I have been really busy with clases en la uni this week but had time to go to Lucas’ grad party! When you graduate from university here you give a presentation of your tesis in an aula in front of 4 judges and everyone’s family that is part of your group. His degree is in architecture he designed a miniature model of a handicap accessible business park. Here and only in Argentina, or maybe just Córdoba, people completely trash you after you graduate- meaning they through raw eggs, flour, horse poo, any whatever else they can find in their kitchen at you, and the boys shave their heads!!! You go from tears of joy from finally graduating to getting trashed to getting cleaned up in time for your party which lasts all night and morning!

We had Wednesday off for holiday of “día de la memoria.” This day of remembrance is sad because it is a tribute to some 30,000 disappeared citizens. Some history- and not kidding even children can tell you about this holiday- a military overthrew the democratically government & over the next 8 years 30,000 people were kidnapped and disappeared- some murdered in concentration camps like the Jews, some relocated in other parts of the country. The dictatorship terrorized the people and shut down congress, banned political parties, banned freedom of speech and freedom of press. Attempts have been made to find disappeared people and one recognizable organization is Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo- grandmothers looking for their missing grandchildren. Plaza de mayo is in the center of Buenos Aires in front of the casa rosada/pink house: equivalent of the white house in the states. A parade was held in Córdoba and Buenos Aires.

I spent my holiday with friends and my host family in Carlos Paz- a beautiful pueblo just outside of the city. Porteños love this city because it is like a tiny Buenos aires with teatro, excursiones, shopping, lago, boliches, etc. We ate asado at a restaurante en el centro allá y fuimos a las sierras chicas! The sierras surround Carlos Paz and we went on this ski lift incline up the mountains- which felt so unsafe and they didn’t tell us to take off our flip flops which could have fallen a thousand feet to the ground! At the top of the mt. there’s a café, shops, and an “aire tren” which is like this amusement park train track that was built like 2000 feet about the valley and it drives you through las sierras chicas, fue hermosa! I’ll have a chance to go back because I met a family from there on my flight from Chile and I can come and stay whenever!

Tonight, another fiesta for graduation in a club house! By the way, just wanted to say that I feel so blessed to be living with Graciela, she is the sweetest woman that God ever created!

Un beso!