Bariloche: The extended edition

So…I guess I owe you guys an update, huh?  As promised: Bariloche.

So throughout our weekend in Bariloche, we did a bunch of stuff…ok, I guess I can go into more detail than that. And I guess I should start at the beginning.

They gave us very little information about what to do before the trip.  We knew that it would be our class going (15 students, 12 girls, 3 boys) as well as 3 professors. We had to be at the airport by 8:00am to catch our 10:00 flight. We had to pack for cold weather. That was pretty much it.  Of course, there was a little bit more information than that…but not much.  Now, this airport is actually really close to my house, it’s only 2-3 miles away, but I still figured taking a taxi would be the easiest thing to do (instead of a bus or walking with all my luggage).  Not wanting to be late, I made sure to leave the apartment by 7:15—who knows how long it would take to get a cab?  As it turns out, it was raining that morning (which results in less cabs and less likelihood of being picked up by one because you’re wet) but I stood on a somewhat busy street (close to where my normal bus stop is) and tried flagging down a cab.  This was my first time doing this alone and I was kind of unsure of myself, but after about 7 minutes of standing on the curb and three cabs passing me by, fourth time was the charm.

I made it to the airport at probably around 7:40 and was (obviously) the first one there.  After about 10 more minutes I finally saw other people from my class there and after 15 more minutes of waiting with them, we finally saw one of our professors walking by and she told us where to go and what to do.  By 8:20 everyone was there, and then we went through security.  Now, pretty much all of us had forgotten what Airline Security had been like before 9-11…all we did was put our stuff on the conveyor belt thing (all our stuff being out carry-on bag) and then with shoes, belts, watches, bracelets, earrings, etc., we walked through a metal detector.  I think we were supposed to get a brief pat-down from one of the guards…but they weren’t being too vigilant about it and I just kind of walked right by them.  And that was it.  I’m pretty sure all of us set off the metal detector, and nothing happened.  It was so weird. 

Anyways, we had time to kill before our flight and so we ended up sitting at a café and getting some breakfast.  The flight lasted about 2 hours, we also got breakfast on the plane (and I had eaten a bit before I left the apartment…so yes, I ate breakfast 3 times that day) and when we got off, we drove to where we would be staying, a place called Camping Musical, and had lunch.  This was probably the best food I’ve eaten since being in Argentina. Every meal was fantastic.  Also, Camping Musical is (during the tourist season) a place where musicians come and stay; it is a kind of campground and so we stayed in cabins and meals were in the Main cabin and we were surrounded by mountains and forests and lakes, and nature in general.  Now when I say we stayed in cabins, I mean the girls in one, the boys in another, and staff in the third.  And these were nice cabins!  There were 4 bedrooms and two bathrooms and two sets of bunk beds in each room.  As it turned out, Annalise and I were sharing our own room which was nice because we got to use the extra blankets and pillows from the unused beds.

After spending some time unpacking and then eating lunch, we went out on a much-needed walk.  It was much-needed because we had all eaten so SO much food and we were all needing some exercise.  It was a gorgeous walk.  We were walking through the forest near a lake and…well it was really, really breathtaking.  And what was so incredibly interesting to me, was that the scenery was a blend of fall and spring.  The leaves were changing colors into the familiar fall array, but here and there were flowers and plants that were bursting into life in vibrant shades of pink and red.  It was incredible to see these two opposite seasons being fused together in one panoramic view. 

Our walk led us to our next destination: tea and cake—yes, more food.  I actually didn’t have tea, I had hot chocolate. And it was the best dang hot chocolate of my life.  Seriously.  Also, at this point it had started to rain a little and (I got a window seat—woo!) I was able to drink hot chocolate while looking out a window while it was raining. That’s just always a good time.  After tea was a little bit of free time, followed by an introductory speech by one of the staff with us, and then dinner.  Need I remind you that all the food is delicious? Perhaps the most delicious was the bread.  Apparently the water used is different than in Buenos Aires (makes sense) and that’s what gives the bread its flavor.  It was by far the best bread I’ve had here, and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t anything special really, it was just warm, fresh bread—you can’t really go wrong there.

