Glaciers, trekking, and good food

Eddie and I infront of the Lagoon
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Once again I completely amaze myself. How you ask? Well, I had been counting down the days until Eddie would be in Argentina. He was to arrive around 9 o’clock in the morning on Saturday the 10^th. However did I ever ask him what the exact time he was to arrive…NO! Did I ever ask what airport he was going to arrive in…..NO! Did I ever ask WHAT AIRLINE or his FLIGHT NUMBER…NO!!! What was I thinking! Obviously I wasn’t, so by the time that I figured out that I made a huge mistake I found out that the phone in my house was broken. And to make matters worse I didn’t write down Eddie’s grandma’s phone number and I could not get a hold of my family! Thankfully there is one airport that usually takes all of the international flights so I got on a bus at 7:15 in the morning to take a two hour bus ride to an unknown destination. Then I find out that there are two terminals of arriving flights….I thought to myself “GOOD ONE LU, you lost your boyfriend before you saw him”. Thankfully to make a long story short I was standing at the right gate when Eddie came around the corner. It was the best feeling to see a familiar face and I really needed to be with someone who knows me. Honestly I have been a little homesick lately, due to stressing out about finals, having small issues with the host family situation, and being away from everyone I love. It can weigh me down sometimes, so I could not ask for a better gift then to see him. After Eddie arrived we walked around the markets in Buenos Aires with some girlfriends and then packed up to go to Patagonia.

At Glacier Moreno
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I had the great idea to save Eddie and me money by traveling a estimated 38 hours on a bus to El Calafate. However; our bus broke down we waited at a gas station for an extra 4 hours in the beating sun. OPPS I guess this was not the best time to skimp on money but we made it and checked into a beautiful hostel. P.S. EVERYONE HAS TO VISIT EL CALAFATE! Our hostel was overlooking Lake Argentina, the Mountains, and the glaciers. It was fantastic and we decided to go down to this Lagoon that Eddie has read about that was supposed to be really beautiful. It was the funniest thing that Eddie and I had seen and I think the website was mocking the lagoon but it was fun to get some fresh air and walk around.

Trekking on the glacier
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The next couple of days we camped in this fantastic campground with a stream rolling through and trees everywhere. I had been yearning to be in nature more and have realized that I am just not a city girl. Or maybe it’s just Buenos Aires at the moment but I need to be able to breath without a huge smoke ball of diesel and cigs. Our days in El Calafate were fantastic. We spent them walking around, eating wonderful food, taking chocolate tours (DELICIOUS), and trekking on the glacier. Yeah we not only went to the national park and saw the glaciers but we put on “clamp-ons” and walked around Glacier Moreno. It was one of the best trips I have ever been on.

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Arriving back in Buenos Aires was nice but I still need to have more green trees and fewer cars, especially because the drivers are a little crazy here. The next two days I showed Eddie my favorite things in Buenos Aires like a tango show, the San Telmo market, the cemetery where Eva Peron is laid to rest, and other monuments. I had always envied the couple walking down the streets holding hands on a bright Sunday day and I was finally that person! Unfortunately, that was the same day that I had to say good-bye to Eddie. As we arrived to the airport I realized how much I wanted to just jump on the plane and hug all of you. Also I would not mind having ALL of my mom’s dinners, Val’s cookies, Susan’s kool-aid, my grandma Thelm’s goulash Mary’s meatball subs, the candy cabinet in the Browne’s house, my grandma Phyllis’s Christmas platter that always brings laughter, Oreos and milk at the Bakers, , pioneer’s salads, Katie’s boy and girl brownies, my grandma Doris’s meatball soup, free water…the list can go on and on. Watching Eddie leave the airport can be compared to waving good-bye to my family and then turning around and seeing Pioneer hall or my home for the next 9 months. The feeling of excitement that I am still in an amazing city and only having these experiences once in my life but on the flip of the coin knowing how hard it is going to be when I miss home and everyone. So I guess this last statement is just to let you all know that I really miss you and love you dearly. You have all meant the world to me and have added so much joy to my life. Thank you for your support and emails.