Sunday: Buenos Aires City Game!!

Today, we were lucky enough to do a city game of Buenos Aires! We were provided with pesos, a map and sports to visit. The rest was up to us how to complete the task! This allowed us to explore the city by foot and car. While interacting with locals, we practiced our Spanish skills and shopped around for new souvenirs. This game brought us around to a variety of important spots in Buenos Aires. First off, we went to La Boca. After a brief visit on the tour, we were excited to further explore these streets. The culture is so unique, and the locals were happy to interact while we were there! We were so excited that buying Alfadores was on the list! It was another excuse to eat the delicious treat. Next up, we went to the Plaza with the Church and Cemetery. The cathedral was breathtaking, and gives homage to the dedication to religion that many people have in Buenos Aires. Catholicism is the primary faith practiced here, and this was reflected in the beauty of this Church. The area is open and without traffic, making it easy and pleasant to explore on foot. After this, we walked nearby to the graveyard. The tour guide spoke yesterday of the symbolic importance of this graveyard, and its intricacies show how dedicated families are to loved ones passed. The mausoleums have been around for decades, and are in impeccable shape to this day. There was a solitary atmosphere in this area, as people wandered around the area. Throughout the day, we took photos with people wearing soccer jersey. It was a great talking point to begin conversing with locals. We experienced a variety of taxi drivers who were happy to talk with us about our trip. The first man shared that he was "in a local rock band that performed around the city". It's a great way for him to socialize with other people his age! The next driver was talking about "how different driving is here versus America. While it is much easier to get a license here, operating primarily stick shift vehicle in boisterous traffic can be challenging." While the driving was a bit reckless, we lived to tell the tale.

Carol adds another picture to the collection with a soccer jersey!

We found that the culture is much more relaxed than in America. Everyone was very willing to participate in our game and help us to practice our Spanish. As long as we were willing to put in the effort and engage in conversation, they were very happy to help. The culture is so unique, and almost bright as the sunny skies we had this afternoon.

This cross was a part of the Church that we visited. Religion is a very large part of the culture here.

Driving around the city today, we noticed many Catholic churches around. This seems to be a widely practiced faith, and the taxi drivers shared a bit of their passion for it. It was interesting to see how similar Churches are in both America and Argentina.

These are the prestigious gates of the cemetery. The area is very well maintained, and symbolic of the respect that Argentine's have for those passed.

Tomorrow we are looking forward to completing the rest of our challenges and exploring more of the city!!