Happy Tuesday Afternoon!
I am sitting in my Social Economy Class and I really am not following what's going on so I thought I may as well start my blog from the past couple days : ) Shame on me, such a bad student : )

Sunday was the most beautiful day since I have been here, really incredible weather! Thank goodness! We had a potluck lunch at church which was really, really lovely, it's nice to do things that make it really feel like "home" here but with an Argentine twist : ) Some ideas are just universal, really so blessed to have the church home that we have found here, we have been so welcomed from the very beginning : )

After church, some girls of us girls went to San Telmo Market, it's one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city and it has the most incredible open air market. Spent the afternoon strolling down the stone streets, soaking up the sun, and admiring all the artesenal products. The market has such a cool feeling, half touristy but so authentic and Argentine at the same time. Ana, my regional Mate expert, helped me pick my cool new mate gourd : ) We drank mate all weekend together at the church retreat and so she promised to help me pick a good one : ) I elected a pumpkin gourd covered into two colors of leather, SAAAWEEETTT! : )

As the time for merienda came around, we made our way to Puerto Madera, an area along the river with all kinds of very high end restaurants and hotels and such and a place where lots of people go to spend an afternoon. We ended up at a park, drank some mate and ate some galletitas (little cheap cookies) : ) Very nice to just sit, relax and chat with some great girls : )

Can't believe school has started back at Doane, I hope that this semester goes amazing for all my fellow "tigers" and I will miss you! : ) But I know that this time will fly and I will be back in Crete faster than I want to imagine. Love you guys! Sending love from the capital city!
Bailey

Ana! My Personal Portena Mate Expert! : )

You are not mistaken, that is a "vat" of Dulce de Leche! Apparently much better than what you will find in the supermarket.  It's authentic : )

The very stand where I bought my beautiful Mate : )

The "curing" process. We put the used "yerba" from Ana's mate into my new gourd to "cure" the inside. I left it in there for about a day and now supposedly it's good to go! Vamos a ver! (We shall see!)

Puerto Madera. With La Puenta de la Mujer in the distance. Really cool view as the sun goes down.

Well I can now officially be considered a tango dancer, seeing as I recently completed my first of many shows ; ) JOKES! But we did do a little performance  for my tango class to kick off "Noche Internacional" at the university Friday night! It's a night where all of the international students are able to set up booths that represent their respective countries, there is native food and drink and much fun was had by all : ) My partner, Patrick, and I made it through the dance without falling and Grace even came to watch me and like a good mom, said we were the very best pair ; ) Gotta love it!

Katie, Meghan and I met up for lunch today and as good students, we ventured to the Biblioteca Nacional (national library) to check it out and do some homework... Unfortunately the national library isn't quite with the times and is still lacking WIFI access, QUE LASTIMA! So Katie came home with me and we spent the afternoon doing homework and I was able to teach her how to drink mate : ) The student has become the teacher... hahahah!

Tonight I had one of my favorite nights up unto this point in BA! Some friends I finally made it to the World Tango Festival and Competition (Tango Festival y Mundial). The festival has been going since August 16 and ends this Tuesday with the finals! To accompany the competition there are tons of shows, concerts, tango lessons and markets of tango apparel! We went to " La Noche de Mora Godoy", it was incredible!!!!!!! The lead ballerina and choreographer is the next hot thing in tango and her new style of tango is really popular! The show was so amazing, we got there early enough to find a great seat and it was over 30 minutes of the most unbelievable dancing and wow I wish you guys could have seen it! There were about 5 couples and they danced solo, in pairs, in groups and in all kinds of ways you could imagine! All of the music was live too, I would have gone just to listen to it! My words aren't doing it justice, all I know is that I had to pick my jaw up off the floor when they finished, so talented! 

Thanks for checking in on me once agian, so blessed and continue to thank God for all the daily miracles : )
Besitos! Bailey

Love where my Art Class has taken me! Our latestproject was to go to the center of the city and take pictures of tons of different buildings that represent all the kinds of architecture! Megan and I spent hours on a really fun wild goose chase trying to figure out where all the buildings were! It was so fun and really gave me a chance to see a completely different part of the city! Here I am, chilling with the Congreso Nacional : )

The most delicious and sketchy sidewalk vendor caramelized peanuts! I love them and will bring many packets home in my suitcase : )

My wonderful dance partner, Patrick and I! He even brought me a flower! haha. You can't see it here, but I rocked my Toms shoes with the black dress : ) This girl can't walk in heels, let alone dance!

Guess which country is represented with this booth?? Froot loops, pb&j, oreos and Budweiser?!

