One More Goodbye

One of things I've treasured the most about this experience is all of the wonderful friends I've made. Lindsey has quickly become one of my best friends. I'm so lucky. Today was her last day in Mendoza. I helped her finish packing this morning and spent the rest of the day with her and her wonderful host family. We both left in tears, but I've enjoyed looking through all of the photos of our adventures together.

Chau, chau!!! Besitos!!! Voy a extrañarte un montón!!!

The next post won't be goodbye related, I promise.

Choir: Valencia Viva

For those of you who haven't been following along at home, every Thursday since my first week in Mendoza, Lindsey and I have been singing in a choir that Lindsey's host mom is a part of.

Singing on the radio.
(Thanks for the photo, Yanessy)

Today was the last day for us (Lindsey leaves Mendoza on Saturday). Going to sing every week has been absolutely wonderful. Being a part of this group has made me so happy. Today we practiced for about an hour and then we all went to sing at some sort of small benefit thing with three other choirs. Before we left they gave us each a scarf and a card that they had all signed.

And then we got hugs from everyone. I'm sad that things are coming to end, but so incredibly grateful that I've been able to experience all that I have.

It's Cold

It's the first official day of winter. And within the last week the cold has really arrived. It was chilly before, in a fall like way. Now it is on the cold side of things. Houses aren't heated, rooms are. There are three rooms in my house that have a heater in the wall. Those are the rooms that get toasty. The rest of the house (including my room) shivers.

Google made the first day of winter announcement.

Yesterday, Carrie and I ventured to Lindsey's house to study. This photo just about sums up the day:

                                                   

Layers of Paper

All around Mendoza there are signs like this one:

They advertise various events happening through out the city among other causes. Basically poster after poster after poster gets glued on top of the preceding advertisements. And then sometimes, the papers get pealed away, revealing pieces of all of the previous events. I started zooming in on all of these layers. I thought they looked really cool.

More Photos From the Sky

So at the end of my last post, I said I would post these yesterday. However, I filled yesterday with other wonderful things, which included, but were not limited to, singing with the choir on the radio and teaching my host mom and her mom how to use a sewing machine. We made little bags, from scrap fabric, to use as gift bags for Mia's birthday party. Basically it was two of my favorite things: sewing and reusing what might have otherwise been thrown away. 

The promised photos:

Rachael getting strapped into the car-seat-like harness.

She's ready to go.

The ropes were such bright colors.

The other woman in our group moments after leaving the mountain.

The end of Rachael's run before she was lifted into the air.
At no point does it feel like falling.
We ran, an awkward endeavor when attached to another person and that harness, until we were lifted into the sky by the wind.