my internet connection is conspiring against me in an attempt to prevent my blogging

Well, it's been quite a busy last couple of days and I've been meaning to blog about all the excitement but every time I seem to have a minute to blog my internet connection craps out and, well, I can't. So sad. Please allow me to catch up...

Saturday I woke up too early to go for my visit to the Quebrada National Park of Condors (supposedly the largest land bird but really they just look like black birds with white-tipped wings). I was supposed to meet at the Latitud Sur office (my tour company) and meet the rest of the "tourists". Now, these tourists are in brackets because I was led (misled) to believe that my trip was a touristy one - a little walking, a little historical park information, lots of tourists, you know the type. Wrong.

I was squished into a tiny car with five other people (all much older Argentineans) and taken on a 10-hour hike through the mountains. Yes, ten hours. It was absolutely insane. It was the most amazing, beautiful thing I've ever done (pictures soon to follow), but it was crazy. We basically walked up and down mountains - although I use the term walking loosely since what I did was in fact closer to rock-climbing and rock-hopping. I fell into a river twice, I died of frostbite, I climbed up a rock-cliff and almost fell down on to the rocks below because I grabbed onto a loose rock accidently (whoops!) and then to end the "tour" I had to walk along the visitor's road for two and half hours in the pitch dark with no lights. I died, but it was the most fun and the most adventure that I've had in awhile so it was really nice. It was one of those activities that consumes you so entirely that you don't think of anything else and to be honest while I've had a lot of fun in Cordoba and enjoyed most of the things I've done this was the first activity where I didn't think about home at all.

Sunday I spent recovering. Which was much needed because I was really sore and tired and my legs were like jelly (mountain-climbing 19 kilometres will do that to a person). I did my laundry, made my twister board game (and I am impressed with the results - picture soon to follow as well), organized all my stuff and slept. Lots and lots of sleeping.

Today I went to work in the morning and died. Even though I really enjoy my work today seemed to be the day that everyone was crying, kicking, screaming, biting (Damian!), and hitting. My authority was questioned (many times) by the kids today (eventually I won though) and the usual girls played with my hair, although today the braids were more like knots in my hair that took about 2 hours to get out (never again...).

Afterwords I went to Unquillo to help set up (and then hold) the birthday party for all the kids with birthdays in July. It was a lot of fun (twister was a hit!) and it lasted for quite a while.

I got home around 6ish and then Laura (my new roommate from Manchester) arrived. She is really nice, has pretty good Spanish, and unfortunately has no luggage since the airline appears to have lost it. Sucky. So far we get along pretty great though (she accompanied me on my walk to the dollar store to buy markers and colouring books for the kids at my orphanage - I've decided I need to add more crafts to the morning - and in return I took her to the tourist office to get her a map of Cordoba (so helpful) and showed her where all the banks and money exchange places are).

Now I am exhausted and have a pile of Spanish homework to finish before my class tomorrow. I'm not sure if I'm going to do it tonight or tomorrow in the two hours between work and leaving for class. So far I'm leaning towards tomorrow because I am thoroughly exhausted (such a long day) and have no desire to do anything what so ever.

I think Laura will make for a good roommate. Currently we are sitting across from each other on our computers and she has decided to strike up a gmail chat conversation. That makes me think she has a sense of humour...