Patagucci: a preview of the vale la pena journey

I backpacked. For the first time. Backpacked for the first time in one of the best spots in the word: Patagonia. The mountains of Patagonia are divided.  Divided among Argentina and Chile. Me and my buddy Michal took on the Chilean half: Torres del Paine.

Real talk: I tried a few times and a few hours to organize a nicely laid out blog post to recap my feelings from my first trip since coming to Amsterdam. I jotted down notes on the laughable and frustrating events that happened over the course of my 6 day trip. I’ve read them over and over, but I have a lot of mixed feelings that I can’t seem to flush out in my typical “blog format”.

After surviving four written and two oral midterms, I celebrated by spending fall break in three different countries over a span of six days. It was absolute madness, but definitely worth it. We started off the journey by taking a train from Siena to Pisa, and then flying from Pisa into Budapest. At the Pisa airport, we met a Hungarian girl named Juniper who spent the next two days touring us around the city. It was great to have someone show us all of the local spots, and not just the touristy spots.

The ontogenesis of humans is influenced by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

While it seems like you can explore Buenos Aires for an entire semester straight and still find new things to do every weekend, one opportunity you should definitely prioritize is taking advantage of Buenos Aires’ neighbor to the east, Uruguay. Two of the country’s most well-known cities are only short ferry rides away from Buenos Aires. Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay, is only three hours away by ferry, and the more relaxed town of Colonia de Sacramento is even closer, only about an hour and a half away.

Halloween, especially in Barcelona, is super fun, and coincidentally one of my favorite holidays, but as I was putting on my costume to go out yesterday, it was also a reminder that this abroad experience is a little over half done (or for the optimist, there is still half left).

Disproving the Japanese myth that idiots cannot catch colds, I fell sick for about a week during mid-October. It was a genuine joy to navigate the Japanese healthcare system, however, and I’ve never felt more at ease sitting in the waiting room at a clinic before. Everyone was nice, and accommodating, and I only had to pay about 30% of the total fee, thanks to my National Japanese Health Insurance card.