Scaling New Heights

I've been in Argentina for over a month now and I'm struggling to believe  that one fifth of my time here has already expired! I couldn't have asked for a better first month though - I can't believe how amazing my time has been so far! If the next four months continue in the same manner, I will return to Australia a very exhausted but very very happy man. (I turn eighteen in about a week!)

This time I'll start with the more exciting stuff. Firstly, an update on those guys that we saw being held at gunpoint at the checkpoint on the way to Chile- apparently they were attempting to smuggle 23kg of marijuana over the border. I also forgot to to mention that Pucon in Chile had in place a full volcano alert system in case the permanently active volcano decided to start spewing something slightly more dangerous than a steady stream of smoke.

The 'Walking Group'

Secondly, when I signed up for my host father's 'walking group' I wasn't sure what to expect. I hoped that, at least, it would be a good way to keep fit and get to know more of the local landscape. On Saturday I took part in my first monthly group 'walk'. It turned out to bear a fare closer resemblance to hiking (and at times mountain climbing) than walking. The landscape that I would be getting to know turned out to be a 'hill' (again by Argentinian standards) that reached an altitude several hundred metres higher than the highest point in Australia! The experience was one of the most incredible of my life so far! I'm still struggling to find the words to describe it.. I was challenged, at times frightened,  entertained and richly awarded by views more beautiful than anything I've witnessed before.  

Sitting at the summit, munching away on our sandwhiches and sipping mate, with everybody chatting away in Spanish, I was hit with a strong sensation of amazement at how lucky I am to be having these experiences half way around the world. This is a feeling that I have been getting quite a lot lately. The other occasion that I recall most strongly feeling this was way, was whilstcycling by myself along the same route that I rode with Agus and Luis my first weekend here. With the volcano before me, the beautiful scenery around me, the narrow dirt road and cars narrowly avaoiding me on my bike (Mum, they weren't really getting that close - I say this merely to add effect) I was struck by a strong sense of where I had found myself in the world. The fact that I was doing this at two in the afternoon having already finished school for the day and with a siesta awaiting me when I got back to the house, the beauty of my lucky life was really affirmed.

In the week since my previous post I also survived  the most spectacular electrical storm I've ever witnessed. I was preparing for a bike ride when the sky began to rumble - a deep throated growl that slowly built in intensity. Within seconds the sky was lit by an onslaught of fork lightening and all I could do was sit in awe and enjoy the show. With the start of the rain, everything just seemed to get more intense. The thunder shook the house, seeming to echo in the hills for minutes on end. Soon later a lightening strike knocked out the house's electricity, only adding to the atmosphere. I snapped the below picture soon after the storm's end, just capturing a fading rainbow.

Now for the update on progress in daily life.

School continues to go well, I feel that I am understanding more each day. In some classes I can recognise almost every word, however I'm not yet able to think fast enough to do more than piece together the general topic. I am able to understand far more in general conversation but still struggle when people speak directly to me, however this is improving. Just like in Australia, most adults are far more clear in their speech than teenagers, so I generally fare better in conversations with older people. I was able to communicate to my coordinator (I also got a quick trip to talk to her in San Martin) and my host parents that I would like to take Spanish classes (I did this in Spanish so I was quite happy with myself). So, starting as soon as possible, I will be having three hour -long lessons per week with a friend of Elsa's.

I am really enjoying music lesson at the local 'Escuela de Music'. The teachers are amazingly talented! I would happily just sit and watch them play during my hour long lessons. I have one guitar lesson and one piano lesson per week. On both instruments I learn traditional Argentinian music which I really enjoy. Over this month I have come to develop a love for a great deal of Argentinian music, in particular the 'rock nacional' that is constantly being played and listened to by my host family.

I feel that I am really starting to settle into the family well, happily hanging out with my host brothers and constantly joking around in English and Spanish. At one point, amidst fits of laughter, they informed me that the way I speak Spanish often bears a very close resemblance to the way that Yoda speaks in the Spanish dubbed Star Wars movies. I chose to take this as a compliment and feel no incentive to change. On another occasion I was busy trying to communicate something to Nico and Luis in Spanish and was apparently doing realy well. Then I lost my train of thought and expressed my frustration in English to cries of dismay from the pair - "You changed languages!!" I am quite enjoying the Argentinian sense of humour, especially with my host family and their friends. As I gain a better understanding of the language I am realising how similar much of their humour is to the Australian humour that I know and love.

