a few trips around the city or to the Tierra del Fuego National Park, allowing us lots of time to explore on our own and use the phrase "we're at the end of the world, why not?" as much as possible.

Lake District: Esquel, Bariloche, San Martin de los Andes

Before I knew it we were packing up our suitcases and heading off to the next stop. The drive from Ushuaia to Argentina's lake district is a long one, but almost two days, over 2000km, and about a dozen games of truth or dare later... we arrived.

Throughout the next five days, we traveled between Esquel, Bariloche and San Martin de los Andes. I don't know (or know if I want to know) how many pictures of the mountains and lakes I took- but every turn our bus took around the winding roads gave us a view that topped the last in sheer beauty. We went to National Parks, a chocolate factory, walked up and down the streets window shopping, and my personal favorite: swimming at the base of the Andes.

The other exchange students on the trip were incredible and I feel like I've known some of them for years instead of just a few weeks. I met people from every background who, after this year, are going to head out in every direction.. but for this trip, we were all together to have a good time and see a little more of this awesome country. And it was better than I ever even imagined.

ps- I've loaded all my pictures from this blog and a few more onto another tab titled (creatively) "photos"

patagonia, here i come!

2010-11-08T14:00:00.000-03:00

Today I leave for the long anticipated Rotary trip to Patagonia! I have (finally) packed up my suitcase and backpack, have gone to the bank to pull out the extra cash I'll be needing, and have said so-long to my classmates. Now all I have to do is sit and wait for my bus to come so I can be on VACATION!

I'll be gone for just under three weeks and will have no idea how to sum up a three week vacation to Patagonia with friends from all over the world once I get back. SO, instead I've decided just to post the itinerary of my trip here and be able to spend more times on the details and highlights upon my return!

Nov 9: Córdoba – Puerto Madryn. Departure at 14:30 hs making stops in Río Cuarto; Santa Rosa de la Pampa, Río Colorado and San Antonio Oeste.
Nov 10: Puerto Madryn. At mid day arrival to the cabins and rooms distribution. During the afternoon we will make a city tour visiting seaside promenade, quay and monument to the Tehuelche Indian in Punta Cuevas where we will have an magnificent view of the city.
Nov 11: Puerto Madryn. Full day excursion to Reserva Provincial Península de Valdés. Walking round the Florentino Ameghino isthmus Patagonical Fauna Interpretation Center. Arrival to Puerto Pirámides and travel by boat for incredible experiences: Sea trip for seashore sightseeing and observing the magnificent Southern Frank Whales and sea wolves on their natural habitants. Return to the quay. Lunch. In the afternoon we will go to Caleta Valdés where we will find one of the world´s biggest sea elephants colonies and where we might have the chance to see „Orcas“ (wrongly known as killer whales).
Nov 12: Puerto Madryn-Calafate. Departure at approx. 07.30 hs visiting Trelew and the Reserva Faunistica Cabo dos Bahias where the biggest continental colony of Magallanes Penguin is living. There besides watching their particular uses and behaviours we will have the opportunity to see the most spectacularly calmed and deep blue sea unique in the patagonic seashores. Around 18.00 hs we will go towards Calafate stopping in Comodoro Rivadavia (for having dinner), San Julian, Piedrabuena and Esperanza.
Nov 13: Calafate. Arrival at mid day. Lunch. Free afternoon for resting or walking around the city whose main turistic natural attraction is the spectacular „Lago Argentino“ which consists of the melted water from the argentinian glaciers.
Nov 14: Calafate. Excursion to the Parque Nacional los Glaciares: Departure approx. at 08.30 hs. We will travel around the shores of the Lago Argentino where we will be able appreciate in just 80 km the vegetation which will change from praries to forrest, besides the enormous snowy peacks. With a little bit of attention inside the leafy woods we might have the opportunity to watch deer, fox and native birds such as condors. After making a stop in the park administration we shall proceed to the final destination „El Glaciar Perito Moreno“ (the only growing inland glacier on earth). Lunch and free day to walk around the viewpoints located in front of the glacier which has a total length of 5 kms. Return to Calafate at approx. 18.00 hs
Nov 15: Calafate. Day to make optional activities like Trekking in the „Glaciar Perito Moreno“, Cerro Fitz Roy and Lago del Desierto, excursions by boat to the different lakes and glaciers such as Spegazzini, Mayo and Upsalla. Furthermore you will have the chance of visiting cave paintings from the local indians.
Nov 16: Calafate-Ushuaia. Departure at 04.00 hs hs towards the city of Ushuaia making stops in Rio Gallegos the argentinian custom, the chilean custom and Rio Grande. The attractivity of this journey is that for 4 hours we will pass through chilean territory because it is the only terrestrial access to the province of Tierra del Fuego. Then for an hour we will go by ferry through the Strait of Magallanes. The arrival hour to the city of Ushuaia depends on the duration of customs and immigration paperwork of the international police but it is estimated that the arrival will be during the late night.
Nov 17: Ushuaia. Free Morning for resting. Lunch. Travelling from the city Ushuaia up to the „Cerro Martial“. At the end of the afternoon you will have the chance to go shopping (tax free).
Nov 18: Ushuaia. Excursion to the Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego: walking around mountain roads between leafy forrests which contains local flora like lenga, cohiue, nire, canelo, and more than 30 kinds of bracken and 400 kinds of moss besides the uncountable amount of wild flowers. After observing the beautiful panoramic views of Canal de Beagle its mountainous islands and the limits between the argentinian and chilean islands will arrive to the majestic Bahía Lapataia where is the ending of the road we are travelling through „ruta nacional numero 3“. There we will have reconaissance walk with a specialized guide. Return to the city and free afternoon to take a boat excursion over the „Canal de Beagle“ (Optional).
Nov 19: Ushuaia - Esquel. Departure at 06.00 hs towards Río Gallegos by the same road we have already travelled to get into Tierra del Fuego Island. Stop in Rio Grande, customs and Río Gallegos where ww will have dinner. After dinner we continue the trip to Esquel.
Nov 20: Esquel. Arrival during afternoon. Free day for resting.
Nov 21: Esquel - San Carlos de Bariloche. Departure during the morning visiting the Parque Nacional los Alerces. The trip starts at the park administration where you will listen to an informative talk and later you can visit the interpretation center and the museum of Los Alerces. After that we will continue to the shores of the Lago Futalaufquen where you will keep on walking surrounded by the vegetation limited by the lake already mentioned until we arrive to the „Pictografias Rupestres“ and the „Mirador Aborigen“. Return to Esquel where we will have lunch. We will visit the town El Bolsón, after that we will continue the trip to Bariloche. Arrival during the evening.
Nov 22: San Carlos de Bariloche. Excursion by the Circuito Chico and Punto Panorámico from where we can appreciate an magnificent view of the Lago Nahuel Huapi and its islands and the background of the snowy peaks of the Cordillera de los Andes. Then we will visit the famous international hotel Llao-Llao. Return to the hotel during the afternoon.
Nov 24: San Carlos de Bariloche- San Martín de los Andes. After breakfast we will leave towards San Martín de los Andes by the route de los 7 lagos, visiting Villa la Angostura, Lago Espejo, and Lago Falkner, arriving in San Martín de los Andes approx. at 19 hs. This excursion is depends on the route.
Nov 25: San Martín de los Andes - Córdoba. Departure after lunch, with stops in Piedra del Águila, Neuquén, 25 de Mayo, Santa Rosa de la Pampa y Río Cuarto.
Nov 26: Córdoba. Arrival to the City of Córdoba at 13:00 hs.

