The End.

I have been back in the U.S. for nearly two weeks now. I am so glad to be home and certainly have a new outlook on where I am from. I hope to be going back to Buenos Aires very soon, as I made life long friends there and still have places I would like to visit.

I am currently in Jacksonville and preparing for the next phase, which may be the UCF graduate film program. James and Nicolas are continuing the adventure now from Australia, where they plan to be for the next six months or so.
You can visit their new blog about it here:
http://kangaroobarbeque.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading the blog and supporting us in our adventures. To end,

TOP TEN THINGS I MISS ABOUT ARGENTINA (in no order):

1. Best steaks EVER

2. Best wine EVER

3. The candid nature of the people I met. Open and honest people who are generally not afraid to talk about their lives and life in general in a meaningful way. I never felt unwelcome or unloved in the company of an Argentine.

4. An amazing blend of cultures. Though I cannot testify to this being an exclusive characteristic of Argentina, I will miss the complex and beautiful meshing of cultures in Buenos Aires. Simultaneously European and South American, but something distinct and all its own.

5. Yerba Mate. I cannot find any here yet and I miss it. Not quite tea, not quite coffee. It was bitter but it made me feel great and always brought people together. Starbucks always talks about coffee bringing people together, but I didn't quite understand that idea until I had been introduced to the social institution of mate drinking.

6. Tango. As I am writing this, I am realizing that the things I miss are all the things that travel guides mention to sum up the country. As cliche as it may be, the Tango was something not to be missed. It is an amazing dance, but more than that, the music is beautiful. I will always think about the times I was in a cab where the driver was actually listening to Tango on the radio. Watching the city blur past me with Astor Piazzolla on the radio is something I will always miss.

7. Late nights in the city are a regular occurance. As a night person, this lifestyle suited me very well. Too bad nothing was open if you were awake before 10am. Too bad everything closes in Florida super early.

8. Futbol everywhere! I love watching the sport and it is never on television here in the U.S. But I suppose it's pretty huge everywhere else in the world too...

9. The Patagonian desert has something about it that I cannot describe. Being there and driving through was almost spiritual for me. The epic landscapes and wildlife and isolation really helped me to understand why they call Argentina the edge of the earth. It was literally the last place for humans to inhabit, the last frontier. That is not to say it was primitive, but somehow it really clarified my perspective of myself and the world I live in. It also gave me a sense of the frontiers of my own country, as they might have been long ago.

10. Finally, the pace of Argentina. This is something I missed the moment I stepped off the plane in Miami. Somehow Buenos Aires, and all of Argentina for that matter, can exist just like our country but exponentially more relaxed. The pace is slow, the mindset is tranquilo. The people of Argentina "go with the flow" in a way that defies logic. At times it was very frustrating, but overall I learned a great deal about living from Argentines. The know how to do it and do it well.

Thanks again for reading!
-Kate