Buenos Aires, Week Eight

My eighth week in Buenos Aires... Where has the summer (or winter, rather) gone? Time has definitely been flying by, and I can't believe that I've got just a little under a month left until I return to the States. There is so much that I still want to do, but I don't think I'm going to have enough time to do it all. I guess that means I can always come back!

At any rate, my work week was cut short again last week because I traveled to the wine region of Mendoza on Thursday evening. Monday through Thursday were fairly relaxed, and the office was less crowded because of a new work schedule (used to prevent the spread of the Swine Flu, of course). By the end of last week, I completed my "Cooperation Plan", a huge collection of information about various organizations and networks and the funds that they offer to NGOs. I believe that my boss and I will finally be taking on some new applications in the final weeks of my internship, and the prospect of doing something other than research is exciting. In all, I feel very comfortable in my office, and it's such a shame that I'm going to have to leave just when I am beginning to find my niche. I guess I'll have to make the most out of these last four weeks.

My weekend was great (outside of having to take two fifteen hour bus rides in two days). We left Buenos Aires for Mendoza on Thursday evening from the Retiro Bus Station (which is definitely not the ideal place for a bunch of tourists to hang out) and arrived Friday morning. After checking into our hostel, which was only $10 U.S. a night, we rented bikes and rode around the wine country all day (stopping to tour two wineries--La Bodega Rural y la Bodega de la familia Tomasso--and a chocolate factory on the way). Talk about a great day. That night, the guy at our hostel cooked a huge asado (Argentine barbecue) for all of us. After having more than my fair share of everything beef--lomo, chorizo, stomach, and even intestines--I hit the sack. On Saturday, we took a day-long trip to the Andes, and it was breathtaking. We saw Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas, hiked around the snowy peaks of the cordilleras, sledded to the best of our abilities, and visited a historical site of the Inca civilization. Before returning home on Sunday, we strolled through the city of Mendoza a little bit and spent the afternoon in their largest park.

I had to go to work almost immediately after we returned on Monday morning, so I was thoroughly exhausted to say the least. I've been able to catch up on sleep, so the week has gone fairly well so far. It feels great to be back in Buenos Aires after a long weekend of traveling! As for the rest of the week, I am going to continue my Spanish classes and try to fit in a few touristy activities here and there. I've also got a Skype interview for an internship with GIEU, a Michigan program that I participated in as a freshman, tomorrow afternoon, so hopefully that goes well. Until next time...