Help me win this scholarship - to return to Argentina!

Hi everyone!

It has been almost a year and a half now since I returned from Argentina. It took a LOT of adjusting but I am finally back in the swing of life in the U.S. I have been dying to go back to Argentina and hopefully (fingers crossed) I will be able to this summer.

Next year I am off to college which as everyone knows, costs a lot. I am asking all of you to do me a small favor in order to win a scholarship. With this scholarship, I will have enough money to cover my education costs and be able to return to Argentina with what little money I have already saved up.

Please do me a quick favor! Open this link and click "Vote" on my essay. http://www.wyzant.com/scholarships/v3/essay75427-Deming-WA.aspx  There are no personal questions to answer and no additional contact - just the click of a button. This is an essay about what I want to do with my education that I entered into a $10,000 scholarship competition. Winners are picked based on the quality of the essay as well as the number of votes the essay receives. Each computer (IP address) can only vote for my essay once so if you have multiple computers, ipod touches, ipads, or iphones, please click on this link and vote from each one. The few seconds it will take you could help me afford college. If you have already voted for someone else in this competition, don't worry, you can vote for multiple essays just not the same one twice. Please forward this message onto anyone you think would take the time to help me out.  Feel free to share this link on social media sites such as facebook, twitter, or with groups/coworkers. I have until May 1st to collect votes!

In the essay I mention my Spanish skills. Those skills were what I acquired in Argentina over a year and really have helped me pursue my dreams. I am so excited to be able to use Spanish in my future profession as well!

Thank you all for your help! And if any perspective exchange students are reading this, DO IT! It will change your life for the better. :)

You know you are a SANJUANINA when....

1. Kissing people on the cheek is as common as waving goodbye.
2. Every sidewalk or ditch also functions as a trash can.
3. Throwing chalk at your classmates isn´t considered dangerous or disrespectful but rather a fun way to pass the time.
4. You make fun of the other province´s accents because they say "sh" when you say "y".
5. You add articles in senteces even though you know if it technically incorrect like "The Isabel in in the park."
6. Eating dinner at one in the morning is just something that happens.
7. The thought of eating bacon for breakfast makes you want to barf (but don´t worry, I still love bacon! It is just hard to imagine it RIGHT after I get up).
8. The smell of cigarette smoke doesn´t even make you cough.
9. Drinking alcohol when underage isn´t even critizized and often you get the alcohol directly from your parents.
10. Seeing women´s naked breasts on television commercials isn´t uncommon.
11. You talk in a REALLY high voice when you are excited.
12. Anger is best expressed by talking SUPER fast and REALLY loud.
13. Your parents don´t mind picking you up at six in the morning from a party.
14. You call Coca-cola "Coca".
15. Facebook is just "Face".
16. You never leave a message because nobody bothers to check their voice mail anyways.
17. It is 80 degrees outside and you put on a pair of jeans.
18. Your parents wake-up at six in the morning just to bring you home from a club.
19. Facebook is the only reliable form of communication.
20. Going out clubing on Christmas is a must!
21. Calling people "Fat" or "Ugly" or "Stupid" are just forms of endearment.
22. Nutella nor Peanut Butter can compare with Dulce de Leche.
23. 110 degrees? I´ll survive!
24. You avoid crossing the street just because it is so dangerous!
25. Seatbelts are an extra safety measure.
26. Breakfast consists of cookies and tea.
27. A glass of milk is considered a food and not some that goes with food.
28. Your parents have to wake you up for lunch!
29. Your bikini is smaller than it should be. :)
30. You use words like manso and huevon when you go traveling just because nobody else will understand!
31. You don´t use pencils in school.
32. The dress code rules are ment to be broken. :)
33. Being a vegeterian is considered punishment.
34. You arrive an hour late and are still one of the first ones at the party.
35. You dress up nice just to go hang out with a friend in her house.
36. There is nothing better than Coca-Cola
37. 115 degrees outside? Eh! That´s nothin!
38. It breaks your heart to say goodbye...
39. And while you are away you can't stop thinking about coming back!

