Category: 2019

11:45 PM – I write this part as we fly north at 550 miles per hour 33,000 feet up in the sky. The flight map shows that we are currently above the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. The darkness stretches for miles upon miles, interrupted only intermittently by the orange glow of city lights. It still hasn’t sunk in that we’ve truly left, that we’re going to wake up tomorrow morning in a place completely different from our beds in Argentina. With each passing minute, our distance from Argentina increases, yet a large part of me remains. It remains in Buenos Aires, remains in my host family’s home, remains in Colegio North Hills. It may take hours, days, or even weeks for me to get this part of me back. It might not come back all at once. It might not come back at all. In its place, however, are the stories – the most portable souvenir of them all. They come in all shapes and sizes – sad, funny, short, long – for all sorts of occasions. They help me reminisce about an incredible place with incredible people. They have the power to invoke emotions from myself and the people around me. These stories will provide me with joy, comfort, and companionship for the rest of my life – what more could I ask for?

–Vibhav

What a wonderful trip we have had!  Thank you everyone for being such a fun loving and easy going group.

Have a great summer!

–Ms. C

1:00 AM – I finished stuffing the last of the t-shirts into my check-in bag. I briefly scoped my room, looking for any straggling clothes, money, or gifts. Satisfied with my efforts, I zipped up my suitcase and moved it to the side. I heard a knock behind me. My exchange student, Martín, was at the door. I asked him if there was a problem; he merely wanted to talk for some time. I smiled and let him in. What ensued was a conversation unlike any other I’ve experienced. We shared our reflections of the past week, shared laughter, and shared honest dialogue. We reflected on the new friends we’d made and the new experiences we’d shared. We laughed at the sheer amount of activities we’d managed to pack into seven days, from exploring Buenos Aires in the span of one afternoon to parties that ended at four in the morning. We discussed global affairs, comparing our experiences within our respective countries on topics such as social conflicts, economic troubles, and political turmoil. After a certain point, the time didn’t particularly matter to me anymore because I knew that we were truly connecting.

2:30 AM – I turned off the lights and lay in bed. I wanted to close my eyes, but I couldn’t. Too many thoughts were flying around in my head. The conversation had ignited a feeling from within me, an intangible one that consisted of joy, guilt, sorrow, awe, and longing. As I tossed around, feelings of bittersweet remembrance bombarded me, confirming a truth I did not want to accept: this day wouldn’t be easy. In less than twelve hours, I’d have to leave this place, this community, this home, but I wasn’t ready. I lay awake for some more time. At some point, the flurry of thoughts calmed down and sleep provided me with a brief respite from a day of goodbyes.

6:30 AM – my first goodbye was to Martín’s mother. From day one, she had provided for me as if I were her son, and yet, our goodbye lasted no longer than a minute. She knocked on the door, told me how much she was going to miss having me around, and left for a morning run. I went downstairs to have breakfast. The second goodbye was to our family’s maid. Working in tandem with Martín’s mother, she made sure I never had to do any semblance of housework, be it washing the dishes or washing clothes or the most basic of cleaning. All the while, we would engage in frank conversations about the state of affairs in Argentina, offering me a refreshing new perspective on life in the country. I finished breakfast, said a third goodbye to the family’s three dogs, and tossed my suitcase into the car. We drove away from the place I called home for the past week.

My fourth goodbye was to Martín’s father. A constant presence around the house, he would often greet Martín and I with his wit and humor while picking us up from various locations at often absurdly late times throughout the week. As his car sped away, I turned and entered Colegio North Hills for the last time.

8:15 AM – I walked into the auditorium we had called our home base all week. Something different was in the air – a strange combination of fatigue, camaraderie, and longing. Through forging bonds with our Argentine students, we grew closer to our American peers. We were a group who had spent a significant amount of time together, essentially experiencing one another’s experiences for a week. Looking around, I truly felt comfortable with letting my guard down around these people.

Our first activity of the day was with the English class. We worked with common English and Spanish proverbs, learning through a series of matching games, drawing activities, and short skits. After English class, we had a short break where we mingled with the students of the fourth grade (the equivalent of tenth graders here). Observing the conviviality and familiarity of the environment helped me realize how much we had grown in seven days. What had started as a group of individuals filled with timid curiosity and unfamiliarity had grown into a big, cohesive family.

Following our break, we had an activity with the Geography class. We divided ourselves into ten teams of about seven people each. Our task was to look at two pictures of notable landmarks – one in the USA and one in Argentina – and identify which landmark belonged where. After a hard-fought twenty-three rounds, my team unfortunately came up short in second place. It was now lunch time. We walked to the lunch hall to have our final lunch in Argentina.

12:30 PM – My fifth goodbye came towards the end of lunch. It was a rather unexpected one. On the very first day of our time in Argentina, we visited the kindergarteners at North Hills. There, I met a young girl named Maitena. During our first encounter, she was curious about who I was and where I came from; she coupled this curiosity with an outgoing personality that took me by surprise. She was capable of chatting anyone up, and after a few minutes of doing so with me, I found myself growing attached to her. As I finished up my lunch, I walked to the exit when I caught her eating with her classmates out of the corner of my eye. I didn’t want to pass up this opportunity. I waved to her from a distance before walking over and giving her a hug. We talked for a few minutes; I told her I was leaving for the United States today, and she asked me when I was returning – I lied and said “soon”. Her teacher called out to the students, notifying them that their lunch time was over. Maitena ran to the door, turned back, and ran towards me to give me a hug. I felt uneasy. I knew that the goodbyes would only get tougher from here on out.

