Skip to content

Understanding Buenos Aires: My first week in the city

By anuhyabobba

Buenos Aires has been beautiful thus far. The city can be best described as eclectic. The study abroad center is located centrally on what is called the “widest avenue in the world” and so is close to a lot of the places I hope to explore. The architecture here has a heavy European influence, which makes for the best of walks.

I live in a home stay with my host mom, her daughter, her daughter’s husband, and her three grandchildren. It is a rather big household, but I am loving every moment of it -- growing up as an only child makes me appreciate this more and more. My host mom spoke to me in English the first week in Buenos Aires, but has now been speaking in Spanish mainly so I can gain a better grasp of the language.

I love city life tremendously; I enjoy stepping outside the apartment complex door and being surrounded by this great energy. Buenos Aires has more than I could ask for. The coffee culture here is incredible, but there are not that many to-go coffee places. Even if I am living in such a big city, time still goes slow here. People are not in this rush, so sitting down in a cafe or what have you by yourself or with your friend and having a pleasant conversation over coffee is commonplace even in the busiest of days. It helps in appreciating each day more than the last.

As my days here grow and grow, I am diving deeper into the country’s history through coursework and exploring. Before coming, I read up on Argentina as much as I could. But being here helps in making what textbooks and articles taught me into a larger reality. My program organized a city tour for the students, and on it, we visited Plaza de Mayo. During the 1970s, Argentina experienced what is known as the Dirty War. Thousands of people “disappeared” or were abducted and killed, because they were considered to be political dissidents by the military dictatorship at the time. The mothers of the “disappeared” took to the Plaza de Mayo demanding the whereabouts of their children. Standing there overwhelmed me to say the least, but it provided this deeper sense of understanding for Argentina and its people.

I have a lot more to learn, and I cannot wait for this city has to bring in the future.