Weekend

Hello Everyone!

This weekend was very relaxing.  On Friday, we all went to the home of Thomas Videla Dorna and watched the Argentina vs. Bolivia futbol game.  Though it ended in a tie, it was a very exciting game, especially when Bolivia took the lead.  Right now, Argentina is hosting La Copa America 2011, or the American Cup.

It is a soccer tournament much like the FIFA World Cup, but only among countries in the Americas.  It is very intense as the countries involved are very competitive when it comes to soccer.  Colombia is currently in the lead as all other teams have tied.  Padraic and his host family were able to go to the Brazil vs. Venezuela game on Sunday (a 0-0 tie), which was interrupted by a dog that ran onto the field as it wanted to join in on the game.  This Wednesday, Argentina faces Colombia, a game we will all be sure to watch.

The weekend continued with an attempt to go bowling as a group. Though that never came to fruition, it gave us time to relax and spend time with our host families.  They have been very welcoming and have fed us very well.  They have also forced us to speak Spanish, as many of them speak little to no English.  Dinnertime conversations have been a great example of this. 

Tonight we leave for Cordoba, which is to the northwest of Buenos Aires.  In 1599, the Jesuits arrived in Cordoba, and since then, have had a profound impact on the area, including establishing a university and a church which today are some of the oldest in South America.  We will be sure to visit these sites as we have a lot planned for Cordoba.  Considering what is in store, it will be well worth the eight hour bus ride!

Paul Peterson

Excusions: Cattle Market, La Boca

Dear Friends and Family,

This past week, was very eventful!  On Wednesday, three of us were lucky enough to travel to see a cattle market.  It was easily the biggest amount of cows I have ever seen.  There were over 7,000 cows for sale and they had every type of cow possible.  They were all sold within half an hour!  As we were walking, we were almost taken out by about a dozen angry bulls.  We learned that cows are sold 8 pesos per kilo (8 pesos is roughly equivalent to 2 dollars).  Now to the most important part of the trip: the asado. We had amazing meat for BREAKFAST and it was wonderful!  Sadly only half of the group was able to go which put a damper on the trip, but it was still very fun!

On Thursday, the crew traveled to La Boca, which is a neighborhood of Buenos Aires.  

La Boca is a neighborhood where many immigrants came to Argentina during its history.  It is most noted for its colorful houses and the birthplace of the tango.  The houses in La Boca are so colorful because when immigrants came to Buenos Aires, they did not have much money and they could not afford paint for their homes.  As a result, they would buy leftover paint from ships coming into port and would end up with any color they could get.  So each house has its distinctive color.

In addition, La Boca is very famous for the tango, which is the most famous dance of Argentina.  Even though Mr. Smith desperately wanted to tango, we did not today.  There was much shopping and acting like foolish tourists.  Many shop owners tried unsuccessfully to hustle us because we were tourists but we were the stronger men and we prevailed!  

After our glorious win, Mr. Smith and Ms. Basin treated us to churros and hot chocolate. 

Our last stop on our adventure was Boca Juniors Stadium, called La Bombanera.  Boca Juniors are the "Yankees" of Argentina soccer.  Their stadium is one of the biggest soccer stadiums in South America. 

Overall, it was a great day!

Stay tuned for more!

                                                                               Padraic Slattery