So the next day, Friday, brings with it a trip into the actual city of Bariloche (and by city I mean like Holland, Michigan is a city…it’s not, but that’s what people call it anyways).  While there we got to see the artwork of Toon Maes which was really really awesome.  What was crazy about that, though, was that it wasn’t in a museum or anything, the paintings had been stored in the basement of the building and they weren’t framed or anything, we could touch them and take pictures—everything you’re not allowed to do in an actual museum, we were allowed to do; and as cool as that was, it will definitely shorten the life of those paintings. I mean, they will never be in a museum (at least not with how things are looking…) because of the controversy of the artist…you see, he was a nazi in WWII and some people were just not willing to accept his artwork because of that.  They had actually tried to do an exhibit somewhat recently, but people that came would either take the pictures down or cover them with something…needless to say it didn’t really go all that well.  Another reason it was interesting to see them, is because we had read about them during our class beforehand.  It was cool to actually see something that we had been reading about—it always makes readings so much more real to see their subjects. 

After the “museum” there was lunch at a seafood place, but because I’m not one for seafood, I got the ravioli instead of the trout (I was one of about 6 or so) which was still good!  I was able, however, to taste some of Annalise’s and, for fish, it wasn’t bad.  After lunch was a talk from a guest speaker about the history of the Mapuche (indigenous peoples of parts of Argentina and Chile) but…we had all just eaten a fantastic meal…and we were really really tired…and I’m pretty sure that every single person at least dozed off for at least a little bit—one of our profs said she did too, a bit.  I tried really, REALLY hard to stay awake, and for the most part (except for in the first ten minutes or so) I succeeded.  But it was hard.  And of course, after the talk we went back to the Camp, had a couple hours of free time…and then dinner.  Seriously, food and nature, that’s what this weekend consisted of.  Now, after dinner this night, we decided to make a campfire outside (because what do you know, they have a fire pit).  Their only request was that we put out the fire when we’re done.  So for the next 3-4 hours, we were sitting around a campfire, having a grand old time—even the profs were with us for part of it!  Now, we had heard that a couple of guys that had come last year had gone for a polar dive in the lake one morning, and we figured…well why not us too? 

Of course, by the time the decision had been made to actually do a polar dive, a vast majority of the students were…less than completely sober.  Not to say everyone was super drunk…just…not completely sober.  Now, I feel I should clarify, bottles of wine were available for purchase at dinner, and some students decided to buy an extra bottle for the campfire to share with others.  Remember, the profs were there and saw all this going on…so it’s not like we were breaking the rules, just saying.  Also, I feel I should point out I had only two sips of wine, one because Annalise wanted me to taste one, and one because a couple hours later people were slightly appalled I had not been drinking and urged me to take another drink…then they forgot about me and I continued being sober the rest of the night…yes, even during the swim.  Also, it was a ton of fun.  I mean, I didn’t have shoes and there were tons of rocks, so my feet hurt a ton…but it was still a blast and I’m pretty sure I would do it again, given the chance.

At about 1 in the morning most of the people had gone to bed and it was just myself, Annalise, and one other person, Tyler, who were left, so we put out the fire, cleaned up a little (not nearly as much as we should have…there were several empty bottles laying around the next morning) and headed to bed.

The next morning brought breakfast and another speaker (more about the Mapuche) and then almost immediately after—lunch.  After lunch we went on a boat ride. And it was awesome.  It wasn’t just a boat ride, it was a tour of three separate islands and we traveled by boat.  The boat was big enough to hold at least 70 people (I mean, it’s a tourist boat!) and there was an upper deck, as well as an inside (where most of the people were sitting) but also you could walk around on the deck of the boat and even go right up to the front—Titanic style.  Needless to say, that is where I spent most of my time.  Also on the upper deck people were giving out crackers so you could hold them up and let the seagulls that were there grab it right out of your hand. It was kind of awesome.  But being on that boat, seeing the vastness of the water and feeling the mighty presence of the mountains, while listening to the Hope Chapel CD’s (courtesy of Annalise’s iPod—and Kelly for sending me the second one!) was an experience I won’t soon forget, and one I hope at least some of you will be able to experience one day. 

