Life and Friendship in Buenos Aires

July 26, 2016

I am currently living in a barrio, or neighborhood, called Montserrat with one other Northeastern student, Nicola, and my wonderful host mother, Rita. Rita is the sweetest woman and she cooks us amazing and satisfying Argentinian meals every night. Communicating is a bit difficult because she speaks no English whatsoever and my Spanish is rusty, but we are able to get our points across and keep a conversation flowing at dinner. Nicola and I are having a wonderful time together too. At first, we were both feeling disappointed because everyone else on this dialogue is living in groups of three or four in barrios close to at least one other group. We are slightly isolated from the other groups and it is just the two of us, so we have to split the costs of taxis and transportation in half rather than in thirds or quarters. We are making the best of our situation, however, by visiting the amazing attractions near our home like El Congreso Nacional, La Casa Rosada (home to the president of Argentina), the Sunday feria (fair) in San Telmo, Avenida 9 de julio (the widest avenue in the world!), and enjoying our short commute to school, just a fifteen-minute bus ride each day. Some of my classmates have an hour-long commute! We are definitely lucky that we don’t have to deal with that every day.
Life in Montserrat is peaceful. Rita’s apartment is small but offers a breathtaking view of the sunrise each morning from the twelfth floor of the building. I have the best view through the window in my room- yes, my room! Nicola and I each have our own room and it is fabulous. We normally return to the apartment around six every evening and having a private space to escape to after a long day of classes is a welcome luxury.

Throughout the day, we study Spanish and the culture of Argentina in small groups at Bridge Language School. We practice our Spanish through work in a textbook and conversations with our professor. Being at the school every day has been the perfect opportunity to meet and get to know everyone on the trip. We all go out for lunch together and spend time exploring the city after class. On the weekends, we meet at restaurants or bars to hang out and uncover more of Buenos Aires’ hidden gems. I have become close friends with many of my fellow Northeastern students and I know that the relationships we are forming here will last long after this dialogue. We have much to look forward to together over the next few weeks in Argentina, so prepare for all the exciting details to come!

Written By

Olivia Scioletti

My goal for studying abroad is to engage myself in this ever-changing and globalized world. Only having had the opportunity to travel outside the United States twice, I look forward to this novel and exciting journey to South America. Traveling provides an opportunity to step outside one’s comfort zone and experience the world outside of home. My great uncle lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina for the majority of his life. Though I was never able to meet him, I believe that venturing to his home and roaming the streets in which he lived and worked will be an exciting and reconnecting experience. I am doing this dialogue to Argentina and Uruguay to experience the vibrant culture, rhythmic tango, and fine cuisine that I have only read and dreamed about. I want to immerse myself in the Spanish language to increase my proficiency and challenge myself to be bold and take risks. Through this trip, I hope to become an avid and seasoned traveler, prepared to discover and explore distant lands and cultures.