Good afternoon!!
Here continues my adventure in Patagonia. Here goes nothing.
The town of San Martin de los Andes is unlike any town I know. Mountains at every angle, contagious amiability, and chocolate shops on each corner would begin to describe the hidden little city that I now get to call home. Traffic stops for pedestrians needing to cross the street, smiles and hello’s are exchanged by passerby, businesses close between 2:00 and 5:00 every day to rest, and forget about expecting to run your errands on a Sunday – at any time. The kindness I have encountered thus far in San Martin de los Andes truly attests to the wonderful things I had read about this town. I have lost count of how many strangers have offered me the phone number of their sister or friend or cousin’s brother-in-law’s daughter in hopes of helping me to find an apartment, bed, or job. Describing San Martin de los Andes as a friendly town wouldn’t even begin to do it justice.
Our adventure thus far has been pretty much what I expected. It’s always a process when you move somewhere new (especially a new country), and I am doing my best to stay patient and let time run its course as we are learning about how everything works here. When we first arrived to San Martin we were welcomed by Yennifer (Yeny), a friend that Jose had met via a travel network called Couchsurfing. Yeny is the kind of person that makes you want to be a nicer person. She gave up her bed so Jose and I would be comfortable the whole week and a half we stayed with her, while she slept on a cushion in her kitchen. She got the word out when we were looking for apartments, furniture, and jobs. I’ll never forget her hospitality and friendship – we are so fortunate to know her.
The first day we were in San Martin, Yeni brought us skiing on Cerro Chapelco. It was the opening day of the ski hill and a gorgeous day. Not to mention, entrance was free! We missed the shuttle up the mountain, but luckily met a couple of awesome guys at the ski rental shop that offered to give us a ride in their tiny little car. Jose finally got to eat snow and adorably attempted to ski. He also decided that ski boots are “botas del diablo,” so next time we will learn to snowboard instead. Since then we have been back to Chapelco once to snowshoe – we went on an oh, so perfect day. We woke up to snow falling in San Martin and then the skies cleared as we made our way to the top of the mountain (fortunately that day, the bus decided to break so the second half of our trip up the mountain was spent using a much preferred mode of travel - the bed of a pick-up truck, fresh wind blowing through our hair. Ahhhh. It was great to be on snowshoe trails in the mountain rather than with all of the noise at the ski hill. It was quiet, gorgeous, and we even got to see four Pileated Woodpeckers (all together)!! Such a treat.
Figuring life out in San Martin has been an adventure. Apartment-wise, we are happy with our simple place right in the center of town. It has some humidity issues and smells a little strange once in a while, but at least there are no dead rat bodies lying around like in one of the apartments we looked at (which I found to be quite amusing… Jose was horrified). Exploring the sights of San Martin has been fabulous too – the highway that runs out of San Martin turns into part of a National Park that runs right along Lake Lacar. A fifteen minute walk will lead you to stunning views of Patagonian mountains, and a thirty minute walk… you’ll just have to come see for yourself (I can offer a bed, hot water and home-cooked meals – Jose might even make you some delicious Colombian food). As far as jobs are concerned, both Jose and I are getting there. We have found that stricter enforcement is making it harder for people to hire extranjeros (me and Jose) under the table. Because of this, almost all employers now require that foreigners have work visas/temporary Argentinean residencies. It turns out that this is pretty easy for Jose to acquire (he will have his this week) because he is Latin. The process is a little more difficult for me because I am from North, not South America and also because the US doesn’t have fancy, user-friendly online systems for these kinds of things, like Colombia does. Soon, when Jose has his work visa, he will be able to start looking for work (he already has been offered some temporary work, actually). As for me, I am waiting for schools to begin again (they are on winter vacation now) so I can talk to the English Institutes about work opportunities with them. I have found that I cannot work in the public school system here because I am not Argentinean. If finding a gig with a school fails, I have been told by multiple people that I could do very well giving private English lessons. It would be a bit more work, but it would also be extremely flexible (I would get to pick my hours and be on vacation when people are visiting)! We will see what works out. As I said, we are playing the waiting game. It will soon transition into the searching game!
With that, I will take my leave. Thirty-two degree temperatures and sunny skies are calling my name. It seems like a great day to walk to the lake, wave to the mountains, and take in the beautiful life I’ve been given. Love to you all!
More pictures:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10102278017456637.1073741826.8630239&type=1&l=a338952dc3
Mil abrazos!!
Jenna
