"¡Hola!" from the other side

The last ten days have been an absolute whirlwind. (Or should I say earthquake? I've already braved my first temblor. OK fine, to be honest I didn't actually notice anything but I did successfully evacuate the university building with everyone else!)

Anyway, SPOILER ALERT: My streak of enviable Instagram posts don't tell the whole story. If you asked me how I was feeling at any point in the past week or so, I could have referred you to this wonderfully accurate gif:
 

Although a certain masterpiece of the small screen should have prepared me to expect the unexpected, no part of my experience so far has been exactly what I anticipated. Not to say that it hasn't already been maravilloso in so many ways!

While the jam-packed orientation schedule didn't allow us to explore DF as much as I would have liked (though I did become very familiar with 2 hotel conference rooms and about 10 blocks of Avenida Juarez), it was definitely one of the most official-feeling events I've ever attended. I mean, speeches by embassy representatives and other government officials, fancy name tags, AND endless chocolate croissants?!

But seriously, the presentations really affirmed the significance of this binational initiative at this particular moment in history (#buildbridgesnotwalls, @realDonaldTrump), and made me feel even more honored to be a Fulbright-García Robles grantee.

{Ballet Folklórico at Bellas Artes & Monumento a la Revolución}

The information overload that came with my first few days in México helped distract me from my overwhelming terror nerves regarding the next 9 months of total independence in my host city. [Speaking of independencia, let me take this opportunity to clarify that Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexican Independence Day but rather a commemoration of the Battle of Puebla. TBD if it's even a significant holiday in this state...]

Friday marked the end of orientation and it was a big day for several reasons. First, and most importantly, I made my debut on Mexican television (check out that candid smile at 0:48). And later I met my university contact and she took me back with her to Atlixco!

Awkward smile because I forgot to go in for the cheek beso

The journey from Mexico City to Puebla was more than double the GoogleMaps estimate of 2.5 hours, and I was too tired from traveling to maintain any semblance of conversation en español, especially after being passed off to several strangers and arriving around midnight to my temporary housing (the home of a university student who I now consider a dear amiga).

Nonetheless, upon waking up on that first morning in Atlixco, my spirits were lifted by the decent view outside my window:

Popocatéptl, affectionately known as "Popo"

Despite being absolutely clueless about pretty much everything and consequently emotionally unstable, my first day in this pueblo mágico was really great. I met up with my tutora and a few students who showed me around the historic area and led me on a scenic hike. As I struggled up the cerro, I explained that the elevation was much more than I'd ever been exposed to; unfortunately one of my companions remarked that the altitude of Ciudad de México was actually much higher... #awk.

On Sunday, some of my new friends graciously let themselves be seen with weird-clingy-American-girl, going so far as to invite me over and introducing me to their families. We ate homemade delicacies (memelas omg omg) and then sampled some local treats in the vibrant zócalo, the central plaza which draws a crowd of tourists on the weekends. 

I offered to help make the tortillas but they politely declined...

Among all of the new/unfamiliar/exciting/cool-ness there's certainly some new/unfamiliar/intimidating/confusing-ness, such as figuring out how to navigate this little city by walking dirt roads and riding mini-van combis or looking for somewhere to live that's private but not too lonely. Although most nights I've had minor crises due to feeling unsettled and generally helpless, each day brings fresh discoveries and personal achievements (e.g. less crying in public!!). I expect that I'll find some comfort in the routine of my teaching schedule starting next week, but of course by now I know not to trust my expectations!

Back by popular demand

So this is happening. A mere 124 days (but who's counting?!) after receiving that email-- and almost fainting in the middle of E.H. Little Library-- I learned where I'll be spending my Fulbright year in Mexico.

Atlixco, Puebla, here I come!
Google it and you'll know as much as I do about this place. From what I can tell it's absolutely stunning.

Exhibit A:

Since "Malissa abroad" is essentially synonymous with "awkward social interactions and cultural misunderstandings," the resurrection of (Mal)entendida was a no-brainer. For instance, it looks like I'll be working at a university, but with a few minor details TBD (housing, my specific teaching role, if I'll make any friends, etc.), the next few weeks will be especially terrifying interesting. 

I set off for orientation in Mexico City on August 22. Wish me suerte!

