Missing home

I thought I would add one more little post tonight. Recently, I've started to feel a little homesick. Don't get me wrong, being here is an incredible experience and I am having a blast but I wish all my friends and family could be here, too! I'm also not super-comfortable in the residence. Its great that I can immediately associate with a group of people so there's always someone to talk to and something to do but that's also sort of the problem. I definitely feel like I'm a freshman again, trying to make friends in the dorms. I think its also the age gap. I'm a bit older than some of the others here and I think its harder for some to adjust to living on their own or at least realize that the world doesn't always revolve around them. But for the most part, I really do like it here. There are a couple of people that I hang-out with on a regular basis and they are really making my experience pretty great. Its nice to explore a new place with other people.

Actually, my biggest complaint about the residence is the lack of Spanish spoken here. We're all students in the same boat so any type of conversation in Spanish would end in two seconds. So for November, I've decided to move to a homestay, which I know is pretty risky but I figure it'll be just for one month. And if I decide that I really don't like it, I can always just move back into the residence. I'm meeting some potential families this week so at least I'll see the house and meet the people before I move in. Hopefully, it will be an opportunity to immerse myself more in the culture rather than hanging out with a big group of Americans all the time. But I'm a bit worried about moving into someone else's house and feeling a bit like an intruder. I move in on November 2nd so we'll see!

I miss everyone back home! Write comments or emails to let me know what everyone else is up to!

Tango and tea

So my first (free) weekend in Buenos Aires was pretty fantastic. On Sunday, I went with a couple of people from my residence to a couple of sites around town. Sunday was also the day of the elections and since its mandatory to vote in Argentina, pretty much everything was closed. We first went to Teatro Colon, the famous theater in Buenos Aires, because we heard it had an amazing tour that would take us backstage to see the costumes and scenery up close. Unfortunately, it was closed so we went to Cafe Tortoni instead.

Cafe Tortoni is the oldest traditional cafe in Buenos Aires and historically has been the meeting place of politicians, artists, poets, writers, etc for hot political discussions over a good cafe (yes, I know tea is in the title but it just sounded better with tango). These days its more of a stop on the tourist trail and sure enough, at every table there was either a camera or a guidebook. But the cafe was really cute and obviously had some historical significance so I didn't mind too much. We had some good cafe and a couple of pizzas (they are VERY popular here).

All the tourists in Cafe Tortoni

They had some really nice pool tables in the back, next to the wax figures of prominent Argentinean musicians and artists

The outside of Cafe Tortoni. Its on Avenida de Mayo, which has a lot of French-like architecture. Also, its right above is the Tango Instititute and Museum

Afterwards, I went to the Plaza de Mayo, the main plaza where there are a lot of famous buildings. Its also the birthplace of Buenos Aires and where the presidential palace is. For those who saw Evita (which I didn't), its where Evita stands on the balcony to address "her people". Anyway, the presidential house is pink, hence the name, Casa Rosada. The paint is mixed with ox blood to get the pink color but when they last painted it, they only had enough for one side so the sides and back of the house are sort of this dull beige color. Pretty weird but the house is huge.

Casa Rosada (well on one side at least)

I also saw some interesting grafitti as I was walking. Apparently, stenciled grafitti is very popular here and they are usually used to convey a political message. Bush is supposed to arrive in Argentina at the beginning of November and people here are up in arms. What's interesting about this though is the mickey mouse ears. Argentineans tend to equate Disneyland with capitalism, materialism and all things wrong with America. I thought it was pretty funny.

Can you see the Mickey Mouse ears? Its telling Bush never to take one step in Bs As

And then on Monday, I went to this tango show as part of my school's cultural activities. I wasn't sure what to expect since it was supposed to include a tango lesson and listening to tango music, which to me just sounds like the absolute peak of cheesiness. I don't think I would be able to sit through any type of tango dancing without laughing. Anyway, when the curtains went up, this was the band!

They were definitely jamming

They were playing traditional tango instruments (all the guys in the front are playing accordians and the guys in the back are playing violins) and traditional tango music but they were dressed in dirty t-shirts and dreads. Except for the instruments, they could have been any other wanna-be rock band. Anyway, it was fantastic. They were really good and it was awesome to listen to some live music. I bought a CD so you can all hear it when I get back!

