Six Weeks in Córdoba

Did I really just spend six weeks in Córdoba, Argentina, and the two weeks before that in Chile and Easter Island? I saw Moai statues in the Santiago airport last night and felt like it was ages ago that I was looking at the centuries old eye-less statues.

My time in Argentina was spent working on the marketing plan for a non-profit organization, learning Spanish and touring. I successfully finished the marketing plan that focused on fund raising and my translator/college student translated the marketing plan into Spanish. That was more than was expected of us. We presented it to the client who read through it quickly with nods and smiles, then said it was approved with a thumbs up signal. Anyone who has worked with a small non-profit knows that’s not the final approval. It still needs to be approved by the board, which we were told would happen within the next two months. As long as it spurs them on to taking action to raise the funds necessary to finish and equip the new building that’s partially constructed, I’ll be happy. Their goal is to finish the building by the end of the year, and while we learned at this meeting that the government is going to pay for the construction, they still have to raise the money to complete and equip the interior.

I learned some more Spanish, though am wondering if/when I’ll really be able to speak the language. Learning a new language at my age and with a brain that doesn’t adapt to new languages well is a challenge, but I brought back the second book to continue my studies, and plan to devote time to this daily, after my next trip to the BVIs and Bonaire.

And, of course, I toured some. The Sierras--Grandes and Pocos, are very pretty. I did several weekend joints—to the Sierras, Alta Gracia, and Mendoza. I hiked to see condors, rode a horse and enjoyed an asado (an Argentine BBQ), went to Alta Montańa outside Mendoza, and saw the insides of numerous churches in Córdoba, as well as the University of Córdoba, the third oldest university in the Americas.

This was the first time I felt my age with fellow volunteers. They were all young, into the party life that Argentina promotes. Maybe it was because Córdoba is a college town, so the students go out about midnight or 2 a.m., and come home around or 9 a.m. That’s about the time I was getting up. The circles I had when working have come back. Now let’s see what happens on my next trip. Have 48 hours when in the Twin Cities, then off to the BVI’s for a week of sailing, and Bonaire for scuba diving. I hope to earn my dive master’s certification on this trip.