#IPEArgentina
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Post Argentina: Emotions and lessons learned
I have been back in Canton, MI for less than a week, and I can already feel the post-abroad withdrawals. It feels so passive being back home. I miss the busy streets of Buenos Aires, the incessant chatter becoming a background noise in my head. It is so insipidly quiet in the suburban town I used to call home, and I can't believe there was a time in my life where I craved that stillness.
However, as much as I miss the energy of living in a big city, I did miss being home. There is nothing as comforting as sitting at the dinner table with your family talking about anything and everything. I got to spend time with my brother, who I haven't seen since March! I missed the smell of my mom's cooking and the summer heat especially. It is nice to live in the home I grew up in and have access to all of my clothes, instead of rotating the same four outfits. On my first day back, I just enjoyed a nice long drive during sunset, which is one of my favorite summer activities. I definitely missed having the sun set at 9:30, rather than 5 pm as it did in Argentina. I also enjoyed seeing all of my friends that I hadn't seen in a long time, but at the same time it only made me think about all of the friends I left in the southern hemisphere. Not only did I make such important personal connections, but I also learned a lot of important things from my time abroad, and I'm happy that I got to take those lessons home with me.
One of the most prominent things that I have realized I now do is share equipment at the gym. Since being back, I have gotten right into my usual gym routine, but it was a bit of a culture shock to go back to the US Planet Fitness. Everyone is so stuck in their own lane, while I was used to random strangers chatting with each other and working out with each other. However, I incorporated a bit of my newfound experience from Argentina to my workout at Planet Fitness by always asking people if they want to switch off between sets. It has made my time at the gym more social and enjoyable, and I'm glad I learned this in Argentina.
I also think that I am more confident with approaching people in public. As it was such a common activity in Argentina, I definitely had to step out of my comfort zone during my six weeks abroad and speak to strangers in a different language. However, it has only helped me feel less anxious to talk to people since returning to the states. This is definitely a useful skill to develop, and I am really thankful the Argentine culture helped cultivate it.
Overall, my favorite thing that I have taken away from this unforgettable trip are the stories I can now tell. Everyone keeps asking, "How was your trip?" and I have to limit what I say to stop myself from talking for hours! There are so many remarkable moments, and I absolutely love telling my friends and families about all of my adventures. I will forever have the wonderful friendships and memories with me to reminisce on for the rest of my life.
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Week 6: The finale- A lot of happy memories and choked-back tears
The number one thing on my Argentina itinerary that I made a month before coming here was to visit Bariloche, so it only made sense to save that trip for my final weekend abroad. I (along with two of my friends) packed my bags full of warm, winter clothes, and headed for the most visited city in Argentinian Patagonia. The first night we arrived, we immediately headed out into the town in order to test the ambiance. Bariloche made a significant first impression, as I instantly felt cozy in the beautiful ski-town setting. It almost reminded me of Colorado or even Switzerland towns.
There were so many different restaurants and bars lined up in the liveliest street in town, Calle España, but there was one that drew us in. The environment inside the restaurant was so tempting with the music, the people dancing, and the laughter. The music was a fire blend of lo-fi beats and slightly remixed indie songs, and we even asked the DJ for his spotify playlist link. As the night progressed, more and more people got up from the table and started dancing. It was such a wholesome moment, and I will forever cherish the memory of laughing and dancing with a room full of adults.
The next day, we drove up to Cerro Catedral with the expectation of skiing, but they crushed our very hopes and dreams when they told us there wasn't enough snow. With that being said, we still bought lift tickets to see the wondrous Andes Mountains up close, and it was a decision well-made. The top of the mountain was a flurry of snow, and there were a lot of people sledding and hanging out in the snow. My friends and I started a snowball fight, and twenty minutes later I was fresh out of breath and covered in snow. After some hot chocolate and time spent enjoying the view, we called it a successful day and headed back to our airbnb for some rest before the next day's tour.
We had booked a tour to take us around the famous Seven Lakes at 8:00 am, but when we finally woke up to our alarms, the clock displayed a distressing 8:21. We frantically ran five blocks and trudged up a monstrosity of a hill in order to reach the meeting point (the bus turned around to pick us up), and we barely made it in time. But the strenuous morning exercise was worth it for the breathtaking views of the lake, even though the first hour of the ride was nauseating. The eight hour tour of the seven lakes and the quaint town of San Martin was a delightful end to my long-awaited Bariloche trip.
Of course, Bariloche was probably the highlight of my week, but there were definitely some other top contenders. On my final Sunday in Bariloche, you know I had to stop by the electrifying Recoleta Market. Lined with colorful vendors and hustling people, I felt invigorated by the lively atmosphere. I made some damage with my shopping as well, finding perfectly artistic gifts for each member of my family. The day ended with a beautiful sunset overlooking the numerous tents.
I also finally visited the famous Japanese Gardens in Buenos Aires, one of the largest Japanese Gardens outside of Japan. Although it wasn't cherry blossom season, the beauty of these gardens did not waver. The soothing music and the tranquil scenery was a perfect combination for a quick afternoon visit. I even ate sushi for the first time during this trip at the restaurant inside the park, and it was absolutely astounding. It was also heartwarming to read all of the love messages the people left in the park.
The rest of my final week was filled with celebration and tears with my lovely friends. We made a return to Hype, the boliche where I got my phone stolen, and it was a definitely a better experience. They played strictly American music for an entire hour, and you already know my friends and I made the most of it. It is really funny to observe the differences in dancing culture, as no Argentines dance by jumping up and down or moving their hands in the air (as all Americans do).
We also celebrated with some good eats, including my final meal at Buller (our favorite restaurant) that ended with the infamous multi-layered nutella cake, as well as fresh and healthy lunches at Green Eats. We also "fine-dined" as best we could at two beautifully decorated restaurants: La Ferneteria and Garibaldi. La Ferneteria was a recommendation given by my wonderful friends from my nail salon, and it was a stunning atmosphere. The pastas were garnished elegantly, though the seafood pasta was slightly terrifying to look at, and tasted just as good as they looked. We had our final dinner at Garibaldi, a classy and cool restaurant located at the edge of the pier. We ate our steak (deliciously cooked to a punto) while overlooking the crashing waves under the moonlit night sky and listening to the hypnotic music the DJ was playing. It was a perfect night to end a wonderful time abroad.
But all things good come with goodbyes, and I was not mentally prepared for how hard it would be to leave the most wonderful, loving people that I met this trip. My friends through the program are scattered all throughout the United States, and I cannot say for certain if I will ever see them again. One of the hardest things to process was that these heartfelt friendships may have just been for a short period of my life, but I sincerely hope that I will reunite with my people again.
An even more difficult goodbye was to my lovely host mom, Teresa. Over these last six weeks, she filled the motherly figure role we were missing from being so far away from home. Her home-cooked meals were always made with love, and she never failed to make us feel like a family. We bought her roses, her favorite flower, and a bracelet that said "Mama" because she always told us of her love of being a mother, and then tearfully parted ways. I desperately hope that I will be able to see Teresa again in my life, but I know we shared a beautiful experience and will always have the memories. When I think about my time abroad, I feel an overwhelming sense of joy and love for the people, the culture, and the country. For anyone considering going abroad, I say with absolute certainty that it will be worth it. I am forever changed and better off after living in Argentina for six weeks.
