Category Archives: Uncategorized

Preparing for Home

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Leaving Spain is more bitter than sweet. Four months in this beautiful country does not seem adequate for all of the adventuring I still have left to do, new friends with whom I wish to practice my improved Spanish skills, weekly routines I hate to give up… I was pretty optimistic before my trip abroad. I was ready, emotionally, for new experiences, a new chapter. However, I could not have anticipated how well I adjusted and soaked up all beautiful Barcelona had to offer. Homesickness was not really an issue for my independence and open mind led me to one awesome experience or friendship to another.

 The friends in my program, Carmen & Teti (my host moms), my classes, my weekend travels, my favorite bars… There is so much to be missed. Every aspect of my trip abroad tied together nicely and made for a great social, academic, spiritual balance.

 I do look forward to returning home though; I miss the company of mom and kitties a lot! I look forward to so many foods- ranging from breakfast in general, to Cheez-its, to Taco Bell. I miss my friends, my room, and having a backyard. Really looking forward to cooking and baking again too. My kitchen utensils miss me and my mom is ready to be my recipe guinea pig again 🙂 

Less than 24 hours

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I currently have a break from a project we have been working on and I decided I’d write my last blog entry. Argentina has open my eyes in varies ways. Whether it was listening to the many conversations that happened within the VOX space, seeing the reality of folks living within Rosario in comparison to the outer cities/towns or towns in the northern part of Argentina, interacting with people from different backgrounds and ideologies, challenging myself to see things from another point of view even though it at times was extremely uncomfortable, working with the resources available, and so much more has definitely made me grow as an individual. All of the relationships I established and folks I came across is probably the biggest thing I am going to miss and take with me. I know that it will not end here; now that I will be flying back to Oregon. My wish and intentions are to continue to keep in touch and collaborating with everyone in one way or another. Furthermore, I am going to miss not being able to participate more within the organization. Now that I am leaving, things have been picking up so much more. NOW for instances. We are working on promoting the group and a bar of Rosario and making videos. I’ll literally be working until a few hours before I leave. On another note, there are projects to go to neighborhoods, HIV survey, or an event for the Stonewall Riots that I have been contributing too that I wont be able to be present at the time of the event. I wish I could stay to see how everything turns out, but I am also aware that this day would come.

Going home is a bitter sweet feeling. I am super excited to see my family and friends (now that I am not as emotional as I was last week and am basically in a “okay, lets go now” mentality). I know as soon as I get to Independence, I am going to go eat some Primos tacos and a torta with lots of hot sauce! I have been applying for jobs and have a few meetings and things I need to do right when I get back so that’ll help me in a sense transition back. I think though after that, it’s going to be a process once again getting use to the whole USA culture and how life is over there. Being in Argentina, I was most of the time surrounded by folks who thought and acted much different than what U.S. citizen think and do. As a social science major, I knew where I stood in terms of my view of the U.S.A and being here reinforced that. Now stepping back in, I hope it doesn’t overwhelm me…I’ll be fine though…

I fly out from Buenos Aires in less than 24 hours and will arrive to Portland around noon on Tuesday. I can’t wait to finally be able to drive my car HAHA. But seriously, if there is something i really can’t wait for, it is the food. I CAN’T WAIT TO EAT SOME DELICIOUS MEXICAN FOOOOOOOD!!!

Argentina has been real and welcoming. I thank you Argentina. But my time has come. Oregon, nos vemos en unas horas! 

7 Days Left…

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Bueno,

These past few weeks have gone by really, really fast. I didn’t think I would be so emotional and quite in shock that this experience has flown by so rapidly, but…it has. I think as of now, what makes me most emotional is the fact that projects are beginning to pick up at a fast speed within the organization and the relationships I have established with folks have strengthen.

