Author: kara_caccuitto

Day 3: June 1

We woke up and had breakfast and got on the bus at 9:15 and were on our way at 9:51. It was a chilly morning with lots of fog, but once we arrived at the boat dock, and it got sunny. We then got on our boat, and sat down in the cabin. Thankfully, we got to go onto the stern and listen to the captain narrate what we saw in and mix between argentine and German accented English. We took lots of fun photos and had a great time. We got mini alfajores and really sweet coffee. After docking, we found a playground and balanced on see saws, spun on rickety metal spinners, and swung really high. Then we went to lunch and had empanadas with meat, various assortments of meat, including blood sausage) and buttery ice cream with chopped nuts. After that we took a boat back to where we started and ventured on the bus to San Isidro, a beautiful chapel on the edge of the older neighborhoods of Buenos Aires.

After being very quiet there and taking pictures, we walked through some of the older, historic neighborhoods and they were adorable. This led us to La Jardín Historico de La Quinta Los Ombues, where we saw an amazing view.

After that we walked some more until we passed the church again and then stopped into a little cafe for gelato and pastries.

After refueling our tummies, the ever-anticipated bus ride to pilar commenced. This was a bus ride filled with energy, high spirits, dares, and nerves. As people rehearsed their Spanish conversations and belted out Spanish music hits, we pulled into Collegio North Hills. We got off excited an anxious, and upon walked in, were greeted by an onslaught of screaming, hugs, and tears. The reunion was sweet and as we all went off to our respective houses, we anxiously awaited he next adventure.
–Madi

Day 2: May 31

¿Qué tal chicos? In our second day in Argentina the amigos and I explored further into the city of Buenos Aires and the amazing lifestyle and culture that surrounds it. The day started for the gang at 9:30 when, after eating breakfast at the hotel, we boarded our bus to venture into the city. Our first stop was the amazing Teatro Colon. There we enjoyed a tour of the building that boats the best acoustics in the world. The theater featured a U-shaped design and had a viewing capacity of 2,400. Inside and out it was adorned with beautiful paintings and decorations. In one room adorned with golden leaf and classical French furniture we saw part of an audition take place. Once our tour ended at 11:15, we took off on our bus again. 20 minutes later we arrived at the Galeria Pacifico; a former train station that now is a mall. Here we walked around for twenty minutes looking at the various shops within the mall. To my surprise, a lot of these stores are ones that can also be found in the US. Some, like the Nike store, even had a majority of their advertisements in English. Really the only difference between a lot of the stores in that mall and their counterparts in America was that the Argentinean stores had significantly higher prices. Then we boarded our bus again to see the La Recoleta Cemetery. In La Recoleta all of the graves were featured above ground. This was such a notable cemetery that the smallest available land plot costs 75,000 USD, or the cost of an apartment in the adjacent. There were a number of notable names buried there, such as Eva Perón. After the cemetery we went to a mall to go eat. As a vegetarian this was probably the hardest part of the day for me because, boy, Argentineans sure do love their meat. After walking around the mall twice I eventually settled for a chicken salad sin pollo. At three we left the mall and went to El Rosedal, the largest park in Buenos Aires. There we had a nice stroll across the park and enjoyed the mild winter day. After a significant time spent here we left for our hotel. While at the hotel my friends and I took a quick dip into the rooftop pool. I’ll just say that it was more freezing cold than it was refreshing. Then, at 7:50, we boarded our bus again for our final venture into Buenos Aires for the day. We didn’t know what to expect, as Vic didn’t let up much. We arrived about twenty minutes later to this theater in the city. Before I begin, I just want to say that I’m writing this blog several hours after our final experience for the night and I’m still trying to figure out exactly what happened. Words cannot do this experience justice but I will try my best. It all began in a large, dark room packed to the brim with people. On the stage in front of us five actors began banging drums in front of them and chanting in Spanish. Then, out of nowhere, these people attached to cables began swinging from the ceiling. I managed to jump up and touch one of their hands. Afterwards, it went dark and a man on a cable appeared in the center of the crowd on some sort of elevated treadmill stage. He started running, then jogging, then he was in an all out sprint. BANG. A shot and a flash of light appeared from the corner. The man on the stage began to stumble and blood poured from his chest. But then he got back in motion and took off his bloody shirt to reveal a clean shirt underneath. He started to run again and jumped through several cardboard walls thrown onto the treadmill. Afterwards a curtain encompassed the audience and two dancers hanging from wires began to run along the surface of this curtain. This was followed by the man getting up and running again, this time through different people cruising by on the treadmill. After this a plastic sheet covered in water descended from the ceiling. A girl was featured in the center of this clear stage in a fetal position. Then other girls appeared on the stage and they began sliding around in the water above our heads. It was crazy. Then there came a point where a large shipping container-like box appeared and these actors broke out the cardboard walls. They jumped off stage and grabbed squared tiles made of styrofoam, cardboard, and confetti and began smashing these tiles onto the heads of people in the audience. According to my good friend Ryan, the actor that he was “flirting” on stage sought him out in the crowd, choked him, then a box was smashed atop is head. This will probably be Ryan’s favorite moment from the trip. Eventually at the end it began pouring from the ceiling and we all got soaking wet. All in all, this was probably one of my most favorite moments ever. Although Ryan and I had amazing times, our friend Matthew seemed to have the best day ever.

