Saying goodbye to Argentina was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. The amount of love and happiness I feel towards this country along with all of my new friends cannot be put into words. The final hug I shared with my exchange host in the airport brought tears to my eyes and I couldn’t bring myself to let her go. Martina hadn’t only been an exchange host to me, but also a best friend. I will forever cherish every experience I shared with her while on exchange.
I could honestly talk all day about how amazing my exchange was and how each and every friend I made was absolutely amazing in their own unique way. Argentinian culture embraces loud voices, hugs, lots of energy, big gestures, and a general feeling of being very out there and proud of it. If you know me, you know that these characteristics perfectly describe me. Everyone welcomed me with open arms and was super accepting of my horrible Spanish and loud personality. I couldn’t be more grateful
I am going to miss the food. Argentina has this kind of national caramel called dulce de leche, and I ate it in ridiculous amounts each day. Everything is centered around meat, which I couldn’t be happier about. Dinner was super late, around 10 pm each night, but that just left more time in between for snacking on traditional Argentinian snacks like yummy ham and cheese croissants, alfajores, and milanesa. I am hoping Martina brings me some of this food when she comes to California for her exchange!
One of the most memorable nights of my exchange was a birthday party. People in Argentina are all so open and willing to talk to you, and I made so many friends that night that I didn’t have classes with in school. The students here always want to get to know the exchanges and learn about their lives back at home, and this night gave me the perfect opportunity to talk about just that. Dancing with my friends was so fun. In Argentina a lot of people own a type of shoe that resembles wedges and they’re super tall. I chose to wear them just to see the hype that surrounds them. Honestly, I loved dancing in these super tall shoes, even though I know I looked like an idiot. It was a night I won’t forget.
School itself was great. Belgrano Day School is super invested in exchange students and let me choose my entire schedule based on my interests. I got a chance to speak about Athenian to a class of 4th graders, and the number of questions they asked about Athenian and America in general was amazing. It was so fun to work with them and talk about how they should go on exchange in the future.
I am currently writing this blog entry on my plane ride home and I am going to cut it short here on account of how emotional I am getting. I am already planning on visiting my friends here on either my Thanksgiving or winter break. Argentina took me out of my comfort zone and I made so many life-long friends here. I am so excited for Martina to come to California and thinking about these next five and a half months without her pains me. I am so grateful for this experience and Argentina will always hold a special place in my heart.
Saying goodbye to Argentina was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. The amount of love and happiness I feel towards this country along with all of my new friends in it cannot be put into words. The final hug I shared with my exchange host in the airport brought tears to my eyes and I couldn’t bring myself to let her go. Martina hadn’t only been an exchange host to me, but also a best friend. I will forever cherish every experience I shared with her while on exchange.
The Athenian School Exchange Blog 