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Travels & Tribulations
Hey everyone, it’s Lydia, and I’m currently writing this post while sitting in the Cordoba International Airport which is about a two hour flight from AEP, or the airport closest to the city of Buenos Aires. While I’m writing this and reflecting on my weekend spent in Cordoba, a major theme that comes to my mind is the struggle of traveling, and what to do when things just don’t work out - even with lots of planning. In other words, this blog post is going to be a little bit more on travel, and a lot on figuring things out.
To begin, I should probably tell you that I never had any intention of coming to Cordoba this weekend, and didn’t even know it existed until about three days ago, but due to travel plans falling through, I decided to visit. And before I tell you where I was originally planning to visit this weekend, I need to talk about why I’m not in Calafate, (one of the major cities in Patagonia), with most of my friends.
When it came to planning trips during my time in Buenos Aires at the beginning of my time here, I tried to focus on a couple of main aspects to narrow down my search as there were lots of places to visit. My main considerations included cultural/historical aspects, (I love learning about societies and people), the outdoor aspect, (I always elect to hike or be active when I go on trips), timing, (how the trip worked with my class schedule and exams), and cost, (which is pretty self explanatory). As I mentioned in my previous post, I visited Colonia in Uruguay the first weekend, which happened to be a long weekend due to a national holiday, and then Iguazu in the northern part of Argentina the following weekend. Both trips were perfect for me, and I would highly recommend visiting. However, Colonia can definitely be tackled in one day, and for Iguazu I would recommend having two full days in your schedule so you can visit both sides, (Argentine and Brazilian), during your time there.
The weekend following those two I definitely needed a break, so I spent my time exploring Buenos Aires, relaxing with some Netflix, and figuring out plans for my final two weekends in Argentina. I knew that the following weekend was a long weekend, so I had hopes of doing something a little bit grander in terms of experiences, and it just so happened that one of my good friends had been wanting to plan a ski trip. I love skiing, so I was thrilled that this could be a possibility for me while in South America. We ended up deciding to try and make it happen, and spent about five hours during the week between online research and talking with employees in a satellite office in Argentina, and then decided to book. We were thrilled. Skiing in South America is on her bucket list, and I never imagined having the opportunity. About two days before we were supposed to leave, the ski hill postponed their opening, and so we were going to be in Buenos Aires for the long weekend instead. She ended up booking a trip to Mendoza that the other people in our apartment previously booked, and I decided to stay in BA. While it wasn’t the weekend I had been hoping for, I was able to explore the neighborhood that I live in a little bit more, (Palermo), and try to plan something for the following weekend.
Most of my friends had already booked a trip to El Calafate in the southern part of Argentina, and I had decided against it because at the point of their booking I was still planning on skiing the prior weekend and didn’t feel comfortable spending more money, as a ski trip is pretty pricey. The tickets to go with them once I chose to travel my final weekend were expensive, so I chose to explore other potential options to visit. I came across the Jujuy and Salta provinces which are in the northwestern part of Argentina and are where my culture and civilizations professor is from. Looking further, I learned that there are salt flats (Salinas Grandes), beautiful mountain ranges that are ideal for hiking, and a UNESCO site where indigenous tribes used to exist. The potential trip checked off every box for me and so after a lot of research and planning I decided to book.
Sadly, protests in the region erupted a few days later and made the area no longer safe for me to visit; plus, the tours I wanted to go on were canceled for the weekend. This kind of sucked, not only because I couldn’t visit somewhere I was looking forward to visiting, but also because it meant contacting several people in hopes of getting refunds. Thankfully, my friend’s mom was able to figure out our flights so we had a credit to use, and the airbnb we were going to stay at was accommodating. The only way I could use my credit would be to book something ASAP as I was leaving the following weekend, and so my friend and I decided on Cordoba.
We came to Cordoba with no expectations, and while we were both bummed about not being able to visit Jujuy and Salta, our time in Cordoba was quite nice. Arriving Friday night meant we had a full day Saturday, and then leaving Sunday afternoon meant we could sleep in that morning; which was perfect.
Our Saturday consisted of LOTS of walking; I think we ended up with over thirty thousand steps. We explored almost the entire city which consisted of lots of crowded and busy streets, beautiful churches, a few parks, and eating some good food. My favorite thing about Cordoba was how the city has so many opportunities for people to learn about history and stay active. Every museum and historical site we visited was free, and we were able to travel through the city on a number of walkways and bike paths, and it’s very evident that most people take advantage of these trails.
All in all, my weekend wasn’t what I anticipated it to be, and traveling is tricky, but there’s always some new place to visit and always something to explore, especially in a country as large as Argentina.
Anyways, I’ll be back tomorrow to talk a little bit more about my time here in Argentina, and as always, feel free to comment any questions.
Ciao,
Lydia
Lydia Frasz
Chemical Engineering
IPE: Engineering in Argentina
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Week 5: Some bittersweet memories
Another week of celebration, good eats, and amazing people has flown by, but this time I had to add heartbreaking goodbyes to the itinerary. Spending almost every second of every day with someone is a sure-fire way to quickly develop a strong friendship, and I have enjoyed every moment with my new friends. However, everyone leaves at some point in life, and this week was the first of many farewells. I never realized how difficult it would be to say goodbye to all my new friends.
Last Thursday night, we celebrated my friend, Kelsy, with a slightly boujee dinner at the Olympo Sky Bar. Eating perfectly cooked steak while overlooking the skyline of Buenos Aires thirty-one stories in the air was definitely a surreal experience. It was a bittersweet memory, as it was most likely the last time I would ever see my friend before she moved back to North Carolina. The friendships created through studying abroad are so full of love, despite being short-lived, and they will be something I will remember for the rest of my life.
The next day marked the next victims of leaving. Two more of our friends, Noah and Tony from OSU (ew), wanted to spend their last night out in the city, so we headed over to the infamous Moscu for some fun. We all spent the night dancing and laughing, and I met a lot of really interesting people. At the top of the list, though, is a photographer (who took the photo in the bottom right) who happens to be the lead star in a Netflix film! I also met a lot of local students of UBA who also study Industrial Engineering, which is what I study at Michigan. It seems like a very common major in Buenos Aires, while in the United States it is one of the least studied engineering fields. I've also noticed that a majority of those I met who are currently a student are studying some sort of engineering.
After a long night, we said our final tearful goodbyes to our two friends and headed home.
The next day, a friend and I decided to take some time to relax in the city after a hectic night. We spent hours talking at a cafe, which is something very common in Argentine culture. You can find people sitting at a cafe the entire day, either by themselves or with friends. It is a refreshing scene as compared to the rushed and chaotic lifestyle in America. After drinking too much coffee, we headed over to El Ateneo, one of the world's biggest bookstores. The former Gran Splendid theatre never fails to amaze me, as I could spend the entire day wandering through the endless shelves.
