i am home. i wanted to go out to an african drum show, but i woke up at 6am to go to colonia, uruguay. it started out poorly because it was a required field trip for our spanish class. so we boarded a ferry at 8:45am (why we had to be there at 7am is still questionable) for the one hour river ride to uruguay. colonia is a historical city. a tourist city now. lots of museums. lots of overpriced shops and restaurants. but if you don’t shop or eat and just walk around, the town is heaven. so after we did our ridiculously dumb worksheets for class, a group of friends and i set out to enjoy the day. it has been 40’s here all week and windy, but today, we got lucky. a perfect day. sunny and cool. we wandered the cobblestone streets, climbed the lighthouse, examined a museum and added our own fun by seeing how many stuffed creatures we could take pictures with a cigarette in their mouths, found some very overpriced fajitas, and then sat by the river in the sun. now when i say river, think big lake. you cannot see the other side of the rio del plata. i think it is one of the widest rivers or something special like that. it is also brown. dirty dirty.

tomorrow is june 1. that means 26 days until i am done with all my classes. 26 days until i can travel with the beau in peace. away from the hectic life of classes. peru. i am joining kelly in the countdown to peru. 30 days. then i will be in nature. i am having nature withdrawal here. yes, there are beautiful parks, but i am in south america, surrounded by mountains and nature. yet, i am in a huge city. (where the first starbucks in argentina just opened on friday…lines around the corner even into the night.) life is great here. but i am done. i want to become a tourist of buenos aires and not a resident. i want to begin my five day trek to the top of machu picchu and then live life in luxury thanks to aunt viv, and wake up to the sunrise at the very top of the world. i want to relax in cusco and ride horses through the mountains.

soon.

only 4 essays, 1 project, 4 paintings, 1 documentary film, and 2 exams away.

soon.

so fun observations:

*my bus driver was texting like crazy on his phone while driving, then out of nowhere, stops the bus outside a kiosk. he gets back on the bus with a new phone card. man i hate when i run out of minutes when i am DRIVING A BUS.

*watching argentines attempt to do beer bongs properly is hilarious. i just don’t think they have mastered it quite as well as our american frat boys.

*american food is getting harder and harder to live without. man oh man i am going to eat the most food when i get home. whoever wants to see me needs to just take me out to dinner at a low-class chain restaurant and i will be highly satisfied.

*shopping. i have not bought a single article of fashion. the craving is starting to hit. please send donations to my argentine high fashion fund. i want a pair of leather boots at least.