Host family in Austin

These almost six weeks in Austin were really great. First of all I have to say that I had a very pleasant time during my stay here in the city. Many good things can be said about it, but the one I would like to talk about in this last post is the people from Austin.
As part of the Friends of Fulbright Program, we, the scholars, were expected to spend a night with one family from the city. This was in order to encourage cultural exchange between both Argentina an the United States (in this case, Austin). We were divided into two groups for the hosting, as there were not many hosts. One group went the second week on our stay in Austin and the other went last Friday. I belonged to the latter group, that is why I post it now.
I was really expectant to see what all the hosting thing was about, as many of my fellow scholars said they had a really good time with their host families, However one of my doubts was about what would my host family be like, what would be their interests, and if those would match with some of mine, in order to have some good and fluent conversations and avoid uncomfortable silences, which do indeed uncomfort anyone who has experienced them. Luckily, when I got the email from one of our hosts, Brian, he told us that he was a huge soccer fan, something not quite usual here in the United States. He said he would like to watch an English Premier League match with us, so I liked the idea, and of course responded affirmatively.
Friday afternoon was the scheduled time for the pick up to go with our host family. We were hosted by Kristen and Brian, a young couple from Austin. She was really nice with us from the beginning and suggested several cool ideas for us to enjoy with them. First of all, we enjoyed some drinks and food at the Salty Sow, a really nice "gastro-bar", as they called it. Drinks were excellent and so was the food. Later, we enjoyed some steak (and more drinks) in one restaurant, and finally we had some cake at another one, located in downtown.
The day after that, Saturday, we took a walk over their neighborhood, which was nice and quiet. After it, we had some excellent "smores", which are sort of sandwiches with crackers, chocolate and marshmallows. I do strongly recommend them!
Later, we said goodbye as they had to do some things related to their respective jobs, but we couldnt really ask for more, they were very generous with us, showing us excellent places to have some meals and drinks in Austin, as well as hosting us at their own house. It was honestly an excellent experience that everyone should have.

Nightlife in Austin

Hi y'all! It's been another cool week in Austin, enjoying the plenty of activities to do that this city offers. Because having been here for the fourth or fifth week I have realised that this city offers different leisure time activities for everyone to enjoy, whether he or she likes to do the most. 

In this post, I am going to comment about what I have been observing about nightlife in Austin since I got here. As I said in previous posts, the city is well known for being a "youth city" as one can possibly call it, mainly due to the (enormous) UT's university campus that gathers thousands of students not only from the US but from all over the world. That's really interesting about UT, for instance. You do literally come across people from all over the world, each of them with their own customs given the different cultures and countries they come from. 

Of course that makes leisure time really heterogeneous, as different people from different cultures and countries enjoy doing different kinds of stuff. As nightlife itself is one of the activities students (or people in general, but mainly them) enjoy doing, you have different places to go that you can choose from. 

The main street for nightlife in Austin is the 6th street, located in the city's downtown. Bars and clubs are located all along one part of the street, and so are some gift shops and fast food stores (which do really temp you when you are out of the bar on your way home). These bars and clubs play different kinds of music so one can choose which one to go to. For example, there is one which plays "reaggeton", a typical latin rythm that is very nice to dance. Then you have the ones which play the latest hits or pop music only, etc. Another thing to comment about nightlife here in Austin, is the fact that public transport (buses) work quite well in order to take you to the bars or to take you on your way home. That is really useful: for the ones who don't own a car it helps them hugelly, and for the ones who have, it offers them the alternative transport if they are willing to have some drinks. 

So, if you like to hang out with friends at night, Austin will also provide!!

Sports in Austin

As I told you in my previous post son this blog, Austin is a city where you can do whatever you want to. This is to say, whatever may be your interests, Austin will always provide something to do that you will very much enjoy. It does not matter whether you are in group or alone, you can choose from all sorts of activities. In this post I will mention some things about sports in Austin.

Last Sunday, me and my fellow scholars had no planned activity. We had arrived lately on Saturday night after a day in San Antonio, where we enjoyed the Riverwalk, had lunch at Dick´s (a place where you are deliberately mistreated by the waiters and waitresses) and enjoyed a top level basketball match between Spurs, the local team, and the LA Lakers, at the impressive AT&T Center. As you can imagine, we were way to tired and might have woken up late on Sunday, so we took things lightly. As I mentioned previously, we had no plans for that Sunday apart from watching the Superbowl, but that was later.

I don’t know who suggested we could go to the minigolf to have some fun. For some of us it was our first time playing golf so we gave it a shot. We took the bus and went to the south of Austin, where the minigolf course was. I personally did not put much expectation but it was really a lot of fun. We divided into three groups and started playing. Minigolf itself is really fun, but what makes the difference is the time you spend with your mates making jokes and laughing with each other. Finally, we finished all 18 holes and really had some fun, we might also come back!

