Today was one of my favorite days of the trip so far. We started the day at 9 to venture off to the ranch called El Silvano. I enjoyed the bus ride because I got to see the rural side of the country. There were many small homes spaced a few miles from each other. The there many more stray dogs out in the farming land, as well as cats. When we first arrived, we were greeted by an adorable tuxedo cat. At first he was shy, but instantly warmed up when I started meowing with him. Later we took a tour of the ranch where we learned about the history of Guachos. Originally, Guachos were the children of the Spaniards who colonized Argentina and the native argentines who lived their before them. Guacho directly translates to orphan, which is possibly because the children of the colonizers freely roamed the land, or pampas, in search of wandering herds of cattle and horses. At first, the Spaniards brought cattle to Argentina as a source of food, but they soon discovered that they could be profitable. Guachos harvested both the meat and hides of the cows to make leather for export and personal use. They made a specific type of belt called a rifles. Additionally, they hand sewed coins onto the belt that they would cut off as needed to pay for goods. After the tour, we watched a horse show in which at the end, the caballeros interacted with the crowd in a historical tradition. The caballeros would ride the horses at full speed while holding a tiny stick. Then they would try to line it up perfectly with a ring hanging from a string to get it on the twig. Finally, they would choose a woman from the crowd to give them a kiss, but if the woman was already in love with someone else, they would kiss the horse. One of my favorite experiences at the ranch was trying yerba mate. Mate is a caffeinated tea made from loose leaves. It smells a little like cat nip and tastes like green tea. It is drunk in a specific cup made from a hollowed out gourd called a calabaza. There is also a special straw called a bombilla that has a flat mouthpiece. The day at the ranch was very educational about the early history of Argentina, and a cultural experience that I will always remember. Since Mother’s Day is tomorrow, I would like to shout out my mom because I lover her so much. My mom has always been there for me and she is my best friend in the whole world. Even though I won’t be with her today, I’m sending hugs from Argentina. I love you Merm!