School has been one of the last things on my mind, as I am surrounded by so many wonderful sites and activities in Buenos Aires. However, the work had escalated this week with the addition of Physics labs every single day after class. A combination of lectures and labs had left everyone mentally exhausted after class, and we had found it a bit difficult to have the energy to do anything fun or productive the rest of the day. With that being said, I'm hoping to adopt the mindset that sleep can happen after I leave Argentina for my final week abroad in order to make the most out of my trip
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Transportation and Travels (& a bit about hospitals)
Hi everyone! It’s Lydia Frasz getting back to you from Argentina, and since I started this sentence, which was about three days ago, I’ve visited two hospitals, been in over five Ubers, and missed a day of class because I wasn’t feeling well. In other words, a lot has happened. Before I get into these events, I thought that I’d start off by telling you what this blog is all about: transportation, because it’s a forty minute commute to each class, and then my travels, because it’s definitely one of my favorite things about being in Buenos Aires.
So you may be wondering what happened that involved me ending up in a hospital, and I should first preface with the fact that in Argentina, hospitals are similar to US hospitals, but are also like US doctor’s offices and quick care centers; basically a one stop shop. Now when it comes to which hospital you go to, that may make a difference. Basically, my friend who’s allergic to nuts had an allergic reaction, so we got in an Uber (which only costs about two dollars max), and drove to the nearest hospital. Once there, we tried communicating with the person at the front desk via Google Translate, and he informed us that we had to go to a hospital that specialized in dermatology (we were confused, as her reaction was in her throat), so we left and did what should have done first, call the hotline of our program in Buenos Aires. *Note. Wherever you decide to go, have the emergency hotline saved in your phone!!! They answered immediately, and told us to go to a different hospital. It was much larger and we were directed to a specific seating area right away. The biggest difference from US hospital’s occurred before we were led to the seating area, the front desk attendant had us pay up front, and it was only twenty dollars. My friend and I were so shocked, not just by the price, but that they made sure we wouldn’t be surprised by the cost of our visit. After all was said and done, we ended up heading back instead of waiting longer to see a provider because it was taking a bit of time, but we agreed that it was good we were there in case her reaction worsened.
Lessons learned: always have emergency contacts in your phone, and it’s better to be safe than sorry, especially when the healthcare system is so easy and accessible to use.
Onto the fun part, travels and transportation. So far, I’ve visited Colonia, which is in Uruguay and about an hour and a half boat ride from Buenos Aires, Iguazu, which is in the Northeastern part of the country and is filled with cataratas, or waterfalls, and about a two hour flight, and Tigre, which is about an hour ride by train. To get anywhere to then fly or boat, you need to use some other method of transportation. You can Uber, which is relatively cheap, but the cheapest options are using one of the methods of public transportation, which is either train, bus, or my personal favorite, the subway, or subte. Public transportation requires a Sube card, which you can purchase, but I didn’t have to do this because the program provided me with one. Loading the cards is super easy, and each ride on any option costs about fifty pesos, or ten cents. To get to school, we can take the subte or the bus, and we always take the subte because it’s the most reliable - the bus won’t stop if it’s full, but the subte always stops. This means you might be squished, but you’re never late. Both take you to pretty much any place in the city, or at least within a two to five block radius, and the train can take you anywhere within the province, which is why we used it to visit Tigre.
Colonia del Sacramento is right on the water and about an hour to an hour and a half boat ride from Buenos Aires. It’s a UNESCO heritage site and SUPER beautiful. We spent the night and then toured the city the next day, but you really only need one day. Something you should know before going is that most places prefer Uruguayan pesos but will accept US dollars and usually credit cards, and the prices are more similar to those in the United States.
My favorite night of the trip had to have been in Uruguay. We stumbled upon a little restaurant that was so cute and had live music, so for most of the meal we just danced.
The other place we visited, probably my favorite so far, was Iguazu falls in Puerto Iguazu. There are two sides of the falls, a Brazilian side and an Argentinian side, but I only went to the Argentinian side. This side has more trails and hikes while the Brazilian side is more for sightseeing, but both are amazing. Another cool thing about Puerto Iguazu is that it’s on the border of Brazil and Paraguay, so the restaurant we had dinner at one night had views of each country, even though we were still in Argentina.
The most recent place I visited was Tigre, and I went with my program (CEA) there. Tigre is definitely day trip material, and it is located on a delta. We went on a boat tour through the delta which was really cool, and informative, because there was a guide who told us all about the history and comings and goings of the area. One thing I wish I would’ve done or would do in the future is visit Tigre on a weekend. If you do this, there’s an amusement park you can visit, and it’s only open on weekends, at least now, it may be because it’s technically winter here.
I know that was a lot of information, so if you have any questions please put them in the comment section, and be sure to stay tuned for my next post!
Ciao,
Lydia
Lydia Frasz
Chemical Engineering
Engineering: IPE in Buenos Aires
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Week 4: What does it mean to be Argentine?
Yesterday in my Sport and Culture in Contemporary Argentina class, my professor, Eduardo, asked us to think about one word that describes Argentinians. After spending a month in Buenos Aires, my first thought was "passion", as I have first-hand witnessed the intensity of daily life here. However, after some more debate and consideration, I finalized my answer to be expressive." In all aspects of life, Argentines are not afraid to express themselves, and I have especially noticed this utter resolve to be true to themselves this week throughout my adventures in Buenos Aires.
To start off the week, our program took us on a day-trip to the esteemed city of Tigre, just an hour by train away from the capital. We took a lovely boat tour around the delta, learning about the simple and eco-friendly way of living of the residents, before heading to a restaurant off the shore for lunch. It was admirable to witness the dedication in the humble lifestyle. Everything these residents of Tigre would ever need can be found somewhere on a boat! My favorite part of this trip, though, was visiting the local artisan market. It was heartwarming to see how the hard-work of the artists can create such a beautiful community. Each vendor was so passionate about their own products and ideas, and through art they are able to display their creativity. I bought a crochet top from the sweetest lady, and she said that she and her daughter hand-make each item! She also made sure to emphasize how talented her daughter was.
Later on in the week, I finally made the quick trip to the infamous Bond Street, a hidden gem filled with color and edge. I have never seen so many tattoo parlors in one area, and it was so exciting to see the artists perform their work through the windows. Two of my friends even chose to be canvases themselves, getting a tattoo to commemorate their time in Argentina. There were also so many different clothing stores, ranging from those that only sold vintage streetwear to stores that resemble an exponentially more intense Hot Topic. Bond Street is such a safe space for Argentines to completely be themselves, and it was a really refreshing scene as compared to the overall elegance and organization in the day lit streets of Buenos Aires.
