Pre-departure

The transitional period between final preparation and leaving is limbo. It is the feeling that my house is an airport terminal and I am simply passing the time.
I have decided on my school, the Instituto de Espanol Rayuela and I will be living in downtown Buenos Aires for 1 month before heading to Pucon, Chile. This school set me up with a home stay with a 28 old music student named Mariana, which I have declined due to location and cost. I haven't found a suitable home stay yet (they range from $300-570 USD per month). There is huge amount of options for accomodation and I still have a full 72 hours before I leave.

Despite efforts I've made to cut costs, I am not doing this trip cheaply in the beginning. The budget for the trip is roughly $25 per day for 170 days. Living in Buenos Aires blows this budget right open, but I am happy to do it. The city seems massive, safe and metropolitan.

I was steadily accumulating gear but luckily lost momentum over the last few days. I have everything I need to camp, hike and cook. I have decided to buy a leather jacket and dancing shoes when I am down there (No joke, don't laugh).
The pack is almost overflowing at 85 L. Thanks to Dave De Lugt for lending his pack to me. Your couch rent for this spring is paid brother!

So quickly my tentative plan:
Nov 9th - Early December: Downtown Buenos Aires
Early-Mid December: Travel to Chile
Mid-December to Early January: Kayak
January/Feb: Head to Patagonia, Hike, head north to Peru
Feb-April: Move through Peru and Ecuador, Surf, Head back north.

At this stage, I'm past most nervousness and simply feeling ready to go. I'm more excited to get a grasp on Spanish than anything else. I expect Buenos Aires to be overwhelming and the rest of the trip to be beautiful. I will write more when I arrive.