último dia de la facultad!

So today is my last day of school o my gosh! I´m all done after tonight, well besides having to study all next week for the final on the 28th. I already turned in my term paper via email because my professor is out of the country so we dont have class tomorrow. As of 10 pm tonight I will oficially be on summer vacation with one final to take eeeek! Unless I do awful on my term paper but I actually am pretty proud with what I wrote. My friend who corrected it last night told me that is was really good and that I´m an amazing writer in Spanish, there were only stupid little errors that I probably wouldve made in English as well. Its always prepositions that are the hardest for anyone and a foreign language, there just arent any rules. Anyway, so yesterday was such an amazing day! I just had a really good day. I woke up, went to class, where I dont have to see that awful negative teacher anymore thank god! Got my grade, 8 or A yay! And then went with Coralie to meet up with Tiago to watch the Brasilian futbol game. I was wearing my Brasilian tshirt and all the guys were going crazy. Argentines love Brasilian girls, it was hilarious. Everyone tells me I look Brasilian because Im colorful and beautiful lol. O well whatever o and the legs, Argentine girls have little stick legs and Brasilians have legs more like me. Anyway, then I went to my yoga class and afterwards met up with my girlfriend so that she could correct my paper which turned out to be an amazing help because I never wouldve thought to change my paper the way she did gramatically. Then we walked together and chatted about life to the bus stop. She is an amazing girl, she is from here but started learning English at 4 so she is basically native in both languages. However, I just never speak English here and she always says to me Boluda you freaking speak Spanish so well, I feel like Im talking to a native. I love it. Anyway, then I got on the bus and this city is so strange, I saw my friend from the gym on there at 2am and she was with her best friend, we chatted for a bit and some girl overheard that i was from California and said o I really want to go there! Its been my dream forever. And she was a little out there, honestly kinda goofy. SO I said well where in California? She said o I dont know i just love it all. I said well its a big state, lots of different places you could go and its completely different everywhere. She asked where i was from, so I decided to quiz her haha, so I said well its the capital do you know where the capital is? she said LA and then i made a joke saying nope you failed you cant enter california. haha. it was funny. I made a joke in Spanish, im back to my old whitty self, something I couldnt be in the beginning of my adventure here because of my lack of complete fluency in Spanish. But now look at me Im back I feel great! I speak two languages like they were equals. Anyway then today i helped out a girlfriend with her English, she read to me and I corrected her pronunciation, she actually read really well. Argentines are great! They are so eager to learn more than one language. I wish we were more like that. But i guess thats what makes me unique. Then I came home and started packing up my summer clothes since Im freezing my ass off here. I also threw away all the old junk that I dont need, school work, old papers, etc. I have one suitcase all packed. I know I still have two weeks to go but Im just soooooooo excited and i know its going to just fly. I mean 50 weeks flew by like a flash, whats two more? Well, Im going to get ready for my last classssssss! Yay! Tomorrow at 830am is the Argentine game, Im going to try and get up for it, we will see lol.
Chau all, see ya in two weeks, Im so ready for California summer weather. Im soooo cold!
Besos
O and I have almost finished my scrapbook, just the despedida and the salida left to fill but those havent happened soooo....yeah, chau!

Una obra espectacular!

Well I have finished my final term paper for the semester. All I have left to do is my final in Macro on the 28th and I am dunzoooo. WOw my term paper was super hard and detailed. I am looking it over now but I think all in all its going to turn out great. Besides the teacher isnt even going to be in class on the last day and we are emailing them to him. I take it this class doesnt really matter to him..anyway, thats how it goes here in Argentina. Good education with teachers who expect so much out of you but dont go to class. Anyway, nothing else. Tonight I went to see a show at the theatre that Cris works at, it was amazing! It was called Cariño, which means honey in Spanish. It was super crazy and spectacular! I cant explain it! It was just soooo cool! There we two guys, with amazing physics, one was a ballet dancer and the other was some sort of dancer but I dont recall, anyway freestyle dancer, doesnt matter and then a girl who had this most amazing voice. It was just really interesting. They acted sooooo I dont know emotional and inspiring, then when they were acting they were doing all of these strange things like screaming at each other, and speaking 3 different languages perfectly at once, then rubbing each other like a Madonna Vogue video. Everyone got naked on stage. Then the ballet dancer, male btw, walked around the stage for 5 minutes on his tiptoes with his ballet shoes doing all sorts of interesting and amazing things. Did I mention his legs? They were so defined! And all three had voices that were so amazing! It was definitely a show I will never forget and yes it was not anything normal, very underground theatre with lots of sex and sensuality and very very very good monologues. It was amazing that´s all I can say, enough said. Anyway, so I have three days of school next week then I have a week to study then the week after I have finals and chauuuuu! Off to USA, o my goodness! wow its really happening, its really ending. I cant sleep at night because my mind is turning in circles! Its going 100 miles per hour thinking about everything! Im so excited but yet super sad! Its such an emotional roller coaster! I wish I wouldve met my friends i have this semester last semester, well just more reason to come back to South America no? So Argentina won today, I am seriously in the best country besides Africa during the World Cup. They are crazy fanatics here! I love it! Brasil plays on Tuesday! Go Brasil! Anyway, hope all is well family and friends! Falta pocoooooo
Besossssss
R

A really good good day!

Today was an amazing day! I found out Steven got the job he wanted at Dimple Records, my boss at Starbucks told me that I can have my job back at Starbucks when I get home, and in my Macroeconomics class, because I studied so hard over the weekend, I understood everything and the teacher asked me a question in the class and I was able to answer it intelligently. Not like a stupid foreigner who cant speak the language well. Im so so so happy! And now that I have 4 weeks left, I feel super happy! Im so happy to come home and Im so happy with my Spanish and now my Portuguese. Im just in such a good mood! yay! So what happened in the class was we were discussing the exchange rates and how everything is in the perspective of the US Dollar and when it says that the exchange rate raises, this means a depreciation of the US Dollar. So the teacher said, this is very difficult because its opposite and we dont think in dollars we think in pesos argentinos. Then he said ok Ms. California what does this mean when you raise the exchange rate, why does the demand and production diminish. And I said it is like this because when the exchange rate raises, the dollar depreciates and this makes foreign products more expensive for us to buy, so we have less renta, less, production, and less demand. But I said this all in Spanishhhhhhhh yay! Im so so so so happy. Then I got home and read my email with my boss saying that he needs to know my exact date back and hopes that I still want my job. yay yay yay! What a good day. So next Tuesday I have one final, then I have another on the 28th and 30th. I still have to write a paper of 17 pages or less about Global Warming Issues and Integration in Latin America but everything will get done, especially once Im not in class anymore and I can just focus on finishing up my term papers and studying for finals. Its nice to have a 10 day break from school to study for finals haha. Anyway, family, friends...its almost here! I just paid my last months rent yesterday. Its been a wonderful year, now its time to make the list of things I want to bring home with me and what I want to see before I leave. I love you all!

Love happy Rachel

One month to go!

Me o my! Its one month to go! I cant believe it! Life here is going well, I have been focusing more time on hanging around the city and with friends as opposed to studying ooops. O well, in do time, everything will get done, just depends on how much time i give myself and if I rush things haha. Anyway, its rained all day yesterday so I took advantage and studied after leaving my friend Tiago´s house. It was nice to lay in bed in the rain and study with mate and coffee from Brazil mmmm. Then I went out to a friends bday party with a bunch of crazy ass ppl! I had to keep asking them what they were saying, not because I didnt understand what they were saying in Spanish, but because I didnt understand what they were saying in any language. I think they were either super high or drank too much. It was definitely a challenge on my language skills haha. I went with my friend Coralie who told me she is going to cry when i leave in a month. I told her if she does that I will punch her haha. Anyway, I have 3 weeks of classes and then a 10 day break for studying and then finals and then chau! I gotta get my list together of things I want to bring home, I believe a big bucket of Dulce de Leche, a soccer jersey for Dad, yerba mate, a bottle of red wine, Argentine flag, and I have no idea what else....any suggestions? o Effei´s surprise for her baby hehehe! Anyway, I love you all and I cant believe my little adventure here is almost over, this last month is going to fly by! I gotta take lots of pictures, go to Teatro Colon, una Estancia to see the life of a Gaucho haha, and an Argentine soccer game. That´s all I REALLY want to do! Anything else will be extra and a nice addition to my culture aquisition of Argentina. Anywhooooo its a lovely day, Im off to run in the park and do some meditation. My friend Tiago is coming over later to go to Barrio Chino and then Im going to make him some Feijao from Brazil, he just broke up with his BF...pobre. Chau todos!

