A new adventure begins. Based on coffee, no sleep, and less than 25kg luggage.
Even in the more bizarre situations, there will always be something to learn for next time. It may become a great story to share, or one of those where everybody is laughing aloud.
I was planning to wait a bit more to share any post about my recent stay in Argentina, but these days have been crazy busy, even more than expected. Anyway, today I’ll tell you briefly about this first impression.
Hello:
Few days before this long trip started, I met this other girl at College who was also going to the same University that I applied for, so the first thing we did was become a team.
After more than 7 hours of flights, we ended the basic talk of getting to know each other, and went straight to more interesting subjects. Actually, we’ve been surprised on how similar we are, and we agreed to take this exchange-program and make the best of it. Being here, learning from other cultures, making memories and living new adventures.
Friends make the difference:
At any time or place, having a close friend, will always make a difference. It is not the same thing to get lost all alone at a city, than getting lost in the city with someone next to you. We all know the last one is better…
During these days, our friends made that difference. I must thank them for a great and warm welcome. They took us all around the city and also gave us the best tips and solve every single question we had. Who would’ve thought that knowing about the discount days will be that important.
Buenos Aires:
We arrived a few days after the celebration of their 200 Years of Independence, but we still got to look at the decorations and enjoyed some cultural events from that agenda.
Buenos Aires is as great as anyone can expect. With a beautiful architecture and their marked culture, the city received us with a cold and rainy winter weather. Coming from the Sonoran Desert, we can’t help but smile on sunny days.
Public transport services here are quite efficient. For example, the bus keeps circulating 24 hours. –Interesting and helpful fact when you go out on the weekends.
Industrial Revolution made a huge impact in many countries. Between the years 1880 and 1950 aprox., Argentina allowed the access to millions of European immigrants. People that hoped for a better life and opportunities. That’s one of the reasons their cultural influence is mainly from Europe. And physically, their characteristics are, in my opinion, pleasant to look at… or as said colloquially: I´ve fell in love even while crossing the street.
As a Mexican citizen, I’m used to more warm and effusive gestures, even with strangers. Here in Argentina, I could say interactions are a bit colder.
After checking on todays’ weather, I’ll describe you a morning walking at the streets in Buenos Aires. It is the perfect moment to appreciate some details. There are some people walking with determination towards their daily routines, some others walk their dogs calmly. While the merchants are getting everything ready at their stores. But my favorites are the ones sitting at the local coffee shops, reading the newspaper with their black coffee and a sweet croissant, while the bakeries delight us with their freshly baked breads called «facturas» , and that aroma stays suspended in the air for a while…
I’ve been here for a few weeks, but I’ve already started to fulfill the list of the musts here in Argentina, like tasting some of their varieties of delicious empanadas (pastries). Including the traditional “choripan”, a sandwich made with a grilled traditional sausage, topped with herbs on their oily sauce called “Chimichurri”, all together on a handmade bread. My friend, well,… now my roomie, we’ve been to a trade fair at San Telmo, we went to the famous and colorful zone of Caminito, the July 9 Avenue, which is also known as the widest avenue in the world, where the Obelisc is also located.
Nearby the area, we enjoyed a musical presentation from a duet of Cello & Piano, at the Colon Theatre, one of the most important opera houses in the world. We took some great pictures at the Generic Floralis, which is the first 20m moving sculpture. It opens or closes its petals depending on the sunlight every day. We also went to the Museum of Latin American Art of Buenos Aires (MALBA), as some of the activities we had on the list.
Yet, I haven’t take some tango lessons, but there’s still time for that and some other activities and trips.
I must end this writing today with an interesting fact about my roomie. She’s a real travel buddie, we’ve already had our own unexpected adventures… And well, there’s so much to say, though I rather not hurry and enjoy…because, this is just getting started!