Did I mention I'm excited?!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone back home! I hope you all make the sacrifice of eating an extra scoop of mashed potatoes or slice of apple pie for me :)

the little things make my day

2010-11-01T19:39:00.000-03:00

I feel like there are so many things down here that I get so excited about doing, just because it's in Argentina! Not saying that isn't a perfectly good reason to get excited, but often times it's just little things that absolutely make my day. Now this blog isn't about anything particularly impressive or thrilling, and I know that all of you probably have much better stories to tell about your daily lives... but I have a blog. So I guess I can just write about whatever I like, and at least to ME the little things have been pretty exciting.

First little thing that makes my day: I'm friends with taxi drivers. Blondes are rare in Formosa, and since I usually have to take a taxi into town, it didn't take long for me to become a familiar face. Now, there are many times when I'll be out running or walking around town and hear *honk honk* "MIA!!" While in the States, I probably would have found this a tad creepy- here it never fails to make me laugh.

Second little thing: I spent Halloween on the beach! Had it been any other day, this probably wouldn't have phased me, but it wasn't until I was sitting there with some friends talking about holidays in the US when I realized that was the first and possibly only time I'll ever need to put on sunscreen when I go out for Halloween.

Third little thing: Not that it was ever really on there in the first place, but I can now check of running a 5k in Argentina off my to-do list! Normally I get up and run before school to avoid hitting the afternoon heat, but with this having been my first day back to school in a while I forgot to reset my alarm. So a couple hours ago I decided to suck it up and just go run, and I'm so happy I did! As I got closer to the track I realized there was a really big crowd (especially for a Monday afternoon) and curiously went to check it out. Turns out I had arrived just in time and that there was a 5k race for Día de los Muertos. They invited me to compete, and, happy to have people to pace myself with and eager to add another experience to my list, I quickly agreed. I'm not sure if it was actually me being in good shape, or just the combination of music, montage of CC memories running through my head the entire time, and adrenaline that made me kick it into gear, but I ended up coming in third! Now if only race-participation shirts were as popular in Formosa as they are back home...

Tomorrow is Día de los Muertos, so no school again! Turns out I'll graduate from high school down here having never been to 4 consecutive days :) Instead I'm going to go shopping with my friends in Paraguay and then hit the beach again for the evening. Then just 3 more days of school and I'll be packing my bags for Patagonia!

Besos y abrazos a todos,

Mia

travel (for real this time)

2010-10-29T23:32:00.001-03:00

Aconcagua

Argentina is so underrated.

My Rotary club asks me what it was that made me want to go to Argentina, my classmates ask me what stereotypes Americans have of their culture, our cook Alicia asks me what were my favorite Argentinian foods before I came down and tried the real thing... To all of them, I am almost too embarrassed to admit that we don't talk about Argentina enough back home for me to have had stereotypes or favorite foods in the first place.

A year ago, I knew an embarrassingly little amount about it here. I knew that Argentina had Messi and Maradona, tango, and a bunch of meat... but didn't know much else. Now I've realized that there isn't much Argentina DOESN'T have. In terms of natural beauty, they have waterfalls, desert, glaciers, the Andes, fields and grasslands, beaches, and jungle. I feel like the luckiest exchange student in the world because not only am I in such an incredible and diverse country- but I've gotten to travel and see so much of it already!

aren't they adorable?

Last Friday my amazing host parents Vito and Graciela generously took a week out of their busy work schedules, loaded up the pick up, and took the other American exchange student in Formosa, Jim, and I on a big grand adventure. At about 7 Friday night we jumped in the car and drove through: star-studded nights, tiny villages, modern cities, wide open corn and wheat fields, salt flats, miles and miles of vineyards, amazing rock formations, and the Andes. Two days and almost 2000km later we arrived in Mendoza, Argentina.

Ashley and I finally reunited

Fifteen minutes later I was sprinting around the front of Vito's truck to jump in Ashley Tollefson's arms. For the entire time I have been here, every person I have been in contact with has been someone I have met through Rotary, and so I can't explain the rush of emotion and excitement to suddenly find myself in the middle of Mendoza with someone who has been practically family for the past 12 years- since I became best friends with her little sister, Erin. Ash has been studying abroad here since July and was an amazing guide for our stay. She would take Jim and I around the city whenever we weren't winding 9000m up narrow roads to get a look at Aconcagua (the highest mountain peak outside the Himalayas), taking tours through vineyards on la Ruta de Vino, or eating at outdoor cafes, and it was so good to catch up with her again!

