Day 13 – Callie

Hi everyone! Today was the very last full day of our exchange. It was also Saturday, which meant field hockey matches for my partner, Emma, and her sisters! After eating homemade banana bread and toast for breakfast, we drove Emma’s sisters to the Quilmes High School sports fields for their hockey matches. From there, we drove for about an hour through the capital city and towards Pilar, where Emma played her hockey match! On the way, we passed the Obelisk, a few universities, and the River Plate Fútbol Stadium (where Taylor Swift will have her concert later this year)! It was sunny today with a few clouds, making it a perfect day to be outside. Unfortunately, the Quilmes team lost 3-0. After the match, we ate pizza and empanadas at a picnic table near the field.

Later in the afternoon, we went to the nearby Unicenter shopping mall and explored the three floors of stores that sold clothing, shoes, jewelry, and food. There were many stores with the same brands that are popular in the US, such as Nike, Adidas, Columbia, and Pandora, but most of the other stores were special to Argentina. After we left the Unicenter complex, we drove back towards the Buenos Aires capital city, and two blinks and a short nap later, we drove past one of the art museums that we visited on Thursday.

At one of the parks in the city, there was a large market, and the vendors’ stalls formed a large maze around the park. There was also a band that played live music. Because it was already around 5:45 and the sun was setting, some people started to pack up their stalls. There were stalls of handmade bracelets, dreamcatchers, candles, and other goods. All of the vendors that we talked to were very sweet, and we bought a few bracelets as gifts.

Once the market closed, we had merienda (teatime) at a nearby cafe called Ol’Days, which is actually owned by one of Emma’s cousins. We each ordered different items off the menu, including lattes, scones, avocado toast, and alfajores. The cafe was very close to the ports, so we walked around and crossed the Puente de la Mujer (bridge). Then, we returned to Quilmes for the night around 8:30. Once we got back to Emma’s house, we ate homemade tacos for dinner and watched part of a movie before going to bed. Overall, today was a fabulous last day of exploring different parts of the city and spending time with my host family, and I am so grateful to share a small glimpse into our last full day of the exchange program!

Day 12 – Lee and Simon

Day 12 Highlights:

Lee’s Post:

Buenos Dias! The day started like every other with the Morning Assembly, but this time, Ben, Adam, and Callie all gave wonderful and sad goodbye speeches. We then started to make our way over to the campo deportes for a rousing day of field hockey. The drive over was very scenic, filled with a view of the picturesque Rio de La Plata.

After some drills, we played a scrimmage – Magui’s team unfortunately beat us 2 to 1. Chikezie then went on to win multiple mini races to the midline. A soccer game then ensued. After the games, we had some time to chill, which we spent by talking, partaking in various exercises/stretches, and teaching our buddies “down by the river.”

At about 12, we set up the tables and started to eat our delicious lunch, which consisted of chorizo sandwiches and empanadas for the vegetarians with ice cream bars for dessert. We arrived back at school just in time for a break. After, we began our goodbyes by writing one word summing up our experiences here and recording them. Our school day came to an end as we all painted our hands and printed them onto a mural memorializing our time spent here.

In the afternoon, we enjoyed medienda with our partners and also participated in making good for the potluck tonight. At 9, all of the CA students and their buddies arrive at Isa and Hugh’s house, where we enjoy a delicious dinner. Buenos Diaz!

Simon’s Post:

In the morning we went to the athletic fields where we learned the basics of field hockey. We learned how to handle a stick and dribble a ball, as well as a couple other maneuvers to get around obstacles and accomplish certain tasks in a game. After doing some drills that helped with ball control, we began our first game. Almost everybody played except for a couple of the Argentinian students, but the teams were still full without them. I played as a defender, so I didn’t experience as much of the intensity as some of the offense players, but it was a fun experience. We won 2-1 after the other team had scored the first goal.

After field hockey we had lunch at the kitchen nearby, where they made sandwiches of asado and lomo. We then went back to the high school, where we began painting with our hands. The activity was similar to the 9/11 stairwell in the middle school, as it was a collection of all our hand prints together with our names. After the painting, we all went to isa’s house (Hugh’s exchange partner) for a farewell party where we ate empanadas and snacks for dinner.

