Don't cry for me, Argentina

Okay, obviously I had to title this entry as such...sorry for the cliché but it was bound to happen. Yes, after plane and two bus rides, I arrived safe and sound in Viña after 9 active days in Argentina. I started out in Buenos Aires, sharing a Palermo apartment with Emily and her host hermano, André, before switching over to Kyra and Brooke's apartment that was a three-minute walk away on Sunday (that would be the 14^th). Then I took an all-night bus (15 hours, baby!) to on Wednesday to Mendoza where I spent Thursday, Thursday night, and most of Friday before heading to the airport. I was supposed to return to Chile via bus, but then inclement weather inspired them (whoever they are...) to close the border and I had a choice between waiting indefinitely and buying a last-minute plane ticket. Obviously, I chose the latter. It made for a stressful end of the trip but, as my dad pointed out, it was a classic solo travel challenge that can happen and knowing how to handle the situation will undoubtedly serve me in future travel endeavors.

Argentina is a big country and requires way more than 9 days to get to know, but I'm glad I did this trip. I didn't realize how utterly exhausted I would be after the program ended, so I kind of felt like I was wandering around in a daze much of the time, but I'm still happy to have My fascination with Eva Perón was obviously a key reason why I was so excited to hit up Buenos Aires. Emily and I went to the cemetery in Buenos Aires where she and many other famous Argentine figures are buried. Evita had a complicated post-mortem life (Wikipedia's got the lowdown if you're interested, it's a crazy tale) but has been buried with her family in the cemetery since the 70s. I also went to the official Evita museum, founded and run by the Fundación Eva Perón that she originally created, where I learned more about her brief but incredible life and saw some of her clothes and personal belongings. The first room of the museum was a total trip—the walls and floor were all mirrors and the room was totally dark except for a screen playing a clip reel of her life and a single spotlight on a bronze death mask. The clip reel was accompanied by extremely dramatic music, so I was thoroughly weirded out after that first room. The rest of the museum was not scary and totally cool, though, so I definitely recommend it to future Buenos Aires visitors.

L-R: Cemetery en La Recoleta, Evita's family tomb (2 photos), me/another tomb in the cemetery.

Emily, André and I also went to Señor Tango, a flashy (read: touristy) tango show that gave us an excuse to dress up and attempt to feel like true Buenos Aires-ites (they dress so elegantly there—I always felt ridiculously out of place just for not being totally put together and accessorized). The show involved a great deal of glitter, sequins, and double-sided tape, but it was fun and seeing the dancers inspired me to renew my gym membership for this summer!

L-R: With Emily in our apartment building pre-tango show, having a completely unposed and totally real conversation. Me with Sr. Tango, or at least the sign.

After switching apartments, I had the chance to go to El Ateneo, a world-famous bookstore that is housed in a former theater. Suffice to say, it was absolutely beautiful. I embrace my utter nerdiness and admit that a theater filled with books is the dream I never knew I had. We enjoyed delicious desserts in the café (located on the former stage, so fantastic) and then browsed like crazy. I was on the hunt for engrossing books in both languages to keep me occupied on my upcoming bus viaje to Mendoza (and to Viña, as was planned at the time). I achieved this goal (John Grisham's The Firm did the trick—and then some, seeing as I spent my solo night in Mendoza blocking the door and being totally paranoid that my room was bugged, but that's another story) and got to see this fabulous BA sight.

The amazingness of El Ateneo...and then the amazingness of a brownie with dulce de leche ice cream at the cafe in El Ateneo.
Mendoza is all about General San Martín. An impressive monument of him on his horse stands in the center of Plaza San Martín, as well as the official San Martín museum and library. I also passed where he and his wife lived for a few years—otherwise not very notable, except it's where his only child was born on August 24^th (a.k.a. my birthday, a.k.a. worth noting to me so please humor me), 1816.

All hail General San Martin in his own Plaza; fountain in Plaza Independencia.
I went to several museums in my two days in Mendoza, my favorite being the Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno. They had an exhibit of paintings by an up-and-coming "Mendocino" (someone from Mendoza) that I absolutely loved. His name is Mauro Cano and his paintings were wonderful. Check it out:

I spent my first day back in Viña sleeping, almorzar-ing with the familia, and walking around Viña having a cone from one of my two favorite heladerias and stocking up on all the gifts that I've not bought all semester long. It's incredibly hard to believe that I leave for the states on Thursday night...time to go aprovechar (take advantage of) the time I have left!