Mendoza Zoo/Sept. 2012

We took advantage of a beautiful spring day and went to the zoo.

It was a lot of fun, but unfortunately our camera did not work and we were not able to get photos L

I was especially bummed about it when we saw a dancing polar bear! Guess we’ll just have to make another trip. 

The Candyless Parade

The Candlyless Parade

Yes you read that right. On August 30, 2012 there was a parade to celebrate the founding of Santa Rosa (the town where we currently live).

I was excited until right before it started and Lucas let me know that there would be no candy. Suddenly I wasn’t so interested in going. But, his parents were there visiting so I joined them to watch the parade. 

In the end it turned out fun, listening to the bands and seeing what the police and armies looked like.

The Gauchos in their traditional wear were my favorite.

They had the kids from their schools march starting with the youngest.

Pre-school/ La Guarderia

Kindergarten/Jardin de infantes

Elementary/ La Primaria

High School/ La Secundaria

 
Police/ La Policia

Army Band/ Banda Militaria

Border Patrol/ Gendarmeria

Cowboys/Los Gauchos

Los Gauchos

After the parade we spent the rest of the day going up and down the streets lined with tents and tarps where people were selling all kinds of things from clothes, to knick-knacks, to lots and lots of food.

It felt just like being at a fair minus the rides!

Catching Up

I figured after more than 6 months, it was finally time to update our blog.

Here’s a quick review of the last few months:

Feb: After several fun outings such as the aquarium, serpentarium, and museo del area fundacional (foundation museum), I returned home to work on papers for Lucas’s visa, taxes, and to take necessary classes at BYU.

I unfortunately had to leave my husband behind and we returned to this…

And this…

March: I finally started my taxes thinking I would have plenty of time to finish by the deadline. Little did I know that I would end up doing tax work for the next 3 months! I’ve learned my lesson well; an international marriage complicates everything! But of course my sweet husband is worth it ;)

April: After almost a year, I made it to my home in Arizona! And then I got sick and spent most of the week that I had there in bed L.  When I finally got better I went to talk to a friend who had a spouse go through the Visa process.  He told me that I had basically picked the slowest visa option and, on top of that, it had taken his wife 3 years to get to the states! I went into panic mode because I had left Argentina thinking my husband would be able to join me in May. I spent the last of my vacation looking at new options for getting my husband here.

I started my classes! My brother Daniel made fun of me when I told him what classes I was taking. He said, “Let me get this straight. You came all the way, from Argentina, where they speak Spanish, to take Spanish classes?”

It’s true, but the reasoning behind it does make sense. I lacked about 7 credits to be able to enter into an online BYU program. While I was deciding which classes to take I learned about a language certificate you can earn at BYU. I figured I would kill two birds with one stone so I signed up for all the necessary classes, giving myself a full schedule.

May: I turned 27! And it felt like it J.

June: Lucas turned 29! Man we’re getting old.

At the end of the semester, I made another trip home with my mom. We got there on Thursday and I had planned to get on a plane the next day to California and spend a weekend there with my friends.

I got online Thursday to double check my flight info and I’m glad I did. I realized I had booked the wrong weekend!

I don’t know how I do things like that.

Anyway, long story short, I had to get a new ticket, and was only able to stay in California for 1 day. It turned out ok in the end though, because I was able to spend more time at home and was actual able to enjoy it this time.

I got home just in time for finals and I don’t think I have ever felt happier for a semester to end. The classes were good, but it was a packed and stressful semester.

July: So, once I found out that my husband would not be able to enter the states for much longer than we thought, we decided I would go back to Argentina.

After a lovely 4th of July with my sisters in Salt Lake City, I boarded my plane and left. I know, slightly ironic celebrating the birth of my nation and then abandoning it.

I arrived in Argentina on the 7^th of July, very happy to see my husband after 5 months apart and just in time for our 1^st year anniversary. And what did we do to celebrate? We spent the weekend with his parents, at their house. (Yes, this is the last time I will be leaving the planning up to my husband.)

Lucas took a turn with the blog so have fun practicing your Spanish!

Entrada al Museo del Area Fundacional de Mendoza, sobre la Plaza Pedro del Castillo, punto central de la fundación de la provincia

Ruinas Incas de la Gran Ciudad de Machu Pichu, en Perú

 Totora, vegetación utilizada para la fabricacion de diversos artefactos, desde cestos contenedores hasta embarcaciones

ordo jugando con un mortero

Cultura colonial

Restos arqueológicos locales

VISITA AL ACUARIO

New look!

Lucas doesn't like to shave very often and was getting quite a beard going, so I talked him into a goatee. Which by the way he actually pronounces "goat"-y, like the animal. I think it's hilarious. Anyway, I tried to get him to do a super sexy pose and these are what we came up with :).

This one's my favorite. He tried so hard in this one!

Dia de Reyes

They celebrate Christmas here without Santa Claus, but they do have something similar called Los Reyes Magos or The Three Wise Men. You're supposed to put your shoes outside on the night of January 5th with a letter that says what's the present you want, and grass and water for the wise men's camels. When you wake up in the morning, the letter, the grass and the water are gone and you will find your present by the shoes.
Althought Lucas and I did not put our shoes out in our house, at his parents house, we magically recieved gifts anyway!

These are the cool shirts we got. Candy came along with them, but did not survive long enough for pictures :)

Christmas Day !!!

Lucas got injured on the 19th and had to have a cast on for Christmas, so I decorated it while we waited for the family party to start.

So this was actually my second Christmas here in Argentina but it was my first time really getting to celebrate it like an Argentinian. We all got together at my in-laws, and I mean everyone, not just Lucas's immediate family. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins all came. We all talked and spent time together until about 11:00 p.m. and then began eating. Because it's summertime we had alot of summer foods, like tomatoes and fruit salad. When the meal was finished, snacks and desserts were put out. The big things here to eat at Christmas time are budin(pound cake), pan dulce(bread with candied fruit, similar to fruitcake) and Garrapinadas(candied peanuts/boston baked beans). We enjoyed the snacks until midnight and then lots of fireworks went off. It was really hard for me to feel like it was Christmas instead of the 4th of July! More family came over later and we continued to visit until about 3 a.m. before finally turning in for the night.

The next day we celebrated in an American way by checking our stockings to see what Santa brought.
This was Lucas's first Santa experience. It probably would have been alot more exciting for him if he had been a kid ;)