Oye, where has the past month gone!? I was talking to someone the other day and I realized I have no idea where the time goes..I feel like I don't get enough sleep, I haven't seen as much of the city as I'd like to, I haven't been able to do the work I want to (like this blog for example!), and I certainly haven't kept in touch with everyone back home like I'd like to. Looks like it's about time to build a time machine...
Hope everyone's doing well, I miss you guys! If this internet will work for long enough I'll hopefully be able to fill you guys in on our past month (why am I paying money to live in a place where I can't do my homework or talk to people again?).
So this past month has been filled primarily with the usual stuff, classes and homework throughout the weekend, boliches, bars, and mini-adventures during the weekend. I guess the most exciting thing about this past month was our trip to Cordoba! We left on a Friday night and took a semi-cama (a double decker bus with seats that look like first class in an airplane, they lean back a good distance so you can sleep during the night) bus, which ended up being 12 hours but flew by faster than I thought it would. We arrived early Saturday morning at our estancia, something I don't really know how to explain. It's just a plot of land with a couple houses used for dining, bedrooms, and I'm assuming the house where the owner lives. The owner of the estancia is this incredible humble woman from Australia, it felt so good to get out of the city and be able to look someone in the eyes and talk to them for once! There were also two cookers/servers, these two young guys (one I know from Australia, I think the other's from Argentina) who were really funny and incredibly nice. Upon arriving they got us settled into our rooms and then served us breakfast and then we got ready for our first adventure into the sierras! The surrounding area was gorgeous and incredibly convenient for a nearby hike. We spent the rest of the day hiking through the mountains, where we were able to encounter alot of wildlife and incredible views (yea, we casually sat across a bank watching wild horses prance around during our lunch break, how often does that happen?). That afternoon we returned to take a nap (probably the best sleep I've had since arriving in Argentina, the bed was SO comfy!) and then returned to the dining room for a welcome asado, or steak dinner.
The next day was I think the best day of the trip. We woke up early for breakfast and then two of my friends and I power walked to this local area with an incredible rock formation. I don't think my pictures did the area justice but the rock formation was huuuuuge-we considered not going because it was a half an hour walk away and we only had an hour and a half to kill but opted to go anyways, totally worth the hour powerwalk! They had this trail you could wander through that takes you through caves and ontop of one of the rocks, but we only had 15 minutes there so we looked around and then left. We returned to grab some lunch and then left for Las Salinas! Apparently our tour guide, Juan, and his friend Esteban are gods and know about the coolest things that no one else does....like Las Salinas. Basically it's this million acre area of nothing but salt...it's so gorgeous, so serene. We made it just before sunset and took a million and two pictures, then sat around the campfire and ate a bit of dinner. Juan and Esteban sang us songs with their guitar, we learned how to dance (something I forgot the name of..), made Argentine s'mores (thin cookies, white chocolate and marshmallows filled with dulce de leche), stargazed, etc.
So after we went stargazing, we had about 10 of us in a group and Juan told us to stand completely still and listen to the silence, and then scream as loud as possible when he put his hand up. He told us to shut up after putting his hand down, but we didn't really get the point to shut up at the same time. We tried the first time and although it felt great, and to try it again. The second or third time we tried doing it and got the hang of it and it was INCREDIBLE-I didn't feel small against the stars or the horizon that extends as far as the eye can see, but the second he put his hand down you could hear the echo for a few seconds after, and then it hit me how small I felt against this million acre plot of salt. The one bizarre thing that happened was we saw lights out in the distance...like a car or something. I didn't think too much about it until my friend pointed out that even Juan was scared because barely anyone knows of this place, much less goes to it (especially after dark). Weird!
So the next day, in honor of my momma's birthday, we rode horses up one of the tallest mountain peaks in the area. I need to find the name of the peak but it was apparently a sacred area for the indigenous people that use to live in the area (I didn't get the story exactly, Juan told us a few things once we got to the top but I was sitting where I couldn't hear very well and was too entranced by the view to think too hard in Spanish). My horse was pretty awesome, her name was Chirusa, which apparently translates into a bad word in Spanish...but they wouldn't tell me the exact meaning, I just kind of assumed what they were talking about...I definitely underestimated how much they can feel your moods though-when I was freaking out about going down the mountain, she felt it and wouldn't budge. Then when I was excited to be on flat land again and wanted to trot she got the hint (or maybe she learned to respect me, I don't know I'm not a horse whisperer).
Hope everyone's doing well, I miss you guys! If this internet will work for long enough I'll hopefully be able to fill you guys in on our past month (why am I paying money to live in a place where I can't do my homework or talk to people again?).