Day 11 – Akshay and Adam

Day 11 Highlights:

Akshay’s Post:

As per usual we began the day of school with the raising of the Argentinian and Quilmes High school flags in the school’s courtyard. Unlike previous days, todays temperature was in the 60’s, so I absolutely knew it was going to be a great day.

Upon the finishing of the flag ritual we headed to what I call the exchange trip room where we waited for about 20-30 minutes before hopping on a bus to the absolutely breathtaking city of Buenos Aires. Immediately upon arrival we walked to a statue just outside of La Boca of Benito Martín. For a few minutes me and my peers listened as a local tour guide explained the rich history of the famous Argentinian painter known for his oil paintings of boat ports.

As anticipation built up, we began to walk to a nearby museum showcasing some of his work alongside the work of many other talented artists. One of the pictures showcases three of his famous boat port photos. Though all of the pieces were stunning, the picture on the far left truly touched my heart in a special indescribable way.

After touring the Museum for quite a bit of time we stepped outside and walked two minutes down the street into La Boca, a beautiful historic Argentinian neighborhood located inside of Buenos Aires. We discussed the history of the town before stepping back on the bus and heading to lunch. For lunch we visited a food hall filled with many restaurants of diverse cuisines. However me and many of my peers settled for a good old fashioned meal consisting of a Hamburger, French fries and a Coca Cola. We concluded the meal with some of us getting gelato however others, such as myself resisted the temptation.

We hopped back onto the bus to visit yet again another art museum. This museum named Belles Artes was located in Buenos Aires near a beautiful park with statues and memorials. However, this art museum was filled with the work of none other then the work of Pablo Picasso. We first visited the bottom floor which is seen in the picture of the many art pieces surrounded by the red background before visiting the upstairs filled with the rich and unique work of Picasso. We listened to some of the rich history of his artwork described by what I believed was an art expert; however, many of us later zoned out due to the heavy meal we had previously indulged in. That was sadly it for the school day as we hopped back onto the bus and returned to Quilmes High School where we awaited our hosts to take us to our evening plans.

For my evening plans me and a few other peers met at the house of Simon’s partner, Juliana, for tea time. We talked, ate, drank tea, played foosball, (surprisingly popular in Argentina) and laughed. Though I forgot to capture a better picture I somehow managed to snap a photo of Simon with a traditional Argentinian sweet bread which is eaten during tea time. By the time we finished tea time as they call it,  it was already late at night and I was dead tired so I told my partner Guille that I would like to skip dinner and go to bed to prepare for the next day.

Adam’s Post:

In the morning we left via bus to La Boca. “La boca” in Spanish means “the mouth,” named after its location at the mouth of the Riachuelo River where it meets the Río de la Plata. The first thing you will notice in La Boca is the vibrantly colored houses, hued bright blues, pinks, and yellows. This tradition of painting the houses in such colors dated back to when Italian immigrants were the predominant occupants of the neighborhood. These immigrants took leftover paint from the nearby shipyard to paint their houses, whose colors became a dominant part of La Boca’s identity.

The Caminito is perhaps the largest tourist attraction of the area. The Caminito is a famous street and open-air museum that fully displays the colorful buildings in addition to artworks and tango performances. The buildings are reminiscent of the humble dwellings of early immigrants, with traces of corrugated metal and wood. In La Boca, and especially around the Caminito, you will often see tango dancers taking pictures with tourists. Tango is deeply intertwined with the culture of La Boca. La Boca was a melting pot of different cultures and immigrant communities. La Boca became a hub for tango, where many locals and visitors would gather to dance and enjoy the music. Today, La Boca is still considered a vibrant center of tango culture. However, our primary purpose with this excursion was to visit art museums.

The first had works of Benito Quinquela Martin, an impressionist painter. His works often depicted the city of La Boca, its ships, and the working class. A notable trend in this museum was the lack of facial features in many paintings. The figures in the paintings had no personality nor uniqueness, but instead represent the average people in the maritime atmosphere. Within the museum we also toured where Quinquela Martin lived, exploring his rooms with old furniture. We then shortly stayed at a park before lunch.

For lunch, we visited a marketplace which in the past served as parking for the wealthy and their horse drawn coaches. I had empanadas and they were good. Later, we visited our second museum with works of various artists like Van Gogh, Gauguin, and at the end of our visit: Picasso. There was an interesting history of a painter of one of the artworks, Cándido Lopez. He lost his right arm in the Battle of Curupayty, yet later continued to paint, supposedly, with his paintbrush held in his mouth. At the end of the museum visit we saw works of Picasso, and were guided through his inspirations, his goals, and his history.

