Quilmes, Argentina

Yesterday was a busy day of sports and fun times that gave us happy memories. It all started with a lively game of field hockey played by the students. Even though Quilmes didn’t win, the teamwork and sportsmanship were clear for all to see.
Later, we all met up at a nearby restaurant with the students who didn’t play. We ate tasty food and had lively chats, enjoying each other’s company despite the game’s outcome.
Our love for sports took us to a Quilmes soccer match as the day went on. We cheered loudly with our family and friends, enjoying the exciting moments of the game. Again, Quilmes didn’t win but the energy and enthusiasm of the crowd never flagged.
After the match, we headed home still feeling excited. We had a yummy dinner of ravioli waiting for us, which was the perfect end to a day full of activity. With our stomachs full and our mood lifted, we relaxed in front of the TV, remembering the best parts of the day and making more happy memories together. – Deuce

Today was Sunday, which generally in Argentinian culture means asado day! It had been raining for most of the morning which almost meant we couldn’t do asado, but luckily it stopped in time. My host family generously provided a few different types of meat all made in Argentinian barbecue style. I had choripan (a pork sausage sandwich), steak, and chicken. They were all incredibly delicious and were very similar to what we had at the estancia.

After the wonderful meal, we decided to watch a documentary about Argentina’s journey through the most recent World Cup. It was called Muchachos and was completely in Spanish (with no subtitles too :/). I would say it definitely helped with my Spanish comprehension and also allowed me to relive the exhilarating experience of Argentinians during the World Cup through their perspective. It had many clips of different families celebrating or being nervous for matches, goals, and penalty kicks. The film also indirectly showed the patriotism and unity the World Cup brought together for different communities throughout Argentina, which I thought was remarkable.

When we finished the film, we headed to Buenos Aires for a guided tour of El Teatro Colon. It was also fully in Spanish because the English tours were sold out. It was really interesting to be able to understand the architecture and history of the theater after seeing the BA Philharmonic perform the previous night. We even coincidentally met some other students in the exchange including Kailey, Piper, Finn, and Tova!

My host family wanted to bring me ice-skating, but when we went to the rink, it was already very full, so we went to the market in San Telmo. I remembered it mostly from when we went the first day of BA and enjoyed the opportunity to explore it a bit more. I wanted to buy some souvenirs for my family but found them mostly very expensive (there was a pair of earrings for $90……). In the end I bought some squares of dulce de leche and my host family bought empanadas for us to share at dinner.

Overall, I had a day full of adventure and fun. I’m looking forward to more days like this one! -Kenna

Hello everyone! This day was pretty hectic for me…These past few days, I’ve gotten used to waking up early in the morning in order to get ready for school here in Quilmes. However, today instead of waking up at 6:30 or 9:00, I had to wake up at 4:30 a.m.!! This was because my family and I were going to spend Sunday and Monday in Iguazú Falls!! The plane was going to depart at 6:30 a.m., so we had to be at the airport by 5:30, meaning that we had to leave the house around 5:00 since we live 20ish minutes away from the airport. I had packed the night before since I had plans. Last night, Palo and her family took me to her grandparents’ apartment since her grandpa was turning 79 years old. Many family members came to celebrate his birthday, so I was able to meet most of her cousins, aunts, and uncles. Everyone was very kind, wishing me a safe and fun trip. After the party ended, we headed back home, showered, and went straight to bed since we had to wake up early the following morning.

Palo’s dad took us to the airport since he wasn’t going to accompany us on this trip. Once we boarded the plane, all three of us (Palo, her mom, and I) immediately went to sleep. As usual, the flight attendants started to hand out beverages, but something that I noticed that was different was that one of the options was TEA! I believe it’s not a common option back in the U.S., but it seems like it’s something common here in Argentina since they also had milk and sugar to add to your tea. The flight to Iguazú was pretty short since it was only an hour and thirty minutes. After we arrived, we took a taxi to our hotel in order to drop off our luggage. We had arrived too early for check-in since check-in was at 1 p.m. and it was around 9 a.m. when we arrived at the hotel. However, the staff members were kind enough to store our luggage and recommend a restaurant.

