Phase I: Complete

Well, Phase I has reached its end and I am currently soaring over the Andes with about an hour left in my flight to Chile. I fell in love with Paraguay while I was there and I am actually sad to leave. In my book, I defined Paraguay as…

A friendly hand offering a cup of ice cold terere,

The red dirt roads that intersect the country,

A pile of mangos littering the ground around the tree they fell from,

Strangers welcoming you into their homes as if you had known them your entire life,

The slightly uncomfortable humidity and innumerable bug bites,

Safari playing on repeat,

Harsh R’s and a rollercoaster of inflections,

Refreshing bursts of air conditioning,

Broken down busses on poorly paved roads,

And finally, doble besitos.

I am going to miss this place but I am sure I will be back…

Anyways, back to where I left off…

Days 8-9: San Ignacio, Argentina

To put it this way, I am not sure exactly why I spent two full days here. I went to two different Jesuit ruins that had little historical context and looked pretty much like any other ruins I have been to. I also tried to go to a beach, only to walk for two hours only to find out said beach doesn’t exist. Overall a relaxing couple of days.

Days 10-14: Posadas, Argentina

The beauty of being a world traveler is seeing people you never thought you would see again! I spent four days in the lovely city of Posadas, staying with a friend from exchange. The days were pretty relaxed; drinking terere by la costa, eating pizza, reminiscing of our times in Denmark, and hanging out with Argentines. On the last day there was an incredible reunion; Me MN to DK 14-15, Brenda ARG to DK 14-15, Agustina ARG to MN 15-16, and Sage MN to ARG 16-17. If that is too hard to follow, disculpa pero no tengo otra manera para explicarlo. 

Day 15: Encarnacion, Paraguay

Just across the river from Posadas, this little merchant beach town became my home for one night. I took the train over then spent the day at the beach, getting sun and just relaxing. I ordered a kebab and a daiquiri at one of the beach bars and ended up getting a huge sandwich and 700mL of fruity, alcoholic deliciousness. I was also approached by an old man wanting to know why such a pretty young girl was at the beach alone. While that may sound creepy, and in the beginning I thought it was, his intentions were to make sure I was safe and that is why I love Paraguay.

Days 16-19: Coronel Oviedo, Paraguay

My world is a whirlwind of things I don’t understand… When I was in Posadas, my friend put me in touch with a Rotex Club in the middle of Paraguay. I took an eight hour bus ride (without air conditioning and mostly on gravel roads) to spend the weekend being taken care of my other ex-exchange students. They took me to party after party, I got my makeup professionally done, they showed me around the city, let me stay in their guest house, and gave me an amazing weekend. I also got to see another Minnesotan who is there on exchange which was really cool and he has already promised me an ice cold cup of terere when we both get back in July. There was also a big Rotary lunch that I was invited to; imagine endless meat and lots of mandioca. The Chairman for the district is close with North Star and knows everyone that I know. We chatted about how small the world is and a picture of me is now on his facebook page. Next thing I know they are calling people up on stage and I get called up as the “Blonde Rotex who came all the way from Minnesota.” It was a very odd moment for me…

Day 20: Santiago, Chile

That’s today! PHASE TWO HAS BEGUN.

Tomatelá

A week has passed since I left Mendoza and it has felt like seconds but at the same time, it has felt like years. This is the first time I would say I have ever truly solo traveled and it is incredible. I am learning so much about myself; what I am capable of, my strengths, my weaknesses, my inability to budget well, and my need for good food. Something that has really struck me is that I am falling in love with myself. I have only been on my own for a week, but I already feel so much more empowered and I can see how strong I truly am. What I am about to say might sound egotistical BUT I seem to have forgotten how cool I am and I haven’t been giving myself enough credit. I am an amazing person; I am strong, funny, energetic, enthusiastic, empowered, determined, optimistic – I love to laugh, to talk to people, to take the road less traveled by, to learn, to be. I am weird, but I am myself and I have no need to live up to anyone else’s standards but my own. If you disagree with any of what I just said, read the last sentence again.

