I didn't realize the war part until our first break or recess. We were all shuffling out of class when I looked over and saw one of the girls in my class, Ivi, had an egg with a hand drawn smile in marker on it in her hand. I was a little confused so I turned to one of my friends and asked " ¿Por què tiene un huevo? As we walked towards the courtyard area I was told that it is a tradition in my school that the day before the students leave to Bariloche the class below (my future class next year) and the oldest have a little war. This was Monday and my classmates weren't leaving till Wednesday.
Normally almost all of the kids in my grade sit together but there is never EVERYONE, today however they were all crowded around when I walked over. I looked around and saw a few other people also had eggs like Ivi. Before I knew it a couple of kids from my grade had thrown some eggs at some kids. The bell had rang and all the students started heading back to class all but my class and a group of kids across the court yard, which I quickly learned was the grade below. They just stared at each other waiting for one or the other to make a move. The teachers started trying to get the kids in class when eggs went flying from both sides of the courtyard. My class then irrupted in loud chanting and singing. One of the girls in my grade was hit with an egg. It was in her hair and on her jacket.
Once they were upstairs they got scolded as can be expected. I wasn't sure exactly what they got told but I could guess most of it. At one point Padre Alexander was yelling at them for using eggs because it was food and some people don't have food it eat. Padre Alexander is a rather bigger individual. After he left one of the girls in my class turned to me and said that he probably was mad because he wanted all the eggs for himself.
This didn't stop the kids in my class though come next break they were ready for war. My one friend was carrying a water bottle and told me if anyone asked it was mine. She then quickly went to the bathroom before any teachers came and filled it up. Once filled she shoved the water bottle in my hand to carry. We walked over to the kids in my class who had already began to gather and they took the water bottle filled up some balloons and gave it back to me. I finished that water bottle in about 30 seconds.....man I must of been thirsty! Occasionally kids who be like KAITLEYNNN because I was holding a water bottle. The similar routine happened again. Just like the time before I stand off to the side not joining in with my classmates but still with them. And this time I came close to getting hit with a water balloon and an egg launched across the court yard. The kids were more fired up chanting and signing. I could only figure out a couple of the sings they were yelling. The first was a song about Barilo, or Bariloche (a town in the south they were going to). The second was taunting the class behind us. I'm fairly certain they were cussing at them too.
And this was only Monday! The war really heated up on Tueday! My friends had made a huge banner a week or so before with all of our names of the kids in my grade and a picture of the kids from the cartoon show recess. Tuesday they brought it in to run around and taunt the class below once again. I saw kid a few sits away from me have something in his hand that resembled little TNT's you find around the 4th of July.
This time we were let out at different times trying to avoid the war. My classmates literally sprinted out of the classroom opposed to being dragged out for break like normally is the case. When I walked down to the court yard with my friends I saw them all gathered around with the banner and throwing water ballons. Soon came tons of fake aresol snow. The TNT's and this blue smoke bomb thing. I'm pretty sure someone was throwing around an egg or so. They ran back and forth singing/chanting about Bariloche and how they are the superior class. It was all find until someone threw a TNT a little too close to the group of kids who had gathered across the courtyard to watch. It almost hit a primary school kid with a soccer ball. They continued to chant until Padre Alexander came out and yelled at them to go to the gymnasium. He then yelled at them again. This time some of my classmates started arguing back. I was really confused. Padre Alexander left. While he was gone my classmates started arguing. Then in the midst of my classmates yells Padre Alexander returned with two other administrators of the school. He continued to talk to them but this time all the kids seemed to agree. One of the administrators looked over at my reading the obvious confusion from my face and just winked at me. It made me laugh. As I sat there trying to put together the words I could pick out this entire time I couldn't help but think. I didn't participate. I'm not going to Bariloche. I'm going to school no matter what. This does not affect me what's so ever!
As we ventured back to class I asked my normal question to one of my English speaking friends. ¿Què pasa? (What happened?) Apparently the reason my classmates were so upset is because Padre Alexander wanted to send them home for the rest of the day and have them not come to school tomorrow because he didn't want to have this war continue. Normally you would think students would be pleased to not go to school however this wasn't the case. When you don't come to school you get a 'falta'. A student in my school is only allowed to collect 18 faltas or else regardless to their grades all their classes are turned to fails and they are required to take a final exam-en in order to pass their classes for each class in fall. Many of my classmates are flirting with that line particularly with their trip to Bariloche. If they did not have school that would count as a falta for them. They reached a compromise that Padre Alexander wouldn't cancel school if they agreed to not leave the classroom for our breaks or retaliate. My classmates agreed and for the most followed his rules.