On this short day trip we heard of unexpected commitment to one’s craft, of culturally rich origins of a port city, and the peculiarities of it and its people. I myself had a wonderful time, though perhaps a bit tired of walking nearing the end. While artwork may not seem the most exciting to observe, they serve as reflections of the people who made them, and represent the stories of the subject painted and sculpted. If you find yourself in Argentina, near La Boca, it is a place worth visiting.

 

Day 10 – Sydney and Hugh

Day 10 Highlights:

Sydney’s Post:

Buenos Días!! My name is Sydney Wrege, and I am writing the blog post today. We started the day off with a routine morning assembly and then headed to a history class focused on the differences between America and Argentina’s strive for independence.

We compared the preamble of the constitution between Argentina and America and concluded that they are almost the same. The main difference between the two was that in the Argentinians preamble they mentioned Christianity while America did not. The key point we focused on was that Argentina continues to copy America (example; we got a female vice president, a few years later America got a female vice president) and we asked hypothetical questions focused on the possible continuation of this copycat idea into the future.

After, we shadowed our mates. In the humanities class we had English with Ferr. We talked about what books they have been studying (ps way harder books than we have been reading) and then we completely pivoted to taboo and charades. We had a great time shouting guesses from all different sides of the room as well as admiring the unique way Argentinians tally points (they do 4 lines to form a square and then a hash mark in the middle).

Then we pivoted and headed to the primary school to take a tango class. The tango class was absolutely hilarious, from people completely ignoring directions to the most talented dancers amongst us, blowing everyone away, we all had an amazing time. Ben and Callie, the star pair amongst the Cary Academy students, had an amazing dance together, outshining everyone. Carson and Tim got up and did a solo and without a doubt gave Callie and Ben a run for their money leaving the crowd shocked.

Once we worked up quite a sweat tangoing, we rewarded ourselves to a scrumdiddlyumptious lunch. Personally, I went over to Angi’s house and had steak milanesas topped with salsa and cheese with a side of mashed potatoes. They were absolutely delicious. We chatted with her family and got a little rest before walking back to school for the rest of the school day.  Some of my friends headed to pasta restaurants and candy stores and absolutely stuffed themselves to the brim.

In the afternoon we headed over to a kindergarten nearby (not a part of quilmes high school) and hung out with the most wonderful children at Cristo Obrero! We made alfajores the previous day and were able to bring these delicious treats to the children while coloring with them, singing songs, and all together just having a grand time. One of the most special moments to me was a precious interaction I had the gift of sharing with this little girl. She ran up to me, so I crouched down to be on her level, she gave me the most welcoming hug and never let go. I would carry her for the rest of time if I was allowed and did until I was dragged out of the building. When it was time to head out, she whispered in my ear “eres mi alma y corazón”, translating to ‘you are my heart and my soul’ AND I JUST MELTED. My day got so much brighter from these beautiful interactions, and I was able to witness the same brightening for many of my friends as well.

Hugh’s Post:

After another early start we began the day with a class on Argentinian history and the similarities and differences with American history. We then shadowed our buddies in their respective classes and I got to listen into a business class in Spanish. We got to experience the less than formal relationships the Argentinian students have with their teachers with a teacher who they call “Charlie”, his first name. While our Argentinian counterparts saw it as a cultural difference, we observed their behavior in the class room as informal and sometimes disrespectful by our standards.  Afterwards we had a class on the tango, a traditional Argentinian dance that the new generation finds a little “boring”. We were still able to enjoy ourselves as we replicated the movements of our very knowledgeable instructor. We then took a lunch break and I enjoyed empanadas and a Ceaser salad at my host family’s house.

 

In the afternoon we all took a bus to go Cristo Obrero, a kindergarten for the less privileged. We handed out alfajores (an Argentinian delight) that we made as well as cards for them to draw on and we were greeted with adorable smiles. We were sad to say goodbyes after spending a meaningful afternoon with the kids. On the bus back we shared laughs and reflected on the day. At the end of the school day (5 PM) my host parents picked me up and we had a quick tea time at the house before heading to downtown Buenos Aires to walk around and have dinner. We finished the day by grabbing ice cream in the Italian gelato style which is unsurprisingly common in Argentina given the Italian influence.

