October 15, 2018: Dead people and dinner with Clarisa!

It's not as exciting as it sounds... we just visited a cemetery. It was pretty neat though!

Today was the first day I touched my homework in about a week so that is mature of me I guess. The first thing I did when I woke up (after stretching and drinking water of course) was go out for a run. For the sake of my frail body, I'm trying really hard to only run on soft surfaces. Because of this, I had to walk about 15 minutes to where I ran and 15 minutes back. If this means that my body holds up, the extra half hour is definitely worth it. When I got home, I worked out, stretched, iced, showered, and ate breakfast. I'm trying to start every day this week with that routine and I think it'll feel nice!

I finished all of this around 12:00pm and then had 4 hours to kill until meeting up with my parents. I used the time to do homework and pack a suitcase. I'm sending my parents home with tons of stuff I won't need for these last few weeks and I had to pick through my entire room to figure out what to pack up. I then had an hour to spare so I walked to the nearby plaza and read a homework assignment there at a little table in the sun.

My parents and I met up at 4pm and then hopped on a colectivo to go to Cementerio de la Recoleta. This is a well-known touristy spot where a lot of famous people from Argentine history are buried. Many of them fought in wars or played a significant role in Argentina during the time they were writing their constitution and declaring independence. This one guy, Domingo Sarmiento, is interesting because he did a lot for the Argentine education system and he ensured free public education for all, but... he was racist. So F him honestly.

I can't forget to mention that we stopped to buy this beautiful (and delicious) donut on the way. It was only 40 pesos!! And it was massive!! I shared it with my mom which is pretty surprising, I know, but I was feeling generous. Just kidding she paid for it and it was really hers, I just ate most of it like the little hippo I am.

The cemetery was pretty neat but we couldn't find Evita Peron's grave which we had wanted to see. We also commented that the cemetery is really one massive waste of resources because things like marble, sand, and other materials I don't know go into making these massive elaborate mausoleums and they really don't serve much of a purpose besides sitting there and looking kinda nice.

We walked to Parque las heras after the cemetery, bought some facturas and an empanada along the way, and sat there for about an hour to get off our feet, eat the food, and so that I could read a little bit. The park was PACKED with gente and my parents were asking me if it's always this crowded. The answer is yes! Argentines love to be outside when it's nice out and appreciate the weather and meet up with friends. I'm happy my parents got to see this part of the culture.

We parted ways around 7:00pm and I walked back to my house to make Clarisa a card and do some homework. At 9:00pm, my parents and I went out to dinner with Clarisa at a very nice place called La escondida. It was delicious and of course I was so happy that my parents could finally meet Clarisa and vice versa!! Luckily the language barrier wasn't too bad. Clarisa knows a lot of English, I was very impressed!

It's now 11:45pm and we just got home a little while ago and I am pooped and so ready for bed. Can't wait to shut my eyes. Peace out homies.

Song Recommendation of the Day: "What's My Name?" by Rihanna ft. Drake