Ushuaia pt. 1

On Wednesday I flew down here to Ushuaia. My first day was traquilo, just walked around the main part of town and the canal. Being only 1000km from Antarctica and the beginning of winter it is obviously quite cold down here, usually right around freezing. Anyways, I found lots of sports stores, which were surprisingly inexpensive. I gave in and finally bought a pair of trekking shoes. Completely water resistant and insulated, they ended up being a perfect purchase since there is no way I could have done anything I’ve done here in just my Converse. Plus I imagine they will come in handy over the next few weeks. Wednesday night my lack of sleep from the past two days finally caught up with me and I passed out at like 9pm.

Ushuaia pt. 2

Thursday I went to the National Park of Tierra del Fuego (Tierra del Fuego is the name of this state, the most southern in Argentina). Ended up walking thought the park with a Belgium family that was on my flight and an Argentino from my hostel named Mariano. The park was very beautiful, full of lakes, lagoons and forests. The family was nice but they didn’t stick around long. Mariano and I ended up walking one trail along the largest lake to the border with Chile. The border was just a small metal tower and a sign saying not to cross into Chile. Then we walked back and went to another trail that was in the southern part of the park. This one was a lot more difficult because a large portion of the trail was covered in ice and there were parts where it was safer to skate than try to walk. It was worth it though because the views were beautiful and it was incredible to be in such silence. A big change from Buenos Aires. Mariano was great company and it was much nicer to walk for 6 hours with someone else and not on my own (not to mention safer). I think in total we trekked about 9 or 10km.

That night Mariano, an Español named Siscu, another Argentino Guillermo, a hostel employee Adriano, a Chilena and I went to a bar called El Invisible. There was a tango class being taught and we just watched and had a few drinks. Back at the hostel we sat around and had a really interesting conversation just about life. I love hearing other people’s stories and lessons they’ve learned. Plus, I felt pretty proud cuz the whole convo was in Spanish and not only did I understand everything, I didn’t have to translate it in my head first. Besides seeing so many spectacular things, I think the best thing about traveling is getting to meet so many different people and to be able to learn from them. Plus its just fun! Anyways, it was just a really good start to this trip.

Ushuaia pt. 3

Friday Mariano and I hiked Glacier Martial. It is a glacier that is at the summit of a mountain about 7km behind Ushuaia. The walk up to where the chairlift ended was pretty easy. There was snow everywhere but it wasn’t snowing at the time and there was very little wind. From there we kept going up (to where you’re not supposed to walk). After a while we met a local named Carlos who was scouting out routes for some crazy extreme sport where you roll down a path in this giant ball, can’t remember what its called. He ended up guiding us even further up the mountain to about 650 meters above sea level. Parts were pretty challenging but thankfully a lot of rocks were still exposed which made it a bit easier and safer. The best part though was the views. Absolutely amazing views of the surrounding summits as well as the city canal and islands below. And the weather was just perfect as well. To get back down we had to slide on our butts (in the steep parts) or run (to keep from getting stuck or too wet). It was a pretty funny experience. In all we spent about 3 hours on the mountain and it was definitely the best thing I’ve done so far on this trip. Friday night Mariano, Guillermo and I went to a hall in town where they were showcasing Cuban films. We saw “Strawberries and Chocolate,” which I liked but I had a hard time understanding the Cuban accent. Later that night Siscu joined us and we went to see a band play at El Invisible. I guess it was rock music, which was good but just not energetic enough to keep me interested.

Ushuaia pt. 4

Saturday I slept in finally and then just did some shopping in town. Chocolates, gifts, more socks . . . . It’s still strange to me how everything just shuts down on Sundays. Most stores are closed all day and even the restaurants are closed or have much shorter hours. Even in Buenos Aires. Also, in smaller towns shops are usually closed in the afternoon, from about one to four or five. I guess it makes sense since most people are at work during that time but it’s still strange to adjust too.

So ya, besides that all I really did was eat dinner with everyone in the hostel. Siscu cooked paella that was delicious. I got the recipe from him and I’m gonna try it out soon!

Sunday . . . . walked around town with Guillermo and Siscu. Found some really pretty views of the city. In the afternoon some other people from the hostel and I went on a boat tour of the Beagle Channel. It was pretty expensive and really touristy but it was worth it. It took us out to an island from which you have a great view of the city. Then an island with sea lions, an island with these birds that look like penguins but aren’t actually penguins (they could fly). And lastly we went past a lighthouse, which everyone calls the lighthouse at the end of the world even though the most austral lighthouse is actually on Staten Island which is off the coast of Tierra del Fuego.

Ushuaia pt. 5

Monday was a holiday so again everything was closed down. I tried to walk around the upper part of the city but it didn’t go to well because I hurt my knee the other day. I think it was Saturday night when I was walking to the bar I slipped on some ice on the sidewalk. Anyways, now my knee is all swollen and it hurts to bend it. So I just spent the day hanging out at the hostel. Caught my flight that night and got back to the city by Tuesday morning.

All in all it was a great trip. The city itself was beautiful and relaxing, though I could have done everything I wanted to do in about 3 days (versus staying for 6). I think the glacier was my favorite excursion. Also, the people were amazing. It was incredible to see how people from different cultures, languages and ages can come together and learn from each other. I guess that’s the other thing I feel like I took away from this trip, more knowledge (and recipes!).

