A City to Experience

I’m in South America.
A sentence I must at times say out loud to myself so to believe it.

With day four under my belt, it’s the week of firsts in Buenos Aires. First impression, first to meet my host family, first sip of coffee at the corner café, first friends, first day of class. First time perhaps doing and experiencing anything this crazy in my life (my family may disagree).

Eyes glazed over and sensory on overload, I am taking it all in. My friend Andrew who has been studying in the city since February described it as “It’s not a city you see; it’s a city you experience.” Rather than tourist shops on every corner, and big sights for camera snapping, it is a city to know through living. And boy do the porteños live.


Me standing on the block outside school:



Here are some of my firsts and impressions of Buenos Aires thus far:
--CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS. I know NYC has already been christened this phrase, but BsAs would out beat it for the title. Lunch at 2pm, dinner at 10pm (mate and coffee must help suppress the appetite between meals), bar at 2am, club until 7am. Really, when do people sleep? In Wichita, we wonder how late something will be open. Here, that is not an issue.

--CRAZY TOWN. In addition to the crazy schedule, I would describe pretty much everything else as CRAZY. The streets are constantly packed with cars and people, and I don’t think a porteño would know silence if he heard it. BsAs has the highest number of auto fatalities, and a pedestrian has to stay on his toes, as cars zip by at sound-barrier-breaking speeds. Also on the crazy list:
-Politics: There are an infinite number of political parties, and politicians are
synonymous with corruption. And if there is something you don’t agree with, don’t write your congressman, take it to the street! Strikes and protests, with accompanying fireworks, drums, and banners, are a daily site around Congress
-Public transportation: There are even more bus lines than there are political parties. There are over 150 independent bus companies and a labyrinth of route possibilities. When advising us on how to get around, our program coordinators said “the bus is not for beginners.” The metro, called El Subte, is easy to navigate, (as long as you can squeeze through to fit into a car and aren’t closterphobic). Even using a map is crazy, as the city is not oriented North and South and the street grid is constantly shifting different directions. Walking around is certainly an adventure!

--MATE MATE. Mate is the national drink of Argentina. It is a communal drink that is accompanied with intricate etiquette rules, and tastes like a very earthy tea. It is not drank at cafes, but rather in the home or at parks. It is wonderful.


--HEY GOOD LOOKIN.’ Argentineans are constantly voted the “best looking” nation, and I think they know it. Women love fashion and going to the salon, and men love noticing them.

--WOOF. Argentineans love dogs. Golden Retriever seems to be the favorite. With their busy “work” and party schedule, they must not have much time to walk their beloved pooch, though. Dog walkers are everywhere! I think dogwalking should really be an Olympic sport. One dog walker controls at least 10 at once. When they need to drop off a dog to its owner or stop in a café for a bite, they simply tie up all 9 other leashes on a lamppost.


--LIBROS, ZAPATOS, Y CAFÉ. It would be easy to lose track of where one is in BsAs because every block has a book store, shoe store, and café. Perhaps this is a statement to what’s important in life? Books, shoes, and coffee. I knew I’d like it here :)


My host family is phenomenal. My mother is Mecky, and she is awesome! We eat dinner together with her son Mariano, and we have so much fun talking, and laughing about the things I say incorrectly in Spanish. Tonight, for example, I said “I would like to ride a horse.” The word for horse is caballo, similar to caballero, which means man. Yup, I said I wanted to ride a caballero.

Our apartment is in Recoleta, which is a great place to be. I can walk to school and many other places, and it is super safe. For all those worried about my safety, it is really not as all the horror stories make it seem and is a great city. I feel totally comfortable walking around, and it’s all about having street smarts, being alert, and staying in the right places. Don’t worry!!

School and my program, Road2Argentina are great. The people who run my program are so cool and helpful. Each week, we have different social or cultural activities with our program. Tomorrow, we are drinking mate and going to a tango show, and next week we are going to dinner. The other students in my program are from all around the US, and my orientation group and I have been sticking together. Everyone is down to earth and fun to be with. My classes are at the Institute for Language Studies (something like that), and the teachers are phenomenal. I was placed in Advanced I, (although talking to my family I sure don’t feel advanced!) I can tell I’m already turning on the Spanish brain and getting much better conversationally.

The other students and I have started planning our excursions. There is SO MUCH to see in this country! Glaciers, waterfalls, cowboys, mountains, cities, whales, it is unbelievable. I will be gone this Saturday and all next week to Mendoza for a school trip. Mendoza is close to Chile, in wine country. We study Spanish while we are there, and have tons of extreme outdoor activities, including: horseback riding, rock repelling, river rafting, zip line, hiking, wine tasting, bicycle tour, museums, and more! You guessed it, I’m going to do it all.

I have a long ways to go to really know this city, and I can’t wait to experience more!