Feliz Navidad!

Gran felicidades para todos de mi familia y amigos!!
Espero que todos de ustedes tienen una gran dia con tu familia!

Feliz Navidad!!


mucho amor,
Shauna

Chile!

It's official that I am horrible at keeping up at my blog!
But, better late than never, i suppose.

I am currently on my Christmas break! We have 2 and a half weeks to do whatever we please.
So, right now I am with a group of 6 in northern Chile. We are having a great time so far.

But first, a quick catch-up.
About 2 weeks ago we went on our second ACA trip to Buenos Aires.
It was a lot of fun, and by the end of the 5 days most of us felt like we could navigate around the city
pretty well. We did a lot of shopping, toured different buildings and important monuments, and even found a Starbucks.
From BA a group of about 20 students decided we wanted to go to Uruguay for a long weekend.
So we hopped on a bus and headed to a town about an hour past Montevideo called Punta del Este.
It was amazing, to say the least.
We all spent 4 days laying out on the beach soaking in the sun. The hostel was awesome. We met people from all over the world: Austalia, New Zealand, Germany and Spain.
We finally headed back to la UAP, 10 days after leaving for Bs. As.
Then we started our second quarter of school--i can't believe it! 1st quarter flew by!-- and then less than a week later, we were free for Christmas break!

I'm traveling with a fun little group who all just happen to be from WW. Not really sure how that worked out, but it's kind of fun.
3 guys and 3 girls, and we all get along well, and no big problems yet :) We rode 24 hours to Chile, spent 2 days in Santiago and then after another 24 hour bus ride arrived here in Iquique. not sure how long we'll be here yet...
Anyway,
I am truly having the best year of my life down here. And an awesome vacation.

Feliz Accion de Gracias!

Today is a day to be thankful! And I have so much to be thankful for!
This year has been so exciting, I am so thankful for this opportunity to be down here in Argentina learning new things!
Even though there are bugs in the dorm, nasty food in the caf , and no air conditioning for the 100+ degree weather, I wouldn't trade it.

Today has been an interesting Thanksgiving, i must say. I had my two last finals today, so most of the day was spent studying and taking tests.
Tonight ACA put on a TG dinner for all of us, plus a small program where we could say what we were thankful for, or what God has done in our lives lately.
It was really nice. We all realized that, although we all associate TG with traditions and family, it's really about giving thanks for whatever place, or situation you are in, and for the people that you're with.

Anyway, the food wasn't what we're used to, but they somehow (i have no idea from where) rounded up some delicious pumpkin pies for dessert. It was a little bit of home, and made it extra special. :)


Happy Thanksgiving!!
I am thankful for YOU!

Interesting fact of the day.

In Argentina, if a store doesn't have the correct amount of change to give you back...
you get candy.

Which I suppose isn't too bad of a deal, if you like candy.

A quick update :)

Wow, it's been much too long since I've updated my blog!
I'd like to use the excuse that I've been slammed with homework, with no free time to spare,
but that would be a lie. Homework does take some time out of my day, that's for sure, but it's not like the typical work load I had back in the states.
When it comes right down to it, I'm becoming an Argentinean. Taking my slow time doing everything, forgetting what the word "stress" means, and topping it off with a long nap almost every afternoon.
This doesn't mean that I haven't been learning, though! Spanish is becoming very comfortable for me. I've gotten used to quickly translating everything I hear into English without even really thinking about it. Sometimes when I'm in class, I forget that the professor is even speaking Spanish. I'm getting a little better at speaking the language too--although I still have a long way to go.

Anyway, since I've last posted something on here I've had my first ACA trip!
We went to Misiones--a province 30 hours north of us-- to Iguazu Falls. If you've never heard of these falls before you should look up a picture right now. It was one of the most amazing things I've seen. All 80 of us ACA students spent 5 days on this trip, and had a great time. I have pictures posted on my picasa website, if you want to check it out :)

Back here at "home" we are getting ready for finals which are a little less than 2 weeks away! It's crazy how fast time is going by. Lately, weeks are spent going to classes, the gym, out to eat, movies and games, mate and terere, taking pictures and doing homework. And starting tonight, choir practice!

This last weekend was my friend Michelle's 21st birthday so we, along with a few other friends, went to Santa Fe-about 2 hours away- for Saturday and Sunday. It was a lot of fun. We found a great mall, and even a movie theater where we got to watch the new James Bond movie. It was nice having a quick getaway, that's for sure.

Well, it's almost summer here, so it is HOT. Thankfully us ACA students get a fan for our rooms. I've also found that most us girls change immediately into pj shorts and tank tops every time we go back to our rooms. And when even that isn't quite enough , we just lie on the tile floor. No wonder I have to do laundry all the time!

Well, keep me and my fellow classmates in your prayers!!

chau for now!!


shauna

Saallttoo

This last Saturday a huge group from the school went to a nearby "waterfall/swimming hole" that is pretty popular with students. Unfortunately that meant a 10 mile walk in the very hot sun, but hey, what better way to work on our tans and get some exercise while doing it. haha.
The water was kind of like an iced latte--brown, chilly, and refreshing. ;) To get in the water, though, the only way socially acceptable is to jump--from the 25 foot high ledge. It was scary, and it took me about 5 minutes to get enough courage. It was fuuun.

In other news: it's midterms this week, so I've been studying like crazy! We leave for Iguazu on Saturday for a 5 day trip...so excited! And it is starting to get unnaturally hot and humid.
Also, I've started combat classes at the local gym. They are so fun and a really great workout. Besides the fact that it's about 80 degrees inside, and that guys doing weights stare the whole time, I am really enjoying it!

