.legal.name.change.argentina.FAMILY.TIME.

.ARGENTINA.



so first off, my puppy. I changed her name...after several calls home and having the name Hija (ee-gha) turned into the name YEHAW....I decided it would be for the better. her new name is and shall remain, KIPPA!

now, the reason is simple. I picked up this little baby in the small, beautifull town of Arequipa Peru. Quipa is a little complicated to spell, so Kippa has stuck. she likes it. shes growing so fast! haha I feel like mother, sleepless nights the first week was killer, she was trying to wean, bieng only a month...it was really hard (puppies wean around 8 weeks...not 3) so a lot of milk and crying out of her because her teeth were coming in too...kill me, she now has about 5!

I got to help her learn how to walk...now she toddles down sidewalks after me at full tilt on her tiny legs. shes really like, my best little friend. were completely growing together. shes SO well behaved. but I guess you would have to be, bieng a dog that gets carted around in a purse all day and fed out of a little soap dish (shes eating puppy food now) and stuck under desks to sleep on a baby blanket while I blog...shes a very popular puppy around here. when I get home, I hope you love her too!



now, ¡¿¿where.is.RACHEL??!



3 days ago, we hopped on a plane to Buenas Aires, from Bolivia. THAT was a fun story.

our plane took off...looped around...landed...then they asked us to get off...wait...dont get off...10 minutes later we went downt the runway again, and didnt even leave the ground. then they hurried us all off and we waited another 2 hours to load into a totally different place...sketchy...however... Im really going to miss Bolivia, it was an amzing place...by far one of my favorites...and really, to be perfectly honest. I dont really LIKE argentina...its like...spain? which is so not what im going for here in South America, there is nothing simple or third world about this place...I mean sure, its nice to have my first hot shower in WEEKS...but its just not the same...man, whats going home going to be like??

anyhow I arrived in B.A and spent a quiet Christmas with my puppy in a nice cozy hostal, hiding from the high 40 degree weather. it was brilliant actually...one of the better Christmas´I have had...time for reflecting, and helping out where I could in my hostal. I was a little scared of the big city during Christmas...
the way they did it in BA was that Christmas started at 12am on the 25th. fireworks at midnight, then AT MIDNIGHT, people start eating christmas dinner, no joke, families lining up at resturants with kids and babies to eat christmas dinner at midnight while the fire works (legal and random...haha) blared in the background. then, after dinner, you leave the kids to run the streets and everyone just gets BLASTED drunk. it was a long night for me listening to breaking bottles and fights on the sidewalk outside my window. but still, another sucessfully interesting Christmas away from home!

soo, the exciting news!

on saturday morning...MY.FAMILY.ARRIVED.!!!

little Emily, Josh, Joe and mom and dad! its been a stressfull first couple of days, but things are coming together!
its a little sticky because, we didnt set up an apartment before they got here...that right, they pulled in the the airport homeless! so we asked, and preayed, and searched, and ended up in a hotel...a very nice hotel, I felt so spoiled! we had to sort of ¨sneak¨ my little miss in and out in my bag...but it was all good!
its a little frustrating, nobody in my family knows any spanish, like...NADA...and im LIMITED to what I know...I mean, im okay, but I get asked to translate the most rediculous things! and I think it really frustrates my dad that he cant communicate like he always can, you know how he likes to be able to say things the way he likes...lawyers...bah... haha

sooooo the adventure begins: i dont have pictures yet...soon!

a good nights sleep and we were up and about today to start our adventure together as a mini version of our family! we got all of their luggage, and we decided to catch a bus to Lujan...now, I dont know BA very well...its HUGE. so when my dad goes, okay...heres a map, lets WALK there, with all of our things...were talking 6 full suitcases and everyone with packs on their backs, a dog kennel, my 60 litre, and my moms rediculous purse...and of course, my dads work stuff and my brothers laptop...vacation-like eh?
so we start walking...one hour of walking in the 30 degree weather later...we get to what we think is the terminal...NOPE. and get this, we didnt even want to go to the terminal! it all got so complex so fast, and when I get stressed, my level of comprehention for spanish goes WAAAAY down...haha so when it all ended...
we hopped a cab for the one hour ride to Lujan...it wasnt that expensive, and really the only way there...and hey, I guess we got a work out.
mini melt down number one...narrowly averted...well see how many times that happens on this trip.

the thing I love about having a big family is that when were all stressed and frustrated, if there is lots of us, the chances of someone bieng able to lighten the situation gets greater...its the law of numbers...were all stressed to the max...okay example time:

standing in the WRONG termial, with all our luggage, a million people around us coming up to us and squeeling and asking a million questions about my puppy, and if they can hold her, or where shes from, or how old she is...bla bla bla...while im trying to look at a map with my dad...my brothers are fighting, and little emily is trying to respond in english to what she THINKS the people are asking her about my puppy, who is crying because its too hot and shes thirsty...everyone is STRESSED....
except my mother.
who steps quitely to the sidelines...and
snaps a picture...

we all look up after the flash...she looks at the picture she took and started laughing...so we all lightened up a little.

I like having a big family.

Lujan is GORGEOUS. small, just he way I like it, and very traditionally Argentine...cowboys and cathederals...wow...THE.BIGGEST.CATHEDERAL.I.HAVE.EVER.SEEN!

I cant wait to show you guys a picture!

anyways, Its now two in the morning...I have to get to sleep, but i havent posted for a bit...and so much has happened!

its almost new years, its almost new years...YES!

felizidad!

.x.x.

.R.