One thing I am NOT going to miss about living in Buenos Aires is hearing that one of my friends got held at gun point or mugged every couple weeks. At first when I got mugged, I thought it was mostly girls who were targeted, but it has happened to a lot of my male friends, too. I don't know if the attackers can tell that they're foreigners or if it just happens to everyone. One time it even happened to my friend on Santa Fe, the main drag that is always filled with people.
On Monday I had friends over to my apartment for a mate reunion so I could see all of them at the same time in the same place before they all had to leave. These were all of the friends that I went to Mendoza with my second week here. It's hard to believe how long ago that was. It was a really enjoyable time. Toto and Tango were the stars of the show; everyone loved playing with them. All of the tickets for the Harry Potter midnight showing are sold out! I didn't realize that I had to be more on the ball about this in South America. My friend Nadia got tickets for a group of us for the 18th, the night before I leave. I'm glad I at least get to see it before I come home :)
I had my last final exam Wednesday, Psychology of the Personality. I slept very little the two nights before (one night I studied til 7 AM!) and because of that I am sick now.. I guess I'm not invincible. Anyway I am really glad that I put the effort into it that I did because I ended up getting a 10 on the oral exam, which means a 10 in the class! (the highest grade possible) I was so happy when they told me that they had never had a foreign exchange student try as hard as I did before :) For my oral presentation, we had to relate the psychological concepts and authors that we had learned about through a creative medium, so I made a collage out of bus and subway tickets, boarding passes, receipts, and all sorts of stuff that I have collected since I've been in Argentina, and each item was a symbol for something we learned about. They really liked my idea. I'm so glad that I'm finally done with all of my classes and exams! What a load off my shoulders. Now time to have some fun for my last 2 weeks here.
My friend Leah from high school who I became friends with during our Mexico trip senior year came to Buenos Aires to study for the summer! We had an helado (ice cream) together and talked all about Argentine culture. A lot of my friends have been coming/preparing to come to Argentina lately for study abroad trips and it has been really nice giving them advice and telling them about my experience, because there are definitely certain things that I wish people would have told me before I came here. Now I have the chance to share that knowledge.
My friends and I went on a graffiti tour of the city the other day, which was very worth the 90 pesos. We had a tour guide from England who is friends with the other English people who came to Buenos Aires a few years ago and created this idea of a graffiti tour. We took a bus part ways and then walked all around Palermo and saw the different street art; much of which I had never seen before. It was beautiful and weird, and we learned about all of the different artists who our guide knew personally. I liked learning about each one because then I became familiar with their style, and it was easier to pick out who painted which ones afterward. I also really liked learning about the historical context. During the dictatorship, there were many paintings about los desaparecidos from people that were lacking loved ones. During the economic crash of 2001, instead of painting sad or angry things, a lot of artists started the movement called "muñequísmo." A "muñeca" is a doll, and this was when artists started painting giant goofy cartoon characters on the walls of buildings during this time of stress and unrest. Their idea was that if everyone saw these funny figures, they would cheer up and look more on the bright side of their country and the future. It actually did have a positive effect on the country's outlook. The power of artful expression! There was also a painter that I liked who paints things very distinct to Argentina. At first, it was tango dancers, but then he got bored of people talking about his art as "linda" and "simpática" (beautiful and nice). He switched themes to the violence of fútbol, and he showed this by painting fighting wolves. He really enjoys painting social commentary that will make people think about their society.
Last night I went to see "Bella durmiente del bosque" (Sleeping Beauty). It was a ballet and it was very beautiful. I love all of the sparkly tutus and the way that people can move like they're feather-light. It was a bit long for me (3 hours) but it was enjoyable all the same. Afterward, I had a farewell dinner with all of my good friends from the program who will be leaving on the group flight this week-end. It's been real, IFSA!
This morning I went to the Alto Palermo mall and bought tickets for Salta, in Northern Argentina! I leave today at 6:30 and while none of my friends could go with me, I am now okay with the idea of going alone. It's a 20 hour bus ride both ways! I hope someone friendly will sit next to me. At least I will have time to catch up on my sleep. I will be meeting up with two girls in a hostel and then they will be there for a while before they go to Bolivia. I think I will have the chance to meet a lot of fun people and have a lot of really enriching experiences. I can't wait! I will be home Thursday morning and then have another 5-6 days in Argentina before I come home. It makes me sad to think about leaving my apartment in Charcas that has been so wonderful for me during my time here, but at least I will be having dinner with my host mom and Ana Lucía one last time the Sunday before I leave the country.
Yay life! See you soon.
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