After eating breakfast, we took a bus that drove us to Brazil’s part of Iguazú Falls. For a little bit of information, Iguazú Falls are waterfalls on the border of Argentina and Brazil (they form the border between both countries). The ride to the waterfall was actually pretty short. It was no more than 30 minutes. After the bus dropped us off at the location, we were getting ready to enter the park when we saw multiple coatís crossing the road. I thought it was amazing how close the coatís were to us and how unbothered they were by our presence.

After walking the whole trail and seeing all the waterfalls, we headed back to the hotel. Once we arrived, we went to a nearby restaurant called EGO, where I ordered grilled chicken with fries. After eating our food, we walked back to the hotel, where we relaxed in the pool. After some time, we headed back to our rooms to change and explore the town. However, we didn’t walk for long since it was a bit late, and all of us wanted to rest since we had a long but fun day ahead. – Elizabeth

Today was our first weekend day with our exchange partners! For my partner, Cami, Saturdays are match days where she has field hockey games. Earlier this morning I had facturas, a croissant like pastry filled with dulce de leche and topped with powdered sugar, for breakfast! After breakfast, we drove to Buenos Aires to the hockey fields. At the field hockey match, Cami’s team was down 0-1 in the first half, but came back to win 3-1! After Cami’s game finished, we drove back to Quilmes to watch the rest of her sister’s field hockey game and to have lunch. At the fields there is a cafeteria with many options for lunch and was very delicious! along with the field hockey fields, there are soccer fields as well and after lunch we stayed at the field to watch some more field hockey games. Later in the afternoon, we went back to the house and got to watch the final soccer game of the champions league, Dortmund vs Real Madrid where Real Madrid were crowned champions! After the game, we had some time to rest, shower, and get ready for dinner in the city. Cami and her family took me to a buffet restaurant in Buenos Aires that had every type of food and was a very delicious meal. It even had two chocolate fountains and assorted treats and fruits to dip into the chocolate. Finally, after dinner, we took a walk around downtown Buenos Aires and got to see many beautiful views and important buildings before heading home for the night. Overall, today was a great day full of sports, yummy food, and quality time with my family! – Abby

Today Sebastian, Luke, Elizabeth, Mati, Corda, Palo, Nani and I (along with all of our parents) went to Los Estudiantes de La Plata Soccer Stadium that’s also has a restaurant attached to it. There’s a nice view of the stadium and the restaurant with good food. I had hamburger and fries. We walked around the team store and saw kids outside playing soccer we passed with them for some time. After the delicious food, Finn, Will, Tristan, Mati, Salva, Lucio, Oliver, Nani, Seba, Augusto went back to Corda’s house to watch the Champions League Final Match between Real Madrid and Dortmund. After the match, we all took a walk to the soccer field in the neighborhood. We played Quilmes vs Cary, and it was a very intense game; however, Quilmes won in the very end 5-4. After the game, we came back to Corda’s house and just rested and cooled down. A lot of them left and Corda and I headed to Augusto and Salvador’s house for a sleepover. We played a lot of video games like Fifa and Call of Duty to pass time. Then we ate pizza for dinner and went to sleep. -Chimdi

My host family arranged an amazing trip to visit Cataratas del Iguazú yesterday, a three-hour flight north of Quilmes in Argentina. The waterfalls are situated between Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina. Today, we started our day early by crossing the border into Brazil, which is known for offering the best views of waterfalls. Upon our arrival, we began with a two-hour hike, climbing stairs and taking pictures to capture various views of the numerous waterfalls. During the hike, we encountered coatís, raccoon-like animals found only in Brazil and Argentina near the Cataratas. Once we reached the end of the path, we went as close as possible to the center of the Iguazú River, where the largest waterfall is located. After a long morning, we had a small break for lunch at a local restaurant. I tried various Brazilian dishes and tasted guaraná, a soda found only in Brazil. Following lunch, we went on a river tour and water rafting in the Iguazú River, where we got soaking wet but had an amazing time going under the waterfalls. After a great day exploring the national park, we returned to Argentina. Still, before we entered the border, we stopped at a viewpoint that showcased the Brazilian, Argentinian, and Paraguayan sides of the river meeting at sunset. After crossing the border back into Argentina, we went to dinner, where I tried sopa Paraguaya, a type of bread from Paraguay, and a corn salt made of ground corn mixed with salt. Due to the river access, much of the local food consists of various types and sizes of river fish. After dinner, we returned to the hotel to prepare for our activities tomorrow. – Hala