A day just hanging out and doing homework with a friend felt so good and normal! Made me realize that this real life: ) Very reminiscent of Doane.! Love you Des and Mary! Keep the fishbowls filled at Lied for me : )

Dance floor at the convention center where the festival is held. I aspire to be like this couple, that many years down the road and still dancing Tango together : )

Blurry picture! But just a snapshot of the magic! You can see the violinist and other musicians behind the couple : )

O ya, we got it! : )

Hey all! 
Girl's night at the movie's last night : ) Grace, Emma and I used some movie tickets that I won the first week here and went to the Woody Allen movie, Midnight in Paris! It was in English with Spanish subtitles which is really common down here, I can't imagine reading so much every movie, but I guess when it's what you are used to it's not so difficult. The thing that I found so interesting is all the words that they didn't put in Spanish subtitles! It seemed to me that they missed a lot of the funniest parts and subtle jokes that I caught in English but didn't read in Spanish... It's just another case of how you can't directly translate between the two! It's what I struggle with the most! Anyways, it was a really fun and laid back night : )

Today I went to the coolest bookstore in the world, hands down winner : ) It's a theater that they converted to a bookstore and I envision many more hours there in the future : ) I explored for a good bit amongst the shelves, like a kid in a candy shop and sat in a "box seat" and finished up homework until my friend Katie met up with me. We found a true "gem" of a sandwich shop today! From the outside it didn't look like much, and we ordered something that we didn't know what it was and it ended up being delicious, definitely a hole in the wall place for locals! They have meat hanging from the ceilings and slice it right there for every sandwich! And it was cheap! Score one for Katie and I : ) 

Megan and I are starting a Bible Study at the university cafeteria tomorrow before classes, really looking forward to that, and praying that God will use it to bring people from all over the world together and closer to Him in this foreign place : ) So any prayers would be very appreciated! Thanks everyone, you're great!
Un Abrazo Fuerte! Bailey

 Tim asked me how you say M & M's in Spanish, but this package won't help much cause they are from Brazil and the writing is in Portuguese : )

Movie Night! : )

El Ateneo

A few different views! It's impossible to describe with pictures how awesome and beautiful it is : )

Downstairs is the kid's section and where the stage used to be is a cafe!

The ceiling is beautiful! I sat in the box seat across the way, the bottom one close to the stage : ) VIP!

We literally told the waitress to choose the bread for us and guess on the meat : ) Not too shabby!

Yes, yes there is meat hanging from the ceilings. 2 American girls fit in perfectly amongst the locals : )

Only 24 pesos! These are our looks of shock and empty plates : )

Since we enjoyed such an affordable lunch, we splurged on ice cream that was more expensive than our lunch! Crema de Frutilla, Crema Moka, Chocolate Suiza! : ) (Strawberry, Mocha and Swiss Chocolate)

 

After a HOT shower and with a cup of tea at my side I will try to put into words the weekend that I experienced : ) I went to the "Campamento de Jovenes" with the youth from 2 churches in BA. I went in knowing that it was a church retreat for 2 nights and 3 days in the outskirts of BA and that was about it... Sooo I'll start from the beginning I suppose.. : )

Well Emma, Nena, Chelsea and I arrived at the church Saturday morning at about 8:40, scheduled departure time was 9:00 so being the "Yankees" that we are, we got there early... Silly us, we are on Argentina time now : ) We finally left at around 10 (ish) and started a trip that was supposed to take 1.5 hours, wellllll after getting lost 4 or 5 times and quite a few U-turns we made it to the location around 2 or so : ) The bus ride was worth the trip in itself, I sat in the back with 3 other Americans and sang along to Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Journey, The Beatles and Grease with a bus load of Argentines! ahaha. The ages ranged from 14-26 and the people that I met this weekend are truly some of the most genuinely nice, loving, energetic and fun people that I have ever met in my life. The most incredible part of the bus trip was that not once did you hear anybody complain about the "mishaps" or about being "late", they were all too busy enjoying the time with their friends to waste time complaining... really got me thinking...

The location for the retreat is a tad bit hard to describe... Well it's a family's gated farmish/acreage, they live there in their house but they also have living quarters for events, and a salon to hold our group talks and a mess hall and kitchen. The pictures will do a better job explaining than I can : ) I was instantly reminded of the Burwell Farm as I walked through a herd of ducks to get to lunch and could hear the call of a goat in the distance hahahaha. It was a frigid weekend, and unfortunately there was no central heating (I am so SPOILED) so we relied on a fireplace in the mess hall and only had heat from a heater periodically in the salon and while we slept! I layered up, like a good Wyomingite (literally 6 layers), slept in my clothes and made sure to keep the fire stoked!