Saying goodbye was really hard, but fortunately I have a million and two things to look forward to right now. I just got back from a week to Mendoza, am going to be back in Formosa for my last (okay, and first) complete week of school, and then will be taking off on a three week trip down to Patagonia with the other exchange students! Then summer break starts once I get back, I'll have Christmas and New Years in the summer (SO bizarre to think about!), and then I take off again for a month long trip through Brazil! I can't believe how lucky I am!! These next few months are going to absolutely fly by and I can't even imagine the awesome experiences I'll end up with once they are done!

PHOTOS.

because even if it wasn't exactly the easiest or smoothest drive, it was certainly beautiful.

Cows in the clouds. Of course I would find this in Argentina.

Mama, you may have needed some serious dramamine for this drive

I am SO thankful Vito paid attention to road signs

still climbing.

Ah!

Vineyards and vineyards all the way until the base of the Andes

Plaza Independencía in Mendoza

wine country

Puente del Inca

travel (in a way)

2010-10-19T21:02:00.001-03:00

These past two weeks, I have been on one of the best vacations I've taken in a while. I have gotten the chance to meet people I wouldn’t have ever met, do things I’ve never given myself time to do, really see Argentina, and speak a boatload of español. I didn’t go back to Iguazú, not to Buenos Aires, Patagonia, or the Andes… I just shut down my computer and set off to conquer the world.

It’s something they preach at every Rotary event and orientation “don’t spend so much time on the computer!” …but they are always talking to a room full of 15-19 year olds living in the 21st century who have grown up absolutely surrounded by this sweet little thing called ‘technology’, so those long speeches aren’t really all that effective.

‘Cause really, technology is AMAZING! This fall, through Skype I’ve gotten to see the inside of more dorms than my entire college search, been able to watch the reconstruction of our kitchen floors, and even see St. Olaf in the fall (a sight I thought I’d miss for the first time in 18 years). Through e-mails, I’ve been able to get important documents from my dad overnight, see adorable pictures of my cousin Brian’s new baby twins, and send birthday greetings to friends and relatives (since postcards are a rare find down here). Facebook, of course, has kept me up to date on all that is going on back home and in the lives of the other N-field outbounds around the globe. Technology is an awesome, powerful thing.

…That’s the problem. Because it is so (pick word: incredible, fast, easy, free, interesting), it doesn’t take much for it to become a boredom-buster, time-filler, or just an escape back to the good ol’ world of íngles… basically, It’s an awesome, powerful thing that can easily get in the way of an even more awesome and powerful experience- and the real reason I decided to sign up this this loco adventure in the first place. I’m sure all you wise Rotarians out there are hoping to hear that I did this because I was listening and just wanted to be the best exchange student I could be. I can pretend if it makes you feel better, but in all honesty, I just did it for myself; for a little challenge, experiment, and a little me-time.

So, I went AWOL, and shut it down: skype, facebook, e-mail, my blog, everything, OFF. And I loved it. One day, I felt artsy, so I went down to the center and joined the art institute where I will now be taking drawing, painting, ceramics, guitar, voice (what?!) and indigenous art classes for the summer and fall. Another day, I felt hungry, so I spent a few days in the kitchen cooking up a storm and have now mastered a number of traditional dishes. I’ve learned (VERY) basic portuguese online, gotten pretty dang good at yoga, and don’t even know how long I went without speaking or hearing English. It was only two weeks, and unfortunately my dream of conquering the world in such a short time didn't quite happen, but I’ve at least learned to see the world around me in a whole new way.

and the world, my friends, is pretty freakin’ cool.

Las Cataratas del Iguazú

2010-10-05T12:30:00.012-03:00

The minute I learned I was going to be spending this year in Argentina I hopped in the car and hit the travel section of our public library. I still remember the excitement I had as my parents and I flipped through the pages, marveling at pictures of tango-dancers, Patagonia, the Andes, gauchos, and Iguazu Falls. I held the book closer as I landed on the picture of those great waterfalls, trying to imagine what that photographer must have felt like as they stood at the base of those cascades...

...I had no idea.

This weekend it was my turn to be the one standing in awe as I and the 38 other exchange students in our district explored the jungle and waterfalls of Iguazu. I could tell you stats about how at 8,900 feet wide they are the longest waterfalls in the world, or how there is so much water rushing over those 275 cascades that you could overfill twelve Olympic sized swimming pools per second, or I could talk about the monkeys, birds, and wildlife that make up the exotic jungle. I could.. but I can't pretend to be a good enough writer to be able to encapsulate those falls in a blog post.

So instead, I'll do a quick recap of the weekend and leave you with a few pictures in hopes that with 1000 words each they might do a better job:

My weekend started Friday evening as the 3 other exchange students from Formosa and I hopped on a bus and took off. After a quick layover in Resistencia our group grew to thirteen, and by 9 the next morning we were eating pastries at our hotel in Puerto Iguazú. From there the real adventure began: a weekend of hearing about the Rotary trips available throughout the year, of traveling to a lookout point where we could stand in Argentina and look across the river at Paraguay and Brasil, of getting absolutely drenched as our boat sped up to (and under) the crashing waters of Iguazu falls, and a weekend of making amazing memories and friendships with the other exchange students in our district.

I know I say it all the time, but Argentina is so cool.

the exchange students of district 4845 in Argentina, with Paraguay and Brazil in the background! I would have been excited seeing three states at the same time- three countries was pretty amazing.

from left to right, starting in the back:

Belgium, Demark

Washington DC, Minnesota, Germany, and Minnesota!