Although I can never say that I was born and raised in San Juan and have the blood line of a traditional SANJUANINA, I can say that I feel that way. After growing and changing and spending a year of my life in San Juan, I can confidently say that I AM A SANJUANINA! Even if it only is at heart! <3

Visiting Franco - My Argentinian Brother

Ever since I had arrived in Argentina, I have been talking to Franco about when I could go visit him. For those of  you who don´t remember, Franco came to my house in August (2010) and stayed until January (just a month before I left myself for Argentina). I became really close to him over those six months and while I am here, I am obviously going to take the chance to visit my brother! So in December, the plans were finally made and after getting back from Chile, I set of to Concordia.

Concordia is on the far east side of Argentina, right up against Uruguay, and a very long 18 hours bus ride. I was super excited to get off the bus and see Franco and all his family that it was a little hard to sleep! When I got off the bus, I didn´t see anybody waiting for me. I kind of freaked for a second because I wasn´t sure if I was in the right spot but then I saw Franco walking into the bus terminal. He didn´t see me at first and I just kind of stood there a second not really believing that it could be him before I called out his name and ran over to hug him. He was almost exactly the same! Of course he looked a little older and didn´t have the beard he had when he left my house, but other than that, he was still my brother! We instantly started talking in Spanish. I don´t know why but we just kind of agreed that we would talk in Spanish and not in English. It was the weirdest thing getting into his car and having him drive me to his house. I just couldn´t stop saying "I just don´t believe I am here and YOU  are here!".

I stayed there for a week with his family. He has two younger sisters, Euge and Morena, who I became really good friends with real fast. What was so incredible about it was that I felt like I was at home with them. I guess since Franco had lived with us for such a long time, they just welcomed me into the family like I had always been there. The days there were pretty simple. Franco toured me around the city - I got to see his Dad´s shops, the river between Argentina and Uruguay, spent lots of time with him and his friends, and ate icecream. :) It was really weird to see all the places that he had told me about back in the U.S.

My Family! I guess I have three now!

Franco´s Aunt, Uncle, and Grandma

Franco, Euge, Morena, Me, and Facundo (Franco´s friend)

On Sunday when we had an asado, we arranged a skype session with my family back in the U.S. It was the first time they had spoken to Franco since he left back in January and we had a blast. His English has gotten a little worse but was still very good. Him and I went back and forth translating from English to Spanish so our parents were able to talk and say thank-yous and such. It was a little confusing at times especially for me because I was hearing English and Spanish and couldn´t keep track of which one I was supposed to be speaking!

That night I also got to go to Franco´s graduation party! It was held outside with tables circled around a dance floor and twinkeling lights. Graduation parties are a really important event in Argentina and the kids put out a lot of money to make them special. They have tons of professional photographers taking pictures every second, a DJ, an announcer, and have a bar that serves alcohol and pizza for those that need a snack. We went with his whole family but most of us left at about three in the morning. The seniors all stayed until seven - drinking, dancing, and throwing cake at eachother.

Euge, Marcelo, Franco, Silvana, Me, and Morena

Morena (Franco´s youngest sister)

Euge (who is fifteen) took me to a boliche Monday night! I was totally wipped after staying up late at Franco´s party but I wanted to see how the boliches in Concordia were. In San Juan, my parents don´t want me to go out to boliches that check your ID and aren´t known for having minors. So although most of my friends go to the giant, awesome boliches likes Willy Cuba and Arena, I had only ever been to the smaller ones were everyone underage gets let in. But in Concordia Euge took me to the best boliche in town! It was two stories with a giant grass area outside, a deck, and lots of big screen TV´s showing music videos. The best part was when I was sitting outside on the deck watching the sun come up. We were right next to the river so the sun slowly climbed up over the horizon and told us it was time to head home. It was one of the weirdest experiences to be at a boliche at six in the morning and to have the sun come up and have it feel like the middle of the day. It was even weirder to go home, shut the curtains, and go to sleep for the next seven hours!

It was horrible having to say goodbye to him again but I know I will see him some day! It was fantastic getting to know his family and maybe both our families will be able to meet someday....all I know is that if you have ever thought about having an exchange student, don´t hesitate! These kind of relationships can last a life time and give you excuses to travel the world! :)

Iguazú Waterfalls

Okay, this blog post is WAY over due! But since it was such an incredible experience and I have so much to tell, I have been putting it off just because it is such an overwhelming task! But now (almost two months later) I am finally going to share with you one of the once in a life time experiences I experienced in November.

