Day 2: Sunday Adventures

On this rainy Sunday morning, as a group, we sat down in the conference room for an information session from speaker Matt Moran, former World Bank Consultant. He began explaining his travels from Ireland and his personal experiences in Buenos Aires. He traveled here for a World Bank project and over the years he has completed numerous projects communicating with individuals and businesses. He explained that life in Argentina is much different than the United States. For example, dinner here starts very late around 11:00-1:00 o’clock at night and goes all night. Most individuals do not even return home until 5:00-8:00 in the morning, very different from life in the United States. However, it was surprising to found out that after all these years, he still does not have a bank account in Argentina, which is smart. The stories he told us reflected the negatives of the city as well as the reason why he loves the city. He also touched up the law of business and everything we need to know about the business life in Argentina. Throughout the presentation, we asked numerous questions about advice ranging from places to eat to adventures to go on. After the two hour presentation, we concluded with a picture to capture the memory.

Getting on the bus for our tour!

Beautiful Church!

We then had two hours until heading onto the tour bus for a tour around the city. Most of us grabbed lunch at places near the hotel. Two o’clock hit and we boarded the bus. We traveled and approached the University of Buenos Aires which is free for everyone. It's crazy to think that college for them is free. Many individuals here go to law school or med school. We then passed a monument that opens by day and closes by night, which was very unique and fascinating. We noticed as we drove around that there are numerous parks in the city and individuals are very active and healthy. Many spend their days outside running, biking, or relaxing in the sun. Our tour guide explained that the culture here is different from ours. For instance, in Argentina there are four meals, breakfast, lunch, tea time, and dinner which also explains why they eat dinner so late typically. Over the course of the next few hours we traveled to the church, elementary, and made a few purchases at the market. Erica purchased two reversible brightly colored skirts for her sisters at home. We then traveled to La Boca and were able to exchange money before shopping around. Here, Lizzie and Courtney exchanged their dollars for pesos easily. Lizzie said “you really get to emerge yourself in their culture as you shop around at the markets.” From here we then got off the bus at another market and individually traveled around until dinner on our own.

Shopping around at the markets!

Back on the bus for more tours!

Sunday was a very eventful day and we cannot wait for much more adventures during the week in Argentina. 

Day 2: Getting to Know Buenos Aires

Excited for our first full day in Argentina, we began our day at 10:00 am by listening to a presentation by Matt Moran in the hotel. Matt is a former World Bank Consultant who immigrated to Argentina from Ireland for his job. During the presentation, we heard all about what it is like to move to Argentina, the pros and cons of the government system, and the Argentinian culture and lifestyle. He told us several interesting "dark" and "strange" tales from the country's past. In addition, he told a few anecdotes from his life in Argentina including a story about getting his driver's license here solely because he had a one back in Ireland. Matt was a very engaging presenter. This presentation was thoroughly enjoyable and a great way to start the day by better understanding what it is like to live in Argentina. After the presentation, we were free to get lunch on our own. In attempt to try some authentic Argentinian meat, Steph, Karissa, Tina, and I found a cute Italian restaurant down a closed street filled with people, shops, currency exchangers, and restaurants. The steak was great!
       

Matt Moran  - great speaker!

After our free lunch, the group met back up at 2:00 pm for a city tour by bus led by our wonderful tour guide Sophia. The tour lasted for about three and a half hours and we made three stops throughout it. Srdan gave us all a local treat to try on the bus called an alfajor that was either sugary or chocolate. We all loved the cookie-type dessert! By bus, we saw many cool art structures and statues around Buenos Aires. In addition we saw many important political buildings including the pink house where the President works and the army's building to name a few. We stopped at an open market not too far from the hotel to shop and enjoy the different stands. Next, we went to La Boca, which is a famous neighborhood with many shops in it. At La Boca, Wes, Steph, and I tried the famous Yerba Mate drink. The drink was very strong and herbal but we liked it! Our final stop was at a huge open market that went all the way down a very long street. At the market, we witnessed two police offers run down the street to catch a pickpocketer. The whole crowd applauded when he was caught! The large majority of the group decided to walk back to the hotel through the market instead of taking the bus back. After returning to the hotel at about 6:00 pm, we had the rest of the day free to enjoy and explore the beautiful and exciting city of Argentina. We have been enjoying bonding with and getting to know each other by swimming in the pool, walking through the city, finding great places to eat, and much more!

Day 1, the night to start it all off

The first day went very well. After a long day of travel we were all really happy and relieved to be at the hotel and away from the cramped seats of the airplane. After coming to our hotel, Pestana, we were greeted with unique orange juice, sandwiches, and pastries which apparently tasted like angels dancing on your tongue according to Professor Srdan. After refreshments we went to an orientation at which we met our guides Sophie and Juan. They were very helpful and educational in regards to where and what we should do and should not do. Shortly after the orientation we all checked into our rooms and finally freshened up. Afterwards everyone went their separate ways. During our free time we roamed around downtown Buenos Aires and saw many architectural buildings and monuments. There was also a need for Argentine pesos so we readily made our way to the bank where it could be exchanged. We also had the opportunity to explore nearby restaurants as well as the Pacifico mall. The downtown areas seemed to very busy with people eating, roaming, and shopping. Overall, it was a very fun experience. After our free time we returned to the hotel and freshened up a little more and relaxed before going out to our Italian restaurant for dinner. Outside the restaurant was another experience because there were street tango dancers whom were entertaining people by the water. We all dressed up in nice clothes and were treated to a nice three course meal of appetizers, an entree, and dessert as well as some local drinks. The experience was very fun and it was very pleasant being with the group as whole. After dinner we returned to the hotel via bus and everyone dispersed on their own (in groups of course) and explored the city to see what it was like during night time. All in all, the first day was major success and we were all able to create and (hopefully) remember unforgettable times.