First glimpse of the falls

From the top of the cascades (holding onto my camera VERY tightly)

Mono!

Octavio and I getting right up to the edge

Watching as the mist of 'Salto Bossetti' waterfalls soaked those below

Andy, Ruby, Pierre and I taking in the view

The waterfalls and jungle couldn't even fit in the frame

the waterfalls that drenched us from head to toe

(my whimpy poncho couldn't do a thing to keep me dry)

loading the boat

One of the last shots on the boat before our ride turned from 'show' to 'shower'.

In the distance, you can see the Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat)- the first of the 275 falls

more waterfalls, more jungle

Las Dos Hermanas

Not looking at ALL like tourists... ;)

Walking out to the Devil's throat. Couldn't have asked for a better day.

Garganta del Diabl0: every second would overfill an Olympic sized swimming pool.

Also, look closely and you can see the rainbow stretched across the cascade

One of the MANY vibrant butterflies

Canon del Diablo and the mist of la Garganta from 230 ft. below

la vida argentina

2010-09-18T19:27:00.002-04:00

3 things you never see down here, 3 things that aren't the same, and 3 things I am going to miss back in the States! (If I have to crunch it down to 3 of each.)

Things you never see in Argentina:

1) stop signs.

Its first come first serve down here. If the road is busy, the cars, busses and motorcycles play a giant game of Tetris to see how they can fit. I'm still not sure if there are speed limits, taxis don't have seat belts, and pedestrians in no way have the right of way. I'm not trying to scare you mom, even though it seems like there is no system or organization to me, everyone down here seems to know what to do! Lets just say it’s a very good thing that no driving is one of the four D's, or I would certainly crash.

2) girls running.

And my siesta runs have become one of my favorite routines down here. The weather right now here in Formosa is perfect for a good run, and while the air is thick and will likely get thicker as the year goes on, I've begun to love just getting out and exploring... but so far it's just been me and the men out there. In fact, as far as sports go- there are not many options for girls. As far as I can tell it's dancing (which is my 'gym' every Mon. and Wed.), volleyball, and swimming. My soccer cleats are getting lonely:(

3) babies. Okay, we have babies in the states too... but not babies on scooters. Here it's not uncommon to see a mom and dad driving a motorcycle with a little baby just sandwiched in between for the ride. This isn't something I'm judging either- for many of these people the cost of transportation any other way just isn't an option. Even for me, the cost of the taxi ride to school every morning is starting to take a hit. While taxi fees are not even CLOSE to what they are in the states, I end up dishing out two bucks each ride. Good thing my school has so many days off!

things that are just different here.

1) fruit.

Papayas, mangos, oranges, bananas, grapefruit, pineapple, you name it. SOO fresh.

2) emotions.

I’m not sure if it is the Argentine culture or if, since apparently some 2/3 of the population are from Italian descent, the credit should go to Italy... but between exaggerated hand motions, tones, and facial expressions- it is not ever too hard to tell exactly how someone is feeling. Even from a block away. This has been fun since for the most part this is one of the happiest cultures I have ever known.

3) school.

I know I've said this before, but I can't stress enough how different it is! I have yet to have a full week of class, in fact I have yet to even have four consecutive days of class! Next week is no exception either, Tuesday is 'the day of the student' (one of the many school-related celebrations in September) and we all have the day off. Ahh Argentina:)

things we don't have back home (and that I'm going to miss dearly!)

1) yerba mate. One of Argentina's most traditional customs, more popular than tango and cheaper than a good steak, can be served in two ways: mate or tereré. To drink mate, simply poor hot water over the grassy herbs. For tereré, fix ice water, lemonade, tang, whatever you want and again, pour over the glassy herbs. Top either off with a metal spraw (spoon/straw), friends and/or family and enjoy! The result is a refreshing herbal tea of sorts with a bitter taste that has grown on me to the point of addiction.

2) siesta time.

This is Argentina's nationwide naptime! The actual siesta varies in length and hours, but generally takes place after lunch in the early afternoon. For many of my friends here, they can hit the sack from 1 till 5/6 on days when there isn't gym or something going on. I, on the other hand, cannot nap (which has kind of turned into a bit of a curse in a nocturnal culture like Argentina's) but it is still a part of my life down here I am going to miss. Especially when I am crunching to finish my term paper for college and am trying my hardest NOT to drift into a siesta!

3) cumbia music!

This music (which is blasted from restaurants, cars, cell phones, gas stations, you name it) takes on a "che, che-che che, che-che che, che-che..." rhythm is super popular down here. I'd also like to clump reggaeton and salsa into this category and warn my future room mate that a fair share of my itunes library next year will have incredibly fast, sexy Spanish lyrics!

Note: the popular American music down here has such a funny variety: Lady Gaga, Guns N' Roses, John Lennon, Greenday, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers are some of my friends' favorite artists.

There are sooo many more differences that I could list, I just thought 3 was a good number. I still can't believe that all of this is real! I'm off to La Fiesta del Pomelo, or the Grapefruit festival! Formosa is known for having some of the best grapefruits and in true Argentine fashion, that calls for a fiesta! So I'm headed out to Laguna Blanca for a night of live music, dancing, and of course food to kick off this weekend's festival. We are going to dance 'hasta la madrugada' meaning until we see the sun in the morning. So lets see: fresh fruit, music, and staying up all night...yup, looks like I'm in Argentina!

besitos a todos-

mia

ONE MONTH!

2010-09-09T12:26:00.008-04:00

So the 'one month' sum up is much harder than my weekend trip sum ups, so I'm going to just say a few things in bullets and leave the rest till another time.

Time.

In no way does it feel like I have been here a month. I have experienced SO much so far in Argentina and can't wrap my head around the fact that I did all that in just one month... yet I also feel like it was just last week that I slipped on my blazer and walked through MSP security!

