No Penguins in the South

How ironic that my one true “assignment” is to write a blog post every month and I procrastinate like it’s my job…Argentina and its laid-back, “tranquila” mentality is really getting to me! I no longer hate sleeping so little during the night, and have come to look forward to my lazy afternoon siestas.

            Right now, I believe that I am beginning to hit the point where most students start to experience bouts of homesickness. A few weeks ago, I still wasn’t truly homesick. However, I recently returned from a trip to the South of Argentina that reminded me incredibly of Steamboat. The trip began on a pleasant note and over the few days transformed into that of a dream, something surreal. On a Thursday night, I was reunited with my fellow 11 exchange students in the district. I’m still amazed that I was able to speak after that encounter, due to the amount of high pitched shrieks of glee I emitted. The incredible thing about exchange students is how close they become in such a short period of time. I had met these students one time previously for a brief two days, yet they already felt like my family. Exchange students have their own sort of secret language, a mix of several different languages and hand gestures combined into one. What I love the most is that although everyone speaks different languages, we find ways to communicate. Often times someone will say something in English, and although I know exactly what they want to say, it sounds weird. I have a German friend who frequently tells me that he wants to “Be on the toilet” instead of “go to the restroom”, but I have yet to correct him because it makes my day every time.

            My trip to the south was only six days long, and it was a blessing to escape the heat and humidity of Mercedes! We arrived at 7 am in a quaint, touristy town of Calafate, named after a flower and berry that grows ardently. Despite the fact that we had traveled all night long, we made a quick stop at the hotel to drop off our bags and were out the door to visit a glacier park. I have a feeling the majority who read “glacier park” are without a doubt thinking, “Wow, a park full of ice…how riveting”, but I can assure these people they are wrong. In the middle of a lake, surrounded by picturesque towering purple mountains peaked with snowcaps, sat a massive glacier. Glistening and formidable, it expanded over kilometers of water and land. I had previously thought that glaciers were flat and smooth, but there were peaks and valleys, and the ice shined a pure blue when the sun hit it. Every once in a while a large chunk would break off and smash into the lake, sending roaring waves into the air. Because the glacier was so large, there were boardwalks all around the lake to view it from different angles. We spent the day walking, singing, and without a doubt annoying every other person in the national park with our rambunctious laughter.
 

Repping our country flags!

 

The next day, we left Calafate to drive three hours to Chalten, a “town” with less than 1,000 inhabitants. There was a small grocery store, several hotels and touristy shops, and a homemade ice cream store- everything I needed. Mountains on all sides surrounded Chalten, and the air was pure. Although some of the others couldn’t stand the cold, dry climate, I was thriving. We went one day to take a hike up a mountain, and ended up on a rocky cliff overlooking the town bathed in the afternoon sunlight. Later, we paid for insanely overpriced homemade ice cream, and after eating one cone, promptly returned for more. The ice cream here is different than in the United States, not just in the South but in general. I can’t describe it, it is so much more creamy and delicious, and there are so many flavors it shouldn’t be allowed. Any chocolate lovers out there? Come to Argentina and you can take your pick of a wide variety of chocolates, including Marroc, Chocolate Amargo, Chocolate Blanco, Chocolate Patagonia, Chocolate con Nueces, and all kinds of other chocolates filled with chunks of deliciousness.

            One of my favorite days in the South was when we embarked on a boat ride across a lake to go walk on the glaciers. As we steered through the water teeming with tiny icebergs, I couldn’t help but feel as though I was on the Titanic. We docked the boat next to some brilliant red rocks with swirly patterns, and clambered onto a glacier! With the help of the guides, we attached crampons to our shoes so that we could properly “walk”, or waddle like penguins, up and down the slopes. In some places the glacier was melted and there were small pools of icy clear water. Our guides passed out cups, and everyone knelt down to fill them. We toasted each other, and giddy with happiness, appeared to be rather tipsy, embracing the phrase “high on life”.

Good thing I noticed it was upside down.

 

On our trekking tour

Can I move here please?

In the beginning, I thought, “Oh, ice is ice, and I’ve seen plenty growing up in Steamboat”. The ice in the South, however, was so different from that which I have seen. Every day was more beautiful and breathtaking than the previous day. It didn’t matter if we were hiking through a forest to find a semi-frozen lake, venturing out to visit a waterfall, or simply meandering through town; every day was truly magical. After six short days, I now have a close family of exchange students who understand me. We had burping contests, ate ice cream everyday, and taught each other our favorite cuss words in our own languages. A definite successful trip, I would say.

Yes, this is real.

 

My Spanish is beginning to come along, I am now at the point where I can understand almost every conversation, although I still can’t speak in the way I would like. Here in Mercedes, the people have their own sort of dialect full of phrases and words that are not used in many other parts of the country. Fortunately, I found a fantastic “book” in the South, called “Che, Boludo!” (Hey, asshole!). Essentially a dictionary of the bad words and phrases distinct to Argentina, complete with drawings of the hand gestures and their meanings, my vocabulary has increased immensely by studying.

            I hope to soon begin Tango lessons, which is a disaster waiting to happen, but I figure as long as I don’t know anybody it can’t hurt to try. My school ends in about two weeks, and it is almost summer break!! It’s strange to think that it’s already snowing in my town in Steamboat, as it has been a balmy 90+ degrees here. Hoping to stay alive during the summer- my plan is to live in a pool, as almost everyone here has his or her own small one. Wish me luck.

Besitos <3