Day 1: Traveling from Mendoza to Asuncion.

Nothing too spectacular, just buses, airplanes, taxis. I ran into trouble at the Paraguayan border though; I wasn’t aware I needed a visa to enter the country… Luckily, they have a visa upon arrival option. $160 later, I have a sticker in my passport that allows me to come and go as I please for the next ten years.

Day 2: Asuncion, Paraguay.

I head to the city center and the first thing I do is stop the Tourism office to get information because what is there to do in Asuncion (actually someone please tell me, I spent two full days there and I have yet to find an answer to this question). The girl I was talking to looked oddly familiar but I thought nothing of it until she stopped and said the same thing, followed by the question “did you go on exchange in Denmark?” Low and behold, she went to Denmark the same year I did but to a different district so we had met in passing at the camps and get togethers. Can I get a whaaaaaaaat? Anyways, after she got off of work, we got a traditional lunch and then the best ice cream I have ever had in my entire life.  She had to go to her other job but afterwards I continued my wandering, still in shock over what just happened.

Other side note, while sitting on a park bench a man tried to preach me the bible but was texting prostitutes during our conversation.

Day 3: Caacupe, Paraguay.

Andrea (the girl from before) invited me to go with her church group to Caacupe, a city 35 kilometers from Asuncion, and I happily accepted. I spent the morning wandering through the “tourist” neighborhood Loma San Jeronimo. Not only was it in a sketchy part of town and I thought I was going to get robbed, but there was no one else there and nothing to see. I met Andrea just outside of the neighborhood and we took off with about 45 other people. A little back story: a long time ago, the Virgen Mary appeared at this church and every year people from all over the country make a pilgrimage to see the Virgen. So essentially I walked a 5K with thousands of people all singing, praying, dancing, rejoicing, walking in the name of god then listened to a sermon given by Paraguay’s finest priests. There was an incredible energy to this place and if I believed in the Christian God (sorry Grandma, I’m agnostic), I probably would have exploded.

Day 4: Ciudad del Este, Paraguay.

Six hours on a bus later, I made it across the country. Nothing incredibly exciting besides the cat with a claw holding its hips together at my hostel.

Day 5: Itaipu Dam, Paraguay.

I took off with this German girl to see the world’s second largest dam and the largest producer of natural energy! We were given a free tour on a hydroelectric bus and taken to all the different parts of it. I can’t describe to you how enormous this thing was and my pictures don’t do it justice. After we got back into town, I packed everything up and walked into town. Here’s the thing about Ciudad del Este: it is South America’s cheap shopping and black market capital. The center is crazy; so many people in a very small space, everyone trying to see you knock offs, never ending honks and terrible traffic. It is right on the border of Brazil and if I would have tried harder, I could have easily snuck into Brazil illegally. I took a bus that passed through Brazil (it didn’t stop so there was no immigration hassle) and made my way back to Argentina.

Day 6: Puerto Iguazu, Argentina.

How to even start with describing this day? Probably one of the best days of my life.

I woke up really early and took off from my hostel shortly after – a quick walk and a bus ride later, I was standing at the gates to one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Las Cataratas de Iguazu is the second largest waterfall in the world and using the word amazing doesn’t accurately describe how cool it actually is. I hiked all the trails and saw everything I possibly could, I had a Coati (raccoon, squirrel, dog, rodent) steal my lunch, and I walked through a rain forest in a thunderstorm. I am going to let pictures describe to you what I saw because my words cannot capture the beauty of the falls.

Day 7: Puerto Iguazu, Argentina.

I took a rest day and wandered around the city with Chad from Utah and an obnoxious Israeli man. We had lunch then headed to Tres Fronteras, which is where you can see Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil at the same time. We headed back, relaxed and ate dinner then Chad, Renee from New Zealand, and I went out for a drinks. When trying to pay our check, the waiters were trying to rip us off and being the only person that spoke Spanish, I got into a yelling match with them, who then threatened to call the cops (typical South American bluff). In the end, they accepted we weren’t going to get scammed and let us pay the amount written on the bloody menu. The three men at the table next to us watched all of this happen then bought us another round, which turned into buying us three rounds and us having to escape them. Overall, twas an interesting night.