Following lunch, we had about twenty or twenty-five minutes remaining with our new friends. The bus was to arrive at 1:00 PM. What started as a few pictures and reflections transformed into boisterous laughter and emphatic embraces. As the clock ticked on, we felt an urgency to hold onto every moment. This urgency soon manifested itself as tears. It started with a few, isolated people, but it spread like a wildfire. We were beginning to realize the true scope of a ten-month separation from our new friends, and it was not a happy realization. The bus arrived. One by one, we started peeling away from the large group to get our bags and board the bus. As I walked away, I too was consumed by emotion.

1:30 PM – My eyes red and eyelids puffy, I looked out of the window of our bus. One by one, the landmarks we had seen on daily commutes and trips were receding into the distance. I looked at my friends, who I could tell were all thinking the same thing: we were not ready to leave. It was like we were waking up from a dream, a dream that made us smile, laugh, and feel – a dream that made us wish we had stayed asleep for some more time. A week, a day, an hour; at that moment, I was willing to give anything for some more time.

–Vibhav

From left to right: Martín, my exchange student; me; and Ezequiel, Martín’s older brother on our final night together

Colegio North Hills on the Final Day

Twenty Minutes Before We Left

Similar to everyone other morning, I woke up to my alarm. Unfortunately, accompanying my shoes and backpack on the ground was a gargantuan suitcase. After weighing the suitcase nine times, using various angles and sides to maximize accuracy, I relaxed a bit because the scale said it was only 43.2 pounds. 6.8 pounds shy of 50, it was a comfortable margin.

The last breakfast was a sad one. I drank tea and had my last sweet, sugar filled piece of lemon bread. We ate slowly, hoping to savor our last few moments together.

Valeria, Male’s mom, and I took my bag outside and had to roll it around the front yard because we were unable to push it through the grass. In the car, Male and I took photo after photo, each photo we took got us closer to realizing that that photo could be the last one we took together.

Vicky (shoutout to Mr and Mrs Jin) had an extra carry on suitcase that was returned to her in Argentina, so thankfully a few of us were able to offload some of our heavier items (ie 6 boxes of alfajores and other assorted sweets).

After arranging our bags, half of the fourth year (the year our exchange students are in) came in to have a fun lesson about proverbs and sayings in spanish and english. During this lesson we matched parts of phrases and then drew and acted them out. My group, a mix of Cary Academy and North Hills students drew the phrase, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” I took some creative liberties when drawing our “horse”. After my artistic rendition of a horse was criticized by numerous people, Emily decided to take a crack at drawing one. Similar to me, she also fell far short of decency. Following her, Abby, Eden, Firmin, and Martina (two students from North Hills), also we’re unable to draw something that resembles a horse.

Our lesson ended with a bang! Our skit depicted the phrase “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” and we sure did try! The setting: the bowling alley, the predicament: Eden cannot hit the pins. She bowled the bowling ball (me) into the pins (Abby and Emily) twice before she knocked them all down!

The break after classes was one of the saddest parts of the day. On the basketball court stood a huge gaggle of crying people hugging and taking pictures. You would hug someone and then run across the court to hug someone else. Seeing people crying made me want to cry, but don’t worry mom and dad, I stood strong. We took picture after picture, delaying our departure as much as possible.

Alas, the time came and we had to leave. We loaded the bus and took final pictures at the front of the school and from the top level of the bus (yes!! two levels!!).

The bus ride to the airport went smoothly and quickly, and then we got to the airport. The check-in desks did not open until 3 hours before the flight starts boarding and naturally we got there 5 hours before the flight. We dawdled in the airport, buying last minute gifts and trying to spend our last pesos.

Once the line to check in was open, it moved quickly. I was quite apprehensive about how heavy my bag was. 50 pounds seems like a lot, but somehow on the trip to Argentina my suitcase weighed 47.5 pounds. I thought my suitcase would be light on the way home because I would have given away all the gifts that I brought. I was very wrong. Upon my arrival I realized I was going to come home with much more than I started out with. As we reached the front of the line I noticed that the scales measured in Kilograms (which I should have known ahead of time). We frantically converted 50 pounds to Kilograms and found that it is 22.72 kg. At this point I was nervous because my arms were barely able to lift the suitcase onto the scale (granted i’m not the strongest). My suitcase weighed only 20.0 kg! I was safe! This took a load off of my shoulders both mentally and physically.

After getting our suitcases checked and getting our boarding passes it was smooth sailing. Once past security we were looking for some food to eat before the flight as airplane food is often ~questionable~. We came across sandwiches and pizza at a small grab-and-go restaurant. I got a cheese pizza and it was delicious, quite possibly the most delectable airport food I have ever had! At the gate we saw some of our classmates that ventured to Quilmes. It was nice to see them but bittersweet because it meant that our trip was really over.

As I am writing this we have been flying for 2 hours. Beside me, Quinn has already been asleep on and off about four times and my other side, Samantha has taught me the capitals of every South American country and is muy triste (sad) about leaving :(. Me too.

–Talia

I stayed with Meli, the student I hosted in April after tango and throughout the morning. We ate breakfast, had complete conversations in Spanish, and they gave me a box of Yerba mate and other nice gifts. Around noon, I went back to my host family. My exchange student, Delfi and I rested for a few hours and I began to pack for the trip back home to the USA. A few hours later, we had asado for lunch, which was delicious. We used the barbecue sauce I brought the family with the asado. They also gave my family and I very nice gifts while we ate, and I thanked them for allowing me to stay in their home and making this trip so memorable and amazing. 

