The view of the river just as we left the train station.

"Lanchas Colectivas" Literally boat buses : ) Public transport on the water between the different islands

One of the row boats. I can't imagine how the guys in shorts were feeling because I was layered up and the wind was still chilly. I suppose the rowing is pretty hard work though and they must warm up!

The sign says it all!

The entire ISA group for this excursion. This is only half of us, the other half goes next weekend. I have met people from ALL over the states and from all kinds of backgrounds. It's been so interesting hearing everyone's stories!

Supermercado! (poor quality photo because it was taken through plastic : ))

Just one of the houses on the river. The houses ranged from trailer houses to mansions on stilts!

My first purchase! Alpaca mittens! Here with Becca sporting our authentic duds : )

The leather here is outrageous! Here is a BASKET full of real leather boots for around 50 dollars or so. There are racks and racks of leather jackets for incredible prices. Orders anyone?? ; )

Merienda--> Mid-day snack time! Their idea of a snack was brownies, medialunas (croissants) and grilled cheese and ham sandwiches! A bit heavy for a snack eh?? haha. And to top it all off a "Submarino", they bring you hot milk and a bar of chocolate and you drop the chocolate in to make a delicious drink similar to a hot chocolate : )

Alexis and I on the edge of the river! You can see Buenos Aires in the distant background.

 

WOOFTA! A couple busy days here in the capital city! Saturday we went to El Tigre for our first excursion. El Tigre is a delta town that is a 30 minute train ride outside of the city. We arrived there at about 10 in the morning and spent the entire day exploring the beautiful place! We took a guided tour by boat amongst all of the islands that make up the delta and the sites were amazing! The inhabitants can only travel via boat and they even have supermarkets on boats! I can't wait to return during the spring and enjoy more vegetation and warmer weather, it was a tad bit chilly : ) After our boat ride we spent a couple hours shopping in the Puerto de Frutas (Fruit Port) it's a famous market with tons of cool little shops! They ended our day at the Rio De Plata, the massive river that separates Uruguay and Argentina, you can't even see the other side, its more like an ocean!  It's an incredible site with lots of sail boats, row boats and an awesome view of the city!

Today Emma and I got lost on the bus system on the way to church but we eventually found it and it was well worth the frustration! It's a beautiful church and the sermon was in Spanish but the Pastor is from England and so his Spanish is much slower, and he enunciates without the very thick Castellano accent so I was actually able to understand the entire service, just another blessing from God! : )) They invited Alexis, Emma and I to their church luncheon and we were able to sit with a bunch of the youth in the church and they were so fun and nice! It was a blast trying to express myself in broken Spanish but they are a great group of people and we are planning on going to their youth group as well! I sat next to a young man whose family is from Guatemala City, and they moved to Buenos Aires to continue with missions work (coincidence, I think not : )) I look forward to talking to them more and hopefully getting involved with their mission work! The way that God has delivered and answered so many prayers is beyond incredible.

We met a girl named Gloria at church as well, she is from Nigeria but has been in BA for the past 1.5 years studying accounting and working! She is a blast and a half so she showed us a thing or too about getting around the city and we went to another open air market for the afternoon, the silver handicrafts are out of this world! Gloria kept making me go back to all the vendors and ask them more questions in Spanish so that I would have to practice more : )) It was really fun and she said it's what helped her learn the most. By the end of the day one vendor guessed that I was from Brazil! haha. He knew that I wasn't from BA because I am probably 1 of 10 women with short hair in this city! Buuuut at least my shopping Spanish passed the tourist test : )) Now it's time to learn some more in depth phrases beyond, hi, what's it made of, HOW BEAUTIFUL : )) hahah.

Registration for classes begins at 12:01 AM tonight and the advice has been to try to register as quickly as possible so we shall see how that goes! Classes start tomorrow! Woo Hoo! Back to school : ))

Thank you guys for all the comments and for following me, the comments get sent to my email but I don't get sent your email address as well so I can't reply privately : (( But feel free to email me anytime as well!

Con Amor! Bailey

Here is my address (Amber :: )! They have our mail sent to the ISA office and then distribute it! Send with caution though because it sounds like things have a tendency to take months! haha

Bailey Kremke
Cabildo 875 1er. Piso
Buenos Aires Argentina
C1426AAI

Quick post before we went up with some friends from the ISA program!

