4 Month Update

As promised: an absurdly long update! Nowadays life has this amazing way of keeping me busy.

Bueno… The fun stuff really started in late November, on a Tuesday. I had gone to my Canadian bestie’s birthday party, and spent the night there. We spent all of Wednesday relaxing by her pool, which as all of you know is such hard work. That said, by the time I got home that evening, I was planning on showering and sleeping. Now, this is Argentina and I am a clean person, so of course you can guess which one didn’t happen.

When I say I didn’t sleep that night, I’m not exaggerating. You see, the sexto class was all getting together that night. A weeknight? Yes, a week night. Because Thursday was their last official day of school, and they had to celebrate. So by 11, instead of changing into my pajamas, I was eating burgers and hanging out. The next morning, we watched the sunrise, put on ridiculous costumes over our uniforms, and showed up to school in that state of overtiredness that leaves you acting like a seven year old who downed an entire Red Bull. Soon enough, the principal put the kibosh on our antics, leaving us in the crash phase. You all know what that means: every time you blink, it becomes harder and harder to pry your eyes back open, but you spend every agonizing moment resisting it, because regrettably you are not in your bed. Most of us lost that battle (I swear I’ve never been more comfortable in my life).

This is basically what we did all night (and yes, it's a garage).

Did I sleep after school? Por supuesto que no! Sleep is for the weak, and I had things to do. Those of you who payed attention: what was so special about that day? Thanksgiving of course! The perfect day to break out the pumpkin pie mix my lovely family sent me. “Really, Jill? “You ask, “You stayed up that long for pie?” To which I respond “Keep your opinion to yourself unless you too have travelled to a country where pumpkins don’t exist only to receive Snapchats of pumpkins and other Fall- like things from your  *bleep* sister. K?”

Just kidding. I made it because my host mom is a peach, and planned a Thanksgiving dinner. Well, Thanksgiving is kind of a loose term; the only Thanksgiving- y things were my pie and the day itself. For everything else, we went full Argentina. Which was not in any way sad to me, because asado is bae.

So, I made a pie, helped get the house ready, and hung out with Lindsay until our guests (my second host family!) showed up. Other exchange students will know that this adds a certain level of stress (and excitement, of course) to any event. I think that’s the only force that kept me awake that night. By the time dessert and post- meal conversations were coming to a close, it was 2 AM, and I had been awake for 36 hours- 36 amazing, full- of- life, unforgettable hours.

Those 36 hours were followed by 7 hours of blessed sleep, followed by peeling my eyes open, downing the last quarter of the pie, getting in the car, and falling asleep again on the 2 hour drive to Tigre. My host aunt lives there, so we visited her for the weekend. On Friday, we briefly went to the Puerto de Frutos, which is home to a great artisanal craft village, followed by a nap (!!!!!!!) and pizza and great conversations. Saturday at 8, we caught a boat and set out to Martin Garcia Island, which is in a river. I think it’s worth mentioning the river bit because we were on the boat for 3 hours and to me that is absolutely inconceivable, having grown up in a desert.

Anyways, once there, we took a brief tour that I didn’t entirely understand due to my lack of knowledge of Argentine historical figures (one of which was exiled there, I guess), bought some alfajores, and explored. It was a really cool opportunity to see more of Argentina, and check some things off of my bucket list. Or it would have been if I had a bucket list.

On Sunday, before driving back home, my host aunt, host mom and I went to visit my host sister in Buenos Aires before heading home (if I stop typing the word “host” you’ll all still get this right because it’s starting to feel a little redundant). We went to this neighborhood that I absolutely loved- if I ever make a radical life decision to live in the city, it would be there. If I remembered what it was called I would gladly tell you, but alas, nope. It had very Fort Collins- y vibes, though.

The following week was relatively calm- I did a lot of sleeping, as you may have guessed. And the next Sunday, I set out on yet another adventure: The Rotary South Trip!