The theme for the weekend was Pirates of the Carribbean (naturally an American movie : )), but the discussions were really incredible. We talked about what the desires of our hearts are because that's where our "compass" is pointing us, what true treasure we have in Jesus, how to follow our own "map" of life and how we can all work together in our own roles on the ship of life! I couldn't directly translate every single word that was said but it  really didn't matter,it was a true testimony to the language of love, and how this kind of love knows no language barrier. God is so good, and each day I spend down here reminds me that his love is beyond words : )


We met in small groups, did devotionals, played games (most of the time I had no idea what was going on: )), had free time to "hang-out", acted in skits, and ate some classic camp food, Argentine style : ) Our group won for best skit, I represented you all back home with a stunning duet performance of Celine Dion's hit from Titanic, "My heart will go on". Chelsea and I actually won the award for best singers of the weekend... That video will be buried with me : )) The weekend flew by, kinda of like this past month has, and taking the time to reflect on  all the incredible people that I have met and experiences that we have shared makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world (I know it's cliche, but deal with it : )) I am really meeting people that I know will be friends for a lifetime Thank you all for sticking with me the past month, sending love from the South!

View from the back of the bus, please notice the girl drinking a mate on the bus : ) Only in BA

Classic

The view as we drove into the camp

Dressed up as pirates before our skits!

After a series of events, Chrlsea and I ended up sharing this bed, which was a blessing in itself because we were nice and cozy and warm!

The mess hall/salon building, the living quarters are in the background to the right!

A new friend : )

The gathering place : )

The lovely living quarters!

The gathering place part deux : ) With modern heating this time : )

All of the camp! Can you find me?!

Group Number 9! Chelsea, Tore, Meli, Marun, Alex, Bailey and Veron! : )

Is it really already Friday?!? Wow. Wednesday was a really, really great day here : ) I returned to the Jardin Botanica (Botanical Garden) that I had visited the first week here (the day I lost all my pictures : )) and I spent over an hour ambling through the incredible garden. I had to go there initially to take a picture of a sculpture for my art class but ended up taking more than a few pictures : ) I wish that you all could come and see it, it's truly a gem in the middle of a buzzing city of metal and lights... There are hundreds of trees, flowers, and plants and every continent is represented throughout the garden. It was like spending an hour in a different world and it really gave me a chance to enjoy the simple beauty of nature. : )

From there I ventured back to a museum to finish up my art project, I asked for directions about 6 times, took 3 different buses and didn't get lost once, praise the Lord! It's strangly empowering being able to move about this city by myself and I really enjoyed the chance to go, do and enjoy some time in the heart of the city : )
I met up with a girl that the missionary family at church put me in contact with via email. Her name is Katie and she is taking a break after 2 years in medical school to come down here to learn Spanish because she feels called to work with the Spanish speaking population in the states : ) We had an amazing lunch together, it was one of those cases where you feel like you have known the person for years... Thanking God once again for the incredible people and security that He has given me in my home away from home : )

5 of us girls found the COOLEST restaurant tonight : ) (of course we did right?!) It's an "American" style diner but every Thursday they play movies on the wall while you eat dinner and then there are FREE waffles with dulce de leche for dessert : )) We stayed long enough to watch The Shining in it's entirety. Really is this my life?! Soda diner, friends from 4 different states, The Shining with Spanish subtitles, and free waffles with an Argentine twist : )) 3 hours later and I sit in my bed counting the daily miracles.

I hope this finds you all doing fabulously! Un abrazo fuerte!
Bailey

A map of the garden so you can kind of get an idea of how big it is!

One of the green houses where they keep their most "exotic" species : ) I just was impressed with iron work

For some reason the cactus really blew my mind! I could have spent the whole time just looking at all the amazing and unique kinds! haha, I'm a dork!

I loved this sculpture... It reminded me of sitting on my daddy's lap and made me homesick but in the best possible way : )

Massive.

I stalked this little tike for a good 5 minutes and captured this shot after he climbed a tree : ) I may have done some crouching and such, the huntress came out in me, I can't help it!

Katie and I! With our delicious "tartas". Mine was filled with pumpkin, yuuummm : ) Are you keeping all the food and friends straight!?

 

 

 

Free waffle with a disgusting amount of dulce!