In terms of VOX, lately we have been working on several projects that I will unfortunately not be able to participate at the time of the event due to me leaving in a week. One of the biggest is called, Proyecto ASHOKA. This project is one of my favorites because VOX will be going to neighborhoods outside of downtown Rosario and give presentations on sexual diversity as well as provide the opportunity for folks to get tested for HIV. At least three times a week, we all sit down and go over PowerPoint presentations that talk about topics such as sexually transmitted infections, how to have an effective testing center, how do handle situations that may come about when a person is HIV positive, terminology within organizations and not medical centers, etc. I have been able to shadow in on two different meetings; one with a political party-organization and another with at a health clinic. Both were very interested in collaborating with us on this project and we are due to follow up this week with details regarding the actual day of presenting.

Another project that VOX is working on is in regards to June 28th; known for the police riots at the  Stonewall bar that occurred in New York City back in the 60s. Grupo Jovenes, a sector within VOX, will be putting on a theatrical event in which folks will create a acting piece of the riots. Furthermore, other non-governmental organizations such as Comunidad Trans will be giving the opportunity to present either an acting piece, presentation, or dialogue. We are looking at recreating the theater into a 70s atmosphere with lots of life yet also a space where folks can actively be engaged and critic constructively.

So, VOX is now open for HIV testing two days a week (Tuesdays/Thursdays). These past few weeks we have seen a higher number of folks come in to get tested which is quite exciting! I love having people come to the office whether it is for testing, wanting condoms, or wanting to know more about the organization. On a typical Tuesday or Thursday, we can have from 3-6 people come and get tested. While folks wait, we provide them with LGBT magazines from organizations or businesses we are in solidarity as well give them the opportunity to participate on our HIV in young people survey.

A few weeks ago on May 17th known as International Day Against Homophobia, VOX had an event where we laid vinyl paper at the intersection of one of Rosario’s busiest streets creating a rainbow. This event got lots of attention that day both in Rosario as well as in Rafaela where the VOX team there was as well participating. I remember having to quickly lay the paper, flatten it out, etc all while pedestrians are walking and cars are honking their horns for us to get out of the street. In the end, it turned out SO GOOD! Additionally, we handed out flyers with information regarding the history of International Day Against Homophobia. We were able to get two local news channels cover our event and I was interviewed along with two other VOX members. This was my first time EVER being interviewed by the news and having to do it in Spanish was definitely a challenge. In the end, I did well seeing that random people came up to me afterwards and said they saw me on the news and that I spoke well in Spanish not being from Argentina (they introduced me as an exchange student participating on the event). I was not able to neither see myself nor find the video online…wish I had a copy to show you all haha.

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Furthermore, the people in VOX have truly become a family for me. We have many team dinners where we will laugh at the random things that each of us do to dance around the office listening to Bob Marley or Nicki Minaj to have hardcore, in depth political, cultural, historical conversations ranging from the US government, Argentinian government, psychology, anthropology, music, and the list goes on. These are the times I value so, so dearly. I think one of the main reasons is because I am on a daily bases being exposed to looking at things from a different point of view that I am not always exposed to in the states as well as see true, life changing stories that leave you in shock and in tears at times. Some conversations get me heated, not going to lie, but the fact that we can all converse with one another and everyone will actually listen to you, its seriously amazing to me. I look back and see how shy I was when I first arrived and now I give input more or ask more questions and that came because the folks within VOX opened up and let me in. Just the other day, I was sitting down with them and I received a picture text from my friend back in Oregon with my graduating tassel and I began crying. Not because I was happy I was leaving and graduating within the next few weeks, but because reality has set and I am leaving. I worked hard to establish these relationships and seeing that I am not going to see them every day or at least once a week makes me sad. I know I will continue to stay in contact with folks and collaborate from Oregon, but I am just sad that this whole experience is coming to in an in 7 days. Still, I do have many priorities I must handle back in Oregon and I know that I will someday come back to Argentina or see them either in Oregon or in México, ha!

