Pilar, Argentina

Today marked my last day in Argentina closing off an unforgettable experience. I started my morning by waking up and getting ready and packing my bags. I had so much stuff to cram and I was pretty sure my checked bag was over the weight limit because of the amount of dulce de leche decided to bring back. I ate breakfast which consisted of eggs, fruit, and juice. Then had my bags loaded into the car and I was off to school for my last day.

When we arrived we had an activity with 3rd and 4th grade regarding proverbs and their purposes. It was a lot of fun and a nice way to start the morning. We then moved into the snack room to have one last activity with our exchange students before saying goodbye, it was a time for us to reflect on the amazing experiences we have had throughout our time at CA and North Hills.
Many people decided to share out memories or feelings of gratitude towards their partners which was so nice to see. We then shared out with the larger group regarding what we talked about. Then came pictures with the whole group and individual pictures to try and capture these last few moments with our best friends. We then went to lunch and ate as quickly as possible in hopes of having more time with our partners before leaving.

Then came what everyone was dreading the real goodbyes. There were lots of tears shed on both sides, more pictures, and lots of shared words. While it was so sad it really just showed how close we became to these amazing people. We then were ushered onto the bus where everyone was at the gate waving us goodbye making leaving so much harder. After waving goodbye for about 10 minutes the bus finally pulled away and we were off to the airport. There we went through security, shopped, found our gate, and got ready for our 10 hour flight back home, ending our incredible two weeks in Argentina.   –Juliette

After coming home rather late after going to Agus’s house last night, I went home and packed my things, going to sleep at around 1:30. woke up at 7:15, and started gathering the little things that I didn’t pack late last night. I took a shower and took my things out to the car, and then we left to North Hills.

The first activity we did was a proverb matching activity, where we were supposed to grab a paper with half of a proverb, and find the person with the missing half, and then answer the questions on the back of the paper. Following that activity, i met up with some friends during break, and proceeded to the next activity where we got into groups and answered some questions. We then went to eat lunch.

Following lunch, everyone started saying their final goodbyes, which was really sad because I realized that I wont see these people for a long time, or maybe forever. We boarded the bus, and headed to the airport. We got there pretty early, so we had an hour to go around and shop a bit. Then we waited for a LONG time to get on the plane, but we boarded around 7:30, and that was the day.    –River

Today I woke up at 10 am, had a light breakfast, and we headed out to Chinatown. The weather was beautiful, and luckily my cold is almost recovered. I went with Mateo, Cole, River, Fran, Nathaniel, Roxy, Leti, JuanFran, Max, and a few others. Once we arrived, we started by going to a Japanese restaurant where we had a great meal eating teriyaki, Ramen, and sushi. After that, we spent some time strolling around Chinatown before heading back on the car to drive to an ice cream shop. There we ate icecream while I had a cheesecake. After a bit of talking, we wrapped up our stay in downtown pilar and left for las palmas pilar, a large mall. I decided to buy a scarf for my mother and a cologne for my father, and then some alfajores to bring back home. Everything was so expensive! I had to choose my items very carefully. Then we crammed together in Roxy’s car as we headed to Fran’s house. There we had a light snack and then went to eat at a restaurant called Ayres, located right in his neighborhood. I had a massive sandwich that was probably fit to feed a small village. Then we were headed for our final activity of the night, and that is a party at Agus’s. I think I can speak for everyone when I say this: the party was bittersweet. It was fun because we got to talk with friends, play ping pong, and even just dance. However it was also sad because it was the last night of our exchange. We tried to save the memories as much as possible by taking photos, but we were each wishing that we could stay just one more night at least. I am going to miss this trip experience, I really am. Moments like these reminds me how nothing in life is permanent. However, let’s be glad that it happened, not sad that it will be over.     —Eugene