School:

is SOOO different.
Uniforms! As far as I can tell, there are about 8 or 9 colegios (or high schools) in Formosa and all of them have a unique uniform. At my school the girls wear white shirts under a grey jumper, high navy socks, and school shoes- and the boys simply wear dress pants and a white t. Compared to most of the other schools, it really isn't so bad. The only problem is there isn't much of a way to adjust to weird weather, but that's a small complaint when I think about easy my morning routine is!

Almost all of the exchange students in Formosa go to my school- Colegio Nacional now represents Iceland, France, Germany, Australia and the US. Jim from Iowa is actually in my course- so our curious classmates are quickly learning every detail they can think of about the United States. It's hilarious the misconceptions Hollywood and the NBA has given them.
Unlike High School back home, the students don't move from one room to the next, the teachers do. I'm still trying to figure out the class schedule, it seems really random to me so far. Oh, and teachers have absolutely no control over the class- it is always a crazy fiesta and not uncommon at all for the class to play cards, listen to music, or just start clapping and singing/chanting.
Speaking of clapping, singing, and chanting.... Today my 1 month mark was celebrated by a 'sentado' led by 2 students in my course. Instead of going to class as usual, half the school stayed out in the patio for the whole day in protest of the lack of money the government gives to education. It awesome to be apart of something that those students were so passionate about... and apparently these protests are going to be scattered about for the next 40 days, or until the Governor grants the school the money it needs. We are marching tomorrow at 9:30 and who knows what next week might bring!

MY USA FAM!

Labor day has come and gone, meaning that poor Rick and Kris are officially empty-nesters back home. Sam moved into his dorm at the University of Denver on Monday! I am SO extremely excited for him and can't wait to hear all about his exciting, social, and obviously very over-achieving and successful school year. I really wish I could have been there to help you move in, Sammy:( And to all those back home- stop by Ibson Ave whenever you can and dump some shoes by the front door for mom and dad, I know they are going to miss all those those loaded-questions nights and bonfires. I can almost guarantee cookies, milkshakes, popcorn and fancy oranges will be provided!

As far as everything else, I'll just have to squeeze them into blogs throughout the year.

Besos y abrazos to all-

Mia

My weekend as Maria Von Trapp

2010-09-06T11:10:00.007-04:00

Whenever I'm asked "so, why did you decide to do Rotary?" my answer hardly ever lacks the phrase "...to see new things, meet new people, and to get to experience a new culture..." Needless to say, this past weekend I accomplished all three.

Last week my host mom invited me to go on a retreat with her to Victoria, Entre Rios, Argentina. Eager not to miss an opportunity to explore- I readily accepted, no questions asked. And I mean that literally.. Wednesday night I packed a suitcase with clothes for every weather and hopped on a (very comfy double-decker Mercedes-Benz coach) bus with no idea what the long-weekend would really bring.

13 hours later I awoke to see the landscape was no longer the tropical palm trees of home, but rather what my host mom called an "Argentine-Tuscany," cathedrals and villages tucked between valleys of rolling hills. I then watched in surprise as we turned into the driveway of one of those incredible cathedrals, grabbed our suitcases, and piled out. I soon learned that the name of this place was La Iglesia de la Abadía del Niño Dios, and that it was the first Spanish speaking monastery in all of the Americas... and that we were going to be staying there till Sunday! Through conversations I had with other members of the group, I quickly got the impression that this wasn't something many people got the experience to do, but because Celia (this happy, little 87 yr old who led our group) had a son in the monastery we had an 'in.'

The whole trip turned out to be one new experience after the next. I spent the weekend relaxing and exploring the pueblo and countryside around the monastery- a complete 180º change in pace from Formosa. My host mom played the "she's from America and wants to learn about the realities of all aspects of our culture- and might never get an experience like this again" card to get our very own private tour of the garden and workshop where the monks make cheeses, jams, liquors, and most importantly... Dulce de Leche!! It was fantastic :) On the tour I asked if I could go for runs the 'arb-ish' area behind the workshop and got the thumbs-up from Padre Nestor. This park turned out to be gorgeous, and I can now officially say I have run over the Río Paraná since a branch of it runs through the park!

The clear highlight of the weekend wasn't tasting incredibly fresh Dulce de Leche or even running across waters that came from the great Iguazu Falls. It was the mass Saturday night- something I know I will never forget. Late Saturday afternoon the sky started to chance from pure-blue to cloudy, and when winds really picked up and a thunderstorm rolled in half the pueblo (and all of the monastery) lost power, and the service was held at candlelight. It seemed that no matter how loud the wind and thunder grew outside, they were still humbled in comparison to the songs of the monks absolutely resonating through the cathedral. With each flash of lightning, the stained glass windows were illuminated and it was incredibly beautiful. I wish there was some way I could have gotten it on camera- though I think this more than anything was a "you had to be there" type of night. I'm so glad I was.

Before I go, here are a few photos from the weekend. Unfortunately I either didn't have my camera

or wasn't supposed to be taking photos, so I don't have many- but here's a peak at what I've been up to.

La iglesia

inside the first Spanish speaking monastery in the Americas

Argentina- the only place where the countryside is lined with palm trees

"search for peace and follow it"

My view out our window. It's so weird to see spring again!

the monks apparently make the best limonchello liquor around haha

besos-

mia

First adventures of my Argentine life

2010-08-24T12:25:00.017-04:00

in the past week I have...

sanded, painted, and assembled wooden signs for a wedding

danced with an indigenous Guaraní woman in an airport terminal

made super fresh orange, papaya, mango, peach and banana juice

learned that there is actually such a thing as banana juice

paid my respects to the heros of Paraguay

participated in a Catholic parade celebrating the virgin Maria

watched little kids play in-house soccer at the stadium nearby

..where I saw a 5 yr old do a bicycle kick.

picked the first fresh papaya of the season from the tree in our backyard

got my butt kicked in air hockey by my 10 yr old brother (twice)

learned to dance like a Gringa-Latina

crossed the Argentina-Paraguay boarder without getting deported!!!

