We started off the day strong! We were welcomed by the whole school in a morning assembly. Guada and Kaplo said very kind words and we followed up introducing ourselves to the school and thanking them for the warm welcome. After the assembly we had a slang class where we learned the difference between Spain and Argentinian Spanish. We also learned common phrases such as Che (hey), vos (you), and quilombo (mess). After we had a welcome breakfast with tons of goodies! There were alfajores, ham and cheese sandwiches, and so much more. We also played ping pong. After we learned how to tango and we danced with people from Quilmes high…boys and girls…. it was fun! Then we watched our instructors dance traditional and classical tango. After we hopped on the bus and ate at Puerto Madero, which was delicious!
After touring some of the amazing places of Argentina we took a tour in el teatro colón. This may be the most beautiful theatre I and i’m assuming many others have seen. It looks like the inside was painted with gold and the floor we lined with red velvet carpet. In this theatre there were 8 floors; 7 floors for the people and the 8th one for the angels in heaven. It was such a cool experience for most of us to even sit inside of the theatre. After this tour we went back to the school, and many of the girls went to a merienda with each other. This is a new part of their culture that we are all experiencing first hand. This idea of 4 meals is really stretching our stomachs to the fullest. Directly after this snack meal, I (Kat) was so fortunate to go watch a dance inside of the teatro colón. I got to experience the beauty that the theatre produced. This was a dance, but what they say is true; the acoustics were phenomenal. I could feel the music right beside my ear even though I was a couple floors away. This theatre was a great way to bring everyone together. In our row there were people who spoke english (me), spanish (just about everyone else), and Italian (the family beside me). This place served almost as a common ground for people of all languages and backgrounds to meet, and enjoy the arts together. Art is such a universal language and we were all able to understand what was occurring on the stage. This was truly an experience I will never forget and I am so grateful for it.
Evan’s Reflection:
So here I am, it’s been quite a day, long too. I’ve settled down quite nicely in Quilmes. Jet lag doesn’t hit till after I’m home, for me at least, so I’ve got that to look forward to. Talking in only Spanish takes a lot however, so I’m a tad tired from that. It’s been a lot of fun though. I can understand everything, or most, on the first go around, but occasionally I’ll have to ask to hear it again. I’m not sure how others are handling the Spanish, but everyone seems alright. Today started off with a welcome ceremony for us Americans. The assembled students of Quilmes high school raised the flag of Argentina and the flag of the high school itself, like they do every morning (or so I’m told). Then a couple of students came up and gave speeches, one in Spanish and the other in English. Then we were called up and introduced ourselves. A couple of us said some words. We had a class on slang with the Headmaster. (Coincidentally, my blog day last year also covered the French Texting Slang day.) We then had a Welcome breakfast much like the one that Cary Academy puts on. After we had a tango class, and after all that we had lunch in Buenos Aires. I tried Morcilla, blood sausage, as well as Chinchulin, intestines. The intestines were delicious, but the blood sausage was…interesting. (I’ll let you draw conclusions from that.) After all that we walked around the city for a bit. We ventured onto a bridge over a river and saw an old boat. We walked around there for a while, while our guide – Laura – talked to us about the history of the area. We soon came across the Casa Rosada, which is Argentina’s equivalent to the White House, though the president only works there, his residence being outside of the city. We then walked to the adjoining plaza, La plaza de mayo, the principal plaza in the city. We also visited a cathedral. It was absolutely spectacular, though we didn’t spend too much time there. We saw a changing of the guard for the tomb of Argentina and Peru and Chile and Ecuador’s liberator. (All one guy – crazy, I know) After walking about there, the group was briefly separated at a traffic crossing, but we managed to find ourselves again and venture off to the local opera house, which Kat will talk about further (or has already talked about depending on where Mr. Lazarski posts my part). After that we journeyed back to Quilmes High School and to our Argentinian friends. I for one, was pretty tired, and I’d assume others were too. Though tired, I had a good dinner then we sat around and talked about life – no, really. Ceci and her brother taught me some new words, and we talked about the differences between the American political scene and the Argentinian one. I won’t go to in depth on political opinion, but the main topics were taxes and abortion. (Apparently a pro-choice bill is going through the Argentinian congress right now.) Anyway, that’s all for now!