Around 4pm, we left the house to go to the house of one of Delfi’s friends, Male. There, Delfi, Male, I and a bunch of other girls hung out in her backyard and ate a ton of amazing snacks like medialunas, alfajores, and cakes. Our group then went to Male’s neighborhood soccer field and played soccer for a while, North Hills girls against Cary Academy girls. It was pretty relaxed and extremely fun. We stayed there for about an hour. Afterwards, we went back to Male’s house and relaxed until everyone else got picked up. After a while, everyone was gone except for Talia, Kathryn, their host students, Delfi, and I. We decided that we were going to continue shopping because we still had a lot of pesos left over. Kathryn, Maxima (her host), Delfi, and I rode together to the shopping center, Palmas while Talia and Male, met us there. We kept shopping for a few hours, got dinner at a restaurant named Patagonia, and left at 10pm to drop of Kathryn and Maxima. When I got back to Delfi’s house, I finished packing, and we talked about how sad we were because I would be leaving the following day. 

–Jordan

Unlike most Sunday’s, I began this one with a groggy bus ride back from a surprising enjoyable Tango night. Everyone was so tired in the bus, that we were all a little bit off when we got off the bus. Landon, Vicky, Quinn, Talia, Samantha and I were laughing at the most random things because we were too exhausted to act normal. It was around 12:30 AM when we arrived back to the school. From here you would think, it’s really early so we should be heading home for bed right? Wrong. I, along with some of the friend I mentioned before, were headed to a party at Ryan Schaffroth’s host’s house (her name is Pilar). At around 1:00 AM, Augusto and I arrived at the house. Just like any party, at the very beginning, it was a slow because everybody was a little uptight. But with some time, Landon and I got everyone to dance. So for 2 ish hours, everyone danced and had a great time, playing music and dancing. Then, around 3 everything started to calm down because people either were leaving or were too tired to dance. At this point, it was only a matter of time before I got bored too, luckily around 4, Augusto’s mom came and we headed home; for real this time. Upon reaching the house neither Augusto, nor me hesitated, as we headed straight for our beds. Within 15 minutes of arriving home we were both in bed passed out.

Fast forward to about 10:15, Augusto came into my room to wake me up. Since today was our last day together we decided to go shopping. I’m going to be honest, I fell asleep after he woke me up for 10 minutes. Around 10:30 I dragged myself out of bed and threw on some jeans to go to the shopping center. His mom drove us over, and once we got there, his parents and Augusto and I split up. Augusto and I went around looking for clothes and other teenage items, all of which were more expensive than I had originally assumed. That being said, I was still able to buy a few things for myself and some for my family as well before lunch.

In the food court at the shopping center, there was a Chinese restaurant; and for some reason, I was craving Chinese food, so together we all went to the restaurant. There, I had friend rice with shrimp, which really reminded me of home. After a good long meal, we headed home.

We didn’t really have much else planned for the rest of the day until 7:30, so for about 4 ish hours, Augusto and I just talked and played on our phones. We also watched his brother play a round of League of Legends.

Once 7:00 came around, we started getting ready to leave, which consisted of putting on a jacket and shoes. The party was at Maxi’s house but we just call him Tincho. At the party, we played ping pong, mingled w friends and ate empanadas. It was a normal party, nothing out of the ordinary. Because time flies when you having fun, it seemed like the party had just started, when Augusto told me it was time to go.

We arrived home at 11:45 ish, which was not as bad as yesterday. I was tired but I still had to pack so I took everything out and counted it all, then I put it back in my suitcases. It was tough to repack my stuff, because I felt like I was putting away all the memories I had made here, and not giving me anymore space to make new ones. But it is was it is. Around 12:30, I finished packing and hopped in bed, happy about the time I spent on Argentina and all the new people I met. I’m glad I put the time and effort to become close with others, and I feel like I will be coming back to America a new person.

–Brandon

To start off the nice morning I woke up around ten, after a long night at the tango dance. The morning was very relaxing. The family first prepared toast with dulce de leche and other types of creams and it was delicious. The meal was very long but it was a good time to sit down and connect with the family. During the meal we discussed mainly sports regarding many countries. It was interesting learning about how important soccer and rugby is to them. Each family mainly supports a team and follows how they do throughout the season. After this Fermin (my exchange student) and I went to my room and watched a movie in English with Spanish subtitles called The Purge. Although we ended up talking through most of the movie it was still enjoyable.

After the movie had finished I went and took a shower to prepare for the rest of the day. To start I drove with the family to a nice restaurant for lunch. At first it was not very crowded but then later on many people showed up and it was fun to see all of the families connect. To start the meal off there was bread and a starter drink, it was some fruit drink I had never tried before however it was very tasty. They then brought out the food, everyone in the family ate burgers and they were also good. I noticed that they were different than most American burgers. The bread was much more thick but had less flavor and inside there was egg and bacon which I did not expect. After the meal we left and went to a near by mall called Paloma. It was more of an outdoor mall that reminded me of California however much less crowded. I went and bought gifts for everyone in my family and it was another good time to practice my Spanish. I talked with the salesmen at the different shops to figure out the best jewelry and clothing that my family would like. We spent about two hours looking around and shopping. After this we left and went to a friends house named Pancho where we had tea and played soccer. It was with about ten kids for three hours and we all had a good time.

I then headed to Thiago’s house who I hosted in the United States. I had not seen him all week so it was a good time to catch up and talk with him and meet his family. We first played ping pong and pool which was fun, and then we had an asado. An asado is like a feast with many different kinds of meats. It was a very good dinner and we had good conversations about Argentina and America. That ended the night and we all went to our rooms. It was a fun and exciting day.

