Happy Friday everyone!
It's been a full week of studying and I am happy to say that my midterms are officially done! Well, I take that back, I have my dancing midterm in Tango on Tuesday but I don't think that you can really count that one : ) Wednesday was "Dia de la Primavera" or "Dia de la Estudiante" here in Buenos Aires so we had the day off from school! Through ISA I was able to participate in a service project here in the city for a day : ) There are some provinces here in Argentina that are very very poor and literally have no medical services and so if people need assistance they have to travel all the way to Buenos Aires (hours and hours on bus) in order to get help. There is a home called, Asociacion Formosena: Hogar Dr. Esteban L. Maradona, which helps these people and there families when they arrive to the city. They help them make it to the hospital, travel around the city and offer them a place to stay during their treatments, all for free. Some people stay for days, others for years... It's a really incredible organization. On Wednesday we painted a few different murals on the side of the building to draw attention to the organization and to bring a little color to the place : ) It was a beautiful day to be outside and paint in shorts and a tee-shirt! Through out the day we were able to talk with one of the founders of the home and learn more about the people from Formosa, the doctor after which the organization was named, the history of the place and what kind of services they offer. Towards the end of the day some of the families that are currently staying at the home came outside to check out our handy work and chat with us for a little but : ) It was so incredible to see the strength and resilience of these families, some of which had been away from home for more than 2 years, they were so kind and inviting. It really put things in perspective, many times I think it's easy to get caught up in my so called "problems" and forget that there are so many people who are dealing with things that are so much harder. I am really glad that I was given the opportunity to spend the day and to learn a little more about this very diverse country, every day it seems like another layer is revealed.

On another note totally! I made it to my first Buenos Aires milonga last night! A milonga is a place where the locals go to have a drink, eat dinner and dance tango : ) The professor of my tango class, his dance partner and a bunch of us from Tango Class all met up at "The Ideal" last night. The place is very antique and has such a neat vibe, there are couples of all ages dancing tango and I could have just sat there all night watching. I love watching the old couples dance, they really know how to work it! : ) I tried my hand at a few different dances, stepped on a bunch of feet and had a grand ol' time : )

Today Megan is coming over to teach Grace how to cook pasta carbonara! She worked in a restaurant in the States and is great in the kitchen and Grace is eager to learn new recipes so it's the perfect combination! We are trying the recipe out tonight, and if it passes the test, Grace wants to cook it for her oldest son's birthday dinner on Monday! His new girlfriend is coming for dinner for the first time so we are hoping to impress : ))

At midnight tonight Katie and I take the ferry across the BIG RIVER to Uruguay! We are staying there for the weekend and looking forward  to a relaxing couple of days in the little town of Colonia! Who would have thought that traveling from country to country could be so easy : )

I hope that you all have a relaxing weekend as well! I am jealous that I am missing the big Husker-Cowboy match up! Some one be sure to fill me in with all the details! ;)

Un abrazo! Bailey

The Home

The name : Asociacion Formosena: Hogar Dr. Esteban L. Maradona

A blank slate!

Mural of the doctor

A work in progress!

This is the part that I helped with! This is the province of Formosa, and we highlighted things from each part : )

One of women had the great idea for all of us to put our hands on the wall! I think its my favorite part!

The smile says it all : )