Uruguay is like Canada?

¿Cuál es la gente pasando?

Well, I'll tell you whats happening with me! A few weekend ago my API group went on an excursion to the Uruguay and to the town Colonia. We took a boat which was really awesome. Its was like a the inside of an airplane but on water. On this trip we learned many things like about the settlement and fights between the Spanish and Portuguese, the stranger farmer man, tried different jams and even visited old ruins sites where castles use to be!



---- this pictures is of me on the ruins where a convent was built in 1694 and destroyed by a fire in 1704. Soldiers of Juan Manuel de Rosas started the construction of the Lighthouse in 1845. The work wasn't complete due to the Great War but finally finished in 1857!




Below is the a picture of just some of the strange collections of a farmer that our tour bus decided to stop at. We were all confused why we came all the way out to this farm but we came to see Colonia downtown... yeah well it was interesting to say the least.








Yep, He won a Guinness World Record for this. Started in 1955... okay I was really ready to leave when we walked in haha.







BUT then we stumbled through the strange collection of pencils, keys chains, and yeah... into a collection room of jams.

Yeah... at least we got to taste them right!
















HAHAHAH picture of me tasting the Dulce de Leche spread!!

Best one for sure!












----this is a picture of Gaby's arm haha... she is pointing to area of Coloina, Uruguay and then Buenos Aires, Argentina.

(Gaby is one of our local leaders in API Baires just fyi)

So, we come to find out visiting Uruguay from Argentina is like visiting Canada from the US.
Super. Simple.


Overall, it was a great trip and first chance for some of us in the program to get away from the city life that is Buenos Aires. What can you do? oh... yeah get on a boat and go to Canada... I mean Uruguay.




^^^^ Fun Fact: In this restaurant, I was swarmed by some kids from Uruguay who apparently haven't been to exposed to many darker skinned people. So many of them decided to ask some of the API students if I was from Jamaica and proceeded to ask if I will take a few pictures with some of them. Number one reason: the hair

Only day I felt like a celebrity. Maybe I should go back...

Chau peeps, keep it real

My race only defines a part of me

Hola todos!

I know I have been slacking (to say the least) in keeping yall updated on my adventures here in Argentina. I want to speak about some of the negatives about being a foreigner in a new city specifically a person of color. Here is an up-date for you…

I’m African American.

I’m Black.

I’m a Negro.

Yes yes yes. It is true. I have darker pigment than most people especially here in Buenos Aires. Since I’m naturally kissed by the sun there are a few reactions I have experienced while abroad and I think it is important to share with my peeps.

1). Stares. I kid you not when I say I get stared at by everyone. Everyone being men, women, children, grandma, grandpa, people working in the stores, people on the bus, people on the subway, people in the bank, people in the supermarket… the list goes on.

2). Long stares. These are the ones that get to me the most. I’ll catch someone staring at me…smile or say hola! (you know something nice). When the moment has passed what do people keep on doing STARING. Did I not just catch you staring at me and you looked away thinking (dang it he saw me staring). But, no they have the audacious to keep on staring!

a) There is an urge inside that makes me want to say “Hey, if you take a picture it will last longer!” in Spanish of course.

b) I also have the urge to give them the stink face like some give me.

3). People down here just love my hair. My locs and my skin color are the two things that compel wide eye stares. It is one thing to ask to touch my hair and asking how I do that I’m totally okay with because really in Argentina there is a very low percentage of dark skinned people. However some people love my hair so so so much or find it so so interesting that some have even asked “Hey, Can I have a piece of you hair?”

WAIT A MINUTE…

Thoughts

Do whattttt?

You want a piece of my what?

My hair?!?!?!?!?!

What will you do with it? I mean really? Are you going to sew it into your head? Or will you make earrings out of it? Are you going to frame it?

Needless to say, my friend Kathryn and I left that supermarket fairly quickly haha. I just wanted to clearly say that my skin color/my race is only one branch of this tree or it’s only one piece to the puzzle. Do you understand?

My race only defines part of this whole that is Jameson. There is my two cents.

Fun Fact: A lot of people think I’m from Brasil which is cool but… when I tell them no I’m from the United States haha ALL cool points go out the window.

One of the most marvelous places of the dead.

Sí... mis amigos... I said marvelous places of the dead.

We visited La Recoleta Cementerio on July 28, 2011. This cemetery became the first public cemetery of Buenos Aires. The credit due for the creation of this beautiful cite was the Governor Martin Rodriguez and his minister Bernardino Rivadavia. There are 4,800 vaults...wow is an understatement. A lot of relevant Argentine history rest in peace in Recoleta, for instance, politicians, military men, priests, and poets just to name a few.
Look at the long ally! This mausoleum is huge and just incredible to walk around!

This vault is the resting place of Luis Federico Leloir, who was a scientist that won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Also was the first Spanish speaking scientist to receive this outstanding award. His resting place was one the biggest in this cemetery! Just look at size compared to me?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!? locoooooo!

So for the picture above is a interesting one. It's not fact that I'm standing next to the rest place of Evita (María Eva Duarte de Perón) who was just so much for this country. But it's the fact I was not sure if a person is suppose to smile or not when taking pictures...next to someone tomb.

Yeah...well I did!
Some of my API peeps (from left to right) Erin, myself, and Caitlin then Kathryn is taking the picture!

This is Kathryn^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^. After the walk through of the cemetery, we went to the grocery store to buy food because we decided to do a picnic dealio = Best idea. We brought hot bread, cheese, ham, yogurt, nuts, and grapes. That day was very nice for Argentina being in the winter season.

Stay hot and classy Texas.
Besos

My room and a little cookin too

Hola friends and family in the states,

Well, there has been so much that has happen and I haven't even been here for two weeks yet! So, my host family is awesome Rosario and Frederico treat as one of their own children. I'm very thankful for them and letting me stay in this apartment. So here are some photos of our place and my room. In most of the apartment down in Argentina have rooms where are smaller and on bathroom that doesn't have shower. This is where the live-in maid would sleep and so forth.
I wish I some windows but all its all good!



This the picture ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ is the living room. We have a nice patio and that is also were Rosario does here gardening and put the laundry to dry. Below is the dining table and actually my first dinner here with my family. It was a breaded chicken with cheese and tomatoes on top then on the side had some cooked potatoes; very tasty to say the least. And it is called Milanesa con tomate y queso :)