Love Rachel

Brasilllllloooo

Well I have returned safe and sound from Brasil, it was amazing! I had such a great time but I am exhausted, we did so much in so little time as usual. We went to Porto Alegre which is in Rio Grande do Sul also known as the Gaucho part of Brasil. The Portuguese is more similar to Spanish in this part which is probably why I actually spoke Portuguese while I was there. I cant believe it, the amount of Portuguese I understood and was able to speak, I am literally on my way to being trilingual Im so happy! Anyway, we had a good time, we ate lots of food, lots of Feijao which is a black bean guiso sooooo good! lots of rice, lots of fruit, lots of chocolate from a part called Gramado. Gramado is a city outside of Porto Alegre which is really similar to Lake Tahoe and it has a bunch of little chocolate shops. It was really amazing, the whole trip. Tiago, my little Brazilian friend, well his family told me to come back always, they are soooo sweet and they wouldnt let me pay for anything! And I felt so bad because they accomodated for me for everything because I dont eat meat or milk products, ugh I felt so awful. Brasilians are the sweeetest ppl! I have to live there one day! I must! I know that if I lived in Brazil just six months, I could be fluent easily. Im going to look more into it later for my graduate studies. Anyway, what else? Not much, just back here in Buenos Aires with o my god! 35 days left, and I have to write a paper consisting of 17 pages, and then I have 3 finals and thats it. Wow its really ending really soon and then back to good old California lifestyle, right? English, surfing, and big breakfasts with eggs, bacon, and sausage haha. Well, I gotta go study now and get back into my workout routine and yoga! I havent done yoga in 5 days, I feel so mushy! Talk to you all soon!

Love Rachel the world traveller

I have 6 countries now on my list! US, Mexico, Chile, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil! Yeah! Now I gotta go to Europe and Africa...
BESOS

Long time no see

Sorry friends and family, Dad, haha! I havent written in so long. I just wasnt really having anything too interesting to write about. My weeks are quickly coming to an end here. I have 5 weeks left in school and 6 weeks until I come home o my gooodness! Time to come home and speak English once again, itll be so weird! So lately, things have been going really well and I have been having a lot of fun. I also have been studying a bunch too though! I finally dont have to use a dictionary when I read and definitely when I talk, I have learned how to either just explain the word and then figure it out or most of the time I just know it and then pronounce it wrong or sometimes if Im lucky I pronounce it right haha. So what´s left for school? Well, I get my Macroeconomics midterm back tomorrow night and if I didnt pass I have a second chance to take it on the 31st, then I have my final on the 28th, then for Mercosur I have to write a paper about Integration and Global Warming in Latin America and my final for that class is the 1st of July. Then for Globalization I have just my final because I passed my midterm so I dont have to do anything special for that. I believe all I have to do is write a one page paper and talk with the professor about what I wrote about and thats it. Thatll be on the 15th of June so in one month that´s nothing! That teacher loves me anyway because I actually read the newspaper and know history on Argentina and it helps that I have lived here for the whole year and actually know the politicians that he complains about. haha! Yesterday was Buddha´s birthday and I went to my friend Cinthia´s temple and celebrated, it was really nice. I believe I will be going back to the temple on Saturdays to do some meditation with them. The Argentines who are Buddhist really remind me of my friends in Sacramento, especially all my yogi buddys. Guess being a yogi and practicing eastern spirituality when you are not Asian makes you act similiar no matter where you are. I love it, it makes me feel at home because ppl here sometimes dont understand my diet nor my love for yoga and think Im just doing it for exercise when it actually is something so much more. O and Friday I went with my buddy Coralie to go dancing which was amazing and super Argentine because as usual we didnt get home until 6 am haha. which is early! We walked home and saw a Transvestite Prostitute get into the front seat of a cab and then later a taxi driver with his pants down peeing on the side of the road and then a bunch of nuts doing other things. The morning hours of Argentina are crazy. Anyway, it was a good night, I am REALLY going to miss Coralie. She is sooooooo fun! and she loves to walk and study and I dont know I just really love her and her two friends also. And I love that she HATES to speak English too, we always speak Spanish even though she speaks English because she is Canuk but French Canuk. Anyway, Im going to visit her when she gets home in January and of course I will force her to come to Sacramento and ride bikes with me. Well, today Im going to meet my Argentine friend for lunch and then a walk to the Planetarium, Im going to try and convince her to go to the MALBA because they have a Cuban Art exhibit going on right now. O and on Friday morning I will be in Brasilllllllllll until Tuesday night! YEAH! Itll be fun! Gotta get caught up on some Portuguese before I go hahaha. Im not as good as I wanted to be but I guess when i get home I can practice more since i wont be so confused with Spanish and Portuguese when I live in California.

Well loves! I love you all and I cant wait to see your shining faces! Its almost been a year can you believe it?????
XOXOXOXOXO
Rachel

56 dias hasta el final

Only 7 more weeks of school now I cant believe it. I know all my finals dates now so now this dream is really coming to an end. I have one on the 15th, one on the 28th, the 30th, then the 1st. Im not sure right now of the one on the 30th so until Im sure I cant say when I will be home exactly but Im thinking of taking a flight if available on the 1st and be home by the 2nd. awww sad but happy all at the same time. Im really starting to feel like I live here in Buenos Aires but I cant stay forever, I have things I still need to do there in Sacramento and the US as a whole. well all my classes are going really well, I do need to do some more work on Portuguese because I have been focusing too much on my Political Science classes which is good but I would love to be able to speak a decent Portuguese some day in the future. O my! Last week I had to in my Macro class do two really embarrassing things. First off, we were in groups so I had to say my name in front of the whole class in order for the teacher to write it down on the paper for the group. Rachel Barry is a real touch name for a Latino hahahaaaaaa! I was definitely the foreigner in that moment. I had to spell it out o my gosh I was so embarrassed. Then I had to explain the mulitplying factor of an equation and how it affects consumption from year to year. I was nervous and shaky. O well its over! Atleast now I have spoken my Spanish infront of them. Its ok whatever, I gotta speak Spanish in front of natives later on soooo...might as well do it now, in a professional atmosphere. So what else? O the guys are moving! Tito got a job in the south, almost to Ushuia the culo del mundo, the ass of the world. Its like a days drive to get there from the capital. He is leaving in 15 days to set up base and see how the city is, then Cris will follow him in about 3 months, after I leave, and go find a job and such. They are going to live there for a year or so and save up money because it is double the pay. Tito told me here he loves his life but he cant enjoy it because he works soooo much. So if he has the chance of being able to save up some money, he is going to take it. o but now i have to say goodbye to him in 2 weeks! Im so sad. I made him a scarf for the cold. Its freaking freezing in the south! They will be soooooo close to Antartica! eeek! But its good, I was going to have to say goodbye sometime right? Then yesterday I said goodbye to my Taiwainese friend who is from here but moved to Taiwan 10 yrs ago and came back to visit her parents. I met her in my portuguese class. She is leaving today, we spent the day together, her, me and Eli an argentine girl. We walked around San Telmo and were being real nerds drinking mate and looking at all the stores with all the antiques. Eli´s boyfriend says that she loves all the crap in those stores, all the stuff that is unusually small. hahaha. O man she is a good friend and a neighbor too. And her boyfriend lives in another city, so she is in the same boat as me. Shes a good person to have here in the city when you get lonely or just want to chat. What else? Nothing much...things are coming to a close. Im going to see if I can make it up to Brazil before I head out of here because I really want to go and who knows if I will have the chance to later on or in the near future....later on yes but now would be better.

