Having an elephant as a roommate.

5-24-10
I woke up after a hard night sleep, due to one of my roommates, whose spirit animal must be an elephant based on the way he snored. I showered and packed my bags. Then I stored them, while I headed out. I walked around Tucuman a bit. Near my hostel, was a former detention center from the "Dirty War." It was interesting to see from the outside. There was a memorial for those who were imprisoned it. I continued just exploring. I grabbed lunch.

Eventually, I headed back and grabbed my bags and headed to the bus station. There was some bird exhibition happening at the mall that was attached to the station. I watched some of the exhibition game between Argentina and Canada. I then boarded my bus. There, I finished the Isabel Allende book and read a whole Michael Crichton book that I liked. I slept most of the rest of the time and listened to music

5-25-10
After getting my stuff, I have come back to the residencia. I unpacked, and said hi to friends and separated my photos into their files. Today, I am not sure what I will be doing minus celebrating the big day with the rest of the city.

Dirty War and Chocolate Cupcake

5-17-10
I woke up and studied a bit more but not much. I packed some but had to drop off laundry. I then had lunch and talked a friend who just got back from Salta and Bolivia. I then headed to school. In History, we watched a very emotional documentary about the people who disappeared during the "Dirty War." I knew it was a very tragic thing but I had no idea what exactly had occurred until I saw this movie and the fact that my teacher was in tears after it. It was a real eye opener.

In Spanish, we went over the homework and had some presentations. After class, I talked to friends before heading home. On the way home, I bought myself a cupcake for later. I studied and wrote a paper about Evita for my literature class since I won't be able to write it in class on Thursday. I then talked to Abbey before picking up my laundry and packing some more. I then had dinner and packed some more. I then finished my paper and studied some more. I may or may not write a short entry before I leave tomorrow but if I don't. I will try to show some proof of my travels while I am about on here if possible, since I don't know the internet connection.

But here are some of many words that I will be carrying with me on my travels

“To the desert go prophets and hermits; through deserts go pilgrims and exiles. Here the leaders of the great religions have sought the therapeutic and spiritual values of retreat, not to escape but to find reality.” - Paul Shepard

“See the world as your self.
Have faith in the way things are.
Love the world as your self;
then you can care for all things.” – Chapter 13 of the Tao Te Ching

"who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?" – Hunter S Thompson

"A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled surfaces. We need wilderness whether or not we ever set foot in it. We need a refuge even though we may never need to set foot in it. We need the possibility of escape as surely as we need hope; without it the life of the cities would drive all men into crime or drugs or psychoanalysis." – Edward Abbey

"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move."— Robert Louis Stevenson

Another Broken Camera.

3-23-10
Three days in a row of waking up for breakfast. So delicious so good. I then grabbed my stuff and headed to school. At school, my class was again packed but my teacher was there. It was so scatter brain of a class. It was kind of hard to follow. After class, I ate with my friends Cassi and Alana and one of the people who run our program. She helped me schedule an appointment with a gastrologist here.

After lunch, Cassi and I headed toward downtown to deal with her broken camera. After we finished that business, we headed back to Palermo/Belgrano area where I headed home and her to school. At home, I did some of my homework. I relaxed most of the afternoon besides doing some homework. We don't have school on Wednesday due to a day of memory for all those who died during the Dirty War. We are suppose to have make up day for this on Friday but I will be in Iguazu so I have to take the absence. Eventually, I had dinner and ate with friends. I relaxed and chatted with friends. We then went out to celebrate someone's birthday. It was a lot of fun.

"Any life is made up of a single moment, the moment in which a man finds out, once and for all, who he is."

3-11-10
I had tried to wake up for breakfast but I couldn't find the will power to do it. I eventually dragged myself out of bed. I forced myself into a shower. I then got ready for class. Eventually, I headed out. I met up with some friends while waiting for class. After waiting for like 20 or 30 minutes, we found out that we were suppose to be in the other building. So we in a mass herd, headed over. There we finally learned about the class. Some of the texts and the authors seem interesting while others I am not sure.

After class, I met up with some people and headed to the residencia. I ate some lunch before hanging out for an hour or so. Then I headed to Plaza de Mayo. There on every Thursday for over 30 years, mothers and relatives of those who went missing during the "Dirty War" come in march for 20-30 minutes. It was kind of powerful. I can not wait to read and learn about this part of their history. It is this part of history among others that drew me to Latin America. This region interests me so much that I can not even explain. I will edit and post photos from today soon. Nahuel, one of those who run my program, gave us a history lesson on this piece of history. We then went into the city cathedral where San Martin is buried.

After, some of my friends and I headed to a cafe for food and drinks. It was chill. Then we got on the busy subte and headed home. At home, I relaxed until dinner. After dinner, I started to watch "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men." It is on my queue, so I am trying to eliminate it from it. Then some people suggested seeing "Shutter Island." So we did. It was a really good movie that messes with your head. I quite enjoyed. I give a 4 out of 5. After, we walked home. I then finished the other movie. It was good and I want to read the book. I also tried to start to figure out classes for the fall, well primarily since I haven't seen a finalized version of classes.