So here’s the breakdown:

Day 1: Was pretty much a transitional day. We all met in Buenos Aires at 9, and spent the morning being touristy- a brief visit to Caminito, then lunch in Puerto Madero. The afternoon was mostly free time at the hotel, which we used to intermittently sleep, exchange pins, and get to know the mass of people we didn’t already. The night was spent one of two ways: the smarter of us slept, and the less- brainy ones stayed up and talked. Now normally I’m an advocate for stay- up- now- sleep- later, but in this case it wasn’t the best move.

((Fun fact: This was exactly a year after the day I chose Argentina, which is pretty frickin awesome timing if you ask me))

Day 2: Started at 3 o’clock, when we met in the hotel lobby and headed to the airport. For reference: 3 AM is an acceptable time to be awake if you’re going to a disco; it is not, however, an appropriate to wake up. My plans to snooze on the plane were thwarted when I realized I was sitting next to potentially the most talkative German alive (discussions included gun control and whether or not people are inherently good). Once we landed in Ushuaia (the southernmost city in the world which is crazy if you think about it), we flooded the grocery store and freaked out everyone there, then went our separate ways for some free time. I went with an Austrian, a German, and a Canadian to eat on a (private but left unlocked) dock.

That afternoon, we went on a Catamaran tour of the Canal de Beagle- the separating line between Chile and Argentina. We were all super excited when we saw a little rocky island covered in penguins, but then we realized that penguins don’t fly. But I swear that was the only difference- right down to the lovely smell. Also sighted: sea lions! Which smelled worse than the fake penguins, but are frickin adorable. I even saw one swimming right next to the boat. Probably my favorite part about this day was a stop we made on an island during the tour. It’s really just a photo op, and we took full advantage- The three of us in the center were the Americans on the trip, and the Asians? Well honestly, I have no idea who they are, but they were super psyched to see Americans, and showed no hesitation about jumping into our photo.  We also went to a museum in a former prison, which was really interesting. It probably would have been more interesting if I could have kept my eyes open. There was also info about the Yamanas, the native people of Patagonia, who somehow figured out how to not wear clothes and still not die.

((Fun Fact: The aforementioned talkative German’s name was Till, which rhymes with Jill, which is cool))

Day 3: Blessedly began at a decent time of day, and was again full of stunning views. We visited the Tierra Del Fuego National Park, and the end of Ruta Nacional 3, which is a 3,000 kilometer long national highway (Route 66 is close to 4,000 km, for reference). It was a day full of being really cold but also really good photos. Sadly, in the afternoon, it was a little bit too cold and windy, so one of our outings got cancelled. Instead, we hung out at the local mall. Which was a great opportunity to just unwind, talk with kids we hadn’t talked with much, and eat ice cream.

((Fun fact: Our tour guide’s name was Macarena. Yes, the very same as everyone’s favorite wedding song. I guess it escaped me that that’s, like, a real name that people actually have.))

Day 4: Was our final day in Ushuaia, which was a sad goodbye, but I’d say we spent it well. We checked out of the hotel by 10, but we weren’t getting on the road until 2 that afternoon, and we had no other scheduled outings. So they let us have the run of the town for 4 hours. Which would have been great, had we not seen it before. But Ushuaia is basically one touristy street, already well explored, their cash registers home to many of our  pesos for souvenirs. So a pretty big group of us decided to go out of town. We followed the streets up and up, at every fork choosing the steepest road, past the businesses and through the neighborhoods, till we reached an unfenced chunk of mountain. Like the stupid teenagers we are, we decided to climb it. It was steep and muddy and I’m surprised no one got hurt, but it was worth it. The view was amazing- the whole bay, unblocked by the tightly packed buildings. Thighs burning with the first exercise most of us had done in 3 months, most of the group decided that was enough, and started heading down. But 6 of us girls decided we weren’t done (it is any surprise that we had all grown up in Colorado, Canada, Germany, or Austria?). Till even had the nerve to say that we should come down because the view doesn’t get better the higher you go. Ha. The naivety.

