First Day Trip of the Semester

Last weekend, I took my first day trip since arriving in Argentina to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay! It’s just across the Río de la Plata from Buenos Aires, so it’s only about a 90 minute ride on the ferry. My day started bright and early, since I needed to be at the port by 7:45 AM. The boarding process took a while, but once the boat pulled out, it was smooth sailing (pun intended). Once we arrived in Colonia, we walked around the town a bit to start. The city was founded in 1680 and has retained much of its historical charm, so I loved seeing all the bright colors and older touches on the buildings. There’s even a drawbridge that leads into town, which is super fun. After some lunch overlooking the river (which looks much bigger than I thought it would; I later learned it is the widest river in the world, which makes a lot of sense), we spent time relaxing on the beach. Unfortunately, despite everyone using copious amounts of sunscreen and reapplying frequently, we all got sunburned. Mine was on the milder side, but some of our group got really fried. That was unfortunate, but I still really enjoyed Colonia!

The group in Colonia

The rest of the week was pretty chill. In class, each group presented their neighborhood project. On Valentine’s Day, a few of us celebrated with gelato. I’ve heard a couple of people say the gelato in Argentina is the best in the world. I can definitely see why: it was absolutely delicious. I want to go back and try all the flavors. We also celebrated Mariah’s birthday at an Armenian restaurant. We ordered a ton of food for the table and shared it all. Of course, we had to sing happy birthday, and that turned into everyone singing happy birthday in their language. We got some stares for that, but it was a great time.

10/10 would recommend

The next weekend, we had a true Argentine experience: tango class! A large group of us went to a tango club and took a class for complete beginners (very needed, as none of us knew what we were doing). The instructors taught us the basics of stepping to the rhythm, the proper tango embrace, and how to lead/follow (there is always a leader and a follower in tango to keep the steps synced). Everyone danced with five different partners, and we had a lot of fun! I’m proud to have only crashed into other people a couple of times. Tango is way harder than it looks, so I appreciated the instructors’ tips and enthusiasm.

It was hard to get photos with the way the tango club was set up, but I did my best

The day after, Mariah and I found a cute lunch place her host mom recommended and then headed out to the Feria San Telmo. This is an outdoor market in the San Telmo neighborhood (barrio) every Sunday. It is incredibly large; I spent a couple of hours there and barely scratched the surface. Artisans of all kind sell their crafts, and there is plenty of treasure to discover. I bought a personal mate (a traditional Argentine drink) set and a new bag I am now using as a school bag. Argentina is especially known for its leather goods, so you can find many handcrafted leather bags, belts, shoes, etc. at the market. They are usually high quality and at much lower prices than you would find in the US (due to inflation, the dollar goes very far in Argentina). I definitely plan on going again.

San Telmo Market (way in the distance, you can see the street completely packed with people)

As for upcoming plans, I am going to Montevideo this weekend to visit one of my best friends who is currently studying abroad there. This will be a new city for me, so I am very excited to see the sites. Then the weekend after, it's USC spring break and my big will be coming to visit, so I have a lot to look forward to.

¡Hasta pronto!