Argentine expressiveness is not always in a pleasant, creative way, though. After being recommended by multiple different people, my friends and I finally booked a reservation at the renowned Uptown and The Bronx. Its savvy interior and innovative subway train entrance won me over before I even sat down at the table, but I fell in love the moment I had a bite of the bbq ribs. The food was outrageously good, and the ambiance was indescribable. However, our meal was soon interrupted by the neighboring table, where a couple was fighting vehemently. The police even had to get involved, dragging the couple outside of the restaurant. I have never seen such a blatantly expressive argument in a public area, and while I don't know the details of the situation, it was very interesting to witness such passion and vigor.
I can't talk about the meaning of being Argentine without describing my experience with the passion and expressiveness in being an hincha and through mate. As a class field trip, we visited La Boca, one of the most famous neighborhoods. Home to the Boca Juniors and the wildest fan base in the world (in my opinion), La Boca was an unforgettable experience. The streets were filled with blue and yellow, the colors of Boca Juniors, both on the walls of buildings and the clothing of its residents. The outside of La Bombonera, the Boca Juniors stadium, was continuously crowded with fans. My professor told me that most of the people there were residents who visit the stadium every day, expressing their undying love for the club. Every single Argentine is able to express their passion for their unofficial religion, futbol, by supporting their favorite club, and they are never afraid to go all out.
Another key component of Argentina is mate, the unofficial national drink. We were able to go to a mate tasting and making event, where I got to experiment with different herbs and ingredients to concoct my perfect tea. Mate is incredibly important to the culture of Argentina, as it connects every single person into one community. Messi drinks mate; those living in the streets drink mate; the Pope drinks mate.
There is no single activity that unites the expressive will of Argentines more than drinking mate and futbol, and it was such an amazing cultural experience to witness.
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Week 3: I peaked
About half of my time in Argentina has passed, and I have to say this was the best week yet. I started off my week with a weekend trip to the famous Iguazu Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world. Pictures does not do this beautiful place justice. Immediately, I imagined that this place was the real-life version of the set of Avatar. I assume everyone has seen that movie, but if you haven't, it is known worldwide for the most beautiful CGI. We only visited the Argentinian side, but there was still so much to do and see. We started off the day with a remarkable boat ride through the waterfalls. It was an extraordinary experience; we got to see the waterfalls from only meters away, and we even rode into the falls! After getting drenched in water, we walked through the scenic trails, ending off the day by visiting the Devil's Throat. Standing right in front of the immense waterfalls was a surreal experience, and I don't think any sight would beat this trip. On top of beautiful scenes, we encountered so many different animals. I loved watching all of the monkeys sneak around to steal food from the other visitors!
After the most exhilarating weekend, we returned to the busy hustle of Buenos Aires. We found a nearby park with basketball courts, and stopped by to play some pick up. It was a lot of fun, and seeing two different cultures join together for a simple sport was so heartwarming. No matter what language is spoken, basketball can unite even the most different of us. We made some really good friends and even shared mate around! This was my first time drinking mate in Argentina, and we all shared a good laugh when I burnt my tongue on the first sip. Our new friends also spent hours teaching us Argentine slang (Che boludo) and futbol team chants. I love how friendly all Argentines are, and how willing they are to talk to new people.
I also went on my first field trip for my Sport and Culture of Contemporary Argentina class. We first visited the enormous River Plate stadium, and I was a bit overwhelmed with how influential the club was. The fans, or hinchas, are so passionate about their team, and it was so electrifying to witness it first-hand. After a quick tour of everything River, we walked a mere two blocks away to visit ESMA, one of the most prominent locations of torture during the horrific military dictatorship of Argentina. It was shocking to see how while everyone in Argentina was celebrating winning the World Cup in 1978, there were also people getting brutally tortured right down the street. I've done a lot of research about this period of Argentine history for a political science research project, but there is nothing as impactful as seeing parts of history in person. I'm glad our program is making efforts to educate people about such a significant part of history.
Some of the not so great parts of the week included my first two exams, one for physics and one for my culture class. However, it was great to get them out of the way and enjoy the rest of the week. No matter how important school is, I love making the most of my time in Buenos Aires to explore the city, experience the culture, and meet new people! See you all next week for another AR update.
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Arrival & First Thoughts
Hi everyone! My name is Lydia Frasz and I’m spending 6 weeks in Buenos Aires, Argentina this summer and taking the equivalent of Physics 240 at ITBA (the Institute of Technology Buenos Aires) and Culture and Civilization of Argentina through CEA. While my goal was to post a blog every week, two weeks have passed since I’ve arrived; and even though time moves slow here, between settling in, class work, and traveling, I’ve been busy. Because of this, I’m going to be posting every 4 to 5 days, so stay posted, and don’t hesitate to comment or ask any questions you may have.
Before I start telling you about my travels, I thought that I could share a little bit about myself and what helped guide me in choosing Engineering: IPE in Buenos Aires. (1) I love traveling, and after visiting Panama my sophomore year of high school with my Spanish class, I knew that I wanted to come back to South America. (2) The program worked perfectly with my schedule. I waitress over the summer, and that income is really important for me, so being able to spend a lot of time, (6 weeks), in a foreign country and still be able to work for the remainder of the summer, (all of July and August), was perfect. (3) The courses. As a Chemical Engineer, and as the case for all engineers, the course load is heavy. In BA, (abbreviation for Buenos Aires that I’m starting to use, like the locals), I’m taking Physics 2 (240) and a culture class. Some things that I’ve loved so far about taking these classes here include covering credits, taking a class that counts towards the International Minor for Engineers, (I hope to declare in the fall), and living with my classmates. The last one sounds similar to living in dorms and being able to find study groups, but I’ve found that having the same exact schedule as my roommate makes such a big difference. She helps me wake up in the morning, (class starts at 8am), we’re both tired and hungry around the same time, and we do our homework together! Plus, I live in an apartment with 7 other students who have the same schedule, so it’s even more impactful.
Okay, arrival, Buenos Aires and the essentials. I live in an apartment in a neighborhood of Buenos Aires called Palermo; it’s really nice. The building has 7 other students who are in the same program as me, plus 2 other students who are also taking classes at CEA but are from different universities and have different majors. The other students here are in a mixture of homestays and apartments throughout the city, (fun fact, Buenos Aires is a city and province), but not too far away.
For food, we eat out A LOT, and then also cook sometimes; everything is super cheap because the economy in Buenos Aires is suffering right now and has a very high inflation rate.
Before I go, I wanted to share a few of my favorite memories so far, and some things that I love about Argentina.
The people. I came into this program with very little knowledge of the people I would be meeting here, let alone living and spending all my time, and I can safely say I’ve made some of my closest friends. We spend a lot of time together, from shopping, to planning trips, (which is sometimes stressful), taking the Subte, (the subway system here), cooking meals, going out, and decompressing at the end of almost every day, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
And one thing that I love about Argentina, also the people. The environment here is very communal, from sharing Mate, (a tea that everyone drinks, more than water), sobremesa, (chatting with friends after you’ve finished dinner), and cheering for Messi, the people here are a community, and most are always willing to help or lend a hand when someone needs help.
Well, this is a lot, so I’ll be back in a few days to discuss my travels so far, and where I’m planning to go next.
