Well, I can’t believe it’s already that time, but this is my
last blog post about my Argentine adventures! This has definitely been a
bittersweet last week, trying to fit in all of my last minute errands and
activities! I am so thankful to have had such an amazing experience abroad. I
have done so many awesome things, meet so many cool people, and visited many
amazing places in only a matter of 5 months! I couldn’t have done it without
the support of my parents, so THANKS. You guys rock and this is an experience I
will definitely never forget. Thinking back to when I first got here feels like
actually forever ago, but at the same time, it went by in the blink of an eye.
I had never been so scared in my life, intimidated by the city life and my lack
of Spanish skills, but I can proudly say I survived! I am very happy about how
my time here was spent. I was able to take all of the trips I wanted to, with
the people I wanted to, when I wanted to. I always had something to look
forward to. For now, I look forward to going home! As much as I will miss
Buenos Aires (especially when the schoolwork hits), I can’t wait to get home.
This week of free time has allowed me to appreciate my semester here and spend
time revisiting my favorite spots, but also has made me ready to go return to
the States.
After an amazing trip to Salta, I had exactly one week to
take on the city one last time. On Saturday, I was on a mission to buy a few
gifts and I knew exactly where I needed to go. Because everyone else had a
different plan, I took a solo shopping and lunch trip. Felt like a loner at
first, but actually enjoyed just chilling solo, reading my book, and enjoying a
frozen mint and ginger lemonade after my lunch. I can definitely say I am much
more independent now. For our last dinner outing, we wanted to make it was good
one, so went to Don Julio, a delicious parrilla for some steak and red wine
(classic, I know). We even got champagne while we were waiting for a table! After
that, we went to a bar that served shots on fire. As cool as it was, it didn’t
taste so great. It was even called the Harry Potter. I then proceeded to come
full circle and go to Terrazas. This is the boliche that we didn’t quite make
it to our first weekend here. Luckily we were prepared and had enough money to
get in this time! It was also a beautiful night that we could spend on the
outside terrace dancing until the morning.
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| Terrazas |
Sunday, after 4 hours of sleep, we were motivated to go to
Fería de Mataderos. While it was quite a struggle bus getting there (no pun
intended), it was a fun time eating choripan, getting the last of our gifts and
watching some local folk dancing. We then rallied and made it to the San Telmo
market for the last time. Running on such little sleep, I was proud that I
actually made something of my day.
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| Fería de Mataderos |
Monday was definitely the low of my week after finding out
about my grandma passing. At that point I just wanted to get home, but was
thankful I only had to get through the next few days. I found that keeping busy
and distracting myself was the best way to deal with it, so called my friend up
to get some milkshakes and fries. They were delicious. Then we spent the rest
of the afternoon shopping around Palermo Soho and I finally found the leather
jacket I had been looking for. After trying it on at other store locations, but
not finding the perfect one, I was beginning to lose hope. When I found it, I
was just meant to be! The perfect memento of Argentina. That night my friends
and I went to La Bomba del Tiempo, which is an awesome percussion show.
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| La Bomba del Tiempo |
Tuesday, we went to the ecological reserve and watched the
waves crash on the shore. It was a beautiful day and I was all about soaking up
the sun while I could. I know I am going to miss this weather as soon as I
touchdown in Minnesota. That night, we did a final round of drinks at The
Oldest. Man, I am really going to miss those frozen mojitos! Wednesday, we
spent another gorgeous day in the sun, having a picnic in the park! We walked
through the rose gardens, which were actually in bloom this time, and
beautiful! That night we went to one of my favorite bars, Milión, where I once
again got the Frozen Gaucho! And because the drink menu is too delicious to
pass up, I also got a Mangotini. Yum! This whole week I have also been slowly
packing, and working on my Spanish post test. Not so fun, but finally finished!
After getting most of my packing done on Thursday, I was able to make some
donations of clothes, books, etc. It is so liberating! That way I also have a
little extra space in my suitcase for my new purchases
J We also made a final stop at
Baking for a yummy salad. And of course had to try the new flavor McFlurry. It
was definitely a good one, but I officially can say that I am ready to go on a
cleanse and eat healthy again! We had a
fun last night out on the town going to some of our favorite bars and stopping
for some delicious food at the end.
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| The Oldest |
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| El Rosedal |
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| picnic in the park! |
The final day was spent enjoying one last meal with my
friends from IFSA! Arriving earlier that morning, Alex and Traea made the trip
to La Cresta as well. Then the goodbyes began. I have never really been in a
situation like this, in which I don’t know if I will actually ever see any of these
people again. I was very glad to have met them and enjoyed forming friendships
over these past few months. Hopefully our paths will cross someday! Alex and I
then walked back to mi casa and made our last ice cream stop at the delectable
Persicco to enjoy in the park. While I know I will see her within the next
week, it was hard that we were saying goodbye to our lives together in Buenos
Aires, something we have been looking forward to for a long time. How is it all
of a sudden over? Going abroad was something I have always something I wanted
to do, but I can’t believe it will now be a topic of my past. I am happy to say
it was a very memorable one!
After a tearful goodbye to my amazing host mom, her grandson
and nephew, I was off to the airport to begin my journey back home. Everything
went much more smoothly than the trip here. We had enough time to spend the
last of our pesos on a yummy dinner and enjoy our last legal drink (a bottle of
Malbec, of course). I even lucked out on having an empty seat next to me on the
plane!
Adios,
Buenos Aires. And thanks to everyone who kept up on my adventures abroad. I
hope you enjoyed reading about them as much as I enjoyed experiencing them!
