I suppose my trip is still quite a bit away (3 days) but it's finally feeling like a reality that I'm leaving. I'm having mixed feelings quite honestly. The last few weeks I have been feeling hesitant to go away for so long but as the boredom here kicks in, I'm looking forward to the trip more and more. I'm looking forward to the new landscape and people, improving my Spanish, and my second love – food!
It's going to be a loooooooong trip though. Toronto > Sao Paulo > Buenos Aires > Unquillo. I'm leaving here late on the evening of June 23rd and won't be at my destination until June 26th (Yikes!!!). Lots of time to catch up on my reading and crossword puzzles. Luckily my understanding is that there is lots of wi-fi everywhere I will be so I'll be able to keep in touch and kill time.
In preparation for my trip I've been doing lots of research on the cost of living in Argentina; to try to budget as best I can. Found out yesterday I can get 15GB of data on my unlocked BB for $35/month. Here, $80 for 2GB....I'm also looking forward to THAT! Oh Canada, when will your mobile rates get better? I also found out that the town I'm staying in has really wide wi-fi coverage, not just in shops or cafes, but throughout the entire town. Again....Canada, take note. It's funny how we refer to places as 'third world' or 'developing nations' when they are so much further ahead that we are here.
Lastly, I'll be doing research in Unquillo as well. This has been a new aspect to my trip and so I've got very little time to do some background reading and prepare to collect data and do the 'researcher' thing. I've never really imagined myself as a 'data collector' , especially in a place where I am not native to. But, since it will make my thesis writing easier, I've caved and have come around to even look forward to this dimension of my travels. We'll see how it goes.
I'll try to update throughout my travels and with photos (ooooh!!)
