Category: 2018

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

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

Today we all met up in a room a little after 8 in the morning, excited to go to the zoo. We took off in a bus around 9:30. Once we arrived, we took a group picture by the logo of the zoo. We spent time looking at the flamingos, meerkats, and monkeys. After that, we spent a lot of time trying to see if the hippo would jump into the water. The best activity was when we went into the wallaby area. This was very cool since we could interact directly with them. At the end, we went to the aquarium but it was small and had not much in it. While part of the group was doing this, some went to get food instead of having the lunch at school. On our way out, we saw bats in an enclosure. What was very special about this experience was how we were allowed to be in the same area as them. Unfortunately, bats leave a very nasty smell behind so the whole area stunk. The rest of the school day was pretty relaxing. We ate lunch for about 30 minutes and talked at the tables. After that, some people went to play basketball while some went inside to talk. By the time that this was done, it was already close to 3 in the afternoon. Fridays are sport’s days so our group and host class went to play rugby, basketball and soccer. Many boys were excited to play rugby but it was not available since we did not have the proper gear. In soccer, the Argentines were surprised with how good we were. They were expecting us to play a lot worse but many of us play school or club soccer just like they do. After school, there were two main parties, one for the class above us and our group and one for everyone. The second one would last pretty late so many people went home after school to sleep. The whole day was very fun, filled with activities, though tiring. This was the last full school day for our group, conversely, we did very little work in school. 

–Kenan

Today we went to the zoo, there were so many different animals. I even got to see an ostrich, we also got to go into the bat enclosure, but it smelled so bad. We walked around the zoo for a while and then went to see a movie. The movie was in a big room where we were told to stand and the screens were on every wall around us. It was really cool because it had many side effects like water dropped down on us when it started storming on the screen. We also went into the big enclosure but I stood outside because I am not the biggest fan of bugs. After the zoo we got back on the bus to go to lunch at the school. After lunch we played sports for the rest of the day. After school we went to a party with the older grade, it was sad because for many of us it was one of the last times we will ever see them. After that party we went to another with the ones we are staying with.

–Olivia

Today we got up at 7:00 for school. We ate the same breakfast as the previous days of toast with jelly and cafe con leche. We arrived at school and waited to start the day in the library. We stood arouncd a map and talked about how crazy it was that we are so far away from Cary, NC. Today everyone was excited because our schedule said that we were supposed to be spending the afternoon with the 5th years (group we hosted at CA). First, the 8th grade class came in to do an activity with us. The english teacher showed us a PowerPoint  about Argentinian legends; for example, the legend of the Rio Negro. Then we went to read another legend with the students and recreate the scenes in art. We had over an hour to make 4 panels that depicted what happened in the story.  After, we went to eat lunch in the cafeteria. There was pasta with different sauces which in my opinion was much tastier then the fish milinesa. After lunch we had all afternoon to spend with the fifth years. We played jenga, uno, twister and lots of other games together. At 4:00 they prepared a huge medienda for us with all of the favorite argentine snacks and sweets. There was so much food! Of course, there was mate too. After school at 5:00, I went to the field hockey club with Melina (my host) for her practice. While she had field hockey practice, I used the time to get in a run. After, her team ask me to join them in their drills. They were so funny and asked so many questions about me and the US.   After we finished I waited for Melina to finish practice on the field. It was so cold that I could barely move my finger to type my blog post. For dinner we went to a restaurant that specialized in milenesa. I ordered a milenesa topped with mozzarella, ham, egg and parsley. It was so delicious! We got back to the house at 11:00 and I was so tired that I went to sleep right away.

–Lia

We started our day off in the classroom behind the library at the Colegio North Hills. We had to stay in said classroom for an excessive amount of time, during which we just hung out and played Helix Jump. Eventually, a class of 7th graders came into the room. We worked with this group of 7th graders on an art project on legends. First we read the legend of the formation of the Rio Negro aloud. Then, we split into groups and worked on translating a different legend into English. Once we had finished translating it, the teacher gave us 4 boards, with which we had to draw out the story and present it to the rest of the group. Our groups legend was about how flamingos obtained pink feet. I was responsible for the coloring and tracing on 1 of our 4 slides, and I believe that our group overall did a very good job. After presenting, we hung out with them until it was time for lunch. After lunch, we hung out with the students who we hosted in the US and played various games, such as Uno, Jenga, etc. We then went outside with said students and played many sports such as basketball and soccer. At 4, we returned to the snack room to eat a wide variety of snacks, such as cakes and other pastries with the students. We then went back to the house after school in order to rest for a little bit. At 6:30, we went to Palmas de Pilar, a very large shopping mall with many of the other exchange students. While there, we went shopping in an Adidas store, went to a very large grocery store/supermarket, and ate dinner. After dinner, we returned home and went straight to bed due to how tired we were. Overall it was a very eventful and fun day.

