Final Days in Bariloche

One of the things I dislike the most in life are endings, whether it be an ending to a movie or a good book.  I get so caught up in the journey that I never want it to finish; however, all good stories must come to an end and so does our immersion trip in Argentina...

Dani Ashman at Pub Blest

On Thursday, our group headed just outside the city of Bariloche to eat lunch at a pub called, "Pub Blest."  We were served various meats with bread, followed by ice cream.  We also tried different types of beer, such as raspberry, bock, and scotch ale.  The rest of the day was free to us, so my group decided to go shopping while others hiked a mountain or visited the beach area.

No more school!

Friday was our last day of classes!  Each student received a letter with feedback from their professor about their strong points with Spanish along with areas to improve.  We then said our good-byes and took our last pictures with the school and the professors.  After classes, we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate than by going out to eat!  Caleb seemed to really enjoy his burger!

Today we head back to Buenos Aires.  The majority of the group leaves on Monday while a small group decided to stay an extra week and head to Iguazu Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

I see a repeating theme here
with Caleb and food...

However, despite that this is the last day in Argentina, this is not the ending to our trip, but rather just the beginning.  The purpose of the immersion trip is to improve our Spanish while being immersed within a different culture, giving us an endless amount of opportunities to use what we have learned in the public ministry.  As much as I may think this is an ending to our trip, God reminds us to look at the bigger picture and how we can use what we have learned to spread the gospel.  Matthew 28:19 says, "Therefore go and make disciples of ALL NATIONS, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

Thanks for reading everyone!

-Nate Solofra

A lot happening in a short amount of time!

Sorry for the delay, everyone!  We have had a pretty hectic weekend and finally are settled in here in Bariloche!

Tigre 

Views from the bus ride!

Where to begin??  I'm pretty sure the pictures will be worth far more than anything I can write, but I'll give a recap of the past few days.  On Saturday, we had the morning and afternoon free, so some of us went to Tigre, a small city north of Buenos Aires (several groups went prior to Saturday so I'll try to speak on their behalf as well).  Tigre is located at the delta of two major rivers, so its major attractions are related to the water!  Some groups went on boat tours; others just walked along the river and enjoyed some much-needed sun and fresh air!  There also is a fairly large artisan market along the river that has a little of everything: jewelry, leather, all types of clothing, every type of food possible (strawberry popcorn?), and more.  We loved getting a chance to step outside the city and spend some time outside.

Click me!

On Saturday evening we said goodbye to our host families, packed up all of our stuff, and travelled to the bus station (turned out to be quite a challenge for Dani and I, but everyone made it safely!) to go to Bariloche.  We left Buenos Aires in a double-decker bus that featured full meal service, comfy seats that reclined, movies, AND a bathroom!  But before you get too jealous, allow me to say that this trip lasted a full 22 hours!!  However, the views we had Sunday afternoon totally made up for it, as hopefully you can get a taste of from the pictures.  The mountains are absolutely beautiful and just seeing them was a breathtaking experience.

It's SUPER windy here!!

The beautiful Bariloche

We were successfully delivered to our host families' houses in Bariloche last night and ventured to classes this morning in total darkness--since we travelled 22 hours but didn't change time zones, the sun rises very late here.  We took a brief test and got to know our new teachers for the week, then had a few hours of studying various literature and cultural themes in our classes.  Following classes, we divided into two large groups for a walking tour of the city.  Since Bariloche is pretty small, we were able to get a gist of the important places of the city in a short amount of time:  we saw the cathedral, the central plaza, and several chocolate factories!  A lot of the city's architecture has a Swiss style, which gives it the feel of an Alpine ski town.  Also, we can't stop taking pictures... the city is next to a lake and surrounded by mountains, and although it's a little cold (in the 40's today) we are completely caught up in how beautiful everything is.

Hasta pronto!  Chao!

-Erin

Bariloche's cathedral

Museo de Bellas Artes and Last Friday

Museo de Bellas Artes

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!  Well, at least in Buenos Aires...today is our last Friday in Buenos Aires while we spend our last week in the city of Bariloche.  Here's a recap of yesterday and today:

Me and my Profesora Magu

Yesterday after classes, our group went to visit Museo de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Museum).  The museum consists of over 12,000 works, but only 700 can be displayed at one time.  Artists range from Latin American artists such as Goya and Picasso to artists around the world such as Van Gogh.  Currently, they have a room dedicated to Colombian artist Botero.  But the best part about the museum: it was free!  Erin Leverence, one of the students in our group, loved it so much that she ended up going twice!

Last day of classes!

Today was our last day of classes in Buenos Aires :(  Once classes were over, the school surprised us with champagne and treats for graduation (I think that might have been Professor Bases trying to bribe us to come back with him next trip....).  Graduation diplomas were handed out, and our last good-byes were said.

Tomorrow, we travel to Bariloche in a bus for 20 HOURS!!  ahhh!

-Nate Solofra

More from Buenos Aires

Hola!

