This is a map of Colombia that has the cities that I am going to be in on it. You can see here that Cúcuta really is a border city and for Xmas and New Year's Eve I will be in Bucaramanga, in between Cúcuta and Bógota with Laura and her extended family. I am pretty excited for the whole Colombia adventure so I will try to keep you all updated more than I have recently, as it's something more noteworthy that is happening in my life.
I'm in a pretty weird place as far as self-identification goes right now. Most of you probably know my uncle Jonathan Rothe, my Dad's youngest brother, was in Buenos Aires last weekend with his work as he often has done business trips throughout South America in the past. He traded me some American dollars for pesos and it was a shock to see American money after 5 months without $1US to my name. His visiting also helped me realize that 1. I am not ready to move back the United States permanently so I am really happy that I elected to do my study abroad for a full year and 2. That it will most likely be a BIGGER culture shock for me moving back to the states than it was to come here. I think this because coming to Argentina I was 100% prepared and pre-talked about the dangers of culture shock and I knew that I didn't know the place at all, so I came in with basically zero serious expectations as well as an open mind. When I go back to the states I already have pre-conceived notions about how things should be in my life because I've only lived there for 20 years of my life. Updates to come in about 7 months when I actually am packing to head back to MN.
To continue with my travels.... after three gloriously HOT HOT HOT weeks in Colombia I have a flight to Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Here is a map that shows where Guayaquil, a coastal town and the largest in Ecuador currently, is located. You can also see the Galapagos Islands on this map which was a purposeful addition. I am going to spend 8 of my 9 or 10 days that I am in Ecuador doing a cruise of the Galapagos, and I keep talking about it non-stop because I am ridiculously excited and I can't wait to get there and see how amazing it is. The Ecuador trip will be a 100% solo trip, I won't know anyone that I am going with nor will I be visiting anyone I know while I am there, which I am excited for. My Spanish at this point I have been told is quite good, although I obviously still struggle with limited vocabulary and grammar at times. I find that when I compare how I can understand, joke around, and express myself at this point I am impressed with how far I have come from my interactions during my first taxi ride.
I'll take this opportunity to gloat just a little bit and throw in a picture of the boat that I will be on and the deck plan....
After 10 amazing days in Ecuador (where the official currency is the USD) I will fly to Lima, Peru and spend 9ish hours in the airport waiting for my DAD!!!!! I am sooo excited for this. I am a little sad now that I didn't choose to go home for Christmas but then I think of myself as having a more true exchange experience for it. Going home is nice but barring any epic tragedy home will be 99% the same whether I come home in December for Christmas or July for the fourth or even in August for Door County. (This way I get to fully skip one whole winter cycle, which is throwing off my internal clock). My Dad and I are meeting up in Lima and flying to Cuzco, Peru together. Note: I am having a, let me check this up to be accurate..... 8 hour and 45 minute layover in Lima just so that Peter didn't have to take a flight by himself in Latin America. But it's okay, he paid for the more expensive plane ticket, I will eat at the Pizza Hut at the Lima airport and I will be happy to see him a few hours earlier than if we were to met up in Cuzco. We are going to then spend two days in Cuzco checking out local Inca ruins and acclimating to the elevation before we do the Inca Trail to Machu Pichuu, which is a 4 day rather strenuous hike. Last night a Colombian friend told me how she was crying during one day of the hiking and her group was with 2 obese women and she has NO idea how they were physically capable of doing it if it were so bad for her, a thin rather in shape, young Colombian. I guess we will have to wait and see, but it is comforting to know that even if it takes me 9 hours to hike a section that takes really in shape, seasoned trekkers 2 hours I WILL MAKE IT!
One final picture of Peru. You can see in the north there is the city Iquitos, where I was in Peru 2 and a half years ago right after graduating from high school. I went into the rainforest then and now I am going into the mountains so I am pretty excited to have the opportunity to explore another aspect of Peru. (which was awesome last time I was there, so it better not let me down.)
Anywhoo, I have been writing this rather than packing which is probably not a good thing. A few last minute updates about what I have been doing in Buenos Aires. I am on summer break and Wednesday this week was a national holiday, so I decided to go out Tuesday night until 6AM, get picked up at 9:30AM to go to a friends pool and soccer club type place and spend the whole day there. My friend Dan Rubenstein from the United States is visiting and it just so happened that I am here. He is on vacation so he got in Wednesday morning and I immediately went to pick him up and bring him to the club with me. It was basically a really lower class version of a Country Club in the states. We then had a really delicious $1.25 each homemade dinner that consisted of dried mushrooms that were rehydrated with $1 white wine, sauteed chopped onions and garlic, rice and some vegetable stock and butter as well as some spices. It was delicious, filling, and SUPER CHEAP. He and I also spent most of yesterday together where I brought him to the Stakeholder's Gala for AIESEC and then we went to a bar for the after party and since it was Thursday, almost all of the AIESEC people went home around 12:30AM and we went out to a gay dance club which turned out to be prettty fun. Today I am just packing and attempting to get my room in order so that I can go out two final times tonight and tomorrow night.
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