Thanksgiving

I have so many potential blog entries to write, I don't even know where to start! I spent Thanksgiving weekend in Uruguay with most of my program. The boatride was about 3 hours (if you pay more you can get there in 1 hour), and unlike anything else I've done. I barely felt like I was in a boat - there are two sections that are set up like airplanes, with lots of chairs in rows, a big game room area which also has small tables with chairs to lounge in, an upstairs deck, a small cafeteria, a HUGE duty free shop (the waters are considered international territory), and a first class area (which I didn't get to see).
We got to Colonia and immediately went to our director's program for Thanksgiving. There were various rumors about how the turkeys got to Uruguay... let's just say that the director has connections (turkey's are not easy to find in Argentina or Uruguay). One student's parents had brought several bags of cranberries with them from the US so we could even have cranberry sauce! The food was good, though Yaya's is better. I was very happy to see pumpkin pie, as its one of my favorite parts. Afterwards, we went on a short tour of the city of Colonia and then hung out in the city for the night. The next morning my friends and I headed out to Punta del Este, one of the most popular beaches in Uruguay. Unfortunately, the weather decided to be rather uncooperative and our beach days were cold and windy :-(. It was still nice to see, and we had a good time together.
The most confusing part of Thanksgiving, was, in fact the weather. Wearing a summer skirt and tshirt to Thanksgiving dinner just didn't make any sense! On Thursday, the weather was in the 80s and we were all wearing sunscreen. I can't even imagine what it would be like to celebrate Christmas here - I'm dreaming of a sunny beach day Christmas?
I'll be seeing everyone soon! Love, Becca

So much to do, so little time

I officially have a month left in Buenos Aires. It still seems crazy to think that I've been here for four months. I got here July 15. I still can't believe it. And now I leave in a month. In some ways, I'm getting very ready to come home - ready to see the family and friends, have a "normal" slice of pizza, speak English on a regular basis, and take discussion based classes. On the other hand, I don't know if my "abroad experience" is really over. Every day I feel like I learn something new about this place - I learn a new Spanish phrase, find a cool new art gallery, discover a new Argentine food, or meet a great new person. Today I went to Hillel, and started talking to one of the security guards as I was walking out. Yet another great person...

I hope that everyone at home as a happy Thanksgiving! My entire program is making the 2 (3?) hour trip to Colonia, Uruguay (PASSPORT STAMP!) for the holiday, and I am planning on staying on a bit with friends. I'll be seeing you all so soon!

ADDENDUM (Mon at 10:30 PM): I just bought my plane tickets back to the US... I get into Newark Dec 19!

In case you didn't believe me

Here's this link, about the coin shortage in Argentina :-)

Off to a busy day of studying. Lots of love!