It feels so good to finally touch down in Buenos Aires, Argentina after two tiring flights! I couldn’t believe that I was actually going to Argentina, but it has finally hit me that we are actually here. Even upon arriving at the airport, I noticed how nice the people are, and even though there is a language barrier sometimes, they always try to help. Additionally, the weather was great and the park outside the hotel was nice, so I went for a short walk and saw many places, including coffee shops and a bakery, that I would like to try out.

One thing on my expectations was that I expected there to be a lot more people and traffic around the area that the hotel is, but it was surprisingly emptier/quieter than I thought. When thinking of traveling to a city in South America, I knew it would be way different than my other times traveling abroad since I mainly went to islands with a resort. The city has a lot of character, with a lot of beautiful trees around the area and the style of the buildings.

For lunch, we went to the IES Abroad offices for a barbecue, and when I tell you that food was amazing…it really was. We had sandwiches with chorizo and carnitas, and I had a chocolate ice cream bar for dessert. All of the food looked and tasted extremely fresh, and I may have already sent pictures of my meal to my family back home. We sat outside on a balcony that overlooked the city and it was perfect weather.

The first day went really well and it’s still not over yet!! I am excited to walk around the city more, try new things, and explore the culture more today and over the next two weeks. There are many more foods to try and sights to see, and I am excited! I definitely want to go to local restaurants and see how there is a huge difference in culture. I was nervous before coming on the trip, but now that we are actually here I am mostly feeling excitement! I have already taken so many pictures and am eager to add more later on!!