ate fresh river fish caught by my host dad

watched FRIENDS in Spanish! (the voice that dubbed for Pheobe was surprisingly low.. and the voice that dubbed for Ross surprisingly high. it made it that much better:))

learned I most likely won't be going to high school this year, but rather a school similar to a University in Formosa

improved my Spanish a little more each day

made empanadas, gnocchi, chipa and bread from scratch

befriended a group of elderly birdwatchers from Iowa and two competitive figure skaters from San Francisco

visited an elementary school in Formosa

worn shorts everyday. tomorrow the weather is supposed to be 33 degrees Celsius (which is 90 degrees Fahrenheit). I still don't believe them when they say this is "winter".

while on a run, met aerial trapeze artists who then put on a private performance for me

..and that's just been since I wrote last! I cannot thank my family back home, here in Formosa, and Rotary enough for the opportunities they have already given me. This year is going to be a blast :)

FORMOSA!!

2010-08-15T14:58:00.017-04:00

Since this blog is titled 'La vida Mia', I think it's only appropriate that I start out my stay here with a little bit about my new life.

First- my city: Formosa, Argentina. Argentina has 23 provinces equivalent to our states, and the city I am living in is the Capital of the province of Formosa. It is situated in the very north of Argentina, separated from Paraguay only by the natural border of the lovely Rio Paraguay. Apparently it has a population around 200,000- but it definitely doesn't feel that big, not even to a small-town-Minnesotan girl like myself. The center of the city has parks and plazas, an awesome center lined with cafes, little shopping stores, and street vendors selling unique bracelets and bowls. Palm trees line the medians and walking paths where children still dressed in their uniforms gather. At night the city really comes to life; cars and mottos weave through the streets, the rhythm of Spanish music echoes from every direction and out in the harbor you can see the lights of boats mirrored in the river. Oh, and as far as the weather goes down here- if you scroll down to the very bottom you can get a daily weather update.

Second- the people. Three words- I. Love. Argentineans! In my short stay here I've come to realize that being introduced to people down here is comparable to watching dogs get to know each other at a dog park. Now with that I don't mean that we go around sniffing peoples' butts all day- but that you meet someone once and you treat them as if you have been friends for life. Every introduction is followed by a kiss on both cheeks with hardly any exception. Last night I had my first Rotary meeting and was quickly told that there are 21 members of that Rotary club, meaning I had just made 21 friends in which I could call upon if ever I need anything. This is a very welcoming, open culture, and while I'm still living in a city and will still always need to be careful who I talk to/where I go at night/etc, it feels great being apart of a club that will protect me and include me in such a way.

Finally- that brings me to my family, the Cejas. Made up of my host dad, Vito, host mom, Graciela, and host sisters Gabi (24) and Milagros (18). I'm still picking up the quirks and unique personalities of each person but they again can be summed up in the paragraph above- welcoming, loving, and fun. They all like to laugh and to tease each other and myself, they take siesta time seriously, and they love to eat. (Which, by the way, the food here is delicious. All of it is so filling, and everyone is sure that I'm never eating enough but I have yet to try something that I have really detested.)

Milagros is leaving the 21st for her Rotary year in Germany, along with another boy named Leandro Caballero- whose family is going to host me after 4 months with the Cejas. Apparently the Caballeros are hosting another boy from Waterloo, IA first and then we are going to swap. I've met Leandro's family twice now and they seem incredibly nice, plus he has a younger brother who is 10 and seems like a party. I'm a little fuzzy on why but apparently we are going to try take 2 at getting me into Asuncion, Paraguay on Friday to explore a bit before dropping off Milagros and Leandro on Saturday... so cross your fingers for me, and if you don't hear from me here for a while, I'm probably just camping out in some abandoned airport terminal again ;).

Till then, chao- and enjoy some pictures of my first few days in Formosa!

these pretty trees, called Lapacho, are all over Formosa

yararé!!

(for a Before picture, click here and scroll down)

an amazing restaurant overlooking the river

Estadio Poldeportivo Cincuentenario- a fairly new sports arena that attracts people from all over Argentina and Paraguay for important basketball games. Apparently there are basketball and volleyball games that will be played there later this month

the place I like to sit and look at...

...the colorful clothes line in my backyard...

...which is underneath a papaya tree.

The view of Formosa at night from a tower nearby

My first and second host families! (the three to the right are the Cejas)

Shylah- one of the their two puppies

my street

my host sister, Milagros and I about to eat yacaré!!

So, they keep things interesting in Paraguay too?

2010-08-14T11:12:00.008-04:00

For all you Rotary students out there- I challenge you to break this record: From the time I left my house to the time I arrived at my new one, I had traveled on 3 planes, 2 busses, a tram, and 2 cars, had over 5 flight delays, almost got deported from a country, spent the night in an empty airport terminal, and had a total travel time of 43.5 hrs. Haha, just writing that I can't help but laugh- now that I'm here I know these past two days will make a good story some day.

Like I had said last, Celia, one of the very nice Rotarians that took me in, had gotten us tickets to Asuncion and we had planned on getting to Formosa by car from there. Turns out luck was on our side a little last night- our flight was almost the only one that was only delayed, not canceled. Everything went smoothly, we filled out our forms for immigration and made it though the line perfectly.... But I didn't get to go any further than that. When preparing to come down to Argentina, I was told that I would have a Tourist Visa- and that every 90 days I would go to another country to renew my visa in Argentina. Back home, we had discussed how part of my Rotary club here is in Paraguay, how my host parents own a home across the boarder and how in just over a week my host sister is going to Germany via the Asuncion airport- so I knew I would be traveling back and forth over the boarder. But I guess that isn't exactly how it works. So, instead I found myself being led upstairs to an abandoned terminal where I was to stay the night until the first flight back to Buenos Aires in the morning.

