Argentina & Uruguay: Reflections

As I sit here in the charming atmosphere of Boston’s famous Caffe Nero and fondly reflect on my adventure in Argentina, my mind is nostalgically wandering back to the cafes in Buenos Aires. The menus were different, littered with pastries I’ve never heard of and prices that required mental energy to convert to a currency that I could understand. The surrounding streets were much busier, and the entire wait staff spoke only Spanish. However, somehow I still felt a sense of home and comfort when I was tucked away working in these cafes, probably because it’s such a staple of my typical Boston life.
When I first arrived in Argentina though, these feelings of comfort or familiarity were few and far between; I was met with a plethora of challenges as soon I hopped off the plane. For one thing, I left the sunny Massachusetts July weather to brave Argentina’s winter. Since Boston’s weather is best surmised as an eternal winter, it was difficult to accept the idea that I had consciously chosen to sacrifice one of our only warmer months to go somewhere that would likely not exceed 60 degrees. To make matters worse, we were greeted on the first day by an extreme thunderstorm. This, coupled with my social media being bombarded with pictures of friends at home with their families and friends, often enjoying the summer heat on beaches or relaxing at pools and throwing barbecues, produced an unanticipated strong and immediate homesickness. This homesickness was exacerbated by the fact that the distinct Argentinian accent was harder for me to understand than expected, and locals, my host mother included, didn’t make it easier by talking too quickly for me to keep up with, and also by the fact that I was the only student on the dialogue who wasn’t placed with another student from my program in my host family’s apartment. Additionally, my brother had given me a sufficient amount of Argentine pesos that I had tucked away deep in the corner of my suitcase that were nowhere to be found when I was unpacking. I was frustrated that someone had snuck into my luggage to steal this cash and felt that they invaded my privacy. I remember sitting on my bed in my host family’s apartment on that first day feeling utterly defeated and wondering if I had made the wrong decision when I had chosen to participate in this program.
Present day me wishes so much that I could comfort the me on that day, and tell myself that everything will get so much better. Not only did it get better, but I look back on the trip as one of the best and most fulfilling experiences of my life. I grew to love Buenos Aires. The cosmopolitan streets were action packed and the city was rich with culture. Intricately decorated European-style buildings, people dancing the iconic tango on the street, and colorful graffiti that revealed political expression were commonplace. Additionally, I’ve yet to have a pastry that’s better than their famously sweet medialunas, and as a devout pastry fan that’s saying a lot. The next leg of the trip in Uruguay was even better than the first part. Unlike Buenos Aires, I didn’t need to grow to love Montevideo because I fell in love with it immediately. We spent an afternoon walking down La Rambla, a street that separates a scenic boardwalk that overlooks the beautiful Rio de La Plata and the urban skyline. Along the boardwalk there were also vast green spaces with lovely green parrots, and the city had a refreshingly peaceful vibe compared to that of Buenos Aires. At this point in the trip, we also switched our living situation to living in hotels instead of host families which made it easier to develop strong friendships with the other students. The last part of the trip in Patagonia, though, was easily the most memorable. I wouldn’t describe myself as a super outdoorsy person, so I never thought trekking on a glacier in Patagonia was in my within realm of possibilities and I considered skipping it. I am so glad I didn’t. The best way that I can describe the glaciers is that they redefined the word breathtaking. I’d never seen something so stunning, so vast, so pure, so overwhelming, so strikingly blue. The experience of being in their presence genuinely takes your breath, thoughts, and words away, and all you can do is marvel at the natural beauty in front of you.
I’ve always been a strong believer that going out of your comfort zone is the best, and arguably the only way to grow as a person. I emphasized this idea at the beginning of the trip as one of my primary reasons for going, and I try to live my life by this sentiment. Among other obstacles, being rusty on my Spanish, never having been out of the country without my family before for an extended period of time, and being generally unfamiliar with Argentine culture ensured that this trip was definitely fit the criteria of being out of my comfort zone, and I have definitely grown from it. Because of this trip, I feel a new sense of independence. There is nothing more empowering than knowing that you can thrive in a foreign setting, and it makes challenges at home that may have seemed intimidating previously seem trivial. This dialogue has left me more confident, more globally aware, and has also left me with a new core group of friends at Northeastern and an insatiable thirst for continuing to challenge myself and exploring more of the world around me.