Mexico City a Buenos Aires

Well, I'm currently in an airplane again. This time, however, I'm only one stop away from Buenos Aires. It's been a long day of flying and traveling but I'll finally be there is about 8 hours. I've had a great flight so far. A little boy, Simon, is sitting next to me. He and his family are flying back from Mexico to Buenos Aires. I think he's taught me more spanish than the U of M ever did. It's quite humbling having an 8 year old boy speak Spanish so fast that I continually have to say "lento" or "despacio." It's eery how similiar to him I was when I was his age. I don't know the word for hyper but he fits the bill perfectly. He's a constant chatterbox , bouncing around his seat like a chihuahua on Adderal, once again, just like me. He showed me his little hairless arms and I told him how I'm 21 years old and I've about the same amount of facial hair as him. I blame Grandpa Don, but that being said, I'll be Mr. Hairsuchi by the time I'm 70. Well, cena caliente is on it's way so I'm signing off. Hope all is well in los Estados Unidos and I'll see you in nine months!

Terminals and Waiting

After a four hour flight with a bunch of Notre Dame spring breakers and a stiff vodka con jugo de naranja, I've finally made it to my gate for Buenos Aires. Navigating the Mexico City International Airport was quite the task. However, using my broken Spanish and an innocent "estoy un poco perdido," I found my way. I enjoyed a Mexican cigarette outside and the weather was gorgeous, probably around 75 degrees. The taxis were zooming by and a wave of happiness washed over me. I'm only one more flight from my new home for the next nine months. My host family is happily awaiting my arrival and I can't wait to land at Ezeiza and take a taxi to my new apartment.

As people slowly start filling in around me in the waiting area, I'm starting to hear quite a bit more Castellano. The LL's have went from "Yah" to "Shh," and I love it. I'm getting super tired so, with any luck, I'll be able to get a couple hours of sleep on the airplane . Tomorrow the adventure truly begins.

Somewhere Over The Midwest

Well, it's really happening. I'm currently in an Airbus A320 flying over the desolate, snow-covered terrain of Illinois. Mom and I stayed at Beet and Jim's house in Elgin and made the short drive to O'Hare this morning. Once again, in classic Jones family tradition, I arrived at the airport about 3 hours before we even started loading. The TSA agent at security asked me if I really wanted to go through yet, "You know, you've still got 3 hours before your flight leaves and there isn't any food on the other side."

Surprisingly, I actually slept very well last night. My usual pre-departure sleep consists of tossing and turning every 15 minutes and checking my alarm clock in OCD fashion to make sure that it's set and that I don't wake up late. Having the comfort of knowing that I was only 30 minutes from O'Hare, I got a great night of sleep.

Uncharacteristically, the only stomach pains I'm feeling now are from being hungry, and not nervousness. After successfully getting ahold of my host mother and her daughter, all the tension is gone. I was so worried about my living situation, but as soon as I told the lady on the phone that I was her international student, she screamed my name in excitement. I'm guessing the housecleaner told her I had called and she was excited to finally meet me.

Who knows what's in store. I'm excited to see the apartment. I'm excited to see my room. Living in Recoleta, I have decently high expectations for my living arrangement. I'm excited for the beach. The Minneapolis sun isn't too powerful during the middle of winter so I'm currently a nice shade of vanilla ice cream. However, in time, I'll be nicely tanned. My skin will absorb the sun faster than Tim can get lost in Minneapolis...and that's pretty damn fast.

Warm weather and sunny skies await!

Farewell MPLS

After many happy and emotional farewells, I've finally made my departure. Minneapolis has been good to me. I remember my first day of college like yesterday. Mom, Dad, Tony, Flo, Nicholas, and Thomas dropped me off at Pioneer Hall. After the hugs and goodbyes, I was alone and ready for the unexpected.

You never really know what college is going to be like until you actually get there. How do classes work, are there really 300 people in your lectures, is dorm food good or bad? So many questions, but in the course of the first few weeks, you feel like a pro. I'm hoping this is how Buenos Aires will be. It'll take a couple of weeks to get acclimated, but I'm really hoping to get a firm grasp on the city quickly.

I've had some great times and made some amazing friends while in Minneapolis. Biking/sight-seeing/exploring/gawking at Lake Calhoun in the summer with Tim, drinking beer along the Mississippi with Nick and Eric, breaking my collar bone, hanging with Shonit after I broke my collar bone, going Canoeing down the St. Croix with Tim, Ruston, and Josef with a broken collar bone. Who knew the combination of absinthe and biking could lead to the creation of so many memories.

I'll definitely miss everyone at the Loring Pasta Bar. Seeing as I started working there about 6 weeks into freshman year, many of my best friends are also my coworkers. It's a known fact that the LPB takes over your life after awhile. Be it late-night bike rides, Halloween parties, bonfires or Christmas parties, LPBers always do it up. I'll miss you all very much and now I'll be that "oh, he used to work here a year ago" guy if/when I return.

Minneapolis, I bid you adieu.