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By quericolavida

SubteBuenos Aires is a HUGE city. The population of the metro area brinks on 13,000,000 people, most of whom will happily tell you some of the things they love about their city, the dulce de leche, the café culture, the European architecture, the tango, the colorful barrios, and the constant chaos that strings it all together. I experienced a generous dose of Buenos Aires bedlam as soon as I arrived, smack-dab in the middle of a Subte worker’s strike, the cause of which nobody could really explain (the Subte is the BA equivalent to DC’s Metro). I even heard a local joke about being furious, but not even knowing whom to blame anymore. It had something to do with the city’s government not getting along with the regional government and deciding who would set the wage.

The strike clogged up the streets, making journeys downtown, like one to apply for a student’s visa, a total nightmare. The cross-town trip took an hour and a half of being sardine-d into a bus. The colectivos (busses) and congestion on the road mirrored a similar sidewalk situation during the strike.

People everywhere.

...continue reading "Bouncin’ Around Buenos Aires"

By quericolavida

Iguazu Falls

 

 

Somewhere in the Northeast corner of Argentina, the country kisses the corners of both Brazil and Paraguay right along the Paranáriver. The river continues South for 14 miles until it splits off in o the Iguazú river, dividing Brazil and Argentina and flows between these two countries. Before continuing East, the water cascades more than 250ft down the breathtaking Iguazu Falls.

...continue reading "Un Viaje: Cataratas del Iguazú"

By quericolavida

When I first arrived here in Buenos Aires, it was the height of the Olympics. In fact, the United States had just surpassed China and became the country with the most gold medals in this year's Games. I went to a bar with a fellow American student on the IBUS in Argentina program to watch the USA vs. Argentina basketball game. I asked the waiter if he could put the game on and if we could sit down and watch it. He could tell we were gringos from my accent and replied jokingly in Spanish,

"Sure! You guys are rooting for Argentina, right?"

"Claro!" We laughed with him and ordered a drink. After half-time USA pulled away form Argentina with a ten point lead. We said to the waiter,

"If we win the drinks are on the house, right?"    He wasn't super amused.

USA Basketball Olympic Team

...continue reading "Ex-Patriotism and the Olympics in a Far-Away Land"

By hwscott

Right now, I am sitting in a hotel that was built in the 1600s, in one of the craziest (and highest) cities in the world, La Paz, Bolivia. In the past 24 hours, I've had about 3 hours sleep, traveled almost 4000 miles, ascended 13,000 feet, walked through a street fair, encountered a huge demonstration, and seen countless amazing political graffiti. This morning after we landed, the sun came up on Mt. Illimani in the distance, and as we drove away, we came up to the edge of the altiplano and looked down more than 5000 feet to the bottom of the city. We all couldn’t keep our mouths shut as we looked upon row after row of colorful houses and shacks clinging to the slopes, descending to the colonial/ modern skyscraper city center below.

...continue reading "Las Investigaciones en La Paz"

By quericolavida

Buenos Aires Aiport

Hello! And welcome to my blog about all things Buenos Aires. I arrived here last Friday with 10 other GW students participating in the first ever "International Business in Argentina" program. After a weekend of orientation and a full week of classes we are finally starting to get a hang of the city. Another big leap in the familiarization process is that the Subte, the BA equivalent to the DC Metro, is working again after the 10-day-long strike, which resulted in the million (literally a million people) daily commuters who usually use the underground transit further clogging the city's streets and bus systems on their way to and from work. ...continue reading "Bienvenidos a Buenos Aires!"

By bbuck92

September 4th: Discuss what study abroad program you are attending and why, what type of volunteer work/research you plan to do abroad


Brendan Buckland
About eight years ago, on an impulse I hardly even remember anymore, I found myself on a rented surfboard in Maine. While my mother nervously watched from the shore, I floated in whitewater surf giddily trying to recreate what I had seen on posters and movies. Of course, my attempts to surf with ease were in vain and I flopped around in the waves endangering myself far more than I was able to impress any onlookers. I collapsed after several hours when the sun had set with sore limbs and rashes which made it uncomfortable to walk. When my mother approached me to assess the damage I begged for a second day. All damage aside, I was hooked.

Such was my indoctrination into the world of surf. While my passion continued for several summers, a busy high school schedule and lack of car, along with a move to Washington DC for college eventually ended my brief affair with surfing. ...continue reading "Valpo Surf Project"