"REDRUM"

Argentina even does salmon burgers well! : ) This one even has some Argentine pride with the country flag on top : )

A rainy day in Buenos Aires brought a shocking realization as I walked to school... The further I walked the damper my heels felt until I stopped and discovered that I have literally walked holes into the heels of my boots in the past 3 weeks! : ) So needless to say I was "forced" to make my first authentic leather purchase : )) I window shopped on my way home from school, tried on a few different styles, came home and talked with Grace... Well being the incredibly awesome and stylish mother she is, she decided that we needed to return to the store tonight, and immediately we left : ) And after a solid 20 minutes of debatins, 3 different pairs of all different styles, I think I arrived home with the perfect pair of boots : ) Grace told me that I am very "canchera" in them, which is similar to "cool" haha. She said I look just like a flacita from Argentina now! All I know is that they were crazy cheap, they are comfortable and I won't walk holes into the heels (hopefully : )).

Ran with the running club yesterday again, we picked up the pace a bit this time : ) But I met a kid name Nico who grew up in Miami and Texas but was originally from BA and has been back here studying engineering. We played the question game (in Spanish of course) and I think I am going to help all the Argentines increase their lung capacity by the time its all said and done, the coach literally told me that's it's great that I run and talk so I can strengthen my lungs hahahah. My big mouth is a blessing : )

Full day of classes today, I really love them all so much still! We had a business man and entrepreneur come talk in our Social Economy class, from the parts I could understand his business sounds really cool! It involved goat farmers and organic meat : )) I felt for the guy, trying to express yourself in another language is so tough sometimes!

I was paired with a girl from Columbia named Laura  in Tango today. Of course we got to talking as we practiced our sweet "steps" and ended up really hitting it off! She is studying here until December but doesn't live with a host family, we went and grabbed a coffee together after class and ended up talking for an hour and we busted out the city map... From there we made plans to explore some parts of the city and to travel together as well! She promised to cook some Columbian food for me, but what would I cook if I were to cook her "American" food? Hotdogs? haha : ) She talks with her mommy every night just like me, and I think no matter where you are from, we can all agree that being away from mom is tough! God just keeps placing the most incredible people into my life, more than I could have ever hoped for and I just keep praying that I can be used to be a comfort to others and share the love that is constantly being given to me : )

Well Grace is cooking a Argentine classic dish tonight, Milanesa de Pollo, delicious! I had better get to working on some homework before we eat, I am becoming quite the procrastinator these days : ) Sending love from the South!
Bailey

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." 1 John 3:16

Out with the old!

In with the new! Que canchera!

Where have the past 3 weeks gone? As I sit here in my room at 5 PM on Sunday afternoon, this is the thought that crosses my mind... I feel as if I am at the delightful point in this journey where I can't communicate in Spanish, but no longer can express myself in English : ) People told me this time would come and today it really has. I feel like I have had the same conversation in Spanish about 1000 times, "Where are you from, what is your favorite food, what do you like to do, where do you like to travel....?" and that's about as far as my Spanish vocabulary takes me...And so I delightfully embrace this crossroads, and pray that my Spanish will be the language that improves in the coming weeks : )

I slept until around noon Saturday but it actually worked out perfectly because I woke up to a beautiful day and was able to go for a run in shorts and a t-shirt! It looks like I will hopefully enjoy a few months of nice weather before I return to the snow! I met up with my Argentine friend (Agostina/Maria/Mary) from running club in her neighborhood to spend an afternoon in a really awesome part of town.We went to Palermo Soho, its a neighborhood/shopping district where all of the up and coming designers of Buenos Aires first display and sell their designs. Shops and streets filled with all kinds of authentic and qwirky clothes, it was awesome to see all of the incredible creativity and talent, it's a long stretch from my wardrobe purchased at Target : )

The thing that really struck me is that virtually every single store we walked into  a song was playing by an artist from the States, and Maria and I talked for a good hour about all the movies and shows that people in BA watch in English with Spanish subtitles. The influence that the US has on the rest of the world is mind-boggling and I guess being in this country the grand scale of it all has really hit me, incredible.

Well the day is quickly getting away from me and the words are just not coming so I will save you all some time and cut this one short : ) Thanks again for tuning in.
Con amor! Bailey 

Some live music in the middle of the plaza, it really reminded me of Pearl Street in Boulder : )

Agostina in one of the shops. You can see the clothes of all the designers on the wall, each designer gets about 10 feet to display their clothes etc. : )

It wouldn't be a Bailey Blog if I didn't have at least one picture of food or a cafe : ) This is my new favorite, "Baraka", it has all kinds of unique teas and their wheat bread has entire cashews in it!

(Yes grandad, all I do is eat down here!: ))