A dream of family

Clark and Mimi is a couple from the United States. Clark is a retired broker and Mimi is an ESL teacher. They have 1 dog called Ales which we became very good friends. I was their host during a day, but during that short period I spent a fantastic time. All what happened in that day was very particular since the way I met her until the day she left me in The University Towers.

Yet, what makes them a fantastic couple?

Firstly, Mimi and Clark have had a lot of exchange students in their house. When ESL organizes a homestay they are one of the people that offer their house for the homestay.

I met Mimi in a very particular way. I was in an event from ESL, and she asked me where I was from. I told her that I am a Fulbrighter student, and then she asked me my name, and when I said my name is David” she said me that I was her host. Such a Crazy History…

After that, we went to her house by car and when we were speaking in the car, we had a very interesting talk in which I talked to her my bad Ideology which said that all the United States citizenship are like Donald Trump. She told me that, there is a lot of people that thinks that, because the politic of the United States where very aggressive to other countries, but figuering out I could understand more about the economic and policy of the United States. Furthermore, In that Talk I learned that In the United States there are a lot of things happening at the same time, rather than Argentina That is a very centraliced country.

After that interesting talk we arrived to her house and I met Clark, her husband, and we pick him up to go to another place. They carry on me to a Chinese restaurant and it was my first time tasting wasabi (It was very very spicy), but despite of the fact that it was spicy, it was very good.

Later we went to a cowboy store to hear some music, to finish again in their house drinking some Germany beer and talking about their life, trips that they made, their experiences, Jokes, And know more about the United States Country.

The following day we went to make walk their dog and it was very funny, because apart from walking their dog they made me a city tour of Austin. I learnt a lot from the Music, and popular places in Austin a part from practicing my English. So, I hope that this program continues in the future because it is a good way to understand more in the world that we live, and the different points of view that all the persons have.

So, the unique word that I have from them Is thanks for that fantastic day, and the experiences that I had with all of them.

(Formatting in proces. Not finished yet)

Winds of Argentina

I am not going to forget the first day when I came to Austin and I was ashamed because I did not know anything and anybody. It was everything new for me, since the tastes, Austin`s Music, or English. The University of Texas and ESL Classes were very beautiful as same as the dynamics that teachers have in their classes. It was a mix of feelings very stranges and weird, but it looked very funny, yet all the good things in the live have an end point.

In the week before leaving from Austin, all kinds of remembers came to my head. My first remember of the scholarship is not very good. Because, all begun with a holly bad phone interview. In it, I was very nervous because I had to speak with an English native, and I did not speak English or practiced it for 4 years, so I decided to prepare my interview with a teacher in one day. After my class, that teacher gave me a paper and in that paper there was all the answer for possible questions that the interviewer could make me. But, when the Fulbright commission called me, I was in the bathroom. I was so nervous, and I thought that I missed the opportunity of the scholarship, so I decided to call Fulbright institution back and fortunately they received my call and made me the interview, but the paper that my teacher gave me was far away.

After that, I received the next days the news that I won the Fulbright scholarship, and my happiness when I won it was very big. I was so excited for winning the scholarship that I could not believe. Next, I had to go 1 time to Buenos Aires to make me the visa and know my Fulbright`s mates, and then on 16<sup>th</sup> of January we went to The United States. There, our Texan`s moms Rachelle Bumgardner and Katie Martin were waiting for us to carry on to us to The University Towers, the place where we were spent one of the 40^th best days of my life.

But, not all was rosy. I missed a bit my family, friends, girlfriend, and teachers. Despite of the good friends that somenbody can make on trips, they are not the friends that know how you are and know how are you going to react. However, I know that I made at least a friend in every nation. Those people, where very good persons, and If I had to describe all of the people that make me smile at least once, I am not going to finish.


By the other Hand, I have to be greatfull with the University of texas, because it gave me a different perspective of the American Lifestyle. I used to think that  in the United States were people that only believe in maximizing their revenue, that are a bit selfish, and xenophobic like the Donald`s Trumph Ideology. But here I learnt that people are people not matter from which part of the world they are.

To end, there is a common phrase in Argentina that said is better do not have and do not lose it, rather than have and lose it. Yet, I believe that this phrase it is not true, because the things that I learnt from this experience are amazing.

Big and Small cities.

Argentina is a big country, with a lot of population. It has nearly 45 Millions of inhabitants, and there are 2 kinds of cities there: Big cities and small ones. I live in a small one, so, when I arrived to Houston, all was new and big to me.  Then, I understand why there is a famous phrase in Texas that says: In Texas all is bigger, especially in places such as Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. Yet, what makes those cities different than the others for us, the foreigner students? In this post, I am going to comment which touristic places I found in those cities.

“Houston, we've had a problem: There are Argentinians in Houston”

                Houston is Very Scary city. When you go there, and travel through the roads, it is a Bit Creepy because there are few persons in the streets. It looks like an abandoned Town yet there it is the NASA. It is very interesting to visit NASA for apart from the researches of the spaces, there is a touristic park inside well developed that gives you the opportunity to know more about that place. In that touristic park, there are museums, rides through the Nasa control`s building and the Astronaut training, and there are many historic places to visit.  A part from that, in Houston there are many Museums.

San Antonio: The place of the Spurs,

The most exciting city that I have visited, it is San Antonio. I did not walk around all San Antonio, but I could visit places such as the Alamo, and specially the Riverwalk.  Those places where very interesting places, but if you like the art and to walk I`ll recommend you the second one, because you could enjoy more the trip. The San Antonio River Walk (also known as Paseo del Río) is a network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio Riverr, one story beneath the streets of Downtown , San Antonio lined by bars, shops and restaurants, the River Walk is an important part of the city's urban fabric and a tourist attraction in its own right.