 

 

 

After school we all went our separate ways, I got to meet Martina’s grandparents at the loveliest Merienda (snack time) so far on my trip. The food was extraordinary but even more important, her grandparents were wonderful. Later in the evening, we got together with some friends, we played ping pong and foosball and had pizza. Now after this long day I am exhausted, and I am about to zonk out, hopefully everyone’s doing the same. Goodnight, everyone!

Day 9 – Ben and Ike

Day 9 Highlights:

Ben’s Post:

English version: In order to get to Quilmes High School at the correct time, I need to wake up at quarter past six, and we usually leave at seven. In Argentina, people generally don’t eat breakfast, so in the mornings, I have been the only one eating. My host family has been amazing and have prepared breakfast for me every morning even though they’re not eating. I am so happy that I have a perfect match with my partner and family.

Quilmes High School is very different from Cary Academy and I like it a lot. The buildings are much older than the Cary Academy buildings but they are charming. They don’t use very much technology and have a specific room for computers. Yesterday we attended two classes, a Spanish literature class and an English class. I liked literature class a lot, and we talked about the differences between monotheism and polytheism because they are reading a story by Borges that talks about different topics in religion. Also, we talked about cults and the negative consequences that can result from them.

Before the classes, we had a presentation about the three houses at Quilmes High School, Livingston, Hudson, and Shackleton. The three houses are named after famous explorers, and there are competitions between the three houses at the school. After the first class, we had a guide to kindergarten, kindergarten, and elementary school. The little ones were adorable and we really enjoyed playing with them. We sang and danced and played other games with the children in primary school. We had lunch at Juan P’s house in Quilmes and ate empanadas and hamburgers.

After school, I and some people from Cary Academy and their exchange students watched Smurfs in Spanish with English subtitles. During the movie, we ate sandwiches with meat and a lot of sweets. I left early though because I was very tired. This morning I also got up very early and went to school.

Today, we didn’t attend classes, but we prepared alfajores and picture frames instead. Also, in the morning we had a presentation of CAS (an organization within the school with student volunteers who help people who do not have the same resources). There is a particular school that they help. This school is in a shantytown and has a lot of poverty. We are going to go to this school tomorrow to give them the alfajores and frames that we prepared. In the middle of activities or classes, we have ten minute breaks. During breaks, we play a game that is similar to four square, but it has nine people and you can only use your feet and head.

For lunch we went to a brewery that had a restaurant. This brewery is in Quilmes and the man who created it also created many houses for the workers. These houses were made in the colonial and English style. We ate milanesas, which were delicious. Milanesas are meat with breading and tomatoes, cheese, and ham on top. I also ate chocolate mousse. Everything was delicious. In the restaurant there was table soccer and we played it (I won).

Afterwards, we went back to school again and went to the younger students’ classes and did a question and answer activity. They gave us sweets and recommended a brand of alfajores that they really like. I tried this type of alfajores and I really liked it too. Then I went to Matilda’s house for an hour to prepare for the ballet at the Teatro Colón. During the car ride I slept because I was tired. The ballet was amazing. The theater was magnificent and the dancers were amazing. Matilda’s parents said that the men looked like Greek statues with perfect proportions and very defined muscles and I agreed. Also the music was amazing and the whole experience was perfect. I think that their dancers are the best that I have seen. We got home at half past ten and ate chicken sandwiches. It was overall a great day!

