I’m sitting in the airplane, going back home, after a week of being away and missing school. The airplane’s turbulence jumbles my thoughts and I don’t know where to start writing about my past week in Argentina with my family.
It all started in Lima’s airport. It was nine of us – packed with multiple bags, carry-ons, passports and boarding passes. All of us formed part of a messy group, full of expectations and excitement. Our first destination was Buenos Aires — one of the purposes of our trip was to visit my grandmother Clarita, who suffers from Alzheimer’s and is less lucid every day.
It was tough to enter my grandma’s house. It was the first time I was there since my grandpa José passed away and a wave of emotions hit me as soon as I stepped in. Since we live in different countries and I hadn’t been faced with the empty space he left in Buenos Aires, how he was no longer there to greet us with a hug, I hadn’t completely assimilated the fact that he was no longer alive. Reality was now in front of me and it was time to confront it. I could not control my tears as I watched the photos of my grandfather hugging me in the living room and as I walked around the house, the memories of my childhood and the moments I shared with José came alive.
After spending some hours with my grandmother – leaving behind the tears and bittersweet memories – and eating some delicious media lunas for breakfast, which are Argentinean croissants, we continued our journey. The next destination was Buenos Aires’ national airport, followed by Bariloche’s airport, and finally San Martin de los Andes’ resort “Las Pendientes”. We arrived very tired, after almost 24 hours of travel, but the astonishing view stole our tiredness, opening our eyes and mouths in awe and admiration of nature.
Our days in San Martín de los Andes were very enjoyable, uniting and productive. Every day, we woke up, made breakfast and sat together at the table with the magical view of the mountains and a lake. Then, we got ready with our ski attire and equipment and headed to “Chapelco" mountain in a very adventurous land rover defender. Once we were on top of the mountain, we were all free to ski wherever we wanted to. It had been a long time since we all skied together and it was gratifying to glide down the snow next to my sister and my dad, and watch him feel proud of us. After skiing through blue and red trails, and watching my little brother being pulled by huskies in a sleigh, we all gathered at 3:00 pm in a restaurant on top of the mountain to have lunch together. When days were nice and we were fueled by adrenaline, we kept on skiing after having lunch. When we returned from a day of ski, our afternoon plans ranged from going to San Martin de los Andes’ town, preparing some food at home accompanied by a Pictionary game, visiting a little “Casita del Bosque”, which was a little restaurant in the middle of the woods to attending an event with pizza and night skiing. It was amazing.
Our last day in San Martín de los Andes was full of celebration as it was the main purpose of the trip — my dad’s birthday and my sister’s boyfriend’s birthday. We celebrated all day and ended the night with a delicious goatling. It was very pleasing and satisfying to see my dad so happy while celebrating with his family and two of his best friends.
We ended our incredible family trip in Buenos Aires. After visiting Clarita again, we went to visit José. José is buried in a Jewish cemetery, in the section of heroes, for being a survivor of the Holocaust. It was a very tough, difficult and emotional visit. After leaving behind some tears, we finalized the trip having lunch in “Piegari”, in honor of José, since it was his favorite restaurant.
As the airplane prepares for landing, I reflect on the past seven days of my life. This trip was a very significant event for my family and an excuse for celebration and unity. It probably was one of the last trips we will make as a whole family as we are all growing up and following our own paths, so it was a perfect moment to appreciate the lovely family I have, our health, how well we get along, and how much we love each other.
It all started in Lima’s airport. It was nine of us – packed with multiple bags, carry-ons, passports and boarding passes. All of us formed part of a messy group, full of expectations and excitement. Our first destination was Buenos Aires — one of the purposes of our trip was to visit my grandmother Clarita, who suffers from Alzheimer’s and is less lucid every day.
It was tough to enter my grandma’s house. It was the first time I was there since my grandpa José passed away and a wave of emotions hit me as soon as I stepped in. Since we live in different countries and I hadn’t been faced with the empty space he left in Buenos Aires, how he was no longer there to greet us with a hug, I hadn’t completely assimilated the fact that he was no longer alive. Reality was now in front of me and it was time to confront it. I could not control my tears as I watched the photos of my grandfather hugging me in the living room and as I walked around the house, the memories of my childhood and the moments I shared with José came alive.
After spending some hours with my grandmother – leaving behind the tears and bittersweet memories – and eating some delicious media lunas for breakfast, which are Argentinean croissants, we continued our journey. The next destination was Buenos Aires’ national airport, followed by Bariloche’s airport, and finally San Martin de los Andes’ resort “Las Pendientes”. We arrived very tired, after almost 24 hours of travel, but the astonishing view stole our tiredness, opening our eyes and mouths in awe and admiration of nature.
Our days in San Martín de los Andes were very enjoyable, uniting and productive. Every day, we woke up, made breakfast and sat together at the table with the magical view of the mountains and a lake. Then, we got ready with our ski attire and equipment and headed to “Chapelco" mountain in a very adventurous land rover defender. Once we were on top of the mountain, we were all free to ski wherever we wanted to. It had been a long time since we all skied together and it was gratifying to glide down the snow next to my sister and my dad, and watch him feel proud of us. After skiing through blue and red trails, and watching my little brother being pulled by huskies in a sleigh, we all gathered at 3:00 pm in a restaurant on top of the mountain to have lunch together. When days were nice and we were fueled by adrenaline, we kept on skiing after having lunch. When we returned from a day of ski, our afternoon plans ranged from going to San Martin de los Andes’ town, preparing some food at home accompanied by a Pictionary game, visiting a little “Casita del Bosque”, which was a little restaurant in the middle of the woods to attending an event with pizza and night skiing. It was amazing.
Our last day in San Martín de los Andes was full of celebration as it was the main purpose of the trip — my dad’s birthday and my sister’s boyfriend’s birthday. We celebrated all day and ended the night with a delicious goatling. It was very pleasing and satisfying to see my dad so happy while celebrating with his family and two of his best friends.
We ended our incredible family trip in Buenos Aires. After visiting Clarita again, we went to visit José. José is buried in a Jewish cemetery, in the section of heroes, for being a survivor of the Holocaust. It was a very tough, difficult and emotional visit. After leaving behind some tears, we finalized the trip having lunch in “Piegari”, in honor of José, since it was his favorite restaurant.
As the airplane prepares for landing, I reflect on the past seven days of my life. This trip was a very significant event for my family and an excuse for celebration and unity. It probably was one of the last trips we will make as a whole family as we are all growing up and following our own paths, so it was a perfect moment to appreciate the lovely family I have, our health, how well we get along, and how much we love each other.