–Jackson

Yesterday was a fun-filled Saturday for us. We slept in until 11, which was blissful because of the previous night’s party that lasted til midnight. Some friends came over in the afternoon, and it was a ton of fun. We had a foosball tournament (I was the first out), where Alejandro (a friend of my host) was most definitely cheating. We also played round robin ping pong for at least an hour, where each person runs around the table and hits the ball for the next person. Of course, there was quite a lot of cards as well.

At the get together, there was also choripan – a sort of Argentinian barbecue with chorizo (sausage) in what was basically a hot dog bun. It was quite good.

After the party, we left our hosts for the Tango show in downtown Buenos Aires. The food was excellent, especially the mozarella ‘sticks’ (triangles) and the ice cream afterwards.

Of course, one doesn’t go to the Tango for the food! The show was amazing, with dance and dress representing the evolution of tango in Buenos Aires over time, from the Italian immigrants’ dance of the poor to extremely high-class performance. The movement was incredibly fluid, passionate, and powerful, and though it meant we were not on the bus back to our houses until past midnight, it was most definitely worth staying up for! I am looking forward to the next two days here, but I am sad that the day of our departure is fast approaching.

–Harrison

Saturday, June 8, 2019

I was woken up this morning by my host Violeta, Ryan, and Ryan’s host Pilar. We had tea and cookies for breakfast and then played Uno. We got ready for the day and headed to Rock & Feller’s for lunch. The restaurant is an American-themed, rock-inspired place which is super fun. We had a great meal with the four of us, Pilar’s little sister and mom, and Violeta’s mom. After, we went straight to the mall to shop around. Ryan and I were struggling to spend all of our pesos because we brought more than we needed. I bought some alfajores for my friends back home. Then Violeta and I went back to her house so I could get ready for the tango. We all went to the school at 7 to drive to the city. We went to the restaurant and the food was very good. I had a great time talking with my friends during dinner. Then the tango started. It was fantastic! It was amazing to see how passionate the musicians and dancers were. The way the musicians played their instruments was so graceful and beautiful. The dancers made their routines looks so elegant and effortless. The singers were so precise and clearly loved the music they were singing. Overall, the performance was captivating and entrancing. It made me realize that passion is what fuels an amazing performance. After the tango, we went back to the school and immediately went to Pilar’s house for a party. It went from around 12:30 am to 4:30 am and it was a lot of fun. We danced for most of the night which was really cool because we don’t do that a lot during our parties in America. What we noticed was that the Argentinians have a habit of never playing a song all the way through. They switch it about 40 seconds in and it’s very frustrating. However, the party was so enjoyable because the other kids know how to relax and just dance and sing. They’re so warm and want to connect with us which makes being with them so different and fun.

–Eden

June 8th, for me, didn’t start when I woke up. It started at 12 am on the dot, as we were all still awake at a birthday party. June 8th started with laughs, yummy cake, and the barks of the host’s 5 dogs. The party ended around 2 am, and we all headed home exhausted yet exhilarated. I fell asleep the millisecond my head hit the pillow, and woke up 8 hours later. So then the day really really started— and it started with something large… on my eye. I woke up with an allergic reaction on my eyelid, swollen and extremely itchy. To this minute, I have no idea what caused it. Scared and intimidated, I was unsure how to tell my host family that I was basically dying. After sending a few panicked and rather comedic selfies to my friends asking for advice, I sent a quick selfie to my exchange student over Whatsapp. I captioned it, “I am having an allergic reaction with my eye. It is harmless but it looks ugly,” in which she promptly responded, “Yeah, you are so ugly,” which pretty much sums up the super friendly, nice bond we’ve fabricated over the mere five days we’ve had together.

Finally dragging myself out of bed, my host took me out on a bike ride around the neighborhood. El Molino was absolutely beautiful, with a park, red and pink houses, and many tropical plants. Although smaller than your average neighborhood, it made up in the colorful homes. We arrived back in time for lunch, where I officially had my first Argentinean barbecue. A few of my host’s friends came over, including one of the students from Cary. One hearty hamburger later, we all laid down in the trampoline and played cards as well as conversed about the differences in the Argentinean economy and the American economy. There was never a dull moment throughout the entire day.

The schedule that was made out for me was stacked. After lunch, we all rode in a truck to go to another student’s house. We arrived and played ping pong and UNO, before it was time yet again to move on to something new. My host and I Ieft the party early to go shopping with another two friends before the finale of the day: Tango Night. My friend and I both brought thousands of pesos, and had not even started to make a dent. We started at the supermarket, buying several boxes of alfajores, the famous sweet snack of Argentina, then afterwards moved onto other clothing stores in the shopping center. To close out our valiant shopping efforts, we finished strong with the Crocs store. If you aren’t familiar with Crocs, there are holes in the shoes that allow you to put little decorations they call “jibbitz” inside to adorn the shoes. My friend and I bought cute little Argentinean flag jibbitz to commemorate our sweet exchange adventure.

Of course, then we traveled to the famous Tango Night. Although the dinner was quite delectable and the dancing was absolutely breathtaking to watch, the best part was the bus ride home. All delirious on the lack of sleep, my friends and I laughed at every single stupid joke made while we drew eggs with faces on the windows of the bus. I felt unity as we giggled together, and a high of emotions as we bonded over sheer nothingness. We came back to the school around 1 am, wildly content.

For some, this marked the end of the eventful day. But for me, my family was not finished. They took me to a formal birthday party one of their friends was having, with no other students around. Sitting there exhausted out of my mind, I found myself smiling at the culture of dancing, eating, and talking late into the night. As I write this, it is 2:26 am. I am at the birthday party. My June 8th has not yet ended. But I have been fulfilled and fulfilled and fulfilled. I cannot wait to see what June 9th has in store for me. 