So up we went, in search of nothing but a good time. Once we crossed an unpaved road, we split off into two groups- 2 girls wanted to keep going, but the other 4 of us suspected that pretending to not know Spanish would not save us if we turned out to be on someone’s property, so we followed the road downhill. Luckily enough, we found a real nature path, which eventually lead to a road, which left us pretty lost. But fear not! Down was a pretty easy direction to go, so we started to wind our way back towards civilization.

The sky had been clear just long enough for us to get our scenic photos, but since then had been slowly darkening. Halfway to town, the clouds were ready to go- and it wasn’t rain this time. SNOW. Huge, fluffy, gorgeous snow. The four of us immediately started FREAKING OUT. Walking in the middle of the street, spinning around with our arms and tongues out to catch as much as possible, singing Christmas carols at the top of our lungs because it was the first time we’d felt the Christmas spirit at all. We were on the receiving end of many piteous glances from the natives who were all  in parkas or cars, but we were impervious. I’m sure we were a sorry sight, but we certainly didn’t feel like it at the time. We were freezing, yes, but it was a certain kind; rosy cheeks so numb that smiling becomes difficult, yet somehow so much easier; wind- blown hair becoming  hopelessly tangled, yet somehow wonderfully light. It was the kind of cold that makes you feel alive.

By the time we reached the main street, the snow had cleared up, and  being cold wasn’t fun anymore. So we found another group of students, and a restaurant, and rotated between eating warm foods and using the air dryer to heat up various items of clothing.

2 hours later, we were back on the bus. We made a few stops on the way for photos, and eventually ended up in Rio Grande. This day, we had assigned roommates. Sorted by alphabetical order, which was pretty convenient, as it turns out. See, Julie and Jillian were put together, and so were Lindsay and Lisa, and Julie and Lisa were best friends, and Jillian and Lindsay were best friends, and Julie and Jillian had an extra big room with 2 extra beds. All together now: sleepover! We snuck a few other girls in, too, and all talked till 1 AM or so.

((Fun fact: We saw a horse carcass! No telling how long it had been there, seeing as the perpetual cold kind of slows down the decomposing process. Till didn’t get to see a horse carcass.))

A few minutes before the snow.

Day 5: Made me temporarily lose my mind. We were on the bus for SO LONG. Luckily, I was so tired that even the bus seats felt like memory foam, so I slept away a huge chunk of it. Here’s how it went though: We left at 7 or so, drove to Argentine customs, inexplicably sat there for 2 hours, finally went through customs, drove very very very slowly on an unpaved road through no- man’s land, arrived at Chilean customs, waited some more, kept driving, got to the Estrecho de Magallanes, which we had to cross in a ferry, found out the ferry wasn’t coming on account of the wind, waited 4 hours without being able to get off the bus just in case the ferry came, prayed we wouldn’t have to sleep on the bus, finally got on the ferry, got off the ferry, and drove 6 more hours in the middle of nowhere until we reached the first town in Chile, Puerto Natales, at 1 AM. Which is much later than restaurants here are open on week nights, so we went to bed without eating dinner. At least I can say I got my passport stamped.

((Fun fact: According to my Google search, driving this stretch only takes 6 hours normally. SIX.))

Obviously SUPER EXCITED to finally be on the ferry. Clockwise from me: USA, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Belgium, Finland,Austria, France.

Day 6: Left me totally speechless. It was stunning. There wasn’t one thing in Torres del Paine National Park that wasn’t breathtaking. Have you ever seen glacial water before? No? Well, do it. It’s incredible.

The mountains we saw here were nothing like my mountains- but even more stunning. Picture this: A mosaic of greenery over rolling hills; brilliant turquoise water; gray, craggy peaks topped with snow, and a clear blue sky above. I am describing this because at the time of writing, I don’t have a photo handy.

Also, we had a hella cool tour guide, who definitely made the day better. He was cool for a lot of reasons but primary among them was the fact that he was wearing shorts when the rest of us were wearing 3 layers of fleece, which I can relate to because I personally believe that Chacos are acceptable at any time of year.

We drove back to Argentina that afternoon, which this time was blessedly entirely on dry ground and almost entirely on paved roads.

