What I Will and Wont Miss About Traveling

from amber:
You'll notice there's a lot more wills than wonts.

I WONT MISS...
~hearing American music everywhere (lots of Madonna and Michael Jackson)
~washing clothes by hand
~16-hour bus rides complete with stupid American movies
~dodging trash, dog poop, broken glass, and homeless people in big cities
~meeting kids my age who don't have access to the amazing opportunities I have
~symphony's of snorers at Youth Hostels (In Tigre Delta Hostel, there were 4 grown men snoring all in different pitches and patterns. It was quite poetic for about 5 minutes...but Dad and I switched rooms.)
~feeling homesick (though it didn't happen much), missing my friends and wondering what beach they're at today while I'm freezing my ass off in Patagonia
~not having enough shampoo, toothpaste, or soap
~having to pay to use a really gross public restroom
~the painful feeling in my gut when we leave a great youth hostel
~putting on wet boots to go out to dinner because they're the only shoes I brought
~seeing people less fortunate than me and not being able to some something to help all of them


I WILL MISS...
~not having any real responsibilities
~meeting interesting new people every day at youth hostels and hearing stories of their travels
~my new friends - Annie, Javier, Bruno, Danilo, Debrae, Tony, Emma, Gonzalo, Beat, and Gabriel, to name a few
~being somewhere new every day
~learning about my Dad's childhood and family history
~catching the travel bug and not wanting to go home
~practicing Spanish with local artisans at craft fairs (like the El Bolson one where I got the dress!)
~never knowing exactly what is going to happen next - living in the moment and loving it
~meeting outgoing High School students and talking with them in Spanglish
~noticing that every young man ages 15 to 25 is pretty damn attractive
~the people from Bariloche, the beauty of Iguazu, the hippie tranquility of El Bolson
~Jauja ice cream!!!
~finding papers, leaves, rocks, pamphlets, whatevers to tape in my travel journal
~reading about a cool place and going there the next day
~getting to kiss cute guys on the cheek as we meet - what a great greeting!
~the friendly culture of Argentinians
~the excitement I feel when a hostel gives out towels and soap
~noticing myself not thinking about the stupid crap I usually ponder (school, homework, college)
~awesome bus seats on the second story, above the driver, with a panoramic view of the scenery
~finding breathtaking viewspots to eat lunch at. Among the best: lakefront with mountains at Los Alerces National Park, Iguazu beach with pounding waterfalls, lying in the snow on a warm day at Tronador glacier
~adding places to my list of places to go before I die and promising myself I'll go there in the next 10 years
~learning about myself while traveling
~playing dominoes, chess, and Texas Hold'Em at the 1004 hangout during a storm
~learning songs on the guitar from Beat, Madet (La Torre Suiza hostel) Javier (1004) and Mendu (El Bolson)
~feeling at home in a new place
~hiking up to a refugio in knee-deep snow and being rewarded by hot chocolate and a bright red sunset
~sharing inside jokes with my dad, such as saying "Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore!" whenever we're in a weird place (which happened quite often!)
~wearing shorts for the first time on the trip standing knee-deep in the refreshing water of Iguazu, staring at the incredible falls
~traveling with my awesome dad!

Thanks for reading our blog! We had fun writing it.

Love Amber