Spanish version: Para llegar al Quilmes High School a la hora correcta, yo necesito despertarme a las seis y cuarto. Nosotros salimos a las siete. En Argentina, la gente generalmente no desayunan. En las mañanas, yo era el único que estaba comiendo. El viaje a la escuela estaba oscuro. Quilmes High School es muy diferente de Cary Academy pero me gusta mucho. Los edificios son mucho más antiguos de los edificios de Cary Academy pero son encantadores. Ellos no usan mucho tecnología y tienen un cuarto específico para los computadoras. Ayer nosotros asistimos a dos clases, una clase de literatura en español y una clase de inglés. Me gusta la clase de literatura mucho, y nosotros hablamos sobre las divergencias de monoteísmo y politeísmo porque ellas estaban leyendo un cuento de Borges que habla sobre temas diferentes en religión. También, nosotros hablamos sobre sectas y sus consecuencias. Antes de las clases, tenemos una presentación sobre los tres casas en Quilmes High School, Livingston, Hudson, y Shackleton. Las tres casas tienen nombres de exploradores famosos, y hay competiciones entre las tres casas en la escuela. Después de la primer clase, tenemos una guía del jardín maternal, el jardín de infantes, y la escuela primaria. Los chiquitos eran adorables y nos gusta jugar con ellos. Nosotros cantamos y bailamos con los chicos en la escuela primaria. Nosotros almorzamos en la casa de Juan P en Quilmes y comimos empanadas y hamburguesas. Después de la escuela, yo y algunas personas de Cary Academy y sus estudiantes intercambio vimos Smurphs en español con subtítulos en inglés. Durante la película, comimos sándwiches con carne y muchos dulces. Yo salí temprano porque estaba cansado. Esta mañana también me levanté muy temprano y fui a la escuela. Hoy, nosotros no asistimos a clases, pero preparamos alfajores y marcos de pinturas en su lugar. También, en la mañana tenemos una presentación de CAS (un organización dentro de la escuela con estudiantes voluntarios que ayudan personas que no tienen los mismos recursos). Hay una escuela en particular que ellos ayudan. Este escuela está en una villa y tiene mucha pobreza. Nosotros vamos a ir a esta escuela mañana para darles los alfajores y marcos que preparamos. En el medio de los actividades o clases, tenemos descansos de diez minutos. Durante los descansos, nosotros jugamos un juego que es similar de four square, pero tiene nueve personas y solo puedes usar tus pies y cabeza. Para el almuerzo fuimos a una cervecería que tenía un restaurante. Este cervecería está en Quilmes y el hombre que la creó también creó muchas casas por los trabajadores. Estas casas tiene el estilo colonial y de Inglaterra. Nosotros comimos milanesas que eran deliciosas. Milanesas son carne con empanado y tomates, queso, y jamón encima. También yo comí mousse de chocolate. Todo era deliciosos. En el restaurante había metegol y nosotros lo jugamos (yo gané).

Ike’s Post:

I got to school around 7:30 today, and was excited to hear that the students of Quilmes had constructed a presentation to give to us.  CAS, a short acronym meant to  summarize important fundamentals the school for their students in Senior 5 (Juampe, Justina, Juliana, Matilda, Guille, Etiene) to learn.  Care and Share involves the students into helping their community. So, in summary, the fifth years are in charge of setting up volunteering opportunities for the whole school to join. An example of this is this year the students of Quilmes gathered clothes and food to give to a poor province in Argentina called Misiones. This is very similar to our food drives, and it’s really heart warming to see people gain a sense of empathy for their community.

In order to give us the Care and Share experience we made alfajores to give to the elementary schoolers.

Step 1: Grab two cookies

Step 2: Spread dulce de leche on the inside of each cookie and squish them together

Step 3: Surround the outside with sprinkles or coconuts

After making the alfajores we all went on the bus with all the buddies and went to a restaurant in Quillmes that is famous for the beer and meat.  It was so interesting learning about the history of one Argentina’s most famous trades.  For the appetizer we all had empanadas which is sort of like a baked dough with some type  of filling ranging from ham, queso, beef, and more. The main course however was one of Argentina’s most common dishes the milanesa, a grilled piece of either chicken or steak.  Wow, were we all full by the end of lunch.

Day 8 – Abigail and Chikezie

Day 8 Highlights from our first day of school!

Abigail’s Post:

Today was our first day at Quilmes High School. Upon arriving at the school with Justina, we attended the opening ceremony and witnessed the flag raising alongside the rest of the exchange group and of-age Quilmes High School students. Following this, we all went to a room to learn about some of the school’s history and their house system, which was reminiscent of the system at Hogwarts in Harry Potter, a parallel I find most intriguing. Afterwards we had a mini-banquet of various pastries, my favorite being the croissants, as per usual. They’ve been my go-to breakfast since the start of this exchange.

After getting to chat with the Argentinians for a while, we began our morning tour of the nursery and kindergarten. It was interesting to discover how early the children were exposed to English at the school. We got to sing some English nursery songs to the young children, who were absolutely precious, and I believe all the others greatly enjoyed this part of the tour, along with the photo-posing on the playground structures.

