2/25 - The first few days

Buenos Aires, Argentina

     It is now Monday, and I have been in Buenos Aires, Argentina since Thursday! To say I was excited to come here was an understatement, and I am loving my time here. My host mom Lili is wonderful, Patricia who also lives here, my roommates, and everyone I have met!
     I was definitely emotional as I left my friends and family last week, but I am so lucky for their constant love and support.
     I arrived to my homestay on Thursday, and was tired from over 24 hours of traveling. I slept for a few hours, then Laura came back, followed by Krista, and I was very happy to get out of my hot room and get some fresh air before we ate dinner.

Friday 2/23
     I had orientation with CEA and Lili brought me there on the train to be sure I got there okay. I am definitely still getting used to public transportation, as in a small town I am used to hopping in my car and getting somewhere in minutes or always walking, but in a big city public transportation is very necessary. At orientation, we went on a quick walking tour, got sim cards for out phones so we can use them here, and put money on them and our Sube (public transit) cards. We then went back to the CEA offices for lunch, our first empanadas en la Argentina! They were very good and there were many different options. When it was time to go home, I did end up getting a bit lost and had to ask someone for directions - luckily I asked an extremely nice woman who was super helpful! I ended up getting back with her help, and just as I suspected I was walking basically in circles around my house. I now know how to get my house easily! I then relaxed a bit, and got ready for dinner at Taco Box with my roommate Grace & going out after, where I met many more people from the program!

    Lili and I

First empanada

"Change"

Don't worry, I split this with Grace

Saturday 2/24
     Grace & I went to McDonald's in the early afternoon - my first time at McDonald's here did not disappoint! But when does it ever? We came back to the house after, and I went on a run as she packed for her trip to Tigre this coming week. Everyone who was in the early group that came to Buenos Aires, so as this will be our "getting accustomed to the city week" they have a week long break and many are traveling. That being said, all three roommates will be gone this week!
    I got ready to do some exploring with friends after going for a run. We ended up at Paseo del Rosedal, a very large park with small lakes, a beautiful flower garden, with people roller blading, running, etc around the park or relaxing in the grass with mate. Mate is a traditional tea of Argentina, served hot in a small mate cup and drank through a straw, then passed to the next person, with the water being poured fresh into the cup of loose tea. It is drank at merienda or tea time, or any time really, around 5 in the afternoon. I very much wish this park was closer to my homestay, but it is much farther and I would need to take transport of some sort to get there.
     After being in the park for awhile, we went back to get ready for dinner. We went to La Dorita, a good restaurant in Barrio (neighborhood) de Belgrano near where many of my friends live. I live in barrio Núñez, which is about a 20 minute bus stop/walk to where they are and where our school is. It is less convenient, but what makes it all okay is that I do love my homestay.

Where I will be studying!

Sunday 2/25
     After everyone slowly rose from bed, we made our way to San Telmo to go to the markets! There were many different vendors, jewelry, antiques, and mate cups for sale. We spent a few hours there, as well as ate lunch. After the markets, we went to a gathering for other international students at a club called Rose en Rio. It was a really cool place and we all hope to go there in the future! We got lost on the way home not realizing, but it was okay because we walked along the river and it was very pretty and relaxing.

Dulce de leche

Monday 2/26
     Today, we had orientation at Universidad de Belgrano! All of the students that arrived the last few days that will be studying at UB were there, missing the people who have been here for about a month. At orientation we talked a lot about school in general and our courses, and a bit about travel, safety, and the city itself. We had a snack/breakfast there of a croissant and juice, with lunch of empanadas. After lunch, we went on a short walking tour with José, one that works with the CEA program I cam here with. It was around Belgrano and it was mostly just to familiarize ourselves with the area, since it is where most people live.
     José dropped us off right next to el Barrio Chino, the Chinese neighborhood. Ola and I veered from the rest of the group, who wanted to find somewhere to find a snack, and walked around there a bit peaking into stores. The stores were mostly all the same with imported trinkets, but there were some restaurants that I hope to go to in the future, particularly one with good ramen. We stopped at an ice cream shop nearby too, and I got dulce de leche flavor with little chocolate bits. I have a feeling I am going to become addicted to dulce de leche, which is a caramel-like consistency that the Argentineans use as we would use peanut butter - on basically anything.
     We then went back to her apartment to make plans for the coming weekend, as we are hoping to go to Mar del Plata to go to the beach while the weather is still nice! We spent the rest of the evening there, as her other roommates/our group members came back and we sipped on wine talking, getting to know each other better. I got back home for dinner at 9, when it is served, and we had spinach cakes with melted cheese and pumpkin on the side. It was very good and felt healthier than the mostly meat and cheese I have been eating. At least we walk a lot to work off the calories! Even with public transportation, a lot of walking is included in daily life here.
     Part of Argentinean culture is "sobremesa" or "over the table" where families/friends/whoever you're eating with chats after dinner to catch up on the day or simply converse enjoying each other's company.

El barrio chino

all the students that are studying at UB this semester

A note:
     I hope to be posting on this blog every Sunday! Daily can get tough, so I figure if I can post every Sunday it can be a good time to reflect and have time to write. Also, a lot of these photos were taken as "live photos" and I wish they could post as such, so the quality isn't great on all of them. However, I am no photographer either!
     As I said, I am really liking my time here as everyone has been so nice. There are many many things to do in the city and in Argentina, as they are both huge - it makes me very excited for all the  exploring in the future, and I am super happy to be planning a trip this weekend already! I am getting more accustomed to public transportation, but as a small town girl I do not necessarily love it. However, it is much nicer than a 45 minute walk to class or even further to other places!
     As far as language goes, the Argentinean dialect is different than what I am used to hearing in class or what was in Spain, but I am okay with that! Every location, even in the United States, has different ways of saying things and the people sound different, but that's what makes language and the culture of it so cool. I can see myself picking up on the Argentinean dialect easily, as I was able to pick up on the Spanish one. For the future, it is cool that I will be able to share that with my students!
   
All in all, the first few days in Argentina have been very, very good.