The Curious Discovery Journey

Patagonia is the Southern region of Argentina and it is absolutely nada que ver (nothing like) the giant bustling city I’ve been living in for the past two years. Instead, they’re showcasing soaring mountains and gigantic floating blocks of blue ice. I was given the gift of a week spent immersed in nature with my friend Brian, who I hadn’t seen in eight years. It was a spectacular trip. I’m going to let the pictures speak for themselves!

First: Bariloche
Precious little mountain town with a distinct German flair near the border of Chile. They feature artesian chocolates (thankfully someone dragged me out of the chocolate boutique) and microbreweries cast to a scenery of beautiful mountains and crystal clear lakes. Extra bonus: my friend, Meg, lives there so we got our own personal tour guide. Oh, and did I mention the fondue with red wine? Divine!



Second: El Calafate
Growing up in Redding, California means I’ve seen mountains and lakes before. However, never in my life have I seen a glacier. Better yet, I got to climb the glacier wearing crazy spiky cleats and was rewarded with alfahores (delicious cookies) and whiskey (chilled with glacier water) at the end. It was the highlight of the trip for me and I was blown away by the size, color and sheer glory of
the glaciers.


I’m so grateful to have seen a little bit more of Argentina before leaving for good. After the trip was over I had four days to pack up my bags, say goodbye to my home and hop on a plane. What an amazing country! I'm glad to add this trip to a rich collection of memories that have left a lifelong impression on me. Quite the curious discovery journey.

Saying Good-bye

Friday was my “despedida” or good-bye party. It was a bitter-sweet night: I enjoyed myself immensely but kept being reminded that there are so many precious people here I’ll miss. Oh, and we had absolutely amazing food. I love celebrating like a little piggy!

Over the course of the night I was also reminded of the fact that the words “good-bye” are simply not sufficient. How do you really say good-bye to someone and communicate all the love you’ve felt for them? All the great memories? Especially if I’m not going to see them for a long time, or maybe never again! How can you put that type of good-bye into words? I found that my vocabulary just wasn’t sufficient. I hope that my friends felt my heart through my hugs.

I also feel like the party confirmed that it’s my moment to exit Argentina. There were so many people who were a special part of my Argentine adventure who should have been at my despedida, but they’re all gone now! I’m the only one left of the 12 Americans who took the TEFL course with me during my first month here two years ago. And you know what? I went to all of their despedidas. I’ve probably been to 20 despedidas over the last two years. That’s too many. I’m glad that this last one was mine.

I don’t want more good-byes, although the next few weeks will be full of them. The silver lining, though is that I’m returning in a month and then I’ll be able to change my tune and say “hello!” to everyone I’ve been missing so much.