Hey everyone! I’m super happy to report that we’ve landed safely here in Buenos Aires! The flight felt super long and unfortunately I could not sleep at all. I don’t feel very tired or anything like that today, which is very random and surprising. My first impressions of Buenos Aires consisted of general surprise and excitement. Everything seems so unfamiliar and different, yet so welcoming. We’re at the hotel now, getting ready to head over to the IES programs office for some introductory items. I am interested to hear what they’re going to tell us!
I was unaware that they have palm trees everywhere and how they also have a similar highway checkpoint system as the US. To add, there are various familiar fast food franchises around the city and other recognizable establishments (such as Outback Steakhouse). Other than things like that, I would have to say that my expectations in general were consistent with what we’ve seen so far. The city is very busy and lively. I also pretty much expected that cars would be everywhere, bumper to bumper like we’ve seen so far. There seems to be so much to do as well. The city in the aggregate is definitely a European-styled/resemblance. Some streets and small areas in particular remind me of Paris. There are some architectural designs that mirror Paris’s Haussann style in my opinion, which is something I did not expect to see as well. To add to my inconsistent expectations, the exchange process at the Buenos Aires airport was an incredibly quick and painless process. To add, the exchange rate was also amazing for us. We’re definitely grateful to have found that little area.
Looking ahead, I am ecstatic to go to some of the restaurants and shops. I want to explore the areas and surrounding neighborhoods while I’m here. I am also looking forward to interviewing the representative of the Ministry of Health, as my group will benefit from any information that is given to us since our project is focused on the Ministry of Health. To add, I also want to explore a Ministry of Health-owned building to learn as much as possible about how they operate in their day-to-day. There is so much to see and learn about as we enter this amazing country. I hope we can do as much as possible. This is Jake, signing off for now!