Bodegas

Today we learned about wine and then went to see where and how wine and olive oil are produced. It was really hot today, so that took away from the experience a little bit, but it was still interesting.
I don’t really like wine, but I tried 5 different kinds today and didn’t love any of them. But it was fun to be able to do something I’m not old enough to do back home.
Wine is a huge part of Mendoza’s culture. I like that I get to be immersed in the culture here, but it’s crazy to think that I only have about a week left here. Time has flown and since we’re going to be so busy this last week, I know it won’t be slowing down. I have to enjoy everything while it lasts!

More Murals!

Today we got to paint our own murals! It was pretty cool, even though I’m not the best artist. It was fun to be able to make our mark on UNCuyo though.
We learned about different feelings in class yesterday, so we each had to pick a different emotion and then choose an animal or object that represented that word. I choose ternura, which means tenderness and I painted starfish to represent my tattoo.
It was really cool to see the finished project and I liked doing it.
After lunch, we went to Las Heras, a street with a bunch of different souvenir shops. I got a bunch of cool stuff (including Argentina’s flag!) for very little money. Fun times!

Murals

Yesterday we talked about murals in class. Then, for our excursion, we went to look at different murals in Godoy Cruz. They had lots of really cool ones and it amazes me how good paintings on walls can be.
Today we’re going to be painting a mural of our own! I’m not the most artistic person, but I think it’ll be cool to leave a piece of GB in Mendoza.

domingo

After our crazy adventure last night, it was nice to have a day to relax. We went back to our host dad’s parents’ house and spent most of the day there. There were 25 people there and 7 dog…absolutely loco. Everyone was really nice though and it was nice to meet our family’s extended family. It was also nice to hang out it the pool, since it was kind of warm again today. Not as bad as it has been, but it was hot in the sun.
Today was the perfect day to take a picture with our family. Everyone was there and the weather was wonderful. We’ve officially been in Mendoza for a week, which is hard to believe. Time flies when you’re having fun!

Stranded in Mendoza

Last night, after having friends over at the pool, we went out to eat and then to a bar. We had really good quesadillas and then tried to find a bar. A lot of them were open, but hardly anyone was in them because it was still too early. It was 11:00, so we were starting to get tired, but everyone else was just sitting down to eat dinner.
We left around midnight to make sure we could catch the bus home. The last one came after 1:00 AM. We missed the first one that came by because we were texting our host mom to let her know we’d be home soon, and after that there was a bus with our number that didn’t look like the usual bus we took, so we didn’t flag it down.
It was only 12:30, so we had plenty of time to get home yet.
However, none of the buses that came after 12:30 were ours. It didn’t make any sense, especially since they were supposed to run until after 1:00.
Around 1:25, we ended up taking a taxi. But the driver misunderstood us and took us to the wrong neighborhood. We had no idea where we were, so we explained it to him again and eventually we got back. Our host mom said that buses had kept going by our stop at home, so it didn’t make any sense that they had never come to pick us up. We were at the same stop we had waited at before.
I guess all that matters is that we made it home, even if it was a process. Oh, the adventures we have in Mendoza!

The Lake

Petroglifos del Tunduqueral

The Incans drew on rocks to communicate, kind of like hieroglyphics.

Incan Ruins

Puente del Inca

The Andes

Instead of going to class today, we went to the Andes! They’re gorgeous and no picture can do them justice. I can’t believe I actually got to walk in the Andes! We saw Aconcagua, the highest point in the Americas.
We walked to take some pictures, and because there’s less oxygen in the air, it was a little hard to believe. But the view was definitely worth it. The mountains are beautiful and it was cool to see people from all over taking in the view.
After Aconcagua, we went to Puente del Inca, which is another really cool site in the Andes. I got to do some shopping there, and I got some really cool stuff. I got a bottle that’s covered with sulfur, which is what gives the site its color. The bottle had to sit for about a month, but now it has a thick layer of sulfur and is painted. Pretty neat.
We also saw some Incan Ruins and el Cerre Tunduqueral.  We looked at the Petroglifos de Tudugqueral, which were the drawings the Incans made in rocks as a form of communication.  Lastly, we stopped at a lake in the Andes. Everything in the mountains is amazing. It’s still hard for me to wrap my head around the experience, but it’s something I’ll never forget!