AFS has special trips that they offer to the exchange students where we spend between seven and ten days traveling to famous places in Argentina with the other students. In November, I took a trip that went up north. In total there was almost 50 students so we rented a bus and traveled all together. We began our trip in Salta and Jujuy which are two provinces at the north of Argentina which are known for their beautiful mountains. We hiked up to this place called the "Mountain of Seven Colors" because it was layed with different colored rocks.

In Salta we got to go rafting! I have been rafting two other times in my life and I absolutly love it! We split up into three different groups and I was in the first group and offered to sit right in the front! I have learned that if you want to get wet, the front is the place to be! We spent the next hour and  half rafting down the river and screaming our way through nine different rapids. I was soaked by the end and exhausted from laughing and screaming so much.

A few days later, we spent all day and night traveling in the bus to get to the East side of Argentina to the providence Missiones. Over the next few days we had many exciting adventures! The first day, we visited a crystal mine where natural crystals were growing inside the rocks in the mine and out in the open air! I got kind of clostrophobic inside but thankfully we didn´t go very far in or I just might have had a panic attack!

The next day was one of my favorites! We had the option of going on an extra day trip which included ziplining and rock climbing and I obviously took it! We all pilled into a giant jeep and took off into the jungle. The dirt was an orange-ish color and was kicked up all around us by the truck. Since we had all been lathered with sunscreen and OFF bug spray, by the time the truck stopped, we were all an orange-ish, fake tan color! So when you look in the photos, don´t worry because that isn´t my natural skin color. :)  We first went to the ziplining area. We were going to go on three different ziplines all over 60 meters in the air!! That was when I started freaking out! It got even worse when we climbed up the rickety wood structure and we waited to get strapped on the cable. It swayed back and forth and must have been a million years old! I had to stay very still and focus on the tree in front of us not to start crying and turn back around. When I finally made it to the top (I was one of the lasts to go), I actually wasn´t that scared anymore. I was just happy to be holding on to the tree and strapped on to a cabel! Atleast I couldn´t fall unless the tree broke in half! And then the man told me to let go and he pushed me off the edge! And just like that I was soaring above the jungle screaming! It was such an incredible feelings to be so high up! And actually I didn´t feel scared at all on the cabel! As I reached the next tree, another man gave me the motion to slow down and I twisted my hands back and forth as they had shown me. I climbed up the tree another four meters and got on another one. And did that one more time before climbing down to the ground. Although it was an incredible experience and I would love to do it again, I was happy to be standing on something solid!

Next we went to this little waterfall a little ways away. The idea was that you started at the top of the water fall and kind of rappled down it with the water dumping on you. The only problem was that when you started, you were perched at the edge of this cliff and you had to lean out over it backwards before they could start letting you down. I started freaking out all over again! But thankfully it wasn´t as bad as I thought! They began to lower me down as I pushed myself away from the wall with my feet. Soon the waterfall had soaked me all the way threw and I was blindly climbing down. Thankfully I reached the little dock at last and they unstrapped me. I was completelly soaked and my heart was pumping but I felt awesome! There is nothing like a little adrenaline rush to get you going! That was the first time in my life I had ever been ziplining or rappeling and I was so happy I tried it!

Our last day was when we actually got to go to the IGUAZÚ WATERFALLS! They are super famous and one of the biggest in the world and we had been waiting all week to see them. They have built a park around them will platforms that go out above them and below them and boardwalks that take you over the rivers and jungles surounding them. First we visited an area called "The Devil´s Throut" where we had to walk out on this bridge for a ways just to get there. We heard the water before we could even see the fall itself and could see the mist spewing up into the air. The waterfall was incredible! I trully can´t explain what it was like seeing so much water plungeing down with so much forse! From that moment on, I spent the rest of the day in a daze! We went down below to see it from different angles, walked to different waterfalls, and even got to stand right at the edge of one! But my favorite part of all was when me and Eetu (a boy from Finland who I had made good friends with) went down to a plat form right in front of one of the falls. Just the mist was soaking us in seconds as we stood there with our arms spread wide laughing and screaming into the wind and water. It was unforgettable.

But all to soon it was over and we had to head back to the bus and begin the long journey home. Three other students and I all had over 25 hours of travel time before we made it back to San Juan and we all arrived exhausted and ready for a long night´s sleep.

