Author: kara_caccuitto

June 3: The Adventures of Group 1

Today we flew from Houston to Argentina at 1 in the morning after our initial flight, last Tuesday got cancelled. The layover in Houston was supposed to be short but the boarding time kept on being pushed back. The flight was long but most of us slept making the flight seem a little shorter. We arrived at around 1:30pm in Argentina and had to wait in line for a long time. We then got to a point where we each went to a station with someone from the airport waiting there. At the station, the person would question you about things like where you were staying, your flight number, your airline, the address of where you were staying, etc… After this we then retrieved our luggage and went on a nice bus while a man named Sebastian explained to us a little more about Argentina. We first stopped at a mall in between Buenos Aires and Pilar, where we walked around and got dinner. We went to an Italian place inside of the mall, at the food court, which had good pizza and salads. This was a good time to practice our spanish for ordering food since everything on the menu was in spanish, including the descriptions of the meals. We ordered our drinks and food in spanish  while some of us watched the French Open on TV and others talked. After, we went on the bus again to our sister school abroad, North Hills, where we met our host and host family. Before going into the school, we were all a little nervous meeting them but when we walked in and found our families, we were all happy. After this, I talked with my host family some and played pool and table tennis with my host. Finally, I ate dinner with them at 9:30pm (which was later than I am used to but was expecting) and then went to bed.

–Henry

After cultivating our patience through what seemed like an endless series of delays, we finally arrived in Buenos Aires.  We were greeted by the beautiful sunshine and cool weather. As we stood outside the airport, a “MicroBusa” (double decker bus) hovered over us, awaiting to take us to the city.  During the ride, our tour guide gave us a brief overview of the schedule for the week and allowed us to indulge in an emblem of Argentina: alfajores (chocolate shaped cones filled with creamy dulce de leche).

We reached the city and decided to eat a late lunch at Strada, a small Italian restaurant inside a mall food court.  With pizza being the main dish, we were given the perfect opportunity to practice our “fork and knife” skills. At first it seemed like a breeze, but when we were finished eating, our fingers were nearly cold and numb from beating at the hard crust.  With our stomachs full, we were anxious as we drove to the North Hills school. During the drive we learned new vocabulary words with Vic, observed an interesting stop-light window wash service, and of course, ate more alfajores. This short ride also gave us our first impression of the city and rural areas.  At the school, I was greeted by my exchange students’ mother. She entertained me with her stories on the drive home.

Although I had just arrived at my new home after an exhausting day of travel, I was in for a busier night than I had expected.  We visited the supermarket, picked up Anahí’s (my exchange student) brother from a local university, and got some pizza. When we enjoyed the pizza with a “fork and knife” back home, I was given an addition of empanadas all while watching a popular Argentinian soap opera in the background.  The most important aspect of this night was that it was filled with many stories, pertaining to both their family and mine. My exchange students’ mother has told me, “you will become part of our family”; as such, I look forward to grow as a part of this family in the coming week!

–Mila

Unfortunately our start in the day was delayed, because of a plane malfunction. This resulted in our plane leaving at 1:30 A.M. After passing through customs and grabbing our bags it was already 3:15. The weather was amazing. It was 60 degrees and sunny with no clouds in the sky, which Vic mentioned was unusual for Argentina around this time of year. We entered a tour bus, and were given some information about Argentina. We were also given a Havannet (a chocolate cone of dulce de leche) to try. It was delicious. Due to our late start our lunch plans were changed and we were forced to go to a shopping center that offered many options for us to choose from. We ended up all splitting some pizza and we attempted to eat the pizza with a fork and knife, which proved to be a hard challenge especially when it came to the crust. After that we went back to the bus and began driving to North Hills. On the way we reviewed some Spanish vocabulary so we could  understand more of what our host families were saying. When we arrived at North Hills, everyone was so happy. I went with my exchange student, Agus, to her house where I was given a tour of the house and then I gave them the gifts I brought with me. They loved the candy I brought. I took a shower and then hung out with my host family while Agus took her shower. It was so exciting when I could actually understand what they were saying and I could respond back. While her parents were preparing dinner, me, Agus, and her brother Fabrizio played card games. For dinner we had potatoes, salad, and some amazing steak (which Argentina is famous for). Agus’s father used the barbecue sauce on it and he loved it. After dinner Agus and I talked, before I fell asleep, because I was very tired.

