gaining weight like it's coming in style

hey guys! everything here is going good! jano´s dad was in the hospital this week having tests done, but so far everything has come out fine, but he might have to go back on monday to get some results and do some more tests.

Thursday we went to this really cool restaurant with jano's dad and his uncle called vivir el vino. Everything was so good! His uncle speaks perfect english and has a daughter that works in New York City and a son that goes to Boston University. the wine was really good and then for appetizers we had a salad and croquetas which were really good. Then I had chipirones which is kind of like calamari but different and that was amazing. It was with this sauce that was scumptious.

Then last night we started watching sex and the city(we watched most of the first season) and we ordered pizza hut for dinner. It was quite the debate between telepizza and pizza hut (I won).

Next weekend our spring break starts so i don't have class on Friday! yay! We are also thinking about going to see the Mutua Madrid tennis tournament in May (hopefully seeing rafa play!)

Other than that, not much is new here. I'm getting ready to make chicken noodle soup for lunch..i've never made it from scratch so we'll see how it turns out. and his aunt still hasn't told me if she's eating here..(soledad the really annoying one that he lives with)

Ashley- School days!

Classes have finally begun! Monday was my first day, and everything went well. My Introduction to Human Rights class is really interesting and consists of about 10% international students, which can be a good thing, but about half of those are Americans...I don't want to be around Americans while I'm here! Then I had a Latin American Literature class, in which we did nothing other than sign up for the times we want to take the smaller "practical application" class that coincides with the general seminar. After that I went to my art class about the change in the architecture and art in Buenos Aires during Marcelo T. de Alvear's presidency (1920's), but the professor never showed up and we all left after thirty minutes...great.

As exciting as the first day of classes is the first holiday, which was Tuesday! It was the 'Feriado del 24 de marzo,' an official holiday which, I believe, commenced in order to appease the middle class (especially the left-leaning party members) after La Guerra Sucia (the Dirty War; It pertains to the large population that "disappeared" in the late 1970's. Look up Isabel Peron's presidency for more information). Of course there were tons of protests/marches, many organized by students at my university (don't worry Mom and Dad, I didn't participate). Also, there is a huge strike in one of the nearby provinces on sending meat into the city, which includes a blockade on one of the country's major highways. I believe it is supposed to end tomorrow, but who knows. Anyway, it was an interesting day to walk through the city. I passed through Recoleta, which is a really nice barrio and stumbled upon the cemetery (which is more like a small village; the coffins are housed in small edifices), where I saw Evita's grave, covered in flowers. Unfortunately, it wasn't possible to see inside of it. It was kind of strange to think that a bunch of buildings that basically house boxes full of goop (deteriorated bodies) has become such a huge tourist attraction. Unfortunately, I didn't take my camera, but I'm sure I'll go back again!

Wednesday I only had one class (art) and it didn't start until 9pm...The teacher did show up this time, but I think I might drop the class. It seems pretty technical and right now I'm enrolled in 20 hours and only need 12. It would be nice to have a day off in the middle of the week and to not be in class until 11.

Today I had my literature class again. I understood most of the lecture, and I made a friend in the class the other day who I can ask for repetition if need be...It seems like it's going to be a really good class. My teacher mentioned a couple of poems/articles that I've already read in Spanish classes previously, so I know I can't be totally out of the loop!

On another note, I'm still in the hostel, but my apartment will be ready by Wednesday at the very latest! YES! It's nice to meet people from all around the world (so far I've roomed with lots of Brazilians, Australians, Norwegians, Koreans, and Americans), but I'm ready to have my own space...where I don't have to pull my huge suitcase out of a locker that starts at my neckline everytime I need to change my clothes. I guess I'll at least come out of it with buff arms :). Also, the apartment is WAY closer to my school. It's probably about a twenty minute walk as compared to an hour and twenty minute walk. One nice thing about the city's lateness in schedule is that it's quite safe to walk around at night. I actually feel just as safe (or safer) walking on well-lit and occupied streets at night as I do taking the bus or subway. And right now the weather is great, apart from some serious humidity.

I think that's about all for now, folks, but expect some pictures of the apartment as soon as I move in...Thanks for tuning in!

Cara- Las Fallas in Valencia and La Lauren in ZGZ!

You think that's a big Paella? Look at this one!!

