[Quick disclaimer: Okay, yes. This post is super duper late. I landed in the States almost two weeks ago, but between a flurry of trying to get to Phoenix from LA, getting sick right after I got home, and my family's new cable TV system, I've been pretty preoccupied.
Okay, lazy. The word I am trying to describe is lazy. Regardless, I had most of this post written right after I got back home and the only thing that I was procrastinating was the editing portion of this post. Enjoy!]
Well, I think this might be my last post. I've landed in Phoenix after a few days in the States, and the trip from Buenos Aires to California was relatively uneventful except for the amazing Einstein bagel that I had in the Houston airport (because bagels don't exist in BA). Also, one of my bags broke from Houston to LA, so I had some clothes strewn around the baggage claim carousel in LAX. That was pretty fun.
I've said my goodbyes and am ready to move on to my next adventure, but it's still pretty crazy to think about how much I have learned and changed in the past school year. (Not to mention that now I am an upperclassman!)
It's strange to think that life continued on in the States while I was away, and sometimes BA seems like a dream. I get these blurs and flashes of images and emotions, and trying to think about how I "studied" rather than "am studying" in BA is pretty weird. However, getting re-accustomed to America, English, and life here has been going well- if nothing else, I am happy that my daily number of awkward situations due to miscommunication has gone to zero!
With all of these thoughts going through my head, I figured that I would list out 50 things that I did this year while it's still fresh in my mind! Here goes:
1) Went to school in the Belgrano neighborhood.
2) Attended classes that I loved and, of course, took classes that I really really really didn't like (which I feel is almost a requirement for any given year in college...)
3) Tried a ton of local foods at cafes and restaurants.
4) Practiced my Spanish daily with locals and my madre.
5) Probably broke several laws and snuck into a River Plate fútbol game. It was super sketchy, but totally worth it.
6) Traveled to Cabo Blanco, a random peninsula in the middle of nowhere.
7) Scaled cliff faces and saw the bluest water ever!
8) Met some Argentine college students who will be life-long friends.
9) Flew to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world.
10) Learned to ski in the Andes.
11) Drank Ushuaia's craft brew, Beagle (named after Charles Darwin's ship).
12) Bused to Mendoza, the wine region of Argentina.
13) Rappelled down a 60 meter cliff face.
14) Tasted some delicious Argentine wines.
15) Went to El Tigre, Buenos Aires, where I took a boat tour of the adorable island village!
16) Traveled to Córdoba, Argentina to kick off my winter/summer break.
17) Toured the Villa General Belgrano, a small German town buried in the beautiful mountains.
18) Had my first international experience since coming to BA and crossed the border into Chile.
19) Toured the city of Santiago alone for nearly a week.
20) Nearly got stranded in El Quisco, Chile (aka quite literally the middle of nowhere) on my way to Valparaíso, Chile.
21) Saw all three of Pablo Neruda's eccentric houses.
22) Flew to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, via São Paulo...
23) ...And got lost on Copacabana beach with no money and a very small Brazilian Portuguese vocabulary and (very fortunately) a map with all of my belongings on my back.
24) Spent two weeks seeing the sights in Rio, including Sugar Loaf, Christ the Redeemer, and the Copacabana and Ipanema beaches.
25) Ate Christmas dinner at a street-side burger joint since my group couldn't find an open restaurant.
26) Spent the night of my birthday at a dance party in a favela where my group met some locals.
27) Saw the famous Rio de Janeiro fireworks over Copacabana beach at midnight on New Years Day.
28) Accidentally stayed overnight in a hostel in a favela. The view was great, the security was not.
29) Stayed awake overnight while I spent 18 hours in the Rio airport waiting for an early flight to Peru.
30) Met my dad in Lima, Peru, after over four months of not seeing him!
31) Toured the small, cute city of Cusco, Peru.
32) Ate (and LOVED) Peruvian cuisine.
33) Hiked for 4 days and camped for 3 nights on the Inca Trail to reach Machu Picchu, Incan city.
34) Drank Pisco, the national drink of Peru. I even mixed my own!
35) Walked around Lima with my dad, which made it safer to tour off the beaten path.
36) Began my second semester of school in BA with some new professors and new students.
37) Ate too much meat (because although steak is delicious, red meat for lunch AND dinner several times a week just isn't okay....).
38) Became a pseudo-vegetarian for a few weeks just to give myself a break.
39) Ran around a park near my house, called the Parque 3 de Febrero. It had a one-mile loop around a lake and a lot of grass- it was a nice way to escape from the city for a while!
40) Took a ferry across the Rio de la Plata to Uruguay.
41) Visited three separate cities in Uruguay in as many days. And we almost got lost several times.
42) Re-experienced BA as a tourist when my mom visited, and re-fell-in-love with all that BA has to offer.
43) Went to Iguazu Falls and checked another World Wonder off of my list.
44) Hiked on a glacier in El Calafate.
45) Froze my you-know-what off during a miserable hike in El Chaltén.
46) Went to tons of markets in BA and bought too much stuff.
47) Took a tango class and experienced the music and dance scene at a milonga, or tango dance hall.