–Alex

Parading Pilar’s vast assortment of history and culture, Wednesday was packed with thrilling visits to many of Pilar’s finest sites. Unlike much of the days in Pilar, today started with a visit to the mayor’s office in downtown Pilar. Dimly lit, the room was crowded with coffee stands, parents, and students from Cary Academy, North Hills, and other local schools. The students sat in the shape of a U; it appeared that the students were participating in a simulation of a mock congress. After consuming a plethora of croissants, and coffee, students from Cary Academy herded out the room to continue their adventure through Pilar’s downtown.  The next stop was a visit to a Catholic cathedral. Although smaller than most cathedrals, this church had much of the same artistic features. Entering the church, the students were greeted with a colossal ceiling, sculptures of higher beings, and once popular styles of architecture. Stepping outside the church the students of Cary Academy saw various flags representing the Provence of Buenos Aires, the flag of Pilar, and the flag of Argentina. After taking in scenery around the cathedral and walking for some time, the group visited an outdoor gym and antique shop. The next stop was el Museo Alcaldea Lorenzo López: a museum depicting Argentina’s ancient history. At the museum, the students saw candle molds, ancient spears, rifles, old clothes, and various tools used to domesticate cows. The group then took in a taste of Argentinian culture by snacking on some mouth-watering empanadas. These empanadas were filled with a choice of beef, chicken, or spinach. After reuniting with the students from North Hills, the students from Cary Academy participated in organized activities with children enrolled in the secondary school. These activities ranged from brainstorming school items, to learning the names of various school objects in Spanish. The day finally ended with an exhilarating bonding experience at a bowling alley next to the North Hills Colegio. Despite being packed with vast amount of activities, today was filled with life-long memories and experiences that will never be taken away.

–Saajan

Instead of traveling to school in the morning we traveled to the Municipal Government Building where the students from North Hills were participating in a fake legislative debate. This entitled the students discussing a certain law which they seek to create to determine if they would yearn to pass the bill. Instead of watching the entire debate, our class traveled outside the Municipal building to tour the city of Pilar. We first visited a local church, which was smaller than any of the churches that we visited in Buenos Aires, although very beautiful. Next we visited an area which had three flags: one for Argentina, one for Buenos Aires Province and one for the city of Pilar. Then, our class walked around the city for around and hour before we stopped at a extremely small crafts shop. There, we bought small crafts such as rugs, bags and mate cups. Lastly, before returning to the Municipal building, we visited a small Pilar museum. At this museum, there were many old relics of the city such as flags, bullets, cannonballs, candle molds and record players. From these objects and a quick tour with the owner of the museum, our class was able to further grasp the volatile history of Pilar. When we traveled back to the Municipal, we ate empanadas with various contents such as chicken, spinach or beef. Once we had finished eating, the students from North Hills were done with their legislative debate and we traveled back to the school. At North Hills, we spent time with the 2nd Grade children and played sports outside. Once school ended, most of the students in the exchange went bowling before returning home to rest.

–Aidan

Today was an eventful day. As a fun way to start the day, we met some students from the primary school who were 4-6 years old. With them we played some typical P.E. games such as relay races and tag. Those relay races had multiple different variations. The simplest race required jumping through hula hoops to a cone and running back; however, the most complicated one needed each person to hopscotch through the hula hoops (one foot in one hoop, two feet outside, one in the next hoop, etc.) all the way to the cone and come back with the ball between their legs.

After playing games with the primary school kids, we embarked on another journey. As we sat down in the dining hall, we learned that we would be making empanadas, a typical food from Argentina. We were instructed to make one empanada of steak and one Caprese style (cheese, basil, and tomato). Something special that we did with our empanadas was cook them in an “horno de barro” (oven made of mud) which gave them a unique taste. Another interesting activity that we did was a folklore dance lesson. We learned the basic steps of Tango and Chacarera, both are cultural dances of Argentina which involve two partners. We watched and followed along with young primary school students and had a great time. Finally, at the end of the day, we met with the oldest of the primary school students. These were the students that are going to be entering secondary school next year. First we talked about school and classes but one we got more comfortable with each other, we began talking about our favorite soccer teams and who we were rooting for in the World Cup. It was a very fun and interesting day!

–Felipe

We had a sports day today! We came to school and played soccer. We had two games and a break. After the game we had two more games. When we finished the games, we crossed the road into San Patricio club, a club where most of the the kids at north hills colegio play hockey (girls),  futbol (guys) or rugby (guys). When we got there, we came to a resting food area and some of the students from north hills colegio started to make beef asado (hamburguesas) that were barbecued for all of us. It was very cold, so we all stayed inside the plaza area and talked after we ate our hamburgers. It rained so much today so we had to stay inside but at least we all got to know each other a little bit better. We had about four hours to get to know each other very well, so I guess we can call this a bonding day. It was very fun; we listened to music, danced, walked around and hung out at the San Patricio club. It was one of the most relaxing days where we could truly connect with our exchange students!

–Oyinlola

Today in the morning they split us into 6 teams to play soccer.  We ended up playing each team once and the games were pretty evenly matched.  There were small breaks in between every 2 or 3 games:  we played cards (Uno, Egyptian, Rattrap Slap, and another game).  Somebody brought cookies, so we shared those.

After the soccer games we went across the stress and at barbecue (hamburgers) made by some of the North Hills boys.  There wasn’t any cheese, but there was tomato, ketchup, and mayonnaise.  There were also these huge 2 liter sodas—I saw Fanta, 7Up, Coke, and a yellow lemony drink that wasn’t carbonated but really good tasting.  It seems like people in Argentina lead very similar lives to us, at least in terms of soda.

After we ate, Emma, my host student, and some of her friends went onto the field nearby and sat in a circle.  Melina, another host student, brought mate which is a typical drink in many South American countries. It is a sort of tea  and it’s kind of bitter so many people put sugar in it to sweeten the taste.  It is customary to share a cup of mate with other friends or family members.  It’s usually served in small cylinder and you drink it with a metal straw that is flattened at the top.  The way the drink is made is that there’s this kind of tea that you pour into the cup until it’s almost full, and then you add sugar if you want.  The straw stays in the cup the entire time.  You then add hot water and the tea leaves float upwards.  Then you drink it and pass it around.  After we started sharing it, it started to rain so we all ran back inside.  We played cards for the next hour and then went home.  Dinner was pasta.

–Anna