As I said, the tour was of three different islands, so we were on a boat for most of the day, and when we got to each one, we were allowed to walk around and take pictures and do pretty much whatever we wanted for 40-60 minutes until the boat left for the next island.  It was indeed a beautiful day to explore what Patagonia has to offer.  And as always, after our “Nautical Excursion” (as our itinerary called it) we had dinner.  No campfire this time, but Annalise and I spent a decent portion of the night talking and pondering life’s questions…like what do we do with our lives from here?  It was a night full of interesting conversation to say the least…

Our last day in Bariloche.  After breakfast was another talk—this one about edible plants (because there is a vast knowledge of these that has been lost with the dying culture of the Mapuche—I had to let you know how it all tied together!) and after the talk (which was quite interesting—dandelions dude, we need to eat more of them) we went out on a walk around the campsite, identifying and tasting and gathering edible plants.  We gathered enough leaves and flowers and berries to make a delicious salad—that was probably the most nutritious thing I ate that weekend—and we were treated to some DE-LI-CIOUS asado, that was cooked in the very same fire pit as where our bonfire was a few nights earlier.  Seriously, it was the most flavorful cut of meat I’ve had in Argentina and I wish it all was like that.  Unfortunately, it is not.  However, I’m glad I got to try it while I was there. 

After lunch we headed out to a ski-lift where, once at the top, we could see the most serene sight yet.  There were lakes and mountains everywhere, and the sky was so clear…you could see so far out…it was just an incredible experience.  And…even though I probably shouldn’t have, I used my nails to scratch my name into a wooden post at the top of the mountain.  I left my mark on Bariloche, and it has definitely left its mark on me.

When we finally had to go back down, we were able to spend a few hours exploring the city of Bariloche and, because it’s a city built for tourists, we all did a little bit of souvenir shopping and yes, family, I bought chocolates that I am planning on bringing back for you all…of course, I HAVE been having a bit of a sweet tooth lately…but I promise you I will try to bring back some of the Swiss-like Chocolates that Bariloche is famous for (well, one of the things it’s famous for at least).  After spending time in the “city” we all (very sadly) loaded onto our 20 passenger bus and headed out to the airport.  Another two hour flight later, and we were all back in the city, with views of buildings and…more buildings. Our precious moments of mountains and lakes were behind us, and reality set back in.  I must say, it was a hard transition.  I sincerely, sincerely hope that one day I might return and see those beautiful landscapes once more.

I hope you enjoyed reading and that I was able to convey some of the wonderfulness that is Bariloche.  

Also, I only have one month left. Where has my time gone???

I guess I'll be seeing you all soon(ish)

Chau, 

Kiki

The Wonder of Bariloche

Wow.  How does one describe Bariloche, or Patagonia in general for someone…the truth is, you can’t.  Pictures don’t do it justice, and words are always going to be insufficient.  The reason pictures are insufficient is not because a lens cannot capture the scene or the view in the most natural way—by now we’re almost to the point where all camera phones can take high quality pictures.  Capturing the physical scene is actually relatively easy, but there is so much more to the beauty of the land than just the physical glory of it all; there is no way to capture, however, the sensation of standing on a shore, seeing the water, the sky, the tree-covered mountains, and seeing and hearing and feeling all of creation worshipping its creator.  That is what I was able to experience in Patagonia this weekend.  Of course, I was able to enjoy other things Bariloche had to offer, like the best chocolate I’ve ever had, as well as I got to learn a lot about the indigenous culture and how that has been changing over the years, and I was able to see artwork from a collection that is not in any museum (there is a lot of controversy about it and it’s artist, Toon Maes), but it is impossible to avoid the natural beauty that constantly surrounds you here.  It really has been a wonderful weekend; one that has made me wonder how anyone could ever stay in one place their whole lives.  This trip, more than anything else previously, has instilled in me the urge to travel.  There is so much more to the world than all the cool things man can make…there is so much that I have never seen, and so much I now really have a desire to.  It has been a majestic experience—one I will not soon forget—and it is an experience I would never give up for anything in the world.  I’ll write more about specific things later, but this paragraph needed a post of its own, and here it is.