Day 8: San Ignacio, Argentina.

Well, I am writing this on the bus so I don’t have a whole lot to say yet… Stay tuned.

Besitos. 

My Great South American Adventure: Phase I and II

Below is my plan for the next month. I probably won't stick entirely schedule but this is a rough overview. Also apologies for the information overload; this is copied directly from my personal notes.

Phase I: Paraguay and Northeast Argentina

1/12: Bus from Mendoza to San Juan – Flight to BA, flight to Asuncion land around 18.

2-3/12: Discover Asuncion – Costanera, Palacio Presidencial, Barrio Loma San Jeronimo, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Mercados, Lago Yapicarai

4/12: Bus to Cuidad del Este – Shopping, Represe Hidrioelectrica, Puente de Amistad

5/12: Saltos del Monday; bus to Puerto Iguazu without crossing into Brazil

6-7/12: Foz de Iguazu, visit the falls and go hiking.

8/12: Bus to San Ignacio – Jesuit Ruins

9/12: Visit Parque Provincial Teyu Cuare

10/12: Bus to Posadas to vist Brenda

??/12: Bus to Coronel Oviedo

19/12: Bus to Asuncion

20/12: Flight from Asuncion to Santiago, Chile

Phase II: Family Visit in Chile

20/12: Arrive in Santiago, check into AirBnb, grocery shopping, Museo de Derechos Humanos

21/12: Issak and Mom arrive in Santiago 8 AM – City Tour, exploring – Cerro San Cristobal, La Vega, Metro Park O’Higgins, Museo de Bellas Artes

22/12: Hiking – Pochoco or another mountain.

23/12: Bodega Tour and more city exploration

24/12: Rent car; Cajon de Maipo. Drive to Valparaiso.

25/12: Valporaiso and Vina del Mar – Beach day and Chrsitmas!

26/12: Wander the streets of Valparaiso and check out the street art

27/12: Drive to el Concon and go sandboarding; drive back to Santiago. Isaak flies home, Mom and Amelia fly to Punta Arenas.

28/12: Arrive in Punta Arenas around 1AM; Check into Hotel – Isla Magdalena (Penguin Island), Magallena National Reserve, Park Pali Aike Volcanic Fields

29/12: Punta Arenas in the morning, bus or drive to Puerto Natales.

30/12-1/1: Puerto Natales – Torres del Paine, boat trip to a glacier, Sena Ultima Esperanza, Milodon Cave, Lake Nordenskjold, Cerro Dorotea

2/1: Mom flies home and Amelia is now on Phase III of her Great South American Adventure

Un Gran Aplauso para Nuestro Asador

The beauty of Mendoza cannot be found in the buildings along the poorly paved sidewalks, nor can it be found in the among the seemingly endless stream of cars, but rather the beauty of Mendoza is found in its people and in its culture. Kissing every person on the cheek before starting anything and then again to say goodbye, passing a highly sugared cup of mate dulce with friends, family, and strangers, spending long hours doing absolutely nothing; that is Mendoza and that is beautiful.

Today marks my four month mark in Argentina and in typical Amelia fashion, I am leaving. I start my Great South American Adventure today and I am writing this in an airport cafe in Buenos Aires. I won't give too many details, as I am posting a second post with my schedule for the next month but I am beyond excited to start this journey alone.

Over the last few weeks, I have done too many things to count. They are as follows:

I hiked to a waterfall in the mountains with only Argentinians! Round trip, the journey took about six hours; three hours up, hour break, two y pico on the way back. The trail followed a river and was pretty flat until we got close to the waterfall, when it switched to some hands and knees climbing. The waterfall was about 50 meters high and at the bottom there was a ginormous snow mound (take that Minnesota, I got snow first - climate change at its finest). Being who I am as a person, I decided to try to get under the snow mound and ultimately ended up wet and shivering. By the end of the day, I was exhausted, incredibly sun burnt, and extremely happy. We got back to Mendoza, I ate dinner, then fell asleep almost instantly.