Ciao (yes, it’s what everyone uses),
Lydia
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Week 2: That one time I got robbed
Today marks two weeks of studying abroad in Buenos Aires, and the end of an eventful week. We started out this week of extreme highs and lows with a beautiful little weekend getaway to Mendoza. A city known for its bodegas (or wineries), Mendoza did not disappoint. We arrived Thursday evening and had a nice dinner after a decently long travel day. One of my favorite things about Argentina culture is something known as a "sobremesa," where everyone stays at the table after finishing eating for purely social purposes. My roommates and I stayed at the restaurant for an entire 2.5 hours just talking. This cultural difference helps make every evening enjoyable, even when there are no big plans going on.
The next morning, we woke up early to head to the San Martin Park, which is the largest in Mendoza, and we ate brunch at a cute outdoor cafe. Afterwards, we explored the mini artisan market, where I bought some jewelry. The , we went on a half-day winery tour that we booked through TripAdvisor. Everything went very smoothly, and the tour guide could speak english. We visited three different bodegas and one olive oil factory, and it was a day well spent. The bodegas were absolutely stunning, and it was really interesting to see the intricacies of the various wine cellars and production process. We also got to taste some delicious bread and olive oil variations as an afternoon snack. Our exciting day came to an end with a beautiful sunset that we got to watch from the rooftop balcony of our final bodega.
Life suddenly moved on after our blissful weekend in Mendoza, and I really felt the shock during our 8 am physics class on Monday morning. It was difficult to snap back into a school routine, but playing ping pong and pool every day between classes definitely helped. If you told me two weeks ago that one of the highlights of my experience abroad so far was playing pool (a game that I had never played before) with classmates, I would've thought I went insane. However, playing little games has helped me bond with the other students, and even meet locals who attend the same university. I also spend most of the free time I have at the nearby parks, where there is an abundance of mini soccer (futbol) fields. Soccer tennis is now an essential part of my daily routine, and it is definitely a rewarding activity. It makes me so happy that I was able to incorporate the sport I love into my experience abroad, especially in the most passionate futbol country in the world.
The week picked up again on Tuesday night with a Tango show that was included with our CEA study abroad program. The venue was absolutely breathtaking, and the dancers matched the venue with their immense talent. I wish photography and recordings were allowed during the show because it was truly one of a kind. I will definitely be investing in tango lessons during the remaining time I have left here.
However, the night quickly plummeted after we decided on keeping the party going at a boliche (similar to a nightclub). After a couple hours of dancing, my heart dropped as I noticed my purse's zipper was open, and my phone was nowhere to be found. When preparing for a considerable trip like this one, lectures on preventing your belongings from being stolen are inevitable. I was always incredibly cautious with keeping my bags within sight and within my grasp, which made it even more distressing to find out my phone was stolen. After a brief mental breakdown, I finally calmed down enough to complete the necessary steps: tracking the location, putting it in lost mode, erasing its content, and calling my cell phone provider to discontinue the number. As this only happened less than 24 hours ago, I am still in a state of distress and shock, but I know that this happens to so many students abroad and that everything will be okay. This was a huge lesson (though one I wish I didn't have to learn) about how you really can never be too cautious with your belongings in a country such as Argentina, and I will take this knowledge and experience with me for the rest of this trip and my life. The good news is that it really can only go up from here, and hopefully by next week's Wu Wednesday, I will have things figured out!
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Week 1: Empanadas, Unapologetic Staring, and Awesome People
I have almost spent a full week in Buenos Aires, and life is absolutely wonderful right now. The city is always alive, whether with people hustling to work or young adults laughing on the streets at four in the morning. There is always something to do in Buenos Aires, and I've really enjoyed having my entire day packed with people and activities. However, it took a little bit of time to adjust to the cultural differences of Buenos Aires. Although I am sure I will keep discovering new differences throughout the next six weeks, there are still many things and actions that felt uncomfortable at first. The most prominent shock was the amount of staring. In the United States, at least in my personal experience, most people are taught in schools and throughout their childhood that it is rude to stare at other people, even if they may look different. However, people are so apparent with their scrutinization, failing to even attempt to conceal their curiosity (or even distaste). Though I tried to ignore it, I was always offended by their adamant stares, and it made me self-conscious about going out in public. After a few days of embracing the sideways glances and outright dirty looks, I feel as if I've grown accustomed to this new cultural reality. It may not be ideal, but I've learned that not everyone is raised the same way I was, and it is important to be aware of these differences.
There were also so many amazing things that have come from this trip so far. I can't talk about the best parts of Buenos Aires without mentioning the food. I've tried many traditional Argentine dishes including milonesa, medialunas, alfajores with dulce de leche, and more. However, I'd have to say my favorite would be the empanadas. They have so much variety, as it can be filled by beef, chicken, ham and cheese, or vegetables. There is a tiny empanada store right down the street of where my homestay is, and it sells the most delicious empanadas I have eaten. The best part is the price, though. My roommates and I bought a dozen empanadas for $5 USD! I can try so many dishes here in Buenos Aires and visit so many different cafes because the food is so much cheaper than in the United States.
The foodie part of me says that affordable dining is the best part about the city, but I can't brush off the amazing relationships I've made in the short time I've spent in Buenos Aires. I recently got my nails done at the salon across the street from my homestay, and I met the most wonderful people. Maria, my new nail tech, was the sweetest woman ever, and she was so patient with how I was practicing my Spanish. She even went out of her way to give us mini grammar lessons while she was doing my nails, and I can confidently say that my Spanish has improved exponentially since being here. All of the workers gave us so many recommendations for the best restaurants, nightlife locations, and mate types. They were so welcoming, and I really value the friendship I made with them. In addition to the workers in the nail salon, I've really bonded with the other study abroad students. My roommates and I have gotten really close throughout our time living together, and I love hanging out with them. We even decided to get a gym membership together, so we could all workout everyday. The workers at the gym, SmartFit, are all so supportive and sweet. They always get so excited to see us, and it is such a welcoming environment to workout in. Our gym honestly reminds me of Planet Fitness, and it gives me a small sense of home in a new city.
I can't wait to continue learning all the ins and outs of the city, all while making many more friends!
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Week Zero of Buenos Aires
It is less than a week until I fly out to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and I couldn't have a greater mixture of feelings. Of course, I am beyond excited to live in a new country, but as the departure day gets closer and closer, I worry more and more. I have never flown by myself before, and I have an irrational fear that I will go to the wrong terminal, or miss my own flight. My fears also stem from before actually leaving for Argentina. Packing is an entire nightmare on its own. I have made three comprehensive lists of everything I could possibly need, and I even conducted hours of research on the proper clothing attire and the weather. However, I can't shake the incessant feeling of forgetting an essential travel item. I am not sure what other solutions there are, and I have already filled my checked bag and carry-on suitcase to the brim. I know everyone says to leave a good chunk of empty space for shopping freedom abroad, but I just had so much I needed to bring! Fitting everything in my luggage is a problem to worry about in six weeks.