–Vicky

Friday 6/7/19

This Friday, we started the day by going to North Hills high school and playing soccer. We spit into groups to make six teams for a round robin tournament which lasted around two hours. It was pretty muddy and cold outside, but everyone still had a fun time. The team I was on was the best team with two wins, no loses, and two ties.

Then, we split into groups again, but this time into two groups. We got to choose either environment or drama as the class we wanted to attend. I chose drama and had a drama class with the headmaster’s daughter as the teacher. In this class, we worked on improvisation and imagination. We did many activities to strengthen our acting skills. My favorite activities we did were one that was kind of like charades where we had to use a water bottle and act as if it was a another object and another where you had to say, “you will not believe what happen to me…” to start the improve scene. We had all this fun while the other group made bricks of straw and clay. We stayed at school for lunch and ate the school lunch, which was pasta with tomato or cream sauce

Then, we made the most original towers made of newspaper in small groups. The goal was to have the most original, freestanding tower. However, most groups did not follow the rules and used the provided tape to tape their tower to the roof and table for stability. Sadly, this time, I didn’t come out on top, but my group’s tower still got second place by default because only two towers were truly freestanding.

At night, we all went to a clubhouse in someone’s neighborhood and ate homemade pizza, which was delicious. We also tried many tasty Argentine candies. Lastly, we went to Agustin’s, or Chapo, to dance and listen to music.

–Landon

I woke up at 7:00am, like every morning, and got ready for school. They had told us that today would be our field day so we were to wear more comfy and casual clothes that we could run in. I ate croissants for breakfast with Maca then l left for school.

Once we arrived at school we congregated in our classroom and sat at the desks and talked for a little bit.

We played five games of soccer. My team unfortunately lost the last three games but we won the last two! The field was pretty muddy from the rain from the night before, but people only fell a few times. I was on the blue team but the other teams were red, pink, green, yellow, and orange. In the words of Samantha, “I played very, very hard during the many games.” I think her words describe how everyone was feeling throughout the morning through the rigorous rotation or teams.

Then we all came inside and sat around some tables to chat, rehydrate, and eat some snacks. Some people ate alfajores or other chocolatey snacks. Some people also played a fun game of basketball.

We then divided into two groups based on our interests. One group was an acting and drama group, and the other group was an environment group. I was in the environment group! We made homemade bricks through a non-polluting, all natural method. We broke up some straw into smaller pieces and then mixed it with soil. The other people in the group put on rain boots and stepped on the soil to mix it into a clay.

The last step of the brick making was to put the clay in wet molds to shape then and the let them dry! It is crucial that there are no air pockets in the bricks to make them as sturdy as possible. The bricks were left in the sunlight to harden.

Although I wasn’t in the acting group, I heard that they played improv games between each other and used props too.

After our classes we had lunch. It was mainly pasta, but other options included bread, salad, fruit, and, desserts such as alfajores.

Next we all hung around outside. People talked and played sports and got to know each other.

We proceeded to make a tall and creative paper tower out of newspapers. Unfortunately my team got disqualified because we taped our tower to the ceiling.

We ended off our Friday with more hangout time outside and inside. We then went home and spent time with our host family!

–Emily

Today we are staying at the school. I was late to school this morning, because my student wasn’t ready. So his brother speed us to school. We went to the classroom as usual. After a short period, we started the soccer tournament, with mixed teams of North Hills and Cary. The fields were still a bit wet from last night, so it was a bit slippery. It was also a bit cold.There were six teams, and the green team won. After playing sports, we had a short break. We could either talk, play on the basketball courts, or play with a soccer ball. After the break, we had the choice of two classes. One was environmental class, and the other was drama class. I was in the environmental class. In this class, we made adobe bricks. These were bricks made of straw and dirt in a wooden blocks. First some straw was put in after it had been ripped into small pieces. Then we shoveled the dirt into the block, and mixed the straw with the dirt. After that, we mixed some water into the mixture. Using boots, we pounded the mud in the same way grapes are pounded for wine. After that, there were molds for us to put the mud in, and we left the bricks on the ground to dry out. There was a short break in, in which we drank a bit of mate. We then had lunch, where we had the choice of pasta, salad, desserts ranging from jello to alfajores, with drinks as well. After lunch, we had more free time, which we spent talking with each other and our exchange students. For the start of gym class, we split up into different groups to make towers made out of newspaper. Then we played more sports afterwards with our exchange students until school ended.

–Han

I woke up, and after getting ready for the day, went downstairs to eat breakfast. Vicky and her mom left early to get to school for the municipality, so I ate with Toto and Gaston Jr. Gaston then drove Toto and I to school, where we sat for an hour in the classroom talking and laughing.

Next, everyone boarded the bus where we got the chance to try mate. It was bitter, but we didn’t try it with anything else: it was straight “yerba y agua caliente”. If you don’t want any more, you actually say “gracias”. If you do want more, you just don’t say anything and take it!!

Next we went to San Isidro, a city made of many architectural styles and is very old but very pretty, and saw a large clock that is mounted on the ground, and learned about how the river used to run closer to the city.

Next, there was a cathedral in San Isidro! It has gothic architecture, with tall points and arches to be closer heaven and the gods.

One part of San Isidro has houses that people live in during the summer that belong to inhabitants of Buenos Aires, and saw a few stray dogs before pausing to look at a beautiful view of the river.

