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By anuhyabobba

The size of Buenos Aires is hard to fully grasp, but here is what I like to do the most in this enormous town:

1) Cafes on cafes - The coffee culture here is incomparable, and that is something I truly love about Buenos Aires. The lack of to-go coffee places makes for some amazing cafes where you can sit down and have a nice cup of espresso with an assortment of pastries. Havanna is a cafe chain here that I enjoy, and their coffee and alfajores are on point.

2) Weekend fairs - There are numerous fairs that happen throughout the city on Saturday and Sunday: Recoleta, San Telmo, Palermo, and La Boca to name a few. Booths are set up selling artwork, jewelry, and more. I make a day out of it, especially if I am moving past my own neighborhood of Recoleta. The street food sold amidst the fair is delicious, and you can find beautiful items for cheap prices if you take the time to.

3) Sunsets on parks and plazas - Buenos Aires has many parks and plazas. Grabbing a blanket and sipping on some mate as the sun sets in Plaza San Martin brings so much peace to me. During the weekends, everyone does the same. You can see teenagers strumming on their guitars or old couples walking by you hand in hand. It is the perfect way to relax after a hectic day or week.

4) Restaurant searching - More often than not, my friends and I here set a time for dinner on the weekends. That is usually how far the planning goes, because we walk into the first restaurant that looks promising. This definitely could go poorly, but it actually has made for some fun adventures. It acts as a way of us getting to know our surroundings that much more, and we have found some amazing places to eat that we now return to when time permits. For example, we once ran into this cheap taco place called La Fábrica del Taco. Their 30 peso tacos were delicious, and it was so lively in there -- making for a perfect night.

5) Ice cream - I cannot even begin to describe how delicious the ice cream is here. Late night or evening walks to ice cream shops like Freddo or Volta is by far one of my most favorite things to do. Indulging in the best dulce de leche ice cream is a solid cure for homesickness or to just finish off a lovely day. The McFlurrys here are also heavenly. The Milka McFlurry is essentially dulce de leche ice cream with Milka chocolate chunks and chocolate syrup drizzled on. Exploring the many ice cream places Buenos Aires has to offer is an activity on its own.

By anuhyabobba

More often that not, it seems that the ‘study’ aspect of studying abroad is considered more secondary to the true experience of immersing yourself in a culture you are unfamiliar with. But, the courses I have been taking through my program have been a beautiful complement to my time in Buenos Aires.

To start off with, I have not taken Spanish prior to coming here. I only have a background in French, which helps tremendously in learning Spanish. Because I am at a beginner level, I have Spanish from Monday to Thursday with two different professors. From the beginning, they only spoke to us in Spanish, which was overwhelming but now I am so glad that they do. It forces me to pay more attention to the vocabulary I learn from class or from my host family and to then connect the dots together to understand what they are saying. Being in Buenos Aires itself while doing this is nothing short of what I needed. I am able to leave the classroom and put the language to use daily, and I see myself picking it up faster and faster each day.

I absolutely love the courses I am taking here. Latin America had always been a component in my previous classes -- never the focus. To be taking three classes that deal with issues areas within the region is what I have looked forward to all last year. One is called “Drugs and Violence in Latin American Literature and the Arts.” I came in with the misconception that it would focus largely on subjective violence -- in essence, people killing people or other acts of physical violence. But, the professor focuses more largely on systemic violence or what causes this subjective violence we see on TV to happen. The other two courses I am taking are centered around Argentina, one dealing with its environment and one with its history. All three of these courses overlap and remain more interesting than the next. There are often field trips to museums or such for these classes, which adds to the experience even more. I am able to really delve into what has been a interest of mine for a while, and being able to discuss what I learn with my host family adds a new perspective each time.

Learning about Latin American in the U.S. compared to learning about it within the region itself has been vastly different and eye opening. Being in Buenos Aires itself gives you further context to the history and politics and literature I learn about in class at IES, which makes for a more deeper understanding. While in the U.S., you can learn about all of these subject areas but the context and the views of the people from the region itself can go missing from time to time. But, what I have learned at GWU has definitely given a solid background for me to expand my interest and knowledge to greater heights.

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.