Besides my packing anxiety, I have been scrambling the past few days to brush up on my Spanish skills. After taking six years of the language in middle school and high school, I thought I would be relatively prepared for my time abroad. Duo-lingo proved me wrong almost instantly. I could barely even recall some of the most common vocabulary terms. I downloaded a list of 1500 words to practice in my spare time (especially at the airport). Hopefully in a week, my self-assessment of Spanish ability as well as my overall mental state of worrying will be significantly better.
See you so soon, Buenos Aires.
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Finally Studying Abroad!
¡Hola!
My name is Alexia Moreno and I am a rising sophomore studying Computer Engineering here at the University of Michigan! I am exited to be blogging my upcoming study abroad experience in Buenos Aires, Argentina over the span of the next six weeks!
But before I embark on my study abroad program, I want to share why this opportunity to travel abroad means so much to me.
When I was younger, I always found excitement in pursuing things that challenged me the most; whether it was learning a new instrument or learning how to skateboard, I was ready to give whatever it was a go. But there was always one thing that I never really cared for:
Traveling
Coming from a family that would constantly do 8 hour roadtrips between Arizona and California to visit family- the last thing I wanted to do was sit in a car or plane for an extended period of time. 9 year old me would do anything to stay put at home in Arizona. As such, I had never found traveling outside the country appealing. In this sense, I couldn't even image all of the time, energy, and money of committing myself to an unfamiliar destination. I was fine just where I was. Traveling from one side of the globe to the other seemed like the last thing I wanted to do.
During my junior year of high school, I nonetheless applied to my city's exchange program. After hearing upperclassmen enjoy every moment of it- I thought I would give it a shot. And after a long interview process, I was fortunate enough to be selected to go to Lower Hutt, New Zealand. For the 1st time, I was excited travel. "What could go wrong"- I thought.
My high school classmate (Billie) and I holding our Tempe Sister City Exchange Program Letters on Country Selection night in February of 2020. We were both selected to travel to Lower Hutt, New Zealand.
And of course -as most of know- March of 2020 would stop everything including this once in a lifetime trip. I remember receiving the call from my program director that the exchange would be cancelled due to COVID-19.
It sucked. A lot.
I put my time energy into this opportunity and it all disappeared within a matter of seconds. At this point, I didn't know what to do with myself. I mean how could I?
Fast forward to this past February, I somehow found myself (once again) looking at the possibility of studying abroad. My friend Zoie had told me she applied to the IPE France program(which only further encouraged me to apply as well). Despite being let down two years prior, I made the decision to submit an application for a summer in Buenos Aires. And after waiting two weeks, I was accepted into the IPE: Engineering in Argentina Program.
In that moment, I called my mom in excitement and saw this acceptance as a sign:
A sign that I was finally about to embark on a journey of a lifetime.
A picture of my mom and I before leaving for Argentina!
-
Alexia Moreno
Computer Engineering
Study Abroad at the Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires
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Una Prueba de Vida
Now, the topic you’ve all been waiting for…FOOD!
Argentina has many different kinds of foods that are unique and popular that I have never heard of before. One thing that contributes to this is their meal schedule. Breakfast is very small and lunch is typically a little smaller than typical ones back in the U.S. As I’ve mentioned before, they have dinner very late—my homestay usually eats around 9:15-9:30—so in between lunch and dinner there is a snack (like a tea time) called merienda to hold everyone over. In turn, there are many cafes around that people eat at for a quick snack and a lot of their foods consist of little pastries or small bites to eat like empanadas.
One drink that Argentina is very well known for is something called mate (mah-tay). As a part of our program with CEA we had a mate tasting at a restaurant called Los Picasso. Since we were a big group we shared about six or seven cups full of different kinds of mate. Normally people just drink the general kind of mate, but at this restaurant we had a selection of Mates from the company Mate & Co. which had flavors like Tres Mentas, Lemon, Chocolate, etc.
We learned from our guide how to prepare the mate ourselves. For some background, mate comes from a plant called yerba which is grown in certain areas of Argentina and it is harvested and used to create the mate. To prepare it, first you pour the cup full of mate and then shake it to a diagonal angle so we could put the straw in without having to dig through the mate and it also provided an area to pour the hot water. After putting the straw in you would take a thermos of hot water and pour it into the slanted side of the herb where it would soak up starting at the bottom (be careful not to wet the entire top so the mate lasts longer). Mate is kind of like tea in a way that the hot water soaks up the plant and you drink from it, but it is different since it is not in a bag and is prepared differently.
Me trying some mate!
According to our guide, the way mate works is that when there is a group of people the server would prepare the mate and then test the temperature themselves until it was ready to pass on to the first person to their right and they would drink until they passed it back to the server and this process would continue around the circle until someone says “thank you” meaning they do not want anymore. If someone new came, they would get the next cup of mate. Personally I wasn’t a huge fan of mate but apparently it is an acquired taste so maybe one day! (But I’m also not a coffee or tea drinker which doesn’t help.)
People all around Argentina drink mate, we even saw people carrying some on the trails around Iguazu. They have warm water stations for the cause.
They also had a lot of food at the tasting and they had very sweet snacks to our surprise.
Medialunes, panquques, alfajores de dulce de leche, torta frita, and more!
Medialunes are croissant looking pastries that differ in the fact that they have a sweet layer of glaze. Alfajores are like little oreo cookies but the cookie part is more like a powdery sugar cookie and they are filled with dulce de leche. Panqueques are a kind of desert here that I learned about on accident. I thought I was getting a panCAKE, but got a panQUEQUE at a restaurant. They remind me of crepes because they are a thin layer of dough sort of like a crepe or tortilla and they can be filled with things like cream and dulce de leche.
Dulce de leche is also a HUGE Argentinian thing and I love it. Dulce de leche’s consistency is like a midpoint between caramel and peanut butter, not quite dripping but not solid either. It is a hard taste to describe but I would relate it to caramel with a little something extra, maybe more milk? Either way it is amazing and a new favorite dessert flavor of mine.
I’m personally a big cookies n cream flavor girl, but I expanded my horizons for this trip when I went to try ice cream and usually got a form of a dulce de leche flavor. I’ve heard that the best ice cream place in Buenos Aires is called “Rapanui” and we’ve also visited one called “Lucciano’s”. Both had amazing ice cream, but I found Rapanui’s ice cream a bit creamier—both still very good though.
Ice cream from each place
A fun fact is that they put olives in lots of places like on every pizza (despite the fact that I don’t think they belong there - in my opinion)
Now now, I know it would simply be a crime to not talk about the steaks but bear with me because I don’t know much about steaks in general besides being able to say whether they taste good or not.
Argentina is known for their beef and they eat a LOT of it. Los of restaurants have many different food options and many include meats whether that be a steak or a milanesa (breaded meat). I find that a popular kind is called the ojo de bife or bife de chorizo. Big meat restaurants here are called parillas (barbecue places) and have not disappointed me yet.
They do not lie about how good the beef is, just look at these!
You can also find different kind of meat sandwiches all over Buenos Aires and Argentina. Choripan (a sausage sandwich) is very popular and I got a Bandiola with great sauces at San Telmo one day.