The venue was pretty nice also. It was similar to the Bowery Ballroom in terms of size and layout but they had tables and chairs for everyone. It was great to listen to a great band without having to stand or shove the whole time. I would definitely go back there.

Well, I leave you guys with one last thing. I don't know if most of you recognize Kumon but the plague has spread. I didn't take it myself but I know plenty of people who did and I just died when I saw this! For those who may not be familiar wit Kumon, its this awful program for kids to study math as sort of an after-school program. But its all just practice, practice, practice. Can you imagine being 10-years-old and forced to do long division for hours at a time? Yeah well, it sucks. Those poor Argentinean kids!

Kumon! Its he-re!

Daily grind

So I'm finally finished! This Wednesday, I turned in my last application and now the waiting begins. I don't know why the whole application process has to be so painful or so long but there it is. The good (or bad depending on how you look at it) news is that I will at least hear back from schools shortly to see if I still have a chance and get to interview. Well, at least I have enough going on here to keep my mind off of things!

So what is a usually day of mine like? Well, I work as a volunteer for this organization that works with families with needy or HIV-infected children. Right now, I work in the mornings and I work with small children between the ages of 2 and 4. They are all so rambunctious and cute and its been quite an experience to work with them. I've worked with high school kids before but this is the first time that I'm working with such young children. Its hard and a ton of work but its so rewarding to see these kids so full of life. But its also so heartbreaking. They have no concept of the circumstances of their lives though many of them are HIV-infected and facing severe poverty and malnutrition, just that they get to play with their friends and with us volunteers! There's one teacher for about 15-20 kids and so they really need volunteers to help monitor the kids. I spend most of my time playing with them and watching over their activities like finger painting or reading lessons. I'm also trying to start some new programs for the kids and help this organization actually move forward rather than just maintaining the current level of care. Its okay for now when the kids are young but we need to invest and help them prepare for the future as well. As soon as I get my camera to work, I'll take some pictures and post them on the blog. Starting next month, I'll also be working with older children, 6 to 12 years old, and I'll be helping with afterschool programs and English classes. They organization also works with adults so hopefully, I will be able to interact with them once my Spanish is a little better.

After my volunteer program, I head to my Spanish classes. I have class everyday from 1pm to 4pm, which seems long but we get a 20-30 minute break in there. Classes are really great and I'm really enjoying learning Spanish but there really isn't that much structure or any type of curriculum to speak of, actually. Luckily, I took Spanish is high school (a long time ago, I know) so at least I have some foundation in Spanish. Actually, its amazing how much of the grammar I still remember. So what I really need to do is practice more and my classes are really good for that. I really like my teachers and the other students in my class so its definitely a good experience. Its hard though to really get quality practice time with 5 other students in the class so next month, I'm switching to private lessons so hopefully I can get better faster. My Spanish is defintely improving (I can speak in full sentences!) but my vocabulary is still very small. Now that my applications are done with, I can really focus on studying Spanish.

I'm also thinking of moving to a homestay next month so I can spend more time speaking Spanish. I really like living in the residence but since I'm living with other students in similar situations, we speak English at home. At a homestay, at least I will be surrounded by a Spanish-speaking family at all times so I will be speaking more everyday. I'm a little apprehensive about homestays because I've heard some pretty horrid stories but I plan on going into it with another student so at least I won't be totally alone. I'll let you all know how that goes.

I'm also trying to meet more Argentineans. Its hard because I feel like a bit of a moron since I can't really speak all that well but everyone I've met has been really nice so far. Actually, last night, I met with a friend, Manuel, and he took me and a couple of friends to this crazy underground warehouse party. It was in this really insane part of town, not even close to what you would see in any tour. The party was in an abandoned warehouse near these abandoned train tracks. As we approached the warehouse, we passed all these broken cars with smashed windows and covered with dust. The party space was also really interesting. It was huge enough to have 2 dance floors with a small skate park in between so if you were tired of dancing, you could hang out on the ramps. Also, you could go outside and sit on the railroad tracks to get some fresh air. They were serving mostly just beer and you could actually buy a full liter of beer at once. It was huge! The cups were the size of my head and I had to use both hands to drink out it. But the strangest part of the party was that it was full of hipsters. Like NY and LA hipsters. It felt like walking around Williamsburg or Silver Lake but in an abandoned warehouse in Buenos Aires. Its interesting to think of American culture influences so far from home but there you have it. I was talking to a bunch of people and they all listen to indie rock and read Paul Aster. Anyway, the party was a pretty amazing experience and we had a great time. Definitely not your ordinary Bs As excursion.

