Happy Birthday, Dad!

SOPRESA! SURPRISE! Today is a very special day. A little like Christmas when this picture was taken (hence the piece of giftwrap on my head). It's Mike's birthday.
Dad, you probably thought that there wouldn't be a card this year since I'm half a world away, but no...What could be better than a virtual b-day card. Especially one that everyone else can read and enjoy along with you.


I know I look somewhat terrified in this picture, but the truth is you always know how to make me laugh. And for better or worse your sense of humor has rubbed off on me over the years among other worthwhile qualities, I believe.


Today I want to say yet again how much I love (and R-E-S-P-E-C-T) you. I am really blessed to have you as my father. You and Mom have always been so good to me, for example, supporting me in my endeavour to live and learn in Argentina this year. I miss you so very much. Only two more months and I'll be able to give you all those hugs I've been saving up. There might be a few gifts, too (smile). You are in my prayers always. More than ever. With you in spirit. Your girl, - Sarah Anne

ACA Choir Tours Bs As

Buenos Aires, Argentina - After traveling by plane, train, and taxi, Demitrio, Chris, and I were finally reunited with the rest of the ACA choir at the location of their final performance. It felt great to see everyone after more than two weeks away. There were many hugs and kisses.


The program was fantastic. The choir sang and then certain members shared other numbers. Matt, Phil, Alban, and Alan say an amazing rendition of "Good News." The service also included poetry reading and testimony from Felix. The church members in attendence were so appreciative they insisted on hearing not one but three more songs from the choir after the closing prayer. We sang two spirituals and the audience actually swayed and clapped along with us. Basically that astounded all of us since Argentines don't even clap after baptisms. We loved it.


After the service I met my host family - Lisy, Marcelo and their two adorable children Joaquin and Cori. They were wonderful. In the evening they offered to take Alan and me out to ice cream. Well, all I have to say is BATH OF CHOCOLATE. Yes, those chocolate light-sabres are full of ice cream. It was so impressive; Alan and I had to pose with Marcelo for a photo. Amazing! Haroldo, the ACA director, and his wife were at the same ice cream parlor. Haroldo, Alan, and I had a competition to see who could actually finish their cone first. Haroldo lost miserably but for better or worse Alan and I finished every last drop of melting ice cream. Since then I've returned to my little two-peso cup of ice cream at Samar in la Villa. More my style.


Later we met up with other ACAers at a bowling alley. I think Alban and I tied for lowest scores. Definitely not my sport. Give me soccer any day! We all still had a great time. A live band was playing American Oldies, which was strangely exciting for us.


The next morning my host family made me breakfast. It was so wonderful. I had mentioned that I like palmeritas, a certain breakfast/coffee pastry, and Marcelo went out and bought me two huge palmeritas for breakfast. They were truly some of the most thoughtful, hospitable people I've ever met. It was a wonderful weekend. And my cold was almost gone despite all the ice cream and pastries. Yay!

The Ultimate Spring Break - Chapter Five: Bariloche and San Martín de los Andes

After more than 30 hours in buses we arrived in Bariloche - the tourist town, ski resort, and chocolate capital of the country. We spent time walking through shops, tasting chocolate, and finding a lavadero where we could have our laundry washed after our camping trip. After a day or so we headed north to San Martín de los Andes, another picturesque mountain tourist town.


A view of Bariloche from the summit of Cerro Otto. We took a gondola to the top of the mountain where we hiked and ate pasta at the rotating restaurant.


We hiked through a forest blanketed with orange blossoms that glowed in the afternoon sunlight.


During our time in San Martín de los Andes we stayed at this cozy little hostel called "La Grieta" which means "crag" in English. I spent a great deal of time indoors or on the front lawn reading "Por quien doblan las campanas" by Ernest Hemingway since I came down with a hefty cold the day after we arrived. Unfortunate, but relaxing.


The day before we planned to return to Bariloche, the entire town of San Martín lost electric power. We cooked over the gas stove in the kitchen of the hostel by candlelight.

In the end, our airline was on strike during the day of our flight back to Buenos Aires. I was supposed to meet with the ACA choir to perform for a tour in the city. But we were stuck in Bariloche another night. When we finally arrived in BA, I heard someone shout my name in the airport. I turned to see Chris and Demitrio, other ACA students, coming toward us. They happened to be on their way to meet with the choir group in the Florida neighborhood. So I said goodbye to Rachel and Brian, who seemed like my new sister and brother after our trip, as we climbed into different taxis headed to different bus stations. The trip was over, but the weekend had just begun.

The Ultimate Spring Break - Chapter Four: El Presidente

No I didn't travel to North Africa during my vacation. But we had a note-worthy experience while eating pizza at a corner cafe named Casablanca. It was one of those places with a huge theme, in this case the movie with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. They even had Humphrey's face on the door to the men's restroom and Ingrid's on the door to the women's. After arriving in Calafate late from Chalten, we showered and decided to get something to eat before our bus to Bariloche left at 3am. So we were eating our pizza napolitana, my favorite, and suddenly we saw two of the wait staff rush out into the street with a camera. Down the street I could hear some car horns honking. Now realize it was about 12:30 at night. "What is going on?"


Well, on the street corner opposite the cafe we saw a small crowd gathering. So we gave into curiosity and went outside. And get this, the President of Argentina, Nestor Kirshner, was standing there on the curb in his overcoat shaking hands and smiling for pictures. A woman even called her father with her cell phone, said "Here, talk to the President, Papi", and handed the phone to Kirshner. We were impressed by the fact that this could only happen "in Argentina." Of course I whipped out my camera. A couple from Buenos Aires asked me to take a picture for them and e-mail it to them after the trip. Rachel was the one who made the move. She approached Kirshner and said, "We're students here in Argentina studying Spanish. Could we have a picture taken with you?"
"Claro!" he said. And you can see how it turned out. How much more random than this does life get?