I have spent a significant amount of time in the park, practicing self care and love. The park is the pulmon verde (green lung) of the city; it takes up over twenty city blocks, it has a lake, a running track, and lots of quiet space to sit and think. I have been drawing there, basking with friends in the sunshine, climbing trees, falling out of trees, and loving myself.

My ultimate team (basically just friends that meet in the park every Saturday with the intention of playing ultimate frisbee, but never actually play ultimate) had Cervezas y Frisbee. Essentially, we drank beer in the park and tried to throw the disc around. Afterwards, I ended up going to a birthday party for a French exchange student and got home at five in the morning. Overall, a successful night.

I took a wild trip to Cacheuta with the IFSA crew. Everything was already planned so all we had to do was show up on time and have a good attitude! First we hiked up Cerro Feliz Cumpleanos, which was a relatively short hike but still beautiful. Once we were off the mountain, we were served a pot roast lunch and then taken rafting. Mira, rafting goes up to class five and we were on a class two... Lets just say it was more of floating on a dingy and having splashing battles with the other boats. However, it did turn into a war as I was literally yanked by my lifejacket out of my boat into another as prisoner. To return, I had to be pulled by my lifejacket again. Between being held hostage and swimming, I was pulled in and out of boats five times during the hour of rafting. From rafting, we went to an artesenal liquor factory and tried countless kinds of alcohol as we are all dripping wet and in our swimsuits. I tried absinthe for the first time, flaming sugar and all. We went home, changed and then were given a wine tasting from the local bodega. Four glasses of wine later, we were eating dinner and then "sleeping."

Day two of the IFSA excursion started with a riverwalk during a thunderstorm. Everyone was pretty hesitant about entering the water, considering that lightning was flashing overhead, but eventually we all got wet. There were parts of the river walk that were walking, swimming, climbing rocks, jumping off of rocks, literally anything you could have thought of. As we got to the end, the weather had cleared up and the water turned stagnant soI got to actually swim! The guides kept yelling at me for taking off my life jacket but eventually I yelled "I am a lifeguard and I can save myself if I drown." That shut them up. This was probably my favorite part of the weekend. Afterwards, we were served an amazing rustic lunch and we tried almost every part of a cow that there is to try. With full bellies, we waddled over to the thermal spas and relaxed for a few hours before heading back to Mendoza. As we were loading up the trafics, I heard what I thought was thunder, but it didn't stop and everything was shaking. When it registered in my mind that I was in the middle of an earthquake, I froze. Luckily, I was no where near the epicenter and it was just an aftershock that stopped after a minute but I now get to cross Survive an Earthquake off my bucket list.

Thanksgiving as an expat is always a weird thing; having to explain why you're celebrating, the lack of snow, trying to find food that resembles traditional American dishes, organizing the dinner with all of your American friends - it's weird. Added in this year the amount of pride I have for my country has dropped substantially and the fact that we are celebrating the massacre of indigenous people while their lands are being taken over by greedy oil companies and the government is doing nothing/sending in militarized police forces to suppress them (#NoDALP), it is hard to feel festive. However, I had Eirini and Madison over to my host families house to make Caprese Mac n' Cheese and Apple Crisp. Probably the least traditional Thanksgiving I have ever had (in Denmark I went to an Elvis Presley themed American Restaurant) but I am happy I got to spend it with them.

My last Saturday in Mendoza was spent with my Rotaract club! We had an amazing end of the year asado. I ate my weight in deliciously cooked meat and then danced the night away among friends. We ended up making a Mannequin Challenge that it on my Instagram account if you would like to see!