Next, we went to lunch at a different La Bistecca and had so much food, including another chocolate fountain!!

At the museo Juan Martin de Pueyrredon, we looked at the courtyard and the kitchen where the slaves prepared food and ate. We went to the living room and walked around the grounds, taking lots of pictures!! We also saw some of Juan Martins work and some pictures of him.

After that, we returned to the school and then went our separate ways!!

–Samantha

Today in Argentina we went to several fun places and had a great time. We met a lot of very nice people and toward a lot of nice places. To start the day we got up and went to school around 8 o’clock. After we go to school we went and sat in the classroom for about an hour before we finally got to get on the bus to go see the sights of Argentina. The bus ride though long was interesting because we were able to spend quality time learning about Argentina from our phenomenal tour guide. Once we finally reached our destination we were all excited and ready to learn. At the museum we had another great tour guide that taught us a lot about Argentinian history. After the tour was over we were given time to explore the museum by ourselves. This was especially fun because we were able to learn about the culture in new and unique ways. Sadly our time at the museum had come to an end. Next we all learn back on the bus and went to a good restaurant that had a buffet with lots of options. The food was great and now it was time to return back to the high school North Hills. At North Hills we were given time to relax and reflect on our day. I would have to say this is one of the best days we have had in Argentina so far, and I am excited to keep learning about the culture as well as make many new friends.

–Christian

Thursday the 6th started with me waking up at 7:30 because Juana had to see a government official (governor) at the municipal building and her father dropped her off and then her brother, Felipe (2) at school.  The mother is taking classes to be a counselor and left early. Then I arrived at school just before 9.

On the bus to San Isidro we learned about the cultural drink mate. It is lose tea in a cup with very hot water. The cup is a hollowed out gourd with a metal top. A melt a straw with a rectangular tip is used to drink out of. The mate can either be bitter (amargo), without any sugar, or sweet (dulce) with some sugar or honey. Sherba is the plant that the mate tea leaves originate from. A group of people will take sips from the same straw and cup. The mate will be passed around a group of family or friends and when the water runs out more is added with more sugar, if it is dulce mate. Mate was popularized because it contains high among of caffeine. Another fact is the girls/boys will put sugar in the mate of the boy/girl they like. When you are done drinking the tea say thank you and it is known that you are done. After learning the history we got to try some (amargo) on the bus.

After a 30-45 minutes bus ride we arrived in San Isidro. There is a lot of Italian architecture because most Argentinians have Italian roots.

There is freedom of religion and although Catholicism was very popular and now there are still many churches left of different denominations. Although all religions have a space in Buenos Aires.

A small to average (by American standards) house in San Isidro is 400,000-500,000 American dollars to buy. It is this expensive because it is a part of the historical area in the province of Buenos Aires.

The Cathedral  was completed in 1898. The architecture is similar to the Notre Dame in Paris. Higher up to her higher to God. Gothic church. Also the circles made out of glass made to look like flowers are very gothic and are present in this new gothic style church. Inside there are stained glass windows and statues of saints and Jesus hanging near the front.

After visiting church we walked we did a walking tour with our guide, Sebastian, of San Isidro. The town is older and has lots of classic architecture as well as also very antiquated cobblestone streets and old colorful buildings. We also toured the antique train station that runs a tourist train from San Isidro to Buenos Aires. At a higher elevation was a river that used to be closer to this city, we walked up hill to a photo location where the river could be seen.

After this we took an early lunch at La Bistecca where the second group at lunch on the first day. It is a very classy buffet that has pasta and meat options to order as well as sushi, and many other Argentinian and Italian options. After this lunch we got back on the bus and went to El Museo de Juan Martín Pueyrredón. It was the summer home of the first president of Argentina, Juan Martín. In this home we saw the slave quarters and then the bedrooms where he and his family would sleep. The rooms were small although the garden and grounds were large for growing fruits and vegetables. Although now the antique buildings are great for photos.

Then we went to the bus for about and hour to get back to the North Hills. Where we played with in the outside space near the children and visited the the snack room for the bathroom, because we are not allowed to use the ones on the first floor, they are for the little children.

Then at 5 when school ended I walked with Jauna to a spot where her dad picked us up and then we went home. For a snack around 5:30-6 we had toast with butter and dulce de leche it was very good! Then there was some down time where we could rest and shower before going out with some other students for dinner and socializing.

–Brynn

Hello my name is Ryan A and this was my second day in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Today I started off with a traditional Argentinian snack, and “alfajor” which is a snack that we enjoyed many types of throughout the day. We all arrived at school around 8:15 and then we headed to pick our students classroom and partook in an activity regarding a song. We had to listen to a song, and then we had to draw something that represented that song along with the Argentinian culture. My group drew the Argentinian flag that was identical no matter which way you put it. Then we got on our tour bus and drove to Buenos Aires and we started off in Boca which is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Buenos Aires. We took a tour of the Boca Juniors stadium and it was like nothing that I have ever seen before. After a nice tour of the stadium, we walked to a little shopping area and we had some free time. Me along with some friends took to the streets and talked to the nicest man I have ever met. He was a street artist and was outside his wife’s restaurant. He recommended that we eat there and so we did. After a brief snack we went to lunch at Clark’s, which was a mix of Italian and American cuisine. After the meal quite possibly the weirdest and most real life experience I have ever had happened. When we were done with lunch, we started walking towards a famous cemetery We then were approached by this man that started a conversation with us. We quickly walked along but then we realized that this man was following us. He followed us into the cemetery and down all of the different halls with the tombs. He kept his distance the entire time pacing back and forth to and away from us. Once we exited the cemetery, it appeared as if he left us to be alone. However, it appeared he only was taking a shortcut to get in front of us. We were now very apprehensive but thanks to the generous help of Ms. Caccuitto and Mr. Quesada, we felt very safe. This was all apart of the experience and it made the day even more fun. We then got back on the bus and drove back to Pilar. I then went to a party and that was my day.