After the nursery, we checked out the kindergarten and spoke with some of the kids there, though they did seem rather shy upon the first interactions. After that tour was complete, there was an opportunity to play some 9-square game in the break area while we waited for the next activity. It was entertaining to watch with the ensuing chaos, and I found that I was greatly lacking in the foot-eye coordination department when I attempted to join in later.

After some afternoon classes and an introduction, dance, and celebrity-level karaoke session with the primary schoolers, I left school with Justina and several others to head to a movie night at Matilda’s house.

The movie night was quite enjoyable, and we watched the Smurfs movie in Spanish with an array of candy and popcorn at our disposal. There was one gummy-like candy that I was particularly fond of that came in the shape of blackberries and raspberries. Also, despite all the great things I heard about it, I still believe the sweet popcorn is inferior to the salted, buttery kind. Simply an opinion, though. The day was amazing and I had a great time hanging put with everyone. I can’t wait to see how the rest of the trip goes!

Chikezie’s Post:

The first day of school was amazing. They welcomed us with a warm greeting calling us up to ask how we felt about Argentina. Then we were told to go to the video room to listen to a presentation about the history of the school of Quilmes, which has been around for 120 years. Next we shadowed our buddies for their classes in the morning where we had many breaks. Also, I’m that morning we got to see the little ones in their classrooms to meet them and take pictures. It was very adorable because they were all so friendly and happy to be at school.

For lunch, we went to Juan Pedro’s home where his father prepared us fresh burgers on the grill. We took many pictures. When we came back to school we met the students in primary school where they had us play them in activities. The first game was who knows more about the other’s country. Then we competed in dance.  There was also karaoke, which I was a part of and I sang a song in Espanola with Hugh. Then we started doing more activities with the little ones and they were all asking for autographs which boosted my ego. This was where our school day came to an end. After school, we went to Matilda’s house and watched a movie.

 

Day 7 – Sanah and Brady

Sanah’s Post:

We started our day late around 3 pm heading back into the city for some shopping and then watching a shower. The city drive was so beautiful and we saw some of the same things like we did when we were in the city as well. We went to Alcorta Shopping which is similar to Crabtree or Southpoint. Over there, we went and looked at Argentinean brands. I went to Zara, Nike, and Adidas. I loved the variety of collection and how the sales people were so sweet in helping you. We did some shopping there and then headed to have some Starbucks.

After that, we went to a supermarket that was below the mall. In there we shopped for some home items and it was interesting to se the difference in how a super market looks here versus back home. There was so much variety in meat and in cheese.

We then made our way to a farm that Federica’s uncle works at. Over there, we saw horses and they were in their stalls eating. There were so many of them and it was so overwhelming to see and pet all of them.

After that, all of the exchange mates and us Cary Academy students went to a show called Fuerza Bruta. Over there, we started off with some dancing before the show started and it was so fun to listen to Argentinean Music and see the crowd. Once the artists came, it was awesome to see how they changed each background and had so much of energy. I had never seen a show like this and it was one of the best shows I have ever seen in my life. The artists were so talented and made everything look interesting. One thing that attracted the audience was how we were included and apart of the show too. We weren’t just watching but we were also doing moves and dancing. The show ended around 8:30 PM and we drove back home. The night drive was beautiful and was shining with all types of lights.

Brady’s Post:

 

Today was a Sunday which meant that my host family would have some of their extended family come over for lunch. I was able to meet my partners grandmother, uncle, and cousin as well as have some conversation in Spanish. For the meal we had some pasta along with a special kind of sauce and some asado. After lunch we watched some soccer and then went into the city. In the capital, we met with a bunch of other exchange students and saw a show called Fuerza Bruta where we all got to dance and have fun. After the show we got something to eat at McDonalds and came back to the house where I almost immediately went to sleep because I was so tired and needed to get up early for school the next day.