After a late gathering at Lucho’s house last night, I woke up at 11:00 the next morning. It was a much needed rest after getting up early for school in the past few days. Today, Delfi had a large family gathering at her house. I met her aunts, uncles, cousins, and her grandparents! They were very sweet and asked me about my stay in Argentina, what food I liked, and my life in America. I even got to converse a bit in Spanish. For lunch, Delfi’s mom prepared traditional Argentinian foods: matambre a la pizza (beef topped with cheese like a pizza), guiso de lentejas (broth with beef, potatoes, and lentils), churrasco (beef similar to steak). For dessert, Delfi’s aunt made chocotortas. When I first tasted it at North Hills I didn’t really like it, but these ones were so good that I even came back for seconds! After lunch, Delfi and I watched a horror movie. Then we got ready to go meet up with a few friends at the mall Palmas, where we coincidentally bumped into a few more exchange students. I bought a box of alfajores for my parents from Havanna. Then we headed to Fran’s house and ate dinner at the clubhouse. After dinner, we headed to Agus’s house for the last gathering of the exchange. There was food, just dance, and ping pong and I had a great time. We left at around 12; I’m so sad that tomorrow is the last day of the exchange. Good thing we took many photos to commemorate. I will miss everyone!           —Sherry

I didn’t really do anything in the morning, just woke up, had breakfast (yogurt, toast with jam, in Argentina they don’t really eat breakfast), waited for everyone else to wake up, and just kinda lazed around on my phone.

When everyone else woke up we had lunch together, and after having lunch I went to a shopping center with a few other people. I wanted to look for clothing as a sort of souvenir for the trip, and I also bought some alfajores there to bring back home as gifts.

After that we went back home to eat dinner before going to a party as a sort of “final day” activity, which for me consisted of a lot of ping pong, which is really popular at parties amongst this group. It’s pretty bittersweet to hang out like this for the last time together, we took a lot of pictures.

When I got home I just packed my suitcase and went to bed.    –Ty

Today we were exhausted from the week and finally had a chance to sleep in. We slept late and had a slow start to the morning and enjoyed breakfast together with my partners family. After, the four of us went to a town called Tigre and explored the different parts along the River. After, for lunch, they wanted to show me authentic Argentinian pizza. I was so surprised at how incredible it was because I’d never heard of Argentinian pizza before but I will definitely be having it again. After, we drove home and  rested before merienda. I sat in the living room with my host parents and drank mate with media lunas. At around 8 we went to a party with a lot of kids from the exchange. We talked, played games, danced, and ate some great food. Overall it was a great day and I can’t believe that we’re leaving Monday!
-Kendall

Today was luckily a much more relaxing day after the long and chaotic week that had preceded it. I was able to sleep in until 9:30 AM this morning, which was much needed considering the fact that I had stayed up until 2:00 AM the previous night. I then began to pack for the journey home, as I knew that I wouldn’t have much time in the next day and a half to get everything prepared. After a nice breakfast of toast with butter and dulce de leche, I joined Bruno, his younger brother Benicio, his cousin Lauti, and many of Benicio’s friends to celebrate his tenth birthday. The party was themed around fútbol, and many of the participants spent most of the time playing and/or practicing on the nearby field. A filling lunch of cheeseburgers (grilled by Bruno’s father) was served at the party, which I thoroughly enjoyed. 

After the party, I returned home and continued packing, relaxed, and read more of the science fiction novel I had brought with me on the trip. Additionally, I got to play a matching card game with Bruno and two of his older cousins, which was challenging for me due to the extra time it took to come up with the correct word in Spanish for the matching item on both cards in play.

To end the day, I went to a party at Lucho’s house, where my friends and I talked while others played ping pong, foosball, and darts. We feasted on a meal of empanadas, pizza, and sandwiches, and I lost a grand total of one cent on a game of foosball that I lost. All in all, it was a very fun night. Finally, at about midnight, I headed back to Bruno’s house to get some sleep. I have really enjoyed this trip as a whole, and it’s bittersweet that tomorrow will be our last full day here.  Aaron 

Today was a chill day and we did not do much. Last night we stayed up really late until 4 am hanging out with friends which was really fun. Ana and I surprisingly both woke up at 1 pm which is really late but it was nice to get a restful sleep since we stayed up so late the night before. After we woke up I helped Ana and her mom make lunch which was really good and was a charcuterie board that had a variety of cheeses and meats with also several types of bread. I tried this new sausage which was really good, I have been trying so many new foods while I was here.

After we ate, Ana and I watched the new season of Ginny and Georgia together while eating ice cream. The flavors I ate were kinder, raspberry, dulce de leche, and chocolate which were all really good. I think the ice cream in Argentina is a lot better than the US and is definitely the best ice cream I have ever had.

