Hangover Hike, English, Mood

Hola todos,

We spent the weekend trekking in the Tucumán province in northern Argentina. We left Friday night and that was a bus ride I will never forget. Well at least the parts that I remember I'll never forget. It's illegal to carry alcohol with you in transit in Argentina. The police frequently stop buses and search every bag on board looking for booze, but that really didn't stop us. So when our bus got a flat tire we had a really dumb idea. We walked to the nearest gas station and while my friends distracted our academic director I bought a bottle for everyone and a carton of orange juice. Then I headed to the bathroom and drank/dumped the contents of the orange juice carton and filled it with the bottle of whatever alcohol I had just bought. So we successfully sneak the booze back on the bus. And from there....I'm not going to go into what happened next. We didn't get caught. But whatever bottle I grabbed in that gas station had to be the strongest most disgusting tasting liquor ever. Let's just say it wasn't pretty. The next morning was the second worst hangover I've ever had. (The first being the morning after that night at Common Ground for all the Ithaca readers...which I'm pretty sure is just Steve.)

One list of most terrible activities to do while hung over, I think hiking up a mountain while it's cold and rainy is pretty high up there. When our director questioned me about looking so ill, I told him I had motion sickness from the long bus ride. He suggested that I stay in the lodge and not do the hike. No way. I knew very well what I was getting myself into the night before and I did it anyway. Yes it was stupid of me. I decided to make myself do the hike. It was brutal and I totally deserved it. So up the mountain we went and I'm still shocked I didn't puke on the way. My friends sang me the Rocky theme song when I made it to the top. Great moment.

That night we stayed at a hostel in Amachia del Valle. This town probably had ten blocks total. It was very different from the huge busy Córdoba that I know and love. It was nice to get out of the city though. One major difference that I noticed is that the machismo culture is way stronger in the rural regions.

Day two was a million times better. We woke up around sunrise and went hiking near the Quillmas ruins. This isn't your Harms Woods or your Buttermilk Park hiking. There are no paths. It's steep as hell. Rocks constantly slip out from under your feet. And if aren't super careful it's really easy to go tumbling down the mountain. Overall a little scary and so not like anything I had ever done before. But so incredibly worth it. Check out the video:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=NRXXQ4Txvjk

Next weekend were going to Penninsula Valdez. It's whale season so were gunna hang out with orcas and penguins. It feels great to be traveling again.

So as of right now I have no idea when I'll be back in the states. I contacted that organization I mentioned in the last post to volunteer in Pisco, Peru. I told them I was totally in and bringing a few friends in early December if they would still be there then. They emailed me back and told me that they are still assessing the situation and figuring out how long they'll be in Pisco. No matter what I should be home for Christmas.

We speak a strange language: Tutoring English was harder than expected. I never realized how fast I talk, how much slang I use, and how I tend to slur all my words together. It took me a few minutes to adjust and I really had to concentrate on articulating my words. Overall a great experience though. Can't wait to do it again.

I can't imagine how hard it would be to have to learn English. One word in English can mean 80 different words in Spanish. Take the verb "get" for example. It has so many meanings. When you recieve something you GET it. You can GET sick, then GET better, so you GET over it. If you GET in to trouble and I want you to leave, I could tell you to "GET out," or "GET lost." But if I want to meet up I'll suggest that we GET together and when you arrive you GET there. When you are allowed to do something, you GET to do it. You're friends with the people you GET along with. And if you don't understand me, you don't GET it.

Another note on education: One thing I meant to mention last time when I was talking about college education in Argentina is that they need to choose a major from day one and they have no flexibility in the classes that they take. Once you choose a major all your classes are decided for you. People are shocked when I tell them that at most schools in the U.S. you don't have to declare your major until the beginning of your third year. Here you're allowed to change your major once without paying extra money but then you have to start over from the first year. Also they don't have minors or secondary concentrations or anything like that.

Over the honeymoon: I've been in a strange mood lately. Not depressed or anything just...uneasy. Not sure why. When traveling they say that the first month or two is called the "Honeymoon period" when everything is new and exciting and you're making new friends and exploring, and once you're a little more settled you start to loose that euphoria. I think that's what I'm going through. I'm not sure how to snap out of this. I need to get excited about something, or someone.
...Speaking of which, where is this incredible Latin lover that everyone told me I'd meet?

Not much else is new. Still working at the television station. Studying hard. I have mid-terms next week.

I miss you all so much. Get Skype so we can talk for free.

http://www.skype.com/intl/en/helloagain.html

XO,
-Christina