Tonight we had Noquis del 29. It is tradition in Argentina that every 29th of the month you eat Gnocchis for dinner and when you eat them you put pesos under your plate for good luck : ) Grace told me in Spanish and I looked it up online but it is a religious tradition that was started a long time ago by a saint, San Pantaleón,  from Italy. He was sharing food with a man and prophesised that he would have good look and turns out that next here he had a very bountiful crop and so the tradition of Noquis del 29 began! It is also said that since the 29th is towards the end of the month, Noquis (potato noodles) were also a very cheap choice for families living on the last parts of a month's pay. I learn something new each day! : ))

The meeting with my advisor went really well actually! It looks like I will be able to take all the classes that I wanted to and I will have the next 2 weeks to go to all the different ones and try them out before I make my decision! Cool! Had ANOTHER orientation with a man from the USA Embassy down here and he thrououghly scared us once again into not doing anything stupid once again, CRAZY STORIES! haha Tomorrow is the first ISA excursion to El Tigre : )) I will takes lots of photos and hopefully not loose them this time!
Ciao!

"May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance." 2 Thessalonians 3:5

Mate in the park! With Emma and Jenny. Another lovely face from Emma : )

The food still impresses me here! Look at those trees on our Margherita pizza!

Noquis del 29! Grace said I had to put this photo on as well to show my family that she is feeding me vegetables : )

With 50 pesos under my plate!

Another fun day in the city!

Met up with some girls at the university yesterday and the group quickly grew to 7 or so : )) We left the U with not much of a plan and ended up in the Palermo neighborhood and ate at a cute little cafe. (surprise there?  : )) The great thing about lunches here is that one empanada is just a little smaller than a hot pocket and only costs 4 pesos and is enough to fill you up! 1 dollar for lunch is pretty sweet! : )) We walked through a botanical garden, which was incredible and then took the subte to the Recoleta neighborhood to visit the Recoleta cemetery. I asked for directions about 3 times and we walked about 100 blocks (more like 20) and finally got there!

This week is the anniversary of the death of Eva Peron, "Evita". She was a hero in Argentina and she is buried in the cemetery. There were tons of flowers by her family tomb, it was a very beautiful. Ther cemetery is an incredible site to see. There are all different kinds of tombs with different designs and when you look inside you can see that some are very well cared for and others seem a bit forgotten... It is a completely foreign place to me but strangely beautiful and peaceful.

We had our tango and salsa lessons last night too! AHHHH. It was so much fun and sooo hilarious. We learned the very, very basic steps of the tango and it took the entire hour for me to figure out 2 combinations! I have a new found respect for those people on Dancing With The Stars, because i know that I have said, "Psssh, I could do that...." Well come to find out, its ALOT harder than it looks! : )) We also danced the salsa and that was a blast as well! I danced with a kid from Texas and neither of us knew what was going on so we just started making things up and spinning and such.... not exactly traditional but it was fun : )))

Another delicious dinner was served by Grace last night, it was pretty much a quiche and very tasty! From what we have heard from other students our food has been top notch superb in comparison, so I once again feel so very lucky and blessed : ) It has made this a true home away from home.

I think Becca, Emma and I are going to go "mate" in a park, and I will get to try out my new gourd! Hopefully it works! At 2 I my meeting with my advisor about how the test went and then I will sign up for classes, YIPPEE!!

Hope all is well in your lives,so thankful that I have incredible people like you in my life! 

Bailey

Well... It looks like I accidentally deleted all the pictures from yesterday... That really stinks but o well. Sorry no photos to share : (

Well I managed to completely fill another day here : ) It is 6:15 PM here now so I thought I would post a quick blog and take a little siesta before dinner, unfortunately for me Buenos Aires is one of the only cities that doesn't officially take siestas, BUMMER!

Well I experienced my first taste of the BA nightlife last night.... And its crazy here and it was only a Tuesday! The reggae club was very neat, they had a couple live bands and very "chill" music. I was able to meet some kids that are in ISA as well and that have already been down here for a month. A big group of us went to a famous BA boliche, or dance club after that. We got to the door at maybe 12:00 or so and had to wait in a line a block long then pay 20 pesos to get in! The place was beyond PACKED! Wall to wall filled with people and it's more like swaying back and forth or kind of hopping in place rather than dancing... There is no room for me to bust our my moves in the bolliches! Que lastima! (What a shame : )). They played all American rap music from 5-10 years ago and everyone in the club was singing along, it's crazy the influence that our country has on the world. We were totally LAME and left the club at 2:30 and the line to get in was even longer!! I don't know where the people were going to fit, good thing we left : ))

3.5 hours of sleep and an early trip on the train and subway to start the process of getting a visa. Returning on the subway at 9 AM was a treat because it was rush hour and literally people stand in the doors and ram there bodies against the people in the subway so that they can fit. I kept a tight hold on my purse and my mouth closed because I think that the people next to me could tell what I had for lunch the day before, we're that close!