Last week was the Festival of Las Fallas in Valencia. Valencia is known for their beaches and oranges, and is a relatively large city of one million people but swells to at least twice that size during the festival. I heard it was a must-see so I got a ride with my friend Carole who was driving down there too on Wednesday morning. Due to the large volume of visitors, all the hostels and hotels are totally booked during the week, so I stayed with Michael and his Valenican friend Alberto. Alberto and his mother Teresa were incredibly hospitable! They made us lunch everyday and Alberto took us around the city on Thursday and Friday and took lots of pictures for me since my camera was broken. Above is a picture of me with Thursday's lunch, a typical Valencian dish called Fideuà. It's a lot like Paella, but uses noodles instead of rice. It was sooo good and I ate tons of it.
On Wednesday Carole parked her car on the beach and then I spent about 3 hours trying to get across Valencia to Alberto's neighborhood. The normal bus routes were all abreviated since most of downtown was impassable due to the celebrations so we had to take the metro which was running on special festival schedules. Teresa made us macarroni and then Alberto, his friends Lina and Damiano and Michael and I went out to see Las Fallas.
I'm not exactly sure what the word Fallas means but it refers to these huge wooden statues/scenes that are as tall as four story buildings and spread throughout the city. Everyone in a neighborhood puts in about 150 Euros to have the Falla built and their themes range from political to whimsical. I think there are about one thousand in all but the downtown ones are more important or something. I really like this bullfighting one:Walking around the city was a little dangerous. Another tradition of las Fallas practiced among the tween set is setting off firecrackers and various little fireworks in the middle of crowded downtown areas. I almost peed myself a few times out of surise. We went to see the main cathedral in Valencia, and a little further behind that was this giant statue of Mary made up of flowers that are brought by a parade of women, men, and little kids in traditional Valencian costume.
These dresses looked seriously uncomfortable and it was HOT out! I can't even imagine, it's especially hard for the little bity girls I'm sure. These little girls were so adorable but I think they were a little weirded out that I wanted a picture with them.
After walking around for a good long while, we headed to Alberto's friend Stephania's house for dinner, and then headed out to see "el castillo." Basically, we went to a crowded parking lot and watched a really big fireworks show. It was pretty good but didn't have much on the DCC. Afterwards we hung out by the "river" which is actually all dried up and now it's just a really nice park area with cool bridges crossing it. We walked back to Alberto's later because the metro was crazy crowded. On the way we passed a bunch of verbenas, which as far as I can tell are like block parties with dancing. Even though it was about 3 am at this point, the streets were full of people, and not just teenages or tourists. There were old people and toddlers too.
On Thursday morning we went out in Alberto's neighborhood to see a mazqueta (spelling?) which was like a smaller fireworks show but mostly instead of the flashy shiny kind it was just really really loud pyrotechnics. Like, so loud the ground shook like I was in Reno or something (disclaimer: never been to Reno, just heard about it).

don't get too close!

Afterwards, we walked around his barrio to see more Fallas and of course, the giant Paella for one thousand people! Then we went back home and ate fideua followed by a brief siesta. At 4 or 5 we went back into the city to see the inside of the cathedral, the tower/gate/wall, and say goodbye to the Fallas.

me at the cathedral
me on top of the wall

Valencia is so pretty! Anyways, as we started to head home we ran into a parade of people dressed up as Moors and Christians to celebrate the city's heritage. I thought the costumes were so elaborate but Teresa told me there's a similar parade in Castellon, but much much more impressive.

I kind of though the moors looked more like Aztecs

These sandwiches were so good and only 3 Euros or so. What a steal!
(From left: Me, Michael, Alberto, Lina, Damiano)

After dinner we went back into the city at about midnight to see another smaller castillo and the burning of the most important Falla outside city hall. That's correct, on the final night they burn the Fallas, all of them. There are firefighters present at all of them, spraying down the ashes and making sure sparks don't land in trees, and all the buildings surrounding a Falla are covered with fireproof fabric to keep them from being damaged. However, it still seems like a very risky venture to me, especially when coupled with the castillos, mazquetas and rogue firecrackers.

All the streets have these pretty christmas light garlands.

El Castillo

La Falla QuemandoSome firefighter and the remains of a smaller Falla

I think Valencia makes us look like total prudes about fireworks. I would really like to go back to Valencia in the summer to more fully enjoy the beach, but I'm so glad I got to go to Las Fallas, and that I got to meet Alberto and his family, especially Pancho, their little dog.

