And oh what a fun 21st birthday it was! Rather chill, but decidedly fun. We first met at a local Mexican restaurant for margaritas and quesadillas then made our way over to one of the most fun bars I’ve ever been to—there were board games galore, colors to tease the senses, and much sangria to abound. It was a huge success!

Some highlights from the week:

· Visit to the Museo de Bellas Artes—a collection of European (Degas, Monet, Renault), modern (Pollack, Kandinsky), Latin American (Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera), and many Argentine artists. There was also en exceptional Korean exhibit of photography and media art—very cool takes on Korean nationalism and their views of America.

· A rally in the Plaza de Mayo for Cristina Kirchner. Farmers have been rioting against “unfair” taxes and forcing authorities to close certain roads (which in turn prevents certain forms of transportation from traveling…). Finally, Cristina called for a united front- and let me tell you, it was united. I’ve never seen so many banners, flags, and rioting people in a plaza. See “Evita” if you need an image.

· Watching the Brazil vs. Argentina game at a local bar—or I could just say watching the locals cheer on their national team.

· Sitting and writing a paper on the stage of a theater-turned bookstore called Ataneo

· Visit to the MALBA (Museo of Arte Latinamericano de Buenos Aires) featuring Frida Kahlo, Emilio Pettoruti, and others)- the building itself is a marvel

· Boliches, some more late nights

· More schoolwork than usual (I guess they have to make us learn stuff at some point…)

I must admit that I superbly missed family and friends on my birthday—I think this was my first without my mother! Feelings of homesickness hadn’t really occurred until that point, but busyness and reminding myself that “hey- you’re in Buenos Aires” definitely keep me going.