FRIDAY- Cat Cobb
DISCLAIMER: Esra and I spent the day in different ways (since we didn’t have school or any planned group activities on Friday), so we each wrote about our beginning parts of the day separately and then collaborated on the party that everyone went to.
On Friday, the Quilmes students didn’t have school (due to a once-a-year teacher work day), so we got a chance to spend some more time with our buddies during our last couple of days in Argentina. I believe that a majority of the students went shopping together, because we haven’t had much time at any other point during the week. At the beginning of the day, Adri, Vicky, Katherine, Karoline, Santi and I all went out to various shops in Palermo, a kind of strip mall outside of Quilmes. There were smaller stores (we didn’t recognize any of them) but that just made it even more interesting. There was a restaurant called “Muu”, which was a really chill throwback to the 50s, and we all ate sandwiches and these really REALLY incredible cheese fries there. Actually, while we were eating, we saw Alisha, Tori, Caty and Sol pass by, and we waved to them but they didn’t see us :(.
After we finished eating, we went to a few more shops in Palermo, before leaving at about 3 pm to go to another mall about 20 minutes away called Paso al Corta. Imagine, if you will, just a larger version of Crabtree Valley Mall, except entirely indoors and with four stories instead. We walked around Paso al Corta for about 
forty minutes before
meeting up with Jack, Davis, Alisha, Tori and their students in Starbucks. After spending about thirty minutes or so in Starbucks together, we all went back out to other stores and walked around for about an hour longer, until we left at about 6:30 to get ready for a party in Martu’s neighborhood that night. Since the party started at 9:30, we had a bit of time on our hands, which I used to try to get my clothes and books a little more organized (since we were going to leave very soon).
We arrived at Martu’s party a little early, at about 9:15 (not surprisingly, many people had already arrived). Not only were all of the members of the exchange trip present, but everybody in the class was invited as well! Although we didn’t know many of the students outside of the exchange trip, we were able to introduce ourselves and make new friends. Along with the students, the teachers from both Cary Academy and Quilmes High School came to the party briefly to talk with the students and turn up (like Mr. Seeley).
Even though the party started later than we’re used to as Americans, in Argentina they’re used to partying and eating much later than we usually do in the U.S. Because of this (as they do in nearly all of their parties) they provided not only snacks but this crazy pizza that’s got these olives on it (it’s the same everywhere seriously what’s up with their pizza and olives here). It was a great opportunity to broaden our knowledge and horizons within the realm of meeting new people/trying new food. Martu’s party lasted until about two in the morning, and then we all returned home. All in all, it was another incredible experience!
There is more, much more, to being a redhead than the color of one’s hair.- Adam Stanislav