On Friday I took the bus back to Zaragoza, and when I got there, LAUREN MILLER and JANO were there!! Don't you wish you were in Spain Ashley? We went out to eat at this cheap calamares bar and got clamares and mussels and patata bravas which I love. Mac from Idaho came over, and then Lauren, Jano, Mac and I went out to La Cucaracha and El Tubo. Later Jano and I split a Kebab and we all straggled home shortly thereafter. On Saturday we slept in and then went to the basilica and aquarium, supposedly the largest fluvial aquarium in Europe. To be honest, I was not impressed. Europe must have low standards when it comes to aquariums. It was hard to find and not easily accessible by bus and it cost 10 Euros for only freshwater fish. They did have two crocodiles and two caimans but no sharks or manatees. Afterwards we ate chinese food which was really good. I don't know why but I just love cheap chinese food. And it's pretty healthy right? Saturday night was Sebastiens birthday party at his flat. He lives with ten (!) other people in a fourth floor flat by the university. They have two kitchens, a big common area, and a maid and it really doesn't seem all that crowded. After his party Lauren and Jano went home and the rest of us went to Boulevard, a club nearby. I like Boulevard but walking home 30 minutes is kind of unpleasant, unless I stay till 5 when the busses start.
My friend's always have guests staying over so it was nice to finally have my own friends to show around. Unfortunately my camera is still in the shop so I don't have any pictures, but I'm sure you can imagine. It was great, and I can't wait to go to Madrid again, I miss you Lauren!

Ashley- Mullets

The past few days I've spent more time with my future roommates. I say future because my apartment is not ready. Two weeks in a hostel is enough; hopefully, I can make it through another. Anywho, this weekend we went out a few times in Palermo, and encountered a lot of the city's younger population. It was a lot of fun to dance until dawn and meet more people, but in the process I saw a lot of mullets. Buenos Aires has got to have the highest mullet density in men ages 18-25 that I've ever seen. I don't understand the fad. Most of the guys don't even wear a full-blown mullet, but just leave a few straggling tresses or even a lone dreadlock swinging from their nape. Here's my main problem with the 'do (besides the fact that is automatically deducts at least two points from the attraction scale from 1-10): It's not as if the person doesn't have the means or is too lazy to get a haircut, they just choose to have it styled this way. My main purpose in writing this is to deter any guys (or girls) who might be considering a venture into mullet-land. You don't want to go there.

Ashley-The zoo, Palermo, and other happenings

Since I still don't have class, I've spent the past few days getting to know the city a little better. On Saturday I went to the Zoo with three other girls from the hostel, and it was interesting. I have mixed feelings about zoos in general; if you know me you could probably guess that. They can be a great learning tool for people and a chance for them to realize that animals are living creatures (and hopefully to have greater respect for them). However, I generally find that they don't provide enough space, companionship, or stimulation for the animals. That's definitely true about this zoo. In many cases, normally social animals were left solitary in there confined areas. But it was interesting to see that some small animals (i.e. roosters, cats, and some animal that seems related to a guinea pig but much larger) were walking about the zoo freely, on the same pavement that spectators used. My final conclusion on the zoo is that it was worth seeing but I don't like it.

On Sunday, Jeff (the other student from OU) invited me to go with him and a few other people to Palermo for the afternoon. Palermo is the greenest, most park-filled barrio in Buenos Aires. It's also home to some of the wealthiest porteños. The weather was beautiful and it was nice to kick the soccer ball around a little bit. I almost forgot that I was in a big city (and probably would have been able to save for the nearby traffic-lined streets). Actually, as much as I love being here, sometimes I feel a little locked in and just want to be in the middle of a big field (who knew I could miss Oklahoma's terrain?). Anyway, we stumbled upon an awesome music and design festival. There was a lot of innovative sculptures made from recycled materials, some interesting paintings, and great live musical performance. There was an amazing jazz-funk fusion band and another band that played world music, mostly of the South American variety with a very West African-feeling percussion behind it. I also found the Argentine version of Tom's shoes; they look just like Tom's, but there are a lot more designs and they come out to about $15/pair. I'll have to look into getting a pair...or two...

On Monday, I spent the entire afternoon walking around and getting to know the barrio Montserrat. It's part of el centro, and my hostel is right by the border to this district. It houses most of the governmental buildings in the city, as well as a lot of other interesting historical sites, including La Libreria de Avila, the oldest bookstore in the city. I had to buy something, and thought that a book of poetry by Borges couldn't be more fitting. Later when I was having coffee at Cafe Tortoni, known for attracting celebrities of the literary and artistic sort, I was attempting to read a rather difficult poem with no Spanish-English dictionary at my disposal. A noise caught my attention, which ended up being nothing, but I turned around to find a large sculpture of Borges' head looming over me, seeming to mock me. All I could do was laugh and enjoy my coffee.