After we watched the show for a while we started getting ready for a party at Luchos house which was super fun! I talked with a lot of people on the exchange and I got to make new friends! We did karaoke and played ping pong which were all super fun! For dinner, I had empanadas and little pork sandwiches which were so good. I also tried this lemon drink that is kind of like sparkling lemonade which was so good! Ana and I stayed at Luchos house really late until 1:30 am!

After we got home Ana and I just went straight to bed since it was already really late even thought we slept all day. Overall I had a restful and social day today where I made new friends and tried new things. I am so sad that the trip is almost over I will really miss everyone!   –Jayla

This morning at school we watched and helped the first graders make cookies and crème de leche. I’m allergic, so I wasn’t able to taste it, but I heard it was very good. After that, we did some activities with the 5th graders. The first activity we did was answering different questions about our everyday life in America and compared them to different aspects of living in Argentina. The second activity was playing various games to bond together. My group played Pictionary, and it was a pretty entertaining experience. In the afternoon, we played paintball, which was a first time for me. It was very fun, and we played for the whole afternoon. By the end of it, I was extremely exhausted, but I had fun, which was all that matters to me.                                       —Nathaniel 

Rianna and I woke up at 6:30 after a sleepover. We’d stayed up late watching the Argentina vs. Chile game the night before. My exchange partner’s cousin made us chococcino, which is kind of like hot chocolate mixed with coffee. It was the perfect warm start to a cold morning.

The drive to Colegio de North Hills took a while because of traffic, but we still managed to be the first students to arrive, right at 8:00. Our first activity was making chocotorta with the first-year students. It’s made by dipping Chocolina cookies in milk, layering them in a pan, and spreading a mix of cream cheese and dulce de leche on top. You just keep repeating the layers until you run out of ingredients. I’d made it before, so I knew what to do, and it turned out just as good as I remembered.

Next, we met with the fourth years for a cultural exchange. We asked each other questions like “What are some similarities or differences between our cultures?” It was fun hearing their thoughts and telling them about our exchange trip, especially since some of them might sign up to go next year.

In the afternoon, a group of us left school early to go paintballing. When we got to the venue, all of us from Cary were surprised at how realistic it looked. It honestly felt like a little battlefield. We split into two teams, green and blue, and played a few rounds. Getting hit with the paintballs definitely stung, especially on bare skin. Sometimes the hits left behind more than just yellow paint. After three rounds, I was exhausted, so we headed home, showered off the paint, and took a quick nap before dinner.

That night we went to Zhao, an all-you-can-eat sushi place. It was pretty good, but I think the sushi back home is better. After dinner, we walked to Bruno’s house, Aaron’s exchange partner, since it was only about a ten-minute walk. Getting into his gated neighborhood was kind of a hassle with twenty of us showing our IDs, but we eventually made it in.

Rianna and I ended up leaving just a few minutes after we got there. It was already 1 AM and we were both wiped.  My exchange partner’s cousin picked us up and we went straight to bed as soon as we got home.         —Olivia 

Today was an incredibly long day. I woke up around 5:30 in the morning to eat breakfast and pack my things. Breakfast consisted of 2 Oreos, 3 crackers, Dulce de leche, and coffee. Once we’d left the house, the dawn was very foggy and beautiful. Me and Feli were running on about two hours of sleep so the bus ride was a chance to catch up.

Upon awakening, we were back in Buenos Aires! Either a little breakfast and one hour Power Nap, we were off to our first tour: Congreso Nacional. The tour was super interesting and the building was beautiful. Much of the walls, furniture, and paintings have been there since the late 1800s! In one room, a massive chandelier hung from a ceiling painted in gold. We learned that a special painting technique was used to make the gold shine very brightly. We even got to see a copy of the Argentine Constitution, written in 1864. After the tour, we left the building and noticed a protest had started. There was a lot of law enforcement and the gathering of people continued to grow.

We took the bus to our lunch spot, a cool little playground area  called Plaza Haroldo Conti. We ate lunch, messed around on the swings for a bit, and then we went to a coffee shop before our next museum visit. I bought a Dulce de leche frappe and a dulce de leche cookie. I really love Dulce de leche! After our little pit stop, we walked over to our next tour, the Holocaust Museum

The museum was another guided tour, but for this one we got headphones and a radio. The structure of the tour was a chronological guide through the entire holocaust, start to finish. While we didn’t cover absolutely everything, we learned a lot. We learned more about Hitler’s rise to power and the methods he used to dehumanize the Jews, how his election spiraled into this violent systematic oppression and genocide of over 6 million Jews. At the end of the tour, we saw a memorial for those who had been killed and those who had saved at least one life.

