The beginning of the end is upon us. On Monday we
went to an estancia outside the city. It is similar to a ranch. At this estancia we started the day by getting a
tour. We then moved on to riding horses. For most of us,
myself included, riding these horses was better than the time we rode
horses in Cordoba. The reason for this was because
we got to gallop and make the horses somewhat run. After this ride we had lunch, a variety of meat, and
vanilla ice cream, followed by a round of soccer
before ending our day with with another horse ride.
This
goodbye will not be an easy one. We have made a lot of connections and
saying goodbye to them is not fun. Especially since everyone has been so
open to us. The people that we have
met along with dulce de leche, empanadas, kiosco at every block,
chorros and el mate will all be missed.
Lastly
I want to say thank you to Eugenia, the Colegio del Salvador program coordinator; Fefo, a counselor from Colegio del Salvador;
Esteban, our tour guide from Cordoba; the cafeteria staff; Mr. Rakovec and Ms.
Basin; and all those who made
this experience so great. Good bye Argentina.
-Igor
miércoles, 10 de julio de 2013
lunes, 8 de julio de 2013
Madero Tango
It amazes me that as I sit down to write this post that
we have just completed our last weekend in Buenos Aires. It seems like
yesterday that we were reunited with our host brothers and introduced
to the rest of our families
for the time being. This trip has flown by fast which brings us to our
most recent days in city
On Thursday, our group traveled to The Bicentennial
Museum of Argentina. This museum was very interesting and did a great
job explaining the history of the country. This museum took us
through all the major events in Argentine history,
such as la guerra sucia and the country's monetary crisis. This museum
also featured a very interesting mural. We then returned to school
where our host brothers had just finished their exams and all parted our
separate ways.
The next day was even more eventful than Thursday.
On Friday our group walked to the Recoleta cemetery. This cemetery is
a big tourist attraction and is nothing like we have back in Boston.
This cemetery takes up a whole block and has
gravestones that are 20 feet high. This cemetery is home to some of
the most famous citizens in Argentine history such as presidents and
their families and the writer of the Argentine national anthem. After
the cemetery we all went to the Recoleta Mall
to shop and to have lunch. That afternoon Colegio del Salvador was in
the best out of three championship for basketball. Some of us whose
brothers went, such as Luke, Brendan, Mike, and Igor experienced one of
the most intense sporting events I've ever attended.
The crowd was filled with Salvador fans who threw balloons, sang and
jumped up and down the whole entire game. With the support of the crowd
Salvador won by 20 points. This action packed day had yet to complete
because after the game all of us attended a
tango show at Madero Tango with Mr. Rakovec and Sra. Basin. This was many of
our first experiences with a real tango show and we were awestruck with
the dancers' talent. Along with the show we were treated to a 3 course
meal. This was an action filled day and one
of the best I have had in Argentina.
This weekend has been a normal Argentine weekend
for me. Saturday, Luke and I went to our brothers' fútbol match. Then
later that evening my host father, Mr. Rakovec and I went to Palermo, a nearby neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Sunday has been relaxing
as well and my family has had nothing planned so Nacho and I went to
the mall.
I hope this post finds everyone well. We are all
sad to leave Argentina but at the same time are looking forward to
coming back home. See you all Thursday!
- Steve
sábado, 6 de julio de 2013
La última semana completa
As our
motley crew heads into its last week here in Argentina, we are beginning to
feel the bittersweet moments of our stay. Some want to return home to their
families and return to regular sleep schedules, while others prefer the
fast-paced life in the city and are going to miss Argentina dearly. Therefore,
we all must enjoy our last week here.
On
Monday, July 1, we celebrated the Eucharist with our fellow brethren of
Argentina. Even though we only filled two pews of the hulking establishment,
the spirit of God could be felt by all. The day concluded with our beloved
teacher, Mr. Rakovec, joining us in a game of 5 v. 5 fútbol (soccer). Toward the end of our time in the gym, Mr.
Rakovec delivered a blistering pass to the foot of striker Luke Ayers who volleyed
the ball into the 6 x 8 frame. We have really enjoyed playing fútbol in Buenos Aires, both amongst ourselves and with the
fellow Argentines.
