After we got to Mar del Plata, I dropped off my bags in my room, and met up with a group to grab dinner (it was around 3 am). After that, some of us split off and watched the sunrise on the beach with some stray dogs that followed us. It was sooooo gorgeous. For whatever reason, I decided that I wasn’t going to bed after that, since by the time I got back and ready for bed, it was almost 7 am and a group was getting breakfast at 10. That was probably (definitely) a poor decision.

After breakfast, everyone changed and we spent the day literally baking on the beach, which was pretty packed. I wandered around the shore and clambered over some some rocks to see the waves crash into the jetty. After we all got sunburnt and hungry, we went back to the hotel to eat, maybe power nap (mine was an hour), and get dressed before orientation in the lobby at 8 and the party at 9:30.

I’m glad we had orientation, since I missed it the first time around in Buenos Aires (thanks, American Airlines!), and it was fun to see everyone all decked out to greet 2011 and go to the first even with almost the entire group (5 students were still missing). During our walk to the restaurant, I finally realized that Prof. Schinaider wasn’t kidding when she said that several people had broken toes in previous years – there were tons of potholes, missing and/or cracked sidewalk slabs and random other obstacles.

My group arrived about 45 minutes early and got stuck waiting at the table for the DJ to call everyone up to eat. When that finally happened, there was a mad dash to the table for some appetizers that were, in my humble opinion, not very yummy. The Argentinians, however, seemed to really be enjoying them. Dinner, which was chicken stuffed with ham and some mini potatoes, also took quite some time to be served. I wasn’t very impressed. From about 9:30 to maybe 11:45, the night moved demasiado lentamente. It was pretty lame.

I actually almost missed the New Year (or at least, missed “seeing” it happen) since most of us had gone outside to see the fireworks being set off on the beach and the shores opposite the restaurant, but I ran inside just in time. Once we hit 2011, though, the DJ started his set. Almost immediately, everyone started dancing. It was pretty wild. Many of the older people at the restaurant were really getting their groove on, and dragged us into conga lines around the dance floor, which was pretty funny. It got pretty hot in the club extremely quickly, and I was exhausted (see above) so I left with a friend around 1:30 am.

This was the first time I’ve spent NYE away from family. It was also the first time I’ve gone out for NYE. Usually we stay at our house or go to my aunt and uncle’s house to eat, catch up, and watch the ball drop. So those were major changes. Once the DJ started playing (everything from Latin music to YMCA and the Bee Gees to regular old club music), I really began to enjoy myself. It was SUCH a fun night.

The best part about the night: my roommate, Shekeima (plus two other students who traveled with her) finally arrived after a hellish day of travel!