Another thing in Austin related to sports that really amazed me, specially comparing it to Argentina, is the University Sports Teams. While in Argentina we barely have some University teams and competitions among universities, in Austin, and all over the United States, university sports are very professionalized and are even sponsored by top sporting goods brands. It is even more amazing how people are really into these competitions as they support the different teams. “Hook em horns” is a really heard phrase in the different sports facilities by fans that support the Longhorns, the local team. It did really impress me the way Austinites truly feel their belonging to the city and that is expressed in the way they support the teams.

So, if you are a sportsperson, you will very much enjoy your stay here, as many sports are played here and you have plenty to choose from. Moreover, if you are not from the United States, you can even learn about some sports that more professional here than in other countries, such as football and ice-hockey.

Kayak Trip

Last week I have told you about the awesome experience of having some coffee with friends at Mozart´s, at the edge of Lake Austin. Let me tell you this week´s post is also surprisingly related to the same place in the city. Not Mozart´s (even though their coffee is great), but the lake itself. You may be wondering what will this be about, and I confess when I was first told about the activity I was also intrigued about how might the experience result. This week´s post is about a kayak trip on Lake Austin.
Last sunday, me and my fellow scholars decided to go onto a kayak trip, as the weather was warm and sunny, an ideal situation for the mentioned activity. To be honest, it was way to warm, so the ones of us who were wearing too much clothes, did really regret afterwards. So, first advice, if you are going onto this kind of trip as to enjoy the city from another angle, and the weather hapens to be hot, I do strongly recommend to be wearing loose clothes such as shorts and a simple t-shirt. Anyway, you can have an excellent time despite the clothes you are wearing.
So, once we reached the kayak rental spot, we asked for the kayaks and asked about how did we have to do and all the basic questions a begginer may ask. The kayaks can be rented for one or two people maximum, so that depends on you and if you are willing to go on your own or accompanied. Apart from that, you have to wear a saveguard just in case, and, of course, the rows. Once you have all the equipment on, you are ready to get into your kayak, so one of the instructors takes you to one and helps you getting in in case you have some trouble. Once you´re in, you just have to start rowing!
The most awesome part of this journey is, to me, to get to see and be delighted by the view of the skyline from the angle of the river, apart from the experience of rowing on a kayak, which is also a nice thing to do. Even though the kayak is rented for only one hour(you can go on more time if you wish to), you can really get to seize on it. While you are rowing, you can pass through below the bridges that connect different areas of Austin which is quite interesting too, specially when you need some shadow because the sun is strong.
While you row across the river, and the weather is nice, you can get to come across many people practising more watersports apart from kayak trips, one which caught my attention the most is a sort of waterbike you can cycle in order to move across the river. Having seen and enjoyed a sunny day in the Colorado River, you can get the idea that people in this city do really enjoy outdoor activities, as many of them, apart from watersports, were just hiking or running, or playing with their dogs,
To conclude this second post, I do highly recommend the experience of rowing a kayak in Colorado River and enjoy the breathtaking view of the city´s skyline from another angle. It is great to take photos of the city, the river, and it´s people having such a nice time. So, if you have some time at Austin and one day the weather is nice, don´t hesitate to go onto a kayak trip!

Having Some Coffee on Lake Austin

The idea of this blog is to tell the readers the things that someone visiting Austin, particularly students, for some reason might be interested in doing. Some other curious facts about the city and the University may be posted as well. Posts will be there every week with different activities or facts that could turn to be interesting. Briefly commenting about them here may be useful so as to consider the places to pass by in Austin if you happen to visit it, and to know about the city as well.

Many things can be done at Austin to spend your spare time. From taking some time for shopping at The Domain, to having some drinks at night at a random bar in the 6th Street or enjoying the breathtaking view in the mount, there are plenty of things to do in such a city on the move. So whatever your interests are, you´re really likely to find something to do in this city and have a really nice time. Apart from it, there are some impressive views in town which are completely worth visiting.

If you´re the kind of person who has a good time having a coffee while enjoying a beautiful landscape, then Mozart´s is your place. Located right on the edge of Lake Austin, Mozart´s offers a wide variety of coffees and many other drinks. It´s something you can do whether you´re alone or with friends, but if someone can join you, you may spend it better. Austin is a well known city for having lots of young people who are studying at the time at UT, so when you go to Mozart´s, you´re pretty likely to come across a lot of students, who, if the weather is warm, may do their respective homework essays or other duties while enjoying a capuccino or a latte, surrounded by a really friendly atmosphere. If you happen not to like it so much outside, there are several indoor tables where you can sit and enjoy the landscape through the windows anyway.

When you and your friends are done with the coffee and your duties (if you had...), and the weather is still nice, you may want to take a hike all around the edge of the lake. Even though several areas are restricted for one to walk, the available ones are worth it and you can have the chance to see the sunset or the boats sailing all along the lake. Apart from the landscapes you may want to sit at a bench with friends or just in the grass, listening to music or just chatting along.

So, if you´re one of those who prefer a quiet afternoon doing whatever you have to, while having some quality coffee and enjoying a remarkable landscape, Mozart´s should definitely be in the list of things to do in Austin. Almost every Austinite will recommend you to go as the experience is quite peculiar. People here are pretty cool, so if they suggest to have a coffee at Mozart´s, it is because it is really worth it!