New Semester, New Friends and New Sense of Independence

When I think back to the last August and the beginning of this journey, or the first couple weeks of school, I see a girl who was afraid to leave the apartment without some sort of direction or company. A girl who made it the goal every day just to arrive to school and back in time for the merienda. A girl who was too timid to start relationships with classmates or people at the church or wherever there were large groups of people.

It has been one month since the beginning of the second semester and I think I have accomplished more than I did in my first three months in Argentina. I know how to get around without writing the directions step by step on a piece of paper the night before, I started attending the youth group that a friend is leading, I went on my first big trip out of the city (other than going to Montevideo), and while I still am not so good at talking to classmates (what can I say - I'm an introvert) I am really enjoying classes and actually understanding what the professors are saying!

This section of classes is more like real life. It is a whole semester instead of only 14 weeks of intensive courses and I am in 5 classes instead of one. Thankfully, we have Friday's off which allows for more opportunities to explore the city and the country. Somehow I ended up in two economics classes, an oral productions class, Argentine literature, and Socio-linguistics. I must say, I am enjoying the majority and even considering doing some extra research on Latin American history on my own. We will see what wins out, research or exploring more of the city. 

A few weeks ago I was able to make it out to Cordoba, Argentina with a friend from back at Grace (Carissa and I had not actually met until we got here). Cordoba is the second largest city in Argentina with a population of about one million people in the hills of northern center of the country. It could be called a University town, full of students and life and also quite a lot of old Jesuit church history, and a high population of German descendants. In the decades of the military dictatorship of Argentina this is where the most "desaparecidos" or disappeared persons came from. It is also said that the "cordobes" doesn't need to carry an ID because their accent tells the world where they are from... It really is almost like a little song to hear them talk.

(to read more about Cordoba wikipedia always knows a lot and here is a link to a blog on the museo de la memoria that tells a little bit about the history of the desaparecidos - http://gottakeepmovin.com/museo-de-la-memoria-cordoba-argentina/ )

In memory of the disappeared

This felt like a trip of firsts for me. My first vacation in which I had to budget and organize everything and my first time staying in a youth hostel full of other international travelers. I also learned that God often ¨ruins¨ our plans to give us something better, just when one idea did not seem like it was going to work out, something better arose!

Carissa and I spent the first day of the long weekend exploring a little bit of the historical downtown center which was, of course, beautiful. Saturday and Sunday we hung out in a very small town called Cuesta Blanca about an hour and a half away to soak in some sun, rocks, trails and river after spending months in the big city. 

Monday was definitely the climax for me. WE RODE HORSES! The ride, led by our awesome gaucho guide, Salvador (www.facebook.com/SalvadorGimenezTurismoEcuestre),

started off in a huge estate way up in the hills about an hour from the city. Along the ride to the half way point we enjoyed a rich view of the countryside and hills way up high. We could even see parts of the city from up there. After a couple hours we crossed a creek and ended up in a little clearing of the woods where there was a cute little house and grill and friendly folk ready to make us an asado - the famous Argentine BBQ (without the sauce - who needs sauce when the meat is so good?) We rested a few hours, eating, chatting, drinking mate and making friends with our fellow french travelers, Julie and Melanie, Salvador, and his German volunteer assistant, Anika. The trail ride back was a little more rugged, crossing more rivers and squeezing through brush while climbing and lowering along the hillside. At the end of the day I got an offer to come back and volunteer for the business while gaining experience with these marvelously behaved horses. It was definitely one of the best days I have had yet, a dream come true and worth every sent. I hope, one day, who knows when, to return and say hello to the friends I made and ride my beautiful white horse, Palomo, in the quiet hills of Cordoba. 

Cuesta Blanca 

Me and Palomo

The expansive ¨sierras¨or hills of Cordoba