The day I have been waiting for the moment I left the U.S.

March 10...
The day is finally here! I still remember saying goodbye to my parents and counting down the days I would get to see their familiar faces once again.. and low and behold... IT IS HERE!

When I look back at the naive young American, ready to take off and see the world way back in August, I cant help but feel a sense of accomplishment. I know that my exchange is not over yet, but I do feel like I have come a long way. Most people would be anxious to see how their family would react to how they look after months of not seeing eachother; any new tattoos, peircings, different fashion style, gained or lost wait, new hairdo, but to my own surprise, I am not looking forward to any of that. I am actually lloking forward to the "growing up"  and "maturing" part. I cannot put into words how much I have learned about myself and the wolrd as a whole this past year. I seriously feel as if I have been living in a bubble my entire life and all of a sudden, this exchange has been that needle that just popped it and allowed for reality to hit me.

I cant say that I am dissapointed nor elated by this action because it was inevitable and well in lack of a better word, life.

At times I was shocked to find out some things or be told or called other things, but for the most part I welcomed any new opinion or way of life into my own. I obviously thought immenseley about what I should incorporate into my life and about what I should not, but for the most part gave me the result of me being who I am to this day, and I would be lying if I said I was not content.

Cultures, Races, Ethnicities, Traveling, Family, Values, Religion, School, Learning, History, and above all Perspective have paved way to what I like to call "My new way of life". I am more than grateful to have had such a wonderful experience and met some of the most amazing and unique people this world has to offer. From those who have but not one cent in their pockets, to those who make millions in a month´s worth of time, to those who have traveled and experienced it all, I can honestly say I have gained as much from these unique people as I have from my family and friends back at home my entire life.

I guess being in a different country where you are kind of forced into listening and learning because you actually have the excuse that you did not grow up there and therefore are somewhat ignorant to everything and everyone, gives you the opportunity to sit back and reexamine not only your entire life but also the world as a whole. you are given an opportunity to set your goals straight and decide on who you want to be and what you really want in life.

So I guess what I am saying is that I am excited to share my experiences and show my family how far I have come along within these past 8 months, to show them that the seperation, the events that went unattended, the long distance calls and skype dates, were all worth the finish.
But do not worry! I have much more left to learn and experience on this exchange and life in general! I am just making a pitstop and looking back on how far I have come :)

Merry Christmas?

Valeria Yrizar                                                       Monthly Report: December

A HOT Christmas

                                   

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder”

I never really understood this phrase until this past month where I realized for the first time, how important family and friends are during the Holiday season.

As I was walking down Avenida Uruguay on my way to shop for Christmas gifts earlier this month, I couldn’t help but realize all of the wonderful decorations my city had so swiftly put up. It felt as if I were in a dream, not because of the fact that I was soon going to spend Christmas in a foreign country with people I had met just a few months ago, but because of the incredible HEAT I was experiencing at that given moment. I was in shorts and flip flops in mid December. It all felt so bizarre and out of place to me that it had to be some sort of prank or Global Warming was really starting to go into effect this Christmas season. As I came back to reality, I quickly reminded myself that I was in the southern hemisphere and this was “normal” for those who lived here.  It could take me a good twenty years to even begin associating bikinis and mistletoe in the same month.

A trail of sweat dripped down the crease in my back as I made came onto the intersection between Mitre and Uruguay. As I looked to cross the street for cars, I caught sight of a billboard with the picture of a family that looked unusually happy soaking up the sun in a beach in Brazil. The Billboard read, “Where will you be this Holiday Season?”. At that moment, it really hit me.

            I wasn’t going to be spending Christmas in Mexico with the Romero’s and then New Year’s in Puerto Vallarta with the Yrizar’s like I had every year of my nineteen years of existence. I was not going to be helping my mom bake her famous hot fudge brownies for the desert table, nor was I going to get to help pick out which pie’s we were going to divulge after we stuffed our faces with turkey and mashed potatoes. I was not going to hear granny hum to her well-known Christmas Carols playing in the background, nor get to participate in our annual Secret Santa that never really ended up being so “secret” by the time Christmas day came around. I wasn’t going to be able to go to Mass Christmas Eve with my family, nor place baby Jesus in his crib. I was not going to be able to wear tights with a matching scarf to try to keep warm in my grandmother’s very cold apartment. Sure, this Christmas would be different. I got to go on a Cruise to Brazil with my host family and spend Christmas in the Atlantic, but despite how amazing it may have sounded when I first found out we were going, it didn’t feel like Christmas. Sure, it was different and different is good, but when it comes to those special days, sometimes tradition and familiarity is better.

