Umbrellas, Backpacks & Skpe.

Umbrellas = Expenses

Backpacks = Traveling

Skype = Relationships.

Well its been a month since my last post and this is will pretty much be the summary of this month.

Having been awarded the Gilman Scholarship to study abroad was one of the best things to happen, but it also meant I allowed all that money to get into my head. First week here I went shopping like there was no tomorrow and bought countless of unnecessary  items, this brings me to a lesson in expenses. Although, traveling might be expensive in itself it does not mean you should take advantage of this time and spend all the money you have in a short time, think wisely, buying less in a longer span of time will be good- buying 120 pesos umbrellas, not so much. Now that I am well into my third month of studying abroad, I have learned to pack a bottle of water and a small snack for lunch instead of having to buy lunch everyday and eating out at fancy restaurants.

Saving money brings me to my second lesson- back packs  traveling. Having traveled quite a bit within the first two months has been an AMAZING experience- Uruguay, Cordoba and soon Iguazu Falls. Traveling is every study abroad students dream, having the chance to just pack up and go is a stress reliever and adventurous, something every student needs in a daily dosage. This past weekend I had the great opportunity to travel to the second biggest  city of Cordoba, Argentina. I had the chance to visit a few museums , churches and the Sierras de Cordoba. My 3 days spent there I had the opportunity to walk around the city with a few good friends and learn about some history, such as some details about the Guerra Sucia which took place during the Military Dictatorship in Argentina. Along with a history lesson, I had the chance to live the life of  Gaucho taking an entire day to travel up and down mountains horseback riding. My trip to Cordoba, was both unexpected and surprising to my bank account but truly an unforgettable experience for my heart and soul. Its not everyday a city girl from the Bronx, NY gets to ride a horse in the Sierras de Cordoba. With this lesson, always keep in mind that although money is important the memories you make from the money you spend is unforgettable and SO much more worth keeping .

Onto skype and relationships. Yeah, not many bloggers get this personal but truth be told- traveling and relationships are tough to balance. Three months here and I have yet to figure out when to call my parents, siblings and loved ones in a timely fashion. Although, difficult I have found ways to make it work. Emails, facebook and skype will become a good friend of yours when studying abroad. After a few weeks of not speaking to my brother, I finally sent him a lengthy email about my wonderful mishaps in Argentina, all of which he enjoyed. Keeping in touch with others is not only difficult but stressing, but an email a week will keep the worries away.

Well, these were my lessons in the dynamics of traveling. Hopefully they will be of good use and entertaining.

Oh, here as some cool pictures to go along with it =) Enjoy.

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