And today, I went shopping. I went to Palermo Soho (a la the neighborhood in NY) where all the trendy boutiques are. It was fun to go into all the different shops and see what Argentineans buy. Everyone here is definitely into fashion so you always have to look pretty hip to be taken seriously anywhere (the worst dressed are always the tourists). The best part of shopping here is the exchange rate! I feel bad about exploiting the economic situation in Argentina but I figure at least I'm putting my tourist dollars to work. I bought a bunch of clothes and accessories for fraction of what it would cost in the States. After shopping, I sat in a cafe and had a hamburger with a fried egg, panchetta and grilled onions. Yeah, they are definitely not really into vegetables here. It was pretty delicious but in general, the food in Bs As isn't really all that great. The steaks are AMAZING but the rest isn't as exciting.

I just love that I'm done with my applications and that I can finally start enjoying the city! I've made a list of a bunch of things I want to do here and I'm excited to start exploring. Tomorrow, I'm going to other parts of the city and hopefully that'll also be pretty fun. And next week I'm going to go to Iguazu Falls. Its crazy to think I've already been here for 3 weeks so I really need to get moving and doing things! Whew, another long post. I will post more pictures next time, I promise. I'll also start posting more often so they aren't so long but I was pretty busy this week and also our internet at the residence was down for the second part of the week. Until next time!

Galerias de arte

In Argentina and lovin' it!

Well, finally I find myself with an hour to spare. No application stuff hanging over my head, no roommates around to interrupt me and no websites left to surf. No, in all seriousness, I haven't had much to report. I plan on actually doing interesting things and getting to know the city but I need to finish my applications first. The good news is that I have 2 down already so I'm a lot less stressed. The bad news is that my final one (due Wed) is for my top choice school so its important to stay focused and keep my ideas fresh. I'm pretty happy with my essays and now I'm just waiting for people to get back to me with comments and thoughts. But this blog isn't about my applications!

To the good stuff. Like I said before, I haven't done too much. A couple of weekends ago I went to Recoleta to see the feria (outdoor market) there. Ferias are pretty big in Bs As (the acronym for Buenos Aires as they say it here). The feria itself was pretty fun - tons and tons and tons of stalls with leather, scarves, jewelry, mate cups, your usual touristy fare. There were lots of lawn areas also which made nice resting spots in between browsing.

But the best part was going to the Recoleta cemetery. Its filled with these crazy huge mausoleums so it feels like a mini-city as you're walking around. Some of the structures are huge and ornate but most of them are old and crumbly now (Evita's tomb is there but I couldn't find it). It was just a bit spooky to be in this city of death but it seemed so tranquil at the same time. My favorite place by far.

Peaceful, creepy cemetery

The following weekend, I got deathly ill with a fever and a terrible cough. I haven't been that sick for a really long time. I started to feel a little ill on Friday so I skipped my classes but when I woke up on Saturday, I could barely get out of bed. I spent the entire weekend on the couch trying not to move too much. Pretty much everyone in the house was gone (we had a 3-day weekend to celebrate Columbus Day, which I didn’t realize was such a big deal down here) so at least it was quiet and peaceful. After about a zillion bowls of instant chicken noodle soup, I finally started to feel better though I still have a lingering cough.

Finally, this weekend, I was ready to start having fun! I still had a lingering cough so I wasn’t really up for any heavy drinking. On Friday night, we threw a party at the residence. I invited a couple of people from my classes and these Argentinean people that I randomly know. We all got pretty dressed up for the party, which was really nice. Since the party was just at home, there really weren’t any worries about heels or purses so we just went all out. I wore a white top and this white skirt with faint green flowers that I bought here (USD $8!), which probably wasn’t very smart considering all the red wine that was at the party but it worked out. Lots of people got trashed, wine was spilt everywhere but I think everyone had a good time.