The weather this morning was like a perfect fall morning in the midwest and I went for a run at about 9:30 and explored the area around my house. There is an unbelievable park about 8 minutes run from my house that has pathways, gardens, lakes, fountains and paddle boats. I think it's incredible how there can be such natural beauty in the middle of the city, I just take it as another blessing and thank God for all the ways that He has comforted me down here : ))

I met up with Tana, a girl from Doane that has been down here for a month, we are from different programs but it was really fun to get to see her! We went to the CHINA TOWN of Buenos Aires, talk about culture shock! It's the only place that you can get peanut butter but I, like a dumb dumb, bought some nasty kind that is the consistency of syrup! haha. We explored down there and then went to a couple of street markets and I bought my own Mate gourd! Look at this authentic girl ; ) haha kidding! I am going to learn how to cure the gourd and all the necessary things tonight : )

Well I think that's about all for now! Tango class tomorrow night with all the kids from ISA! That will be a ball, they say don't wear flip flops because your feet will get stepped on : )) I will keep you all updated!

Hasta Luego! Bailey 

Tana at our lunch at one of thousands cute cafes

China Town!

I guess it's a dog park... It's the craziest thing I have every seen. Probably 50+ dogs in this gated area in the middle of the park just going crazy! I think maybe it's like the baby sitter for dogs or something... All I know is that there are perros EVERYWHERE!

Plaza Belgrano. Dedicated to the man who created the Argentina flag and whom my neighborhood is named after.

Some things are just universal... : )) Tana bought number 5 and I am going to try to tackle it when she is done!

A church about 4 blocks from my house, the architecture of the buildings is incredible.

My street corner!

The most delicious popsicle I have ever eaten! We bought them in China Town for 4 pesos and it tastes exactly like honeydew. Que Rica!

Free day today! I slept in until 12, I think that I was a little bit tired : ) It felt amazing to finally catch up on some sleep! Emma and I slowly made our way to the Correo or post office and applied for Sube cards which you can charge with pesos and use on all the public transportation instead of having to use coin or buy tickets every time! We also made copies of our entire passport because tomorrow we start the process of applying for a visa. I can't imagine having to get one with out the help of ISA, there are multiple appointments and soooo many different papers and documents that you need, I am super lucky that they hold our hand through the process : ))

Today is my senoras, (host mom's) birthday so we bought her flowers from a street vendor, only 40 pesos! That's less than 10 dollars for a bouquet that would cost 40 dollars in the states : ))

I took public transportation for the first time today too! haha. This Wyoming girl has no idea about any of that so Emma went with me to "practice" today, she's very patient! There is a train station 3 minutes from my house so we took that and then SWITCHED to the subte (subway) and took that the rest of the way to the center of the city! I think that I prefer the train because the subte is sooo incredibly packed with people, the amount of people that live here is hard to wrap my mind around. 13 million is incomprehensible.

We explored downtown for a while and sat at  another cafe, I'm already in love with the coffee here : )) I am planning on keeping a sugar packet from every place I have a coffee : )

Grace is cooking fajitas for dinner and her two sons are going to be here for dinner, Tommy is older and he is a director and actor in commercials and Gonzalo graduated from the UB recently and is working on developing a clothing website. I am excited to meet the older son but I always freeze up and don't talk around people who are fluent. Can you imagine me not talking?!?! I know, it's weird for me too : )) haha.


After dinner we are going to a reggae/live music club with some other girls in the program, I am going to have to bust out my famous dance moves : ))

Tomorrow I will leave about 7 to get to the place for our visa and after that it's just another day in the life of a city girl, ayyy! Thanks everyone for following me on the blog, you can email me at kremke11@gmail.com if you need anything : )) I thank God daily for all the amazing family and friends that He has put in my life to support me through this adventure, I am so blessed!

Con amor! Bailey 

Grace and Emma! Emma is sick and wasn't in the mood for photos that's the reason for the lovely expression : ) The food has been amazing so far, last night was arroz con pollo, chicken and rice and some carrots in sauce. Delicious!

Recover Your Imagination. A fitting reminder on a building wall.

The beautiful flowers we bought! There are flower vendors on every block.

Platform 9 3/4 anyone? : ))

Hey all!

