After a night-long quest to find a comfortable sleeping position and the occasional battle with turbulence, we finally made it to Buenos Aires. Despite only getting a few hours of sleep, my heart was racing with excitement. I had now officially left the United States for the first time, and I had no idea what to expect.
We were quickly guided on to a bus and given a chance to wash up and unpack at the hotel before heading to lunch at IES (our study abroad center). On our way there, I took a moment to observe the city. As someone who has lived in a suburban area most of my life, I have always loved seeing the variety of stores and restaurants that are easily accessible by foot. One interesting thing I noted was that the stores had a very open and welcoming setup as you walked by. For some places there was no door to get through – you could easily wander in and find baskets of fruit and various bagged goodies at your fingertips.
Soon, we arrived at IES. The lunch was fantastic, with burgers, carne, and chorizo sandwiches served to us and a table full of sides to pick from. When the table was cleared, they gave us a sweet, refreshing gelato for dessert.
After a brief orientation, we had the rest of the day to explore and get settled in. I took the eye mask I got from the flight and treated myself to a long nap. Feeling much more refreshed, I joined the group at 8:30 to head out and look for a restaurant.
Walking out of the hotel, you could immediately detect a slight smokiness in the air drifting in from the various restaurants nearby. In Argentina, people tend to have dinner much later in the day, so many of the places we passed were completely filled. As we searched for a place to eat, I tried to soak everything in. The streets were lined with brick and were much smaller than I expected. Many had a one-way lane for cars and a bike path that went both ways. One almost eerie thing to see was how quickly a sidewalk could change from run-down and scattered with trash to a fancy storefront. This hints at the rising class divide and poverty levels in Argentina, and I am interested to learn more during our exploration of the healthcare system.
We had also been told that a decent portion of the population would speak English in our area since there are often many tourists. What really surprised me was how many things were translated into English, whether it was signs or restaurant menus. I was also expecting much more Spanish music, but so far all of the songs I have heard are popular songs in the U.S.
My mental bucket list is already overflowing with things I want to do. I can’t wait to visit local parks, try more food, learn the tango, and continue to explore!