After the tour, we were all very tired, and ready to head home. I was sitting on the back of the bus again with Hassan, but before I crashed, I changed Hassan’s entire life. I introduced him to Pick up the Phone by Travis Scott. I slept so good on the bus ride back that I actually had a dream! I guess that’s what two hours of sleep gets you. Once we got back, we said our goodbyes and one of Feli’s friends drove us home. Dinner was Papa de Crema con carne, and as per usual meal in Argentina, it was delicious and I had too much. While we ate, me and Feli watched this famous Argentine show called The Eternaut. The show is basically about an apocalypse where this magic snow kills people. We watched it until midnight and we headed off to bed.

Overall, the day-trip was really fun. We made a lot of memories, learned a lot on our tours, and at least I had an overwhelming amount of Dulce de leche. Before I leave I hope to buy at least 3 tanks of Dulce de leche to bring back home… for me… and me alone.     –Joey

This morning we helped set up math games at school with our exchange students. The younger kids played the games, and it was fun to see them enjoy it.

In debate class, we picked topics and had to choose to be either for or against them. It was interesting to hear everyone’s views and share our own.

At lunch, we ate Milanesa, a traditional Argentinian dish which was really tasty. After lunch, the oldest class interviewed us for their research project, and we got to share our thoughts and experiences.

Before the day ended, we had a slang exchange, we taught the Argentinians some of our slang, and they taught us theirs. It was funny and a great way to learn from each other and bond.

After school, a big group of us went to Rush, a trampoline park, and had lots of fun jumping around. Later, some of us went out for dinner at Kansas, an American style restaurant.                          —-Zack

Today was the first day going to Colegio North Hills. My exchange partner, Valen, told me we had to leave 40 minutes before school started because of how bad the traffic was when it would only 15 minutes away without any traffic. On the way to school, I didn’t realize how different the traffic was compared to NC. Once we got to school there was an assembly where we danced with everyone at school and got breakfast with our exchange students. We ate brownies, chipas, medialunas, alfajor, budín and alfajorcitos de maicena. Everything was so yummy and the desserts were so sweet! After, we played ping pong before we went to an art class and used vegetable pigment like beets, spinach, and turmeric. Then, we got lunch which was chicken and potatoes. When we finished we went outside for a little and all of the students that were in primary school wanted our signatures and asked for our instagrams. It felt like we were famous! We went to the 6th graders classroom next where we had a picnic with more food like chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and more chipas. The 6th graders had prepared questions for us. We had a break and then we played basketball and fùtbol with students that were in primary school. After school ended all of the girls got Merienda at Maru Botana. I got Marquise Fritas which was a chocolate cake with fruit and it was huge. So yummy! It was so filling and afterwards Abru and Olivia came over to Valen’s house and we hung out for a little then after we went to bed. It was a fun day and I’m so excited to make more memories!
-Rainna

I woke up this morning around 9:00. My exchange student Dona, her family, and I stayed at a ranch called “Estancia Villa Maria.” It was super fun and cool to see all of the horses at the ranch. We headed down for breakfast at the hotel before leaving to return back to Pilar. It was about an hour and a half drive. Next, we went on bicycles around her neighborhood and saw the golf courses and tennis courts near her house. It was super sunny outside and all the leaves were orange and red because it is fall in Argentina. Around 2:00 P.M., we ate lunch with Dona’s family. Then, we tried some argentinan drinks and snacks. I tried a soda called Aqua Rius Pera which is a very popular drink. It was very good and tasted like pears. I also tried Danette which is a dulce de leche pudding. Dulce de leche is also very well known in argentian desserts. It tastes a lot like caramel! We both took naps because of how tired we were from the ranch. Later, we went to dinner at a bowling alley with many of the girls. We shared lots of entrees like quesadillas and sushi. In bowling, the american girls played against the argentian girls. It was super fun and the great end to a super busy weekend. I am so excited for tomorrow and the rest of the week!
-Ella