The super long Argentian days are still getting the better of me, rendering me truly exhausted every evening and the following morning. No matter how hard I try and avoid it, I always manage to have a little nap in the first lesson at school. To compensate I have been over-eating -  a good short term energy fix but probably not the best idea in the long run. I head into this coming week vowing to eat a little less, sleep more, further improve my Spanish and continue to make the most of the amazing life that I have here.

That's all I've got for now. Once again thanks for reading - the support has been amazing!  All the best!

Crossing the Border - Chillin' in Chile

I'll start with an update of my progress in daily life. If you're more interested in the Chile part of this post, skip ahead to the picture of me and the volcano.

Straight after my last blog post I fell sick with a bit of a cold. I'm still unsure whether it's the colder climate or the Argentian culture of sharing everything (or a combination of both) that got the better of me. Being sick puts a bit of a damper on life no matter what continent you're on but it has given me the opportunity to get a bit more rest and let my brain catch up. It has also given my Spanish a good work out, because at the first mention of my ailments, Elsa (who happens to be a doctor) sat me down for an onslaught of questions about my symptoms. To my pleasure I was able to understand most of what she asked and successfully communicate how I was feeling. The other day at school I was also able to translate some written things into Spanish from English for some of my mates so I've been feeling quite good about the language. I did face one little problem when I wandered the streets for an hour or so trying to find the local music school, only becoming more bewildered when I stopped various individuals for direction and understood very little of what they told me. However I did make it to the school eventually and now know my way there so I've been able to book myself in for weekly piano and guitar lessons and have been enjoying going there to chat to the music teachers (who are all great with English) and to practice on the piano. I was quite worried that I wouldn't be able to find somewhere to keep up  practice on the piano so having the music school in town is a real blessing.

Normal school is going really well - the teachers have allowed me to choose the subjects that I most enjoy to take part in and during the rest (pretty much just Chemistry) I go the library to work on a presentation about Australia and study Spanish. Many people at the school have taken to calling my 'Australian' or 'Australiano' which also makes me smile. I much prefer that to Brian, a much more common name in Argentina that everybody calls me at first. In Spanish, any 'r' at the start of a word is rolled, so it sounds really cool when people say my name properly, but makes it much more difficult when I try to explain that my name isn't Brian.

Other than the flu and the minor difficulties with the language, I am very much enjoying everyday life and feel that I am settling in very well.

Sorry if it's not quite as cool as you were expecting, the view of the volcano wasn't as good when we got this photo

Now for the Chile part:

The family decided on a trip over to Chile for the weekend. It still amazes me that they can so easily jump between countries for a day or two! On Saturday morning I woke to these words from Elsa: "Ryan? Vamos al Chile!"

On the way through the Andes I was treated to a spectacular view of the Lanin Volcano. Agus (one of my host brothers) informed that what I thought was snow covering a large proportion of the volcano, was in fact ice that had stuck around since the last ice age - a very impressive fact to me. With the ancient araucaria trees and the completely unfamiliar landscape among the mountains and lakes and a solitary narrow dirt road winding its way through to Chile, all under the ominous presence of the Volcan Lanin, I felt as if we had driven into a prehistoric world. I wouldn't have been all that surprised to have seen some form of dinosaur. The heavily armed and armoured border patrol only helped create an even more awesome atmosphere . We made it through the checkpoint without any hassle, however some others didn't find crossing the border quite so easy. As we drove forward we saw a car load of people hand-cuffed and face down in the dirt with armed officers standing over them. Also at the checkpoint, a few blokes were struggling to start their ute, so us and several other bystanders leapt to action and gave a helping hand after a quick "Vamos chicos!" from Luis (a phrase I've heard more than any other in Argentina, but perhaps my favourite two words in any language).

Chile was in many ways quite similar to Argentina, but in others very different. Pucón, the town that we were staying near in Chile, is a tourist destination with a very strong North American influence - it wasn't uncommon to see signs in English or words that are similar in both languages to take on the English spelling. Everywhere I went I was hearing English, (more often than not in a strong US accent), which perhaps detracted from the cultural experience a little.

