It is bittersweet that today is our last school day at Quilmes High School. We kicked off our busy day with a delightful visit to the kindergarteners at the QHS jardín. The 4-year-olds serenaded us with the sweetest songs they’ve learned from their music teacher, and in return, we sang “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” for them. Their joy was absolutely contagious!
After visiting the kindergarten, the entire exchange group headed to the primary school to learn tango from a professional. The Tango is an iconic and influential dance that originated in the streets of Buenos Aires, Argentina. We had a wonderful time learning the 8 basic steps of tango together. At the end of the class, we all performed a dance together before we set off for lunch.
For lunch many of us walked a few blocks to get lunch from a local burger joint called BurgerBros. The food was great, and it was one of the few restaurants to have tasty salted and seasoned fries (papas fritas).
After returning from lunch, we gathered to create a “tree of life” using the handprints of all the teachers and students who participated in the exchange. We covered our hands in layers of paint. We printed our handprints and names on a big canvas to capture all the incredible people who made this exchange unforgettable. Today was also our shirt-signing day at QHS. No surprise here, that our shirts were covered in heartfelt messages and signatures from our Quilmes friends.
Our next stop was the QHS elementary school to visit their students in primary grades. Their excitement to see us was beyond heartwarming. We had a blast in the afternoon playing trivia with them, singing karaoke (we sang popular songs in Spanish and the kids sang pop songs in English), and playing Just Dance together. Finally, to wrap up our last day at QHS, we were given a grand applause by all the students and staff at QHS as we exited the school. We couldn’t have asked for a better farewell! We feel so thankful to everyone for making this a memorable and cherished visit. We have been so blessed and we will miss our QHS family so much! 💗💗
After school, my host family and I went to a very nice restaurant at Park Hyatt – Palacio Duhau in Buenos Aires for tea time. Watching the sunset from the mansion’s beautiful backyard was magical. We were served freshly squeezed juices and an exquisite variety of teas, accompanied by gourmet pastries and savory snacks. The presentation was stunning, and the taste of the food was even better. I feel so grateful to close out the school week with my host family in this incredible setting, enjoying this delectable spread and creating unforgettable memories. -Rhianna
Today was the last day of school we would have on our 2024 Quilmes trip. Walking inside this morning was so bittersweet, because I had made so many friends beyond just my exchange partner that I probably won’t be able to see after today. The reminder of the impermanence of our stay here made today extra important for me. All of the Quilmes students signed our CA shirts and gave us something permanent to take away from such a heart wrenching goodbye.
We made so many different connections with the community of QHS and Buenos Aires alike, all of which were embodied in the activities we did today. Our day started with meeting and singing “You Are My Sunshine” to the Quilmes pre-schoolers, and then tangoing as an entire group with everyone in the exchange. After, I enjoyed walking over lunch with a small group of friends and we finished the day with the handprint ceremony that has become tradition at QHS. We all covered our hands in different paint colors to represent leaves on a tree that connected all of us in the exchange as, in Fer’s words, “a single harmonious union.” All of these activities made me feel more connected to the strangers around me, the friends I made and got to know better, and the beauty found within all of the places we walked past. I believe that we, as a group, left school at the end of the day with a stronger cemented feeling that we were contributing to something greater than just a language trip. -Sadie
In the morning, the Head of the Secondary School gave us a presentation with background information on the geography of Argentina. We journeyed from the agricultural piedmont region of Salta to the world-famous mountainous province of Patagonia to the most populous province of Buenos Aires Argentina and to many more. It was amazing to see how every province in Argentina is unique in its own way.
After the presentation, we took a trip across the street to the kindergarten building where we interacted with two different classes. We taught them numerous songs including “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and “You Are My Sunshine.” We also shared with the kids the sports we played, which led to a debate on whether the soccer team Boca is better than their rival River Plate. It was a great way to connect with the little kids that are in kindergarten, and I believe it helped improve my Spanish by forcing me to speak primarily in Spanish as the little kids don’t yet know as much English as their older counterparts.
My favorite part of the day was when we learned the national dance of Argentina, which is the tango. The Tango was very fun to learn, but a little hard because you have to try to remember the numerous dance sequences while gliding with tension. After school ended, all the Cary Academy students were welcomed with a hand-painting and goodbye ceremony by all the students of Quilmes. It was very heartwarming and made me happy to see the impact that we made in the short time when we were there.
Afterwards, I went to my very first escape room. It was very hard, but in the end, it was very fun. Lastly, we went to another Quilmes partner’s house where we slept and played video games. It was a great way to get together with all the boys from the exchange trip one more time before it was time to leave on Sunday. Overall, today was an amazing day, and I hope that the next exchange trip is able to have the same amount of fun that we have had. -Tristan