We started the morning off with our last tour of Buenos Aires. We saw the Congress building, opera house, murals, and even a tree over 200 years old. Our tour guide told us the many stories and legends of Buenos Aires and showed us more of the beautiful architecture of the city. During the tour, we also learned more about Argentinian culture and food. We parked the bus near the Obelisco de Buenos Aires and took pictures in front of the BA topiary. After pictures, we continued to walk through the city, seeing the Supreme Court of Justice and many other offices with architecture combining modern with old.

On our second stop, we visited a stunning bookstore with many different floors, a cafe, and art. The third stop was to Floralis Genérica, a mechanical sculpture of a flower that typically opens in the morning and closes at night. It was damaged in thunderstorms a few weeks ago so unfortunately it was missing a few petals and panels.

For lunch, we all got the freedom to pick wherever we wanted to eat in the area and afterwards, it was finally time to reunite with our exchange students! We met them at Quilmes High School for an emotional reunion. I was so happy to see my partner Isa again and after the reunion, they hosted a welcome party for us at Cami’s house! It was a lot of fun and after a long day of touring and reuniting, we all went back to our host family’s houses for some much needed rest. – Annalise

Hola! Today was another day of fun and informative touring, with the extremely enticing prospect of meeting our exchange partners again compounding the excitement.

The morning started off with us checking out of the hotel, a normally simple process somewhat hindered by the low amount of sleep most of us had last night (admittedly, I’m mostly talking about myself here). We then revisited governmental buildings we had seen from a farther distance on the first day, affording us the chance to take a closer look at the Argentinian Congress and Supreme Court. Additionally, we also got a good group photo at the Obelisk of Buenos Aires, which was built in 1936 to commemorate the first foundation of the city.

Next, we visited El Ateneo Grand Splendid, named the “world’s most beautiful bookstore” by National Geographic. We spent some time wandering the massive building and browsing the vast selection of books, some of which I attempted to read with limited success.

The final stop of our tour was La Recoleta Cemetery, which contains the graves of numerous notable people; Eva Perón, multiple Argentinian presidents, Nobel Prize winners, and thousands of others important or wealthy enough to afford a spot in this renowned cemetery. Unlike most cemeteries, La Recoleta Cemetery is completely comprised of mausoleums laid out in sections like city blocks, giving the cemetery the appearance of a miniature city.

After our walk through the cemetery, we drove over to Quilmes High School, where we were finally able to meet our partners again. We were also treated to a pleasant surprise – a welcome party with pizza, empanadas, and other delicious foods. Following the fun of the party, we went to our exchange partners houses (where I am currently writing this blog post) to get some much-needed rest. Speaking of which, I think it’s time for me to sleep. Thanks for reading! -Ryan

TODAY WAS SO FUN! It was super busy (and really long) BUT AWESOME! We started the day off early at 6:30 with some delicious scrambled eggs and Nutella crepes!

After rushing to school, all of us Cary Academy kids were introduced to the Quilmes school! We met in their quad area and listened as the teachers said a few words! Everyone was so excited. Then, we got sorted into Quilmes houses (sort of like Hogwart’s houses)! Their school have three houses that compete for points! We blindly grabbed an envelope from a giant bowl and were inducted into our houses! I was Shackleton, but Juani is Hudson (which is apparently the best- pero no sé).

After a quick tour of the school, we went to an estancia (which is kind of like a farm or ranch)! It was super fun, I enjoyed hanging out with my friends (and the animals)! After A TON of fun card games with friends, we got to interact with peacocks, horses, sheep, chickens, and cows- all wandering freely about! The asado was also super yummy, I think I had like 2-3 different meats cooked 4 different ways!