The bandiola and the small restaurant we got it from, cooked right on the grill for all to see
Another form of food you can find beef in is empanadas which I’ve talked about and shown before. Empanadas are filled pockets of deliciousness. Restaurants typically offer many kinds like ham and cheese, meat, chicken, corn, spinach, etc.
When we were in Salta we went to a town called Purmamarca for lunch where we ate at a restaurant the guide recommended to us. Here they served llama! I’ve never been one who has tried very exotic foods, but I figured while I am here I might as well try it. I got it in the form of a milanesa and found it oddly chewy at parts. Another thing I got in that tour was a ham and cheese tortilla that they sold at a rest stop on our way through the valley which was very good.
The llama, an empanad and the tortilla
More recently we went on a trip to Mendoza where we went on a tour that offered a five course meal or different things. The meal included things like squid, duck, trout, creamy rice in rabbit broth, and more! I’ve never had a five-course meal before but I was very happy with how it turned out. The portions were very small but for five courses I don’t know how I would’ve eaten it had it been normal meal proportions.
Our five courses!
Now that I’ve covered all of the major foods that I enjoyed I’m going to put a few more pictures of random foods I enjoyed!
Yummmmmmm - forgot the name of some of these foods but they tasted good
Hope I haven’t made you too hungry!
See ya later!
———
Larissa Wermers
Mechanical Engineering
Engineering in Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Adios Buenos Aires </3
At this point you guys must know that I love to travel. Classes finished on Thursday and leaving on Saturday afternoon gave me one last day to see somewhere new. I packed a lot of things into the first few weeks here and I am satisfied with all the parts of Buenos Aires that I have seen. However, as I mentioned in my first post, there are many places I’ve wanted to see and I’ve knocked a lot off my list. The Patagonian region is best to see during our normal fall time (September-December) and was too far to visit in the end. But I have since added to that map Salta, Jujuy, and ...... Uruguay! The town of Colonia del Sacramento is only about a 1-1.5 hour boat ride from Buenos Aires and I couldn’t pass up the offer of seeing something new.
I found a tour online which included ferry tickets and proved to be cheaper than buying tickets alone so I jumped at the chance. Since we’ve been doing a lot of traveling and work lately people decided to do their own thing on our last full day so I embarked on the journey with me, myself, and I. The boat left at 8:15 but I had to get there by 6:45 because of checking in and immigration customs. But I slept on the ferry and arrived around 9:45.
Our tour guide was bilingual (more spanish practice!) and took us around the old town of Colonia which is actually declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The town is full of a lot of history with its different street styles and landmarks which made for very pretty scenery. After the tour I walked around and enjoyed the blue skies and old town vibe.
Colonia in a glance!
Of course it is also going to be sad and weird to leave the people I’ve spent so much time and had so many memories with over these six weeks so I only spent half the day here since we are going to a farewell dinner at the first steak restaurant we went to in the beginning of the trip, and this time I got a steak! We went to Las Cholas again, but only with those of us in the Engineering Program (the others were busy). Me and my roommates walked the hour to get there—we haven’t been walking lately because it is actually getting colder out! I’ve broken out my heavier jacket and although there are blue skies, there is a lot of wind and chill flowing through the city.
La Picaña
We sat in the upstairs - and sort of outdoor portions the restaurant and it was a nice way to wrap up the trip and celebrate everyone finishing classes despite the cold.
I’ve shown you guys all the things we’ve done on the trip and picking out favorites is always a struggle of mine so I recruited some others to give a little description of their favorite parts if you’ve ever wondered about things we did during the trip through other’s point of view.
“I love being out in nature and getting to see the new country” - Leah
“The tango lessons and tango show were my favorite part” - Will
“I liked being able to go to a parrilla in Salta and watching Toronto and the Golden State Warriors play while having all the best meats in Argentina” - Joe
My favorite trip we did was Mendoza because I loved getting out in nature and seeing new things. Buenos Aires was a great place to spend half of my summer and I loved all the different parks and culture that you can find all in every corner of the city!
After getting so used to living in the city for six weeks it’s going to be weird going back home to my family and friends but I’m excited to see them and also sleep in my own bed again! I wouldn’t have changed the trip for anything and I am super happy I went on this trip to experience a few areas of South America with new friends. On Monday I start community college classes (calc 3 and physics 240 oof)—the grind don’t stop! I’ll leave you guys with a pic of my host family we took right before making our exit. They were very welcoming and I am grateful for all they have done and the relationships we formed.
Timer mode comes in handy every now and then
Thanks for listening to me talk for the past six weeks!
See ya!
———
Larissa Wermers
Mechanical Engineering
Engineering in Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Arte, Historia, y Cosas al Azar
Argentina has a lot of history and many places to display it. Aside from the different parks and plazas with statues of historical figures, there’s tons of museums to go to as well.
As a part of class, we visited a few different museums that were related to the coursework we were learning in our culture and civilization course. The first place we went was the Carlos Gardel Museum.
The museum was located in what used to be his mother’s house
Carlos Gardel is strongly associated with the tango due to how he recorded the first tango song with words, “Mi Noche Triste”. His museum displayed a list of the hundreds of songs he has recorded and re-recorded throughout his career. He revolutionized the world of tango, but died in a plane crash unfortunately. He is still highly revered and respected today for all he has done for tango.
The second museum we went to for class was the José Hernández museum. José Hernández was a famous writer who wrote the poem “Martin Fierro” which described the daily life and struggles of gauchos.
The current exhibit at the museum showed art work made out of different cloths and fabrics stitched together
Hernández’s work was highly popular so he made a sequel to his work. As the gaucho is a national image of Argentina, his work is very important in its history.
The last place we went during class was the Kirchner Cultural Center (CCK) which was actually closed the day we tried to go so I went back another time. The CCK is a huge building that has many different floors to it with different exhibits. It is free to enter and very pretty inside.
The entrance to the museum as we walked in
The middle of the museum houses an auditorium that reminds me of an IMAX theater of some sort. It was surrounded in a metal mesh type material and i’m sure it has great acoustics.
We didn’t research what was there beforehand so we just wandered through a few levels. We found an exhibit called La Marca Original: Arte Argentino which I can only describe as random. We walked around the two floors and were surprised by things like beds made out of sand and rooms with cool neon lights or random art.
The sand room and a room where anyone can draw a tree on the wall using chalk
I didn’t understand fully much of what was going on, but it did keep me on my toes. There was also a visual and sound art exhibit and we went in a room that was pitch black and listened to sounds from the creator—a man running and breathing heavy, glass breaking, etc. Kinda scary but hey to each their own.
Outside of class there are a few other museums that are famous in Buenos Aires. El Museo de Bellas Artes is a popular art museum that displays what it’s named after, pretty art! When we were there the machines weren’t working so we got in for free and got to browse around! But for anyone interested, I’m pretty sure it’s free to go on Tuesdays and a few other times throughout the week.