All the female residents. There are also 4 guys but they were too ugly to make the cut :)

Some other partiers. The party was on our roof.

"Nice and Sleazy" is one of my dorm-mates, Blair. Marie, blonde in the black sweater, also lives here.

Gaston, helping me practice Spanish!

I spent a lot of time talking with random Argentineans and I got to practice a lot of my Spanish but towards the end, I was a little desperate for some English speaking people, especially after a couple of drinks. Spanish is hard! It takes so much concentration to figure out what their saying and then its even worse when they want me to respond! I’m starting to feel more comfortable with speaking though. My conjugation is spotty and my vocabulary is tiny but at least I’m putting myself out there!

A lot of people went to this club after the party but it was 4am and I was pretty exhausted. Seriously, people go out really really late here! I haven’t stayed out like this since I was 18 and that was unfortunately quite a few years ago. In any case, I wanted to meet Majo and Albano the next day to tour some art galleries so I fell into bed at 4ish after everyone left. Majo and Albano are some Argentineans that I know through 3 or 4 degrees of separation. I’m here to learn Spanish so I need to hang with the locals rather than the American/European English-speaking people in my dorm. Anyway, they are so nice to take me under their wing and show me around.

The party scene in Bs As

This morning, we went to a couple of galleries, one in San Telmo and the other in La Boca. Majo is an art history grad student and Albano is a photography student so they know all these artists and galleries. Both were very artsy and reminded me of wandering the Chelsea galleries in college. And everyone was dressed so funky and cool that now I really want to go shopping! With the prices here, its like, why not? So a great afternoon after all. By far the best one since I got here! I spent the entire time practicing my Spanish, seeing funky art, and hanging out with really awesome people.

Me, Majo and Albano on the colectivo (bus)

I also got to see some of the various neighborhoods around Bs As. San Telmo is really cool with tons of antique shops, crumbling mansions with 19th century French architecture, cobble stone streets and trendy clothes shops. In the late 19th century, it was the neighborhood of the filthy rich but they fled to Recoleta during a yellow fever/cholera epidemic. I can’t wait to come back during a Sunday and seeing the antique feria that’s there. There’s also this pretty pedestrian street with a bunch of cafes overlooking it so the next Sunday I have free I’m just going to sit with a café con leche and people watch.

The other gallery was in La Boca, a very poor neighborhood next to the part of the river where a lot of industrial waste used to be dumped. It stinks and it’s dangerous but it turned into this bizarre tourist trap. They painted a bunch of the building bright rainbow colors and opened a whole bunch of kitch-y souvenir shops and restaurants with waiters in ridiculous costumes. And now they have these huge tourist buses that come and dump tons of tourists here. It doesn’t make any sense. Well, at least I saw it once so I won’t have to come back.

Touristy La Boca!

Some kids playing futbol (La Boca is also the home of one the most popular teams, the Boca Juniors)

Anyway, that’s probably enough to get everyone up to speed! Sorry about not keeping up a bit but with my applications, these last couple of weeks have been a MAD HOUSE. But after Wednesday, its on!

Pictures!

Here are some pictures from my residencia.

La residencia! Beautiful building. We're on the top floor and we have the roof also. Its at the corner of Ravingnani y Paraguay.

The view from the balcony of my building. Our neighborhood has beautiful tree-lined and cobble-stoned streets. And huge buses that spew tons of pollution.

The living room! I spend the majority of my time here because this is the only place with wireless. This is just one half. The other half is pretty much the mirror image so its really big and comfy.

My teensy room. It pretty much just has room for a bed, a desk and a dresser (not shown). Without the desk and dresser, there's about 4 feet around the bed. There's a window but it just looks out onto the patio so not much light either. At least its all mine!

