After a healthy layover in the Atlanta airport we finally made it to Buenos Aires! Today I got the opportunity to explore my new home for the next few weeks several things stood out to me. One thing that stood out in particular was the architecture of the city. So far I have not seen too many high rise buildings and skyscrapers that are seen in most big cities around the world. It also seemed like many of the buildings were older judging by their outside appearance. It also seemed like Buenos Aires was very Europeanized with several shops, boutiques and cafes on every street. The food also stood out and the meals we had today were fantastic. One took place at an Italian restaurant and the other provided some of the best steak I have ever had at an Argentinian restaurant serving us many local dishes. Prior to boarding our flight to Buenos Aires, I briefly conversed with a physician from Buenos Aires who had worked in the United States for several years. He spoke perfect English and we had an excellent conversation about inflation and the healthcare system in Argentina. Buenos Aires itself seemed very globalized in terms of cuisine with restaurants ranging from Japanese to Italian to McDonalds. In terms of development Buenos Aires did not meet my expectations with many old beat up buildings. However an example of the development in Buenos Aires comes from their transit system that allows citizens to ride subways to all parts of the city and also the great deal of shops and restaurants. It was also very impressive to see the main road in the city had 5 lanes on each side! It just seemed that some buildings in Buenos Aires needed a little renovation. The culture smart book made it seem like Argentinians did not like to talk about their countries problems but the physician I talked with in Atlanta was very open and honest about all of Argentina’s history. The book also made it seem like pick pocketers would be everywhere and I have yet to experience anything near that which is always a good sign!
Day one is in the books but things have just gotten started, brace yourselves for blogs to come!