A few of the art pieces we saw
Now I’m not a huge museum person, but I still enjoyed seeing the different art styles and how they varied.
In addition to different art museums from class and around Buenos Aires, we had a trip for our thermodynamics class. As thermodynamics is a lot about creating energy, we went to a power plant, Enel, on the south side of the city to see some boilers and combination cycle machines.
We got hard hats, glasses, and earplugs for protection and saw the machines and control room
After learning about them these past six weeks it was interesting to see how large, complex, and loud they are in person.
A figure that brought a lot of awareness to human rights issues in the 20th century was a cartoon girl named Mafalda and nicknamed as “the girl who made the world listen”. She was most popular in the 60’s-70’s, but while we learned about her in clsss it was interesting to see that she talked about a lot of the issues that we still see today.
Me and Mafalda!
There’s a famous statue of her and a few other characters from the series that we found while we were at the San Telmo fair a few weeks ago. Mafalda talk about human rights and equality issues and her friends were a wide array of personalities from a girl who only cared about getting married to a boy who was a lone wolf. There are murals of Mafalda all around the city if you look closely.
As I’m writing this we finished classes and only have two days left in the city. Being as I love to travel, I as heading over to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay for the day since its so close and would be a shame not to see. Final exams and papers are over (I passed woo!!) and tonight everyone is getting together for one last dinner together at the first steak place we went.
Being as this experience is close to an end, I decided to point out some random interesting things I’ve seen around the city.
- The lights have a yellow light anytime they switch from red to green as well as green to red
- They have a lot of bagged foods like ketchup and milk which I know is common outside of he U.S. but still threw me for a loop
- Many of their parks have workout centers with simple bar set ups and metal workout machines for people to exercise with which many do
- Most kiosks are open 24 hours but they will put the gate down at night and you order items through a little window in it if you need something
- The dog walkers in this city are insane and I’ve seen some walking around 15 dogs at a time
- The dogs here are generally very well behaved and some don’t even need a leash—I saw one once where the owner went in the store to by food and it just waited outside and watched for them to come back out
- The majority of the city doesn’t have much street parking and instead there are many underground lots under apartment buildings that beep loudly and flash when a car comes out of it
See ya later!
———
Larissa Wermers
Mechanical Engineering
Engineering in Buenos Aires, Argentina
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El Último Viaje
For our last full three-day weekend, we decided to go to Mendoza which is known for its view of the Andes Mountains and for being a very popular wine region for Malbec.
All of these trips have been taking their hits on all of their wallets so we tried to keep the costs down as much as we could for this trip and one way of doing that is by traveling by bus.
Buenos Aires has many overnight buses that travel across Argentina and are way cheaper than planes would be. They leave from the Retiro Bus Station which is a lot closer to where we live in Recoleta compared to the airports which was nice. However as it is with everything, the bus does have its ups and downs.
The bus ride out left at 7:45pm and was supposed to arrive at 10:45am — a whopping 15 hours. This meant stocking up on food for the ride and making sure we had enough entertainment for the entire ride.
Generally I find it easier to sleep in cars than planes but I’ve never been on a bus ride this long before. The longest buses I ever rode were to school and back and around campus. However with long rides like this I find it hard since obviously it’s not as comfortable as sleeping in a bed. On the way out I probably slept for about 6 hours total—I woke up around 2am to go to the bathroom and then I was awake enough to work on my final essay for our culture class that was due on Monday. I woke up around 8:30am again and noticed how beautiful the scenery was outside and again found it hard to go back to sleep so I moved to a seat with a better view and worked on my oral presentation for our culture class as well (both are due on Monday).
Not a bad background for some work!
After our bus arrived (an hour late) we walked from the bus terminal in Mendoza to our airbnb. Despite being tired from the long ride, we planned for that day to go hiking! Mendoza is located right next to the Andes and we wanted to get active in nature after living in a city for so long.
The group split up since some of us wanted to get started on the hike while others wanted to get food and we ubered to what we thought was the start of the Cerro Aspero trail. Our research online found that that would be a 6-7 hour trail to take, but we would see how far we would get since we were losing daylight. We got to the head of the trail around 2 and sun was set to set around 6:30 which gave us about 4.5 hours.
Per usual, things don’t always go as planned and we couldn’t find our trail but that didn’t stop us! Instead we walked the Cerro Arco trail which was a steep road to the top of a hill with electrical towers on top.
View of the city from the top of the trail
Getting to the top of the mountain took around an hour and a half and a few other hikers informed us that we could continue on another path from the top, so having the time, we did.
Finally a path that wasn’t paved!
As we continued on the path, we knew we were racing daylight for how far we could go before turning back—after all we didn’t want to get caught walking down a mountain in the dark. I’m happy we kept walking because if we didn’t we wouldn’t have seen alpacas!!
I wasn’t expecting to see any wildlife on these hills of small bushes and no trees so it was a nice surprise to stumble along this pack
We walked to a further lookout point before taking a break and taking some pictures before our walk back down.
On top of the world!
We started our walk back down and found that no uber’s were around to pick us up and not being sure exactly how the bus system worked, we started the two hour walk back to the city, but don’t worry we only had to walk for about a half hour before we were able to get a ride.
The view was nice though!
The next day brought a lot less walking and different kind of view. One cannot simply visit Mendoza and not see the different kinds of wineries they are famous for. So we had a full day tour that took us to four different wineries to see the differences in size and production.
Group pic at the Kaiken vineyards
This winery had three different kinds of vineyards to create three different kinds of wines. We arrived there early in the morning so the fields had a nice golden glow to see in front of the mountains. This winery was called Kaiken and they used many concrete tanks to store their wine before aging them in barrels. Down in their wine cellar there was even music playing for the vibrations of the barrels—and it was like hymns always playing (just a tad horror movie-ish).
The next winery we went to was called Terrazas de los Andes which was a much more modern winery and larger winery than the last.
They stored a lot of their wine in stainless steel tanks but also had some large concrete ones underground.
This winery was different in the fact that all of their grapes were imported and they didn’t have any actual vineyards on its property. They produced a lot more wine than the previous winery.
Balcony with a view
For our third winery, Susana Balbo, we didn’t go on a tour, but instead we had lunch included with the day. It was a five course meal at a fancy restaurant (if you go to my last post you can see what we had). We had a great view and our table looked out over the vineyards while we ate and relaxed before visiting our last winery.
A much smaller winery than the rest, this was the entire building
For our final winery, it was a very small one called Trez Wines. They only produced the red Malbec wine at this place but were surrounded by vineyards on all sides which made for some pretty nice views.
After a long day of touring we went back to the house and hung out while playing card games (we’re BIG card game people now—euchre, hearts, pres) which is a change of pace from what I usually do when hanging out with friends in college or back home.
Sunday morning brought chilly weather and clouds so some of us walked around for a bit and some of us stayed in to do homework before we left for our bus leaving at 4.
But returning to Buenos Aires means finals season—essays, presentations, exams—so wish us luck!
See ya later!
———
Larissa Wermers
Mechanical Engineering
Engineering in Buenos Aires, Argentina
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