–Ivan

 

Day 1: May 30

After a long flight, we started the long day ahead of us, by smoothly going through customs, and getting all our luggage. We made our way out of the airport and on to the bus where we met our tour guide. We got settled and were handed paperwork to fill out, a map, and the best of all: Alfajores! Many of us had enjoyed these treats given to us by our exchange students, and brought back great memories. After about 45 minutes, we arrived at the hotel got our suitcases and went up to our rooms. Luckily we got around 30 minutes to freshen up and get ready for the rest of the day. Afterwards we walked together as a group for a while towards Cafe Tortoni, one of the oldest cafes in Buenos Aires. It was interesting to see the different buildings and architecture, as well as different people living their daily lives. Upon arriving at  Cafe Tortoni we learned some of the history including that in the past there were separate entrances for  men and women. We proceeded to go inside and order our drinks/ food of choice. I personally ordered Cafe con leche (coffee with milk) was great! Others had things like hot chocolate, churros, and other unique drinks. After sitting, relaxing, and getting some caffeine, we continued to walk and ended up at il gatto, an Italian restaurant. We ordered different foods from milanesa to pizza, and had a nice relaxing lunch. After lunch we got back on the bus and drove for a little to continue our tour. We stopped near la casa rosada (the pink house), where the president works. We stood in a small circular plaza where were we learned the history of these women known as “abuelas” today, that fought against social injustices against the government, to help the futures of their children. Shortly after we saw a demonstration (which we learned isn’t unusual for there to be demonstrations in public places). While we didn’t know the exact reason behind the demonstration, we got that it had something to do with feminism, due to demonstration being made up of nude women holding up signs. Although shocking to see, it was extremely interesting to see others culture and use of free speech and expression. Afterwards we went to a beautiful church and walked around and took pictures. Then we got back on the bus and drove to a cute little town and learned a popular soccer team boca junior, and its presence in the culture. We walked around and looked in small shops, with some people even buying small gifts. After exploring, we went back to the bus and went back to the hotel. We had some down time and time to get ready before heading out to dinner. Before we left we all went to go take pictures in our nice outfits, since we all agreed to dress up tonight. We then left for La bistecca, and ate a wonderful dinner full of different types of meats, sushi, chocolate fondue, and more! After a filling meal, we walked around for a while and saw how pretty the city was at night. Finally after a long yet adventurous day we headed back to the hotel to get some much needed sleep.

-caroline

Departure Day: May 29th

The day for which everyone was anxiously awaiting finally arrived–Departure Day!

After an exciting send off at RDU from parents and assorted family, we were then delayed leaving, and as a result, we had to hustle to make our flight in Atlanta to Buenos Aires.  We arrived with just enough time to ride over to the new terminal and board the plane.  We had a smooth flight into Buenos Aires, and all of our bags made it!

We then set off for an exciting day of touring.  Caroline will be chronicling this day for us in the next post.

June 6: Day 14

Before going to bed Sunday night, I decided to set my alarm for 6:45am to make sure I had everything packed up. However when 6:45 occurred, with the painful noise from my alarm clock, I decided to tap snooze and hope my remaining stuff would magically pack itself. As potentially possible as my thought was, it did not happen. Consequently, I woke up at about 7:07 in a panic to get myself and stuff together. I neatly shoved my sweaters and shoes into any remaining space I could find. By now, many of us are sick, so I woke up with a nice congested nose and sore throat: a lovely present for my future day of travel.

However, I did not let this bring me down. Instead, I decided this would be the day I would try mate, a traditional hot tea. Luckily, I was given sweet mate, and it was a lot better than I thought it would be. After our quick breakfast, I went back upstairs to gather my belongings and encounter yet another obstacle. I had to figure out how I was to bring my giant red suitcase down the stairs. I managed to shimmy the 49.8 pound bag that was nearly my height, giving me the confidence I needed to take on the day. Once the car was all packed up, we were off to my final day at North Hills. I dramatically glanced out of the window to fully soak in my surroundings one last time. We rolled in slightly late, but that is nothing I am not used to. As I reached to grab my suitcase out of the trunk, the car started rolling forward. I was confused whether I was hallucinating from my lack of sleep or if the car was actually moving. Luckily, we realized the car was actually moving just in time for the car to only, slightly, nudge the car in front.