They spent the next class period being lectured again by a teacher. Once again I wasn't sure what they were being told but you don't need to know a foreign language to put two and two together. I did pick out at one point the teacher was telling them that throwing eggs could lead in kids going blind. My classmates keept there promise but as a teacher was opening the door to leave school was nearly pelted in the face by a water balloon. Padre Alexander hand the send my class out a secret side door to avoid the wrath of the water balloons Although I{m 99 percent sure some of my classmates drove by throwing water balloons at the others!
That same day I had plans to go over to my friend Leyla's house for dinner. Leyla had been telling me about a pasta called sorrentinos for awhile. Whenever she would explain these cheese and ham filled pasta's as if that didn't found inviting enough she would get that look of someone craving something really good. I'd been so excited to get a chance to taste this and today Leyla was preparing sorrentinos for me my other classmate Juli her parents and her parents friends. It was even better than I thought it would be! At one point during dinner Leyla looked over and was like "Do you like it?" I responded back saying that I think I have found my new favorite food! It would put Olive Garden to shame! Which may not sound like a lot to you but is one of my highest compliments!I've yet to find something else I like better although I keep dulche de leche out of this category because that is not real food! I did find out a surprising new fact about my friend Leyla. She is apparently a vegetarian something not found often in the largest meat consuming center of the world! I think I was surprised most by how she made sorrentinos sound so delicious when she was talking about ham not her vegetable alternative!
For dessert we had flan with dulche de leche. Flan is essentially a custard or some sort. It reminds me a little bit of cranbruele, and I love it! Not many other seem to think of it as an amazing dessert although you can find it pretty much everywhere, but I think it's so good!
I stayed the night with Leyla and went to school with her in the morning. I was a little tired but everything went well. The only downfall might of been the whole egg flying out a window from the classroom above us. Thankfully it missed us, clearly coming from the class below placed my the location of the incident. My friend Juli thought it was necessarily to tell report the flying egg to a teacher. Good thing she did too because only an hour or so later just in the beginning of our second class Padre Alexander came in and dismissed us for the day not wanting a war.
I then went back home to take a nap while most of my other classmates went out to finish getting for Bariloche since they were leaving at 5 that day. A little before 5 Leyla picked me up and Sofi and we headed off to the bus station to see our friends off. Leyla and Sofi were not going to Bariloche with the rest of their classmates but instead were heading the next day to Miami with their family! I thought this fair-well adventure would only last about 20 minuets or so but took a good hour and a half or more before my classmates actually left! When we arrived they were prancing around as wild as ever full force minus the TNT's I think someone discovered that was a bad idea waiting to happen! I even got dragged into the celebration with tons of fake aersol snow left in my ear! They were all so happy but then they are almost always happy here! Watching them celebrate the past days before kinds made me wish I was with them but I knew my time alone with them would not be that bad. Although longer than Claromeco/Primavera I had more people around here that wouldn't be in Bariloche!
They next day I went to school to find a whopping four kids in my class and a total of nine in the other class of my grade. Padre Alexander decided to combine the classes although I personally found it pointless. The only good thing was that they got out of school early on Thursdays so it wasn't all that horrible. That same day my friends left for Miami and it was my littlest sister Aracelli's birthday!
She had been counting down the days since I had gotten here till it was her fifth birthday. Since I got off school early I offered to help my mom out with Aracelli's birthday celebrations. That lucky little girl ended up having three birthday cakes! One as a gift from the maid, one for her at school and one for her birthday party! They were all very delicious I might add but non chocolate . Discussing cakes with my mother I learned that my other host sister Ana is allergic to chocolate so it doesn't appear that chocolate cakes will be found often in my family here! Ana had her birthday party with about 40 other kids running rampant in a Pelotero or essentially a small version of Wooster's Acres of Fun. A place with a climbing area with a ball pit, plenty of arcade games and ways for children to run around and hopefully wear off that unending supply of energy they seem to have. Maybe all the cake had something to help with that!
My weekend following is a little bit of a blurr of nothingness. I spent my time sleeping and doing various things the entertain me. Friday night I went our to a restaurant that had bowling while you wait with my host mom, sisters, host grandma and a nephew of my host mother. I had some pizza and more Flan wirh Dulche de Leche! Saturday night my dad made Asado and invited three of my parents friends over for dinner. It was a classic lazy weekend here in Argentina minus the me going out with my friends.
I learned on Sunday that there is a certain type of meal your suppose to eat here on Sunday's. It's proper to have left over asado or pasta. We had both, asado for lunch and pasta for dinner. I think I can get use to having pasta all the time!
With all my classmates gone this week of school went fairly slow and fast at the time. We didn't learn anything in class. One day I just spent hours reading a book in English I brought home with me. That's another thing with my friends being gone I've started reading. It's sad that I would pick reading back up again in a place where there are practically no books for me to read. I'm down to one left but I'm sure that won't last long!