Yesterday, I walked around a barrio that's further out from the centro called Belgrano with one of the women that has been in my room in the hostel. She moved here from southern Brazil looking for an apartment. (A side note: it seems that the people from the southern part of Brazil would like to secede due to a lack of work and production in the northern part). The neighborhood was cute, slightly reminiscent of a small Northern Californian town. There were a lot of shops, some chains, some independent. I was intrigued to find several natural food stores (some exclusively vegetarian!). I might be returning for grocery shopping later...

Today I felt like I finally needed to get in some good cardio exercise. There is a bit of a problem though. There is only one part of the city that I know of that is conducive to running; Palermo, which is not so close to my hostel. So, I felt funny taking the subte to get to a place to run, but you gotta do what you gotta do, right. After several days spent in the sun, I just relaxed and read most of the afternoon. I'm reading The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. The interesting, and somewhat ironic, thing about reading this now is that Rand stresses her ideology of individualism through architecture in this book, arguing that there is no reason to copy styles of the past. Yet, I find myself in a city overflowing with dated buildings that took the shape of even more dated styles. Sometimes I find myself pondering the use of the city's decadence rather than enjoying it's artistic quality. Thanks for that, Ayn Rand.

And, as always, some more pictures:

One of the sculptures at the Music and Design Festival,

Another sculpture. This one was extremely detailed.

A statue of Athena atop the building that used to be home to La Prensa, the national newspaper. Now, the building is full of offices and is owned by the government.

El Cabildo. This building was built in the sixteenth century and was used for governmental purposes during colonialism. One of its functions was to serve as a jail.

Statue of Don Quixote found on one of the pedestrian islands on 9 de julio. The white structure is supposed to represent La Mancha (his fictional home).

La Libreria de Avila; oldest book store in the city-not just that's still standing. The first book sold in the city was sold at this bookstore (although it was in a different location then).

Iglesia de San Ignacio, the oldest church in Buenos Aires. The inside was gorgeous.

Casting of Rodin's The Thinker, located in the Plaza del Congreso. It's the only casting in South America-and its base is covered in graffiti. Gah.

Lauren - spring is here!

I think the last time I wrote was when my dad was here, so I have almost a whole week to talk about!

Monday I didn´t go to class because I was super pooped from the weekend with my dad, then I went to jano´s school at like 2 to eat lunch with him. We bought sandwiches in his cafeteria and then sat on the grass with his friends and ate them. We were there until about 6 with his friends then we went to his aunt Sole´s house.

blah blah blah

Tuesday I went to class and then we went to the movies that night to see The Code with Morgan Freeman and Antonio Banderas which was terrible and I do not reccomend it to anyone. Then Wednesday I didn´t have class but I went to my school to buy a book I had to read and then I went to Jano´s school again because we were going to go to one of his friends soccer games that ended up being cancelled, so we came home and we´ve started watching its always sunny in philadelphia online which is awesome! Then Thursday Jano came to my school to have lunch, we did the same thing with the sandwiches and the grass. It has been like perfect weather here lately! Sometime this week we also went to play bball with his sister and I beat Jano at a game of 21! he beat me the next one though, but its okay! hahaha

Then Friday we went to do botellon with some of my american friends from school and that was really fun because Jano always makes things interesting and I never stopped laughing. It´s also fun to see what other foreigners take on school and Spain is and the like.

Then Saturday we celebrated his cousin Paula´s birthday at their house. There was a barbecue (yummy) and we played scattergories after. I made Jano´s parents chocolate covered fruit on little cake things to say thank you for having my dad and my birthday presents and all that.

I spent the night at Jano´s on Saturday night and Sunday we wanted to play basketball again, but all the courts were full so we decided to go play fusbol at this bar, but the bar is closed on Sundays so we were going to buy ice cream and sit outside and eat it, but the store was out of ice cream so we went home and watched Million Dollar Baby which was good, but not as good as I expected it to be.

Overall, everything is going great! I´ve started talking a lot more to people in class and around campus and I´m really getting to know Jano´s family and feeling comfortable around them. I think I´m going to go shopping with Paula soon to look for a dress for the wedding and since I´ve already seen the Curious Case of Benjamin Button and so has Paula´s boyfriend Paula and Jano are going to go see it and me and Miguel are going to go see something else sometime.