            New Year’s was also going to be very different for me. I was not going to be able to eat Paella with the Yrizar Family, nor gobble down grapes as we did the countdown. I was not going to be able to go out with my cousins wearing those ridiculous plastic headbands that never seem to fit right but people wear them anyway for the sake of the annual New Year’s picture. I wasn’t going to be able to hug my family after the countdown and share each other’s New Year’s resolution, nor watch the sun rise after a night’s worth of dancing and partying. Although this really did take a toll on me this December, It wasn’t these details that had me really bummed out. It was the fact that the people I shared these crazy but yet wonderful moments with were not going to be there. It is the people that make the moment’s matter and those people that I had created these special little traditions with were in a country very far away. So yes, absence does make the heart grow fonder. I learned how important family is, especially your own. I learned that some things are meant to stay the same. I also vowed that I would never spend a Christmas without family because it doesn’t feel like Christmas nor New Year’s at all. But I also learned that one can always see the good in everything.

Yes, this Christmas was different and not what I was longing for but I did get to experience a different way of celebrating Christmas and learn different traditions so I could incorporate them with my family next year. I got to eat Turron de Mani, probably the most delicious sweet ever known to man. I got to go to the beach with my family and spend Christmas Eve in the water, something I never thought I would do. I got to eat salmon and green beans for Christmas Dinner and a cocktail of fruits for desert. Lastly, I got to spend it with my new family; which without them, I would not have been able to survive. I learned that Christmas in Argentina isn’t about giving gifts which no one really does but instead about spending time with the family.

All in all, this month was a rollercoaster of emotions, which has made my exchange even more unique and special to me. Yes, at times it was hard but sometimes one needs to actually experience hardships in order to realize what is truly important in life.  I met some pretty amazing people thus far and learned a lot from them. So far my exchange has been beyond words, and I am truly looking forward to see what 2012 has in store for me!

2 months? More like 2 years! I am OFFICIALLY A LOCAL!

I know it has been a veryyy long time since I last posted a blog and I do apologize...slightly! See, I am living in one of the coolest countries in the world and I happen to have a very busy and eventful life here...and instead of writing about my experiences I am actually living them! :)

Happy 2 month Anniversary to me! I have officially been in Argentina for 2 months, although it seems like ALOT longer. I now know where most of the streets are located in my city and can manage to get myself around quite well! After MANY long walks and getting lost in the city multiple times, I can now give directions to the other foreigners! I have been stopped multiple times and asked where certain restaurants, streets, stores and even houses are, and not only did I answer accurately but with great confidence as well! 

Busy. It has become VERY apparent to me that I did not know the meaning of this word until I came to Argentina. I wake up at 5:30 in the morning and do not return to my home until 11 pm on most days... I will describe a typical tuesday in Posadas for me....

5:30: Wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth

6:30: leave for school

7:00 school starts

7:00-7:30- Pray the Rosary

7:30-12:00- SCHOOL ...with no breaks.. in the same classroom...

12:00- leave for my house

12:30- arrive and eat lunch (quickly)

12:40- return to school

1:00- arrive and take statistics for an hour and a half

2:30- leave school and go to the gym

4:30- shower and get dressed 

4:50- leave for downtown 

*keep in mind I WALK to all of these places*

5:20- arrive to my Portuguese lessons

7:00- class ends

7:00- go to the store/ bank/ supermarket (whatever I need to do downtown)

7:40- leave and go to tango lessons

8:00-10:00- Tango lessons

10:15- leave

10:45- arrive to my home

11:00- eat dinner 

11:45- start homework/ study/ reply to emails/... facebook haha

1:30 /2:00- go to bed

5:30- DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN

So yeahh being busy is definitely an understatement! 

:)

tchau!

Sorry! We are closed...

Being the exchange student I am, I tend to spend my entire day walking around and exploring my city and being the American that I am, I do not like taking naps in the middle of the day. With that being said, here in Posadas, EVERYTHING closes from noon until 4pm. The PRIME time of my day... so what do I end up doing? Facebooking and well.. NAPPING!

One of the many things I have wanted to do here, is send this amazing gift I got for Mathilde, who lived with me when she was on her exchange from France. It was SUPPOSED to be for her birthday but I found myself in a predicament. 1.) The post office opens from 8am-noon. 2.) I have school from 7 am- noon 3.) The stamps and envelopes can only be bought at the Post Office 4.) I have no money to buy these necessities because the bank opens only from 8am- noon 5.) And lastly THEY DO NOT OPEN ON THE WEEKENDS

You see my predicament? ...yeah.... I know.