Spanish exam this morning and just a few more hours of orientations, BLEHH! We went exploring for a while and happened upon a horse track that is 5 minutes walk from my house! Definitely going to return with more time to watch the races and it's right across the street from a polo stadium! 

Walked home from the university in the pouring rain this evening and I officially looked like a wet cat (gato mojado)by the time we got here, but the great part about it all was that we laughed the whole way : ))

Tomorrow is a free day so we shall see where it takes us, trying to start each day with God and let Him take care of all the details, no worries aqui : ) 

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6: 33-34

 Besos! Bailey

The trainers walking the horses at the track

The University of Belgrano! My home away from Doane for the next few months. Classes start Aug. 1st! The flags in the back represent all of the international students that take classes at the University.

Gato Mojado : )

"Porque asi como el cuerpo es uno, y tiene muchos miembros, pero todos los miembros del cuerpo, siendo mucho, son un solo cuerpo, asi tambien Cristo."1 Corintios 12:12

 "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ" 

1 Corinthians 12:12

Hola! Today we had an orientation in the morning where they did their best to officially scare us into not doing something stupid : )) It was a lot of really great information about safety, transportation, cultural norms etc. I had my first famous Argentina empanada today and it was delicious! I tried chicken and meat filled ones and I'm a big fan.

From 1-5 we went on a city bus tour. They took us to all of the most well known neighborhoods in the city so that we could get a brief glimpse of all the diversity that it has to offer. It's incredible here! It feels like each neighborhood is a different world, each part of the city has it's own flare. I can't wait to return to them all and to do more exploring!

We sat in a cafe tonight and I had a coffee, the coffee here is as small and as strong as a shot of espresso, it's perfect! : ))  My roommate, Emma, and I bought some new "mate" it's a traditional drink here that is sort of like a really strong loose leafed tea. You put the leaves in a wooden gourd and drink it from a straw, it's a social sort of thing and I think it's really gonna grow on me : )

Well Grace is preparing dinner as I write this, dinner in Argentina isn't until at least 9 or 10 which is bedtime back in the States but the Argentine's nightlife is incredible, from 3-7 AM  haha so I guess you have to eat late to keep in step : )) Well that's all for now! Spanish language placement exam tomorrow! : ) Adios!

Mate : ) Tonight we tried orange flavored

Emma and I in front of Cemetario de Recoleta, a cemetery for the rich and famous !

Plaza de Mayo

 

Palacio del Congreso

Small but mighty cup of coffee "cafe"

 Puente de la Mujer "Woman's Bridge"

La Boca-- A very famous neighborhood known for it's colorful buildings

I made it! I got into Buenos Aires at about 8:40 local time! The airplane ride was really great and I met an amazing woman named Clarisa. She is a researcher and she lives in an neighborhood close to me with her husband and two small kids. We were able to speak a lot in Spanish during the flight and she gave me tons of great advice about where to travel and tips about the city : ) She also gave me her email and telephone number if I ever need anything!

My luggage arrived on time and we made it through customs and to the ISA people. They dropped my off with my "madre", Grace! She is incredible! Very fashionable and young and so vibrant! Right now I am getting settled in our apartment. I have my own room and attached bathroom. There is a patio right out my door and a very spacious living room with tons of windows! The apartment is beautiful. My roommate, Emily, is from Colorado but her room is on the other side of the apartment.She seems really great, she speaks pretty fluently so that's a bit intimidating but I love sitting back and listening to Grace, her son Gonzalo and Emily speak! I'm sure I will pick it up more and more each day! : )

Grace just left to get food for lunch so I am going to start unpacking but that's the update as of now! Ciao!

Well today is the day! I fly out of Denver at 2:00 PM and arrive in Atlanta, Georgia. I will have a short lay over in Georgia then fly straight to Buenos Aires, 10 hours on a plane, yikes! I will get to BA at 8:00 AM their time, which is 6:00 AM Central time.

There are 7 ISA students that are flying from Atlanta to Argentina together and I have been in contact with all of them via email and text, so we are planning on getting together in the airport! : )) I'm so lucky that I won't have to go through customs and all that craziness by myself, I'm so very blessed : )

I will let everyone know when I land safely. Thank you so much for all the well wishes and prayers, it means more than you know!  God Bless!

And so the packing begins! Mom and I have spent all afternoon organizing documents, prescriptions, flight info, passports and the list goes on and on! I never could have imagined all the planning that goes into something like this but I am lucky to have a super great mom to help me keep everything straight! : )) I will keep you updated as to whether or not it all fits and weighs under 50lbs, that's where the true challenge begins!