One month left

    Here's my plan for the last month I'll be in Argentina:  I took another final yesterday. It was an easy presentation. On Thursday I have two more finals. One is presenting a video that Briana and I made interviewing one of her host brother's friends about a consulting business he helped found. It's about how the economy of Argentina has affected his start up and comparing his experience in Argentina to his business experience in more stable economies like Canada. The other final is for my economía class.
    The biggest news is that BLAKE SCOTT WILL BE IN ARGENTINA TOMORROW!!!!! After 4 months apart, we will finally be reunited and I CAN'T WAIT!!! We are going to be traveling to Buenos Aires Thursday night for the weekend. Blake's company, CH2MHill, has an office in B.A. and we are going to visit it, hopefully visit my roommate from last year, Natalie, and then also spend a day in Uruguay. Then we return to Mendoza for 4 days so I can show Blake all around Mendoza, take my last final on the 28th, then we get to celebrate Thanksgiving on a bus to Chile, where we are going to spend the next 5 days before Blake leaves and I come back to Mendoza to get to see my parents the next day!! This month is just full of visitors and visiting friends from home. The last two weeks of my stay here will be spent with my parents traveling south, where I haven't been yet, so I'm so excited to see some glaciers and penguins! Then I go home..... It's still a month away, but seems so soon.
    Living in another country has taught me a lot about myself, American culture, and Argentinian culture. I've struggled a lot with adjusting to the lifestyle here, the language, and living with my host family. But I think I've also progressed a lot as a person. I've been working on being more patient, more accepting and less judgmental of things I don't fully understand, because even after 5 months of living here, there are clearly many parts of Argentine history and culture that I don't understand because I've never experienced them. I've become better at handling awkward situations, because there have been many as results of not speaking the same language fluently.
My top two takeaways from the last four months here:
1. Family is the most important thing. Family is not only a huge part of Argentine culture, where family is more important than working, but has also been emphasized in my experience here while living with a new family, adjusting to their customs, and missing my own.
2. I am so much more appreciative of my home in the United States and all the privileges I have there.

How's my Spanish? Unfortunately, we spoke a lot of English within our IFSA group, and classes here consisted mostly of lectures. I didn't speak as much Spanish as I should have, so I still will need to practice before I'm fluent.
I will know I'm fluent when:
1. When I use the same voice for speaking Spanish as my normal voice. Right now it gets all high pitched like I'm talking to a dog or child.
2. When I start dreaming fully in Spanish.

In a couple weeks, I think I'll definitely be ready to leave Mendoza.  I'm really excited to spend the next month traveling with my boyfriend and parents, and see the rest of my family and friends when I get home in December!