Anyway, love you all!
Chau chau!
Rachel

Me faltan 2 meses

Today is April 18th and the semester ends in exactly two months, my adventures here in Argentina are coming to an end I cannot believe it. My dream of studying abroad is closing, I have done it, so cool! Last week was a good week besides I was still pretty sick. I have had this freaking cough for two weeks now, ugh! Anyway, so what did I do? I have been spending a lot of time with my friend from Brazil, Tiago. We went to the movies on Friday night and saw Date Night with Tina Fey and Steve Carrell. It was hilarious! But at the same time I hate going to movies like that because they really make me think about the US because the humor is just sooooo from the US and SNL and to me its just really that sarcastic Californian humor. The humor me and Steven and Lauren and Mom and all my friends share. But anyway it was good. Tiago is the sweetest little guy. He is my little brother here. I love it. Well as usual, I have found my gay boyfriend here, Tiago just told me that he is gay, which I kinda already knew...but I didnt want to ask him because its none of my business. But its so funny how I just always have a gay best friend. Maybe it means I need to do something in life with gay rights. Gosh that would be so hard in Latin America, they are just so behind still, I mean we are still behind too. The only place in the world that is ahead of the times really is Holland, they could care less. When I told my friend from Holland that Gay marriage is banned in California, he couldnt understand the concept. He was like what why?
So then also last week I went with my Mercosur class to Congress here in Buenos Aires and we watched a meeting of the Argentine diplomats discussing the argument of what to do about the Malvinas. It was really interesting because I have never been to something so official and so governmental! It really got me to really want to work in the government again. It was really cool! For that class I have to write a paper about integration and something that interests me, Im going to write about the Environmental Problems facing Latin America and how it ties them together and how they work together when it comes to Global Warming or something like that. Not quite sure yet but I got two months to do it ha! In that class I have a really good friend from Canada who is from the French part so its good because she DOESNT speak English. Gosh too many people here speak English. Anyway, I have gotten back to not speaking English so much and my Spanish is back to the level I want it to be at. I only have two months left, gotta take advantage. So, her so name is Coralie and she is a good friend to have here. She lives here with two other girlfriends from Canada and we all get along really well. I actually went to their house last night for Hara´s birthday, one of her roommates. It was really fun! There were Argentines there from the North who played and sang guitar and sang like old folk music from Argentina. The real gaucho music. It was really cool. Everyone was really sweet. And every Argentine that I meet cant believe that I chose to study here, they just dont understand why I would choose their country. Seems like a lot of ppl here dont like it here and want to leave. In fact they really like the US. I guess its like me, I wanted to leave the US and so I did. But now that I have, I realize that I really love my country and it is a great place. I mean Argentina is great too and a good place to learn from and I am greatful for all I have learned here but I really do love California. I think I will live in other places in my life but I will always come back to California, its what I call home. O and yesterday I went with my friend from my girl workout group here and we had lunch and went later on to the house of the English Ambassador. They had an openhouse thing here where you could go and play games and see the house. God it was amazing! There is a tennis court and a pool and there was grass. haha! I havent seen grass in a backyard here in so long. Thats such an american suburb thing.

Well folks I better be off to studying! So far I know two dates for my finals:

Globalization: June 15th
Mercosur: July 1st
Macro: ?
Portuguese: ?

Im hoping we will find out next week then I can make my plans for my return date. eeek its really coming up soon! Back to good old Sactown! Back to my bike that I miss ever so much and f course all of you!

The 4th Week of School

Its done another week of school and all is going well. Today is Pascua or Easter or whatever you want to call it. Its basically not on Sunday. Everyone celebrates today, actually today is the Day of the Malvinas but also Easter. And since this country is mostly Catholic, everyone is very strict when it comes to their beliefs. They cant eat red meat today and so all that you smell in the air is fish! haha! Its so funny. I love it. Argentina eating fish. Anyway, nothing much is going on, the guys are still gone, Im assuming that they have to be returning soon. Its rainy today, a perfect day to study. I have to catch up on some reading for my Mercosur class and Macroeconomics. I need to understand these equations because the last class period this annoying guy in my class was really bothering me. We were doing word problems and I was reading the problem and every 5 seconds he named off a different American band from the 80s that he knew. And like the stupidest bands ever, ones that no one even liked. Like Milli Vanilli and whatever else. Anyway, so I didnt get to do the problems because he distracted me too much. Im going to tell him next time that I have to get a B in this class for my requirement so I cant discuss American pop culture with him anymore and if he wants to speak English, maybe he should go to an institute to speak it because I have spent a lot of money to live here and speak Spanish, I will speak English when I go home and I dont have much time left here, so I prefer to speak Spanish. Ill be nice. I know he is just trying to connect with me but its kinda like, awww nevermind. I need to get over it. Anyway, Im choosing my classes for the next semester at Sac State right now. Im going to take Spanish Literature, Spanish Culture, Envirommental Issues, Political Research Methods, and then a class on Political Thought for the 20th century. Should be pretty interesting and then my Spring semester I only have two classes and then Im doneeeeeeeeee! Graduation station! Woo hoo! So excited. Then I get to apply for my Masters. Anyway, nothing much is going on. Im going to read and maybe go paint some eggs tonight at a friends house. hehe.

Talk to you all soon!
Rachel

Na terceira semana

Well, completed week 3 of school. Its going by soooooo fast and Im meeting some really great people as I continue to say. Im still all alone in the apartment, the guys will be back next week in the midweek I believe. It will be nice to have them back in the house to keep me company hehe. But it was nice to have the place alone to myself for a bit but Im such a people person, I love having people around me. Anyway, so school is going really well, like I said I totally understood everything in my Macro class last Monday and then in my Mercosur class....eh more or less. I understand what he is saying but then he starts talking about personal stories of Argentina and then he loses me. I wish I was more knowledgeable on Argentine history and even the history of my own country. Its soooo embarassing when he says, and what happened on December 7th 1942...and all the Argentines scream out Pearl Harbor before I can even think of what the date is. Haha! O well, Im sure if I heard it in English it wouldve come right to me. But thats how it is. Second languages are hard, 3rd not so much. I think breaking that surface into a second language takes a while, and I have to wait until my full year is complete in order to really feel its affects. Anyway, so that class is good because I have my little French Canadian buddy, Coralie, who has two roommates from Montreal also who are living here with her. And we all went out on Thursday night to see a punk band. They are really cool chicks! And Coralie says they just adore me, so it all works out great! Then what else? On Friday, I went to a reunion with my Portuguese class friends from the class I took before school started. It was just 4 of us but it was cool. We didnt speak Portuguese though...boo hoo but all Spanish because they are all Argentine. Its really amazing, even though Argentines might have less education on English in school, I feel like they know more about English than most people in the US know about Spanish. They really study when they want to know something and most learn from watching movies or TV shows in English. Its really amazing to me! I wish we were more like that, o well I can only wish for myself to be more like that and I believe I am. My friend at the reunion said to me hey now your trilingual like me! I said no far off! He said no you are, accept it and be proud. It does feel nice to know more than just my own language. I feel like I can connect more with more people. And Portuguese and Spanish are highly spoken among the world, now just Chinese and Hindu and Ill be set haha yeah right! Anyway, then on Saturday I went with Ms. Jillian May to the park and we laid around like lazy bums. I kinda studied, so thats exactly what I will be doing all day today after writing this. Then on Saturday night I went with my friend Cris to the movies. I love the system here in Argentina. You reserve your seat online before you go to the movies! Its such a good idea. It makes people sit next to each other so that there arent and vacant seats. Its such an amazing idea! Plus in the parking garage at the shopping center, which was 5 times bigger than anything Ive seen haha, is really smart too. It has a number on each row of how many vacant spots the row has, then the vacant ones have green lights above them and red above the ones who are taken. Its so amazing the differences in technology here. Sometimes its so developed like that and then sometimes its completely opposite. For this reason, I think its so important that we learn from each other. This idea would be so helpful in the US for parking, I really thought it was cool anyway nevermind haha. So then I was also thinking about how much I really want to finish up with Portuguese and seal it as my 3rd language. I began researching schools that offered programs for a Masters in Environmental Studies and also offered exchange programs to do Masters thesis in Brazil or in Africa. Guess who has one? UCSB!!! cool huh? Also Davis as well! But UCSB was more adverstised on the internet so Im assuming its more popular. Also, I had applied for a scholarship with Boren that I didnt get because I was studying Spanish which isnt considered a language that is important in terms of global security for the US. So it wasnt given priority. Obviously I didnt get it but I looked up the scholarship again and Portuguese and studying in Brazil are both given priority when it comes to this scholarship and its completely paid for when you study. Sooooo anyway, Ive decided that when the time comes in about 3 years when Im in the Masters Program, if I get the scholarship, I will go and live in Brazil or Angola. I know you all probably think Im crazy but I just have to do it. I really love Portuguese and obviously it wont be like my Spanish but I want to atleast just be able to hold a conversation with an important political figure if it comes to that one day. I want to have all the options open to me so I can be successful and I can feel like Ive really accomplished all that I can. Anyway, so thats my plan. Its a good one huh?

