Monday, September 25, 2023

Southern Livin'

That "time" thing sure is slippery! 

The whole weekly blog thing didn't go quite to plan, but a post is a post, right? Here's a brief recap of my first 3 weeks in the southernmost city in the world:


Orientation

    Arrival here was as hectic as you might have imagined. The 17 of us happy campers were put up in a hotel for the first three nights for non-stop introductions, bonding, and orientating. I was relieved to learn that, at the very least, my classmates are very funny. I don't think you can ask for much more from the 16 people you have to spend the next three months inseparable from. In the midst of this slow discovery of what the semester might actually have in store, we were taking on a half-day boat tour through the Beagle Canal, where we got our first real glimpse of this area's incredibly unique environment and wildlife. Orientation came to a close with more questions than answers, intense anticipation, and the long awaited meeting of our host families. 











Homestay

    I have the pleasure of being housed by Hector Tapia, his wife Andrade, and their 15 year old son Francisco. Hector is a man of few words, or at least words I can't entirely understand yet. I originally thought he was a factory worker until he took me to buy his lab coat with him and go talk to some people at a hospital. I was really thrown for a loop when I asked him one morning what time he was going to go to work, to which he replied, "No tengo un horario. Soy el jefe" (I don't have a schedule. I'm the boss). Andrade has really taken me under her wing and is a total mother goose. Originally from Bolivia, she has practically no accent and is far easier to talk with. She's an incredibly caring woman, though I'm not allowed to clean any dishes and have to make sure she knows where I am 24 hours a day. Francisco, or Fran for short, has been a welcoming brother. I've definitely spent some quality time with him, but the guy really loves video games. 

    Hector and Andrade have two other sons as well; a 24 year old studying in Buenos Aires who I don't think I'll ever meet, and Nahuel, a 30 year old who lives ten minutes from us with his wife, two step-children Mia and Juaco and his biological son Julian. They're around often and have been the source of plenty of akward situations. Mia's 15th birthday party, for instance, was a great opportunity for all the men of my extended family to laugh at my sub-par comprehension of Spanish. I do think Juaco thinks I'm the coolest person ever though. And how could I talk about my homestay with out mentioning our dog Champa. He's more similar to a rat than a dog and still shakes every time we're in the same room, but I can't imagine my day without him.

Far right: Fran  Center: Friend of Fran                                           

                                                Left: Andrade  


            

                                                                    Parents on Parents facetime

    

What I Do

    While this does often feel like just a big adventure, it's important to remember that I still have classes to attend. My current classwork is split up into three sections: Research Ethics, Natural Sciences of Tierra del Fuego and Antarctica, and Spanish (though everything is taught in Spanish). There have been plenty of of laboratory/research center visits and difficult lectures from local scientist, but these two first weeks of classes haven't been much work. This has given us the opportunity to settle into a rhythm and do as much as we can while we have the time. To list some of what we've been up to, we've hiked around some of the mountains around town, been to an obscene amount of bars. I was also able to find a gym with a pool, so I'm not getting too out of shape. And that's about it! Life is more or less tranquil down here, and with an excursion to Chile coming up next weekend, I'll have plenty more to talk about soon!




xoxo, 
Colin


Sunday, September 3, 2023

Hostels, Steak, and Cowboys

It's official! The travel blog has begun, and what an explosive start we're off to! Too much has happened in the last week and a half to all fit here, but here's the gist


Buenos Aires

    As planned, the trip started out in Argentina's capital being a tourist. Buenos Aires in the winter can be best described as …. well, just a city. It became clear pretty quickly that BA only has so many tourist attractions in the off season. I had plenty to do and see for the first 3 or 4 days, some highlights being bustling indoor markets, an abundance of beautiful parks, and great cheap food. I should mention that this food is only cheap for travelers, as the country's hyperinflation is definitely real. By the time I had enough of doing tourist things, I was fortunate enough to had met some great people in my hostel, most of whom were Brazilians (that's not important, just interesting).
    And this is where the planned part of my first week came to an end. A couple of these Brazilians told me that they were headed to the smaller, mountain-adjacent city of Mendoza for the next week and invited me to come along, and what kind of world traveler would I be if I said no!? So I unregretfully  loaded my backpack and left Buenos Aires.

 

Mendoza

    Mendoza is a bizarre juxtaposition. It is a young and hip city that is somehow still deeply rooted in its rugged Gaucho history. I think this is in large part because of its geography, being one of the only large Argentinian cities at the base of the Andes. It has attracted Argentina's youth because of its growing size but has yet to chase away its old-school ranchers and cowboys. This makes it an incredible place to visit. I was able to explore the Gaucho life of mountains, hot springs, and horses, while also getting to experience its lively party culture. Super neat!


                                      

    And now I'm back in Buenos Aires, very ready to finally head to Ushuaia on Tuesday. Thanks 4 reading!

xoxo,

Colin




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