Finally, after 30 hours of travel I arrive at Jorge Newberry domestic airport 6:30am. My flight from Buenos Aires to my city Bahia Blanca is at 12:15pm so I have a nice little layover to kill. I decided to buy my first Argentinean snack at a kiosk so I asked the employee which snacks were the most popular. He told me to try the alfajor, a chocolatey cake cookie, kind of like a Korean “choco-pie”. When I reach to pay him with my newly exchanged Argentinean pesos, he said “No no, regalo para ti”...gift to me! I was very surprised. The people were all so nice! Finally, I went back and gave him an American dollar as a gift.
When I arrived in Bahia Blanca, I was greeted by 3 AIESEC members, Pablo, Meli, and Yasmina. They made me a sign and were really friendly. I remember them greeting me with kisses on the cheeks and I was very taken aback. Americans always hug or handshake, but here the norm is a quick kiss on the cheek. They showed me the city, many beautiful buildings, the university, etc… At this point I literally am so god awfully tired but I was super excited for everything. Finally I get to go to my home. I meet my host mom who is the cutest, kindest thing ever. She’s the typical warm, latina woman. She let me take a nap for about 3 hours and catch up on my sleep. Here, people eat dinner very late at night. So around 10pm, Giovanni, an AIESEC member, picked me up and we went to eat dinner with him and 3 others at his house. We made empanadas with ham, cheese, and onion! I ate 2 and a half and I was literally stuffed.
I forgot to mention that I felt really uneasy about my living situations because Graciela, my host mom, lives alone and she didn’t have a bedroom for me. What’s worse is she only had a sofa and said she could sleep there and I could sleep in the bed. But of course I couldn’t let that happen so I slept on the sofa. The sofa was really uncomfortable.
It's safe to say that the first few days of my experience in Argentina were full of joyous moments, but also not completely culture shock/homesick- free.
Thank goodness I made it here safely though!
I hope you are not too homesick, this country looks absolutely beautiful, enjoy it!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe buildings look amazing, and I hope you have fun there! The people seem very hospitable and kind! Make sure to try different types of food, and immerse in the different aspects of the culture!
ReplyDeleteWhat a journey! and I am so sorry to hear about the uncomfortable couch. But it seems like you made the best of the situation. You took some amazing photographs. Argentina, as you know probably know, is an amazing country. Can't wait to hear about your experience!
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