Love Rachel
Off to study Macroooooo

La Victoria!

Ok so my goal was to write a blog on Friday, when I had completed my school work for the week but I HAD to write a little blog right now to explain how happy and accomplished I feel. So I was feeling really defeated in my Macroeconomics class and really worried that I just wouldn´t get it because it was in a foreign language and because well its Macroeconomics, blah just the name sounds awful. Anyway, so I bought the book, read the first 3 chapters and thought I had a pretty good basic concept of the ideas, things were still fuzzy like the math equations and such but I was feeling better than before. Then last night I went to class, really nervous because we had the teacher that the week before spoke so fast I had no idea what he was saying. However, to my surprise the reading and whatever other magic, I understood every word, every concept, every equation and I even could respond in the class. O it was soooooo amazing! I feel so great! Then after class, there are two Argentines that just love the US I feel, so they like to ask me questions about the place, gave me a ride home. One of them speaks Portuguese and we were speaking the basic in his car. O I feel so much better now! And then in my Portuguese class, a Equatorian told me that I speak that so well also and I can become fluent real easily. Wow, I just feel so amazing right now. Well tomorrow is a day off, no school, its the Day of Justice and we dont have to recuperate the class like I had to the last semester with the foreign exchange classes so yay day off! Im going to go the Presidental Office, Casa Rosada and Plaza de Mayo with my little Brazilian friend Tiago. We are going to take some pictures. Anyway, so Im still living solo in the house, its nice but it will be nice to have the guys back too. I miss them hehe! Anyway, off to Globalization to listen to the over opiniated teacher tell us what he thinks about his country and how mine is so much better....blah! Anyway, the material is good, I like the book so that´s all that matters. Its his final year, after teaching for 25 years I guess he can complain a bit but o well. I just hope his negative opinions don´t rub off on those who are staying here as long as I have. I have gotten to really know this country and they only have 4 months, its like a vacation, not a lot of time but still time to get to know it and all that it has.

13 weeks friends and family o my gosh! I cant believe it and when I get home i get to petition to graduate. EEEK!

Rachel

then grad school if I can get in .....Davis

Segunda Semana de Facu

Ok so this semester is going to be tough! I just got all my materials for reading and Im getting down to business. Last semester was a breeze, a chance to get accustomed to the city and to travel and to get to know the language (basically). This semester is more to complete my knowledge of the language, really get to know the policies and governments of Latin America as it pertains to the environment, and to get to really really really have a complete understanding of all the technical words in the Spanish language in my field. O and to be a goof trying to speak Portuguese haha. But I will do fine. Im not trying to be perfect with Portuguese, Spanish yes because I have been studying it for so long. I can work on Portuguese more intensely later on. So Portuguese is my fun class, Macro is my death class (gotta read 3 chapters this weekend in my fat book), Mercosur (the class on the Union in Latin America) is my interesting, most liked class, and Globalization well Im not so sure about the class, its good but the teacher is a little wacked out of his mind. I think he likes the US more than his own country, he isnt a good Poli Sci teacher because he gives his political opinion too much in class. A good teacher is one where the students arent sure what side he or she is on. Anyway, its a class to learn I suppose so Ill go with it. So like I said before I have to do some extra studying on the subjects because I am NOT an expert on Argentine history like the students in the class. They have been learning this since they were kids. We do talk a lot about my country but as it pertains to how it affected Argentina and Latin America. And that I only recently started researching and studying. But anyway, all is well. I met a really cool girl from French Canada, named Coralie. We are going to suffer together in two classes. She lives close to me and is a really cool girl. He and her friends are really impressed with me because they think of Americans as ones who dont want to learn any other languages and here I am speaking one and learning another. This is what THEY said, Im not bragging! Anyway, besides that all is really well. The guys are gone for two weeks so Im all alone in the house. I dont mind it THAT much but yeah its kinda lonely. hehe! Its only been one day. We will see after two weeks. I gave them a card saying how blessed and lucky I am to have found them and thanks for everything they have done for me and that they are my familiy for life and when they come to the US (because THEY WILL COME) haha I will put them up at my house and treat them to the time of their lives and show them my country or atleast my region. They were really happy after getting the letter, now the house is really bonded. I think something need to be said because I dont know if they knew how much I appreciated all their help. Now we are a little happy family again. Anyway, I better be off to studying because tomorrow I have a potluck with my vegetarian friends here and then a bday in the night, we are going kareoking. Then Saturday Im going to a lecture for the day without meat conference with one of the girls from my workout group here in BA. Then study study study buddy! O my gosh and last night, it rained cats and dogs I tell you. I walked four blocks from the bus home at 1030 pm and I was soaked head to toe. It was amazing. I love the city like this! I hate the humidity. I am officially saying it, I will NEVER live in a humid place ever unless there is a pool on my side but even that I dont think so. ok study time LOVE AND MISS YOU ALLLLLLLLLL 13 weeks left! Can you believe it? besotes beijos

Primera Semana de Facu

So my first week was really good at school, Im excited to go back tomorrow. I need to study Portuguese now though oops but I thought I would write just a little. So after school was over I went home and took a nap, i was exhausted. On Friday, I went to a friends house who is from Canada, a French Canuk. It was really fun lots of Spanish and French and everything. Then on Saturday I went to a benefit concert, free in the park, for Chile with my Argentine friend. It ended around 9 and we went to our houses, I later on went to meet Ms Jillian May and we went to her friends farewell party and later on to my friends bar. It was a good night! Lots of Spanish, everyone says I speak it soooo well I love it. But now I want to speak Portuguese like I speak Spanish. So I need to study buddy. Then what else? Today I went to the park to read and study Macroeconomics which I actually really really really like! Im so excited for this class, the class was hard to understand because the professor talked only about situations in Argentina and the history of Argentina but when I read the book, which was written by 3 writers from the US, so I actually understand. And now I know I am completely fluent because I can read that book without a dictionary and then on Saturday o my! So at my friends bar, there was this one obnoxious guy who it was his birthday, he was not from here but Latin and he was being really too much with my friend. And she doesnt speak Spanish at all very well and she looked really uncomfortable. So finally I said, hey look she doesnt want to talk to you so just beat it. And oh if that didnt just piss him off, so we got into a little argument and he thought i was from here. Anyway, wasnt anything more than 10 seconds but it was amazing! I could actually express myself in Spanish, without being scared or intimidated. Its so amazing. Anyway, I better be off to study and eat dinner.

Charlamos luego
Rachel

Mi Primer Dia de Facultad

Well, I had my first day of school like a 5 year old. Haha jk! No but i went to my first Portuguese class and it was amazing, in the class are 3 Argentines, two US citizens, and one Italian plus the teacher is from Brazil and we are allllll girls. So it should be pretty fun! And the teacher was really surprised at how good?? my portuguese is. haha! Anyway, hopefully I can say that I have a good grasp of it before I leave here. That is my goal. Then later on I had my first Macroeconomics class, woo! Man it was tough. Not to mention that I had to review some words I forgot the meaning in English but also that it was at 1030 at night to 1140. I got home wrecked, completely and totally wrecked! But it should be a good class. The thing is that all these students are from here or from Latin America and have all been taking classes together since the beginning because this is a 4 year class in a 5 year program to get a degree in International Relations or Political Science or whatever else Business Administration so Im the newbee to the group. But should be good, I hope. Today I have a class from 1 to 3 with the foreigners on Globalization, should be a whole lot easier than last night I know. But it will be a good class I think and a chance not to feel so out of place. So the guys are off to Salta in the North for two weeks on Monday. I will be all alone in the casa, will be nice maybe to be alone no not really. I like having them around. So I will have to keep myself busy with running around town. Tomorrow I have a class, my second macroeconomics class at 7 pm. So I was thinking of heading down to immigrations to finally get my visaaaaaaaaaaaa! And I will take a huge picture of me with it haha! What else? Not much then on Thursday I have my class on Mercosur, that should be really interesting! Im excited! Not much else is going on, just thinking I only have 15 weeks left compared to the 52 I had when i started this adventure, its really mindblowing! I cant believe it. Anyway, I best be off, I slept in late so I now have to get ready and head out. Besotes
Rachel

ps I LOVEEEEEEE my name in Portuguese. They pronounce double Rs like an H but a strong H in English, more like in Hebrew and the CH is like SH. So my name is Hacheiooooooo, its soooooo pretty when a Brasilian says it. I love it.