Right now it´s Monday and I´m in class. I only have two days of class this week because Thursday is father´s day. hehe. Then Friday Jano and I are going to Zaragoza to visit Cara!!

Ashley- Locals, the "vos," and other nuances

Hello, hello! I've seen so much since the last time I posted that I'm not quite sure where to begin. So far I've been able to learn that the locals have their own pace and style of doing things. For example, the drivers are absolutely crazy. I've taken taxis a few times when I'm out late, but I may be better off walking. Nobody regards any traffic laws and they all drive within inches of one another. I don't know how I haven't yet seen an accident, but I suppose everyone here is accustomed to this daredevil-ish driving. Another cultural difference is that everyone goes out late and stays out (and on their feet) until the next morning. I know that's not too unusual for college students, but when we do that in the states we stay in bed until one or two in the afternoon. Not here. They get up and go to work or go to class after only a couple hours of sleep. I think I'll have to learn from Lauren and embrace the nap. So far, going out has been fun for the most part, but I still prefer house parties. I went to a club with some Brazilian girls from my hostel on Monday night where the drinks were expensive, the music was American and dated, and all the people were foreigners. Even though that wasn't great, I went out again on Wednesday with Aaron's friend Luis (Aaron is my sister's boyfriend who lived here for a month and a half) and it was great. We went to a huge club that used to be a church and danced for nearly five hours without rest. Last night I went to a party for exchange students at some guy's apartment in Recoleta and had a great time and met a lot of cool people. But, back to the locals. Besides being bad drivers and very able partiers, they seem stylish, a little proud, but very straightforward and helpful if you need it. To address Jimmy's question about the "dudes" here: they're pretty upfront about what they think...when you walk down a street it's pretty common to hear things like "hola linda, dios mio, que hermosa" followed by kissing noises or whistling. From what I can gather, this is pretty standard for South American men (and Italians for that matter, a large part of the local population). But, if you just ignore them or make it clear that you're not interseted they don't pursue you.

Another way that the people here are unique is the Spanish. It's SOOOO different here. They use the "vos" form instead of the "tu" (you), which is more informal. It's really easy though; with the exception of the verb ser (which becomes sos) you just add "as" or "es" to the stem of the infinitive with no stem changes or anything of the sort. I think this conjugation is growing on me. Also, instead of the "ya" sound that we all learn to use when we read "ll" in Spanish, they pronounce a sound somewhere between "sh" as in shoe and a very soft "j," as is used in French. Also, there is a lot of flux in the intonation of the accent, which I think may be a result of the the Italian influence. It can be hard to understand people, but I'm getting used to it. Hopefully I can understand Lauren and Cara when we get back to Norman!

Besides going out and trying to figure out the Spanish, I've walked around the city a lot. I made friends with some girls from Brazil and Holland and we've been going to see the city. The other day we walked around San Telmo (the old barrio) which has preserved a charming antiquity with it's cobblestoned streets and small boutiques. From San Telmo we went to Boca, which is well known for it's brightly colored corrugated buildings. The Boca Juniors Stadium is located here among a plethora of shops selling overpriced t-shirts and other memorabilia. Boca isn't too bad, but I wouldn't want to live there and I probably wouldn't be found walking around the area at night.

I also had a chance encounter with another exchange student at my school who was looking for another roommate to go check out apartments with. I went with her (Joyce, from Brazil) and her Peruvian friend, Miriam, yesterday and we found a fairly spacious, functional, CHEAP apartment in Caballito. It's only about ten blocks from the school so it will be easy to walk and the owner of the apartment seems really nice and really helpful. It won't be ready to move into for another two weeks, but it's such a great deal that I don't think any of us care.

I don't start classes until March 23, but I've enrolled. We have to enroll in four classes so that if one or two of them are just too difficult we can drop them without worrying. At this point, I'll be taking History of the Americas III, Latinamerican Literature II, Introduction to Human Rights, and an art class about the city during the presidency of Alvear. It should be pretty interesting.

For now, I have a few more pictures! I miss you all!

La Casa Rosada en La Plaza de Mayo. This is the presidential building. Many speeches have been made from the balcony and many protests have occurred here. Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo is a group of women that started a silent protest during the presidency of Isabel Peron (Juan Peron's third wife and vice-president during his term in the 70's who took over as president when Juan died). During her time in office there was very little tolerance and a very active military. Many people (mostly those in opposition parties) disappeared and became known as los desaparecidos. Las Madres started in protest against this atrocity. Also, an interesting note on Juan Peron: his first two wives died fairly young of cervical cancer; it appears Juan had a nasty strain of HPV.

