Today, we had our first cultural visit to the Don Silvano ranch. The ranch was very interesting to see as I have never been to a ranch before. After another amazing nap on the bus, we were given the lay of the land and time to go explore. We saw some of the old buildings and many animals that were there including sheep, llamas, chickens, horses, rams, ostriches, and peacocks. Additionally, we saw mosquitos yet again. At least today we had plenty of bug spray and I think I was able to get by without many bites. We were given a welcome meal of empanadas, which were amazing, and then we had more time to explore. We took a horse drawn carriage ride around the ranch which was a lot of fun and we met some of the stray cats, one of which reminded me of my cat at home, Sox. After doing a small obstacle course and zipline, we entered the main house of the ranch to learn about the cultural history of gauchos, Argentinean cowboys. Gauchos are very well known in Argentina, almost as old western cowboys are in the United States. Gauchos are a symbol of masculinity and strength in Argentina, and their traditions of horse riding and keeping livestock. Gaucho culture is an important part of Argentinean history and culture. They also are appreciated through music and dance, as we saw at our mouth watering barbecue for lunch. We had chorizo, a staple sausage of Argentina, pork, black sausage (not the best), chicken, and best of all, steak. Every meat we were given was cooked to perfection and beautifully tender and juicy. After our extensive meal and dancing to the live entertainment, we saw a gaucho show, where a group of people came and rode horses around and did some tricks with them. It was very interesting to see this aspect of Argentinean culture, as it is something that is a parallel with a staple of American culture. Noticing the importance of gauchos in Argentina also demonstrates many of the core values throughout all areas of Argentina, including solidarity, loyalty, and courage. To finish off today’s blog post, I want to shout out my Mom. Even though we will be missing mother’s day, I still appreciate her and I wouldn’t be able to be on this trip if it wasn’t for her. Thank you for everything and I love you!