After you spent your term volunteering in Argentina, what possessed you to travel around?
I wanted to travel because I didn't know when I would be in South America again. Argentina is such a cool country to travel around in, and it's nice to be able to go somewhere where the dollar is still worth something.
Were you nervous to explore Argentina with a somewhat random group of students and expats?
I was actually pretty excited to travel around with such a different group of people. Because Argentina is such a good deal travel-wise, people come from all over. I got to hang out not just with people from North America and Western Europe, but also a fair amount of Japanese, Australian and Kiwi (New Zealander) backpackers. There were also a lot of young Israelis that had just finished their Army service and were bumming around South America before going home to start university.
Where did you go over spring break?
I went to Iguazu Falls and Bariloche. Iguazu is this incredible set of waterfalls on the Brazilian-Argentinian border. It's supposed to be one of the new seven natural wonders of world, and it was definitely one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. Bariloche is this mountain city located in the Lakes district of the Patagonian Andes. In the winter it turns into a ski town, but in the summer there's a lot of good hiking and mountain biking. I went trekking in the Andes for a couple days but also got to spend one day mountain biking.
Which location is your favorite?
I definitely think the highlight of my travels was hiking in Bariloche. Once you get up into the mountains you can see this great scenery with mountains and volcanoes on one side and lakes on the other.
Any funny stories or surprising events?
Nothing too crazy happened, though the first day I got back into Bariloche after I went hiking, I went into a parilla (Argentine steak restaurant) with my hiking buddies and ate more meat than I thought was humanly possible.
What was the best part about getting back to the States after three months abroad?
I think the best part about coming back to the States was being able to see my friends and family. Hanover weather was a bit of a change after the Argentine summer, but it's nice to see everyone again.
