Btw, 7 days until the unmentionable!!!

Not Fast Enuff 2 Keep Up With Time!

Thanks be to God Who always causes us to triumph in Him!!!

Another week that God has kept me and provided for me. Been a bit of a tough one at times, but its all good in da hood!

This week I got a real taste of what life is like as a foreigner. If you ever need a crash course try applying for a student visa. Not the smoothest process ever, but the efficiency of the Argentine government helped to make this process a lot easier...NOT!!! They are the worst!!! They lose stuff, leave you waiting all day for a copy of apiece of paper...seriously! I waited 1 hr and 30 mins for a copy! But its all good because I am all set now. I've got my papers and I'm all good.

Also exciting news is that I had my first dream in Spanish last Friday night! YEA SON!!! Doesn't feel like I've had enough sleep to dream since then but I can't wait to see what the next dream will be like.

This weekend's trip was to San Antonio Areco, a province of Buenos Aires. It was another estancia and it was again a lot of fun. They had the absolute coolest 5 year old I've ever met in my life! He danced like crazy, road horse like he was walking, I mean out of this world. Only thing is with that level of cool already I'm afraid he'll reach the peak of his coolness around 9 then it'll be all down hill from there. Sorry kiddo. Enjoy the cool while you can.

On the way back from San Antonio was when it all went down. First there was the craziest lightning storm I've ever seen in my life. No rain, no thunder, just constant lightning. Huge, constant lighting for at least half an hour. We were in the bus at the time. Then out of nowhere BOOM!!! We hear the loudest boom on the roof of the bus like some one dropped a brick on it. We go and look out the window and see these huge hailstones falling from the sky hitting people cars on the road! It's breaking windows and caving in roofs. It was no joke!!! It caused all the traffic on the entire highway to come to a complete stand still. So you know what the good ol'e Argentines did while this was happening, blow their horns at the cars in front of them...FOREVER!!! As if car destroying hail stones weren't bad enough, we also had to listen to the dreadful horns all blasted night! Just lovely. Truly an awakening to just how little control of anything we have of anything.

Speaking of control, I had a doctor's visit today because my finger is twice as big as it normally is. I'm not too sure exactly what happened but whatever happened, it happened like crazy because my left pointer is HUNOURMOUS!!! I thought it was a bite but the doctor didn't think so. He also didn't think it is an infection so I'm not too sure what to think. But apparently soaking it in salt water will do the trick. Gotta love modern medicine. He also gave me a prescription for some medicine, but I'm not too hot on taking medicine and especially not in a foreign country. But its all good. We'll see how it goes.

Also next week is midterms already! This is too intense for words. Hey Auntie Ria!!! Thanks for checking me out and praying for me. Now we gotta get Uncle Paul and Angie. ;) Love ya mucho!

Til next time folks. Pops, look what you did. Got the whole Valentine clan on here. I knew you could do it ;)

Nana's Favorite!!!

Thanks again be to God for keeping me through another week safe and sound, despite all the craziness going on around these parts. That I'll get to later. But, I must first express how overjoyed I am that Nana Valentine is now able to "blog" me...that was for you Keeta. I knew Kevin could do it!

This week has been the bomb! Remember the internship interview I had, the one with the cool people, not the stupid jerks that don't know anything? Well, it went super well and now I have an internship at a magazine company for the aid of the homeless and unemployed Hecho en Buenos Aires (Made in Buenos Aires). They work to provide skills training, honest employment, and all types of aid to the homeless and unemployed. I like it a lot and the people there seem honest. However, no one there speaks English!!! So Wednesdays and Fridays I go home with headaches. lol Some days are better than others.

FEET, FEET, FEET, TOE UP IN THE AIR!!!

Also new is my guitar class! I am taking a folk guitar class at IUNA Musicales, a university here equivalent to the Berkley of Argentina. I really wanted the classical class, but it conflicts with my other class times with IES. Its on Fridays from 6 - 10pm, yea...So I definitely go home with headaches on Fridays. lol (like that one Nana?) The Argentine universities are in desperate need of English reform. ¡Si se puede!

