Only hours from boarding the flight to Buenos Aires, this long anticipated trip is finally starting to feel real. Having never been to South America I’m both excited and a bit nervous to be in the midst of the energy of the Argentine culture. In our preparation for this trip we have been introduced to many different aspects of the lifestyle we will encounter and I am most excited to have the chance to meet with Argentine students and sit on lectures at the university in BA to get a glimpse into what their daily reality is like compared to our own. We have been told on multiple occasions that most Argentinians will have opinions on the American culture and government and will be just as eager to questions us about our lifestyle and I am eager to have these kinds of conversations.
I’m also looking forward to testing my Spanish speaking abilities while in Buenos Aires and beyond. Having taken classes throughout high school and this past semester at Colgate, I hope that being thrown into an atmosphere full of fluent speakers will give me a better understanding of the language and an appreciation for how it is representative of the Argentine culture.
Looking further into our itinerary, I’m eager to venture beyond the city and see the northern landscape of the country. I have always enjoyed camping and hiking so I’m particularly excited to see the Iguazu Falls and experience the Andes Mountains of JuJuy.
We have the incredible opportunity to see different parts of the country and still have the time to interact with people to get a feel for the many facets of the Argentine culture and I am anxiously awaiting our arrival to take on this experience with such a great group of people.