Tag: Day 10

Today I woke up to a beautiful breakfast prepared by my new family. As I approached the table, my eyes scanned the many delicious treats laid on the table. There was alfajores, a dulce de leche and chocolate sandwich, toast and a warm cup of coffee. I showed my exchange family pictures of Cary Academy this morning and they were amazed by the beauty of our campus. This morning I also got taught the word quita meaning money. My new family tries to teach me a new word every day during breakfast. After this, we got in the car and headed to school.

Once we got to school, we started off in the classroom as usual. We hung out for 50 minutes talking about weekend plans and our individual adventures. Then we took a 45 minute trip to the zoo. When we got there, we were all amazed by the beauty of the zoo. We saw monkeys, flamingos and birds from different parts of the world. There was a beautiful waterfall and trees that set the scenery. Also, we watched an educational movie about nature and wildlife. Seeing the animals was a great experience because I had not been to the zoo in a very long time. Even though it was very cold, I am glad that I went.

After lunch, we participated in sports.Most of the boys played basketball and most of the girls played field hockey. Even though I am not good, it was fun to try.

Once home from school, it is tea time. The family gathers around the table and enjoys more toast and tea. This eases us into the start of a few hours of relaxation before dinner. Tonight we have a light dinner because we have a goodbye party with our students. As I rest in bed, I think about the day and how I will miss all of my new friends. Good night Argentina, see you for a new adventure tomorrow.

–Ziyana

Today we started off in the Town Hall of Pilar for a student proposal by North Hills. What happens here is the student come up with an idea for improvement in the community and pitch it to the local government in hopes of it being applied. The students must provide in depth examples of what they want to do and how to will go about doing and funding the project. It is then up to the government to decide whether or not it is a feasible project to undertake.

After some time we moved on to a tour of downtown Pilar. First we visited a beautiful church with a recently renovated interior composed of many handmade wooden figures. Next we walked a few blocks away from the center of town towards the Museo Acalde where we learned about the city’s past and looked at some antique electronics. Following the museum we made our way towards human rights center where a man named Santiago talked to us about the domestic abuse problem in Argentina. We then visited the Honerable Concejo Deliberante where we met multiple government members. Over empanadas we discussed the differences between American and Argentinian life and politics. After struggling through thick language barriers we were able to learn about Argentinian politics.

We returned to the town hall to meet up with our students and embark on the journey back to the school by bus. After lunch we started an art project with the 3rd years. It was fun to talk with them because they will be hosting next year and traveling the year after. We got to know the people who would be hosting the freshman. When we finished our masterpieces we made our way to another room to watch the video that we made the day before. After school we went to people’s houses and hung out a little while before eating and going to bed.

–Chapman