Finally, we had a pretty relaxing day. To start the day off I woke up at 8:20 to an amazing breakfast that Agustin’s parents had made. It was so good. There was avocado toast, eggs, yogurt, granola, fruits, and pancakes. After this, we quickly took a drive over to a soccer game that Agustin was competing in. It was really a fun game to watch with almost every minute his team just nearly missing out on an opportunity to score. However, they did score one goal immediately to start the game giving them a 1-0 advantage and the win. Continuing into lunch, we went to a nice place with many shops and restaurants around it. It was a lot like Fenton or North Hills back home. There, we had this amazing cut of meat along with salad, empanadas, and a cheese I can’t quite remember the name of. All of it was amazing. Once home after the long 1 hour drive, we all crashed. Together we watched Guardians of the Galaxy and relaxed on the couch and talked. Eventually dinner came around, and we had a spinach pie with cheese. Along with this there was prosciutto, brie cheese, and tomatoes. Even though this night isn’t quite as long as the ones before it, I still enjoyed my time talking and getting to know the family even better.              –Cole

Today was Sunday, so it was mainly a rest day. It was a day for everyone to recharge and get ready for the upcoming week. My partner and I woke up at around 11 and had breakfast at about 12. We then chilled for the next couple hours, played with the dog, and helped prepare and set up lunch with the family. It was a relaxing time to spend with the family, especially as the last days on the exchange have been really fast pace and a bit tiring. We then had lunch outside at around 2, which was really relaxing especially because the weather was so nice outside. It was really refreshing to take a step back and talk with the family and enjoy the weather outside, it was very therapeutic  and calming. After this, we drove over to Matis house because we were going with him to watch his soccer game. While waiting outside his community for his car to arrive, I noticed how there were lots of families gathered around the patches of grass, each one of them enjoying time together and relaxing and decompressing on Sunday after a busy week. I thought it was a much needed break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and was very nice to have a brief yet fresh refresher. We took the almost hour long drive to Buenos Aires to watch Matis soccer game. He was playing 8v8 with two less people. A guy on his team got a red card in the first five minutes and they ended up losing very badly. We then went to the UniCenter where we explored the large mall and ate dinner. We then returned home. Overall I thought today was a very good balance of relaxing while also spending good quality time with friends and family.        —Lucas

Today i woke up at bright and early at 5:00am to travel to iguazú! After getting a lovely breakfast at starbucks we boarded our plane and were off to our destination. On the plane I went on it was my partner and I plus her best friend named Abru and Olivia. Many other girls also came but they were on a different fights and did different excursions. The flight was 2 hours, but i was able to pass the time by talking to my friends. The first thing we did when we arrived was we took a train to our first destination which was a boat tour. On the train the guide told us about all the different species in iguazú falls such as the capuchin, jaguars, and birds. They also talked about the issue of deforestation, and how we must preserve the wild life that surrounds us. They explained everything in english and spanish, which helped a lot, and we also had our own personal  tour guide who told us many facts about the falls! Once we arrived at the boat, we had to put all our stuff away because we were going to get a “shower” in the waterfalls. I thought it was going to be a light mist of water, but I was very much mistaken. The ride was smooth at first, but later the boat took us through the waterfall and we got drenched. I forgot to bring a change of clothes so i was freezing, but the view of the falls was gorgeous which definitely made it worth it. We got many good picture, and also saw a capybara! After this we tried drying off and had lunch in this cafeteria. It was basic but good, and after that we wanted to soak in the sun so we slept on the grass a little bit. Olivia unfortunately got pooped on by a bird, so we were all freaking out, and would move away if a bird came near us. Our guide came back after, and took us on our final nature walks. We saw many different waterfalls, and even saw some that belonged to Brazil! The most memorable for me was Devils Throat, the scenery was unmatched! We also saw someone bring flowers and champaign so they probably got engaged, too bad we didn’t witness it though. After we finished our hike at around 4:00 we came back to the hotel to rest and get ready for dinner! Everyone was so tired from the long day, so people took power naps and chilled on their phone before we had to leave again. We met up with the rest of the girls at dinner which was extremely fun. We played charades, and spilled some funny stories about us as kids. Dinner finished at around 11:30, ending with the best dessert i’ve ever had! it was a chocolate lava cake and everyone loved it. Finally, we all went to Rainna and her partners room to just talk and chill. We stayed for about an hour until we had to go back because we had another early flight to catch. I can’t wait to experience more, it’s going to be so much fun!    —Shriya