Its fun to have three different names, Rachel, Raquel, and now Hacheioooooooooo haha.

PEACE

Ultimatemente

Ok, well I finally am getting Portugues, not finally its only been like less than 3 weeks but Im getting it. Its soooo fun! I love the strange mix in my brain right now of all 3 languages. I really feel amazing right now except for I only slept for 3 hours last night and I HAVE to take a nap right now but I just wanted to get this all out before I forgot what I wanted to say. So I went with Jillian and we went to a friends house here in Palermo where she lives with a Brasilian and was having a party at their house. So I started chatting in Portuguese hahaha, it was a disaster but they told me I speak good for only 2 weeks taking a class. haha whatever! Anyway from there we went to say good bye to the Italians who I went to the south with, they took off today back to Italy. I really hope I see them again. It was fun, a mix of Italian, Spanish, English, Portuguese at the table. Jillian speaks Italian and obviously they do too and everyone speaks English and then we were speaking Spanish with the Argentine girls and blah it was fun. Languages are amazing! Then Jill left and my yoga buddy from Canada, the Canadian Argentine came to meet me and we returned back to the party to only find everyone really drunk and then the Argentine neighbor was banging on the terraza and telling us to go to hell and she was really mad. But with good reason because it was late, but again this is Buenos Aires. So then I arrived home at 4 am and had class at 9 eeek. I got like 4 hours of interrupted sleep and ran off to school. There I just love my class, I love the people Im taking it with and I just really feel good about it. Me and a guy from Colombia, Sandro, were chatting during the break about all our travels and blah! It was cool. He works for a hotel and wants to come work in the US with the same hotel. It would be amazing for him. Anyway, then I went to do an hour of practice for Portuguese and the guy who works in the computer lab started talking to me and I ended up chatting with him for an hour or so about everything, really nice guy and speaks Portuguese yay! So then I was running late to pick out my classes but I arrived on time and I have my class for next semester yay! Macroeconomics, Portuguese, a class on Mercosur, and then Globalization in Latin America. Should be a good semester. But anyway, Im really tired and I should nap or else I might feel awful tonight when I go to Jillians house to cook tonight. Tomorrow Im going with my friend Brian to the Museo of Fine Arts de Bellas Artes and then sunday I intend on going to the pool with my Peruvian friends but...its been cancelled 3 times already, we will see. Anyway, school starts real soon. Im really excited. Only one week left of vacay!

Chau
Love Rachel

Mi Finde and Los Ultimos Dias

Well, my life is going great here. Im really happy! On Saturday I went to a girlfriends bday party where I spoke only Spanish thank god because for a while there I felt like all I was speaking was English with Steven, Jannie, and now with Jillian from Salinas o and my friend from Canada. It was good, we stayed up late and everyone went to a bar around 430 am. I got home around 6 am and passed out. Of course I woke up late on Sunday at 130 eeeek. I went with Jillian to China Town where we spoke only Spanish so that she could practice. It was really good! Then afterwards I came home and studied Portuguese and passed out, it was a long day. Lately here its been pretty rainy and stormy, which I like for this city because the humidity is awful! Anyway, so I went to my class this morning and we got a new teacher which I like a lot better than the other. She is from Brasil and is really really sweet and helpful. I feel like I have improved my Spanish by taking this class than my whole time I spent at Belgrano in the first semester. I am really happy! I really feel fluent now, a cuban guy who I met last week told me I am a true Argentine, I talk like one, I act like one, and I drink mate like one haha. Anyway, its good I guess. So news! They have a Portuguese class at Belgrano. Its in the major of the Hotel Business but who cares, as long as its Portuguese right. It goes over grammar and verbs and vocabulary, more vocab in the area of Hotels but anyway its free! And if I dont like it, Ill probably take another session with CUI. I really like CUI, thats where Im going right now, they have another session starting around the 20th of March and its only 130 pesos I think. I really am enjoying the Portuguese class, especially now that I can understand it better haha. Anyway, Im off to do yoga and then study since its raining and I cant go walking around because there isnt a good draining system in the city, the streets are basically flooded.

Love you all!
Love Rachel, the happy wanna be trilinguist

Estan cayendo sobrete de punta!

Wow its raining soooooo hard right now. Super storm so I'm stuck in the house and Im sweating as usual. Tonight Im going to see the Rocky Horror Picture show with a friend from Germany at the MALBA. Should be entertaining. Last night I got together with Jillian my friend from Canada for a night of yoga and healthy cooking. We made mango and quinua salad, beets, carrots, and watermelon for dessert. It was really amazing! Very fresh. Then I got home pretty late and was soooo exhausted I didnt even have the energy to meditate and I slept through my alarm missing my Portuguese class. But that's ok because today was a party. Today I just hung around the house and did some chores, made some hummus, did my Portuguese homework. Nothing too exciting. Next week I choose my classes I believe and then a week later I start school yay! Anyway, I'm really glad that I am in this yoga group because Cynthia, the girl from Canada, is a really great friend. I might head down to her bar tonight if its not raining too heavy. Anyway, I got kickboxing in about an 1 and a half and I would like to read a little in my Buddhism book. Talk to you all soon, on Sunday Im supposed to go to the pool with my peruvian friends but we will see, its been raining soooo much lately.

O yeah I forgot to say, yesterday after class I was asking the front desk for something, the hours to do the computer practice for the portuguese class. And this guy asked me, where are you from because you have a rare accent. I said California, and he said but you speak soooo perfectly Spanish. I responded, well what language are you here learning, he said English but I dont speak like you...he is from Cuba. I said well have you ever lived in an English speaking country. No, he responded, and I said well there ya go, Im sure if you did you would speak like me. It really shows how important it is for me to be here and now that my language is so much better, I can really study next semester on what I want to, like the environment and Mercosur. Anyway just that little thought....

Chau chau
Rachel

Me encanta mi vida

So my Portuguese class is going amazing, its starting to get a bit easier as the days go on, I can actually understand it now but I just need to work on my pronuciation. Its a good class and I get to practice my Spanish with the Argentines because no one speaks ENGLISH yay! I love it! I actually am really glad I took this opportunity to start on Portuguese because it really takes up my whole day, going there, the class, coming home, doing homework then the gym and boom Im back at home and ready for bed. Tonight, I went with Jillian, my long lost friend from Salinas and we went to my Canadian friends house to do yoga and make a healthy dinner. It came out great! I made this mango and mint and quinua salad with almonds. Quinua is like a rice or couscous but better, and then we had carrots, beets, and a hummus I prepared and watermelon for dessert. Super yummy! My friend Cynthia is a really great person, Im so glad I met her, we have so much in common, good food, yoga, and just generally being good people. Oh and also because I went back to veggie, I went to Barrio Chino today to get some soymilk and some other cool products. Its like this huge international market, they even have peanut butter! haha i Love it. I didnt buy but i can still think about it right. I couldve spent all day there. Well tomorrow I think Im going to see the Rocky Horror Picture show with a girlfriend and then Saturday is my friends bday from Ecuador and then Sunday Im going with Jillian to San Telmo to check it out and see if I can get some gifts now for my family. Anyway, all is well, I choose my classes next week and then the week after i finish the portuguese class and then I go back to school. Wow its going by sooooo fast now, I cant believe it.

Well, talk to you all soon I am soooooo tired and still have homework to do. I spent too much time chatting with the girls. Im sooooo happy Jillian is here, she is really a great person, no wonder we were besties forever when we were kids and we NEVER fought. Good person! Off to do homework and then pass out.

Chau chau!

ate logo!!!!!! tchau!!!

La BOMBA!

