After hopping from plane to plane, Vermont to New York to Peru to Argentina, I’m finally here in Buenos Aires and I could not be more excited to officially begin my semester abroad! For the last few weeks I have packed and repacked, listened to Latin top 40 music hits, and brushed up on a few Spanish phrases, but nothing could truly prepare me for living almost six thousand miles away from home.
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| A couple of tall city buildings. |
A few days after arriving, I decided I wanted to get to know the city a little better, so with no particular destination in mind I left the house and began to walk around the city. Buenos Aires is made up of a few different barrios (or neighborhoods) and I live at the border of Retiro and Recoleta which are right on the coast. Buenos Aires also has a lot of plazas around the city. The plazas are like little parks with grassy areas and usually a statue or monument in the middle. They’re beautiful places to sit and enjoy reading a book or play a game of pick-up futbol. They’re also perfect markers to help from getting lost if you're new around town!
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| This is a building that I saw along my walk. I thought it was very pretty so I took a picture of it. |
I walked to la Plaza de Mayo in the Monserrat barrio. It is a beautiful and historic place. At one end of the plaza you will find la Casa Rosado, or in English, the Pink House. It essentially is the equivalent to the White House in the United States. Right across stands the statue of General Manuel Belgrano, an important political figure of the early 1800s. I explored the plaza for a while reading the signs and trying to take in the sights all around me, but then I got hungry.
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| La Casa Rosado |
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| The national flag of Argentina waving in la Plaza de Mayo |
On my way home, I stumbled upon a festival close to the plaza. A big stage was at the end of the street and people were dancing, all dressed up in long dresses and lederhosen! It was a festival celebrating the history and culture of Germany and Austria. Lucky for me, the street was also lined with food vendors. I ordered a sandwich that looked something like a gyro, and it was delicious! So with a belly full of carne and a newfound love of the city, I walked back home and took a little siesta.
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| People around the city gather to enjoy the festival. |
At first, living in a huge city so far away from home seemed very intimidating. Now, I feel as though I’ll never have enough time to explore everything there is to see! I can’t wait to see what kind of other fun and surprising adventures Argentina has to offer.
Dominique C. is the Fall 2016 CEA MOJO in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is currently a junior studying Broadcast Media Production at Champlain College.
