Bienvenidos 2010

2010 is here!!!... and that also means there's only 20 days left until I've been here 5 MONTHS! Thats half my exchange! But I think I need to let everyone know what I've been up to lately...

My last blog talks about my traveling to Corrientes. It was great! I loved seeing and experiencing a different part of Argentina, and let me tell y

ou... it was different. The main thing was probably the heat. After not being in heat or humidity for a very, very long time, it took some getting used to.

Most of my time there was spent like this: 1:00 p.m. Wake u

p and lunch. 2:30p.m. The poolside for the day. 6:00p.m. Activity (shopping, or hanging with

friends). 9:30p.m. Dinner. After 9p.m..... night life!!

The night life was so cool there. They have something they call the cost line (translated into english), where its a long walk with restaraunts and clubs right nex

t to the huge river. And throughout the entire night there are people hanging out, talking, drinking and partying next to the river. And the clubs are o

utsid

e, which is really nice for a change.

Anyway, because all the things I did went somewhat in that pattern... I'm going to put up a few pictures to show the rest.

Part of the coast line in the daytime.

When returning to Comodoro, I had quite an interesting flight experience that I'd rather not go over again... once is enough for me. Long story short: 2 Delays, Slept in the airport, another 2 delays and a cold and rainy start to Christmas Eve.

Christmas celebrations here all happens on the 24th. For dinner

, it was Asado of course and lots of dinner guests, all of which were family members. This is a picture of the table we set for the night.

After dinner, while enjoying some chocolate and such the hour strikes midnight and the entire family runs outside to celebrate Christmas day. Fireworks were going off EVERYWHERE. All the families of the neighbors came out with their same glasses of champagne to greet the neighbors and watch the fireworks. And I'm pretty positive that the fireworks that were being set off a couple houses down would definitely be illegal in the States. I even got to see a couple of the traditional mini hot air balloons go up in to the sky they call: Glo

bos. They were my favorite. Although the dark stop

ped me from getting a nice picture of them, here's a picture I found on Google:

After everything started to slow down and people started going back inside for a second glass of champagne, it was time for the kids to do their own celebrating.

On Christmas and New Years, just about every teenager from Comodoro Rivadavia heads down to Rada Tilly Beach where they meet up with their friends and party until far after dawn breaks. Here's a picture of the sunrise I was there to see:

... and yes, those are all people behind me. We left Rada Tilly and headed back to Comodoro around 9:00 a.m. You can only guess that I didn't wake up until around 4:30 p.m. Chrismas Day.

As much as I absolutely missed my family and a traditional Christmas these last couple weeks, it was definitely an experience well worth experiencing.

New Years was pretty much the same thing. This time with less p

eople but still some good food and fireworks and champagne at midnight. And again, to Rada Tilly. But this time I didn't get home until 9: 30 a.m.

And so... starting the 4th of January I will have some quiet time. I have found out recently that I will NOT be switching host families and I am the only exchange student in this situation. Good thing I like my family eh? Back to being alone.... my host mom is having a surgery and has to go to Buenos Aires for it. All of her kids who live up there (including my host sister who lives here) are heading up there on the 4th. Until the 11th, it will be just me and Vilma in the house. On the eleventh, Vilma is leaving to Buenos Aires also and my

host brother Juli is coming down to stay with me. And because my German host sister, Franziska switched to her next family, I will have what I haven't had in a while... quiet time for myself. And it will be weird, but I'm looking for to something a little new.

Here are just a few more pictures from my holidays.....

Me and my host abuelo with the yummy piggy :) Man I have opened my eyes a bit.

The siblings. All of them in the house right now, plus two.