I met up with my friend from kindergarten the other night. It was soooo amazing, like we didnt miss a beat. Just chatted about what we have been doing lately and whats going on in Salinas haha. I met her boyfriend and friends, they dont speak much Spanish which isnt good for me because I dont need friends that speak English, I need hispanohablantes! But it was still good to talk to her and see her. Then last night I went to La Bomba with my friend Tomas who is from Germany and is heading back home on Monday. Awwww man so sad! But it was soooo great! Its an Argentine percussion band who plays African Tribal Music really amazing and they played for like 3 hours until 5 in the morning! I loved it! And I met two more buddies who only speak Spanish thank god! One Argentine and one girl from Germany who has been living here for 2 years and guess what she lives one block from me! How strange huh? Anyway, she doesnt speak English so thats perfect for me yay! And she is really sweet. So it has been really easy to go out to the clubs and bars and not drink anything, I actually like it better, I can get home at whatever 6 am, go to sleep and wake up feel fine. The only thing that bothers me still is all the smoking here in the clubs. I got a real bad headache last night from it and my chest hurt, but atleast I wasnt smoking so thats all that matters but not like second hand is all that much better for you. I feel really good lately, really healthy, no meat, no alcohol, no cigs, I feel amazing and lots of yoga. I thought that my Spanish was really bad after having Jannie and Steven here for so long and speaking English but after last night I realized I will never lose it no matter how much English I speak, the Argentine asked me how long have you been here? Two years because you speak so well! I said not even a year, so that makes me happy. Anyway, today Im going to practice my portuguese pronunciation haha and start on making my slideshows of my trips for you guys for when I get home. For those who dont know we are going to have one night of pictures per trip so get ready! haha! I started making my scrapbook of my travels here in Argentina, now I will be collecting little memorabilia in the city to put into it, like pictures of the flag, labels of dulce de leche and quilmes, etc. It is going to be great! I pick up my pictures that I had printed out for it on Monday. I have about 20 sections so far: all my trips from Cordoba to Salta and then my apartment, my roommates, the city, the subway, gay pride in Argentina, my birthday, the trips on the buses, mate pictures, friends, the university, and then I made a section for my going away party, the 200th yr anniversary of the South Americas Independence from Spain which is the 25th of May, and then my arrival back to Sacramento. I really like how it is turning out. Gotta find a place to put the picture of my Visa that says Im from France haha I love you Argentina. Anyway, talk to you all soon!

Love Rachel

La Clase Portuguesa

So Jannie has left me, another person to say goodbye to, so so so sad but anyway just means that I am closer to being home, even though I still am not ready to go home yet. Lately has been really great! I have been meeting a bunch of new people and I have started my Portuguese class, o my gosh how difficult!!! But good! I like the challenge. Its hard because its really similar to Spanish and still Im not 100 percent with Spanish like English. The sounds are different but the words are the same. Sometimes I cant tell if the teacher is speaking Spanish with a Brasilian accent or if she is speaking Brasilian Portuguese, but I understand it all so thats good. Just its hard for me to distinguish between the two languages. Im meeting a lot of Argentines in the class which is good and its nice because they too have difficulty with the language. Not as much as me but still its nice to have something in common with them. Im sure if the language was taught to me in English it would be a million times easier. So I also met a new friend on the bus today. A girl from the Dominican Republic, we exchanged information because she wants to learn English and of course I always want a friends that is native in Spanish. She said she couldnt tell that I wasnt from here so thats a plus! So I met her on my way to the immigrations office where I finally got my visa for the year! yay! Except they put that I am from France and was born in France on it, so I have to go back in one month to get the corrected version but anyway, who cares I got my visa! Im so happy! Finally! I really am feeling great now in the city, I feel like I have the language down, the city I know, and the people now respect me because I speak their language and know their culture. I feel amazing! Now time to do more research on environmental studies, I have some ideas in areas I want to try and focus like the Amazon or the South of Chile and Argentina where the glaciers are disappearing. Anyway, I have to do some more research on those two aspects.
So interesting little thing, my best friend since I was 6 years old just messaged me and said she is living in BAIREs, Jillian Mayfrom Salinas, CA. What a small world! We are going to get together tomorrow probably. Anyway, thats all the news for now, Im off to do yoga with my Canadian friend and then some Portuguese homework and bed early, last night I slept awful because I went to the airport with Jannie.

Love you all!
Rachel

Back to the City

Well we're back in the city, I feel so much more relaxed, the traveling took A LOT out of me! And we did way too much in so little time but I'm glad and pleased with what we ended up doing. I got to see a part of Argentina that I have never seen before and have done things that a lot of people that I know will never do or haven't done in their whole lives. I saw Iguazu Falls twice, climbed two mountains in Salta and saw the magnificent view of the entire city at both places, I saw the mountain of the 7 colors in Purmamarca Jujuy and then I saw old Inca Ruins in Tilcara, Jujuy which were amazing. Then we ran over to Jujuy the city and tried "spicy" peanut soup, which was neither spicy nor peanuty but still was good. We arrived back home sound and safe but completely exhausteddddddddddd!!!!!!!!!! We washed our clothes, took showers, and made dinner, chatted with the chicos, ate some ice cream and crashed, we were definitely exhausted. But I feel so good, my little Argentine travels are over but I definitely feel good about it. I am now prepared to travel in Europe and do some backpacking over there with my love Steven. Also, traveling to the North has really helped me open my eyes to the world of the environment and the environmental issues. The people in the north are more knowledgeable about the environmental issues of the Amazon and the tropical forests in Salta and the dry deserts of Jujuy. It helps me appreciate the need to preserve and protect these beauties. I really know what my calling is now in life....protecting what was given to us, the beautiful wonders of our world because they are only given to us once, once we lose them, they are gone forever. When I was in Jujuy and Salta, you can just see global warming in action...the huge gaps of earth where rivers use to flow, cover the entire valley. Plus it is incredibly hot one moment and then the next it breaks out into a thunderstorm, quite interesting. Anyway, enough of that, I will work more on figuring that out this next semester when I take my Environmental Issues class.
So today we are going to get some gifts for Jannie's family and for my parents since both of their birthdays are in this month. Then tomorrow I begin my Portuguese class!!! Yay and I can't believe it, I have one month until school begins then 3 months after that until I am done. I can't believe it! I will have to say goodbye to this lovely country and everything that I have learned but I feel good about it all so far. I don't want to go home right now, but if I were to go right now, I would be greatly satisfied. Anyway, we're off, LOVE YOU ALL!!!!
I love you cat, I wish I was with you for vday! We will celebrate when I get home. Kisses
Rachel

Jujuy y mucho mas

We are in Jujuy how amazing! We went to Purmamarca and saw the amazing mountain of the 7 colors. Wow so many colors and we tried the quinua y the humitas, which is a tamale wrapped in corn husk with corn, milk, and I dont know soooooo good. Very delicious, they eat more spicy food and healthier here in the north, I like it! Last night we celebrated the Carnaval at a little bar and listened to traditional folk music. It was soooooo amazing! This couple sang the coolest folk music and played a guitar and a bass drum. The woman had a voice so lovely that I could´ve listened to it alll night long and fallen asleep to it. It was amazing! I met a bunch of new Argentines that are from Buenos Aires, so more friends from the city. Then we came here to Tilcara and went to the Pucara of Tilcara which is an old Inca ruins. It was amazing! I can´t hardly explain, the pictures as well can´t explain how amazing it is as well. Then tomorrow we are headed back to Jujuy to try some Spicy Peanut Soup, that Jujuy is famous for. I hope its good. Then today, we are staying in a room with an Argentine, and we are all going to cook together. So. we headed to the market and on the way back I bought the book that Chavez gave to Obama because I was without a good book. Then on the way back I ran into two friends from Buenos Aires and right now we are chatting with them in our hostel. I have had such a great time here! I really love Jujuy, its amazing but now I´m ready to go back to the city and relax a bit. Its been a really heavy trip but worth it. Everything worked out well! No problems, no missed buses, everyone really helpful and everything really lovely and it was a great trip. I don´t want Jannie to go but I need a bit of a break from traveling and planning.

Bueno, les amo a todos!