The eagle has landed

Well, I made it! I'm now in Buenos Aires. I really can't believe that I'm really here and that I'm really doing this. I was pretty apprehensive about moving here in the last few days I was in the States but the second I got off the plane, my heart started to race. I made it! I got off the plane! And I can’t wait to get started. After extensive research into language programs, I'll be taking classes at the University of Buenos Aires so I felt better about the quality of the language classes. The classes are on campus with university teachers so it'll seem more like a "classroom" setting. It'll also be a good place to meet some other young people to hang out with. I'm also going to volunteer for an organization dedicated to families with HIV-positive children. I think it'll be a real eye-opening experience and give me the chance to make a difference. I'm really excited about helping these people and hopefully, I'll be able to contribute a lot.

And now I'm in the residence (that's what they call dorms) and I have this itty bitty room and kind of this crappy bathroom with a toilet that I couldn't figure out how to flush for the longest time (the peg I was hanging my towel on turned out to be the flushing button) but at least its all mine. Though the other rooms are pretty big but I don't think I would be able live with a roommate. And everyone here is much younger than I am (avg age is probably around 20), which makes me feel pretty old and even more glad that I have my own room. But everyone here is really nice and they all made me feel welcome so I'm pretty happy in the residence. It’s nice to come in and immediately be taken in by a group of friends and not worry about not knowing anyone. Everyone here has been here for at least a month longer so it’s really nice to take advantage of what they know so far about the city and where to go. I flew in a red-eye and pretty bleary-eyed but a bunch of the girls were going shopping so I went along and we had a great time.

Our residence is in Palermo Viejo (Palermo Hollywood to be exact), which is kind of a trendy area with cute shops, great restaurants and hip bars. It reminds me so much of Paris - the architecture, trees, streets, cafes, etc so it has a real European feel. For those in NY, it’s sort of the equivalent of the East Village but with less filth and more room. I haven't gone around the rest of Buenos Aires yet but it’s really nice to know that I have time to explore. In any case, my first app is due on October 11th so I really feel pressured to get those done. Once my apps are out of the way, it’s going to be ridiculous.

But its not all fun and games. My electrical converter thing doesn't work and the voltage here is too high for my lower voltage appliances like my hair dryer or my rechargable batteries. Well, I'm supposed to be roughing it in any case. And also, last night, we went out to this hip hop club, which was pretty fun at first until I got my wallet stolen! Luckily, I only had a little money and one credit card in it so right when I found out, I left to cancel it and now everything is fine. I have extra credit cards with me and more money in my room so at least I didn't lose much. I was pretty bummed because I wasn't being careful enough but at least now I'm more on guard and hopefully nothing else like that will happen. But it was my first night here, for god's sake. At least today was pretty unadventurous. I pretty much just stayed in to work on my apps and recover from my 18-hour trip here.

I'm getting excited about all the things to do here! Except for the wallet theft, everything has been pretty good. This morning I had a cafe con leche and a medialuna (basically, a croissant with less butter) at a cafe at the corner of my block. So Argentinean! I love it. And for dinner, I went out to this steak place with a couple of my dorm-mates and had some amazing steak. It was also the biggest slab of beef I've ever seen for a single person and it was only $6! With a bottle of wine and a bunch of side dishes, it came out to about $11. And that was at a pretty fancy place where the waiters were all in bowties.

Since my camera is without batteries right now, you'll have to wait for pictures but I promise to get them up soon so you can see what my dorm room looks like (besides a shoebox).

Preparation neurosis

So far, I haven't done that much. I got my vaccinations, added extra visa pages to my passport and got my malaria meds. My doctor and I decided that I should take Malarone since I'll be going in and out of malaria zones often and since it'll work against all the various malaria strains, I only have to take that one type of pill. Its a daily pill, which adds a bit more of an annoyance, but its supposed to have less side effects than the others. I'll be glad for them when I'm not getting strange vivid dreams or crippling nausea. For my vaccinations, I got vaccinated for yellow fever, Hep A and typhoid. Getting shots after all these years made me a bit queasy. I don't care what they say, they still hurt! I thought I got Hep B when I was younger but my mother confirmed that I actually did not so I'm going to the local travel clinic to get Hep B. Hopefully, the travel clinic will have more information about health issues. I have a pretty decent first aid kit (courtesy of REI, my now favorite store in the world) and my doctor gave me a prescription for some Cipro if I ever need it. There are some international organizations of doctors or medical professionals that I can join for a small fee, which may be worth it but I have to research it a bit more.

