On Thursday we gave our final presentation at the National University of La Plata. To an audience of students, faculty and folks from Grameen La Plata, we shared our two months of experiences at the bank and in Argentina. The presentation went great! Everyone seemed to find something valuable in what we said -- or at least were astonished by how much our Spanish improved.
After the presentation, I said adieu to La Plata. We said bye to our friends and as we left, I realized how attached I had gotten to everything and everyone here. As excited as I am to return to the US, Argentina started to feel like a second home. Despite the differences in culture and language and lack of spicy food, I felt really comfortable with Argentina. I think a lot of that had to do with all the welcoming people we met along the way.
The La Plata Crew!
This summer has been everything I wanted it to be and more. In my first blog post (many, many posts ago...), I had given this list as a preview of what I expected to do:
1. Trials of Maté (Argentina's national drink, which is a cross between green tea and coffee sipped through a metal straw).
2. Riding horses in Gaucho Country (sort of like Argentinean cowboys)
3. Attempts to Tango
4. Soccer/Futbol
5. A weekly count of number of steaks eaten
Not only did I do all of these, but so much more. The breadth and depth of my experiences were beyond what I could have imagined. Here is a quick list of some of my favorite unexpected adventures:
1. Paragliding over the Andes
2. Exploring Chile
3. Roaming the Salt Flats
4. Riding a 4-wheeler through Uruguay
5. Sailing under a waterfall
In two months, I visited three countries traveling through mountains, valleys and waterfalls on buses, trains, planes, boats and even a horse.
When I first started this blog, I named it La Vida Argentina or The Argentinian Life, with the hopes to become immersed in the country and its culture. While I didn't become fluent in Spanish (I probably forgot a lot of it on the airplane ride back) or become a fantastic Tango dancer, I am definitely bringing back a bit of Argentina with me and leaving a part of me in Argentina.
While I will miss empanadas and dulce de leche, I am ready to start senior year with a refreshed outlook and tons of stories and photos to share!
Signing off on La Vida Argentina!
After the presentation, I said adieu to La Plata. We said bye to our friends and as we left, I realized how attached I had gotten to everything and everyone here. As excited as I am to return to the US, Argentina started to feel like a second home. Despite the differences in culture and language and lack of spicy food, I felt really comfortable with Argentina. I think a lot of that had to do with all the welcoming people we met along the way.
The La Plata Crew!1. Trials of Maté (Argentina's national drink, which is a cross between green tea and coffee sipped through a metal straw).
2. Riding horses in Gaucho Country (sort of like Argentinean cowboys)
3. Attempts to Tango
4. Soccer/Futbol
5. A weekly count of number of steaks eaten
Not only did I do all of these, but so much more. The breadth and depth of my experiences were beyond what I could have imagined. Here is a quick list of some of my favorite unexpected adventures:
1. Paragliding over the Andes
2. Exploring Chile
3. Roaming the Salt Flats
4. Riding a 4-wheeler through Uruguay
5. Sailing under a waterfall
In two months, I visited three countries traveling through mountains, valleys and waterfalls on buses, trains, planes, boats and even a horse.
When I first started this blog, I named it La Vida Argentina or The Argentinian Life, with the hopes to become immersed in the country and its culture. While I didn't become fluent in Spanish (I probably forgot a lot of it on the airplane ride back) or become a fantastic Tango dancer, I am definitely bringing back a bit of Argentina with me and leaving a part of me in Argentina.
While I will miss empanadas and dulce de leche, I am ready to start senior year with a refreshed outlook and tons of stories and photos to share!
Signing off on La Vida Argentina!
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