Rachel

Salta salta salta

How beautiful! We are in Salta, today we are leaving however. We spent two nights in Salta and now we are on our way to Jujuy to see the mountain of the 7 colors and maybe the first Argentine flag. The mountain is in Puma Marca and then on Sunday we are headed back to Buenos Aires at 430 and arriving at 130 the next day in the afternoon. Then we are going to see a tango show for little miss Jannie and then she is off and me back to my everyday life. I have met a lot of great people on this trip! I had a really great time as usual. I am sooooo lucky in my life to be able to see everything that I have seen so far here in this beautiful country. Salta is green green green! Sooooooo green! I love it, we walked in the San Lorenzo Park yesterday and all I saw was green, the day before we climbed 1070 steps to the top of a mountain to see the entire city. This place is really beautiful! I could live here one day haha, I know I say that everytime after I go somewhere. Anyway, we need to get going, I will be glad to be back to the city and start my portuguese class and then school, going back to a normal set schedule. Bueno, entonces nos vemos y hablamos luego! Hasta Jujuy!
Chau
Besotes
Rachel
ps HAPPY BDAY RACHEL

Iguazu por la segunda vez y Tucuman

Well I did it, I went to Iguazu for the second time. Not as impressionable as the first but still amazing. Then from there we got on a bus and went straight to Tucuman...a 24 hour busride, wow how annoying. And the workers on the bus, what pervs, no jk but one was definitely a little more forward and wouldnt leave me alone. Anyway, now were here in Tucuman and Jannie is wiped out. We are getting on each others nerves a bit because I want her to understand it all and she only speaks English so she expects me to do all the plans, but I dont want to be the travel tour guide, I´m trying to enjoy the country as well. I feel like I´m working. But I need to be more understanding because she is all new to the country and yes doesn´t speak Spanish. Anyway, we will work it out. So tomorrow we are headed to Salta, the desert, and then from there we are headed to Jujuy. We won´t make it to Chile, no time but I think what we are going to do will be great. I´ll have to get back to Chile another time. I will have travelled to all the parts of Argentina that I wanted to after this trip. I will probably not do anymore Argentine traveling, maybe some more Peru, Bolivia or Chile traveling but Argentina I´m doneeeeeee! Yay. So, the next couple of days should be exciting since I haven´t done any of it before. I´ll write more probably when I get home on Tuesday, then Jannie is off.

Talk to you all soon
Love Rachel

iguazu la segunda vez y otros lugares nuevos

So we are heading out in about 10 minutes to go to Iguazu, should be a good time. We are headed to Iguazu then from there we are headed to Salta and Jujuy, the most beautiful places in Argentina I am told. Then if there is time, we are going to cross the border into Chile and go see the highest, oldest volcano in South America. We will see...time is always a factor with buses since they take soooooo long. But anyway, I want her to have fun but I do think also that she is a little naive to time and things that are regularly available in the US. Kinda funny to watch a North American who has never really left the country in a new country, wonder what I was like when I first got here. I definitely have grown as a person, I feel much more independent and confident. Anyway, so when we get back I start my Portuguese class and then the semester 4 weeks later. Wow the time is flying! Anyway, what else? o I just took her on a tour in the city yesterday, I feel bad because she wants to do all these touristy things that I either have already done or dont want to do.... haha like take photos with the guards at the presidental office. O we took a tour at the presidental office, the Casa Rosada yesterday, that was pretty interesting. And then she bought some things at the market and some traditonal tango memorialabilia, however you spell that. So, its been nice having her here but also exhausting since i have to translate, plan, and basically cook and clean. As Americans we are REALLY SPOILED and expect everyone to do things for us. It was nice traveling with the Italians because we all split the bill on doing things like cooking, cleaning, planning. But anyway, I cant blame her because she is a foreigner and I have lived here for so long. Almost 8 months! wow! Anyway, we best be going. I love you all! Talk to you soon!
Love Rachel
ps Dad this is my letter to you, sorry Im a little pressed for time.

Chau chau, love you tons and love the gum and yoga DVDS

mis adventuras uruguayas

well jannie has arrived and we went off to colonia, punta del este, and montevideo de uruguay. its really really really pretty with lots of lovely beaches but im a bit over the laying around, i really enjoyed the crazy adventures in the south of argentina with the 10 hour day hikes and such. laying around on the beach is a bit too relaxing for me sometimes. i really love it though believe me. uruguay is nice and the people are sweet but its really similar to argentina. im glad we got to come here because jannie wanted beaches and that´s what they got here. tonight we arrived in montevideo and its carnaval here, so we´re off to celebrate it. we met some germans, us citizens, belgium guy, and some girls from argentina i think, o and some brasilians so we´re all heading out right now. should be a good time but yeah im exhausted and will be ready to go to bed. lots of traveling and lots of buses. the boat to uruguay was really really cool and kinda like a really nice ferry. i really enjoyed it and the 3 hours was nothing, really was more like 1 hour. we have been having a nice relaxing time, no parties yet, but maybe tonight who knows. im not really doing any parting lately because im thinking about adopting buddhism into my life and i dont think i want to drink anymore or put anything bad into my body....no red meat, no chicken, little fish, and lots of fruits and veggies, no cigs, no booze. so we will see. anyway, so im off, ppl are waiting. love you allllllllllllll....cant wait to see you all in july
love rachel

Que buen dia!

So today was such a great day! I went to the park with my friend Melissa from Sacramento and we drank mate. She is studying here just like me for the year so equally we are a bit bored...well not bored just without anything to do. In the morning I sent emails to local yoga studios to see if I could work for them in exchange for classes and I got a response from one! Yay! So I´m going to help her do some clean up and greet customers in the night and she will let me take her classes for free. I´m her lil assistant. Hoorah! Then after I went and met with my new female athletes group and I did a yoga class in a girls house named Cynthia, she is from Canada but is Argentine. Unfortunately she likes speaking English but the class was great! A new kind of yoga plus new girlfriends. Two bonuses. Then I went to my friend Moni´s spinning class at her new gym. She also needs a little assistant to help her out with her English clients. So that will be fun! I´m really excited for the girls workout group, we are going to do yoga, walk in the park, drink mate, make food together. All of the above! Super exciting, plus the yoga studio, how great! So a lot of foreigners are arriving here right now, either studying or on vacations. It is going to change, the city that is. Anyway, Jannie my friend arrives on Monday. I´m so excited! Today was a really good day, now its time to go home, shower, and eat a good dinner.

Chau todos
Nos amo!
Raquelita la argentina

Solita otra vez

Well Steven has headed back to the US, he left last night at 930 and has landed safely in Atlanta and is on his way to Sacramento as we speak. It was hard but I know that I only have 5 more months more or less and its really not that long. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by. Jannie comes in a week and she will be here for 2 weeks, which will go by like a flash, we are going to Uruguay. Then I have my Portuguese class everyday from 9 to 12 in the morning until the start of school, I will be busy busy busy! I'm happy though. I want to be busy! When Steven and I returned back to the city, we do so many touristy things that I hadn't yet done and I'm glad because they were great. We went to the Planetarium, then the Cementary where all the rich and the famous are buried of Argentina like Evita Peron and Jose Hernandez (the famous author), we went to lots of little fairs to look at the great Argentine artisan work. What else?I gave my mate cup to Steven and sent him home with some mate, he loves it! I'm so happy, now I'll have someone to drink mate with when I get home. I have to go and search for a new mate cup now though....that's ok. I'm just happy he loves the tradition as much as I do. We went to Bond St., a little strip mall full of tattoo parlors and funky clothes. O and we went rollerblading in the park, that was the most fun! Since I grew up in a place that had mainly mountains and hills I never really went rollerblading as a kid. So I kinda remembered how to do it, I fell only two times on my ass, so no worries. I'm definitely going to go there and do it more often. It was great! Good leg workout. Today, I'm going to meet with my Argentine group of athletic females and we are going to do yoga in one of their houses. I signed up with this group before my trip to the south but I haven't gone to one of the meetings, so I'm excited to go today!

What else? O I thought after speaking English for 20 days with only a few instances of Spanish speaking would totally ruin my Spanish skills but actually I think it has improved. I now can listen to someone speaking Spanish while I speak English to someone else and understand both languages at the same time. Its sooooo cool! I'm really happy. O and my New Years Resolutions are: to get a six pack haha (got a little four pack right now so that's good since I gave up eating redmeat! o my gosh), no smoking no matter what! (I gave up smoking when I met Steven but I always sneaked some when I would drink or whatever but now I don't want to have any disgusting cigarette enter my body at all, it was difficult when I came here because EVERYONE smokes and that's not an exaggeration. This is why I loved Chile so much and Santiago especially, because NO ONE smokes, I swear!) Anyway I was really proud of myself because we went out the other night and had a couple of drinks and like I said, EVERYONE was smoking in the club, in my face, and I didn't smoke or didn't want to smoke at all. So so sosososo proud of myself! I'm really sticking to this one. I never really liked smoking, so I don't know why I ever did it in the first place. Anyway, and the last one is to get into Grad school. I have decided I want to Master in International Affairs with a concentration in Environmental Issues. That was my goal for coming to Latin America, to find what I wanted to concentrate in, now I know. Yay!

