Visiting and Visited

I may have forgotten I have a blog....

Ok, I didn't...but it has been quite a while. Things have gotten crazy (all definitions of the word apply) the last few weeks and my blogging has taken a back seat. But I am back. I can't possibly catch you up on everything, so I am going to talk about the two biggest things that have happened since my last post: I went to Buenos Aires for a weekend and my parents visited me for a week!

Buenos Aires

For those of you who do not know, Buenos Aires is the NYC of Argentina. Although I have never really considered myself someone who thrives in big cities, I enjoy visiting them occasionally, and Buenos Aires was no exception! I liked it even more than I expected.

Here are my top 5 moments/adventures/aspects of the trip:

(If you want to find out more, I will post all my pictures on Facebook)

1. The Company

As usual, I travelled with a group of other international students. Most of the international students had already travelled to Buenos Aires by the time we went, so this was kind of the "leftovers" trip. So...I was not really sure who all was going or what it would be like. That being said, it was a blast! There was lots of laughter and we all got along really well. I enjoyed spending time with everyone outside of class and Montevideo. I also loved that we were all on the same page and did not feel the need to do something extravagant every second. We were all willing to just relax at times and take in the atmosphere, without a set agenda. Great group, great trip. 

2. The street art, artists, and performers

The city is filled with all sorts of interesting art and architecture, from graffiti to sculptures. Some of my favorites were this giant metal flower(that used to open and close). You cannot really tell its size by this picture, but I assure you, it is huge. I also loved this mural made of wire/metal on the side of a skyscraper. My favorite street artist was a man who had deformed hands and could not use them. Instead, he painted with his feet. This may seem sappy or gross; however, I was intrigued by him because of his immense creativity to look beyond his obstacle and redefine a very common medium and form of art. He was actually very good. His paintings would probably even turn some heads if they were painted by hand.

3. Going to Starbucks

I am not going to lie...this actually made my top 5 moments in Buenos Aires. As you may not know, Starbucks has not yet reached Montevideo and it is hard to find coffee anywhere that is not espresso, so this was a treat! We had to convince our stubborn Italian friend/stand-in tour guide to let us go, but he finally caved. I am not really a coffee connoisseur-coffee gives my stomach aches and I almost always regret drinking it afterwards-but it sure does smell and taste good! What did I get?.. a Dulce de Leche Frapaccino, of course!

 4. MALBA 

Half of our group and I decided to go to MALBA, which is a museum filled with some of the most famous Latin American Art. I am a nerd who loves museums...especially art museums! I was pretty excited when I saw this Frida Kahlo painting:

 

I was also pleasantly surprised to see so much work from artists from Montevideo. Whoohoo! Way to go MV! Below is a special exhibition that I adored! It is hard to appreciate it from this picture, but it was constructed using a variety of large and small objects, and tiny, intricate, handmade people. I could have studied it for hours. 

5. San Telmo Feria

This street fair is open every Sunday and is a mile long! We walked the entire stretch, and I could have done it again. Some items are very touristy, while others were handcrafted and unique. There was also a "flee market" in a plaza attached to the street with antiques from Argentina.  Let's just say I fell in love that day and I have never been the same since.  

Along the streets, there were also lots of little food and drink stands. We found one stand with fresh squeezed orange juice and just had to get some. yummm.

[I apologize in advance for how long this post is going to be...but keep reading! The excitement doesn't stop!]

The Stoner clan back together again(-1)!

These awesome people visited me for a week and it was even better than I had hoped! 

I kind of love them. 

Here are some reasons why I loved having them here:

1. They be chill

-Sometimes when people visit you, you feel the pressure to entertain and make their experience perfect. I did not feel this once from my parents. They had no problem hanging out and making their own plans while I had classes and just going with the flow. I love that I get that from them. 

2. They loved me, my host family, and my friends well

-They always love me well, but it was so humbling to see how well they loved those around me while they were here. Not only did they bring me clothes and snacks and stuff me with great food while they were here, but they also brought snacks and (very thoughtful) gifts for each of the members of my host family. In addition, they brought packages from family members of other students from the US. It is safe to say everyone fell in love with them and their hearts. My dad was his usual, servant-hearted self and helped Gaby with some maintenance issues around the house. Have I mentioned they are the best?

3. I got to share things that they love with them in a place that I love.

-Mom: birds, thrifting/shopping, and great food

-Dad: old cars, red meat, and the countryside

4. Hotel living for a week and lots of good food

-This is selfish but true. It was nice to stay in a hotel for a week with my parents, and have a prepared and delicious breakfast every morning and eat wherever and whenever we wanted. 

5. I missed them...it is as simple as that. 

I could fill you brains with many more thoughts and experiences, but I will save all the rest for later. 

Adding a 1 to the 20!

{This post is being published a week late because I have had a lot of problems with it and I kept having to start it over...but here it is at last!}

This past week, I turned 21! Crazy. There are lots of things I could tell you about last week, but I am going to focus on my birthday and the festivities surrounding it. You might think that my birthday was all about me, but to me, it was just as much about being thankful for the people that are in my life and everyone who has helped shape me into the person who just turned 21. It was odd celebrating my birthday outside the US, with people I have only known a couple of months, but it was also very exciting.

It was a crazy day, because I had my first exam and left my phone on the bus(and did not get it back), but it was still a day that will be cemented in my mind for years to come. I was woken up by my host mom, Gaby, singing "Happy Birthday" to me in English and then again in Spanish...I love this crazy, confusing bilingual life I live. I spent my morning sitting on the patio with Gaby, drinking tea, and reading all of my birthday cards. Although I am continents apart from everyone who has ever celebrated a birthday with me before, I felt so loved and appreciated by them-friends and family stocked me with a collection of notes to open while I am here and included, was a stack of birthday cards. I am lucky to have you all in my life. Thank you for joining in on the celebration and loving me well, despite the distance. One of my cards included a pile of homemade confetti and when I saw it, I showed Gaby and she immediately showered me with it...and this was the result:

After my exam, I came home and was welcomed with presents from my host family and a whole bunch of joy. We had a family celebration that night with beer and pizza. It was casually wonderful and perfectly delicious. As you can see, the pizza here is more like cheesy bread...what's not to like?! So yummy. But even better than the food, was the company.  

Over the weekend, I decided to host a party at our house. There were a couple of reasons for this: 

1. I love an excuse for a party(if you know my mother, you will understand this...) 2. I live in a more rural area 30 minutes outside the city, where most of the exchange students had never seen or experienced. 3. Gaby insisted I have a party. 4. Some of the exchange students do not live with a host family or in a house and so it is nice to experience that occasionally. I just invited a group of students over and we made hamburgers on the grill. I suggested we have hot dogs on the grill too-because they eat hot dogs here too, but Gaby was appalled by this idea. She said if I wanted it to be a Uruguayan party, I could not have hot dogs on the grill. I then reminded her that hamburgers are actually American...but I complied and stuck with a "truly Uruguayan" menu. Afterwards, a dance instructor came and taught us some salsa and cumbia(a local music genre). I had a blast and I think other people did too. Here are some pictures from the event. Disclaimer: I have found it is just easier to have no shame when it comes to pictures...these are not the most flattering dancing pictures of me, but I assure you I wasn't as bad as I look like I was. haha

<North Carolina pals> :

All around, I think it was a pretty successful birthday. I sure enjoyed it! I can't wait to continue the celebration with all new people when I return!