One a lighter note, we in VOX finally had an Argentinian asado!!! I was so happy because weeks were passing by and I was afraid I would not experience/taste the famous Argentinian meat. Below is a link to a video I create that shows our asado. Note: I made some guacamole and homemade salsa…all of them had never had it before and they loved it :D!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200644579730232&set=vb.1032477378&type=3&theater

This past weekend, I traveled to the providence of Córdoba. I had planned this trip several weeks back, however I was not able to go due to the nationwide bus strikes. Note, they are so unexpected and no one knew when they would be up and going again. A WOU student studying in Argentina was stuck in the northern part of Argentina for more than a week until she was able to get back…yay for not leaving to Córdoba after they announced their strikes, ha! While in Córdoba, I traveled to Alta Gracia where I visited La Casa del Che Guevarra museum. This was definitely a place I wanted to visit before heading back and I am so happy I was able to make it happen. I learned a lot about Che in my sociology classes at WOU and saw pictures from his childhood home and knew that I had to see it with my own eyes. Below is a link to a video I created while visiting the museum:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200678351374502

I was in Córdoba for a total of 2 days, 1 night and stayed at a hostel known for young folks staying there and partying. Well, it was fun let me tell ya! They made an asado for dinner, had music, TV, people from Germany, France, Columbia, Argentina, and even a guy from Colorado. We all hanged at the hostel and then went dancing to one of the biggest gay clubs in ALL of Argentina, club Zen. The club was huge and packed! They played electronic music to pop to reggaeton and so forth. I only stayed about an hour and a half though because we did not head out until 3 in the morning and you’d think I’d be use to going out late now that I am on week 10, but no, still not use to going out so late!

One more week left…I still have souvenir shopping to do, say my good byes, eat/drink at my favorite bar, go dance, wrap up some projects, get mentally prepared to be back in reality, etc.

Wish me luck!

Week 4 Storming the Castle

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Being a history person at heart as well as by major, I was interested in the history of Tübingen. I was particularly interested in the history of the castle at the center of the old town, ’cause let’s face it castles are just plain cool. One day after classes I took a walk up to the castle. The ‘old town’ in Tübingen is something of a maze to a new comer and can be confusing. Finding the castle, however, is a simple matter of heading uphill. The castle being on the highest point in Tübingen, if you keep going uphill you will eventually find it. When you do find it this is what you are rewarded with; a view of the outer gate of the castle.

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I know that a number of the castles in Germany that are still in good shape were built during the late renaissance, long after they were needed as military fortification, which was the original purpose for a castle. Many others were redone after the renaissance, and although they look like castles they really don’t function as fortification, they were simply ‘Story Book Castles’. I was curious to know if the Castle in Tübingen was for real or simply one of the Story Book Castles. After going through the Main gate you come to an inner gate and a mote that would have served as a formidable barrier. Once inside I discovered that there was a museum and that it was open.

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The museum did a great job of telling the story of the castle and it was pretty clear that it had been a military structure from the beginning. I suspected that given the very real nature of the defenses that I saw as I entered the castle. The castle was originally built on this spot sometime in the 12th century, and then it was no more than a wooden palisade that was about the size of the inner court yard of the castle today. It was large enough to protect the knights and their horses. Because of its location on top of the hill, it was a military strong point even then.

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Like most castles it was added to over the years and improved. Looking closely at the gate to the inner courtyard you can see older stones alongside newer more decorative stone work.

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The Last of Beautiful Barcelona