SEE ALL MY PHOTOS HERE.

This was my first time really traveling alone and it has made me sooo sooo excited to start the rest of my travels!

Change of plans . . .

Once again, I´ve decided to change around all my plans! I love that I can re-adjust my life and be impuslive in a way that lets me do what makes me happiest. Ok maybe impulsive isn´t the right word. I´m not one to make decisions without thinking them through and weighing all the pros and cons. Honestly it makes me very happy to be reminded how much control I have over my life and I´m glad that I don´t have things that hold me back or prevent me from doing exactly what I want. Ahh to be young and without major responsibilites. Jaja.

Anyways, the new plan is to stop classes, travel earlier and go back to the states earlier. On Wednesday I head to Ushuaia (no more El Calafate). On Monday night I´ll fly back to Buenos Aires and then start traveling on Thursday or Friday. I´ll start my 5 week travel-by-bus through Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. I´m trying to find some sort of flight back but I might have to bus back as well (ahhh I don´t want to do 3-5 days on a bus). I will get back to Buenos Aires by the 8th of July and the next day my mom comes. Two weeks with her in the city and a trip to Bariloche then I´ll fly back to the states the 20th or 22nd of July. A few days in Msvl then down to San Diego by August 2nd so I can start summer school.

I´m really happy with this choice to change things around and oohhhh I can´t wait to start traveling!

Thinking about the future . . .

The other day I realized that class registration for Fall 2009 at UCSD is fast approaching. So I finally did what I have been avoiding since November . . . . I decided what I'm actually getting my degree in. Ok I knew that at least one major would be International Studies with a focus on Political Science and on Latin America. However, I was having a horribly difficult time deciding what was most important: graduating in June '10, having a relevant internship, a job I actually get paid for or double majoring. I would love to do all of them but that just isn't a viable option for me (I wish I would have taken more classes as a Freshman and Sophomore). Part of the reason that choosing between these things was so difficult was because I was so sure that I wanted to go to grad school as soon as possible after UCSD. Anyways, looking at what classes I wanted to take next quarter I finally made some decisions.

I am going to double major in Int'l Studies and in Spanish Language Studies (part of the Linguistics department). Hopefully, if I work hard enough and the right classes are offered at the right times, I'll be able to graduate in June of next year. If not I'll have to stick around for summer school or more likely Fall Quarter 2010 (tho I would still do the graduation ceremony in June). I know there aren't many relevant internship opportunities in SD so I'm not going to worry too much about getting that kind of experience right away. Especially since I don't really know exactly what I wanna do with my life.

I've also changed my thinking for post-UCSD. I have known for a long time that I love learning and that I want to continue my education in graduate school or maybe law school. But before I felt as if I had to do it immediately after my undergrad. That if I didn't do all this preparation during UCSD and go to grad school straight away I would never have the opportunity. Part of this is well founded with the ever increasing competition and costs. But then I realized that there are other things I might want to experience first. Why all this rush for grad school and, well, reality? I would love to take some time and travel more, maybe do a research program abroad, just live life more. Not that grad school, full-time employment or having a family isn't living life . . . but for me I think there is more I need to see and do and experience. Since deciding this I've felt an enormous amount of relief. I realize that I have all these options and opportunities ahead of me and that there are many routes that can take me to a desired destination.

Tests and Travels

I'm officially done with my first round of midterms. I had a theory midterm last week and then my history midterm on Tuesday. Both went ok but I'm not sure how they will be graded (I'm hoping for 7's because if I get 7's or higher on all my midterms I won't have to take finals).

This was also a big week for flight purchases. I booked a flight for my momma to come visit me for 2 weeks in July! I am so very excited for this and last night I even had a dream about her being here to visit. Thinking about someone coming to visit me has made me realize how much I'm going to have to explain. There are many aspects of la vida cotidiana (everyday life) that I am accustomed to that I forget are completely different from life in Cali. Like the people selling things on the subte and busses, cat-calls, the importance of monedas (coins), toilets . . . things that were strange to me when I first arrived but now are just a normal part of life. Besides just being able so see and visit with my mom, I'm excited for someone from home to be able to share this part of my life with me. Living here in BsAs has affected me so much and I am glad to have the opportunity for someone from my other life to come here and understand it.

The other big flight purchase was a flight to El Calafate and Ushuaia. On the 20th of May I'm flying to El Calafate which is in southern Argentina near the Andean mountian range. I'll probably spend a day or two there seeing glaciers and parks. Then I'll take a 12-14 hour bus to Ushuaia (with one stop along the way). Ushuaia is the most southern city in the world! - Note: Buenos Aires is more south than South Africa - And I'll likely spend about 4 days in Ushuaia! Ahh I'm sooo excited for this. There probably won't be enough snow for snowboarding but I'm still looking forward to doing things like tours, boat rides, seeing national parks etc.

I've also started looking into a trip to Brazil for late June and I've been thinking about trying to make it to Colombia in August . . . its just a thought and would depend on when I start traveling, how much I like Chile, when I fly back to the U.S. . . . .