Spring Break (and a couple other stories)

Whew! I guess it’s time to dust off the cobwebs of this ol’ blog and update it again!  I feel like a lot has happened, and yet not so much has happened, but some written processing might help figure out how much has actually gone on since my last update. 

[Just looked at last update]

Summary of this blog post:

·         I get midterm grades this week and that should be…so-so, I haven’t been doing as well as I could be     (A’s) but I’m not doing too terribly (as far as I know) with B’s

·         Annalise searched for an English-speaking church in BA and found a small gathering of people that meets every two weeks, called The Well.  We’ve been twice and both times have been pretty great—it’s a great group of people.

·         We found a group of people off the BA Expat website that were interested in hanging out and so the first day of Spring break we met up with them at a bar and ended up hanging out with some of them later during break as well

·         Spring break happened, a lot of it was chill, but it also included a sleep-over, a trip to Tigre, and a viewing of The Avengers (which was awesome)

·         I think my brain is telling me that I should be on summer vacation now…which is not good because I still have 8 weeks of classes left.

[Actual Blog Post]

Ah yes! Midterms.  I guess this week I’ll figure out how those actually went.  I feel like they were ok, but I really can’t be sure.  I do know how I did on my globalization one, I got a B+…I was one of the three students who did, and we were the lowest grades in the class.  Of course, we all got an email saying everyone’s name and grade…and I know that a B+ is good…but I feel like I should be able to do better.  I felt the same way about the B- I got on a paper.  I was expressing my frustration about getting a “low grade” and when I told my friends it was a B- they did that whole concerned-look thing where they want to make sure that I’m not getting too down on myself for a B- because it’s still really good—they wanted to make sure I wasn’t being TOO much of an over-achiever, to the point that I didn’t know what good grades are anymore.  I understand that.  But these classes have been so much easier than the ones at Hope, and if I get B’s at Hope (and sometimes A’s), then I feel like I should definitely be able to get A’s here.  But I guess we’ll see where I’m really at at the end of this week…of course, now I’m kind of dreading it, but hey, what comes, comes.

So after midterms was SPRING BREAK! Wooooo!!!  Of course, it’s really actually fall break here (May = full on autumn, leaves are changing colors and everything!) but everyone has been calling it spring break anyways.  I stayed here in Buenos Aires with Annalise and we’ve had our days of adventure as well as our days of extreme laziness…and I feel like those days have been dominant…don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining—just saying. 

Now, before Spring break happened, Annalise was looking for some English-speaking churches in the area and she found this small gathering of people called The Well.  They meet every two weeks and the Sunday before midterms happened to be one of the times they met, so we went to check it out.  It’s a subte (Argentine subway) trip and a few blocks of walking away, but it’s closer than any other English-speaking church by at least an hour of traveling. So we got there and it ended up being Annalise and myself, the couple who run it, Paul and Emma, a couple from Germany, Hans and Rosemary (such a cute older couple!), another college student from another program, Laura, and then later Paul’s dad came.  It was just the 8 of us, and we sang two songs and then did prayer requests, and then we continued where they had left off with the end of the first chapter of Colossians.  This was the third time they’d met, and so it was (is) still pretty new.  After Paul talked about the passage, the floor was opened to anyone who wanted to say something about it—adding to what was said, disagreeing with what was said, questioning it, what have you, it was all welcomed.  After that we kind of just stayed around talking for a while. It was so great to find a community of Christians again.  It was really REALLY hard to go from Hope College, where there is never a lack of Christian groups on campus, to absolutely zero Christian community.  I hadn’t realized how much I had missed it until Rosemary started praying out loud and I realized it had been the end of February since I had last heard someone pray.  It was so wonderful to find that place, and I am SO glad that Annalise did happen to find it. 