I also still have to get travel insurance. This is a bit harder since I've never bought insurance on my own. Its hard to tell which companies are the most reputable and what type of coverage I need. Since I'm taking a few expensive electronic items (camera, ipod), I think I want one that will cover my belongings. Also, should I get coverage for lost luggage and trip interruption? Or is med evacuation enough?

I also need to start thinking about plane tickets and my RTW ticket (actually, this is what prompted me to procrastinate on my apps and start this blog). Because I traveled so much when I was working, I've amassed a ridiculous number of miles, which will finally pay off! I'm going to use my miles for each of my South American trips, which will save me a ton. Also, since I'm traveling down to South America on separate tickets than my RTW one, I can structure in time at home for Christmas and in the spring. First of all, I would pretty bummed out if I couldn't be home for the holidays so it's very nice that I have the ability to come home. Also, with all that traveling, I think it will be nice to come home, properly clean everything and rest up before heading out again. Traveling for a year non-stop sounds very very hard. So I'm finally putting my miles to good use! The sad part is that even after all my South American trips, I will still have plenty left over.

I will have to eventually book a RTW ticket for Asia and Australia but I think I will book that when I'm home for Christmas. I'm a little apprehensive because one of my best friends just had an absolutely horrid experience with one. One of her flights got canceled but the agent never informed her. Luckily, a couple of weeks before she left (while studying for the bar at the same time), she tried to confirm all her flights and found out one of them no longer existed. Of course she flipped and went straight to her agent who kept brushing her off, telling her not to worry but didn't actually come up with any solutions. She finally had to buy her own ticket, while she was in Africa. Even though the RTW ticket agents can usually get a better deal because they buy tickets in bulk and through weird connections. So I'm not sure.

I've also been on a bit of a gear-frenzy. I need to buy a bunch of security stuff like locks and this weird wire mesh net-thing for my backpack that I can lock up so I don't have to worry about my backpack while on buses, trains or in the hostels. Its a bit hefty (2lbs!) but since I'm on my own, I want to feel secure about my belongings. Especially, since I bought a new digital camera a couple of months ago and a new 20GB color iPod. I got a Canon S2 IS and its fantastic. Great photos, easy to use and best of all, it takes AA batteries (not many outlets in the great outdoors). And of course, I had to get a color iPod so that I can store all those great pictures. Best of all, it was my birthday a few days ago so I was really able to cash in on some gear including ugly yet practical mosquito pants that's supposed to repel bugs. Especially good for malaria zones since I'll be visiting quite a few.

Well, that's probably enough for one post :). I know, I get obsessed with this stuff. Okay, back to applications. This whole year will be for naught if I can't even finish my applications!

Facing the gauntlet

So I have 6 weeks left before I head to Argentina. Its a bit off schedule but last month my doctor decided I should have a second procedure done on my knee. For those who don't know, I hurt myself in an unfortunate roller-skating incident (don’t drink and skate!) and tore my medial meniscus. I had surgery back in February but I still had some lingering knee pain, which has baffled my doctor until now. So here I am, quasi-bedridden as my knee heals up. The bad thing is that I have to delay my trip but its not like I have any hugely pressing plans like a job or anything. Also, it'll give me more time to work on my applications so I don't have to deal with apps and trying to survive in a foreign country where I don't even speak the language. So I've taken a que sera attitude towards it and I'm just happy that my knee will be in perfect working order during my travels even if it means delaying it a bit.

