Yesterday was a fun-filled Saturday for us. We slept in until 11, which was blissful because of the previous night’s party that lasted til midnight. Some friends came over in the afternoon, and it was a ton of fun. We had a foosball tournament (I was the first out), where Alejandro (a friend of my host) was most definitely cheating. We also played round robin ping pong for at least an hour, where each person runs around the table and hits the ball for the next person. Of course, there was quite a lot of cards as well.
At the get together, there was also choripan – a sort of Argentinian barbecue with chorizo (sausage) in what was basically a hot dog bun. It was quite good.
After the party, we left our hosts for the Tango show in downtown Buenos Aires. The food was excellent, especially the mozarella ‘sticks’ (triangles) and the ice cream afterwards.
Of course, one doesn’t go to the Tango for the food! The show was amazing, with dance and dress representing the evolution of tango in Buenos Aires over time, from the Italian immigrants’ dance of the poor to extremely high-class performance. The movement was incredibly fluid, passionate, and powerful, and though it meant we were not on the bus back to our houses until past midnight, it was most definitely worth staying up for! I am looking forward to the next two days here, but I am sad that the day of our departure is fast approaching.
–Harrison
Saturday, June 8, 2019
I was woken up this morning by my host Violeta, Ryan, and Ryan’s host Pilar. We had tea and cookies for breakfast and then played Uno. We got ready for the day and headed to Rock & Feller’s for lunch. The restaurant is an American-themed, rock-inspired place which is super fun. We had a great meal with the four of us, Pilar’s little sister and mom, and Violeta’s mom. After, we went straight to the mall to shop around. Ryan and I were struggling to spend all of our pesos because we brought more than we needed. I bought some alfajores for my friends back home. Then Violeta and I went back to her house so I could get ready for the tango. We all went to the school at 7 to drive to the city. We went to the restaurant and the food was very good. I had a great time talking with my friends during dinner. Then the tango started. It was fantastic! It was amazing to see how passionate the musicians and dancers were. The way the musicians played their instruments was so graceful and beautiful. The dancers made their routines looks so elegant and effortless. The singers were so precise and clearly loved the music they were singing. Overall, the performance was captivating and entrancing. It made me realize that passion is what fuels an amazing performance. After the tango, we went back to the school and immediately went to Pilar’s house for a party. It went from around 12:30 am to 4:30 am and it was a lot of fun. We danced for most of the night which was really cool because we don’t do that a lot during our parties in America. What we noticed was that the Argentinians have a habit of never playing a song all the way through. They switch it about 40 seconds in and it’s very frustrating. However, the party was so enjoyable because the other kids know how to relax and just dance and sing. They’re so warm and want to connect with us which makes being with them so different and fun.
–Eden
June 8th, for me, didn’t start when I woke up. It started at 12 am on the dot, as we were all still awake at a birthday party. June 8th started with laughs, yummy cake, and the barks of the host’s 5 dogs. The party ended around 2 am, and we all headed home exhausted yet exhilarated. I fell asleep the millisecond my head hit the pillow, and woke up 8 hours later. So then the day really really started— and it started with something large… on my eye. I woke up with an allergic reaction on my eyelid, swollen and extremely itchy. To this minute, I have no idea what caused it. Scared and intimidated, I was unsure how to tell my host family that I was basically dying. After sending a few panicked and rather comedic selfies to my friends asking for advice, I sent a quick selfie to my exchange student over Whatsapp. I captioned it, “I am having an allergic reaction with my eye. It is harmless but it looks ugly,” in which she promptly responded, “Yeah, you are so ugly,” which pretty much sums up the super friendly, nice bond we’ve fabricated over the mere five days we’ve had together.
Finally dragging myself out of bed, my host took me out on a bike ride around the neighborhood. El Molino was absolutely beautiful, with a park, red and pink houses, and many tropical plants. Although smaller than your average neighborhood, it made up in the colorful homes. We arrived back in time for lunch, where I officially had my first Argentinean barbecue. A few of my host’s friends came over, including one of the students from Cary. One hearty hamburger later, we all laid down in the trampoline and played cards as well as conversed about the differences in the Argentinean economy and the American economy. There was never a dull moment throughout the entire day.
The schedule that was made out for me was stacked. After lunch, we all rode in a truck to go to another student’s house. We arrived and played ping pong and UNO, before it was time yet again to move on to something new. My host and I Ieft the party early to go shopping with another two friends before the finale of the day: Tango Night. My friend and I both brought thousands of pesos, and had not even started to make a dent. We started at the supermarket, buying several boxes of alfajores, the famous sweet snack of Argentina, then afterwards moved onto other clothing stores in the shopping center. To close out our valiant shopping efforts, we finished strong with the Crocs store. If you aren’t familiar with Crocs, there are holes in the shoes that allow you to put little decorations they call “jibbitz” inside to adorn the shoes. My friend and I bought cute little Argentinean flag jibbitz to commemorate our sweet exchange adventure.
Of course, then we traveled to the famous Tango Night. Although the dinner was quite delectable and the dancing was absolutely breathtaking to watch, the best part was the bus ride home. All delirious on the lack of sleep, my friends and I laughed at every single stupid joke made while we drew eggs with faces on the windows of the bus. I felt unity as we giggled together, and a high of emotions as we bonded over sheer nothingness. We came back to the school around 1 am, wildly content.
For some, this marked the end of the eventful day. But for me, my family was not finished. They took me to a formal birthday party one of their friends was having, with no other students around. Sitting there exhausted out of my mind, I found myself smiling at the culture of dancing, eating, and talking late into the night. As I write this, it is 2:26 am. I am at the birthday party. My June 8th has not yet ended. But I have been fulfilled and fulfilled and fulfilled. I cannot wait to see what June 9th has in store for me.
–Vicky