Tango dancers en El Caminito in Boca, a very tourist-packed area of the city.

Some brightly colored buildings in el Caminito.

A few of us having dinner in the hostel.

LAUREN-PICTURES!

Me, Bruce, Jano and Jano´s parents in Toledo overlooking the Rio Tajo

Me and Bruce at the Gran Via


me and Jano at the Gran Via

me, Bruce and Jano´s family at a parking garage in Toledo on our way to dinner!

me and Bruce at Retiro Park

me and Bruce in La Puerta del Sol, the exact center of Spain. The cows are part of the art exhibit thing I talked about in the last blog

Cara- San Sebastiàn

I went to San Sebastian two weekends ago!

It didn't really look like this though. There were only about half as many people on the beach and no one swimming because it was kind of cold. To get there, we went by car. My friend Carole drove and it took about 3 hours but I'm not really sure cause I was sleeping or trying to the whole way.
San Sebastian is on the northern coast of Spain in "Pais Vasco" or Basque Country. If you ask someone there if they're Spanish they'll say no. They're Basque. They also have basque names for all the towns in the region, like Donostia instead of San Sebastian, and for all the foods that are essentially the same. 4 of us, Michael, Claire, Carole and I stayed in a little pink hostel a ways from downtown. Andrej, however, to save money and time, slept on the beach. Here's where we found him in the a.m.
He looked very peaceful.
The first day we mostly spent walking up and down the beach and climbing to the top of this hill that had a statue of Jesus on top (who do the think they are, rio?)
The view from the top was nice but it was cloudy so the pictures aren't really all that swell. That night we went for pinxtos, basque for tapas, and explored downtown a little more, but we had to be back at the hostel by 4 before they shut the doors.
The next day we walked to the west end of the beach where they had these big rocks and metal sculptures
It was a Sunday so there were a ton of families and couples visiting. They were really neat and you could climb down the side of the cliff there and hang around on the rocks.
We also went up another mountain in the funicular, which is like a diagonally climbing train. It took us up to a really pretty building with a spectacular view of the western side of the coast where there were cliffs and a lighthouse. With the cloudy sky it was all very Masterpiece Theatre.
As I mentioned earlier, I was very very sick for this whole trip so I didn't get as much enjoyment out of it as I would've liked. I also hate being the needy one in a group. Unfortunately, I didn't feel any better the next week and am just now starting to get back to my old self. But it was beautiful, and relatively inexpensive. Once we split the gas it was 15 Euros each, and then the hotel was 17 Euros, and food wasn't unbelievably expensive, I'd say I spent about 20 Euros on that, maybe less. so about 50 Euros in all is rather tolerable I'd say!

Cara- Bronchitis

Hi ya'll! I know I haven't posted in two weeks and you guys are probably wondering if I've died, and the answer is I'm not dead but I'm almost there.
About two weeks ago I had a soar throat and a fever that I brushed off as a cold and continued living the erasmus life. Then on the day we left for San Sebastien in northern Spain, I woke up and felt like someone had punched me in the tonsils. I was also coughing so much I couldn't sleep, especially because my cough was about 10 times worse when I was lying down. This all sounds bad for me but was probably worse for my roommates who got to be woken up every 15 seconds by my tireless hacking. I also started having chills, night sweats, headaches, muscle pains, and a lot of pain in my back when I breathed deeply.
While I was in Toledo (there was a lot of traveling going on I have yet to write about!) I think I woke up pretty much all of Jano's family with my night coughing, so they took pity on me and took me to a pharmacy to get some more cough drops and codeine for sleep, and when I got back to Zaragoza I was so tired of all the coughing and no sleeping I resolved to find a clinic.
Going to the doctor here was something I expected to be quite difficult but was actually pretty easy. I emailed Karen that I was sick and went to the International Students office here where they gave me a list of private clinics. Most doctors, hospitals, and clinics here are public, which means anyone with nationalized european healthcare can go there for free. I could go there, but I would have to pay, and wait for a really long time because their public patients come first, and if they have any openings where they can't fit anyone else, they'll take a patient without public insurance.
I ended up going to Policlinica Zaragoza. It was the closest one to my flat that had general medicine, and not just specialists. All I had to do was give them my name, no ID number or address or general info, and they got me an appointment within the hour. And then they didn't weigh me or take my blood pressure or any of that vital statistics stuff. The doctor just asked me what was up and then listened to me breathe for a while. Then he wrote out a prescription and sent me on my way. Anyways, it turns out I have bronchitis (bron-key-tees, if you will) and need to rest for a while. However, I already have plans for Paris this weekend. So we'll see...