Lastly, I passed all my classes! My finals were all jokes; my art final was making sure I had completed all of the projects, my history final was a group interview where the first question was "what did you learn this semester?" and lastly, my social work final was a repeat of the midterm. I passed all of my classes with good marks and I am happy with how it turned out.

That is all for now, I'll try to keep my blog updated during my travels.
Besitos

Do you even hike, boludo?

Beautiful sunset over Mendoza.

Cerro Feliz Cumpleanos.

 Before I was pulled by my lifejacket repeatedly.

Post rafting shenanigans.

 

Thanksgiving and questionable headband choices.

Un gran aplauso para nuestro asador.

November 9th, 2016

"This morning I woke up and immediately felt as if my world was collapsing around me. I sent messages to friends, promising to do everything I can to aid them as they set forth in a never ending immigration struggle. Things that were once jokes, like marrying someone for the guarantee of a green card, have now become a reality. I stepped outside and was faced with a blast of heat, reminding me that climate change will soon be put on the back burner and our environment will continue to deteriorate at the hands of corporate greed. I worry about my Muslim brothers and sisters, for their safety, their mental health, and their overall livelihood. I am thinking about the communities of Color; how they are hurting, how they have struggled, and how they will continue to struggle. The slow process of equality has been brought to a halt yet again. I am hurting for my LGTBQ+ friends and family whose sense of self and identity are threatened by the words and actions of our future leader and his supporters. I feel for my fellow women and think about how we are now threatened in society. Until today, I had never felt that my presence as a woman is inferior to those around me and that my voice matters less than those of my male peers. My ability to consent has been compromised by the rape culture and the patriarchal system that our future president represents. I am thinking about myself and how everything I have spent the last year working towards and everything I was hoping to accomplish over the next few years has now been set back so far that I am questioning if any of it is even doable. Today I realized I am not invincible. Today I realized how imperative it is to continue the fight and to fight harder against the systems designed to oppress those without privilege. Today I realized that the United States has been pretending that it is not a nation designed to oppress its people and people around the world. Today I cried, I am still crying, and I will continue to cry, for myself, for my friends and family, for strangers I have yet to meet and will never meet, for the sake of my country, and for the sake of the world. I was born with privilege and in no way can fully comprehend the perils of these communities. I promise to do everything I can to help the communities that are hurting. This is not over. I will continue my fight to dismantle the systems of oppression and racist/sexist/xenophobic/homophobic structures that inhibit us.

I will fight harder."

Copied from my Facebook Page.

No Seas Boludo

It's November... Scroll back, what?
I have hit three months in Argentina. I am nearing a hundred days. What?

One of my classes finished this week, another finishes next week, and finally, by the 16th of November, all of my classes will be finished (besides the final I have on the 24th). I have eleven days until I start my summer vacation and three weeks until I begin my travels around Latin America.
That's insane.
Time is a magnificent contradiction.

Besides the fact that school is almost over, the last few weeks have been going really well! I passed both my midterms, one of my professors loves me and read one of my assignments to the class, I have kind of been keeping up with the readings (more like: I have only been reading what I feel is necessary), and I have progressed to a level of Spanish that allows me to argue/discuss/ask questions during class. I am not worried about failing any of my classes like I was earlier this semester.

I made the most amazing revelation this week! I was listening to a podcast about the Anthropocene and besides learning that the start of the Holocene is marked by the extinction of a snail species in Italy, I figured out exactly what I want to study! As I laid in the grass, observing the world around me and listening to the final speaker explain in detail the Global Seed Banks in Svalbard, Norway, I put it all together. I want to study Food Systems; the dispersal of food around the world, the sustainability of our agricultural systems, and how to feed people on a global scale without destroying our planet! I already started the process of emailing various advisers, scrolling through the University of Minnesota's website, and I have determined, it is possible, just difficult, but I am determined. I will see what the world has in store.

