Today was our first day at the North Hills School! We started the day with a field trip to Austral University where we took a class from the department of international politics on populism and how it relates to democracy, specifically in South America. Afterwards, we toured the university, including the classrooms located in the hospital building on campus where medical students study. We got to look in various classrooms where students were working and learning. When the tour was finished, we returned to North Hills for an activity from the counseling staff at the school where we got to learn more about our Cary Academy classmates. After this activity, we had a yummy lunch and got to socialize with other students from the school who were not a part of the exchange trip, including some excited and eager younger kids. Following lunch, we learned Argentinian slang from 3rd year students (8th grade equivalent) and ate some sweet baked goods including medialunas and alfajores. We also got to try Mate. Lastly, we learned about Argentinian folklore, where we played a card game called Truco and learned a dance with year 4 students (9th grade equivalent). After school, I went with my host to a restaurant nearby for tea and medialunas – I got one with ham and cheese. Tonight, I ate dinner with my host family. We ate gnocchi because it is a tradition in Argentina to eat gnocchi on the 29th of the month. –Brooke