Here is where my gratitude to Rotary International cannot be expressed enough. When I became stuck, the 3 Rotarians I had just met 6 hours before fought for me like

I was their daughter. In the hour or two that I was sitting upstairs, that group of 3

Rotarians quickly grew to a group of 8 or more from the area who also worked every string they could to get me out. I explained myself and my situation to the immigration worker, his superiors, and even a few men who worked the night shift in the airport but without the work of the group of Rotarians I have NO doubt in my mind I would be sitting in the Buenos Aires airport right now. But, at 3:30 in the morning, the kind lady that had stayed with me throughout the night told me that it was time to go. Thinking she meant to my plane, I packed up my backpack and went back through the immigration desk to the same man that had stopped me before. This time, however, he stamped my passport and told me that I had a one-time-5-hr transit visa and that I would be able to leave with this couple to get to Formosa. I'm very fuzzy on the details- but I guess they know someone who is connected through Rotary and who knows someone who is the head-visa-person in Paraguay, who then called the airport and told them to let me go. In a wave of shock and relief unlike any other I've ever experienced-

I found myself staring up at the beautiful stars glowing in the jet-black sky of the southern-hemisphere as we drove through open country roads on my way to Formosa.

I woke up this morning to a huge bucket of meat in the kitchen, spanish music blasting through the walls, and a giant smile on my face. And now here I am, in my room in my new casa with a family that has been so welcoming and nice to me. I just had lunch with my first and second host families, and love them both :)

Without further ado- I am going to go enjoy Argentina, if you don't mind. I am going to get used to this new life for a while and write in a week or so. To everyone headed off to college- have an AMAZING time this year! To all those exchange students leaving in the next week or so- SUERTE y AMOR a Uds.!

And here I thought flying would be the boring part...

2010-08-13T15:31:00.014-04:00

This is already getting lengthy and I don’t want to bore you with detail after detail of my travel- so I’ll sum up highlights and you can read into detail if you like.

1) My grandma is great friends with the aunt of the man I sat next to on my first flight

2) Friday the 13^th proved to be unlucky for many Argentine travelers: The computer system crashed in Buenos Aires and getting to Formosa suddenly became a big, chaotic adventure.

3) I am now traveling with 3 older Argentinian Rotarians who are on their way to Formosa as well!

My flight down to Dallas was smooth and easy- I sat next to this really nice police officer from New Mexico and found out that growing up, he spent weeks of his summers in Northfield, and that his Aunt is one of my grandma’s best friends and someone I served at the golf club this summer often: Dot Swanson! We talked about Northfield (he was devastated to hear Tiny’s had just closed. his father worked there growing up and they still have a clock in their kitchen in New Mexico that was given to them from there) and even found out that one of his wife’s best friends is Cindy Broderius from Hector, MN!! It is things like this that just comfort me and show how connected this world really is.

After a long flight from Dallas, I arrived in BUENOS AIRES!! I had a whole row to stretch out across, and was served dinner, breakfast and beverages the whole way- which was really nice. Despite the nice conditions though, I was FAR to excited and only caught a little bit of sleep. Instead, I just looked out my window and watched the sunset, the stars, and finally the sunrise over beautiful Buenos Aires:) I couldn’t have asked for better timing, it was stunning. I made it through customs, to my bus, and through the city- which I can already tell I want to explore that city much more- to the other airport!

… And that’s where it got interesting. When I walked through the doors of the Aerolinas Argentinas airport- it was chaos. There were people standing in lines to get into lines to get checked in, and none of those lines were moving. I had no idea where to go but made a good guess and got into one of these many lines- there I talked to a nice lady who told me the computer system crashed and that they were not able to check anyone in, that flights were getting delayed or canceled, and that she hadn’t seen a line budge in a half hour. She was very nice and let me borrow her phone so I could call my host family (which was the first time I had spoken to them out loud) and let them know I would be delayed. About five minutes after hanging up, the intercom came on and told us that it was back up and running, everyone cheered and the line finally moved!

I checked in, paid for my extra luggage, and went to go check out the delay-damage to the surprise that my flight WAS on time! I didn’t realize how much I take cell phones for granted until that moment when I was standing there needing to let my host family know and didn’t have one. After trying to use the pay phone or track down another cell phone I could borrow I finally found a little telephone-service store that only cost me about a quarter to make the call. Ten minutes later, my flight to Formosa read “demorado” or delayed for one hour. Expecting that it could change to a later time I decided I would wait 15/20 minutes to call my family again. I just people-watched then, happy to soak up all the Spanish and Argentine culture that I could. After about 10 minutes had passed I looked back up on the monitor and to my horror it said that the flight to Formosa had “DESPEGADO” or had took off in bright green letters, 20 minutes before the original time had posted. I then scrambled, went to the counter of a little café and asked where the Information booth was… to find out there was none. I ran back downstairs, through the chaotic lines again and found a man in uniform that looked like he could help. Almost in tears, I explained my situation and he took me to the front of a line started typing away on the computer. He then picked up the phone, made a very angry phone call in Spanish so fast I couldn’t even begin to comprehend, hung up, gave me his deepest apologies and explained that it was a mistake- that the flight to Mendoza, Argentina had took off and Formosa was still delayed till 1:30. AY! I can’t express how relieved I am that I know enough Spanish to communicate down here- I can’t imagine if this had happened in Thai or Swedish! Everyone was very friendly and always willing to help me or at least lead me in the right direction, and I appreciate the hospitality already. While waiting, a man approached me and saw that I was a Rotary student! He explained that he is a former President of the Worldwide Rotary International club and that he is headed to Formosa as well!! Not only was that amazing news to hear, but he was with a group of Rotarians who were coming up to celebrate the 60^th year of Formosa’s club! Who knew I was headed towards a big fiesta?!

