And I'm off! Well, almost.

Hi everyone! Well, it's the day before I head off to the Tina and I'm almost ready to go! For those of you who know my sister and are confused by my referencing Argentina as the Tina, I'm sorry. I tried to make the Arg happen, but it just doesn't roll off the tongue.
Well, after making a very long list, many Target runs, and a mishap with a lost cardigan (which I'm still kicking myself over), I'm officially almost packed. I'm a little concerned over how much closet space I'll actually have and whether said closet will be able to accomodate my excessive shoe collection, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now I'm focusing on getting everything in my two duffles and keeping it all under 50 pounds, which is difficult when you're dealing with massive shampoo bottles and a bag that already weighs 20 pounds by itself. However, I have full confidence (more or less) that by 4 a.m. tomorrow morning I'll be packed and ready to head off to Seatac for my first official trip out of the United States.
Here are some things I'm looking forward to experiencing during my 6 months in Argentina:
1. Yerba Mate. Those of you who have spent any amount of time with me know that when I die, my heaven will probably consist of a tea shop (much akin to the one you found in Rome I'm sure, Jess). Mate is a green tea that they're obsessed with drinking in the Tina. I am very excited about this.
2. Getting as close to fluent as possible in Spanish.
3. Asado.
4. Finding the note that my friend Samhir left for me in an unknown shop in Valparaiso, Chile.
5. Finding out how it's possible for the food portions to remain so large and the Argentine women so small.
6. Meeting a real life gaucho.

Keep checking back here to see if any of these things actually get done. For now I've got to get back to packing, leafing through my guidebook, and getting incredibly stoked to be in Argentina in less than 2 days!