After returning to Quilmes, Juani, Lucí, Lupé, Piper, Tova, and I went to an escape room! Now if you think escape rooms are hard… just try one in Spanish. BUT we did get out and end up saving Messi from terrorists so he could go on to win the World Cup!

Afterwards, the six of us went back to Lucí’s house and learned how to make empanada! After a few… less than perfect ones, we got the hang of it! It was super fun to make them, almost as good as eating them! After hanging out some more, Juani and I finally returned to our house where I am about to fall asleep! – Finn

Today was our first day in Quilmes Highschool! Everyone was super nervous but so excited to be introduced and involved. Once we got to school, we had a welcoming ceremony which consisted of all the students across each grade. This is also known as the flag ceremony. The flag ceremony is a morning ritual in which all students gather in the main courtyard to do the pledge of allegiance and say other announcements. The ceremony ran for about 10 minutes letting the students of Quilmes High School know who we are and vis versa. After that, the first class began and we were given a tour of the whole school! I realized how different our school is than theirs, which was really cool. We also got placed into our houses for the rest of the exchange trip. I would explain the school like Hogwarts! You get placed in a house: either Hudson which is blue, Livingston which is Yellow (the best one), or Shackleton which is red. Each house competes against the others for spirit points. Today each of us picked from a bowl with a bunch of envelopes. Inside each envelope had a piece of paper with the corresponding color. I got yellow, which is Livingston.

After both the tour and the picking of the houses we headed over to the ranch where we were met with tea and a small breakfast. This is known as Tea Time! We also saw this cute dog that herds all the animals to get them where they need to be. The farm included horses, little goats, cows, chickens, rosters, and ducks! After we saw all the farm animals, we had an amazing asado for lunch! The asado had delicious food and serval courses including meats, salads, sides, and breads. For the rest of the school day, we just hung out! Many of us played foosball, ping pong, and pool while others chose to just chat, chill, and play card games! Later when we got back to the school, we went home with our exchange students and ate dinner.  Overall, it was so much fun, and I loved seeing the animals and eating great food. -Misha

¡Hola! My name is Bharghav. Today we had a very adventurous day, and it was lots of fun! We started the day sightseeing on the bus on our way to San Isidro. My favorite landmark we passed was the River Plate stadium. River Plate is one of the most popular soccer teams in Argentina. Then we went to the San Isidro Cathedral and saw many very cool religious symbols. After that we went to a café called Blossom and had ice cream. I had Kinder and cookies and cream flavored ice cream and it was delicious! After that we made our way to the river cruise in Tigre. It was very relaxing, and we saw very cool things, my favorite being the house in the glass box. After that we went to a buffet lunch at Siga La Vaca where they barbeque lots of different meats live on a grill called an asado. The restaurant was enormous, and the food was delicious! Then we made our way back to the hotel to relax.

After that we went to the tango dinner. The food there was incredible, and the performance was too. My favorite part of the dance was the man who used bolas (a weapon made from leather-covered stone balls tied to a long piece of rope traditionally used to hunt animals by the indigenous peoples of the Andes) to make music. It was incredible! The dinner lasted from around 8 pm to 12 am, and after we took a nice group picture. The day was great!

We started off our day eating breakfast at the hotel. They provided many items such as fruits, eggs, toast, and cereal. In addition, they also served sweet pastries, including raspberry cream filled croissants and croissants topped with dulce de leche and powdered sugar. We continued our day by touring Buenos Aires monuments while on our way to our river tour. We saw the Torre Monumental, many statues of Argentinian generals, and the River Plate soccer stadium. We also saw the Floralis Genérica, which is a moving sculpture of a flower. It closes its petals in the evening and opens them in the morning. Unfortunately, the Floralis Genérica is currently being repaired because two of the petals broke off during an extremely large storm that hit Buenos Aires.