On
Tuesday, the group went on a tour of the Colón
Theatre. The theatre is considered one of the best concert venues in the world,
along with New York's Carnegie Hall and Metropolitan Opera and Australia's
Sydney Opera House. We toured various areas once inside, ranging from
marble-walled waiting rooms to the balcony facing the stage. We even had the
pleasure of listening to a performer practice a piece of work for an upcoming
opera! Upon leaving, we ate a pre-lunch snack at the famous Café Tortoni. The cuisine most common among the group were a
combination of "submarinos" and "churros."A
"submarino" is a warm glass of milk along with a bar of chocolate
that can be dunked in and stirred to make a chocolate delight. A "churro
is a hardened pastry, similar to a doughnut that has been straightened into a
roll, that is lightly coated in sugar. We ate them plain, but they can be
filled with dulce de leche or cloaked in chocolate.
On
Wednesday, the group traveled to La Boca, a barrio, or neighborhood, of Argentina.
The main attraction was the stadium of the local Boca Juniors fútbol squad, called "La Bombonera." While hooligans
Luke Ayers and Steve O'Sullivan were quite disgruntled at the fact that we
chose not to visit the River Plate stadium (River is the rival of Boca), they
made due with the time spent. After touring the stadium, we walked through
various shops, and we arrived at our
restaurant for lunch, "La Vieja Rotisería."
It was a mainly outdoor restaurant that featured live dancing of both tango and
zamba.
The
students at Colegio del Salvador have final exams this week. They are exhausted
and ready for their three-week vacation that will follow. While this may be our
last week, the spirits are high. Happy Fourth of July to all! We hope it will
be as fun for you as Argentina has been for us.
In the Boca Juniors stadium |
In the visitors' locker room at the Boca Juniors stadium |
miércoles, 3 de julio de 2013
El fin de semana
As we
continued our journey on the bus back from Cordoba, the majority of us sleeping, we were
suddenly awakened. All of us sleepily opened our eyes and were startled
to find policemen requesting our
passports. Mr. Rakovec and Mrs. Basin had to retrieve all passports
from their backpacks and the police slowly examined our
passports for what seemed like hours. Finally, the police handed our
passports back to Mr. Rakovec and Mrs. Basin and
left the bus. We are still perplexed as to how the police found out
that we were tourists.
Once we got off the bus about an hour later, we walked to another bus, which then transported us to the school. There, we waited a short time until our host families picked us up and brought us back home. Meanwhile, our host brothers were still at a spiritual retreat until 6:00 pm. I am sure that many others did the same thing as I did and took a nap while waiting for their brothers to return. Upon returning, Santiago (my host brother) and I continued our normal routine for the remainder of the night which was to play on the PS3 and eat dinner then go to the house of Andrew's host, Manuel, where we hung out with a few others, just talking and playing video games.
On Saturday, Santiago went to the house of the host brother of Brendan Bennett; Danny. At Danny's house, Santiago and Danny prepared studying for their equivalent of midterms which began on Saturday. While they studied, Brendan Bennett and I were taken by Danny's parents to San Telmo, a neighborhood filled with many antiques and charm. We stopped to get dulce de leche ice cream then went back to Danny's house to play on his Wii. Later that night, Brendan and I went with our host brothers to Manuel's house and had an enjoyable time there.
Lastly, on Sunday, Brendan, Andrew and I went with our host brothers to an asado hosted by Danny. We played card games, ping pong, and soccer while waiting for the food to cook then enjoyed a delicious lunch followed by more soccer. All in all, it was a great weekend.
-Brennan M.
Once we got off the bus about an hour later, we walked to another bus, which then transported us to the school. There, we waited a short time until our host families picked us up and brought us back home. Meanwhile, our host brothers were still at a spiritual retreat until 6:00 pm. I am sure that many others did the same thing as I did and took a nap while waiting for their brothers to return. Upon returning, Santiago (my host brother) and I continued our normal routine for the remainder of the night which was to play on the PS3 and eat dinner then go to the house of Andrew's host, Manuel, where we hung out with a few others, just talking and playing video games.
On Saturday, Santiago went to the house of the host brother of Brendan Bennett; Danny. At Danny's house, Santiago and Danny prepared studying for their equivalent of midterms which began on Saturday. While they studied, Brendan Bennett and I were taken by Danny's parents to San Telmo, a neighborhood filled with many antiques and charm. We stopped to get dulce de leche ice cream then went back to Danny's house to play on his Wii. Later that night, Brendan and I went with our host brothers to Manuel's house and had an enjoyable time there.
Lastly, on Sunday, Brendan, Andrew and I went with our host brothers to an asado hosted by Danny. We played card games, ping pong, and soccer while waiting for the food to cook then enjoyed a delicious lunch followed by more soccer. All in all, it was a great weekend.
-Brennan M.
Suscribirse a:
Entradas (Atom)