Nonetheless, the area that we were staying in Chile was very beautiful, and also in close proximity to a volcano and a massive lake. However, Pucan sits right on the water's edge so it makes for quite a different experience to Junin. I had the chance to chat to a few Chileans in the shops in both English and Spanish. The change in accent is noticeable (although doesn't cause as much amusement to me as it does to my host family) but the people are very friendly and welcoming, and seem quite gentle and relaxed in manner. But no matter how relaxed they may seem on the street, their manner of driving is quite questionable.

Pucón was far colder than Junin, and the buildings of a different construction, usually comprising a great deal of wood - a very Chilean way of doing things according to Luis (host father).

The meal that I ate at one of the restaurants was one of the most amazing meals I've ever had! (not that I can remember what it was called). Agus seems to think that the Chilean food is far inferior to its Argentinian counterpart and when I ordered a dish with meat, informed me that it was liable to run from my plate. (I encountered no such problem) Argentinians seem to make fun of Chilean culture in a very similar way to our friendly rivalry with New Zealand in Austalia which made for a great deal of amusement over the entire weekend. Overall, I had a wonderful time and based on my (very) limited time in Chile, I would happily make further visits if the opportunity were to arise in the future!



The posts seem to be getting longer each time (which I think is a good thing) but means more reading for you so thank you to anyone that has made it this far. Thanks again for the continued support and best wishes for your endeavours now and in the near future!

One Week On

I've been here over a week now, so things are finally settling down and I get a chance to sit back and dwell on the fact that I'm in Argentina! Occasionally this will induce bouts of homesickness, but I'm learning various coping mechanisms for when the 10 000-ish kilometres between me and my home in Australia become daunting.

The primary method for me is exercise. Despite pigging out on the awesome food here, I'm pretty sure I've managed to trim down a bit from the amount of exercise I'm doing.  I've taken part in a couple of spontaneous football (soccer) games with my host brothers and their friends which I've really enjoyed. The style of play is so different to what I'm used to in Australia! My footwork is in dire need of improvement if I'm to hold my own against the Argentinians. On the weekend I went with some of my classmates to watch a local football match in the 'Barrio contra Barrio' competition. Despite being the lowest division in the league, it was still great to watch as the quality of play was on par with our first grade at home. The biggest surprise for me was that they played on a field with no grass at all - just dirt! This meant that any falls were much more painful for the players and that they had to contend with regular onslaughts of dirt stirred up by the wind. It didn't seem to detract from the game in any way though.

I also decided to go for a run in the nearby 'cerro'. This translates to hill, but the cerro far exceeded my expectations of what I consider to fit into the 'hill' category. Geographical classification aside, the scenery (as with every other bit of scenery I've mentioned so far) was simply breath-taking! That lack of breath could also be attributed to the running at a higher altitude than I'm accustomed to..  When I wasn't busy being awe-stricken and out of breath I was also making sure to keep track of which way I had turned in the labyrinth of trees and paths that coat the cerro. The parting words from my host brother were "Don't get lost; my mother will kill me!" so I had to be extra careful. I had the pleasure of being accompanied by a random large black dog, which given the scenery could easily have been Sirius Black. One thing that has really surprised me about Argentina is the sheer number of dogs living on the street here. Hundreds upon hundreds of dogs live on the street without owners, so there is virtually no where you can go without canine presence.

I've had plenty of chances to go down to the river about a block from the house. I still can't get over the water - it's ice cold and crystal clear. At this point I was going to say that I'd happily drink from and bathe in it, however the family has informed me I already do! Apparently the water from the house comes direct from the river! Yesterday the family decided to go fly fishing near the river's source at Lago (Lake)  Huechulafquen. It was lovely just chilling by the river drinking mate (pronounced mah-tay) and practicing my Spanish. I was able to go for a walk with Elsa (my host mother) and get some pictures of the landscape. This reaffirmed my belief that I've found myself in one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

