In the morning, I woke up nice and late, enjoying the extra rest after a long week of staying up late and getting up early. After showering and having a small breakfast of toast with dulce de leche, Avril and I went for a walk around the center of Quilmes, where I got a coffee and a medialuna. We strolled around and hung out in a park for a little while.
At one point, Avril made a bet: if we saw someone with blonde hair, she would buy me a pastry. She made the bet because she said I stood out for having blonde hair. After just two blocks, we saw a young boy with blonde hair and then three more in the next block, so we stopped at a pastry shop, and she got me another medialuna. I love the medialunas here because of their sugary coating and dense, moist dough. They’re easily 100 times better than anything I’ve had in the U.S.
After some more walking, we went home for lunch, which was potatoes and a kind of shredded chicken pie. I then took a nap before we left for Buenos Aires around 2:30.
In Buenos Aires, we went on a scenic walk along one of the smaller docking bays, where we saw a sunken ship lying on its side an unusual sight. We walked past a 19th-century ship that had been turned into a museum and then crossed the Puente de la Mujer bridge.
Next, we made our way to Palacio Libertad, a large museum with unique exhibits. One standout feature was a massive round ball of blue glass suspended beneath a stunning stained-glass mosaic, which reflected beautiful colors across the room. We then entered what was called an immersive exhibit. It had a painting projected onto the wall with moving elements that really brought the entire room to life.
After that, we visited a historical exhibit with symbols and photos hanging from the ceiling and old images of Buenos Aires on the walls. One photo that caught my attention was of the triangular building where Messi now appears holding the World Cup, it showed the area before it became popular, depicting a poor, run-down neighborhood where the now lively and bustling Boca is located.
On the way to the next exhibit, we saw a large, colorful cube hanging from the ceiling, shifting constantly in color and pattern. It looked really cool! The next room featured a pile of letters written to the women who fought for the right to vote, which was fascinating. We also visited a room showcasing historical Argentine films, another with abstract and interesting paintings, and finally, a room displaying clothing from various time periods and regions, which was very interesting to see.
As we left, we grabbed a bag of roasted sugar-coated peanuts. They had a flavor and texture I’d never experienced before, and I really liked them. After getting back to the car, we headed to a small festival with lots of food options and got ice cream. I had pistachio and dulce de leche, and the dulce de leche was easily the best I’ve ever had. I finished it in no time!
After that, we went to a house party at Tati’s, where we ate pizza and hung out before leaving at 2:30 a.m. to get some rest. -Ivan
Our last full day kicked off with sleeping in a little bit and starting to pack up luggage. It was bittersweet – I can’t believe that tomorrow we will have to say goodbye after becoming such a big part of each other’s lives.
I got ready for the day and had breakfast with Emi and her family before we went to Emi’s field hockey club — Club de Regatas de Avellaneda. I watched the Regata teams win a few games and then got to see Emi play in her match. It was a very intense game, but her team won 5-0! It was so fun to see Emi as she played defense. Field hockey is played very differently in Argentina compared to how we play in the United States, so it was amazing to see another style of play in action. I met all of Emi’s teammates and they are so sweet. Yesterday was also one of Emi’s teammate’s 16th birthday, so we all celebrated after the win with pizza and cake. I also met a group of younger girls who play for the club and are friends with Emi’s younger sister. They asked me a lot of questions, and I got a chance to practice my Spanish while they practiced their English, which was very rewarding for all of us.
Following the game, a large group of us in the program met at a mall in downtown Buenos Aires. We ate lunch together and spent the afternoon shopping and walking around. We got ice cream from a shop called Lucciano’s and most of us had the dulce de leche flavor. The Dubai chocolate flavor was also a favorite.
After the mall, Emi and I went home and had dinner with her mom and sister, and I finished packing up my luggage. Afterwards we went to a friend’s house to hangout as a group, and we had a sleepover to finish out our trip. I can’t believe we’re leaving tomorrow – it feels like the time here passed by too quickly! -Simran