The trip was incredible to say the least! I did so many new things and met so many new people! One of the funnest parts was getting to know all the students from different countries and how they have had to adjust to life in Argentina. It was hysterical (and a little humiliating) talking to the guy from New Zealand because even though he was speaking English, I swear I could understand him better in Spanish! It took me the first two days just to adjust to his really stronge accent so I could talk to him! And we are talking about English here! My own language! Anyways, we had a blast comparing different words and phrases that we use and they all laughed when I couldn´t understand what they were saying. I met a lot of new people on that trip and it was pretty sad to say goodbye. Who knows when or if I will ever see any of them again....

So that it the gist of my trip up north with AFS! An unforgettable experience! :)

Feliz Navidad! Argentina Style...

Merry Christmas Everyone! Or should I say - Feliz Navidad! I have to say that my Christmas holidays have been some of the strangest and most different holidays I have ever experienced. When people say that cultures can be different, they really mean it! It has been a fun getting to know how my family celebrates Christmas here but I have to say I did miss you guys a bit.

Anyways, I got back from vacacioning in Concordia on the 22nd to find that Paula had already decorated the Christmas tree and put up decorations around the house. Unlike our tree normally is, this tree was fake and all the ornamentes were evenly placed and color cordinated. I was also wonderfully surprised to find that we had gotten an early Christmas present - air conditioning in the living room! Yay! Given that the holidays where passing by with 90 and 100 degree days, I was wanting that AC pretty bad!

On the 23rd we tackled the task of cleaning my grandparents pool. After a year without use, it was looking pretty gross. We spent hours scrubbing and rubbing and pumping out the yucky water and finally we had to use acid to get the green salt and algea growing on the bottom off. But in the end, it turned out nice and clean and was going to be ready to swim in by Christmas day.

On the 24th we started preparing all the food and desserts for that night. We made fruit salad, Shirley Triffle, many different salads and dressings, baked potatoes, and we purchased chicken and empanadas because nobody wanted to do any serious cooking. We went over to my grandparent´s house and put the tables outside in the patio. We were going to be twenty in total so we need a LOT of space. Thankfully it was a nice night - not to hot and not too many mosquitos! At about ten thirty that night we all arrived for dinner. We feasted until midnight when the fireworks started going off all over the city and we all toaste and wished eachother Merry Christmas! My little cousin, Santiago, still believes that Papa Noel (Santa Claus) comes to visit so we had him go outside with me and some cousins while the rest of the family put all the presents under the tree. And surprise!- Santa had shown up! My family had told me that they didn´t go gifts (which normally they don´t) but since Santiago was getting some, Santa also brought some things for the rest of the family. It was fun to have Santa show up when I wasn´t excepting anything at all!

The night carried on with cake, coffee, and lots of photos! I didn´t end up getting home until four in the morning and I was exhausted! But since it was Christmas day, I woke up at one in the afternoon to mama shouting "Tengo hambre! Vamos a la casa de los abuelos!" Which means, "I am hungry! We are going to grandma and grandpa´s house!" which also had the hidden meaning that I actually had to get out of bed. :) We all had lunch together again and then spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool. It was pretty weird to be swimming on Christmas...but I guess there are weirder things in the world! I also got to talk to my family in the U.S. that afternoon on Skype. I had been missing them quite a lot so it was nice to "see" them for a little while. As much as it is incredible to be here, I just can´t help missing my family and traditions on such a special day like Christmas.

What really threw me for a loop was when my sisters and cousins decided they were going to go out - ON CHRISTMAS NIGHT! I had heard that it was really popular to go out to a bar or out clubbing on Christmas but I didn´t really BELIEVE it until I was doing it! At about eleven that night we met at a cafe type bar in town. It was all outside with load music and flashing lights. It practically felt like a disco only that we were also eating pizza! At about two a.m. we all headed over to a disco called "Music Bar" and danced the night away until five when mama had set the cerfew. I can tell you, it was one of the most mind boggleing things I have done during my year here - dancing at clubs and Christmas just don´t go together! But I guess that is why I am here - to learn how this culture is different and unique!

Now I am just trying to prepare myself for New Year´s Eve which they say will be about the same kind of thing! After December is over, I just might sleep right up until I have to get on the plane! I am so exhausted and I just got threw the first round of the holiday spirit! All I know is that Christmas was wonderful. It was fun to be able to see how my family here celebrates it and be able to take part in all the traditions.

Only 39 days left in Argentina! And only 40 days until I am back in Washington! Chau for now!

Crossing the Andes to Chile!

