How time flies…

So who knew I would barely have time to write here?  I can’t believe that it’s been almost a month already since I arrived…it definitely doesn’t seem like that much time has passed.  I’ve still got about five postcards I’ve been meaning to send since the first week and now five more from my camping/backpacking trip in the Patagonia.  I’ve been doing a lot of traveling though, so I guess that’s to be expected.  I went on a group trip to Pucón with the ISA program last weekend, which was awesome.

Posing in front of waterfall in Pucón on ISA excursion.

Pucón is a nice touristy area with lots of outdoor activities.  The first day we were there we toured some of the waterfalls around the area, visited a gorgeous lake, and finished the day at some hot springs.  The following day a group of us attempted to climb Volcán Villarrica, the volcano that looms over the town of Pucón.  The view was incredible, but I didn’t make it very far because the winds were so strong and our gear was extremely heavy.  It was sort of a disappointment not to reach the top, but it was still worth it for the view (and to be able to say that I climbed a volcano…hehe).  The last day we went rafting in the morning and rode South America’s longest zipline through the canopy in the evening–both were a ton of fun.  I definitely felt a lot more adventurous after that trip.

My next adventure came this past weekend with a trip to the Parque Nacional de Las Torres del Paine–one of Chile’s most famous parks.  Overall, the experience was a great one.  I got to see the INCREDIBLE (can’t stress that enough, here) views and participate in my first real camping trip.  I definitely was not prepared for the physical demand of backpacking through some very hilly, rocky, muddy territory, however.  I think I came to the realization that, while I can withstand being dirty and uncomfortable, I am not good at carrying a heavy pack for several hours along difficult trails.  I just didn’t have time to prepare myself for that sort of exertion, so the last part of the trip was a struggle for me.  There was one day where we had to book it from one campsite to another that was about 8 hours hike away from where we were–we had to do this because we were really short on time already.

Volcán Villarrica in Pucón

At any rate, the terrain was really challenging and we had to carry our packs the entire way, so I got exhausted pretty quickly.  I felt a little bit embarrassed because I seemed to be the only one in the group that was really struggling, but I had also been sick the week before and during the trip…not something I could control, I guess.  I didn’t end up making it to see the actual Torres del Paine, but the day my group went to see them it was rainy and foggy out anyhow, so the view probably wouldn’t have been worth killing myself over.  I’m just happy I was able to make it as far as I did without dying!  HA!  I still have a bit of a cold and these weird canker sores on my tongue, but I think I’m getting better.  I didn’t have much time to recuperate before heading out into the wilderness, so this next week I’m going to the doctor to make sure everything’s cool and getting plenty of rest (and real food…).

With all these trips I still haven’t lost the feeling that this experience has been more of a vacation so far than anything else.  I’m kind of ready to just relax in town for a few days and explore…I still need to meet more Chileans my age and really get to know where I’m living and studying.  My classes this week were mostly cancelled because of Semana Novata, or freshman week.  In Chile freshman week is when all the new students celebrate and go out partying pretty much all the time…so I guess they decided just to cancel most of our classes.  No problem with that here.  I hope that my classes are not too difficult.  So far the language classes seem pretty easy, but that’s mainly because those classes are with all foreigners so

El Parque Nacional de Las Torres del Paine in Southern Patagonia, Chile

the professors dumb things down a lot.  My geography classes, on the other hand, are a bit harder.  It’s tough to keep up with the professors and other students because they talk so fast, plus the lecture styles are all kind of hard to follow.  Most of the lectures are excrutiatingly boring and make me nod off…not good.  I need to make friends with some Chileans in my classes to make sure I can stay on top of things.  A tape recorder might not be a bad investment either…

Since I have this week off for the most part I’ll try to post again soon (and work on mailing out those postcards)!  Pictures will be up pronto, of course.  More adventures to come later…

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