Despedida

As I sit in the Miami airport after a mostly uneventful day of traveling (the exceptions: the woman who woke me up from my plane nap by  yelling her complaints at the flight attendant, the inconvenient mishap where the handle of my 50+ lb bag broke during the customs process, and the unfortunate realization that I have a wallet full of Argentine pesos that I cannot change back to dollars now that I’ve left the country…), I want to take this chance to copy every other cliché study-abroad blog and express some final thoughts/reflections about my unforgettable semester in BA.

Since my tearful goodbye with my host parents this morning at the airport (key word “my” considering that I was the only one of the three of us who choked up #awkward), I’ve already encountered several manifestations of the anticipated-but-still-significant reverse culture shock. I can’t shake this sense of guilt when I don’t use Spanish (shoutout to the merciless language pledge) and I have to remember that people who address me in English aren’t insinuating some sort of inadequacy/otherness on my part, it’s just the norm. Upon landing in Florida I marveled at the unlimited internet access that 3G provides (I’m no longer dependent on wifi zones!!!) and I remembered that I’m allowed to flush toilet paper (only after throwing it in the trash by force of habit).

I am SO excited to be back with family for the holidays and to reunite with my Davidson friends in a few weeks, and there are certainly parts of my life over the past 5 months that I will NOT miss. For example:

• Having to allow at least an hour to get anywhere in the city
• Using only cash, and causing exasperated sighs/eye rolls when I try to break a 100 peso bill (their maximum bill that’s only worth like 10 dollars)
• Sweating profusely (like, creating a puddle at my feet) on the bus
• (Well-meaning?) comments about my weight/eating & exercise habits
• Paying for bottled water in restaurants (when it costs the same to buy a soda it's hard to do the right thing and splurge for agua)
• Repeating the same conversations with every local I met (my impressions of the country/city, how castellano is so distinct, my travel plans for the semester… in general, just way too much talk about me)
• Feeling judged every time I spoke

Nonetheless, as (hopefully) evident from my other posts, the fond memories have definitely outweighed the little annoyances. Recently I made a list in my journal about happy things. Here are several that I don’t think I’ve mentioned on my blog before:

•      The little extra treats Lili & Gus would prepare for me—snacks of coffee and cake, ham and cheese tostados, and licuados (their version of smoothies [Gus’ specialty], though there was that one time he accidentally blended in a reusable plastic ice cube #TotalMcSwainMove amirite?!)
• Though I’m quite sick of discussing how different Argentine Spanish is (I can’t tell you how many times I discussed the fresa vs. frutilla debacle), I really like a few of the common words/phrases—buen provecho (what you say when you see someone eating; more than once someone shouted it at me from their car as they passed me walking while eating an empanada), así que, bueno (basically “alright then,” what Lili said at the conclusion of almost every meal), plus the fun slang like cheto (fancy) and quilombo (mess)
• The almost constant sing-along to the American music (both oldies and current hits) that pretty much always filled the house
• The purple flowers that grew everywhere this spring
• The rooftop garden project that consumed my host parents’ every free moment (by the end of the semester we were eating homegrown lettuce!)
• Brunch/coffee dates with friends from the program
• That one time I went to a play with some girls from my class and some of their friends (my most successful social activity with porteños)
• Stuff that’s not Argentinian but that still made me happy throughout the semester-- family group texts, new albums (T Swift, Nick Jonas, One Direction… sophisticated, I know), and Skype/Facebook convos with friends from home/Davidson

Even my last few days were full of adventures. I don’t have the time/ganas to write about Teatro Ciego (theater/dinner experience in complete darkness) or the extreme massage I got yesterday (let’s just say my whole body still hurts), but those things are best described in person anyway…

Durham, I’m coming for you! And Buenos Aires, I’ll be back!!

Bariloche

The resort town of San Carlos de Bariloche is surrounded by beautiful freshwater lakes and snow-topped mountains (at times I felt like I was in the Swiss Alps or the Scottish highlands). In winter (June - October) Argentines flock to the ski slopes, but fortunately my trip coincided with the "warm" temperatures of spring so instead we explored the Nahuel Huapi National Park on hikes and boat rides. Also did I mention Bariloche is the chocolate capital of Argentina?!

