heaven "is full of mosquitos, small gauchos named Pablo and polo ponies galore." ~ Lydia

As the title tells you, I have seen heaven (though I hope that it is not actually filled with mosquitos...).  This past weekend Lydia and I went to Estancia La Flamenca.  For those of you who don't know, an Estancia is a gaucho (Argentine cowboy) ranch.  It was...amazing.  Lydia and I were the only guests there, which was just fine with us.  We spent two glorious days horse-back riding through the Pampa (the country, complete with the famous Argentine cattle), lying by the pool, and eating some of the most delicious food I have ever had.  Our hosts - Jorge and Patricia - were helpful, hospitable, and just wanted to ensure that we had a wonderful time.  We absolutely did.  

In other news, I have started classes!  Well, most of them...two seminars that I am trying for "extranjeros" (foreigners) start next week, but otherwise all of my classes start this week. We have a three week "shopping" period where we can try out different classes, so at the moment I am taking 8.  I will be keeping the mandatory Spanish class that I take through my program (called "Identity of Argentines"), and a "History of Argentina" class at The University of Buenos Aires (UBA).  In addition to these two, I am trying/have tried: "International Right and International Organizations," "International Negotiation," "Political Communication," "Latin American International Politics," and the two extranjero seminars are "Seminar on the History of Argentine Political Ideas and Processes" and "Latin America: Processes and Ideas."  All of these classes are at University of Salvador (USAL), and I have liked those that I have tried.  I will be sure to keep you posted!

That is all for now!  As they say here, 'ta luego!