The past few days here in Buenos Aires have been pretty typical and low-key for us--we're continuing with our classes (our group had fun with some Argentine comics!) and in the afternoons we do excursions with our tourist groups.  Most of the groups have completed all of their required excursions and are using this week to visit places that weren't on our list.  Yesterday our group (and I believe a few others) went to a memorial that commemorates the victims of the Dirty War of the 1970s.  During this time Argentina was in a state of terrorism as thousands of people who were considered political opponents--from reporters to politicians to students--mysteriously disappeared, and later it was discovered that they were tortured and killed.  The memorial was formerly a military camp that was used essentially as a concentration camp during the Dirty War.


Today we decided on a lighter-hearted excursion to the movie theater!  Several other groups who already went highly recommended Monsters University, so we saw it as well.  It was fun watching a kids' movie in Spanish because it's very easy to understand and we get the jokes!
Until next time, everyone! Chao!
-Erin

Adios Uruguay, Hola Buenos Aires

"La Mano"

Hello everyone!  Sorry for the late blog, but we've been busy traveling and getting situated again.  On Saturday, June 22, our group left Montevideo and took a city tour of the city Punta del Este in Uruguay.  This city is known for being a get away for Argentinians and the higher class.  On the coast, Chilean artist Mario Irarrázabal sculpted what is known in English as "The Hand", which was originally made to warn swimmers that the waves were rougher in this area.  On the right, Bryan Gruenewald, Peter Buschkopf, and Sarah Helwig pose in front of "La Mano".

Spanish is serious business

Sunday was a free day, so everyone took the opportunity to catch up on sleep or homework.  Today, we went back to school at Amauta.  As you can see from the picture, we're serious about our Spanish studies.

Jardín Japonés

After classes, our group decided to head to "Jardín Japonés" or "Japanese Garden".  Located in the Barrio of Palermo, this garden is one of the largest of its kind in the World (outside of Japan) and contains a variety of sculptures and gardens.

-Nate Solofra

More from Montevideo!

Trying some wine at the Bodega

Hello, all!

Look! We have a new friend!

It is a chilly Friday evening here in Montevideo, Uruguay, and we're nearing the end of our adventures here.  Yesterday after classes we had a whole group activity (which doesn't happen too often because of how big our group is!): we left the city and went to the Bodega Bouza, a classy little vineyard and winery!  It was great to get some fresh air, and cool to see the process of how wine is made.  Uruguay doesn't produce as much wine as Chile and Argentina, but it still has a climate that is very conducive to growing grapes.  Since today is the first day of winter here (I hope you're all enjoying the first day of summer; we're a little jealous right now) the vineyard is currently harvested and the plants just look like sticks, but the countryside was still beautiful.  Following the tour we went into the restaurant to sample four different kinds of wine, and of course enjoyed some bread, cheese, and meat with it!  Yum!  We also made friends with the winery's pet--a capybara!  Seriously, this huge rainforest rodent acted exactly like a dog... Pretty crazy.

After-school fiesta!

Today was our last day of classes at La Herradura, our school here in Montevideo.  The teachers gave us a send-off party on the school's terrace after our morning classes, which was delightful.  After school today, we all went on a walking tour of Montevideo's Barrio Sur, a neighborhood that is home to the city's African population.  We saw several important buildings and murals that were painted to commemorate the history of African Uruguayans, then we went to a small parrilla, where we enjoyed some much-anticipated bread and meat with a special salsa, and learned about candombe, and type of music and dance that has its roots in Africa.  Following this presentation, they brought out the drums (the only instruments of candombe) and began to play--the music was excellent and woke us up wonderfully!  We also got to learn some of the dances, which are very upbeat and fun.

Candombe

Tomorrow morning we leave Montevideo bright and early, and after stopping in Punta del Este we'll be heading back to Buenos Aires!  More news to come!

-Erin

Chao, Montevideo!

Museo de Artes Decorativas and Cooking Classes

"Mmmmm..."

Days two and three in the city of Montevideo = success! Although the city is about the 10th of the size of Buenos Aires, we are definitely enjoying ourselves.  Like in Argentina, we have classes everyday from 9 am to 1 pm.  After classes on Tuesday, we were free to roam the city and find something our group was interested.  So of course the first idea that came to mind was food!

Uruguay is know for its various types of meats.  In fact, according to our tour guide, for every person in Uruguay there are three cows (random fact for the day).  One of the most popular meats is Chivito, which is a thin slice of filet mignon on a sandwich.  Yet despite the fact that chivito means goat in Spanish and the sandwich is really from a cow, the Uruguayans still call the meat chivito (random fact #2 for the day).  As seen in the picture on the right, Caleb seemed like he enjoyed it!

Following the restaurant, we toured one of the free museums called, "Museo de Artes Decorativas."  Inside were various paintings and works of art that was in the process of renovation.  An example of one of the room can be seen in the picture on the left.

On Wednesday, the school wanted to make sure we were culturally aware of who the Uruguayans are....so why not more food?!  After classes, each individual group met together in the school for a cooking class to make a special kind of desert.  In the picture on the right, Scott Henrich and Ben Olson are hard at work!

Wine tour tomorrow!

-Nate Solofra