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The last month has been absolutely crazy- well make that the last two months, actually. I’m so far behind on updating the blog and I apologize! There are no shortage of photos and stories though. Below are some of the last photos of my final weeks in beautiful Barcelona. I’ve been in the states for 2 weeks now, back in Portland for one; I can already tell you I’m missing Europe and am already scheming on my next adventures! I’ve caught a bad case of the travel bug.
Below are some photos from an awesome Catalan cooking class we took in our final weeks in Barcelona. We made tradition dishes including paella, tortilla de patata (Spanish omelet made with potatoes), creme de Catalan (sort of like the French creme brulee), and a tomato-gazpacho-shot thing. I’ve taken a few cooking classes and I never leave disappointed. I love to learn & I love to cook. We had a great time and I’m excited to whip up some paella one night here when I’m feeling extra nostalgic of my days in Spain.
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On my last day of my Spanish sports class, we toured the famous FC Barcelona stadium, Camp Nou. So impressive. It was great to visit the stadium again, especially after learning about the fascinating history- the team served as Catalan symbol of perseverance and unity under the Franco dictatorship. FC Barca is arguably one of the best teams in the world so I’m glad we took advantage of the behind-the-scenes tour of Camp Nou.
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Photos below from my last day at Carmel 29- my Spanish home away from home. I can’t even stress how fortunate I was to spend the majority of my time abroad. Carmen and Teti, the two sisters who were like my 3rd and 4th grandmas, were the most fun, supportive, and interesting ladies. They went above and beyond what their “host-mom duties” called for and really make it their mission to feel all who enter their home feel like family.
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Below a photo from our “farewell dinner.”  Really fortunate to share my experience abroad with these two ladies, Lynsday & Taylor. Lynsday lives in California, Taylor in Colorado. I definitely plan on visiting them in the near future. We traveled together and we laughed together, we missed our families together… We shared some important experiences that I can’t say I’ve shared with all of my friends here at home. Very blessed.
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Week 3 Mega Study

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Week 3 found me deep in learning the German language. Grammar and vocabulary in the morning and then a tutorial in the afternoon where we basically reviewed and practiced what we learned in the morning. I noticed that I was extremely tired at the end of the day and not physically tired but mentally exhausted. I wondered if any of the other students were feeling the same or if it was just my age that made me so tired. I asked around and without exception the other students said they felt the same. This was something that I remember being told about in our orientations, but I didn’t realize just how tired I would be. Someone brought this up in a class and it was pointed out to us that of course you are mentally tired at the end of a full day. When you are learning a new language, you are using a part of your brain that isn’t used for ANYTHING else except learning a new language. And in an intensive environment like we are learning we are using that part of the brain to the max. We were told that it would be at least a month before we became used to this and didn’t feel so tired.
During the third week we also had our first test and that was a real shock for me. In all my other courses I’ve gotten As and Bs, but on this first test, I barely got a C. In other classes, I read the material, do the assignments and can count on at least a B (and that’s if I am, for me goofing off). Learning a language doesn’t work quite like that. The grammar concepts were easy enough for me to get a handle on, but that has to be backed up by rote memorization of words and verb conjugations and articles, etc… etc..
I used to have a good memory for rote memorization when I was younger, and while I still have a good memory in general, not when it comes to rote memorization. I found that I was spending three to five times as much time on homework as I did on any other class and was making Cs instead of As. Now don’t take this as a complaint, it’s not, just a report of the facts. I expected this to be a lot of work and it is. I am also really glad that I applied for this program.
As far as the studying goes this is an area where my age seems to be a factor. While the other students (all of which are 19, 20 and 21) aren’t exactly having an easy time of it, they don’t spend near as much time on homework as I do and get better grades. At 56, I feel like I am constantly in catch-up mode. I also learned that while I only had two terms of college German before coming here some of the students have had more. A number of them took German in high school. That actually made me feel better, less incompetent. In any case I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything; hard work is good for the soul.
The highlight of week three was a hike to Wurlmlinger Kapelle and the small town of Pfäffingen. Wulmlinger Kappele, or Chapel is on the top of a hill in the Neckar valley that affords a great view of the surrounding area. Here is a picture of the chapel from a ridge line near bay:

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These are some pictures from the top, looking at the surrounding area:

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We finished the hike by hiking down the hill and into the town of Pfäffington and to Silvia Kunze-Ritter’s house where we were treated to an excellent Swabian dinner. As well as good conversation and an all around great time. We then walked to the train station and took a train back to Tübingen. The hike, someone said was about 13 kilometers. I think that was pretty close and it was easy going terrain and a pleasant day with wonderful weather. Although slightly physical it was somehow relaxing after the mentally exhausting week we had just had.