Once I walked into our meeting room, I was applauded by my fellow classmates for showing up late. We started our last day of school with traditional and common card games in Argentina. The first game I played was called Truco. Truco is played with a deck of cards that have set values depending on the number and drawing. Each player is handed 3 cards. Then, you go around the circle and place down your best card. The person with the highest value card wins the point. The game can get more complicated; however, we decided to keep it simple. Also, I happened to win all the rounds. Though they say it is a game of luck, I believe it is a game of pure strategy. The next game we played was called Tutti Fruity. This a pretty simple game. One person decides on a letter, and we all had to write a Name, Place, Animal, Food, and Famous Person.If you write a word that has been used by others, you get 5 points. If you write a word that others did not write, you get 10 points. Then, we played Janga. Following Janga, we had a snack break at 9:44. Next, we went to the cafeteria to make empanadas.

We finished around 11:30 and had another break, during which I tried my first Oreo alfajor. This was a thrilling experience. Imagine this: 2 Oreos beautifully paired together with creamy milk chocolate. It was wonderful. However, my happiness would come to an end. I had to face my final task of the day: our goodbyes. It was very hard for me say bye to everyone, and I will cherish these past weeks forever. I made such good friendships, and I hope to keep in touch with everyone.

We had a very sad bus ride from around 2 to 3:20ish, and then we were off to Atlanta and Raleigh. I would like to conclude with a huge thank you to Señor Quesada and Ms. Caccuitto, along with all the North Hills faculty and families. I learned a lot about Argentinian culture and family life.

–Maddie

June 5: Day 13

Today was the last full day of our trip to Argentina. It started just like any other morning: we woke up at around 9:00 am and had a small breakfast of fruit and various pastries. Afterwards, me and my host Juan Cruz spend most of the morning getting ready for our multiple excursions in the afternoon. I got started packing my luggage for my return to America tomorrow.

At around 10:30, we (Juan Cruz´s family and I) get in the car and go the planned activity: an outing with the other students from Cary Academy and their hosts. It was at a place La Mimosa, which is a farm/ranch with various activities like horseback riding, carriage riding, etc. When we got there, only about half of the other students had arrived, so we waited for more to show up before beginning the activities. When we finally started, we walked to the house on the property and had a light meal (snack?) consisting of a few empanadas and a cup of juice (or wine, depending on your age and/or preference). Afterwards, we were given an introduction by the owner of the farm and then went to explore, with most people going for a carriage ride or a horse ride.

We freely explored until 1:00, which was when lunch was served. This time it was another asado. There were many different types of meat, similar to the last asado we went to. We started out with a salad, then moved on to sausages (of both the blood and the chorizo variety), and eventually moved up to the big meats. We had large slabs of both chicken and steak, which we ate until we were full. Afterwards came dessert in the form of ice cream, which wrapped up lunch.

After lunch, we (the boys) went out and played various sports like soccer and football with some of the dogs on the farm as spectators. When the dogs decided to join in, both games quickly deteriorated into “Keep the Ball Away from the Dogs or Spend the Next 5 Minutes Trying to Get it Back”.

In general, we just hung out doing various activities until we left, at around 5:30 pm.After the farm outing, we went to the last party here in Argentina. It was at Nicole´s house, like the party on Friday. Similar to the many other parties, some played games like Twister and foosball, while others simply sat around and talked about visiting again in the future. It was a great way to wrap up a great trip!

–Vincent

 

June 4: Day 12

Today started as a slow morning, we woke up around 11:30 am and had a small breakfast and coffee together with some girls who slept over. We chatted about the trip and the day before just to catch up. My host Nicole has two little sisters who love to talk to me in Spanish despite the fact that I can never understand them, so that also took up most of my morning. I drew pictures with them, danced, and watched their shows with them. Nicole and her older sister Juli (whom I knew from the previous exchange group) are in the school’s next musical Mamma Mia, so they had me help them practice their Super Trouper scene. At this point Nicole was still asleep and the other girl in this scene happened to have slept over, which meant I was going to take the place of Nicole in the number. We watched a video of women performing the song in what looked like a play but I could not really tell because it was in Spanish. I learned the steps fairly quickly and we completed the number without having to watch the video after some time.

Nicole finally wakes up and we hang out while her mom makes us our next meal. We ate Milanesa’s with salad and smiley fries. It was all very delicious; we finished and talked even more about the party happening that night and what we were going to do during the day. After some deliberation we decided to go to Tortugas Open Mall, which is their biggest enclosed mall. We take our time getting ready, leaving time for a quick dance party with the little girls.

At Tortugas we walked around some and Juli bought some shoes for our party. Later we met their dad and brother for dinner at Marisol. After we all finished we headed to the last party with everyone in the exchange. It was nice to get together one last time with everyone we had become so close with, as well as have one more opportunity to meet new people. Once we got home, I fell asleep instantly. It had been a Saturday well spent.

 

-Helaina

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