Ashley- Buenos Aires: Getting there and first impressions

As most of you know, I've spent a long time waiting and listening to plenty of friends who have been abroad for months now, but I'm finally in Buenos Aires. It was totally worth the wait. I got pretty nervous about everything right before leaving, but so far everything has gone smoothly. The trip down here couldn't have been easier, partially because I practically didn't sleep the night before and was able to grab some z's on the plane. My connection to Buenos Aires was in Atlanta, and for those of you who are unaware, it's a pretty large airport. So, I had to take a train between terminals (of course where I arrived was the furthest terminal from where my next flight would depart) and was barely able to catch one before the doors closed. Out of breath and a little disoriented, I found an open handle on the tram and looked up to find Tim Gunn (fashion guru) standing two feet away! That was the peak of excitement of my trip, which is a-okay with me. Anywho, I sat next to a really nice woman on the plane who just bought me an in-flight bottle of wine before I realized what she was doing. I graciously accepted and soon drifted off to slumber only to wake up to an incredibly vibrant sunrise as we descended into the province of Buenos Aires.

As we drove in from the international airport (about thirty minutes outside of the actual city) I saw some horses just hanging out and enjoying the shade right off the freeway; I was definitely in South America then. I got to my hostel around noon yesterday and so far, so good. It seems pretty safe and clean and it's on Calle Florida, which is a pedestrian-only street. There are lots of vendors and musicians that stay on Florida all day trying to make a few extra pesos. In fact, the signs of poverty are practically inescapable here. So far I've seen women breastfeeding in the street, children running out into major intersections to juggle in front of the stopped cars, and a plethora of stray dogs. In fact, you really have to watch where you step because no one really cleans up the canine feces. As sad as it is, it's really interesting to see the contrast between the remnants of a mega-rich city amidst all this. Around the city's centennial (1920) it was flourishing, and within the next decade or so it ascended to one of the top three cities in the world. This is evidenced by the extreme decadence of a lot of the older buildings. Although the economy is not horrible, it has been through tough times and despite a recent period of relative stability is waning again. A couple weeks ago I checked the exchange rate and it was about 3.19 pesos to the dollar; when I arrived at the airport I got about 3.65 pesos to each dollar. However, as much as I'm talking up the poverty, there is a definite presence of a middle and upper class.

Today I slept until noon (no clocks in the hostel) and walked over to a cafe called Havanna, which is a pretty big chain (thanks for the recommendation, Fabio). The coffee here is excellent, and they always serve it with a tiny cup of sparkling water. Actually, sparkling water is really common here; you have to specify if you wan't agua sin gas (the regular stuff). After that, I walked up to my school, which is pretty far away (maybe an hour to an hour and a half walking), but I thought it would be good to see more of the city. I'm staying en el centro (downtown) but the school is in one of the outer barrios (districts) called Caballito. I walked up Rivadavia, one of the city's main arteries and I think I already have tan lines on my arms and feet because it was so sunny and hot today. When I got to the school it took my a few tries and help from a nice guy in the language department (everyone seems to be helpful thus far) to find the office for exchange students. I hadn't heard or received ANY information from the university, but after talking to Mercedes, my advisor, all of my worries were ameliorated. Actually, her first sentence when I introduced myself was, "I haven't received anything from your advisor at OU." I thought, great, I'm not going to be able to enroll. Before I could panic, she answered all the questions that I've been asking in futility for months now. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to take interesting classes and find a good place to live soon. Needless to say, the walk back to my school was much more relaxed. On the way back, I saw my first march! There were hundreds of people walking down one of the streets downtown marching for workers rights, with an emphasis on the rights of working women. Yesterday was the official dia de la mujer (day of the woman), but it was Sunday, and in a culture that embraces some aspects of a very Catholic tradition, most of the hubbub surrounding it was saved for today. It's good to see that some of the old machismo has dwindled, although it's still present in the objectification of women. It seems like people are pretty open about their criticism of the government here, whether it's expressed through a peaceful march, posters, or graffiti (which covers the lower levels of even the most beautiful pieces of art nouveau architecture).