Opps, my computers about to die....

Chau chau!!

In the year 1492...

It's Christopher Columbus day today which means, of course, no classes!
Friday a group of about 20 ACAers went to Parana (1.5 hours away by bus) for the day.
We ate food, shopped, listened to a park band, and ate delicious ice cream--the best I've had so far. One entertaining part was when one of our group members decided they want to get a piercing and suddenly, so did quite a few others. So...we all traipsed around the city until we found a small store appropriately named, "Sliver".
Somehow all of us crammed into the store and humored ourselves as cartilages, ears and belly buttons were adorned. It was fun.

Back here at campus, the long weekend has been very relaxing. Full of long siestas, and late nights. Tomorrow it's back to school, and I have a presentation. Speaking of...better go make sure I'm ready.

Chau!

Cafe, por favor

I am going on my 4th week here in Argentina, and I am craving Starbucks.
Pathetic, i know.
That is...I was craving it until I discovered the joys of a cup of Argentinian coffee.
Cafe con leche is fast becoming one of my favorite morning, or afternoon rituals.
A few days ago a friend and I went out for an Argentinan breakfast. We soon learned that
the morning meal for an Argentinan can hardly be called a meal. Cafe con leche, a croissant, and a (small) cup of OJ. As meager as it was, the coffee was great, and i actually felt satisfied afterwards.
Then, this last Sunday, my friend Michelle and I spent most of the day studying at a local cafe, and enjoying a steamy cup of joe, which was followed, of course, by sparkling water-- which supposedly removes the coffee taste from your mouth.
I don't know if it's just been a long time, or if the coffee here really is great, but
mmmm.

El primero viaje

I'm back from my first trip here in South America! It was amazing.
After hearing that we had a 4 day weekend, 9 of us ACA students quickly threw together a trip to Villa Carlos Paz and Cordoba.
We boarded a bus Thursday night and headed to Parana--about 1.5 hours away. Luckily an old man helped us find a nearby hotel and got us a really good deal. We shoved all 9 of us into two 4 person rooms for only a few bucks each. After locking all our stuff in our rooms we wandered the streets of Parana for about 3 hours. The next morning we left for Villa Carlos Paz, an 8 hour bus ride. I was pretty motion sick for the first 2 hours but after that it was great. The bus was really nice too. Flat screen tvs, comfy seats that lay back, complementary food, beverages, and snacks.. not too shabby for a $30 ticket.
We ended up renting two apartments for the weekend that were about 15$ a night. At first we attempted to sneak all 9 of us into one--but unfortunately that didn't work out and resulted in 4 of us getting left at the bus station with no way to contact the rest of the group. Thankfully we were able to meet up after quite an ordeal.
Carlos Paz is a beautiful city and we all had a great time there. We ate at good restaurants, toured the city, went to the river, rode a tram to the top of a hill overlooking the city, and did some gambling at a casino--although none of us spent over $5.
Sunday morning we took a bus to Cordoba and toured the city for the day. One highlight was a really nice shopping mall. There was also a ton of beautiful architecture. That night we took a bus back to Parana--except that somehow it was 2 hours shorter than our first trip and we ended up getting there at 3 in the morning. We had to wait until 6 before we could take a bus back to San Martin, where we all crashed until about 1 this afternoon.
Anyway, it was a great first trip. We took huge amounts of photos, laughed a lot, and used our spanish. Great fun.
Now it's back to the books!!

One week down

It's been just about a week that I've been here in Argentina, but it feels like much longer!
Time is different down here--there is no rush to do anything, and everyone is very chill.
I'm learning to be very patient, and just relax. For example, today was Dia de los estudiantes, and there was a huge picnic outside with a wide variety of games. Although lunch was supposed to be at noon, it didn't start until around 1:30. But everything is like that, and no one cares. It's very different from back home, that's for sure. And siestas! The best thing ever! Everything shuts down from noon to about 3, sometimes 4, and people take naps! It's wonderful--except for those of us who don't always take naps, then there's nothing to do because everything's closed. Haha.
The people here love to have fun, though, and that's really great.

Tonight I had my first Mate experience. Mate is a drink here in Argentina that is very popular. It's kind of like tea, but definitely tastes different. I like it. Some friends and i went to the plaza tonight and our friend Max brought it for us to have. Apparently it's a really big thing here for the students, they get together and drink Mate, and talk for hours. Sounds like us WWU students and our coffee :)

Vida en Argentina

Life here at UAP (universidad adventista de plata) has been really great so far.
Everything is new, and strange but I am having so much fun!
I've learned so much in just 4 days!
There are about 80 ACA students, and I'm making lots of new friends. I've made quite a few national friends as well.
My two roomates, Vivy and Nayeli (sp?), are fun and it's been interesting living with two people who don't really speak any english.
This week has been orientation, but things have been pretty lazy. We go to one or two meetings, and then do whatever we want for the rest of the day. Lately we've been exploring the town, and that's been fun.

So far, pluses of our town include:
Many ice cream stores, with the best ice cream ever and for very cheap! I've gone there 2 or 3 times and spent less than 3 dollars.
A couple fun cyber cafes
A really yummy empanada shop
and a cute park

The campus is really pretty, everything is beginning to bloom, and the people are mostly very friendly.

Some more interesting aspects of this new place-
Dogs everywhere (even in the cafeteria)
Not the best internet connection on campus
Always getting kisses on the cheek when greeting/saying goodbye to someone =)

All in all I am loving it!!
I start classes on Monday--i am taking 17 credits so I'll probably be busy!

Please pray for me and all my fellow classmates!

Mucho amor!

Chao!!