A Final Note

It's been 60 hours since I arrived home to Connecticut from my 47 day adventure in Argentina.

And now, I have a LOT of thoughts.

I am glad to be home....It's not so much that I was homesick. I kept in touch with a lot of you while I was gone, which made it easier to be away. But I have to say, I missed America. I never knew how much I liked the American lifestyle or how well I relate to Americans until I was abroad.

A list of things I missed:
1. Throwing toilet paper in the toilet. (Perhaps that's TMI, but that's life.)
2. Being able to be in and out of a restaurant in an hour for a full meal instead of 2 hours for a coffee.
3. Knowing that the cops are there to help you.
4. Knowing that when you get in a cab the meter will not suddenly jump 6 pesos in 2 seconds and that your cab driver will take you to where you asked. [Note: this was only one time, but I was warned about sketchy cabs when I first got to Buenos Aires. I was safe. Don't worry.]
5. Using a wallet in a purse instead of reaching into my money belt every ten seconds (which looked like I took my money out of my underwear.)
6. Drinking water from the tap.
7. Consistent heat (or air conditioning) and hot water. Invaluable.

As I readjust to life in America, I have to say that the past 6.5 weeks were absolutely incredible. To think that I was in the city, in the mountains, at the waterfalls, walking on glaciers and sailing to the end of the world all in a month and a half is overwhelming. But I did it.

In the most modest way possible, I am so proud of myself. I have wanted to take this trip for the past two years and finally I made it happen. It may have been planned a little late for a trip of its magnitude, but I almost think it's better. I proved to myself how badly I wanted it and got my act together for the best post-graduation memory ever.

As for my goals for this trip, I think I accomplished all of them.

Speaking Spanish. When I first arrived I thought that my Spanish was ok. Definitely sufficient to get by in a Spanish-speaking country. And it was enough...to get by. The thing is, I was taught something between Spanish Spanish and Mexican Spanish in high school - which is why a lot of people thought I was from Latin America or Puerto Rican. For all those who just laughed that someone might think I'm Puerto Rican, you had the same reaction I did. Ridiculous.

During week two, I had started speaking Spanish (well, castellano - Argentine Spanish) literally all day. Morning til night with my friend Carlos from Sao Paolo, Brazil. My head pounded in pain. It was as if my brain was resisting an English detox and week two was the equivalent of humpday. But after two straight days of headaches I never wanted to speak Spanish again. So the English-speaking friends I had avoided in the beginning - in the name of learning the language - I began to seek out instead.

But once I started traveling to cities outside Buenos Aires, the locals I met were a) easier to understand and b) more willing to help me with my castellano. I had some vocabulary lessons from my friend Nacho who arranged all of my Mendozan excursions. When people gave me a chance to make mistakes, I learned from them.

Traveling really pushed me to perfect my castellano. If I thought people didn't speak English in Buenos Aires, the locals of the other cities showed me. With no choice and no pressure, I was really able to speak freely and practice. And people were generally impressed that I had only learned Spanish in school and not in another country. By the end of my trip I felt pretty fluent. I transitioned easily between English and Spanish when I needed to and I sounded a bit more like a South American citizen (most people thought I was from Venezuela in my last week and a half).

Now, I really feel like I speak Spanish. My teacher from my junior year of high school had convinced me a long time ago that the only way to truly learn a language is to go to a country and speak it. He also believed that you have to go for at least 3-4 months.

After going to Argentina I agree that traveling abroad the way to learn a language the way people actually speak it. Spanish is a language in which slang is deeply pervasive to the point where countries have entirely different words for objects and verbs - let alone different pronunciations for common words. As for the time requirement, I think it depends on the person and their drive. I think I learned the language. I'm back to being fluent!

Using the language, I experienced the cultures of multiple regions of Argentina and obviously had a ton of fun.

But the most valuable lessons I learned were ones of independence. I navigated a country on my own. I bought airlines tickets, booked hostels, and managed 6 cities in 6 weeks. I went alone but made a TON of new friends from all over the world. From my friends, I learned all about international customs and a few words from other languages.

I learned to hear my gut and I have actually started to trust it. I've learned to do the things I want instead of the things I feel I should do. For example, when everyone told me to spend my second and final day in El Calafate at El Chalten instead of on the glacier boat I chose to do what I really wanted. And I loved it. YAY progress with decision-making! I also learned to relax and go with the flow and be bit more spontaneous. The best experiences are not always planned.

I guess you could say this was a successful "independence" study.

As much as I learned while traveling alone, I haven't decided if I'd do it again. I think next time I'd prefer to bring along a partner in crime and share the experience with someone. I also haven't decided if I'll travel for that long a period of time again. I guess it all depends on where I go.

A lot of travelers I met abroad were traveling for months at a time. Sometimes I felt that I was less of a world traveler because I missed home or I was only away from a month and a half. I did realize that I love home and as much as I want to see the world, it's ok to see the world in shorter spurts. It's ok to like home and there is no right way to explore the globe.

And so, I have come out of Argentina having learned a lot about myself and a lot Spanish. But most importantly, I had a fantastic time doing it.

Thank you all for accompanying me on my journey. Thank you to Rachel for taking care of me when I first got to BsAs and for lending me a winter coat. Thank you to Fernando, Alan and Sima for making me at home in BsAs. And a final thank you to my amazing parents for supporting me in this endeavor.

For the last time: BESOS!!!!!