If you know what the Emotional S Curve of studying abroad is, I am definitely following it. Around the first or second week of November, it is predicted that you will hit a low, and guess what, I did. For the last few days I have been swimming in a sea of confusion; I hit a mental block, couldn't get past it, and shut down. It is/was a combination of missing home, stress about school, having to say goodbye to my friends that won't be here next semester, the fear of gaining weight, and problems I am having with my host family. I am very proud of myself for recognizing the normality of this low and not letting it consume me for more time than it did.

The rest I will explain with pictures for I am too lazy to write paragraphs about each, and not blogging weekly makes it difficult to remember exactly what I did.

My two best friends here: Eirini and Madison.

Together we are Boobs.

Banff Mountain Film Festival - Argentina Tour.

Another big revelation: I need to travel my own country.

Pick up soccer in the park! Eirini and I versus the boys.

"Can we have class outside?" Painting in the foothills.

 Amazing day with the ultimate frisbee crew! 

Throwing the disc around, then beers and music in la plaza.

El Dique Potrerillos - nothing will stop me from swimming.

Kayaking with MadDawg in the dique.

The best Rotaract Club in Mendoza.

Moonlight Paths

Moonlight Paths

Into the darkness, we climbed.

The light of a full moon guiding our rocky path.

We wandered up steep inclines, around dangerous curves.

The conversation rose and fell,

and rose and fell,

as words of our distant pasts escaped our lips.

Cheekbones, jawlines, and the crisp angles of a pointed nose,

all softened by the glistening moonlight.

Blonde hair transformed into mysterious silver strands,

and eyes that were once a striking blue now pale reflections of the powerful moon.

As we reached the summit, the words were stolen from our lips

as the lights of the city danced far below our mountainous peak.

We shivered as we watched

the flow of cars,

the shimmering streetlights,

and the movement of the city we now call home.

The thick smell of vanilla cigarettes lingered in our noses

while the beauty of this moment captivated our minds.

The power of the moon mirroring the indefinite power of our minds

and the unwavering strength of the mountain representing the strength in our tired legs.

A quiet but powerful energy raced through our bones

and soon our feet were in motion,

stepping carefully to avoid a vicious fall.

This moonlit moment rapidly transforming into

a mere memory in our wicked minds.

Half the World Away

Do you ever feel like time is just moving forward so quickly like a train that has lost control on its tracks? Well, that would be an accurate description of how my life has been proceeding. It is like I am living this weird paradigm of a tranqui Argentine life but also bustling forward at high speed. I am so busy; I am taking trips, meeting with friends, studying (not really, oops), essentially I am in constant motion. But on the other side of this, a lot of what I am busy with is the Argentine lifestyle; spending hours getting coffee, sitting in parks or plazas by myself, practicing self care, and taking a step back from everything. In other words, I am incredibly busy but also not busy at all. 

Over the past few weeks, I have completed two parciales (midterms). The first I left the classroom with teary eyes and no hope which was rightfully place - I got 40/100. The professor posted the grades for the entire class in one excel spreadsheet so at least I can say I did better than some of the Argentinian students. Luckily, Argentina believes in retakes so Monday I will be trying again and hopefully I will do better, no promises Mom. My second parcial I took yesterday and I feel really good about it! In comparison with some of the other students test, my answers looked pretty good. Fingers crossed they can understand my grammar.

Three exciting things that happened since my last blogpost but are not paragraph worthy:
1. I made Danish food and it was amazing.
2. It rained for the second time since getting here and I cannot even begin to describe my excitement. I walked around with an enormous smile on my face all day and took pictures of everything. One of my favorite poems/wordy things lists out what it is like to love - a person and a place. Number two on this list is "To want to know everything about it - its story, its moods, what it looks like by moonlight." Seeing Mendoza in the rain only made me fall more in love with my mountainous home.
3. I joined Rotaract! To my Rotex friends who probably aren't reading this anyways, I am sorry. I know this branch of Rotary goes against a lot of what we work towards but from what I have seen, the Argentine Rotaract clubs are completely different than the one in the United States. I had a ton of fun with these people and I cannot wait to see them again.