–Abby

May 28: The Day We Almost Left

Group 1 arrived at the airport, on time and eager and excited for the trip.  We checked in and made it through security without a hitch.  However, little did we know that mere minutes before we boarded the plane that our flight from Houston to Argentina would be canceled due to the nationwide strikes.  Thankfully, we found out just in the nick of time and were able to get our bags pulled from the flight as well (except for Eden’s bag!).

Though everyone was disappointed by the postponement, we are looking forward to our departure.  We will still have a wonderful time in Argentina and look forward to new experiences!

June 11: Day 14

Waking up on Monday, the last day of the trip, it seems incredible that a trip that had been five years in the making had reached its end. After bittersweet goodbyes to my family and packing up my massive suitcases Valentina and I drove to North Hills for the last time. We spent the first part of the day in a language class during which we learned about the idioms of Argentinian Spanish as well as learning about the history of the language’s unique qualities. We learned about the heavy Italian influence that is very evident in Argentinian Spanish. We looked at a vocabulary list and a few examples where Argentinian Spanish is noticeably different from typical Spanish. We also looked at a popular Spanish rock song, Yira Yira, and we found examples of words that are unique to the specific language. Finally, we wrote our own short dialogues using some of our new vocabulary. I personally like the word Feca which is derived from the “normal” word café. Both words have the same meaning but the syllables are flipped.  (Images: examples of vocabulary that is unique to Argentina and the song with vocabulary words underlined and defined.)

After our language course we went outside for a short break and a lot of goodbyes. The language class ended at 10:15 and we spent the rest of the day dreading our impending departure. Many of us purchased North Hills uniforms and bought plenty of Alfajores from the snack kiosk. We spent about 30 minutes with the students we spent the past two weeks with and said our goodbyes. Our last minutes at the school were spent with the students we had hosted prior to the trip. Both rounds of goodbye were incredibly bittersweet. At 12:30 we greeted our faithful bus driver, Sebastian, and boarded the microbús for the last time. We watched North Hills disappear from the bus windows and drove to the airport. Now the countdown starts for next year when we will get to see so many of our Argentinian counterparts again!

–Becca

 

 

June 10: Day 13

Today, I woke up at 10:00 and went to my exchange student’s field hockey game at 10:30. This game is very important, as it is against their rival team: Deportiva Francesa. By the end of the first half the score was a whopping 0:0. In the second half San Patricio (our team) scored early on giving them a 1:0 lead. However, with only 3 minutes left in the game the other team scored to end the game in a tie 1:1. After the game, the team went to Dean and Denny’s (a burger place that is the Argentinian equivalent of BurgerFi). After we ate our burgers and fries, we went home so that I could pack my bags. I ended up sleeping and not packing, and after my nap we went to Starbucks with a few other people and hung out. We then left and went to Oyinlola’s host family’s house and played card games. We later said goodbye and headed back home. The rest of the night consisted of packing and showering and saying goodbye to the family members who I would not get to see before school tomorrow. Overall, it was a great, last, full day with my family and in Pilar!

–Lexi

I woke up at about 7 o’clock and ate some Oreos and an egg omelet, then  I contacted Tesnims host family and they were watching the soccer game in which both of our host dads were playing in.  We all played some shoot out and Lara kicked the ball at me while I jumped and I busted my butt on the ground.  After the soccer game I headed back home and changed my clothes About an hour later Tesnim and I’s family went to Proccia, an Italian restaurant where I ordered a fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp instead of chicken. After eating I went back home to play Fortnite with Arthur for about 30 minutes. I then did a workout in the neighborhood and had to measure out all of the distances using my handy calculator and Nike+ running app. I then took a shower and we headed to Tortugas with Tesnims family all jumbled up in the car. On the way, I noticed the traffic near Tortugas was really crazy and all of the cars were facing different directions but going into the same turn. I also noticed there were a lot of homeless people and people waiting to get on the bus. (Guessing about 40) We met Tim and Ben at Tortugas and then headed to Palmas mall to eat. We ate at McDonalds and I just ordered fries. We went back home and I packed for a while and then fell asleep watching Instagram videos with Arthur

