Argentina 1 – Buenos Aires

Hello Experiment blog followers,

¡Saludos desde Argentina! After a long wait at the airport filled with icebreakers, games and food trips, the 14 of us took the even longer journey to Buenos Aires. We were greeted by our in-country partner, “Tia” Wanda who shuttled us straight to our hotel in the heart of the bustling city.

Our first afternoon started off with a general orientation in a retrofitted old building, typical of central Buenos Aires. The students were so fascinated by the old-fashioned elevator that went up the staircase that they lined up to take trips down only 2 stories!

We then went on our first city tour, wandering down the commercial Florida Avenue. We were lucky enough to witness a live tango street performance. Others wandered a popular mall in a refurbished inner city buildings and found patriotic ice-cream that sported the country’s flag colors and savored the famed dulce de leche.

Day 2 of our stay was quite chilly as we ventured to the suburban town of Tigre. The whole group experienced Buenos Aires’s busy metro system, called the Subte, and got to see vendors and enjoy music performers during the ride.

Once at Tigre, we learned more about Buenos Aires’s weekend holiday town and took a boat journey into the delta and see the holiday homes on its many islands. The group was fascinated that resident kids would take a boat to go to school each day!

On our final day we took a grand city tour! Despite the rainy weather, our local guide Gustavo brought a warmth and excitement to the experience by teaching us some Argentinian slang and demonstrating some tango moves. We ventured to the immigrant suburb La Boca, famous for its brightly colored houses and street art. It proved to be a hit with the group as they took pictures all over! We then wandered over to the historic neighborhood of San Telmo where the group had the opportunity to peruse the San Telmo Market on their own, interact with vendors and try some local food. On our way back, we passed by the famous street corner with a bench and statue of the beloved comic book character, Mafalda.

We concluded our brief stay in the city with reflection and closing activities, where the group shared how surprised they were at how quickly they had grown close. Additionally, they got to share their nervousness and enthusiasm for the upcoming homestay experience and proved to be a support system for each other.

We are now in San Pedro de Jujuy for our homestay experience. Stay tuned for further updates!

¡Hasta luego!

Florida Ave Butterflies – Christie and Arden pose under the butterflies that adorn the commercial Florida Ave

 

Group nap on the boat- The boat ride lulled some of the group to sleep after we toured the Tigre Delta and its islands

 

Group photo in la boca – Standing in front of the iconic Havana sweets store in the famous and colorful La Boca neighborhood.

 

Group photo with Mafalda- Posing with the beloved and iconic Mafalda and her friends on the street where her creator lived. 

 

Last night reflection- Students shared their experiences, hopes and fears on our last night in Buenos Aires before our trip to the homestay

 

Off to Jujuy– Z manages to smile despite an early morning wake up for our flight to Jujuy

 

Playing with vendor puppy- Olivia, Zeyad, Sam, Beverly, Arden, and Peter play with the pup of a vendor who sold vintage clothing.  

 

Selfie in La Boca- Zeyad, Sam, Beverly, Olivia, and Arden huddle in the rainy weather during our visit to the color La Boca neighborhood.