la casa de mis sueños

In retrospect, we managed to fit a fair amount of activity into my first week here; it's no wonder I'm getting so worn out. On top of this, my body is still adjusting to the new sleep pattern and my brain is feeling the effects of learning a new language. However the exhaustion has given me a good reason to try out the Argentinian siesta. So far I've found it quite agreeable, with my midday naps averaging about two hours during the week. My Spanish is making slow but steady progress. I feel that I am able to understand far more of what the teachers are saying. General conversation is a bit more difficult, but I'm slowly getting the hang of it and am happy with the way I am going so far. At first I was only really able to understand when I was being spoken about or to - sentences at home often begin with "can you translate for Ryan" - but I'm now able to answer most questions directed at me and even make the occasional joke. The family finds it very amusing that I answer yes almost every time they ask if I would like something - food in particular. I  can  hold very simple conversation and on rare occasions add to the conversation of others. I enjoy speaking with Elsa, because she is the one member of the family with no English at all and I have no choice but to attempt to express myself in Spanish. I am facing quite a few difficulties with my lack of knowledge in the language, however I remain confident that it will improve with time.

I am quite happy with the way school is going. It is completely different to what I'm used to in Australia. This being said, there is one major similarity in the relaxed nature of the students. Everything about the schooling seems very easy going which suits me just fine! We are permanently with the same group of classmates so I'm getting to know them quite well. The language causes dificulties, but I do my best to socialise with different people outside of my class during the breaks and am slowly gaining a bit of a friendship circle. As I said, I am able to understand some things in class, but not enough for me to be completing much classwork. Instead I've been working on my Spanish, listening to the teachers and building on my vocab which I find to be very productive.

I had some other things that I wanted to mention but they may have to wait until my next post - I don't want to draw this one out too much. Thank you so much for the continued interest, I hope that you are all healthy and happy and reasonable unscathed by the floods back in Australia. Again, good luck to my exchange student amigos scattered around Argentina. A special mention must also go to whoever the stranger is viewing my blog from Russia - I hope you've enjoyed the journey so far.

Anyway, that's all for now. Chao!

Junin de los Andes

Our awesome week in Rosario has finally come to an end. I have made many close friends that I will miss dearly, but we may get the opportunity to meet again at later stages of our exchange. And so begins the next stage of my adventure! I quite enjoyed the travel from Beunos Aires to Junin de los Andes. I slept most of the way to the airport at Neuquen, however upon arrival I was immediately struck by the beauty of the landscape. For the first time, amongst the tall trees and the mountains, I felt a sense of truly being away from home and the familiar.  This feeling was to remain - the landscape that we travelled through was like nothing I had ever seen before.

I was overwhelmed with a feeling of anticipation as we neared Junin, the landscape beginning to resemble that which I had seen in pictures on the internet. Meeting the family was far less stressful than I had anticipated. My coordinator's daughter is fluent in English so she acted as a translator. Thankfully the males of the family (especially the older brother) also speak some English so one way or another we are always able to convey meaning and communicate. The family is really lovely - they have wonderful personalities, and are very accepting, understanding and patient when it comes to my Spanish (or lack thereof). We get along very well with many similar interests. We have passed the time going for walks in the town, teaching each other card games and playing and listening to music which has been really lovely. Unlike in Rosario, here I do not live in constant fear of being run down by a crazy motorist, so life is far more relaxing. Yesterday we went for a bike ride out of town and I was able to get a spectacular view of  the  Andes and the volcano. I spent the majority of the bike ride staring in awe at the beauty of my surroundings. 

Everything about Junin is simply amazing. The people are super friendly and although far fewer people live in the luxury that we consider normality in Australia, it does not seem to have affected their quality or enjoyment of life in any way. I've fallen in love with the Argentinian cuisine  - I had the opportunity to attend my first asado today and was very impressed.  Sorry Australia, but our BBQs have nothing on the Argentinian BBQs! The meat was delicious!!

My Spanish is coming along slowly, however I am improving every day. I am finding that I understand far more than I am able to express in words so that can be frustrating however I'm sure I will improve with time. I am also being introduced to the local 'jerga' or slang, which is always very amusing.  And when the language barrier becomes too much, we can always resort to playing card games and music and eating. Tomorrow will be my first day at school - quite a daunting prospect but I am prepared to give it a real go and try something new.

That's probably all I have to say for now. I hope you are all doing well at home in Australia and best wishes to all of my new friends spread around Argentina!