Unfortunately, our flight to Buenos Aires was delayed until 7am the next day. However, once I arrived at the airport at 7pm, I realized that they weren’t lying about the amount of mosquitos but I was still tired and excited to get to the hotel! As soon as we got to the hotel, I passed out because of exhaustion and excitement. The next day, I woke up early to get ready to go to the IES orientation. We learned about safety, tips, cultural norms and restrictions. I was surprised to learn that Uber was illegal in Buenos Aires because I use it on a weekly basis at home. If I am correct, it is illegal because the Taxis protested its existence. After, we met with representatives from the Universidad de Austral. They spoke about their schools programs and rankings. In addition, they stressed the meaning of their schools logo. The school’s logo consists of an apple tree with stars in shape of a cross: a constellation that is only visible in Buenos Aires. After, we spoke with the former Minister of Health. It was apparent he held great pride for his achievements and strove to provide equity, not equality to everyone in Buenos Aires, regardless of their citizenship. After, we returned to the IES headquarters to learn Tango. Since I’m very uncoordinated, I struggled a lot with the steps. However, after an hour of practice, I believe I’m ready for a Milonga or a Tango Club. For dinner, we went to Santos Manjares. The steak was so cheap and cooked to perfection. The waiters were all helpful and I was surprised to see that tip is only 10% here. At home, it’s usually 15-20%. In general, today was informative and eye opening. I learned that people are also very helpful and nice, compared to my home town, when I needed directions or recommendations.
