This is it
It’s been a learning process for us all. Here’s a far too brief summary of my semester
Things I won’t miss about Argentina (there aren’t many):
·The ever-changing location of the bus stops
·Dodging dog poop on the sidewalks
·The cat calls that sound like animal noises
·Tripping on the loose, broken sidewalk tiles, or perhaps most of all, getting splashed by the water hiding underneath a few of them
Things I will miss about Argentina:
·My host mom’s nickname for me: nena, muñeca, querida
·Bus drivers blasting music on the buses (if you’re lucky)
·Crazy soccer fans singing in the streets before games and screaming every time a goal is scored
·The fact that eating empanadas for lunch three days in a row is 100% acceptable (in my opinion)
·Waking up to your neighbor playing 80s music every morning
·Dogs wearing coats in 60 degree weather
·The adventure of every bus ride
·Giving besos to everyone you meet
·The efficiency of the bus system
·Eating gelato like we live in Italy (every day)
·The snack that comes with ordering a coffee during merienda
·Words like “medialuna,” “boludear” (don’t repeat that one often), “quilombo,” “locura” and “matafuego”
·Paying $0.35 to ride the bus to any destination in the city (if you can’t tell, I love the buses here)
·The doormen cleaning the sidewalks every morning
·The dog walkers and their 25 dogs
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I’ll miss spending Saturday nights exploring new restaurants, from Thai, to Brazilian to amazing pizza and steak.
I’ll miss the pasta frola and coconut torta my host mom makes.
I’ll miss the late-night boliche sessions, the wine that is cheaper than water and the strange argentine Spanish vocabulary.
I’ll miss talking to my host mom over dinner for three hours.
I’ll miss walking into the school building and immediately knowing everyone in the building.
I’ll miss the thrill of living in a new city, and figuring it all out in another language.
But most of all, I’ll miss the people I’ve met along the way: the teachers and administrators at school, the random roommates at hostels (cough cough), the host family that has become my own family, and the peers and friends I have laughed with, cried with, danced with and explored with.
Thank you.