Back from the Dead...I Mean the Bed

Hi there from hot Mendoza! Last week I was sitting in the Internet cafe sweating when I opened my email and received the city of Minneapolis snow emergency alert to move my car. Please enjoy the snow for me!

My biggest news to report is that I'm not totally sick anymore! I spent an entire week in bed with a fever, throat infection, and bizarre mouth infection which was so painful that I couldn't eat anything and could barely drink. It's not very comforting to go to the doctor and have him say, "Yup, you've got an infection in your mouth. Drink some tea." Besides the fact that it hurt to drink anything (much less anything hot), I wanted to know what the hell this weird infection was! But he didn't know, so he just switched my antibiotics and sent me back home. I honestly thought I might have to check myself into the hospital and get an IV for nourishment but luckily my Italian hostel buddy returned to Mendoza and nursed me back to health. I ended up losing 10 pounds, so it took me awhile to recover and get my energy back, but I'm now fully healthy! Always appreciated in a new light after being sick.

As I was recovering from being sick, I ended up quitting my job. I really wasn't enjoying it because it was quite different than how it was described to me and also very disorganized. I was told I would be working with volunteer sites in Mendoza and coordinating placements for people coming from abroad, but in fact it turned out to be mainly marketing the language institute. Not surprisingly, I have been in a much better mood since ending the job and getting healthy.

I'm actually leaving tomorrow to travel down south for about a month, and then I will come back to Mendoza. I am in need of a change of pace and a change in environment, so I'm looking forward to this trip. I'm headed 20 hours south to the lakes district of Chile and Argentina, which is just north of the Patagonia region. Now that's going to be a fun bus ride! You can see the cities I'll be in (it's a tentative itinerary) under the Map section. I'm excited about traveling again, but I think it will be equally nice to return to Mendoza in January and re-appreciate what I like about living here.

When I'm back in Mendoza, I'm planning on living with a family that I met here and finding a more meaningful job/volunteer position. The family is a woman with two teenagers who live in an apartment about 5 minutes from where I am now. I actually found them indirectly through a Macalester connection! I asked the Macalester guy that I had met here for the email of his study abroad director and asked the director if he could give me any suggestions about housing. He emailed me a list of families and their phone numbers and voila! I am looking forward to this future living situation but know that it will take some adapting.

I didn't end up doing anything for Hanukkah, which was fairly disappointing. I had been planning to check with the Jewish organization here, but then I got sick and didn't have the energy. I was sad the first night about not having anything to do or being with family, but I managed. I didn't light any actual candles, but each night when I walked by the huge menorah at the end of my block, I pictured lighting one! Not quite the real thing but close enough. My parents sent me a Hanukkah package which included gelt and a dreidl, so I taught the guys who work at the hostel how to play. They got a big kick out of it.

I went to soccer practice on Monday after not having trained for two weeks. Upon my arrival, my team started cheering my name and swarmed me to see how I was doing. It was a wonderful way to be welcomed back! After practice a few of us hung out and chatted. I finally feel like I'm making meaningful connections with them and becoming friends. We were supposed to play in the championship finals last week, but the date changed to December 21, so unfortunately I'll miss it. Last weekend I went to a fiesta held where we play soccer. It was a peña, which means a get-together with traditional dancing and food. It was for all the people in the neighborhood, and many of my teammates came. Some of them also performed in the dances! (see video I added) It was one of the best times I've had so far in Mendoza because I was the only non-Argentinian there and I had the privilege of hanging out with my teammates outside of soccer. I knew a fair number of people there, and it was nice to be immediately included.

So, here's some crazy news...Yesterday I was walking down the street, saw a group of people, and thought to myself that they looked Israeli. Then I saw one of the guys and thought, "Hey, I know him!" And guess who it was? Dekel! For those of you who don't know, Dekel is a good friend who I work with at camp. I knew he was traveling in South America, but we hadn't emailed for a couple months, so it was pure coincidence that we ran into each other here. What a totally shocking pleasant surprise! We went out to dinner last night and are going to hang out this afternoon before he leaves Mendoza. It's nice to have a slice of camp here in Argentina!

As usual, thanks for reading! I realized I haven't written very many cultural observations, so maybe that will come in the future. Or if there's something specific you want to know, just ask! If I don't update while I'm traveling, I'll post my thoughts and pictures when I come back!



These last few pictures are from rafting in Portrerillos and hanging out in Mendoza...