End of week 1 and Punta del Diablo

Hola Familia!

So week 1 flew by, but at the same time I feel like it's been ages since I've been in the states. I've been doing my best Jake Sully impression every day, trying to act/become less Gringo and embrace the culture. I try to turn out the lights each and every time I leave a room, but there are still times when I go to the bathroom and return to my dark bedroom. Seems extreme, especially living in what appears to be a wealthy home, but I'm getting better. Coming from a lifestyle based on many quick meals, I've had to almost completely cut this concept from my routine. Even fast food takes nearly a half hour, and forget about getting in and out of a restaurant in less than an 2 hours. It seems like everyone is moving to the pace of Bob Marley's Three Little Birds, and I'm learning to love it. Also, you know that feeling you get when you leave a store after buying nothing and you're worried people think you stole something? Well its 10x worse here. There is a security guard at every exit, and I always am eyed down head to toe and sometimes even stopped. Theft is a huge issue obviously, and it almost makes me want to buy a candy bar or something to get them off my case.

Last Tuesday Gogo had her son and grandkids over for dinner. The kids Matias (17) and Jose (19) were really cool and we hung out for a while. We are now friends on Skype, and they signed me up for this video game called "Conquerers" which the whole fam plays online. They are all big time Riverplate soccer fans, which I want to be, so they told be all about the team and their best players. Take some time to google the "Superclasico"which is the huge soccer rivalry between the Boca Juniors and Riverplate. Recently ranked the #1 sporting event to see before you die, it supposedly puts Yankees-Red Sox and Michigan-Ohio State to shame (I'd contest the latter). The game can be impossible to attend if you don't know someone, and it appears Gogo's son is this connect. He's a lawyer, and seemed to fit into the arrogant Latino male stereotype nicely, bossing around the made and not really giving me the time of day.  Dinner was excellent, as Gra made milanesa and some Jello (gelatina) for dessert. The fam did not hold back at all during dinner, speaking very fast and engaging in some heated political debates. I'm getting better, but I did a lot of smiling and nodding to say the least.

More orientation continued Wednesday, with some useful power points on the use of slang. After class I went to buy my cheap local phone, expecting a long process as I had heard some horror stories. It could not have been more on the contrary, as I walked out 30 minutes later with my fully active pay-as-you-go phone. Anytime I need more minutes/txts, I can buy a calling card at any one of hundreds of locations around the city. Gra continued her culinary dominance for dinner, making these little lasagna rolls called canelones. I assured her they were fantastic and reminded me of my abuela's cooking, who truly is the best in the world. Dessert was this sugary pancake with dulce de leche inside. Unreal...

Since we had a long weekend coming up for Carnival, for which South America basically shuts down Monday and Tuesday, we decided to shoot over to Punta del Diablo, Uruguay for the weekend. I hope that was as cool to read as it made me feel when I was typing it. Going based on the advice of friends, Punta del Diablo is a little, almost hippie-like beach town in Uruguay that was supposed to be gorgeous. And they weren't lying. It was a lot less touristy than places like Montevideo and Punta del Este, which made for an amazing weekend. We took the Buquebus from Buenos Aires to Colonia, which was pretty incredible. The Buquebus is a huge, 4-story boat/ferry complete with parking lot for cars, shopping, restaurants, and airplane like seating (all pics except the first are on the boat):

A major difference in the seating for public transportation is that it spares nothing when it comes to reclining. Both on the Buquebus and the connecting buses to Montevideo and Punta del Diablo, The seats basically recline all the way, not like the 3 inches we are accustomed to in the states. It was pretty weird the first time I noticed this, as all of a sudden the head of the lady in front of my was basically resting on my lap. It was awesome though, as it made snoozing much easier.

So I'll let the pics do most of the talking, but it was one of the most relaxing weekends of my life. The final crew ended up being my buddy Jay from school, our new friend John from Vanderbilt, and about 8 girls who were mainly from Michigan or Vandy. We stayed in two different hostels, one directly on the beach:

view from the balcony outside of my room

and one about a block away:

The staff at the hostels was pretty cool, mainly consisting of Americans who decided one day that fast-paced American life wasn't quite their style, quit everything and went to work at a hostel in Uruguay. They live a very stressful life nowadays, with top worries consisting of sunburn and the size of the waves. But they were pretty cool, and we participated in some Carnival games in a hostel v hostel competition. Highlights included: 

-A lot of beach lounging

- $1 dollar empanadas and $1 churros (made in a stand right by the beach, filled with chocolate and dulce de leche, too amazing)

 -the shops/stands in town

-climbing/lounging in the rocks

- a carnival themed party with the locals

-surf lessons with Santiago (yes I managed to stand up on the board Day 1...athlete)

 -amazing food: incredible seafood (catch of the day topped with mussels in sauce, italian food, and I was adventurous enough to try chivito or goat (not too bad, topped with ham and a fried egg)

-the puppies: there were about 5 little puppies that lived at the hostel, just chillin, living the dream. I've never seen animals get so much love. Miss Leo...

And I'll leave you guys with a few more random pictures. Miss and love you all! I'm truly living the dream and I'm taking advantage of every second here. Big week coming up with class selection at partner universities, completing the visa process, and the world's best DJ next Saturday.

breakfast every morning

Our hostel for the first 3 days, right on the beach

"Il Tano", little Italian place, probably the best restaurant in town