I woke up at nine ready to spend one final day with my host family. It was Alejandro’s 47th birthday, so breakfast began with a warm “Feliz Cumple,” accompanied by homemade bread with dulce de leche and scrambled eggs. I felt very sad when I realized it would be one of my last meals in Argentina, but I did my best to push these feelings aside so I could fully enjoy the myriad of fun activities I had ahead of me. After breakfast, Valen, her sister, Vicky, Alejandro, his girlfriend, Nati, and I climbed inside the car and headed to El Rio de la Plata.
While we drove, Alejandro and Nati provided some background context for our destination. I learned that Rio de la Plata is the widest river in the world. Interestingly, it is also connected to Rio de Iguazú, which derives from massive waterfalls and unites Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. We arrived at a harbor in the north of the river an hour later. It was the perfect day to go boating — the temperature ranged from mid to upper fifties and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky.
At one o’clock, we stopped by a small island where there were restaurants, games and beachside lounge chairs. We enjoyed a large lunch consisting of milanesa, asado, empanadas con carne, queso, and flan. I was so full by the end of it! After lunch, Valen, Vicky and I played volleyball, lounged around by the beach, and took photos on the pier. After a delicious pasta dinner at home, Valentina and I headed to Luana’s for a goodbye party. It was truly an unforgettable last day.
