Hi I know this late but last week was crazy.  I will talk about last week and how it went.  My group and I went to Mexico City last weekend and saw many things.  We went to the National Museum of Anthropology, the pyramids, the art museum, the biggest castle in Mexico City, the ruins of Aztecs which is called Templo Mayor and lastly we went to the house of my hero Frida Kahlo.  We went for three days and I had so much fun.  My favorite places were the pyramids and the house of Frida Kahlo.  The pyramids were fun for me because they are what is left of the Aztecs and I love learning about history especially ancient history.  The pyramids were huge and the largest pyramids were “The Sun” and “The Moon” but the “The Moon” is the largest.  We only had time to climb the smaller one but it was still fun.  I also had fun at Frida Kahlo’s house because I always have wanted to go there since I have studied all about her in the past.  She was an amazing woman who broke barriers and did things that no one ever believed that she could.  Ever since I was a little girl I have wanted to be like her minus the spinal injury.  Also after we left Frida Kahlo’s house we went out for lunch to watch the final game of the world cup.  I wanted Germany to win and everyone else including the people her in Mexico wanted Argentina to win so I had to keep quiet. In the end Germany won and I had to keep my excitement to myself so that I would not frustrate the other people around me.  In the end last week was okay but it was very long but I had a great time in Mexico City.

The Palace of Fine Arts

The Sun Pyramid

This week was busy with lots of school and homework, but this past weekend was amazing! We all headed out to Mexico City for the weekend. It was about a 3 hour bus ride and the very first thing we did when we arrived was to visit the pyramids. We got to climb to the top of one and the view from the top was quite impressive!

Over the weekend we visited so many museums and learned a lot about the history of Mexico. Our professor for one of our classes was our tour guide and it was cool to have him show us paintings and artifacts that represent the things we are learning about in class right now.

We also visited a castle

And went on a boat ride…in the rain!

After such a busy weekend it was really nice to come home to my host family. Laura had me sit on her bed and tell her about my whole weekend. My spanish is improving and I find I am asking people to repeat themselves less often. Only three weeks to go but I know they will be filled with adventure! There is still so much to see and do!

This, like previous weeks has been exciting and new.

First off I want to say what an incredible experience it has been to be here in Argentina during the World Cup and to see them advance to finals and place second. I have never seen so many people unite and cheer for a single cause. It has been truly amazing and contagious. Today as I watched the final against Germany, I saw people of all ages cheer and cry for their team. Even though they lost the match, people still went out on the streets and celebrated. It was truly heartbreaking to watch Germany score at the last minute and feel the atmosphere of the room change. Never the less, witnessing the World Cup in a football loving country has been wonderful and I am glad that I was able to experience it.

Midterms were this week and I was exposed to different examination method. It was interesting, to say the least. Professors expect you to know all of the material, no study guides. One professor didn’t even tell us the format of the exam. But overall I think I did well and have found a new appreciation for the Oregon public school system.

I also went to the monumento de la bandera this week after Argentina’s win on Wednesday, which also happened to be their independence day. There were hundreds of people there, chanting and dancing. There were fireworks and news vans. It was a wonderful experience to celebrate and feel like an Argentinian.

This week I also went to el parque de independencia, el museo de la ciudad, el centro fluvial, and I tried sushi for the first time. I have learned more of Rosario’s history and it’s ties with soccer.

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We ended our excursion on Saturday with a trip to Covadonga. Tradition says that the first Asturian king, Pelayo had victory against the Muslims in a battle in 722. Additionally there is a cave where it is said that the Virgin Mary appeared to give courage in war. At the foot of the cave there is a fountain and legend says that if one drinks from it, they are assured to have a good marriage. Also in this area is the Basilica that was built over 100 years ago.

There are no words to justify how beautiful this place is. Pictures can’t even do it justice but I’m going to try. The lakes we visited, Enol and Ercina, are situated in a national park with a mountainous landscape. There are cows all over the place which made the drive up even more challenging because they would just mosey in front of the cars. There were also sheep all along the road too. I’m pretty sure I saw a wolf but I can’t be sure because it was in the distance and people bring their dogs everywhere with them. We were told that animals similar to antelope live in the mountains as well as foxes, wolves and numerous species of birds. We got to eat our lunch with a view and later on explored the area.

Saturday was a full day of site seeing that took my breath away. The first place we visited was Cangas de Onis which is a cute little town but has a lot to offer. After getting off of the bus (the bus ride was an adventure itself because this area is situated high up in the mountains), we immediately walked up to el Dolmen prehistorico where la Capilla de la Santa Cruz, or the Chapel of Santa Cruz  is which was the first Christian church in the area and dates back to the times of the Romans.

Next we walked over to el Puente Medieval also constructed by the Romans. It is situated on the main street and is one of my favorite places that we have visited because it is nature’s eyecandy. The weather at this point was also treating us well so that made everything even better! Wow we are so lucky 🙂

On Wednesday we all got to go on an excursion after class to a close-by coastal town called Gijon. The weather wasn’t awful but it definitely not the weather one imagines at the beach. Nonetheless we had an excellent time exploring the little town. First we went to a museum that focuses on the traditional Asturian life. It was quite interesting although I didn’t go on the entire tour because I stayed back to help interpret for one of my classmates. Since I’ve always considered being an interpreter this was a really fun experience for me and it was totally worth it.

Next we went to visit the fisherman’s town part of Gijon. The route we took had incredible scenery of not only the ocean but also the European style little streets. We ended the whole thing with a trip to an ice cream shop…and can I just say that they have got the perfect recipe for ice cream figured out here in Spain!It was artisan’s ice cream but the texture is like no other here and the flavors are delectable! To any future travelers in Spain: NEVER pass up an ice cream opportunity.

Monday night my host, Pepita, and Lexi and her host, Nieves, all went to a fiesta up in the hills. I asked what the occasion was but all Pepita told me was that it was a family gathering… That being said I think it was more of a family gathering bringing whoever else they wanted because there were so many people, I’m guessing about 300. I was really excited because Maria Jose (Pepita’s daughter and the person I stayed with the first week I was in Spain) was going to be working at this event in the kitchen so I got to see her. I also got to see Jose, her husband, and their daughter Maria. The week I had stayed with Maria Jose and Jose, Maria and Pepita had been in Madrid together so Maria had bought me a little gift of a notebook and a pen; so cute! At the party there were two bouncy houses for the kids so Lexi and I watched Maria release some of her energy out on those before too many people got there. Then we went for a walk around the country to explore and Maria taught us what different bugs and plants are called. She found a baby snail for us to hold and we named it Charlie.

When we got back the food was ready and I enjoyed the tortilla de patata which is kinda like a cross between an omelette and a quiche but not really…anyways, I love them so much so I was very satisfied. Additionally there was a lot of sidra, of course. Then once it hit 10:30 the band, Domino, came out and they were a lot of fun to watch. I have limited knowledge of the dances here but it made my night to watch everyone have a great time together dancing the night away. Many of the women in our group are definitely fanatics about dancing and didn’t hold back at all. I loved it!!! However, since Lexi and I had school the next day we went home before the party ended.