48) Ate a lot of bread. Like, a lifetime of carbs.
49) Experienced civil unrest in the wake of the death of an Argentine special prosecutor, Alberto Nisman.
50) Met 60+ other students who became new friends and, later, family.
To be totally honest, there were several times throughout the year when I thought that I would never see the end of the semester. Maybe it was a really long school week, or a day when I was traveling and I was worried that I would never make it to my destination, much less back to Argentina. And I think it will take several days to realize I'm not still traveling and will be staying put for bit!
I'm sad for this blog to reach an end... for now. Sharing my adventures with my friends and family was a cool way to force me to process, explain, and remember what life was like and what I did in South America. Whether you religiously read my posts throughout the year or this is your first, thank you! And if there is one thing that I have learned this year, it is that this world is small. I'm sure that our paths will cross again!
Tina the Exploradora
5) Probably broke several laws and snuck into a River Plate fútbol game. It was super sketchy, but totally worth it.
6) Traveled to Cabo Blanco, a random peninsula in the middle of nowhere.
7) Scaled cliff faces and saw the bluest water ever!
8) Met some Argentine college students who will be life-long friends.
9) Flew to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world.
10) Learned to ski in the Andes.
11) Drank Ushuaia's craft brew, Beagle (named after Charles Darwin's ship).
12) Bused to Mendoza, the wine region of Argentina.
13) Rappelled down a 60 meter cliff face.
14) Tasted some delicious Argentine wines.
15) Went to El Tigre, Buenos Aires, where I took a boat tour of the adorable island village!
16) Traveled to Córdoba, Argentina to kick off my winter/summer break.
17) Toured the Villa General Belgrano, a small German town buried in the beautiful mountains.
18) Had my first international experience since coming to BA and crossed the border into Chile.
19) Toured the city of Santiago alone for nearly a week.
20) Nearly got stranded in El Quisco, Chile (aka quite literally the middle of nowhere) on my way to Valparaíso, Chile.
21) Saw all three of Pablo Neruda's eccentric houses.
22) Flew to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, via São Paulo...
23) ...And got lost on Copacabana beach with no money and a very small Brazilian Portuguese vocabulary and (very fortunately) a map with all of my belongings on my back.
24) Spent two weeks seeing the sights in Rio, including Sugar Loaf, Christ the Redeemer, and the Copacabana and Ipanema beaches.
25) Ate Christmas dinner at a street-side burger joint since my group couldn't find an open restaurant.
26) Spent the night of my birthday at a dance party in a favela where my group met some locals.
27) Saw the famous Rio de Janeiro fireworks over Copacabana beach at midnight on New Years Day.
28) Accidentally stayed overnight in a hostel in a favela. The view was great, the security was not.
29) Stayed awake overnight while I spent 18 hours in the Rio airport waiting for an early flight to Peru.
30) Met my dad in Lima, Peru, after over four months of not seeing him!
31) Toured the small, cute city of Cusco, Peru.
32) Ate (and LOVED) Peruvian cuisine.
33) Hiked for 4 days and camped for 3 nights on the Inca Trail to reach Machu Picchu, Incan city.
34) Drank Pisco, the national drink of Peru. I even mixed my own!
35) Walked around Lima with my dad, which made it safer to tour off the beaten path.
36) Began my second semester of school in BA with some new professors and new students.
37) Ate too much meat (because although steak is delicious, red meat for lunch AND dinner several times a week just isn't okay....).
38) Became a pseudo-vegetarian for a few weeks just to give myself a break.
39) Ran around a park near my house, called the Parque 3 de Febrero. It had a one-mile loop around a lake and a lot of grass- it was a nice way to escape from the city for a while!
40) Took a ferry across the Rio de la Plata to Uruguay.
41) Visited three separate cities in Uruguay in as many days. And we almost got lost several times.
42) Re-experienced BA as a tourist when my mom visited, and re-fell-in-love with all that BA has to offer.
43) Went to Iguazu Falls and checked another World Wonder off of my list.
44) Hiked on a glacier in El Calafate.
45) Froze my you-know-what off during a miserable hike in El Chaltén.
46) Went to tons of markets in BA and bought too much stuff.
47) Took a tango class and experienced the music and dance scene at a milonga, or tango dance hall.
48) Ate a lot of bread. Like, a lifetime of carbs.
49) Experienced civil unrest in the wake of the death of an Argentine special prosecutor, Alberto Nisman.
50) Met 60+ other students who became new friends and, later, family.
To be totally honest, there were several times throughout the year when I thought that I would never see the end of the semester. Maybe it was a really long school week, or a day when I was traveling and I was worried that I would never make it to my destination, much less back to Argentina. And I think it will take several days to realize I'm not still traveling and will be staying put for bit!
I'm sad for this blog to reach an end... for now. Sharing my adventures with my friends and family was a cool way to force me to process, explain, and remember what life was like and what I did in South America. Whether you religiously read my posts throughout the year or this is your first, thank you! And if there is one thing that I have learned this year, it is that this world is small. I'm sure that our paths will cross again!
Besos, y chau!
Tina the Exploradora