Day 6 – Tim and Dylan

Dylan’s Post:

Today was a very eventful day. I started the day very late at around 12:00 pm due to the fact that we had a long night that included partying and eating with my exchange partner Ettienes’s family. The first thing I do to start my day whether in Cary or in Argentina is to brush my teeth and shower. Then, immediately after this, we hit the road to go to the big city of Buenos Aires. I had breakfast on the go, eating two granola bars that are from Argentina and drinking some water. After about 25 minutes of a self-guided tour of the city from Ettienes mother, learning about the history of Buenos Aires and the different buildings, we arrived at our destination La Dorita where I finally got to try the long-awaited Carne Asada which was so yummy. After trying Carne Asada and traditional meats and cheeses from La Dorita we left for our next destination, the shopping mall called Alcorta which was very beautiful.  Although we did not buy anything from the mall, I got to see some of my friends and take a picture with them.

Immediately after this, we went to get Ice Cream at a place called Luccianos which is a very famous ice cream shop in Buenos Aires. I ordered Dulce De Leche ice cream and it was amazing. After viewing some more scenery including driving past The Pink House which is the United States version of The White House, we went to go bowling with some of Ettienes closest friends at another mall called Alto Avellaneda. When we arrived, we stumbled upon an unpleasant surprise, the bowling was taken out and replaced by a trampoline park. When we finally met up with Ettienes friends and broke the news to them we decided to take a quick pit stop at KFC to eat some fried chicken.

We finally decided on going to an arcade that also was in the mall. We had so much fun earning tons of tickets and playing games that we have back home such as hungry-hungry hippos and Ski Ball. After a couple of hours, we had to leave the arcade and head back to Ettiene and his Moms flat. After about 15 minutes we were on the road again, this time to some of Ettienes friend’s houses to pick them up and head to a big Futbol game Atlanta vs Quilmes. Both of these teams are from the second division of Argentinian Futbol but nonetheless, it was a very entertaining game of Futbol. Although Quilmes FC lost the game 2-1 I had a plethora of fun socializing and chanting with the fans. Our final stop of the day, around 11 pm, was at Pettuti which was an Italian restaurant near Ettienes flat. I got something simple that I knew I was going to like which was Ravioli with cheese and Riccota. After dinner, we all finally returned to the flat where I crashed around 1 pm. This is my day in the life of living in Quilmes, Argentina day 2

Tim’s Post:

Hello, my name is Tim and I’m here to talk with you about todays adventures in Quilmes. The day began at 9:00 am, a relatively early start, where we woke up to prepare for the long drive ahead of us. At 11:00 we had finally arrived at our destination, a horse farm.

This particular horse farm was located right at the banks of a massive lagoon, which made the experience all the more memorable. The weather that day, as seen in the photo, was absolutely gorgeous. We all registered for horse rides, but our appointment was not until later in the day. So the first thing we did was go on a massive tractor ride. This tractor was so big that it could fit the entire exchange in one ride.

There were tons of horse all around this farm, all of them different colors. Once we finished the tractor ride, we headed over to a restaurant on the farm to eat. They brought out plate after plate of empanadas, chorizo, and bife. It was all so good and filling. Later that day, we had a blast riding the horses and seeing one of our friends almost get bucked off of his horse. At 6:00 our group decided to drive back home to catch the local fútbol game. We ended up meeting some of our friends from school at the game, which made the game all the more fun.

By the time the game ended and we had gotten back home, it was 11:00 pm. We were in for a huge surprise when we arrived back home. Gregorio’s dog, China, had snuck into my room and eaten 20 of my pop tarts! Tired and without snacks, I decided to deal with this mess tomorrow and go to bed.

Day 5 – Jill

Hello! I am currently staying at Lula’s family’s ranch near the town of La Colina. La Colina is about a 6 hour drive from Quilmes, surrounded by fields and cattle. We arrived at the ranch Thursday afternoon. We rode horses and then spent the day in the bigger town, Coronel Suarez for Lula’s family reunion called “Urrutiada.” The reunion was held in Sociedad Rural De Coronel Suárez with many family members from different areas of Argentina, Uruguay and other South American countries. I met many of her aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. Nearly 200 people came to celebrate their family. We ate asado, pastelitos, and many other foods. (And drank Mate of course)! Asado consists of various meats like beef, pork, chicken, chorizo and morcilla. Pastelitos are crunchy bread desserts that are similar to Baklava. After lunch, the family gathered outside to take pictures and hang out more. When the reunion finished, we met the friends of Lula’s cousins that live in Coronel Suarez and ate dinner with them. Today was a long day but so fun!

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