–Ray

June 9: Day 12

Today I spent a day in the life of the average Argentinian for sure. It was all started at a party until 4am with loud reggaeton and spanish rap music, a little bit of tango, and a never ending supply of alfejores. You could say I was there for the alfejores. After getting picked up by my host student’s mom, we traveled swiftly on their dirt road and raced into our beds. To me Friday was just ending but actually, Saturday had already begun. It is clear that i am not cut out for the “partying until 4 am” lifestyle because I slept until 1 pm. As they would say in Argentina, “Necessito dormir” or “I need to sleep.” At one o’clock I managed to crawl out of bed and I made my way downstairs to where I would find my host family about to enjoy a traditional, four course, meat lovers dream, Asado. Asado is essentially a fancy barbecue that is very common in the Argentinan culture. Having almost missed the entire meal that they prepared for me, I quickly ran back upstairs, threw some nicer clothes on, cleaned up and pretended I had been there for a while and had not just woken up. I follow the trail divine, heavenly scents of the perfectly-prepared meat outside where we sat down and began eating. Saavan and his exchange student, Juan, joined us for lunch as well. After a two hour meal, we ate some of the best ice cream to exist, dulce de leche flavored. The four of us then went and played tennis, baseball and a little ping pong for a couple of hours . It was already about 5:30 and the day was almost over. Exhausted and full from the Asado we decided to watch Pirates of the Caribbean but of course it was in Spanish, so Saavan and I made them turn on English subtitles. How interesting of an experience was that? After the movie was over we had to get ready for another party. The final party of our trip. This one thankfully would only end at 12. At 7:45 we left for the 8 o clock party and got stuck waiting in the neighborhood security gate for 40 minutes. Yes, you read that correctly. We had to wait in a line for our car to be checked for 40 minutes just so we could enter the neighborhood. Once we were finally let in, we made our way over to the party where we enjoyed some of our last time together. We were picked up shortly after 12, made it home in a quick fashion, and went right to bed. All in all, a good day spent with all my friends and eating incredible meat. Who could complain?

Now as I am writing this journal entry on Sunday, reflecting on my past day, I am realizing that I should go downstairs because it is already 11 o clock and I don’t to almost miss lunch again! See you soon.

–Tim

Today, I started out my day by waking up really late. The night before, we had a party with our Argentinian hosts that ended at 3:30 am.   For many of the people from the United States, this was a very late party and all of us were exhausted by the end of it. However for our hosts, this was a usual occurrence, if not, an early party. I slowly got out of bed and went downstairs to have breakfast with my host family. In Argentina, breakfast isn’t as big or important of a meal as it is in the United States. Most days, they just eat a couple cookies and have a drink such as hot chocolate or coffee. Today, that is what we ate. I ate a small muffin and drank some hot chocolate. After breakfast, my host family took me to a town called San Pedro. It was a long drive to San Pedro. In the town of San Pedro, we went to La Campiña. La Campiña is a farm that produces oranges and peaches. It was founded by a famous couple in Argentina who used to be on tv, Monica Cahnver and Cesar Macetti. The farm exports oranges and peaches to other countries and they also create other manufactured goods such as jam, vinegars, liquors and tea. La Campiña had a beautiful property where people come to walk among the orange and peach trees and eat lunch at the restaurant located on the property. While we were there, we took some pictures, ate lunch and took a tour of the farm. We even met Cesar Macetti. At lunch, we had empanadas to start. We then ate a main entree and then dessert. There was a lot of food and it all tasted delicious. After lunch, we walked around the property, though some of the gardens. The gardens were filled with many colorful flowers and different varieties of plants. We took many pictures as we walked around. We then walked through the orange trees. There were a lot more oranges then I expected and many of them were already ripe. I had a lot of fun just walking around the property and spending time with my host family today. We all headed back home. Once we got home, we got ready to go to a farewell party with everyone in the grade that was hosting us. Hopefully it won’t go too late.

–Keely

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