I got back Wednesday at 8:45 in the morning from a six day trip to the Cordoba. Dorsey and I took an overnight bus to the capital and then two more buses to get to our cabin in Monte Barranco. Little did I know that the first few days of the trip were a reunion for 24 kids from the University of Denver. Being one of two people that don't attend the Colorado school, it was very interesting but everything worked out well and I made some friends. We had two beautiful cabins in the Argentinian countryside and an ice cold pool. We all drank a little too much and laughed a little too much. The second night at the cabin a group of Argentinian men offered to cook us all an asado and we happily accepted. I ended up speaking the best Spanish I have ever spoken in my entire life and chatted with the men for hours.

The next day we headed into Villa General Belgrano to go to Oktoberfest! Argentina actually has the second largest Oktoberfest in the world, behind the one in Germany, and I can definitely contest to that. There were so many people - by the time we left, walking through the crowds was a hassle.  I tried to get as close as I could to the espieche without getting covered in beer and later I got part of Pretzle Lady's Pretzle which is kind of a big deal if you were there. Other than that, everything was pretty expensive so I didn't participate in the rage-face-beer-drinking. The cultural performances were by far my favorite part; the talent some of the dancers had was unbelievable.

After lunch the next day, we all headed back to the capital and then parted ways with the big group.We spent the next two wandering in and out of churches and around the city. Unlike Mendoza (who had a bad landslide/earthquake in the 1990's and had to rebuild the majority of its buildings), Cordoba has an interesting mix of old and new architecture with a ton of religious influence. The second night we ordered take out sushi - lets just say we are still confused if we were eating sushi or dog food. Overall a pretty fun trip!

Besitos.

Mis queridos boobs.

Feeding a sheep through the window at the cabins.

Gringos en Cordoba.

Oktoberfest during the day vs. at night.

Not entirely sure what this was.

Not entirely sure why there was a giant duck in front of this church.

Free

Free

A cloudless blue sky is cut short by the jagged edges of Los Andes.

She sits alone listening to the rumbles of a mountain stream,

Her mind floating between the sun beating down upon her shoulders

And the small things she loves about this world.

Racing down the mountains, around sharp corners, and pushing furiously over rocks,

Crystal clear water fills the rocky creek.

While only two meters wide,

This stream is a vital life source to the life around it.

A butterfly lands on the rock next to her.

White wings capped with black edging flutter peacefully

From the rock, to a dandelion and off into the abyss.

The mountains call her and she feels at home.

She has not had a moment like this since she left home;

She has not stopped to rest,

Or simply pause to enjoy the sunshine as it beats down upon her.

In the city, she is in motion and focused.

She is held down by the square city block, the pressures of society,

And the never-ending commotion of people, honking cars, and city streets.

But here, she is free.

Free to dance with fire,

To dip her toes into an icy river,

To throw stones as far and long as she can,

To lose herself in a sea of stars,

To breathe the wild air.

Free is what she needs.

Only in these moments, in the foothills of the mountains,

Can she see the damage she has done to herself.

Her mind is focused,

But not on planning, accomplishing, regretting, or worrying.

She examines the precise angles of the mighty peaks in front of her.

She counts the stars, losing track after the first hundred.

She studies herself and her inner workings.

As she returns to her average life,

She must not forget the silence of the wilderness

And how to silence her mind.

She must pause like a butterfly on a dandelion

And shine like a star in the night sky.

She must remember to set herself free.

Re Quemada

I have been a bad blogger... In my defense, I am doing homework instead of writing blogs. The last post that had content about my life was almost a month ago, oops. Anyways, here is an update about my Argentinean September.

I finally have a schedule and have decided on classes! It is great to finally have this figured out. What isn't great is that I wasn't connected to the online modules for my classes for a while and I missed over three hundred pages of reading. Lets just say when I talked to my professors, I may or may not have over used the classic "soy una estudiante de intercambio. No lo entendi." Have I done it all? Nope. Am I going to? Nope.

