Feb 10 – Feb 11, 2024

On Saturday morning, I woke up at 8:30 a.m., which was surprisingly early for me considering I didn’t have anywhere specific to be. I spent a few hours working on homework or simply lounging around. Eventually, my friend Chlo and I decided to head to the mall at 1:00 p.m. I desperately needed a money belt. I’ve mentioned this before, but petty crime is an issue in South America, and although I haven’t personally experienced it, I don’t want to let that lull me into a false sense of security, as my stepmom would say. Besides the money belt, I also needed hair gel to braid my hair. Given our long excursions, having my short, thick hair unmanaged could lead to breakage and other issues that I don’t want to deal with. Additionally, I needed insoles for my hiking boots because the previous ones started to disintegrate. I absolutely love my hiking boots; I’ve had them since 8th grade, so new insoles were a must for my outdoorsy program. And of course, I could never forget the snacks.

After the mall, Chlo and I took an Uber home, where I relaxed for the rest of the day. The day wasn’t particularly eventful, but a break is always appreciated in my book.

On Sunday morning, I woke up and got ready to head out again with some friends. There were a few assignments due on Monday, so I headed to an internet cafe where I met with two of my friends, Méabhan and Grace. We spent a few hours eating, studying, and talking, just generally enjoying each other’s company. After we finished studying, we headed home. With our first big trip to the Páramo Highlands coming up on Monday for three days, I made sure to pack in preparation for this trip. However, I ended up pulling an all-nighter due to procrastination. I think I just got too much sleep on Saturday night, so obviously, I couldn’t sleep at a decent time on Sunday.