~41,500,000 individuals call the country of Argentina their
homeland. ~15,500,000 individuals call the province of Buenos Aires their
resting place. ~12,000,000 individuals reside in the metropolitan area of the
Greater Buenos Aires, surrounding the capital city. ~2,900,000 individuals
thrive in the capital city of Buenos Aires. ~189,000 individuals name Recoleta,
a downtown residential neighborhood in the capital city of Buenos
Aires, their home. This is where I call home in the great city of Buenos Aires.
Although the city of Buenos Aires lacks the visual of a towering skyline, it
nowhere near lacks eclectic architectural beauty. Buenos Aires is often
referred to as the “Paris of South America”.
As one of the twenty largest cities in the World, I am learning very
quickly that this city has so much to offer.
As many of you know I
flew out of Chicago O’Hare Airport on the evening of the 27th of
August. After about 24 hours of very smooth travel I landed in Argentina on the
evening of the 28th. However, as ALL of you do not know, I arrived
30 hours before my study abroad program officially started. Meaning, for my
first day and night in the big city of Buenos Aires, I had no one to hold my
hand, I was all on my own. Although this was a bit nerve racking, it was also
very liberating. It was just me against the big city of Buenos Aires. I had
arranged to stay in a Hostel in Recoleta, about three blocks from my homestay,
where I would be traveling the following day. I planned for a shuttle to pick
me from the airport upon my arrival, taking me from the international airport
in Ezeiza, Argentina, to the capital city of Buenos Aires. With little knowledge
of Spanish, the language barrier did pose some difficulty. However, between the
pencil drawings, Spanglish, and translations, myself along with the Argentinians
found it a bit humorous. None the less I arrived at the Reina Madre Hostel safe
and sound with all my belongings that traveled the 5,500 mile trek with me
(thank goodness). Seeing that I had arrived to the hostel after night fall, I
did not have the courage, nor the energy to venture out into the foreign city
on my own, not knowing a lick of Spanish or what surrounded me within even a
block. I took the night to settle into my reality, this city is my home for the
next five months.
I occupied my morning with meeting individuals residing in
the hostel. Sick of my broken Spanish, I finally ran into some English
speakers, a group of six from Australia doing three months of volunteer work in
the city. From them I gathered some knowledge about what surrounded me outside
the closed doors of the hostel. Late in the afternoon I was to make it to my
homestay; however I had no way of informing my host mother, Graciela, of my
arrival time. Therefore, the next step was to obtain a local telephone. This
task of obtaining a phone was beyond difficult. I found the store; about ten
blocks from the hostel no problem, thanks to a gent working the check-in
counter. However, the one worker in the place spoke no English. Long story,
short, after about two hours, many frustrations, and broken Spanish sentences
later, I held a phone in my hand.
The next step was finding my way to my homestay to meet my
host mother, Graciela, and my roommate, another study abroad student from
Dallas, Texas, by the name of Julietta. In the late afternoon a radio taxi
hauled myself, two fifty pound suitcases, and two carry-ons about four blocks
to where I would call home for the next few months. My mind was a bit numb
during the short ride. I had connected much with Julietta before leaving the states;
however, I knew little to nothing about my mother, Graciela. She speaks very
little English so communication between us before I left was very minimal. None
the less when the taxi came to halt my emotions ran rampid, I was very excited.
I was open to keeping this journey spontaneous and care free, it was all part of
the experience. Through the intercom I let her know of my arrival. Let in by
the door man, I sat in the lobby with toes tapping. Graciela, slides open the
elevator door and embraces me with a tight hug and kiss on the cheek. Standing behind
her is Julietta, whom I was very excited to meet, as we had gotten to know one
another through Facebook before we left the states. As she gives me a hug, I
can feel her buzzing energy of excitement to start this journey in Argentina.
This is it, I have arrived, I am home.
Four days to meander and get lost in the city before school
would begin. Where to start? Graciela gave us a small tour of the places surrounding
her/our home in Recoleta, places to eat, streets to recognize, and helpful safety
tips. From there we would discover the vast city on our own. The best way to
discover is to get lost, and that we have, time and time again. Each day we
discover something new and I believe with everything this city offers there
will never come a day that we don’t make a new discovery in this massive city.
Come Friday it was time to obtain some knowledge of the city
from some Porteños
(the nickname given to the individuals born and raised in Buenos Aires – the
name comes from the fact that B.A. is a port city). Orientation
provided us with useful knowledge of the city and what we should expect while residing
here. Our program has taken us on many tours, by bus and by foot, throwing out
random facts left and right, explaining the have and have nots, and providing
us with history lessons every step of the way. In our first weekend we have ventured to two
festivals, one in our home neighborhood, Recoleta, and another in San Telmo,
the oldest neighborhood in Buenos Aires, also home to their government
buildings (La Casa Rosada (equivalent to our white house), the federal bank,
and the IRS, all located in one plaza). A festival consists of many street
vendors, selling anything from puppets to purses. Anything you could imagine,
all handmade, all inexpensive, all beautiful. Tons of music, guitar, fast paced
tango, drum circles, reggae, and the hum of thousands of people.
The culture of Buenos Aires is very rich. Time is not an
object to pay attention to. Your relationships are the most important. Family
is your life. Coffee or mate (the local drink, a tea) is consumed multiple times
a day at any hour to be able to chat with those that matter. Life is easy going.
I have been here for one week now and every minute I am
learning more and more. Overwhelming for sure, but welcoming it all with an
open mind and no expectations. Buenos Aires is my home, I am to open my arms to
new experiences, a new language, and a new way of living.
I am excited to keep all those that are interested updated
with my life here in Buenos Aires. I am not consuming my thoughts with this
Blog, I may write on it about once a week (that is my goal). I do not know the
style that this blog will take or how in detail I will go into my travels, for
some of you will not even begin to understand how or what I am going through no
matter how hard I try to put it in words. However, if you have any questions
beyond what I share please ask, shoot me an email or message me on the infamous
Facebook.
*pictures are sure to come in the future
Love for all of you!
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