A study abroad program can offer a student the opportunity to travel not just to the country to be studied in, but also to others in the surrounding area. I recently took a trip to Colonia, Uruguay with another student and the coordinator of my Panrimo program.

There were two reasons for this trip.

The first is that I can’t stand the noise of the big city, and I have been dying to escape on this trip for months.

On one occasion I walked 40 miles in one day to get outside the city. Yes, that is the slight odor of desperation that you smell.

The other reason is because in Argentina, a U.S. Passport can only get a 90-day stamp. Meaning that halfway through my semester I have to travel outside the country to get my second 90-day stamp to finish the semester.

Colonia was the perfect trip outside of Argentina. It is not expensive, it is a tourist spot but not over-crowded, and it is quiet and scenic.

We started the day with a guided tour, which was laughable at times. At one point the guide went on a Spanish tangent. He was talking so fast that I felt like he was trying to impress me.

Then he stopped to translate, “En inglés riverside.”

We had a good laugh over that. Seriously, what am I supposed to do with that information? “Oh, he was talking about the riverside. I understand it all. I see more clearly now. Life seems simpler . my mind is like a peaceful mountain stream being embraced by the earth and kissed by the sun.”

I am kind of embarrassed to admit this, but one of the most memorable things for me was the stray animals. I have yet to go to an area in Latin America that wasn’t littered with homeless cats and dogs. Colonia’s were of a class to themselves.

Every time a car drove though the main square of the old city, a pack of four to 50 stray dogs would attack it. I don’t mean that they would simply bark and chase it either. They would surround it and snap at it.

Occasionally, one of the animals would run sideways in front of the car and bite at the grill. I see a reality TV show in their near future. “El Riverside,” perhaps?

Anyway, it was a great place to spend a day and take pictures. The beautiful buildings, cobblestone streets, and quiet scenery were a welcome retreat from busy Buenos Aires.

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