This week was my first time at the movies here! It was pretty exciting. They assign you numbers for your seat ¡Que whack! Other than that it was cool though. I didn't travel anywhere this weekend. I went to the park doing the day and chilled with the best picture taking person of all time, whom most of the pics this week came from. Other than that, I stayed in and got some rest. I slept for almost 24 hours. (Nana, again for you. I know you're proud.)

HELLO CHLOE!!! ;)

So back to what I said I'd get back to. You remember from the first paragraph? Yea, well Chacana thought it would be good for me to share this. About 70% of the students in the program have been robbed at some point here. My host family said they've hosted about ten students before me and all of them had been robbed and some multiple times. But, this past week a group of IES students were robbed at gun point and one was pistol whipped on the head and also has a dislocated knee. So it's no joke here. Say that not to alarm but to thank God for His continued keeping and protecting. I know he hears my praying Nana ;)

Besides that, all is well though. Classes are picking up a lot, but I found a pretty chill study spot. It's a book store that used to be a theater. So I go to the box seats and used them as a private study getaway...I know how nerdy right!? Don't judge me. The theater reminded me that I also went to an opera last week. It was Beethoven's Fidelo. Talk about confusing, it was sang in German with Spanish subtitles...the world needs more English!

But the Spanish is coming a long. Some days are better than others, but I'm feeling pretty confident about what I've learned thus far. This just in, Kevin Sr. loves exclamation points...a bit weird, but Im not his judge. That's all for now good folks! Hope you all enjoyed.

I'll leave you all with a joke...

Q: What has 100 arms, one leg, 100 feet, no toes, and a lot of hair?

A: A tree!!!

Want another joke? Sure you do.

HEALTHCARE REFORM! Hahaha Don't judge me.

Iguazu Falls!!!

Thanks be to God for another week He has kept me through, and what an awesome week it was!!!

Thanks to Semana Santa (Holy Week), the week leading up to Easter Sunday, all classes were canceled after Wednesday. You already know what that means...VIAJE!!! Iguazu was simply amazing! Its difficult to convey everything the park had to offer with words and pics, but I will try. There were jungle hikes, exotic animals, HUNORMOUS spiders, and of course the main attraction, the hugest most beautiful waterfalls in the world! It was the greatest natural wonder I've ever laid eyes on. We also went on a mini safari near our hostel. This hostel was huge! There were so many people and so much fun. There was also so much drinking! One lady was drunk off her stump at 8 am when we were eating breakfast. I was mad confused! It was really cool though to meet so many new people and make so many new friends, which I definitely did. (And no Keeta, you don't need to cut anyone. I have to say that a lot. Why do I always feel like you're about to cut someone? Hmmm...)

Also cool was the bus ride back, which was also not so cool. First of all it's an 18 hour bus ride in Argentine time, which translates to a little over 20 hours real time. Then we had a driver and staff that absolutely hated us! The staff was also mad shady! I would wake up in the middle of the night a lot and almost every time the bus would be stopped with the passenger doors still locked and I would see the bus driver take off running somewhere and come back without opening the doors and letting any new people on or others off. Stuff that makes you go hmmm... Then the shadyness continued as we were stopped at least 5 times by the police and had the bus searched and were required to show passports, which some of us did not have since we did not leave the country. One time we were required to off load the bus and produce some identification, while we were off the bus I watched the shady driver look on with the shadiest look ever. Aside from the weird stops and drivers, the bus ride was cool though. Everyone had a good time and did what college kids do best, be loud. All in all though the trip was amazing. I'm not even sure that these past few days are real life.

Also, more internship news! I have another interview on Wednesday. Let's hope these people aren't jerks like the other group. But, really, I am excited about this place and will give more details events unfold. Oh and one more thing. Apparently people have been blowing up ATMs here. YIKES! No one knows who it is, but they are on a roll and no one seems to be able to stop them. Its crazy too because I just saw the movie "Law Abiding Citizen." What if the people blowing up ATMs are already in jail!? Did anyone think of that?

That's all for now people's! Happy Resurrection Sunday!
Btw, these comments are my new life's inspiration. Eboni, thanks for the comments!
Hope you all keep enjoying this as much as I do. Til next time!