Day 7: Took my breath away.This was the day we walked on the Perito Moreno Glacier. People tell you galciers are big. People show you amazing pictures of glaciers. But there’s nothing quite like seeing one up close for yourself. It’s truly unique and honestly, humbling.

Before we got to walk on it, we all had to take turns getting krampons tied to our feet, and lemme tell ya that is a weird experience. Walking isn’t necessarily difficult, but the fear of stabbing yourself (or another person) with a slight misstep made us all tread a little more deliberately than usual. Beyond that, it was almost like hiking; they told us to lean back and bend our knees when going downhill, stay on the path, and all that jazz.

Definitely an experience to remember

((Fun Fact: Did you know that things actually live on glaciers? Yeah, crazy, I know, but there’s some sort of bug that lives off the minerals in the ice. Talk about adaption.))

Day 8: Gave me some very Colorado- y vibes. We drove to El  Chalten, a small town located inside of a national park, and the trekking capital of Argentina. Unfortunately, our day was short; we only got to go for a 20- ish minute hike, eat lunch at a hostel, and then drive back to the hotel. But it was still one of my favorite days, just because it was the closest we got to my kind of mountains. And, over milanesa and mashed potatoes (which I had missed SO MUCH, having gone a week without it), we had some really cool conversations with a group of Israelis who were starting a 2 month trip around South America.

((Fun Fact: Our tour guide this day raved about these gorgeous, interesting flowers we were going to be able to see on the hike. Imagine our surprise when we saw Dandelions EVERYWHERE. I guess a weed is really only a plant that isn’t wanted))

Day 9: I suffered from Cabin Fever. After spending the morning roaming El Calafate’s main street, we hit the road again- for 22 straight hours. We only stopped to buy food. Which means that there was a really, really long wait to brush our teeth in the one bathroom that more than 40 people were sharing. It was super. However, I did get a movie- cation. And by that I mean: You know when someone makes a movie reference, and you don’t get it, and you say “wait, what?” and then everyone collectively gasps because your childhood must have been horrendous without having seen that particular movie? Yeah, those. That was Kill Bill, Volumes one and two, for me. Uma Thurman is cool.

Day 10: Was our last real day together. We arrived in Puerto Madryn around 10 AM, and as a treat, checked into our 4 star hotel- complete with double beds and balconies and sea views. After we all took advantage of our respective bathrooms, we walked about 3 kilometers to the main part of town. From there, we split off for a few hours to find lunch. Regardless, half of us ended up in the same restaurant- always fun (for us, not the wait staff).

On the way back to the hotel, we split up- those who wanted to get ice cream and those who wanted to walk back on the beach. My pals and I, overachievers that we are, had already enjoyed our helado, so we opted for the beach. It was another one of those moments that I’ll remember for long time- just the simplicity of enjoying some perfect weather with some perfect friends.

As luck would have it, there was another group of exchange students, on the last night of their trip, staying at the same hotel. So after dinner, we all congregated in the lobby and bonded in the way only exchange students can.

((Fun Fact: Germans can breakdance, as evidenced by Till getting into a breakdance battle with some locals at a beach- side skate park. ))

Austria, France, USA, USA, Canada

Day 11: We took off from Puerto Madryn at 7 AM, and that was really the beginning of the end. See, because we were in 3 districts, we stopped at about 8 places, the bus slowly becoming more quiet and more sad. And for my district, the bus ride was 25 hours long- we were the last stop. It was not a super day. I don't think anyone cried- the band- aid wasn't ripped off all that quickly. But there was a rather melancholic feeling in the air. Also, because we made various stops in the middle of the night, we didn't get much sleep at all. We were in pretty rough shape, needless to say.

The two kids from Chivilcoy and I shared a taxi to get home, and even though I was beyond exhausted , I couldn't sleep in the car. By the time I finally crawled into bed that night (having opted to go to the pool with my friends in place of a siesta), I'd been awake (if you don't count dozing off for a few minutes) for more than 30 hours. Again.

Man, I just keep racking these up, don't I?

All right folks, we'll wrap it up there for now. I promise (really, truly) that eventually I'll catch you all up on everything I've done.

Besos!