So how did I get here? Last I’m sure you heard, I was working like a dog in my big-time banking job, making dough and eating power lunches on Wall Street. I've worked so hard my entire life to get to this point and now I’m just going to walk away?? Yeah, basically. After two years in NY, I started to follow what everyone else in my position does and interviewed to get the next step, even bigger-time finance job. After getting rejected from my top-choice firm, I wanted to cry. I've basically gotten every job I wanted my entire life so it was eye-opening to not get something for once. And then I started to think. Why was I pushing myself so hard to get this job where I would be working for even bigger jerks, for longer hours and on things I was already bored out of my mind with? I was so driven to succeed, I never actually stopped to consider if I actually wanted it all. So I decided to move to LA and work for one more year while I figured out what I actually wanted to do. I always wanted to travel, especially since I never had the chance in college, and break free from the confines of my own life. It took me a WHOLE YEAR to convince myself that I could take time off to do basically nothing, without responsibility, a job or even a home, but I finally decided to do it! I knew I wanted to go to business school so I knew this would probably the last time I could do something like this sooooooooo here I am!

You can't even imagine how excited I am about this trip. I've lived my life pretty much by the book, limited by the boundaries that I put on myself. I'm obsessed with making plans and to-do lists - its hard for me to take on anything unless I have a step-by-step plan laid out. So this year will be good for me. I'm not doing too much planning (by my standards at least) and I'm taking off basically with a plane ticket, passport and guide book in hand. I know what countries I want to visit and when I'll be there but what I do while I'm there is completely up to me. I have some ideas from friends, other travel blogs and guide books but I'm going to let the moment take me wherever I go. I really hope that this year will be fun, exciting and most importantly, a challenging and meaningful experience in my life.

So, I’m taking an entire year off. I also wanted to spend some time doing volunteer work, hands-on, working with people and not behind a desk. Actually feel like I can make a difference in someone’s life rather than just making rich companies even richer. Maybe I could actually do something productive with my career and help those in need. Recently, I've really felt the pull towards non-profit and economic development so maybe this year will help me start a new direction in my career as well. I also wanted to work on my language skills and relearn Spanish, which I started in high school. So I decided to move to Argentina where I could take intensive language classes while also doing volunteer work. But I also wanted to travel around the world so I’m breaking up my year between living and working in Buenos Aires and traveling around. I’m spending 5 months in South America so hopefully my Spanish will be quite good by the end (maybe even, gasp, fluent??). I also want to spend time in China, Southeast Asia and Australia. I originally wanted to go everywhere but a year is just not enough time. Also, since this will be a budget trip, budget destinations are the way to go. So that Mediterranean cruise will just have to wait until next time :). This year is going to be so different from my current life so I hope I can give my life a fresh perspective. I don't want to live my life just working on my career, making money and never really experiencing things. This is my last chance to do something so wild and challenging that I'll be able to remember for a lifetime.

Well, enough with the cheese (which you all know I hate with a passion anyway). I just hope you guys enjoy the blog. This way I can keep in touch with everyone so you will know I'm still alive (kidding, Mom!) and hopefully, give you a chance to experience the trip with me.

The Year of Jane

What: A travel blog, of course!

Who: Type-A, former investment banker, neurotic over-analyzer, prada purse carrying world adventurer. I worked my butt off for the last 3 years as an investment banker, 4 years before that at an Ivy League school, and 4 years before that working to have the esteemed honor of attending such institution, not including the most horrifying internship experiences possible. Was it worth it? Well, any answer but yes will make me cry.

Why: This is going to be the Year of Jane. I've decided there's more to life than back of the envelope merger plans and 6am worknights so I'm taking a year off for a modern day Grand Tour. That's right, I packed up my pencils, gave my notice and here I am, facing unemployment for at least 3 years. I'm taking just 30lbs of stuff (shocking, I know), a camera and this blog and hopefully have the time of my life!

When: Is there any better time than the present? I have 6 weeks left but a mountain of business school applications to get through before I leave.

How: Gut wrenching soul-searching, budgets, travel books, web researching, lots of to-do lists. I know this year is supposed to teach me to take more chances and push myself outside of my boundaries but let go of my to-do lists?? I'm becoming a world adventurer, not a crazy person.

Where: Well, now there's the question! For at least until the end of the year I will be in Argentina and Patagonia but I'm still trying to work out the rest. I have a whole YEAR for godssake!!

It'll be lonely traveling on my own so if any of you feel a bit of wanderlust, I would LOVE the company! Also, please leave me comments. I will definitely be missing everyone at home.