We then stopped at the San Isidro Cathedral and got snacks and coffee from Blossom cafe. At the Tigre river tour, we went on a ferry and explored up the river. We saw many Argentinian vacation homes on islands scattered throughout the river delta. After the river tour, we drove back into the center of Buenos Aires and ate a late lunch at Siga La Vaca. It was a buffet style meal with lots of steak, potatoes, and chicken. Following the buffet, we walked along Juana Manuela Gorriti street which had shops lining one side of the walkway and a waterway on the other. Dr. Kreig stopped at a Starbucks and got his mom an Argentinian Starbucks cup. We then stopped and took photos at the Puente de la Mujer and finally walked back to the hotel to get ready for the Gala Tango.

To end the night, we went to a Tango show where we ate amazing food (an appetizer, main course, and dessert). During the time between our appetizer and main course, the performers started the show with a musical performance by their live band. The show consisted of a bunch of smaller 3-5 minute performances by a variety of people. However, to end the show, all performers got on stage together and performed a song about Argentina. We then headed back to the hotel and settled in for the night. -Luke

Buenos días! Our day started 40,000 feet up in the air. Many of us woke up to a beautiful sunrise on the plane which was a sign that we were getting close to Buenos Aires. We landed around 9am and we were all so excited, quickly making our way past immigration and customs. We were greeted by our amazing tour guide, Marisa, at the airport and then headed to the hotel. After quickly freshening up and settling in, we had lunch at Pertutti which is a cafe very close to our hotel. Pertutti had a wide variety of options including risotto, pastas, milanesas, sandwiches and burgers.

After lunch, we toured some beautiful places including Plaza de Mayo, la Casa Rosada, Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral, and Mercado San Telmo. One highlight of the tour was hanging out at Mercado San Telmo to enjoy some fabulous snacks and drinks for merienda (afternoon snack/tea time). I personally enjoyed a slice of chocolate cake and a caramel latte (Muy deliciosa!).

Another highlight of the tour was learning about la Casa Rosada which is the pink building in the Plaza de Mayo where the president works. A fun fact that I learned about la Casa Rosada is that a small flag is raised on top of the building when the president is inside. Overall, it was an amazing day of touring and Marisa made it super fun as we explored and learned the rich history of Argentina.

After the tour, we headed back to the hotel and had some free time before a delicious buffet dinner (thank you CA for providing us with an awesome meal!). There was pasta, chicken, salad, drinks, and a wide variety of dessert choices available. We all enjoyed the meal and shared our favorite parts of our days. I ended the night by checking out the hotel gym and hanging out with friends before curfew. It was an awesome and memorable day for sure and I can’t wait for the rest of the exchange trip! – Dana

Arrival:

This morning at 9:45am, we finally landed in Buenos Aires. Everyone seemed really happy to arrive despite the lack of sleep. While going through customs, each of us got our first chance to practice Spanish in Argentina. It was a bit nerve wracking, but we made it through customs, retrieved the checked luggage, and made our way onto the bus and to the hotel.

Touring:

After checking in and cleaning up, we went to lunch at Pertutti where you could order anything from pasta to burgers and an Argentinian special, milanesa. Milanesa is a thin piece of beef or chicken breaded and fried. Following lunch was a walking tour where we learned about la Casa Rosada, the president’s building and office. The statue in the middle of Plaza de Mayo represents the Woman of Buenos Aires, and Argentinian independence. Throughout the city, the architecture is a hodgepodge of a myriad of styles from Spanish to Italian and even French. Our tour guide emphasized how many Argentinians are the descendants of many European countries which is reflected in the food, architecture, and style.

Additionally, we visited the most famous church in Argentina, Catedral Metropolitana. The architecture and style revolved around Catholicism which is the most popular religion in Argentina. The church was stunning and incredible; it was one of my favorite parts of the day.

Finally, we finished our guided tour with a visit to Mercado de San Telmo which was built in 1897. The market was a very old European style with stores and stands selling everything from jewelry, accessories, and clothing, to empanadas, candy, and raw meat. We also sampled some of the many delicious dulces de leche. On top of the traditional flavor, we tried mint, chocolate, and ginger. All of them were amazing!!

We finished out the night by going to the hotel restaurant for dinner and catching the amazing views of the rooftop from the hotel. It was such a fun day! – Tova