Despite becoming deathly ill on the morning of our flight/feeling sub-par the whole weekend, and although the backpackers at our hostel were way too friendly/social for my taste (why do you want to get to know me?! we will never see each other after these 3 days!!), Rachel and I had a fantastic time. Highlights include the excellent cuisine (seafood, hot chocolate, etc.), beautiful nature (which contrasted perfectly with the desert landscapes we had just seen up north), and a random man on the bus asking me how much my teeth cost (trying to hit on me? looking for a good orthodontist? we'll never know...).

An afternoon snack at Hotel Llao Llao (luckily they served us even though we were pretty gross post-hike)

Trout for dinner downtown

Hot chocolate = thick melted chocolate (!!)

I was obsessed with the wildflowers (they ain't got those in the desert!)

 

 

The aerosilla (basically a ski lift) that took us up Cerro Campanario

Cerro de los Leones

Cave tour

Lake in the cave!

Boat ride to Puerto Blest 

Lago frías -- the water is a "milky green" because it comes from a glaciar

With my travel buddy Rachel! 

At this point we were only about 10 minutes from Chile by bus, but we resisted going back a third time hehe

Casually stunning ride to the airport 

Malissa 2.0

Needless to say, I've grown/evolved a whole lot over the course of this semester. (I'm not referring to my jean size here although that is unfortunately quite true as well.) On several occasions during my big adventure to northern Argentina & Chile this past week, I found myself doing/thinking things that would shock/disturb the "old" me. Allow me to describe a few characteristics of this strange new self (but don't get too excited, friends & fam, I doubt some of these adaptive traits will stick once I'm back home in the States where being uptight and temperamental is actually a viable option):

• Flexible & spontaneous: That's right, I can go with the flow! Natalie invites me on an 8-day trip to Salta and San Pedro de Atacama, but tells me I need to buy my tickets within the hour? OK! We don't make ANY plans for said trip until arriving at the destination? No problem! "So let's just book a hostel when we get there?""Sounds great!" The most structured aspect of the whole week was the two days of guided tours in Atacama (which we hastily booked in one ten-minute sitting). Even when we had a general itinerary it was prone to sudden adjustments (such as the last-minute decision to stop in Tilcara and pay the owner of a random hostel to keep our bags for a few hours so we could do a ten mile hike [¡!]) and, if I do say so myself, I dealt with it like a champ (on the outside, at least). Disclaimer: this may actually be a consequence of my not-so-new tendency to be a people pleaser, something that's even more necessary when you're not spending time with family/people who are obligated to put up with you...

Salta

• Outdoorsy: So I don't plan to try my hand at surviving alone in the wilderness anytime soon, but it would be impossible to see such beautiful sights (lagoons, geysers, salt flats, oh my!) and come away unaffected. The incredible desert landscapes of Atacama could probably inspire a love for nature in anyone. In fact, at one point the multicolored mountains actually compelled me to profess a newfound passion for geology. (I think that fervor has passed now but still...) In addition, I found my new favorite type of natural body of water-- a salt lagoon; not only can one float with zero effort (no swimming required!), the high salt levels mean that no marine wildlife can live there (no slimy, scary lake creatures!!). 

• Low-maintenance: A cold shower never killed nobody, right?! (But seriously it's almost concerning how thrilled I was at the rare luxury of hostel-provided towels and soap in Purmamarca or a boxed lunch on the bus that consisted of chips, a knockoff twinkie, and a juice box.)

Geiser el Tatio

• Animal lover: Well, maybe I should say something less extreme like "tolerator" or "less-frequent hater," but an odd thing happened on this trip where I looked upon a non-human creature and thought to myself, "Aww, so cute!" (I should have known that my developing affection for my host family's cat would lead to such a downward spiral.) The llamas and vicuñas chilling along the side of the mountainous roads were especially adorable (but not so much that I regretted chowing down on some delish llama empanadas/milanesas/kabobs/etc). Several stray dogs accompanied us for the duration of our Tilcara hike and I became so attached to one of them I had a mini panic attack when he almost lost his footing in the stream. A notable exception to this tolerance for animals: the pet bunny that ran loose in our Atacama hostel and pooped all over our belongings/Kasey's bed.

Flamingoes
 

Vicuña

Llama

More llama

More pics (for ones with actual humans check my FB):

Valle de la Luna 

Purmamarca

Salinas Grandes

Tilcara

Just one more trip + a few days in BA until I'm Durham-bound!