First days of trip!

Hello! I have been trying to keep a few entries in my iPod on long bus rides well it's still fresh in my mind of what we've been doing. Staying at same hotel last night, tonight, and tomorrow night with wifi so will update quick. love you all and happy thanksgiving!

11/19 2:10: Hello all. Figured I'd try to keep a little journal along my trip just to record down everything while it's still fresh. I left Cordoba at 21:30 Saturday night with aSwiss girl and Finlandian girl, both who arrived in Cordoba in February. From Cordoba, we had a 11 hr. bus ride to Resistencia in the province of Chaco. The Swiss and I got lucky and had the best seats on the bus: top level and very front, full windshield view and room to stretch legs. A blanket and pillow were included and with those I was out for the night. When we stepped off the bus in Resistencia, it was so hot I couldn't get my sweatshirt off quick enough. Two AFS volunteers and two Italian boys that had already arrived were playing cards and waiting to greet us. We waited another hour or so and finally left with 7 students and 2 volunteers. We took taxis to one if the volunteer's houses...or should I say mansion, where we all changed into shorts and had a cool glass of agua. Then, we were off to the supermarket to buy food for lunch. We bought lots of lasta, bacon, cream, etc. and a huge watermelon to top it off. In regards to the cooking, I'll just say I LOVE Italians. The two boys cooked the 9 of us a full Italian pasta lunch...mmm. Meanwhile, we took turns setting the table, pouring terere (mate), relaxing in the sun, playing ping ping in the backyard, and sitting in front of the fan. After lunch at around 4:15, we all walked down the street to the house of the cousin of the volunteer...another big one with a big pool in the backyard. The afternoon was spent swimming, jumping off the wall into the pool (for the boys), swinging in the hammock, taking pics, and eating watermelon. Pretty similar to Montana November days, no? After showering and all, we headed to the terminal to meet the others. How fun! There are five of us girls from the states and were having a great time catching up from August! Overall, there are about 35 students I would guess...Japon, Thailand, Italy, Germany, EEUU, Switzerland, Finland, and lots lots more. We left the Resistencia terminal on a nice two level bus with TVs, reclining chairs, and a water/coffee/pop bar at 22:30 with an 11 hour ride ahead to Salta province where we will spend the next couple days. Dinner was fine-three plain sandwiches, an empanada, an an alfajor for dessert. I swear I will NEVER wear shorts on a bus again.....so cold. Slept a good two hours but woke up a few minutes ago shivering. No blankets or pillows provided but you guys know me-I can sleep anywhere. There is a huge thunderstorm outside right now: rain falling, thunder cracking, and so so much lightning. I hope we have good weather. Not to mention they drive like 30 mph on the highways here and it's really frustrating me. Alright, I'm going to try to sleep again so I'm not to much of a witch tomorrow even though they just turned the air on again! ah crazy Argentinians!

11/20 17:45: Hola! Hope you guys are having a fabulous Thanksgiving week and a good two day school week. I'm having an absolutely amazing time on my trip, though it may be a little different than you all...95 degrees and spent the day in the desert today. Yesterday was lots of fun. We arrived in Resistencia at around 9 and went to the hotel in Salta. I am rooming with a girl from Minnesota and one from Chicago. We lucked out and got the corner room with four beds and lots of room...but a broken air conditioner. Luckily, it cools off lots at night where we're at. At 12 we met for lunch in the hotel of pasta. Then, we went out with a guide and had a city tour which also included a gondola ride to the top of a mountain...such an unbelievable and peaceful view. We went to a street with a bunch of artisans and I bought a few things (surprise)! We went to dinner at a restaurant where we were served empanadas, salad, steak, and fruit salad for dessert. Woke up this morning at 530, are breakfast at hotel, and loaded bus. We had a 2 hr. ride to Jujuy in which we all slept. There were lots of artisans, monuments, etc. to walk around and shop at. Also, there were the hills of seven colors which are best explained through pictures...kind of like layered colored rocks and sand that makes awesome mountains. We did a three kilometer hike through the hills in the middle of the dessert. Lots of sunburns this afternoon (no, Mom and Dad, you've taught me well to use sunscreen). After, we drove another hour to the city of Huemaca where we had a typical dish for lunch of cooked meat, carrots, potatoes, and onions mixed together with fruit salad for dessert. We had some time to check out the artisans and local shops...I love them. We stopped on our way back to the hotel to do a hike to these ancient tenples/huts/pyramids/rock structures where it was very windy. Loaded the bus back up and now we are still in our way home to Salta. I've heard that tonight we'll have dinner then we're going out to a Pena which sounds like a disco with folklore music...should be interesting! We will go white-water rafting tomorrow...can't wait!! Pictures to come. Have a good vacation and please travel safe. Love from the desert, Kerri

Empanada Joint Restaurant

Just a quick post. Uncle Logan and Aunt Amanda mentioned to me a few weeks ago that they had heard that a new restaurant was coming to Missoula that just served Argentinean food! Today, Annalea Kamplain (my friend from Bozeman who is also in Argentina) and I found an article about it that was in the Missoulian. The main dishes that will be served are empanadas, dulce de leche, and mate...just what I'm guessing I'll be needing. Feeling a road trip with Annalea this spring!
http://missoulian.com/business/local/new-restaurant-to-offer-pocket-of-argentina-in-missoula/article_72ab26f8-6ff2-11e1-8198-001871e3ce6c.html

Halfway!

