The days here have really started to speed up. Yesterday at dinner, Cassie and I were blown away when we realized we've already been here three weeks. I don't know if that's because classes have started or what, but this semester really is going to fly by. Therefore I've started to plan some vacations out of the city and I'm reallllly excited about them. For my biggest trip (over mid-semester break) I've decided to go to Patagonia, which is going to be amazing. From what I've found out so far there are a bunch of regions to choose from, but I'm tempted to go the furthest south that I can, to the southern-most tip that is the closest you can get to Antarctica. I want to see the glacier parks and the penguins in Tierra del Fuego. Then with the rest of my weekends and occasional holidays I can make the smaller trips to other places like Mendoza (Argentina's wine country), the colonial towns of Uruguay, and (hopefully) towards the Andes to go snowboarding. Winter is fading fast so that last trip will have to happen soon. At the end of the program, I'm planning on heading up to Ecuador to where Amanda will be and adventuring with her as well, and in my dreams I'd like to see Macchu Piccu in Peru. We'll see if I can make all of this reality! I'm definitely ready to get out of the city though, so a 2-day trip to Uruguay will probably be happening next weekend. Buenas noches, I've got a lot ahead of me! But first, I should probably do my homework...

P.S. I went to a bar called The Alamo last night and just want everybody to know I'm representing Texas as best I can down here!