So I have to either a.) Skip school one day b.) leave school early or c.) Just forget about it completely!

Moving on to a different topic... THE WEEKEND! (My favorite subject)

Today (Friday) the exchange students from Posadas and some Roteractors are going camping for this RYLA project. We will be there from Friday until Sunday. They say we will NOT sleep, so to be prepared!

I am really looking forward to seeing all of the exchange students once again and exchanging stories about our schools! I will definitely write about it after I come back. That is, if I am not too tired/exhausted...

Thank you for reading!

Diversity much?

There is no way I am going to be able to condense my entire trip to Cordoba in one short message so I will say it in one sentence:

Cordoba was dirty but yet beautiful, overpopulated but yet quaint, extravagant but yet classy, and hectic but yet relaxing.

Overall: I very much enjoyed it! In the heart of it all, it really allowed for me to see the Argentine way of life.

Continuing on...

Yesterday I attended my first Roteract meeting and BOY was that incredible! I do not think I have had such a fun time with total and complete strangers in very long! It was the first time I got to hang out with all of the exchange students except Sandi (the other girl from the states) and I don't think I have ever felt more useful.

None of the exchange students took spanish classes in there home countries and have had some trouble communicating with the locals here in Argentina bt luckily for me, my first language (english) is a universal language and my second language is well... the language that is spoken here! And so I found myself turning left and right being the translator and ringleader of it all. I was even able to practice my french with Evy, the exchange student from Belgium, who also needed much help with translating things from spanish to english and then english to french. Therefore you can see, how proud I was to be able to hold three languages under my belt. Thank you mom for forcing me to speak spanish whenever and wherever possible. Remember when you told me that one day I would thank you for drilling me with spanish every second of the day, I think today is that day! so....

THANK YOU! GRACIAS! MERCI! DANKE!

I even got to learn some new German words! Aside from Sandi and Myself, Evy is the only other girl from a country other than Germany (Belgian). And so if you passed by our table at the Arabian Restaurant we decided to eat at after the meeting, one would hear German, Spanish, English, French and even some Guarani and boy, was that a knee slapper! haha!

Who needs traveling when you have Rotary right?

We ended up eating A LOT as always. We ordered pizza, hamburgers, Arabian empanadas, an Arabian pizza with some sort of meat on top and the never failing fried egg to top it all off. Please keep in mind this was at one in the morning, the usual time people eat dinner here... late?...nah... haha
Finally, we headed over to the ice cream parlor at around 2 in the morning and ate a delicious "Helado de CAJETA (dulce de leche)" and finished the night exchanging funny stories pertaining to cultural differences between our home countries and Argentina and my never failing stories pertaining to the many words I continue encountering that do NOT mean the same thing in Mexico! haha

Evy ended up spending the night and we woke up today and spent time with my family and then went on a nice walk along la costanera. I have gone to la costanera about 12 times since my arrival and every time I go, it seems more and more beautiful to me!

Yesterday I quoted myself on saying this to the other exchange students, "Guys, this is the beginning of something Great!"

Man, was I wrong!


Great? No...


INCREDIBLE!

Getting sick... it's inevitable

Malheureusement, (Unfortunately) I have a sore throat...
and have been bedridden (aside from going to school) for the past two days.
Because I had the will power to get out of bed and go buy the rest of my uniform (yes, there was more) and the ability to shower and eat comfortably, I am going to take the time to describe my day to you all. Oh, and I have never really acknowledged the people who actually take the time to read the novels I write for a day's time and so; Thank you! If you can, please comment! I would like to get some feedback.... (at times I feel as if I am writing to a brick wall..it is nice to know who has read my blog)

Without further adieu, another day in the life of a girl living the American dream, one day at a time...

It is 3 o'clock in the morning (Houston time) and I find myself in a bed that is not my own, in a house I have hardly inhabited, with people I just met, but somehow I feel as if I have been here my entire life. Despite the mixed feelings I had the moment I stepped through these doors, I now no longer feel insecure about who I am with, what I eat, or what I do. I never would have thought I was going to adapt to these foreign lands so quickly. When people ask me how long I have been in Posadas it shocks me to say, "a mere week." or "a couple days ago" because to me it seems like a lifetime.

Skype and Facebook remind me of the life I left behind of the people I once knew and the experiences I underwent, but as the days go by, the further and further I feel from the place I used to call home. It comes to a surprise to the people I meet, like the butcher or the seamstress, that I came here all alone. Not knowing anyone, and leaving everything behind. But to me it seems like a new stepping stone in life and without leaving my roots, I have the ability to grow as an individual in this meager but yet monumental year.

