Road Trip Through Argentina

So I've finally been able to upload some photos of my trip. Just a little background information: we drove from Rio Gallegos to the province of Catamarca which took three days. We spent 3 days in the Pueblo of Fiambala and stayed at the vineyard of family friend were we went horseback riding, ate fresh goat, and bathed in hots prings. From there we drove to Tinogasta for two days. We stayed with my host dad's relatives. We added an extra stop (and an extra day of driving) to the trip, making the city of Salta our last, and best stop. We arrived at around 6:00 PM for a surprise birthday party of a family friend. Everyone danced until around 4 in the morning (a typical Argentine Saturday).

Check out my photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29866201@N02/

Buenos Aires to Rio Gallegos Via Ushuaia

Pictures Thus Far

Changes in Lattitudes, Changes in Attitudes

I’m on the plane now from Buenos Aires to Rio Gallegos. I just spent the last three days in an old nunnery with about 100 other exchange students from around the world learning about Argentine culture and customs. It was a little strange being closed off from Argentina with people speaking a dozen different languages yet knowing that just outside the gates of the nunnery was a foreign country.
Luciano, the AFS volunteer for Rio Gallegos, met with us in Buenos Aires to discuss life in Rio. It turns out he knows my host family pretty well and told me today that the family called his cell phone to say hi to me and that they were excited to meet me. How’s that for hospitality? Luciano has arranged for me to take special Spanish classes in the morning and go to “La Universidad Nacional de Patagonia Austral” in the evenings. He also told me he would talk to his friends that cycle in Rio and see if they can include me in some of their rides.
There are four other exchange students (all from Europe) that are going to Rio. But more about that later, we are getting ready to make a stop in the Southern most city in the world.

What I'll Miss/ What I Won't Miss

What I'll Miss

• Family
• Friends
• Portland
• My bike
• My work discount
• The most exciting election in my lifetime (so far)
• Living where I can speak/write/read the language fluently
• The Sunday New York Times

What I Won't Miss

• Working
• Paying for gas
• Rain, it got to be a bit much this year
• Paying for things in USD at a one to one conversion rate

Counting Down the Days

I've avoided looking at the calendar up until today. I knew that when I started to count down the days everything else would go out the window. After spending a few hours mindlessly scouring the internet for information on Argentina I pulled out the calendar and counted, one by one, the days before I leave: 39.

Meanwhile my type A personality has kicked in full force. I have begun work constructing a detailed packing list. I've created at lengthy to-do list with items such as "Cancel Cell-Phone Plan", "Write Letter of Resignation", "Get Ambien Prescription".

I can remember when I was little, waiting for a big trip to come. I couldn't possibly imagine how I would wait out a whole two weeks. I remember when I was in second grade and my dad had already moved out to Oregon while we waited behind in Virginia to sell the house. I so vividly remember the night before my mom, brother, and I left to visit him during Spring Break. I was up all night. This pre-departure anxiousness has wained over the years, but not to what one would expect from an 18 year old. How do I keep my mind off of counting down the days? I distract myself. And when all else fails, and I'm laying in bed late at night, I imagine myself saying goodbye to my friends, to my family and getting on that plane.