Lions & Tigers & Bears... OH MY!

Some of the most amazing animals ever...


We went to one of the most amazing zoos ever today.... Luján Zoo... Where you get to pet the animals. Like the tiger that I am petting above. Such amazing animals. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Never again will I be able to pet a tiger or play with lion cubs. Or bunnies? Ok, those maybe again. But they were adorable as well! We also rode a camel and an elephant!!! :)

Long time, no blog...

It's been awhile since my last blog. I haven't had anything new or exciting to talk about, except now it's getting down there.
My last week of school is tomorrow, I could not be happier! I wish I was learning. I'm not though. Classes here are made for international students and are therefore easy, and only two hours a week. Which I love and hate. I wish I enjoyed going to my classes, but I don't. However one more time to each class then finals! Which are kind of worrying me. Two of my finals are oral. Which means I get to sit there and answer my teachers questions on the spot, in Spanish! Both of which I am not looking forward to. Hopefully I do well though.
The day after I finish my finals, next Friday, my program has our final dinner, a farewell meal for everyone. The next Saturday off to Ushuaia, then end of the World! From there my roommate, two friends and I will backpack up to Calafate, and hike a glacier and drink brandy with glacier ice. Then to Puerto Madryn where we will ride a into the ocean to watch the whales, and take a trip to see thousands of penguins in their natural habitat. Then to Mar del Plata and BEACH! I am extremely excited to get away from the city and enjoy a different part of Argentina.
This last Sunday we ventured to Feria de Mataderos. Which is a big market in Buenos Aires, that sells different things from the cowboys and areas in the South and North. It's a great place to sink into the culture. Music is being blared as people dance in the streets, and gallop on horses down the street in attempts to hook a little ring on a piece of metal. Plus the food is amazing!After that I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the rest of my time here. The program I volunteer with goes to the jungle in Northern Argentina to volunteer for three days, if the dates work out I might join them. Or go up to the Northeastern part, or just stay in the city.
I am definitely going to miss my volunteering. It's been the most amazing part of my trip so far, and thinking of leaving those adorable kids is saddening. They are such bright lights in a dreary area. We did face painting today, it worked out in the beginning, then before we knew it everyone was painting everyone and it was a mess. They enjoyed themselves though, and that's what matters!

Mendoza

Thursday night we went to the provence of Mendoza, wine country. We left on a private bus for everyone from my program to go stay in a cabin on river surrounded my mountains, aka one of the most beautiful places ever. I did not want to leave once we got there, I am definitely sick of the concrete jungle that I've been living in and will be excited to venture out in November and go see some more nature.

We got there Friday morning after a little over twelve hours on a bus, we immediately had some free time to just sit by the water. I read my book for my literature class, Estrella Distante. Then we had a humongous lunch, we all though it was just a tarta and salad, then we got milanesa and french fries, plus some amazing cake for dessert. Then we went on a hike through the mountains, it was a ton of fun, and just so great to be outside in the sun, away from smog and concrete. We then had the most amazing and elaborate snack ever, with medialunas, cake and tea, it was sooooo good! There will never be a better snack.

The next day we went on a hike in the morning, and wandered through the mountain, and that afternoon we toured a couple of wineries. We saw a cute little small winery. They had farm animals and for some reason I was taking pictures of the pigs. Not really sure why. Afterwards I kept saying "what am I doing? I'm from Iowa?" Kind of hysterical. We also went to the biggest winery in Argentina, Bianchi. You can easily buy wine in the states from this winery, so look for it while buying your next bottle.

The last day we were there we went white water rafting in the beginning. It was only class 2, but it was fun. The four guides were a ton of fun, they kept pulling people into the water and just generally enjoying ourselves. At one point the water was calm and they said we could jump in if we wanted. I did and immediately regretted it. It was a bit chilly. Even though we were wearing these huge suites it was still chilly.

We left later that day and I did not want to leave. Almost all of us suggested to CEA that they do a program with half being in Buenos Aires and the other half out by Mendoza.

Other then that I don't ahve much time left with classes, thankfully. Two midterms this week, then three more weeks of class, followed by finals, and then flying to the end of the world and backpacking back up to Buenos Aires. Definitely excited for that!!