We went back yesterday, but we got a little bit lost (ok kind of really lost) on the way there, so much so that we were contemplating not going at all.  We convinced ourselves it was a good idea to continue to try to find it, and eventually we did.  Once we finally got to the church, there were signs directing us to a different place than we had been (there are several groups that meet at the church on Sundays I guess and so being moved around kind of seems like part of the deal).  Well this week we were in what seemed to be an office of some sort (so much smaller than the sanctuary obviously) and there were not 8 people there, but closer to 18.  There were SO MANY PEOPLE and it was totally AWESOME!  We were too late for worship, but we came just in time for prayer requests and then the lesson.  We were there for about an hour before it started to draw to a close, but one of the things that was brought up was the desire for a more community-like feel among the people and how we should go out to dinner together after, and potentially meet on the off weeks as just kind of a hang out where we can bring people (potentially non-Christians) and just hang out.  Well, people liked the idea of going out to dinner after, and so we did.  Of course, everyone couldn’t make it, but a group of 8 of us went out to a Chinese food place that was not too far away.  I had such a great time—it was a blast!  The people that went were Paul and Emma, Annalise and I, Rosemary, Paul’s mom Lily, and two brothers Alex and Danny.  Alex went to high school with Paul, and Danny I think just recently graduated from Biola University in LA.  It really was a great time and I loved getting to know Alex and Danny and getting to know people better, in general.  I really, really hope that we end up being able to meet with them more than just every two weeks…because that means I will only see them 3 more times… L sad story.

And that’s another thing.  I feel like my time here is so temporary. I really want to be able to become friends with people here, but I feel like once I leave…well, that might be the last time I see them.  I feel like I’m caught between wanting to make the most of my time with people here and not wanting to start something that’s not going to go anywhere.  But, I’m going to go with the “make the most of my time here” option because I really enjoy their company and so why should I keep that from happening?

Speaking of meeting new people, this brings me to another part of Spring break with another group of people.  The first Sunday we went to The Well, they had not yet decided to go out to eat afterwards, and so Annalise and I went to a restaurant/bar called Sugar which we had heard had American food…and I had really been craving some wings (which they had).  So we headed over, and it was pretty quiet (I mean, it WAS Sunday night, people had work in the morning!)  But we were able to try some buffalo wings and cheesy fries as well as some vodka lemonade (which was pretty good, if you ask me).  We deemed it worthy of coming back to, and we also found out that Ladies Night was Thursday and that for 40 pesos at the door, women got free drinks until midnight. (PS that was foreshadowing.)  So sometime during the week, Annalise posted on the B.A. Expat website that she was new in the city and looking for a young adults group to go out with.  Well, she got several responses (most from people asking if 28, 29, etc., was too old for “young adults” and if they could come anyway—of course they were welcome!) and so we made plans to go out Thursday to Sugar (most of the group was ladies, so it worked out well). 

So Thursday came (and that was our last day of classes before break started) and we met up at the bar.  By the time I got there, Annalise, Nicole, Drew, and Olivier were all there.  Nicole and Drew are Americans that happen to be living in BA right now, and Olivier is a French guy who happens to be in BA.  Throughout the night more people came (Yvette, Juan…and some other people that I don’t know that I was ever introduced to…) but the three I mentioned earlier were the ones I talked to most.  Now, I won’t go into any details, but it can definitely be said that I drank too much that night…but we all have to learn our limits right? And…yeah, that’s all I’m going to say on that topic.  Anyways…Thursday was fun, and I got to sleep in until whenever I wanted to on Friday…so that was good.  Saturday we went out again with the same group (well it was supposed to be the same group but it ended up being Annalise and I with Drew and Olivier) and I had much less to drink—but it was still fun.  We ended up staying out until about 4 just because we were talking and having a good time.  That was probably the most porteña (Buenos Aires local) Annalise and I have been since we got here, it was great.