My host mom had surgery on her hand this week. She left after I had gone to school and I didn't even beat her home from school! She says she is feeling good and it's not a problem but I don't buy it. Sometimes she seems very tired or in pain. Particularly when Aracelli runs into her bandaged arm. Today though it has seemed a little better. She was even writing a little with it. I've been trying to help as much as I can with the whole language barrier. I hope it heals quickly for her. She is an architect and had surgery on her right hand....she is right handed!
The last two afternoons I have hung out with the other two exchange students here. Although it's not really improving my Spanish only talking English with them it is nice and better than sitting on my computer wasting my time.
I forgot to say that the Monday before my classmates left for Bariloche Peter and I had to go to a Rotary dinner because the District Governor was visiting our club. I didn't get back from the dinner till about 12:30. There club is much smaller than ours back home but it is more elegant of a setting.
Tomorrow I leave at 6 AM for my Rotary orientation! I'm very excited!
And this was only Monday! The war really heated up on Tueday! My friends had made a huge banner a week or so before with all of our names of the kids in my grade and a picture of the kids from the cartoon show recess. Tuesday they brought it in to run around and taunt the class below once again. I saw kid a few sits away from me have something in his hand that resembled little TNT's you find around the 4th of July.
This time we were let out at different times trying to avoid the war. My classmates literally sprinted out of the classroom opposed to being dragged out for break like normally is the case. When I walked down to the court yard with my friends I saw them all gathered around with the banner and throwing water ballons. Soon came tons of fake aresol snow. The TNT's and this blue smoke bomb thing. I'm pretty sure someone was throwing around an egg or so. They ran back and forth singing/chanting about Bariloche and how they are the superior class. It was all find until someone threw a TNT a little too close to the group of kids who had gathered across the courtyard to watch. It almost hit a primary school kid with a soccer ball. They continued to chant until Padre Alexander came out and yelled at them to go to the gymnasium. He then yelled at them again. This time some of my classmates started arguing back. I was really confused. Padre Alexander left. While he was gone my classmates started arguing. Then in the midst of my classmates yells Padre Alexander returned with two other administrators of the school. He continued to talk to them but this time all the kids seemed to agree. One of the administrators looked over at my reading the obvious confusion from my face and just winked at me. It made me laugh. As I sat there trying to put together the words I could pick out this entire time I couldn't help but think. I didn't participate. I'm not going to Bariloche. I'm going to school no matter what. This does not affect me what's so ever!
As we ventured back to class I asked my normal question to one of my English speaking friends. ¿Què pasa? (What happened?) Apparently the reason my classmates were so upset is because Padre Alexander wanted to send them home for the rest of the day and have them not come to school tomorrow because he didn't want to have this war continue. Normally you would think students would be pleased to not go to school however this wasn't the case. When you don't come to school you get a 'falta'. A student in my school is only allowed to collect 18 faltas or else regardless to their grades all their classes are turned to fails and they are required to take a final exam-en in order to pass their classes for each class in fall. Many of my classmates are flirting with that line particularly with their trip to Bariloche. If they did not have school that would count as a falta for them. They reached a compromise that Padre Alexander wouldn't cancel school if they agreed to not leave the classroom for our breaks or retaliate. My classmates agreed and for the most followed his rules.
They spent the next class period being lectured again by a teacher. Once again I wasn't sure what they were being told but you don't need to know a foreign language to put two and two together. I did pick out at one point the teacher was telling them that throwing eggs could lead in kids going blind. My classmates keept there promise but as a teacher was opening the door to leave school was nearly pelted in the face by a water balloon. Padre Alexander hand the send my class out a secret side door to avoid the wrath of the water balloons Although I{m 99 percent sure some of my classmates drove by throwing water balloons at the others!
That same day I had plans to go over to my friend Leyla's house for dinner. Leyla had been telling me about a pasta called sorrentinos for awhile. Whenever she would explain these cheese and ham filled pasta's as if that didn't found inviting enough she would get that look of someone craving something really good. I'd been so excited to get a chance to taste this and today Leyla was preparing sorrentinos for me my other classmate Juli her parents and her parents friends. It was even better than I thought it would be! At one point during dinner Leyla looked over and was like "Do you like it?" I responded back saying that I think I have found my new favorite food! It would put Olive Garden to shame! Which may not sound like a lot to you but is one of my highest compliments!I've yet to find something else I like better although I keep dulche de leche out of this category because that is not real food! I did find out a surprising new fact about my friend Leyla. She is apparently a vegetarian something not found often in the largest meat consuming center of the world! I think I was surprised most by how she made sorrentinos sound so delicious when she was talking about ham not her vegetable alternative!
For dessert we had flan with dulche de leche. Flan is essentially a custard or some sort. It reminds me a little bit of cranbruele, and I love it! Not many other seem to think of it as an amazing dessert although you can find it pretty much everywhere, but I think it's so good!