And lastly, a few pictures for you. I haven't taken too many yet; although the city is safe, I don't feel too comfortable pulling out my camera until I am better acquanted with it.This is El Obelisco, taken from the middle of 9 du julio, the widest street in the world. I only got halfway across before the lights changed again, and the opportunity to take this.

This is El Congreso Nacional, a prime example of the very detailed architecture of old.



This is the front end of the march. It stretched back a few blocks.

Lauren- birthday

Thursday I went to see a stand-up comic at a bar with jano and it was so cool! He like acted out some action movies kind of and i yelled out jurassic park and he said he would do it, but he didn´t...jerk. We were in like a reserved area so we got to sit down and everyone else had to stand plus we got one free drink with our tickets. Then some pregnant ladies needed a place to sit down and the manager asked us if we cared if they sat in the reserved area with us and we said no and he gave us another free drink each!

Then Friday I went to the airport to pick up my dad and we went to a chinese restaurant for lunch then went bar hopping in madrid so my dad could try some tapas and we could have some beer. We walked around the Puerta del Sol which is the exact center of Madrid. There we took some pictures with the cows that are part of some exhibition thing they are doing where artists or famous people paint or decorate cows and they put them around the city. They were pretty much everywhere we went. We also went to the Gran Via, which is like the main street of madrid. We went to dinner at an Italian restaurant and bought some beer at a grocery store. Then we went to Emi´s house, played cards and drank until my dad went to bed. Jano and I stayed up until midnight and he gave me earrings and candy for my birthday. :)

Then the next morning we left the house at like 11 to start sightseeing. We went to see my campus, then to retiro park where we sat by the lake, watched the paddleboats, had a drink and listened to the musicians. Then we started walking some more to Atocha, the train station, and past all the museums, la Reina Sofia, the Prado, the Thyssen. We ended up in Cibeles plaza where we got on the metro to go to the Plaza Mayor. Jano met us there and we had lunch in the middle of the plaza. After that me and my dad took a nap and Jano supposedly had to go study, but really he went and picked up Cara!! then they both came over and we left to go to Toledo. Right when we got there his family gave me presents (2 shirts and a necklace) and they sang me happy birthday in English and I blew out the candles. That night we went to a nice dinner in the old part of Toledo and walked around a little to see the city at night. After my dad went to bed we left to go to botellon. Cara and I got pretty drunk and she got to experience peeing in the bushes and drinking outside all night.

Sunday my dad woke me up at like 730 because he´s on crack, and, since no one else woke up until like 11, we went with jano´s dad to eat churros, buy bread and the newspaper and do a little driving tour. When everyone else woke up we all walked around Toledo. Seeing it through my dad´s eyes made me remember how absolutely beautiful a city it is. Jano´s mom made us paella for lunch which was yummy! After all that, we played some ping pong and fusbol. Jano dominated everyone at both. Then we all needed to take a siesta until we came back to madrid where we dropped cara off at the train station to go back to Zaragoza. Then we checked my dad in at the hotel and went to dinner at VIPS.

I´m trying to think of something to do to thank jano´s family and Emi for letting my dad stay with them and making my birthday so wonderful. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

OH! I also got two cards, one from Lauren Petrik and one from rachel that I haven´t seen yet because jano´s dad has to go to the post office to pick it up sometime this week! love you all and I miss you!

Lauren--It´s Magic!

Hey guys!
last night Jano and I went to see a magician, Jorge Blass, as part of the celebration of my birthday! It was so cool; he even had his own rap song when he came out...He pulled a bunch of people from the audience to go on stage but unfortunately not us :(. It was also really cool because it was at like a bar and I´ve never done something like that where I´ve been able to drink while I was out and about! Cocktails were 9 euros though...I got kind of drunk..

other news! Rafa is sponsoring a new line of sports clothes or something for Corte Ingles called V is for Victory so there are ads of him everywhere right now!! Also, the Davis Cup is this weekend Spain vs. Serbia

Also, thursday we are going to see a comedian!! wooooo birthdays. Then Friday I´m not going to class so I can pick Bruce up from the airport. here´s the temporary plan if anyone cares:

Friday his flight gets in at 10:10 then were going to walk around Aravaca and either go somewhere for lunch or buy something for us to cook at Emi´s house. Then when Jano gets out of class he´ll come over and we´ll go to the Gran Via which is like where all the good shopping is and then to Foster´s of Hollywood which is supposed to be American food for dinner.

Then Saturday we´ll go to my campus..ill write the rest later i have to go to class!