Sunday we spent the evening with our friend Laura from IES who was also staying in town.  We found a cool restaurant around my house and we had a great time just talking and hanging out.  I think Monday might have been a lazy day because I don’t remember anything important that happened that day…but Tuesday we (Laura, Annalise and I) went to Tigre.  It’s a city up north that’s an hour train ride away.  We ended up leaving on the train at about 9 in the morning, so we got in at about 10, and we got to Puerto de Frutas (a very market-heavy area of the town) at about 10:45, which we found out was way too early for anything to be open.  So we went to a café to have some breakfast and we were sitting and chatting for a while and by the time we had paid and walked out, many, many more shops were open.  We pretty much spent the entire day walking around, buying little things, and then enjoying some lunch when we got hungry. It was so awesome to have a day out that was still really chill.  I really enjoyed that day a lot.  Then when we ended up deciding to head back (around 6:00 I think?) we went our separate ways to eat dinner at home, and then we met up again at the movie theater to watch The Avengers (which was awesome. So incredibly awesome.) 

Wednesday was another chill day, which ended up with me sleeping over at Annalise’s house.  It was a classic sleep over.  We made a junk-food trip before we actually went to her house, we played cards, we talked a bit, and we stayed up until the wee hours of the morning watching TV on my computer.  It was great.  And so Thursday we kind of slept in until like…2:00?  Yeah, another lazy day.  That night there were plans to meet up with the Sugar group again (I guess that’s what I’m calling them now?) but I was feeling kind of down and so Annalise and I didn’t end up going, we were sitting and talking in a plaza for a while—PS I’m really, really grateful to have such a great friend as Annalise here with me.  It’s really been a blessing to have her here.  Friday we chilled to do homework…so I spent all my time on the computer, obviously.  Saturday I don’t really remember doing anything particularly productive, and then Sunday I finally did some homework and then we went to The Well and out to dinner, etc.  So it was a pretty chill Spring break, but I really enjoyed it.  It was so nice to be able to have so many days of just…nothing.  I’m certain that if we had gone anywhere else that would not have happened…and I needed a break, not a sight-seeing trip.  So point of the story is: Spring break was great.

Also Sunday night, Yelena and I switched rooms because we made a deal at the beginning of the year that at the halfway mark we would switch.  I definitely had the better end of the deal.  My room was at least three times the size of hers, and the bathroom was way bigger (at least two times the size with like, 4 times the storage space) and so it’s kind of hard to down-size my space by so much, but I’m glad that we are both able to have the “nice room” for at least half of our stay.  Also, this room I am in now is much closer to the front door, so when I’m super exhausted I can pretty much just walk in the door, walk three steps to my room, and boom! Bed.  It will be wonderful.

Also, I really am ready to be done with classes.  I’m pretty sure my brain has been too well conditioned to the American school year that it’s about ready to be on summer vacation now.  Which is not good…I still have about 8 weeks of classes left!  But this weekend, (Thursday through Sunday) I will be in Bariloche which is a town (ok, more of a city) in Patagonia.  I get to go with my class about Patagonia and it should be super awesome.  They told us it was jam-packed with things though, so be ready, but I think it will be awesome.  Also, I will probably give you an update about that after it happens—I might even add pictures! (Maybe, I mean, it depends on if other people take them, lol, I’m so bad at remembering to take pictures of things!)

Anyways I hope that this update fulfilled your desire to hear about what’s been going on with me.  I hope you enjoyed reading it—it was good to write a post again.  That was seriously way too long to let my blog go un-updated.  Consider the lesson learned and I will try not to do it again…try.

Thank you for reading,

Chau,

Kiki