Mi Ultima Entrada- The Last Post

After being 5400 miles away for 4 months, I've composed some lists my overall experience of Argentina-what I expected, what I didn't, and what I liked or didnt.  I’ve truly had an incredible experience in Buenos Aires and I hope to someday return to my temporary home. I met people, had great experiences, and learned so much in 4 short months.  Well, here are my lists:

Things I’ve realized

~You are going to see or experience something bizarre every day. Today, I saw a sandwich factory washing their left-over leaves and tomato slices off on the sidewalk and into the sewer. 

~If you want to determine if a random stranger (has to be someone you don’t know at all) is a porteño or not, look them straight in the eye and smile. If they do not return the smile, it’s a porteño….this goes the other way around too. 

~If you see a porteño you know you MUST give them a beso and greet then enthusiastically, even if this means leaning over 3 people, interrupting a conversation, walking into a and interrupting the class (seriously this happened), or even if it’s just your teacher on the street. 

~I waste sooo much time waiting for busses, trains, and the subte. 

~Going out for dinner is fairly expensive. 

~You don’t need to get very dressed up to go out at night if you don’t feel like it.  You’ll see everything from stylish t-shirts to girls in short party dresses.

~Porteños very often donate to the beggars who come onto the subte. 

~Little kids will come into restaurants while you’re eating to beg at each table and the owners usually won’t say anything.

~Taxi drivers are some of the friendliest people. 

~It hasn’t felt like Christmas is close at ALL. 

What I’ll miss

~Seeing something strange every day. Even as I write this on the bus on the way to the airport, we passed cars out on the side of the highway in the triangle between an overpass and the connecting road.  Not only were there cars there though, they were 5 of them purposefully there and the people were sitting out on blankets in the grass. I just don’t think I can imagine people doing that next to the entrance ramp on I75.  Ha

~Alfajores-2 or 3 cookies with dulce de leche as layers in between…YUM

~Dulce de leche- this goes without saying if you’ve been following my blogs.  I brought home 3 containers of it J

~Mate conversation club

~So many opportunities to speak Spanish

~Riding the bus, subte, and train.

~Street/public transport performers and vendors.

~Grapefruit-flavored water.

~People waiting their turn almost always.

~Dessert after EVERY dinner.

~Being able to stay out till the sun rises.

~AND of course, all my Sol and UB friends, Porteño friends, our director, and my host mom

What I’m looking forward to:

~People speaking English

~Stores having change for a $20….or just paying with a credit card J

~Being able to throw TP in the toilet.

~Peanut butter

~American breakfasts.

~Skyline, Marion’s, Waffle House

~Drinking mate in the US

~American milk

What I feel like I would never get used to no matter how long I was in Argentina:

~Strangers not smiling back ever…it just bothers me.

~Women breastfeeding in public- on the bus, in shops, on the side of the street….just startles me for a second haha

~All the platform shoes and the pants that look like you have a sweatshirt on your legs

~Guys trying to kiss you half way through the first song you dance to….I have gotten used to dodging out at this point tho :D

What I have gotten accustomed to:

~Piropos: look straight ahead, don’t smile, and pretend like nothing happened.

~Throwing TP in the trash can.

~Eating at 9 PM.

~All the meat in the diet.

Argentina, you’ll always hold a place in my heart as well as everyone I’ve met along the way.  Thank you for everyone who has supported my journey and everyone who’s been reading my blog for the last few months.  The 1500 views has been flattering, even though half of these might be from my parents ;)  I would love to tell any one of you about my experiences in person sometime.  Un beso!