Yesterday was one of the longer days I’ve had in my life. I met up with my group in the Miami airport around 5pm on the 23rd. We roamed the airport a bit, made awkward small talk and settled into the 9 hour flight down to Argentina. On the upside, LAN didn’t cancel my plane or loose my bags this time. Yay! I was, interestingly enough though, randomly was seated next to Jordan Feldman’s Harvard roommate on the way down there. That combined with meeting a girl I'd seen in Juliana's photos from the Island school just further proves that it is such a small world. I dozed on and off most of the flight, but got no real sleep.

Needless to say, arriving in busting, sunny, B.A., and having no concept of what time of day it was was a bit of a shock. I immediately regretted bringing half of my luggage – almost everyone had a frame pack and a small duffle and it looks like it’s going to be a real pain lugging mine around the city. I should have learned from Costa Rica, that yellow duffle is no good! But that’s besides the point. After the usual immigration and customs (which for some reason I was entirely waved through) we boarded a small bus with our program to an estancia (large extensions of land left over from the colonial days). All exhausted, most of us passed out for the hour bus ride out of the city into the countryside. (It was the only real sleep I’ve gotten so far since leaving the U.S) Unlike any other city in Latin America I’ve been to, the area just outside of the city proved to be quite green and fertile. Everything from pine trees to palm trees (yes, seeing them right next to each other is quite strange) are haphazardly planted along the side of the paved highway. We arrived to find mounted horses, for us if we so desired, a pool, tennis courts and ranch-like housing. So not the Latin America I am used to. I think arriving in the city on Thursday is going to be a big shock. The metro/colectivo system just seems more and more daunting, especially with the lack of coins in the city. More on that later.

Today we did a breif orientation- going over program information, schedules, trips, and safety. It was really the first time we talked specifics and I am more excited than I can describe to start things. We are arriving in B.A. tomorrow to meet our families, do more oritentaitons and plan for our excursions to Salta and Bariloche. It looks like it's going to be a ton of work, and a very hectic schedule but it all looks amazing. Paired with our actual classes at UBA are cultural excursions such as marching with the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo and painting a mural with social protest artists.

That's all for now. It's gorgeous out and we're going to enjoy these few hours off as a group to lay by the oasis like pool and tan. What a life!

Gone Going

So to begin, I figured I'd start this up as the best way to keep in touch with everyone while gone. I can upload photos, post stories and keep everyone on the same page. Not to worry, I'll still be accessible by email or Skype.

So today is the day. My overwhelming feeling right now is that it's just hard to believe today is actually here. I've been talking about Argentina for so long now that it just sort of seemed like something far off in the distance- something that would never actually arrive. But here it is. Feb 23rd. Phone ringing with people who all want to say goodbye, and me running around realizing I should have planned a bit better. (Really, Rachel? You forgot to order the right inhaler?!) I know the next five months or so are going to change me and my perspectives on the world, and I am excited, don't get me wrong. However, for today, I'm overcome with the bittersweet feeling of missing people and realizing just how truly wonderful my friends are. I am excited to go off and start a new adventure, but I'm not sure I'm ready for it all to change. Oh well. Not a whole lot to be done at this point- here we go!



(* two of the photos I brought down to share with my host family)