Last week I had the incredible opportunity to visit Chile with my family! Normally they vacation in Mar Del Plata but this year they decided to visit The Serena in Chile!!! We left early Sunday morning with what we thought would be about a seven hour drive ahead of us. What we didn´t count on was the following: when we arrived at the Argentinian customs, my papa realized that he didn´t have the most up-to-date insurance card in the truck. Given that is was necessary in order to cross the border, we spent almost two hours calling numbers and trying to find someone awake on a Sunday morning who could fax us a copy of the receipt saying that we had actually paid. Eventually they got in touch with a friend of a friend who works for our insurance company and we were able finally to get across the border. Easy going from there, right? Not quite- although my parents had calculated out the mileage of the trip and based our travel time off that, they had never actually driven the road before. So when we got to the pass that would take us up over the Andes Mountains we were all horrified to find that it was a pot-hole filled, one lane only, no guard rail, dirt road. So for the next six hours or more we were rolling along at about 25 or 30 miles per hour MAX. Surprisingly (and thank God for this!) I wasn´t actually scared of the height. Which should have scared the crap out of me because we were just feet from tumbling down a mountain. The only actual problem we encounted on that stretch of road was the fact that we hadn´t thought to bring any sort of lunch food. We were stuck eating cookies, media lunas, and apples until six that afternoon! You can imagine that I was pretty hungry by the end of it! The Chile border crossing was easy (searched the car, gave me my stamp, and registered us in the computer) and we were officially in another country!

Imagine finding a lake at 4,200 meters...

We actually made it all the way to 4800 meters!

The next week was incredible! We rented a cabin on the waterfront and just had to cross the street to get to the beach! We actually only had two days of sun which were spent tanning and swimming in the ocean (Did you know that I actually can tan?) and the rest of the week was spent going for runs in the sand and exploring the Chilean culture. What really stood out to me the most was the colors and placements of the houses. I have seen "south american" cultures in movies where all the houses are packed together on mountains with bright colors every other house and steep roads that are almost impossible to drive up, but I never really imagined that they were actually like that. It was so beautiful in such a strange way that I just spent hours taking photos and looking at the town.

What was really fun was analizing all the differences between Argentina and Chile. My sisters had also never been to Chile before so we were all in the same boat. We had challenges going to see if we could spot Chilean boys who were hotter than Argentinians. Which, by the way, was impossible since there was not one! I guess I picked the right country. :)  We also noticed the differences in clothing styles and how they still used boots and hadn´t switched over to sandles yet like us. We spent hours shopping and looking at electronics since they are cheaper in Chile. We also went on walks on the beach in the early morning hours. There is nothing like the sweet smell of the ocean water and seaweed. But in fact, I missed San Juan´s dry air. My hair puffed up into a frizzy mess and the air felt heavy and trapping with all the humidity. How I am going to go back to Deming is a mistery to me!

Anyways, the whole week was fantastic and it was super fun to spend time with my family. Paula´s boyfriend, Federico, also came with us which was nice. Sometimes when it is just family we can get on eachother´s nerves a bit. I hope everyone is enjoying the Holidays and not missing me too much! Less than two months before I get back! Chau for now!

Turning 18 Means a Really Bad Haircut

As you should know by now, turning 15 for girls here is a really big deal. But as some might ask, what about the boys? Don´t they get some big party as well? And that is where I would step in and explain that yes, they do have a party but unfortunetly it is not as...nice as what the girls get. For a guy in Argentina, turning 18 is a really big deal. They usually have a party with their whole family and friends and stay up all night getting really drunk. Only the next morning they almost always wake up with their hair shaved off or cut in random places. Generally you can blame their friends. :) It is a tradition that the guys have to shave off their hair when they turn 18 and normally us as party guests get the honor of chopping it off. I have been to two different birthdays where I got to wack at a guy´s hair with scissors and let me tell you, it was the worst looking hair ever!

The next morning most of them (if they are smart and don´t want to look stupid) go to the haircutters and have them shave it all off! It is always quite funny when I see someone with a shaved head because I automatically know that he must have turned 18 recently. Nobody likes short hair here so you can pretty much bet your money that that is why they shaved it. :) Anyways, just thought you might like to hear a little bit about something I learned recently. Enjoy the snow and cold weather! Today it got up to 98 degrees! Yay! Summer break just started and I am already boiling to death! :)