Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Branching out and Sharing my Experiences...



FUN, Fun, fun with my companeros! :)











Here are some pictures of me, my classmates, and their "senior" class flag at San Luis Gansaga School!
Today I woke up early to talk with my old Spanish 2 class and the teacher Mrs. Penley. I shared my experiences with her first Spanish 2 classes and then her Spanish 1 class. I used Skype, with a webcam, to talk to them about the culture shock I went through and all the different stages I am going through while learning to live in a different city, with a different family, in a different country, and in a whole new culture!
I spoke about the main differences between Argentina and the States, the similarities, and what do you like or dislike about them? First of all, there is a 6 o-clock tea time because without we would starve since dinner (cena) isn't until 10 PM! Also something that caught my attention was how even public movie stores had stolen (pirated) movies that hadn't even come out in theaters yet, in them. I explained everything about the differences in school, like the time, class change, how they can't pick their classes, the difficulty, the uniforms and much more. I also spoke about how here, all the students go to English Institutes after school to really learn conversational English (something I wish we had for Spanish in the States). I also talked about all the public transportation like Micros (busses).
The attitude here of many people is very warm or friendly, but yet they don't beat around the bush when they want to say something, even if it is blunt or mean. They are very nice and try to help you learn their language if you want to and don't judge you if you don't know it. Especially on the weekends, it is as if this city, this province, this country NEVER sleeps. Even little kids are up until 1 or 2AM at a bowling alley. And at 1 or 2AM there are still no teen or adult crowds, but definitely by 3AM or so, the place is usually jumping, whether it be a bowling alley, a restaurant, a boliche (night club), or a pub. Almost any place you can find relaxation and recreation, its usually open until about 6 or 7AM!
People ask me, would I recommend somebody else to go and visit? Or would I recommend them to at least travel out of the States? Why or Why not? Definitely! This is the best learning experience I have ever had. All at one time, I'm learning another culture, tolerance for other people, and the language. You have to adapt to the culture here and also learn enough to enrich your own way of life to take back with you to the United States! :D
As far as the food or the culture itself: There is bread at nearly every meal and lots of it!My favorite, asado (cooking meat (barbeque, pig, and cow) on the grill, and empanadas are very common here. The culture is very upbeat and lively most of the time, but they know when it is time to go home and eat almuerzo (14:00) and cena (22:00) with the family!
That's about all I can think of right now, so I'll be back soon! :)
Chau(bye), besos(kisses), Kayla Stover

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