III

I've been in Buenos Aires for over three weeks now and while our group has seen some amazing things, I've come to the conclusion that my favorite part of this trip is meeting and creating relationships with people who are from Argentina. My roommates and I were incredibly lucky to be placed with an amazing host mother who has welcomed us not only into her home, but also her family. We have been able to spend a lot of time in the evenings with her, her sons, and her grandchildren, who are all awesome. Getting to talk and share stories with each of them is more valuable (and educational, in my opinion) than the things we are learning in school.

We have also been meeting people from all over the city. Everyone is friendly and open to talking and discussing similarities and differences between cultures, which I find interesting since it challenges and changes perspectives that I've created in the US. I enjoy spending time outside of the Northeastern group to explore Buenos Aires and hear what the people who actually live here have to say about their city. And I have always loved making new friends.

Notable Trips of the Week:

1. La Exposición Rural
On Tuesday our group went to La Rural, an agricultural fair that's comparable to a giant Big E placed in the heart of Buenos Aires. There were sheds with horses, cows, goats, and pigs, as well as a huge exhibition hall filled with massive farm machinery. I'm used to seeing livestock at fairs like these but seeing all of the farm tools really drove home the fact that Argentina's economy relies completely on agriculture. These machines were giants, some over twenty feet tall and twenty feet wide. It felt like we were in a sci-fi movie -- they could have been spaceships.

One of the food stands. 

Along with all of the livestock and machines was, of course, a ton of food. I didn't eat too much since we were there pretty early in the day, but it was fun wandering around and seeing what types of foods are the Argentina equivalent to American "carnival food". There was a ton of meat and cheeses, and (sadly) really no sweets to be found, aside from Dulce de Leche and artisan chocolates, which I ate.

2. Estancia Don Silvano

They had a scary toucan. 

We had a chance to leave the city for a bit on Saturday when we visited la Estancia Don Silvano, a ranch en el campo (the country side). This was one of my favorite days of the trip since we got to spend all of it outside and in the fresh air, which is something I've been missing here.

We rode horses, saw and listened to a traditional Argentine band and dancers, and had a meal of various grilled meats. After lunch there was a horse show where the ranch employees demonstrated the various skills and tricks of the Argentine guacho, or cowboy. I thought the coolest part was when they stood on their horses back.

They also fed us empanadas as soon as we arrived, so there's really no way I could say anything remotely negative about this day. It was really great.

Estancia Don Silvano

3. Día Del Amigo
Sunday was día del amigo in Argentina, which is a national holiday celebrated in honor of friends. Sam and I chose to spend the day in Palermo shopping at the street fair that's held there every Sunday. One thing that I really like about Argentina is that the majority of little booths and street sellers I've seen set up on the streets sell handmade goods, which I'm kind of unused to seeing in the land of "made in China" stickers. The street fair was no different, with each booth boasting a different sort of handcrafted jewelry, leatherwear, or art. It was cool to be able to look around and speak with the artists and sellers, as well as watch a lot of them create their goods.

After shopping we got brunch at a restaurant down the street called Magdelena's Party. I ordered a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich, which really isn't very Argentine at all, since most people here don't eat breakfast at all, let alone fried eggs and bacon. But it was definitely my favorite meal in a while, and Sam and I shamelessly reveled in our touristy American-ness while eating. It even had homefries. My mouth waters just looking at the picture.

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This coming weekend our group will travel to Uruguay, a country that neighbors Argentina. I'm excited for this and will make sure to take in as much as possible!