So Steven really loved the country, the food, and my roomies. He said we are all family forever now and wants them to come to California. He is soooo sweet, he said he would fly them out when we becomes rich and famous. He is such a good guy! And one of my friends told me I was really lucky because his girlfriend (they are Argentine), would never let him do what I am doing, she would never stay by his side while he studied in a foreign country. And yes, I am lucky, we both are for finding each other. But never again will I leave his side, next time I travel or live in a foreign country, he HAS to come. This time was really hard to say goodbye! Anyway, I'm off to go back to my daily life until Jannie comes then more traveling. Wow I'm going to be sooo tired afterwards haha

Love Rachel!
CHAU CHAU!!!

Valparaiso y Vina del Mar

Wow this place is amazing! Its such a lovely beach town, we are in Valparaiso and we went today to the other beach town Vina del Mar. Valparaiso is very rustic, old and really bohemian, kinda like Santa Cruz or San Francisco and Vina del Mar is like Miami beach, very commercial or somewhere in SoCal. Wow, it is so amazing, we walked everywhere, ate really great seafood, and layed on the beach drinking mate mate mate. Or atleast I did! Haha. And the fruit is soooo fresh, no wonder we get our fruit from here. Tomorrow we are headed home...i´m really sad! I have to live in Chile one day! I really love it. I was walking on the street and some local asked me if my family was from here, he really could tell that I had some Chilean heritage! I have never gotten that before, it´s always...where are you from you look so exotic? So cool! Anyway, they have a really cool traditional drink here called Mote Huesillo, its dehydrated peach, with peach juice and then corn and you eat and drink it, really rich. Then there is Steven´s favorite: pineapple juice with pineapple ice cream haha! Really good when you have been on the beach all day frying up! Then we also drank this concauction that our new Chilean friend made: a green melon, scoop out the inside put in white wine, sugar, the pulp, and pineapple sorbet, throw it in the freezer and one hour later you got a great summer drink to share with everyone soooooooo good! i´m going to bring it back to Cali. Anyway, we leave tomorrow at 8 am for a 24 hour busride. Tomorrow is Steven´s bday, I feel awful that we will be travelling for it so we are going to get a traditional Chilean drink right now to celebrate: Pisco Sour. Anyway, I will write when I arrive after my day´s travels.

Love you all!
Love la Chilena,
Raquelita

SANTIAGO SANTIAGO SANTIAGO!!!! ahora Valpaiso

O my gosh Amazing! I love love love love love Santiago. Its soooo clean, so friendly of people, so much safer than Buenos Aires. I love Buenos Aires because it is soooo cool and sheek, but its nice to get away to a city that reminds me of home. I was talking with Steven and we were thinking we could live in this city one day, I was thinking that maybe for my graduate studies I could do my thesis work here on environmental studies or agricultural studies for a semester or so. I really love the city and the vibe the city has. Fresh fruit all the time, lots of recycling, very hippie, very my style. I love it! Mommy we have to come here together one day please! Anyway, so yesterday we went to the house of Pablo Neruda, very cool! Very good tour, got a discount for being a student. Then we went to the top of the Cerro San Cristobal to see the entire city and to see the Virgen. Soooo beautiful, this city is very religious. Then later we went to the Palacio de la Moneda where the coup happened in 1973. Very cool! I took pictures and looked at a place that I have heard and read so much about. Very surreal. Then we made dinner for the cool friends we met at the hostel and all went to this German performance in the city center. It was very interesting, lots of acrobats, old german cars, and German soldiers, and I can't really explain it. Very German, kinda like a German circus. Now we are getting ready to head to Valparaiso to head to the coast and the beach and the ocean!! So excited! Then from there we are heading back....a little sad because I really love Chile!!! I HAVE to come back! Maybe I can come spend summers here working or something...I'll figure it out but one day i will live in Santiago, I really really love it!

Well I love you all! Talk to you soon!
Love Rachel

Aguas Termas, Rafting y Santigago, Chile

Sooooo sorry I haven't been on lately, Mendoza was just completely filled with people and we were so jammed packed with activities to do all day that it was hard to get to the computer for five minutes. Actually, it was impossible. So what did we do? Well, we went to do a wine tour on bikes, which was amazing, it was 10 KM both ways, so about a 20 KM ride, not too bad besides the fact that we got completely sunburnt. We rented bikes from a company named Mr. Hugo which was great! He gave us lots of information and helped us changed our plans. We were going to go to the Anconegea mountains and do some trekking or hiking up there but the bus ride is 3.5 hours and the trekking is only about 1.5 or 3 hours and honestly I don't think Steven would've been too into it. He doesn't really have the right clothes and I think it was too hot in Mendoza to go trekking without the proper clothing. Anyway, so we ended up going to the Termas or the thermal waters, its a waterpark in the middle of the mountains in Mendoza. Sooooo CoooooL! We spent all day changing from burning hot water, medium water, and freezing cold water! Really amazing! Then we did some walking along the river and took some really great pictures. So when we got home we had to change our hostels because thank god there wasn't enough room in the one we were staying in, which was an awful mess with disgusting plumbing and disgusting guests! Ugh it was awful. So we changed to a private room and this made me and Steven feel so much better, much more relaxing and private! One night of privacy was great! Then the next day we woke up, went on a bus to go rafting down the Mendoza River. FREEZING WATER! But well worth it. The water was a bit more crazy than the water in the American River! Much more quick but no one fell off. The only problem was that I drank some tap water from the city and I think it got me sick because all day yesterday, all of the bus ride, and most this morning I had an upset stomach and I have been burping up lots of gas bubbles. I'm feeling a lot better now but it was awful on the bus! I slept the whole way so it was barely noticeable. Oh yeah that was great, immigrations, we got new stamps on our passports, even though the whole thing took forever! We had to stand out in the freezing cold at 5am to have them check our passports and check our luggage and check us into a new country, but anyway we are here so no worries. And we are staying in the this great hostel so far! Very cool atmosphere. All I want to do is shower and lay down for a bit and go explore this wonderful city. This city is soooo cool! Hopefully I won't wish that I had studied here instead! Anyway, I'm back in my "homeland", let's go explore the roots. In about two days we are heading to Valapariso on the coast and then from there we are heading back to the city. We will literally be going from coast to coast, from one side of the continent to the next! Amazing!!!

Love you all!
Rachellllll

Mendoza, Chile y mucho mucho más!

So we just arrived in Mendoza today around noon after missing the bus from the night before. ooops! My bad! Haha. Anyway but we made it here and it is great! It´s hot hot hot and dry like Sacramento so I can handle it much better than Buenos Aires. Steven is dying in Buenos Aires from the humidity, its nothing like he´s ever experienced, his hands and feet are swelling like an 8 month pregnant woman haha! But anyway, it was great there. We went out for New Years Eve, ate lots of food and drank way too much wine and beer, so ended the night a bit early. Stupid free alcohol. So here, we are going tomorrow to the bodegas so that we can rent bikes and do the wine tour from 9 to 5. We are going to rent them ourselves instead of going with a travel agency, much more economically smart. Then on Thursday, we are going to the Park of the Provincia to do some hiking, we´re doing the short hike of about 2 hours. Can´t go all the way to the top of the Aconcagua Mountain because you need a guide and I think that it takes about 2 days hiking. Anyway, that´s fine, would´ve been really fun but probably really hard because it is soooo hot here. Then on Friday we´re going to go rafting from 8 to 5 and then come back relax, eat some dinner and head on a bus from 1030 to 730 towards Santiago, Chile! How exciting. There I´m going to see if we can do some camping...we will see. Anyway, having a really great time. I will take some pictures! Love you all!

Love Rachelllllllllll

PS I´m going to drink lots of wine for you! JAJAJAAAAAAAAA