No Hablo Espanol
I'm a week and a half into my trip, but the distance I've covered and the experiences I've had make it feel much longer than a measly ten days. Perhaps that's why my blogs so far have been more descriptive than reflective, though limited access to the internet at hostels has also played a part. Now that I've found an internet cafe here in colonial Cordoba and have some time to kill before my now usual 10pm dinner, I'll try to put together a few thoughts on my journey so far.
The first thing that comes to mind is the challenge of getting by without a working knowledge of Spanish. Not being able to communicate with those around you can be a very isolating feeling. At times it seems easier simply to avoid any unnecessary interaction, since this is the most obvious way to attenuate the akwardness that comes along with trying to communicate even the most simple message with a native speaker of a foreign language. Of course, as my mother would say, you're never going to learn anything that way, so such a route is best avoided. Taking the linguistic high road, it turns out, usually leads only to good things.
The second and final thought for this entry (because both my increasingly evident hunger and lack of sleep are catching up with me) relates to the relevancy of the three ways in which we typically categorize modern countries - developing, emerging and developed. While my experience in the latter two is still quite limited and the diversity within each of them is enormous, I've thought a few times on this trip that the typology still seems relevant. I really can't elaborate much further on this at the moment but will try to revisit it and explain myself further when my energy reserves are back up to normal levels. Just thought I'd throw it out there, though.
As for my itinerary, which doesn't take much effort to explain, I'm planning on visiting the town of Alta Garcia tomorrow, a 45 minute drive south of Cordoba, home to a UNESCO world heritage sight related to the region's Jesuit past, and where Che Guevera spent his childhood. I'll then board my second overnight bus in three days, but this time it's to Buenos Aires, which I've been looking forward to for some time. I will be based there for most of the coming week, during which I will probably hop over to either Colonia or Montevideo, Uruguay for a day or two. Now, however, it's time for some Argentine dinner, so asta luego.
The first thing that comes to mind is the challenge of getting by without a working knowledge of Spanish. Not being able to communicate with those around you can be a very isolating feeling. At times it seems easier simply to avoid any unnecessary interaction, since this is the most obvious way to attenuate the akwardness that comes along with trying to communicate even the most simple message with a native speaker of a foreign language. Of course, as my mother would say, you're never going to learn anything that way, so such a route is best avoided. Taking the linguistic high road, it turns out, usually leads only to good things.
The second and final thought for this entry (because both my increasingly evident hunger and lack of sleep are catching up with me) relates to the relevancy of the three ways in which we typically categorize modern countries - developing, emerging and developed. While my experience in the latter two is still quite limited and the diversity within each of them is enormous, I've thought a few times on this trip that the typology still seems relevant. I really can't elaborate much further on this at the moment but will try to revisit it and explain myself further when my energy reserves are back up to normal levels. Just thought I'd throw it out there, though.
As for my itinerary, which doesn't take much effort to explain, I'm planning on visiting the town of Alta Garcia tomorrow, a 45 minute drive south of Cordoba, home to a UNESCO world heritage sight related to the region's Jesuit past, and where Che Guevera spent his childhood. I'll then board my second overnight bus in three days, but this time it's to Buenos Aires, which I've been looking forward to for some time. I will be based there for most of the coming week, during which I will probably hop over to either Colonia or Montevideo, Uruguay for a day or two. Now, however, it's time for some Argentine dinner, so asta luego.
posted by Per at 8:19 p.m.
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