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 :)

Bienvenidos a Baries!

Hola todos!

I've arrived in Buenos Aires!!!! WOOT! (Baires simply means Buenos Aires)

This is the first time I've gotten to actually sit down and write a little bit. So lets start from the beginning, on Thursday my dad, sister, and bro were leaving to go to Las Vegas for my brother basketball tournament;I was also leaving to go to Argentina. We said our goodbyes when went out separate ways. They left to go to DFW airport and my mother and nana took me to Love field airport. My flight went from Dallas to Houston then a 10 hours flight to Argentina :D .

Once to Houston, I called my folks to let them know I got there okay and we were about to broad. Instead of sitting down there on a frickin 10 hour flight to myself...I conversed with a guy in front of me, Marc, who was a part of a study abroad group but was coming a day early. Then I actually got to speak with my first Argentine person his name was Leandro. He was coming from the Miami with his older sister and dad from vacation. We had talked about what program I was going with, what the food was like, the people and my terrible spanish haha. I had brought with me some of my spanish worksheets and he helped me with them. I enjoy talking with Leandro and his sister because it was a good chance to get a preview of how some of the people are.

Some interesting facts Leandro told me (and from walking around seem to be very true)
- Argentine people are in no hurry. at all.
- referring to just about anything. They go out for coffee and chat for long periods of time. For instance when we went to go eat today at a restaurant, it seem like the waiter was ignoring us and we just really wanting our food fast! But no, not Argentina :D

- Most things are very cheap
- there is very good exchange rate for US dollars here; for example, I went to get a bottle of water and it turned out to be 4 pesos which is like a 1 American dollars.

After the flight, I had to go through customs get my stamp and the retrieve my luggage. Going through EZE airport was more simple than I thought too! Yaya for that! I just had to find the rest of my group before 12 pm Atlantic time and after going through customs I have about 30 minutes to find Carmen who is the API Director here in B.A. She is sooo awesome!!! hahaha funny story: when meeting everyone and Carmen I greeted her like everyone American does, put out your hand and shake the other persons. So Carmen was like "Jameson, no no no shake hand beso por favor" (beso is kiss in spanish). And I kissed everyone cheek once while saying hello and it is the same when saying goodbye.

Once all together, we took our tour car from the airport to the actually city because it is 45 minutes away. Then once to the hotel in the city we rested for a little bit and then later that night enjoyed a meet and greet with API early start students. We met at Carmen's place for home made pizza and some drinks she made from varies fruits.

-Ah, another thing I forgot to add that Leandro had told me and Carmen later also said was that in Argentina breakfast isn't very much like it is in the US. No eggs, bacon, toast and etc...it will simply be coffee and a pastry. Then for dinner, Argentines eat very late like around 9 - 10 pm.

Okay back to the story. So after getting to Carmen's place we were all starving then afterwards the older crew wanted to take us all out to one of the club some of them enjoy going to which is called El Living. It was pretty awesome haha we had gotten there pretty early in the night before the dancing but when that started it was basically 80s night dancing to Footloose then 90s music like New Radicals - You Get What You Give. Totally awesome first night here!

Today, was mostly meeting with Carmen for some orinetiaton on the city and then with another worker that is with API, Gabby, who took us on a city bus tour just to give us a taste of the most of the provinces here. Tomorrow, we pack in the morning and get to meet our families after our tour of the Universidad de Belgrano!! Woot! Pictures will come soon promise!

Besos, Jameson

-

Jameson's New Family!

What's up folks! Update time!

After a few days of worrying about money information and getting it all together; I received an AWESOME packet in the mail!

I finally founded out my housing situation in Argentina!

I shall be living with Rosario Rincón and her husband Federico both 60 years old. They also have a son named Jaime who is an engineer but travels a lot for his work. Apparently, they have a cat. (Literally the sentence says "They have a cat"). I will be getting breakfast everyday and dinner Sunday thru Friday. That is awesome because all I need to worry about is lunch during the everyday and then dinner on Saturday. I'll be living close to the University sort of, only 25 minutes by bus/metro.

I think the next biggest bump in the road is trying to navigate through the airport in Buenos Aires because first everything will be in Spanish; secondly, it seems I'll be be arriving in a different Terminal than the where my group will be meeting (great). Good thing I'm still practicing my Spanish!

Breathe easy folks and take care

Argentina is out ,Graduating is out ...say what?

Hey folks,

I know I haven't written a blog in like 3 weeks but I wanted to wait until I had something good enough to write about. Oh, man do I have something to talk about hahaha.

So last Sunday, Texas State finally announced how much financial aid all the students would be getting. I was very excited once I received that email saying it was finally in (I thought to myself YEESSSSS). All my excitement plumped when I logged into my account and noticed I only received a Federal Parent Loan which my parents NEVER qualify for. So, this basically meant I wasn't awarded any other aid money...I had no way for paying off the rest of my Argentina program so that's out. This also meant I have no aid for next semester so that means graduating fro Texas State is out.

These are scary, very scary realizations and thoughts in my head. I was in shock for a good while. I was pretty much down all hours of the day. Until, we finally spoke to the director of the financial aid which happened to be the same lady I was conversing with about my aid and API program payment plan. She remembered and explained what the real deal was about not receiving aid. She explained that I had reached my borrowing limit! (Oh gosh, I thought students don't reach that until their 5th/6th year of college).

She went into detailing about the situation and basically said that since my parents were being denied that Parent Loan, I was able to get more money. That also meant I was approaching that borrowing limit faster than the average student. She was graciously able to move around some numbers and long story short I have federal aid to use now! Wooot oh yeahhhh sweeeeet!!!! Now, this study abroad trip is on and graduating on time is on! This was a total blessing and I'm so thankful to God that everything worked out maybe not how I envisioned it but the nonetheless everything turned out alright.

I had prayed about my money situation since Texas State told everyone that went weren't going to know our aid till late June. When it finally came in I was down but not as much as I thought I was be. My Nana said it best "If you had prayed about it Jameson, don't walk around here acting like God is not going to see you through. Smile because everything out of your hands and in Gods." I love her...grandmas always know exactly what to say :^)

Today is my birthday and finally got to post this hahaha Happy birthday to me!
check yall lata!!