While talking, I watched as the monitor changed the status from 13:30 to 13:40 and finally it told me to contact an agent, who told us it was delayed till 2:40 and finally over the intercom they canceled the flight all together. So the Rotarians took me under their wing and have been so fantastic as I’ve gotten my bags back, and Celia (who reminds me of Chrysanne) has completely taken charge and got us tickets to Asuncion, Paraguay for tonight where we will spend the night and be picked up in the morning by a Rotarian from Formosa. If that didn’t work, we would have had to take a bus or drive in their car. I’ve seen maybe 4 or 5 mini vans in all of Buenos Aires, so I am trying to picture me, 3 other Rotarians, and the two carts of luggage fitting in one of those little cars on the way to Formosa haha. Lets be glad Celia is so great. So Mom and Dad- don't worry, I'm in good hands. I keep being reassured that this is not how it usually is here by Luis, so while he is blaming Friday the 13th, I think this whole adventure is just a sign that this year will be anything but uneventful.

At one point, every flight on the monitor read either delayed orcanceled- I have never seen anything like it haha.

Clockwise from the left: Edoardo, Celia, and her husband Luis. When I wrote this I had no idea what a big deal Luis is. He was telling me that in the year and a half that he was Rotary International Worldwide President he traveled to 69 different countries, met with the Pope twice, Mother Teresa five times, over 52 presidents and kings, etc. I'm glad I had 9 hours in the airport with him to hear a few of his amazing stories:)

Take Off

2010-08-13T15:30:00.002-04:00

Day 1- departure day, august 12, 2010.

This is so surreal.

I was sitting there at MSP gate E16 after having said goodbye to my family,friends, and family friends. The picture I’m sure you all have is of me bawling my eyes out and running though a montage of amazing memories of people I’m leaving behind…. Iwouldn’t have expected anything more from me. But the most shocking part is that despite all the thousands of emotions I felt right then, I was not emotional. Like I said, shocking: I was not crying after having said this last, and most monumental, goodbye. Instead, I am filled with a sense of hope and potential. Never before have I had such a clean slate- and never before have I had so much uncertainty about what lies ahead either... I am not even sure if I have been pronouncing my host family’s last name correctly. But the thing is, that is so incredibly exciting! Its not that I’m not sad to leave- I am, and anyone that has hugged me goodbye in the past week can give a testimony to that fact, but it is the same simple reason that those goodbyes were so hard that this departure is almost easy: you are all amazing. I have the best friends I could ever even dream of, an incredible family, and the support of many back home. Argentina is not going to change that. In fact, I know that those days when this exchange is so hard I can turn to any of them for advice, imaginary hugs, or just a good laugh. And then I can get up, shake it off, and go discover something about myself, my background, and/or the amazing culture of Argentina.

So thank you to everyone for letting me sit here dry-eyed and happy. Without you, I don’t know how I’d do this. In fact… I don’t know if I would, and that isn’t a thought I want to have.

Passing the Torch

2010-06-30T20:27:00.007-04:00

13,594 km, 14 times zones, three alphabets and Mt. Fuji separate my best friend from me. We aren’t the friends that have been inseparable since meeting on the playground the first day of kindergarten, nor are we the friends that have gradually grown closer because of sports or classes together. We have been best friends for approximately eighteen years and eighty-four days; since the day I was born. My best friend is my older brother, Sam.

Since third grade, when our first exchange student unpacked his bags at our house, I have seen the day that Sam would leave for Rotary in my mind as if a guarantee. The two of us have been blessed with parents who value cultural diversity and have traveled as a family across the world to experience and appreciate the aspects of society that make individuals who they are. It is this reason why December 20th should not have fazed me; the day Sam received the letter in the mail saying that he would be spending the next year in Japan.

For the next seven months I prepared myself for the awaiting goodbye. August always seemed far away until it was there, until I was standing at the airport saying goodbye to the person I have spent the last seventeen years looking up to. I promised myself I wouldn’t let myself cry, that I would smile and wave until he was out of sight, so I watched as Sam took his steps away from us, away from home, away from security and predictability and towards Japan. I watched as he left us, and left me with memories; memories but no regrets.

This past year I would hear through skype calls, emails, and blog updates the many ups and down's of my brother's year. I read about the adventures of going to a fishing school and the struggles of learning a new language, but more importantly I watched Sam discover the blessings of simplicity, learn the power of independence, and conquer challenges he didn't think he would be able to. There were times when his exchange stay had felt like an eternity, but now with just 10 days left before he returns I realize how long ago August was and how quickly July has come.

It really does seem like the whole Rotary program has the ability to warp time. I can remember our first "practice interview" for Rotary back in the fall, where 20 some students turned in their applications to enter the program for 2010-2011. And I can remember standing in the cafeteria at the "country fair" in early December seeing the world set up in booths and the inbound exchange students smiling proudly- hoping we 'pick' their country. I can remember hours later filling out my Top 5 country choices and selecting Argentina as a place I might want to spend the next year... the year that still seemed forever away. But most vividly, I remember MY December 20th- one year after my brother had opened his letter saying he would be living in Japan, my letter read Argentina. In the blink of an eye, six months has passed and I am counting not the months or weeks before Sam gets home, but the days- and I have no way to express how excited I am to have my family together for 30 whole days again.

To me, with my mind constantly distracted by my future endeavors, that's also 30 days to try to get every piece of advice Sam has to prepare me for MY turn. I have no idea what this year will bring. I don't know what my challenges will be, nor can I imagine what memories I will return home with. All I know is that I am ready to speak some spanish, dance a little tango, and to try to take on whatever Argentina decides to throw my way.

go.

2010-06-14T20:53:00.005-04:00

And so it begins! We've worn our gowns and thrown our caps, and are officially graduated. In light of all the 'lasts' that senior year has brought, I would like to start something instead. In two months I will be on my way to Formosa, Argentina for my year abroad as an exchange student. Though I don't know much (in fact hardly anything) about what this next year will bring, I could not be more excited. So here it goes, welcome to my life- la vida Mia.