I have encountered numerous exchange students, who have told me that this is the year to either "make it or break it". But why does it have to be something to accomplish? Something to "get through'? Why can't it be a year to experience and grow? Yes, at times it is hard but no one said it would be easy... Some say it is the opportunity to be someone completely different... but I am perfectly content with who I am and where I come from. I see this year as a year of opportunity, a year to meet as many people as I can, learn about everything and nothing, a year to love everything in this world, both the good and the bad, and above all to adapt.  Despite how difficult it may be or what others may tell me, I know that I am well prepared and that many other people have undergone the same thing if not more. 


At times I get scared I am may run out of time, as if the seconds on the clock could not go any faster. What if I don't get the chance to help at the orphanage? What if I don't go to as many Rotary meetings as I want to? School will be over in the blink of an eye and I won't have had the opportunity to share my experiences with the class nor learn about about Argentine Politics or Human Rights like I wanted to. At those moments I have to remind myself that everything occurs for a reason. There is a reason as to why I came to Posadas and not Cordoba or Maipu. There is a reason as to why I am living on the corner of Rademacher and Estado Israel. There is a reason for EVERYTHING and with time,  my purpose will come. All I have to do now, is sit back and enjoy everything about this year and let the opportunities come to me, which I know they will. 


I know my original purpose on writing this blog was to tell you about another day in the life of Valeria, but I found that reflecting is good every once and a while! Just some thoughts... If you have any feedback please comment!

*Note: I know that the title has nothing to do with what I said, but my throat was burning the entire time I wrote this and I found that the title would somewhat alleviate it all. Thank you for understanding...haha

First day of school

So today was my first day of school! I thought this day would never come but it did! When my alarm went off I was already up and ready to go. The only thing I wasn't too psyched about was the uniform but I could live with it. My host mom thought it was funny that I disliked the uniform so much because it wasn't really... my style. haha I refused to take a picture of it...sorry! haha

When I arrived, the principal took me to meet the students that were going to be in my grade. (5 grado de secundaria) I was a bit nervous at first, not knowing if they would take me in right away or just look at me as if I were a weird specimen. That thought was quickly thrown away, the moment I saw the look of interest and delight on their faces. They all introduced themselves to me and I to them. I, of course, did not register any of their names because I was a bit overwhelmed, but nevertheless I made friends very fast.

School starts at 7 in the morning and ends at noon. Short, but yet long because we stay in the same class and we don't get to have lunch. The first thing we did was pray out in the courtyard. Luckily I knew most of the prayers because my mom had taught them to me when I was little but there were some I did not know entirely. Nevertheless, I did not stick out in the crowd.

School here is veryyyy different than in the states. When the bell rings for the class to start, class DOESN'T start. Everyone talks and the teacher doesn't show up until 15 minutes into it. One must ALWAYS stand up when the professor enters the class. I did not know that and looked a bit stupid when everyone stood but me. But I have gotten used to me not knowing what to do... I'm foreign, I have an excuse :P
haha

I was bombarded with questions the moment I sat down, which was expected and a bit amusing on my part. I got to tell them every bit of my life and sounded somewhat rehearsed, which I probably was because everyone asks the same questions.

"Where are you from?"
"Why do you know spanish so well?"
"How long have you been here?"
"How long are you going to stay?"
"Do you like Posadas?"
"What is the stereotype of Argentine people?"

In that exact order... I kid you not.
haha

I sat next to a nice girl who seems very studious. Probably was, because she sat at the very front of the class. haha That is the same in every country, I think.

So she informed me of EVERYTHING I needed to do, which was very overwhelming and tiring to hear, let alone think about how I was going to get myself organized. Luckily, today we got to go to the "Movie Theatre" which was something put together by the class below us to raise money for a house for children with cancer. I thought it was nice and we got to skip 2 hours of class which everyone liked. I learned a new word too... popcorn is not palomitas here it is "pororo" ...interesting I know!
We watched Tron in spanish which was very interesting given that the mouths were definitely not moving in sync with the words. I got a kick out of that. ha ha!

I was invited to a party this weekend where I promised I would bring spicy candy so they could all try REAL candy! Next thing I knew, school was over and I was on my way home.

I took a nap as soon as I got home and then woke up and went to the gym. The weather right now is incredible! I wanted to be outside all day. haha

Although I got out of school early, the day went by veryyy fast! I am still getting used to the eating schedule and tried a empanada for the first time! It was delicious :)

Thanks for reading!