–Ryan A

Went to art class, and we listened to Argentinian music. The name of the song was Latino America and we listened along with the students as we read the lyrics from a sheet of paper. We then drew a picture depicting what we thought the song was about. We decided to draw a man with a bag of money depicting how you can’t buy happiness like it was saying in the song. Next we traveled to the Boca Jr’s stadium. First we toured the museum and saw many interesting artifacts such as many trophies and memorabilia. Next we went on a tour into the stadium and even got to stand on the pitch. I thought that the stadium was very colorful with the blue and yellow seats. We learned that the stadium was built in 1940 and seats 49,000 people. The first colors of the Boca Jr’s were black and white until they changed to blue and yellow. Next we saw statues of many Boca legends such as Diego Armando Marodana and Carlos Bianchi. Next we went to a market with lots of restaurants and shops. We went to a place called Aleph were I tried my first Empanda, it was delicious! Next we went to a very famous cemantary which contained many beautiful large mausoleums. I found out there were many interesting stories behind each mausoleum. The ages of the mausoleums varied from hundreds of years old to relatively new. I found it interesting though that they all had there own stories behind them. Also today our group was accompanied by a nice man who followed us throughout the tour of the cemetary. Overall it was a very fun packed day in the city of Buenos Aires and am looking forward to more!
–Wyatt

Today I started the day with breakfast that consisted of some extremely delicious and creamy yogurt and toast. I than went to school to meet up with the whole Pilar group. Together we went to the literature class in Spanish. During this class we listened to a song about Latin American and drew pictures to represent the lyrics. After this class we got on the bus and started the drive to La Boca. In La Boca we visited the Boca stadium and the small museum that was attached to the stadium. Next we walked around a small “shopping” area bought jewelry and other gifts from the street vendors. After spending about an hour there we went to lunch at a restaurant where I had empanadas, steak, and tiramisu. We than walked to this very famous cemetery with extravagant tombs that housed many well known people. Here we meet our “friend” who continued to follow us through the city. After this we took a small walk around the town. We than headed back to Pilar to join our host families. Kiki and I headed over to a friends house with a mix of Argentinian kids and Cary kids. There we played multiple card games. Some of which we taught them and some they taught us. We did notice some similarities between Argentinian games and American which was really intriguing! Today was really fun and I can’t wait to get closer with everyone and learn more about the culture!

–Lauren

When we arrived at North Hills school we saw little kids sing to the Argentinian flag, after their song Sra. Mariana gave us a tour of the school. The little kids pressed their hands against the glass to look and wave at us in anticipation as we passed their classrooms. She then led us to a room where we had breakfast with our hosts and their classmates. During breakfast we did an activity to get to know each other; everyone said their name, nickname, hobby and age. After, we spent time outside with our hosts, people either socialized or played sports. Later our exchange students that visited North Carolina joined us outside for their break. We then headed inside to hear a song preformed by the notable singers of their school, this song was about the Independence Day of Argentina (May 25th) similar to the 4th of July in the United States. After we learned their song we sang American songs (I’m not sure why, maybe for fun?). After our singing session we played a Khoot in which we guessed fun facts about each person. After the kahoot we made our way back outside and did the same thing, played games and socialized. After some time outside we had lunch which consisted of Milanesa (breaded meat) and a vegetarian option. After lunch we continued to socialize with our peers, eventually our hosts had to go to their classes. We then made the Argentinian flag with kindergarteners, using paint and different kinds of paper. After we finished the flags we played hopscotch outside with them, and later ate crackers with a sweet spread called dulce de leche. After our time with the kindergarteners we spent time with fifth graders, they asked us many questions and shared snacks with us. They then brought us outside and we played basketball with them. After the fifth graders left we waited for the day to end. The school day concluded when our hosts were let out of class.

–Ryan S

For this image, we met with the middle schoolers to spend Tea Time together, where we shared alfejores and other delicious Argentinean snacks. We each then stood up to share information about ourselves, via our names, grade, our hobbies, etc, Argentineans included, allowing us an icebreaker between us, Americans, and the Argentinean middle schoolers.

We went outside after Tea Time for the first break of the day, and we played soccer and basketball as combined Argentinean and American groups. It was also warmer than expected, so we were able to remove some layers for an even better experience as a whole.

After the first break, we all came back in, and we’re taught a Spanish song by the Argentineans about love. We then went up to sing American songs to teach them our own music, ending on a performance led by the Chorus students of our group. We played a game of Kahoot afterwards, that focused on the individual students of both Argentinean and American groups.

After our second break of the day, we met with the kindergarteners, and painted a replica of the flag of Argentina, adding items such as cloud-like cotton as complements. We each wrote inspiring messages for the kindergarteners as well, and then spent time with them outside as they played Hopscotch.

–Jack

Today we stayed at Colegio North Hills in Pilar. in the morning we had special classes and a breakfast with our exchange students, including a class where we sang an argentinian song and tought the argentinians how to sing wagon wheel! after lunch, we spent some time with the little kids in primary school and helped them make arts and crafts flags.

