What to Expect in 2017: Iberia, Canada, and Cono Sur?

So, 2016 is out, and the new year is in. Thank goodness. We here at Expat-terns could not be happier. It has been a long year, but as always, we are looking toward to the future, and this year should be exciting.

These annual look-ahead posts usually constitute blurbs about my new favorite travel bloggers for the upcoming year to look out for, but that will have to be a little later this year. I will be sure to be better with posting, but with university, work, and health, it can be difficult.

These are explanations, not excuses, and I will be more frequent in my articles. No worries. But, without further adieu, let’s see what we have in store for 2017:

Iberian Peninsula & Morocco

We are going backpacking again! Once again, the Croatian goddess, Nina, will enthusiastically join us in another European excursion. This time we will be going to the other side of the continent and a bit south as well as we explore Portugal, Spain, and Morocco.

We are headed off in late February and will be hostel living, busing, and hitch hiking our way from Lisbon, Portugal to Málaga, Spain. Nina wants to make our way into the aforementioned north African nation as well (which I am not opposed to one bit). The itinerary is extremely free as it is just the two of us, but we will be traveling for approximately 10 days in total and must be Spain to catch our flights. For this reason, I am not sure if we will be able to go further than Tangiers, but we shall see …

Backpacking Wishlist

Visit Alhambra, the Andalusian fortress
Learn a little flamenco
Listen to some Fado, the soulful Portuguese style
Drown in copious amounts of mint tea in Tangiers

Canada Continues

After our springtime adventures across the pond, it is back to Canada. I foresee I will be staying in Vancouver for the next few years if I am being entirely honest. There is and probably will not be much left in the States anyway.

I will be sure to do more posts about this lovely new place I call my home and will try to showcase both British Columbia’s urban and forested charms. Road trip up north?

We have a lot of time, but here is a look at what I hope to discover:

Best coffee in Vancouver
Drive up to Whistler (finally)
Tour around Vancouver Island
Surf in Tofino

Cono Sur

Last on this list but not in my mind, I am looking for internships in South America, specifically Argentina and/or Chile. I am having little luck in finding ones in my field, but I am still hopeful. There is much happening and to be done in South America (like everywhere else) in regards to language revitalization and indigenous rights.

However, I am having some issues finding posts I could hold. Well, there are a lot of teaching positions in general language education, but something feels ironic about teaching English while studying language endangerment and how to correct this trend.

Time frame-wise, I am shooting for four months, going back in the lovely, chilly winter months, for as long as possible before Year 3 at university.

A friend may also be in Argentina, so it would be a nice coincidence if we run into each other there. We shall see if I can make it down there, but if not, the world will keep spinning. However, I would enjoy some prolonged time in Buenos Aires (or Santiago again) especially if I could get some experience under my belt there too.

Hopefully we can:

Eat some Argentine meat
Sample some fine wine
Dance a bit of Tango as well
Learn to understand castellano rioplantense

That is what is in store for the year! I have to keep my grades up this year to apply to study abroad next year 4th Year. Thoughts on where I am potentially headed off to? Time will tell (if I haven’t hinted already)! For now, it is time to start the second semester. Let the games begin! More to come real soon. Travel safe and often.