Maybe in the night, you will be lucky and it will be a game in the basketball field in San Antonio, and maybe you could see the San Antonio`s  Spurs.

Finally: Austin.

Well, in my other posts I talked a lot from different cultures, but I did not talk very much about the touristic places in Austin. Here, there are a lot of places to visit, but I will chose to describe my 2 favorite places in Austin. First of all it is the Texas State capitol. That capitol is bigger than the Washington, and you can read inside in many parts “the proud Texan republic”. It is a good place to visit because it will help you to know more about the Texans and their history. If you like the history, I´ll recommends you to go to the Historic Museum that is near the capitol.

Finally, my second Favorite place in Austin is the Riverwalk. This is a place to study, to go to walk, to get a ride in bicycle, to go kayaking, and is specially and to go with some friends and drink some mates behind a tree despite of the fact that those who pass look at you such as an estrange.

But despite this fact, keep calm and let the Mate coming…

A storm of students

When you come to Austin all is different. Those differences goes from the size of the things until shapes, foods, greetings, and specially the University of texas (UT).  That University, is so big and fulled of students that is easy to get missed inside there.  If the first day you go to look for a class to attend, maybe you would be in a little trouble, despite of the fact that there is a map that you can pick up from everywhere to return to your way if you get missed.

But what also makes interesting to the university, is the diferences that Argentinians can see between the universities in Argentina and the UT. One of them is the difference about the system of qualification. In My University (Universidad Nacional de Misiones) as same as the huge majority of the state’s universities, they have a system in which you have to take down 2 exams with a 66% of the score, with the possibility of recover only one. If you do not turn down with that score, you will have to take a final exam. In 2 conditions: Free, (A more difficult exam) and regular (An exam less difficult). If you pass at least one exam with a 50% of the score, you have to take the regular exam, and if not, you have to take the free exam. In both final exams, you have to do the 66% of the exam. In Argentina, some classes the attendance care, but in the majority it does not while in UT assign a certain percentage in assistance, assignments, final exam, and intermediates exams. Apart from the qualifications, the professorships lasts 1:30 hs in UT, whereas in Argentina are usually 2:00 hs. 

Moreover, there are lots of clubs in the UT to make differents activities, such as dancing, playing chess, practicing martial arts, that are mostly independent from the politics, while in Argentina those activities are usually provided by the politics aggrupation that are in the university, and some are provided by the universities.  And Lastly, I have to say that UNAM`s colleges are distributed along Misiones, whereas in the UT, you can find in a place all the colleges.

The most important thing in UT, are that it has a lot of  students from different parts of the world. However, it continues being very difficult to me to know how to greet to other people when I just meet them. (Specially with womens). Some cultures, are very cold and they say just “Hello”, other are warmer, and they greet you with a hug and a kiss when. People that are from Asia and Africa are from the first kind of people, whereas some countries in Europe and Latin America usually greets with a Kiss, or two in the cheeks between men and women, and between 2 women. I learnt that by proof and mistake, because the first time that I greet an Asiatic woman, I do it with a kiss in her cheek and she was embarrassed because she didn`t know what to do. So, I had to explain her that Argentinians  usually greet with cheeks.

In Argentina, depending on the zone, there are greets with 2 kisses, or with one. In My province (Misiones) we often greet with 2 kisses as same as Spain. 

But helpfully for me, it was a relief that all the men greet with a handshake.

Clash of Cultures 

  There are lots of anecdotes when you travel outside your country and the situations when cultures crashes are very particular especially when you took part in an Argentinian exchange student program in the City of Austin, TX located in USA. First of all, I have to say that it was awesome how English movies describes so well many and different aspects of the reality in the city such as peoples, meals, parties, schedules, and rythm of life. And for a citizenship drom Misiones like me, it was so crazy how peoples from there survive without drinking mate! 

Mate (To see what mate is, look at the link behind the post) is a typically drink from Argentina.  To summarize, it`s a hot drink that we, the Argentinians, drink in groups trough a straw in a recipient with some of "Yerba mate." in which you have to put some hot water in the recipient, and then suck the straw. It taste like green tea and the huge majority of the people in Argentina likes it. It is very uncommon to see an Argentinian who doesn`t like the mate, or terere. (Is the same drink than the mate, but it have to drink cold).

  But what is common in Argentina, it isn´t in Austin. In this place, you can find many kinds of people. It goes from a Chilean whose Argentinians partners in his work taught him to drink mate, a Venezuelan woman who learnt to drink mate with her mother in law, and a Chinese who taste for the first time the yerba mate, and he added to drinking with the Argentinians group. 

However, not all is rosy. Despite of the fact that there were very good impression to the people who lives in Austin, the mate is not accepted by all the people there. Some people doesn`t like taste it for not sharing straw, others don`t like it because it is litter, but is an interesting phenomenon to see the reaction of the people, especially in Austin because it has a lot of immigrants, and students from other countries. 

As same as the mate has problem to introduce in the countries culture, lot of foreigners have the same problem with the food and some difficulties with the people. I strongly believe that here in Austin they don`t put pepper in the water because there is a special law that forbids doing that! Furthermore, the food from one country to other differs a lot. Imagine how much you will miss your food from the country that you are, if you move from another one.

Another topic to see in clashes cultures is: How will be your feelings when you don`t know how to greet to other people? Kisses and hugges are common in Argentina, but are very uncommon for the North American people, and for other cultures that it has too. Some, they just shake a hand, and are very strict with the personal space. So, it takes a bit of time to learn how to greet to all the people.

As you can see, the cultures clashes all the time, but fortunately there are lot of people here that has the sames problems as a foreigner student has. So, be calm, and keep Austin friendly!

                                                                                                                                          The End

Mate: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_(infusi%C3%B3n)

Yerba Mate:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerba_mate