–George

Today around 11 after a long and tiring flight we landed in Buenos Aires. We could see the Andes mountains below us as we flew, but only for a few seconds because Lauren didn’t want light in her face even though it was 8 in the morning. We got off the plane and went through passport check and customs, which seemed to be a lot simpler than I thought. Until I realized that I would have to actually speak Spanish in order to communicate. I got up to my booth where Wyatt had this look of utter confusion across from me and a frustrated look from his person helping him with the passport. My Spanish wasn’t so good either, but the person in charge of my booth motioned and honestly that was enough. Customs was simpler as we just had to put our bag through a scanner, which was easier than going through TSA since I wasn’t selected for a random pat down and my peanut butter wasn’t thrown away. We then met up with  our tour guide, who was very nice and pushed us to practice our Spanish. While I was nervous at first, being in a country where I have to use Spanish to communicate instead of using it as a choice has actually been less nerve wracking. People tend to be more patient. Our tour guide gave us a new Argentinan treat to try, which in English is called a cone. It is a cookie with dulce de leche covered in chocolate. We were taught that Argentineans love sweets and have incorporated a sweet taste in even some of their savory foods. We then arrived at la Bistecca, a buffet-like restaurant. Also, this was the nicest buffet restaurant that I have ever been too. There was a bottle of wine at the table (even though we can’t drink it) the waiters were in a suit and tie, it would be an understatement to say that we we’re underdressed. Something that I noticed that doesn’t happen in the US is the waiters brought out a bottle of water and then a cup. It is seen as tacky to drink out of the water bottle and it is expected that we will pour the water in the glass. We then realized that the music playing overhead was actually popular 80’s music and the same women singing it acoustically. Throughout today, I have heard a lot of popular music from the US, such as Katie Perry and Ariana Grande. It is safe to say that there is a lot of US influence in their music. After lunch, we walked around for a bit and saw la casa roja, and a government building that acts as the country’s Wall Street journal. At a glance, the landscape and architecture looks a lot like Raleigh, but you can clearly see the history through the buildings. There are a lot of differences and unique things about Buenos Aires, and the more you stay the more you seem. For example, we spotted a McDonald’s, something too normal to the United States, but it only sold McDonald’s deserts. Not even a block away there were more sweet shops. We then headed to the Teatro colon, which was built in 1906. The architecture was very antique and beautiful, and all of the decorations were gold plated. By this point, all of us were exhausted and didn’t have much energy left, and after the tour we left to the bus for an hour ride to go meet our exchange students at the school. I’m excited for the rest of the trip and what I will learn!

–Maddie

After a sleep deprived 12 hour flight, we landed in Buenos Aires and soon after, were given our first taste of dulce de leche (milk+sugar)on the tour bus. On our way into the city, we saw many famous historical landmarks such as La Casa Rosada, the executive office of the president of Argentina. My host family tells me its pink hue is rumored to be the result of being painted with white paint mixed with bull blood. We also passed the monument of Juana Azurduy, a famous warrior whose statue is a tribute to her revolutionary work to help liberate Argentina from the Spanish.

The first official stop was La Bistecca—an Argentinian buffet where we had our first taste of asado as well as other native dishes such as flan, a custard dessert. After the meal, we got to walk around the city and saw parrots perched in trees along the sidewalk, seemingly as commonplace as robins in North Carolina. We also came across a historical boat on the water next to the street of Juana Manuela. Named after former president Domingo Sarimiento who founded the Argentinian naval academy, the frigate was a renowned hallmark of the Argentinian armada and is now a museum ship people can visit to learn of its past.

Next came the highlight of the day—a guided tour of el Teatro Colon. Globally recognized to have some of the best acoustics, this theater’s architecture is also reflective of its history. While it had been rebuilt and renovated on several occasions, its storied past lives on in its current state. Composers such as Mozart and Bellini whose music has been played at el Teatro have been carved into the framework outlining doorways of the building. The theater has also been a venue for performances of famous musicians like French composer Saint-Saens.

After the tour, we drove outside the city to el Colegio de North Hills in Pilar where we met with our exchange students for the very first time. From there, we went with them to have dinner and meet the family.

Overall , it was a great first day in Argentina.

–Kathryn

Today we spent the first half flying on the plane from Houston to Buenos Aires. I got stuck in a middle seat in the airplane because I didn’t ask to switch with one of my classmates. It was uncomfortable in the moment but it’s all better now that we have landed and are walking around. We got our bags and went through customs, we waited for a little bit until our bus arrived and we took off from there. It felt good to finally be able to rest and have leg space. While on the bus, our tour guide was telling us all about the different buildings as we drove past them. We first stopped for lunch at a very nice, all you can eat restaurant called ‘la bisteca’. I could have eaten much more than what I did eat but I was not very hungry coming off the plane and bus ride. However, the food I did eat was high quality and tasted really good. From the restaurant, we drove to teatro colon and had a tour of almost the whole place. Every aspect of the building was magnificent. There wasn’t one area of the building that wasn’t done with simple designs, every place was unique and grandiose. The tour guide spoke fast Spanish so it was hard to understand and concentrate on all of the different new vocab and speed at which we were hearing it at. After the theater, we drove around the city for a while to see some of the major land marks like la casa rosada and el obelisco. Our tour guide was telling us about all of them and some of the history behind each one. Finally, after a very long day, we drove home. Almost each one of us fell asleep on the bus for a while before reaching the school. When we arrived at the school, all of our hosts and their families were waiting there for us. My family took me home and we stayed home which I’m kind of glad for because I was already very tired. I showered right when I got home and then just relaxed. My host and I played video games together for a while and then we ate empañadas for dinner, played a bit more and then went to bed and slept like a rock until the next morning.

–Quinn

Group 2 traveled like experts, taking flight delays and long flights in stride with cheerful goodwill.