  I always seem to start my posts off in the same manner, but what can I say? It's what I get to thinking about when I go to write...how fast everything is flying by. People always said that the time will fly before my eyes but I never believed it, especially the first few weeks I was here and it seemed like January would never come. Now look at it...I departed on my adventure on August 22nd with little idea what was ahead of me. I arrived in Cordoba on August 26th overwhelmed by my new surroundings. Now on 4 November, I have been away from what I've known my whole life for 74 days. I have 74 days left until I will return home as well. Every day that passes, my feelings confuse me even more. I know that doesn't make sense to anyone reading this back in the states but my fellow exchangers know what I'm talking about. Every day, I am reminded of my longing for my family, friends, and home. However, every day I dread more and more the day that I'll leave the place that I can now call my second home, the amazing people I have met here, and so much more. I swear exchange students are some of the most bi-polar people around; one second we want home, and the next we never want to leave. But that's what it's all about-the experience.
  It is 5:30 on Sunday 4 November. I'm trying to figure everything out about the new time differences resulting from Daylight Savings Time in the US. Now, I am four hours ahead of Montana. This week I just went to school, the gym, etc...pretty normal. On Monday morning, Mili and I woke up at 7 to go to a visiting Museum of Natural Science with Nuki and her science class. Then, Monday evening I went to yet another English institution to visit with some students. They always ask the same questions, but I still enjoy it. It's so interesting talking to them. Yesterday, two of my cousins, Mili, and I went to an event called "Global Village". It was in a huge building and there were different stands for almost every country in the world with artifacts, pictures, flags, etc. from the country. Each stand had at least one citizen from the country. Also, there were workshops for four different languages including English, workshops for dances from around the world, and food for sale from different countries. I really enjoyed it. Before going to the United States stand, I saw a black man (there are lots of morachos who look like islanders here but NO black people) who looked in his early 20s and he was wearing long basketball shirts, a t-shirt, tall Nike socks, Jordan tennis shoes, and a Miami Heat hat on backwards...no doubt that he was from the US. It's amazing I could tell so easily just from the clothes he was wearing. We got to talking and it turns out he just arrived four days ago and is a psychologist from Washington who just signed a contract to play professional basketball in Cordoba for a year. He said it was so amazing to hear another American talk as he knows absolutely no Spanish. He asked me where I was from and I said Montana and he went to ask "Whitefish, Missoula, what city"...I was amazed he was familiar with it. It turns out he lived in Whitefish for a few years and his best friend was starting point guard for Carroll for four years...SUCH a small world. Then, last night was my cousin's birthday party. Some of the cousins (what the Harmon family would call "elders" and a few "middlers") got together at her house for a few hours. All the others except one cousin and me went out to go dancing at a disco but I was pretty tired so just decided to come home. I slept in this morning and this afternoon Mili, Pedro, and I went to an asado at their dad's house. It was soooooooooooo good. There was all types of meat like pork, beef, chorizo sausage, and even cow intestines; salads; bread; and a chocolate ice cream dessert. Everyone else in the house right now is sleeping a siesta for a few hours. Tonight, we have the family birthday party for the cousin where we'll go to the grandma's house and eat a big dinner...then school this week.
  I am so excited to leave for my trip on  Saturday, 17 November. I already bought the bus ticket and everything and I'm all ready. Except I still have to pack, but everyone knows that will be done the night before or the morning of :) I was told of a few activities that we'll do while on the trip. The first is that we will go for a hike. The second is that we will go white-water rafting. And the third is an excursion in Iguazu Jungle which consists of a bridge tour in the trees, a zip-line tour, and rappelling over a waterfall. I'm sure my mom is so happy she signed the Activity Waiver saying I could do all of these...right, Mom? The 1st and 2nd of December we have a camping trip with AFS but I don't have much information on that. One month left of school and then summer vacation!! I know that we will spend Christmas with Nuki's family at my aunt's house in Zikiman which has a pool and New Year's with the dad's family. It's getting very very hot here. Usually, it is about 90 or 95 degrees and humid during the day and it's not even summer time. Also, there are lots and lots of mosquitoes but no bug spray. I don't know why they don't use it. Instead, they just spray Raid everywhere.
  My Spanish continues to improve and I have been told by lots of people that I am lots better than when I arrived. I can understand pretty much everything but it's still a little harder to talk. At least I can have some conversation with people! School is going good...still pretty basic but I think that's just how the education system is here. I attend all of my 14 classes but only take tests and get grades in 5 of them: math, English, Catholicism, mediation (problem solving), and psychology. My English teacher absolutely loves me. Sometimes she doesn't give me an assignment because she doesn't want the kids to cheat off of me and will instead just give me a 10 or an 100 in the  American system. Also, she invited me to go camping with her some weekend...She likes to be able to practice her English!
  Well, that's about all I have to say about how life is going for this girl...Just living it up in Argentina and taking advantage of the little time I have left. Hope all is going well with everyone. See you all in 74 days! Love from the southern hemisphere, Kerri