I stayed the night with Leyla and went to school with her in the morning. I was a little tired but everything went well. The only downfall might of been the whole egg flying out a window from the classroom above us. Thankfully it missed us, clearly coming from the class below placed my the location of the incident. My friend Juli thought it was necessarily to tell report the flying egg to a teacher. Good thing she did too because only an hour or so later just in the beginning of our second class Padre Alexander came in and dismissed us for the day not wanting a war.
I then went back home to take a nap while most of my other classmates went out to finish getting for Bariloche since they were leaving at 5 that day. A little before 5 Leyla picked me up and Sofi and we headed off to the bus station to see our friends off. Leyla and Sofi were not going to Bariloche with the rest of their classmates but instead were heading the next day to Miami with their family! I thought this fair-well adventure would only last about 20 minuets or so but took a good hour and a half or more before my classmates actually left! When we arrived they were prancing around as wild as ever full force minus the TNT's I think someone discovered that was a bad idea waiting to happen! I even got dragged into the celebration with tons of fake aersol snow left in my ear! They were all so happy but then they are almost always happy here! Watching them celebrate the past days before kinds made me wish I was with them but I knew my time alone with them would not be that bad. Although longer than Claromeco/Primavera I had more people around here that wouldn't be in Bariloche!
They next day I went to school to find a whopping four kids in my class and a total of nine in the other class of my grade. Padre Alexander decided to combine the classes although I personally found it pointless. The only good thing was that they got out of school early on Thursdays so it wasn't all that horrible. That same day my friends left for Miami and it was my littlest sister Aracelli's birthday!
She had been counting down the days since I had gotten here till it was her fifth birthday. Since I got off school early I offered to help my mom out with Aracelli's birthday celebrations. That lucky little girl ended up having three birthday cakes! One as a gift from the maid, one for her at school and one for her birthday party! They were all very delicious I might add but non chocolate . Discussing cakes with my mother I learned that my other host sister Ana is allergic to chocolate so it doesn't appear that chocolate cakes will be found often in my family here! Ana had her birthday party with about 40 other kids running rampant in a Pelotero or essentially a small version of Wooster's Acres of Fun. A place with a climbing area with a ball pit, plenty of arcade games and ways for children to run around and hopefully wear off that unending supply of energy they seem to have. Maybe all the cake had something to help with that!
My weekend following is a little bit of a blurr of nothingness. I spent my time sleeping and doing various things the entertain me. Friday night I went our to a restaurant that had bowling while you wait with my host mom, sisters, host grandma and a nephew of my host mother. I had some pizza and more Flan wirh Dulche de Leche! Saturday night my dad made Asado and invited three of my parents friends over for dinner. It was a classic lazy weekend here in Argentina minus the me going out with my friends.
I learned on Sunday that there is a certain type of meal your suppose to eat here on Sunday's. It's proper to have left over asado or pasta. We had both, asado for lunch and pasta for dinner. I think I can get use to having pasta all the time!
With all my classmates gone this week of school went fairly slow and fast at the time. We didn't learn anything in class. One day I just spent hours reading a book in English I brought home with me. That's another thing with my friends being gone I've started reading. It's sad that I would pick reading back up again in a place where there are practically no books for me to read. I'm down to one left but I'm sure that won't last long!
My host mom had surgery on her hand this week. She left after I had gone to school and I didn't even beat her home from school! She says she is feeling good and it's not a problem but I don't buy it. Sometimes she seems very tired or in pain. Particularly when Aracelli runs into her bandaged arm. Today though it has seemed a little better. She was even writing a little with it. I've been trying to help as much as I can with the whole language barrier. I hope it heals quickly for her. She is an architect and had surgery on her right hand....she is right handed!
The last two afternoons I have hung out with the other two exchange students here. Although it's not really improving my Spanish only talking English with them it is nice and better than sitting on my computer wasting my time.
I forgot to say that the Monday before my classmates left for Bariloche Peter and I had to go to a Rotary dinner because the District Governor was visiting our club. I didn't get back from the dinner till about 12:30. There club is much smaller than ours back home but it is more elegant of a setting.
Tomorrow I leave at 6 AM for my Rotary orientation! I'm very excited!
my classmate Ivi and the banner
Aracelli in her princess birthday outfit
me entire host family after Aracelli's party
my spanish teacher/ family friends daughter Julia at the party!
Julia again!
Birthday cake!
A picture of mate before you put water in it!
precooked Asado
Asado cooking
and again!
Peter and I at the Rotary Meeting!
Sounds like you had some very interesting experiences at school recently ! Wow, I can't believe they actually throw eggs at one another ! That wouldn't be too pleasant to get plastered with an egg in the face or hair ! What exactly is Asado? When you return home next summer maybe you could bring some of the stuff that you make Mate from so we can all try it !
ReplyDeleteHope you have a good weekend ! Luv ya - Aunt Debi