I slept in this morning after a late night out. I could feel how gorgeous the weather was from in my room… 24 degrees Celsius or just about 76 Fahrenheit! I took a shower after I woke up and took some time to pack up my clothes and organize my bags for our last day tomorrow. Despite my late start to the day, my host’s family all still shared a breakfast of coffee and eggs with me.
We had a relaxing day of watching soccer and rugby matches as well as passing the soccer and rugby balls between games. For lunch, we enjoyed Yerba mate and Mediterranean beef kabobs.
Later at night, we headed out to eat dinner and spend time with the rest of the exchange students. We enjoyed tasty pizza and alfajores as we reminisced about all the memories we made. Though a little somber, it was really nice to gather and share stories and music before we head off tomorrow. —Brady
I started my day by sleeping in until 11:30, as I was extremely tired after our farewell party the night before. I don’t think I had ever been up later than I did yesterday, as I went to bed at 4 AM. As I got ready for the morning, I realized that this was our last full day in Pilar. I was extremely saddened by the thought, but determined to make the most of my day. Reluctantly, I began gathering my clothes into my suitcase, and made my way down the stairs, the movement ever so familiar. I now thought of my exchange buddy’s house as my own. I said ‘hello’ to their dog Símon, as well as my buddy and her family downstairs. We watched the French Open finals, and after Alcaraz won (yay!), got ready to head to lunch. We went to a delicious sushi restaurant, ordering the most delicious rolls and desserts. We talked and bonded with the family for a while and had a great time! After lunch, we got some delicious cheesecake and “Rogel” which is a layered cake with dulce de leche y merengue. After lunch, we came back and got ready for a gathering with a lot of the other exchange students to hang out and watch the Argentina vs. Columbia soccer match. This party was such a nice way to say a proper goodbye and see everyone one last time before Monday. We had a great time eating some really good empanadas and played ping pong! At the end of the party, we collectively realized that this was our second to last time together. The last time, not having to say a last goodbye to one another. We all shared a very emotional moment as we said our goodbyes. I don’t think I’ve ever truly felt as sad as I did then, but I am so extremely grateful for all of the great memories and people we have met through this program. I will miss everyone with my whole heart. After we got home, I packed up my final things and headed to bed with a heavy heart. —Callie
The last full day started off pretty slow compared to most days. After getting to sleep in until almost 11, I had a great breakfast of eggs and tomato on toast with a bowl of cereal prepared by my host dad. I have been thankful to be able to stay with a family that wants to make me feel at home and have had breakfast ready to eat every morning. After the calm morning, we hung out on the coach for around half an hour to fully wake up and be ready for our final day. We left the house and went to pick up Toto and Shrey to go to a nice Italian restaurant for some pizza. The pizza was different than most pizza I have had before in the United States, but it was amazing. We had a normal cheese pizza with great tomato sauce, and then one fried pizza which I had never had before but loved. After pizza, we headed back to the house to grab our wallets, hang out a little, and drink some water before getting ready to go shopping. Around 3:30pm, we began to drive to Unicenter shopping and we arrived a little after 4. We were at the big shopping mall for 3 hours, where we went around to as many stores as we could and bought a few discounted clothes and gifts to bring home to our families. It was a huge mall and I was surprised how much bigger it was than I had been expecting. Also, it was very tightly designed with lots of stores close together but was still very clean and organized. We left the mall at 7 and got back to the house at 7:45 pm. From there, we walked through the neighborhood and met a few more friends at another house in the neighborhood. Here, we played ping pong and hung out with some food and drinks and talked with each other with some music in the background. It was fun but very sad as this was our last night spent together, and we were all dreading the moment when we would have to say goodbye for a long time, maybe even forever with some friends. Although all of us are very sad, I am also happy that we were able to have this experience, and it will be something I will remember dearly for the rest of my life. As of now, this was the best week of my life and think it will be that way for a long time. ———Aidan R