So this past month has been filled primarily with the usual stuff, classes and homework throughout the weekend, boliches, bars, and mini-adventures during the weekend. I guess the most exciting thing about this past month was our trip to Cordoba! We left on a Friday night and took a semi-cama (a double decker bus with seats that look like first class in an airplane, they lean back a good distance so you can sleep during the night) bus, which ended up being 12 hours but flew by faster than I thought it would. We arrived early Saturday morning at our estancia, something I don't really know how to explain. It's just a plot of land with a couple houses used for dining, bedrooms, and I'm assuming the house where the owner lives. The owner of the estancia is this incredible humble woman from Australia, it felt so good to get out of the city and be able to look someone in the eyes and talk to them for once! There were also two cookers/servers, these two young guys (one I know from Australia, I think the other's from Argentina) who were really funny and incredibly nice. Upon arriving they got us settled into our rooms and then served us breakfast and then we got ready for our first adventure into the sierras! The surrounding area was gorgeous and incredibly convenient for a nearby hike. We spent the rest of the day hiking through the mountains, where we were able to encounter alot of wildlife and incredible views (yea, we casually sat across a bank watching wild horses prance around during our lunch break, how often does that happen?). That afternoon we returned to take a nap (probably the best sleep I've had since arriving in Argentina, the bed was SO comfy!) and then returned to the dining room for a welcome asado, or steak dinner.
The next day was I think the best day of the trip. We woke up early for breakfast and then two of my friends and I power walked to this local area with an incredible rock formation. I don't think my pictures did the area justice but the rock formation was huuuuuge-we considered not going because it was a half an hour walk away and we only had an hour and a half to kill but opted to go anyways, totally worth the hour powerwalk! They had this trail you could wander through that takes you through caves and ontop of one of the rocks, but we only had 15 minutes there so we looked around and then left. We returned to grab some lunch and then left for Las Salinas! Apparently our tour guide, Juan, and his friend Esteban are gods and know about the coolest things that no one else does....like Las Salinas. Basically it's this million acre area of nothing but salt...it's so gorgeous, so serene. We made it just before sunset and took a million and two pictures, then sat around the campfire and ate a bit of dinner. Juan and Esteban sang us songs with their guitar, we learned how to dance (something I forgot the name of..), made Argentine s'mores (thin cookies, white chocolate and marshmallows filled with dulce de leche), stargazed, etc.
So after we went stargazing, we had about 10 of us in a group and Juan told us to stand completely still and listen to the silence, and then scream as loud as possible when he put his hand up. He told us to shut up after putting his hand down, but we didn't really get the point to shut up at the same time. We tried the first time and although it felt great, and to try it again. The second or third time we tried doing it and got the hang of it and it was INCREDIBLE-I didn't feel small against the stars or the horizon that extends as far as the eye can see, but the second he put his hand down you could hear the echo for a few seconds after, and then it hit me how small I felt against this million acre plot of salt. The one bizarre thing that happened was we saw lights out in the distance...like a car or something. I didn't think too much about it until my friend pointed out that even Juan was scared because barely anyone knows of this place, much less goes to it (especially after dark). Weird!
So the next day, in honor of my momma's birthday, we rode horses up one of the tallest mountain peaks in the area. I need to find the name of the peak but it was apparently a sacred area for the indigenous people that use to live in the area (I didn't get the story exactly, Juan told us a few things once we got to the top but I was sitting where I couldn't hear very well and was too entranced by the view to think too hard in Spanish). My horse was pretty awesome, her name was Chirusa, which apparently translates into a bad word in Spanish...but they wouldn't tell me the exact meaning, I just kind of assumed what they were talking about...I definitely underestimated how much they can feel your moods though-when I was freaking out about going down the mountain, she felt it and wouldn't budge. Then when I was excited to be on flat land again and wanted to trot she got the hint (or maybe she learned to respect me, I don't know I'm not a horse whisperer).
I think our group had a really good moment on the top of the mountain (basically we rode the horses up to a certain point and when it got too steep we climbed the rest of the way up) while eating lunch. Someone randomly asked "How did we get here?" and we talked about how we had the fortunate chance to experience many things that weekend that people never get to do in their lifetimes. We were on top of a mountain, eating lunch, in the middle of nowhere, Argentina. I guess I had an "epiphany" so to speak about how fortunate I am and how much I should treasure what I'm doing here. It's an honor to study abroad in general but with some of the things I have already been able to experience, (well, mainly Cordoba), I feel speechless.
After the afternoon of horseback riding we returned to the estancia to eat a quick bite, gather our things and then peace out. Surprisingly I slept like a child on the way back, probably because of the exhausting but much needed weekend activities! I'm hoping to be able to upload most of the pictures from this weekend, I think I took more photos in Cordoba then I have the rest of the trip!
After the afternoon of horseback riding we returned to the estancia to eat a quick bite, gather our things and then peace out. Surprisingly I slept like a child on the way back, probably because of the exhausting but much needed weekend activities! I'm hoping to be able to upload most of the pictures from this weekend, I think I took more photos in Cordoba then I have the rest of the trip!
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