Other than that enormous blunder, my classes are going really well. I am taking a class about the Social History of Argentina, which is just about what it sounds, not too interesting but not entirely boring. I am also taking Drawing I! It is fun but my professor doesn't like me (I deserve it - I don't listen to any of her instructions). In spite, I call her evil-witch-lady. My favorite but hardest class is The Problems with Social Control and Violence. The class revolves for the most part about Social Work but we talk about things that I am incredibly interested in. Our current unit is talking about the Mendocino Prison System and the human rights violations that happen mere kilometers from where I am living.

While that class has only confirmed that I want to study Human Rights, my life in Mendoza has flipped my world upside down and I am changing my major! I realized that I have absolutely no desire to ever study Spanish Literature or even learn Portuguese. What a revelation, right? After a few serious chats, a couple of emails, and many night staring at my ceiling, I haven't decided what I am changing my major too. I have a feeling that I am going to end up in an environmental field but nothing is set in stone yet!

My life in Mendoza has become incredibly normal and I have settled. I know which buses to take, where to get cheap coffee, the best place to buy trail mix, even how to look less like a gringo, which is really hard when you have white-blonde hair and blue eyes. I am happy here. I am home.

Merely hours ago I got off the bus from one of the coolest weekends I have had here! Madison, Forest and I rented a tent and some sleeping bags and took off early Saturday morning with no plan and heavy packs. Our first night was spent in Potrerillos, a town in the mountains an hour and a half from Mendoza. We popped our tent next to the vibrant turquoise lake and made ourselves at home. We cooked pasta over a fire and let it burn down to coals as the sun disappeared behind the mountains and stars filled the sky.

Sunday morning, we packed up and decided to head to Las Vegas, an even smaller town twelve kilometers away. We started walking with our thumbs out and soon enough we were picked up by a lovely woman. Once in town, we scarfed down some empanadas and drank some local beer before wandering to the top of a desolate cerro where we set up camp. Forest tried, and failed, to make rice and beans but no one was upset because soon enough we were sipping whisky under the most beautiful stars I have ever seen in my life. Imagine this: a cloudless, moonless night in the mountains, free from the light pollution of the city and absolutely silent. We fell asleep drunk on the stars (and the whisky). Around 4:30 in the morning, all of us woke up because we were now sober and rocks were jamming into our backs. Unable to fall back asleep, the three of us sang the Beatles and went back out to look at the stars. This is a moment I will never forget.

After getting a few more hours of sleep, we packed up camp once again and started our journey to Vallecitos. Instead of walking along the road to get there, we decided to just cut across a few cerros and free trail everything. It worked perfectly. Travel time was cut in half and soon enough we found ourselves at the road to take us all the way there however we never made it to the actually town/mountain. We stopped at an arroyo (a river that only runs during certain months of the year) and got distracted. We swam, skinny dipped, took way too many pictures, then napped in the shade. There was a thin strip of land on the other side of the river and without hesitation, we crossed and set up camp. This was by far the prettiest campsite but least convenient. We had to throw wood across the river to start a fire and it was a little damp but all of us were happy. Repeat making dinner, having a bonfire, and watching the stars and you have an accurate synopsis of our last night.

We woke up and hung out around camp for a few hours before making the trek back to Mendoza. Besides forgetting sunscreen and taking a couple of tumbles, this trip was next to perfect. While I am happy to sleep in a bed and not smell like I haven't showered in a few days, I would much rather be teasing each other inside the tent or roasting in the sun. I keep playing all of the little moments from this weekend in my mind and I am still in awe of how amazing this trip was.

I know I skipped a bunch of stuff but ya esta sufficiente.
Besitos.

Night One: Potrerillos.

Master Chef Argentina.

A rare foto of Forest smiling.

Night Two: Las Vegas.

Miss BadFart Queen of the Oatmeal

and Duchess BitchFinger.

Night (day) three: Arroyo en Vallecitos.

Making the trek home - light packs and happy hearts.