San Ignacio : Argentina : : a small town in rural Kentucky : United States
Why on earth would I choose San Ignacio, if that's the case?
To answer that question, let me go all the way back and explain why I wanted to do this trip and what I wanted to get out of it. I wanted to have an adventure, make new friends, improve my Spanish, and learn about a new culture. I specifically wanted to be in a relatively small town because I think it's easier to meet people in this setting, and without a car it's also much easier to get around. In small towns there isn't much to do, so people sit around and talk a lot (while drinking mate or terere), which is a great way to practice my Spanish, even if the conversations can be a bit gossipy. Also, cultural traditions are often better preserved and kept alive longer in small towns. And even though this often means higher rates of "traditional opinions" about gender roles, marriage, people of other races, etc, it also often means a slow-paced lifestyle, hospitable people, and more opportunities for experiencing something different.
I wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life in San Ignacio any more than in a small town in Kentucky (for example), but I am really enjoying my experience here, and I'm really glad that this is where I ended up for 6 months of my life. People often ask why I don't travel more within Argentina or neighboring countries, and the answer is I don't really want to. When you travel a lot you meet other travelers and speak a lot of English and have the same conversations over and over (what's your name, where are you from, how long are you traveling, what do you do, where have you been, etc). Like I mentioned in a previous post, that's fun for a short amount of time, but then it quickly becomes exhaustingly unfulfilling. I have a theory that the most interesting thing about anywhere in the world is getting to know the people who are from there. Waterfalls and mountains and ancient ruins are all beautiful and interesting, but they're not sustainable ways to pass extended periods of time. I really like just staying here in San Ignacio, where there's nothing to do but drink mate and sit around and talk. For now.
(Keep this analogy in mind as you read my blog; many places in Argentina are far more developed both in thought and in lifestyle than San Ignacio.)
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