15 days down, 5 months to go!

There are no words to describe my first two weeks in Buenos Aires. From figuring out the all-encompassing city transportation system (being a pedestrian in BA is an actual life or death experience between you and a car/bus/truck with how people drive,) to meeting all the amazing people in my program, to starting my Spanish intensive, to our first ISA excursion to the beautiful river town of El Tigre, to just exploring the 101 things that the city offers, these first two weeks have been a  literal whirlwind. The days keep blending together as each day is packed full with new and exciting experiences. It is just starting to sink in that I am going to be here for the next five months, and I love every second of it. Planning trips to go to Patagonia, to Mendoza wine country, to Igauzu falls and everywhere in between really allows this realization to sink in because I have to keep reminding myself that I really do have five more months to at least try to do it all.

I have learned how extremely amazing it is to have a host mother that is a fabulous cook, how even if you attempt to speak Spanish to locals, they will appreciate it and try to help you, how exploring a century old cemetery can show you how this city is packed with so much history and many other things, and how last minute beach trips make the best memories (even after the bus broke down in the middle of the grassy plains of Argentina). The self-control to not eat every delicious bite of food in sight is difficult, and the transition to living in an ever-moving big city has been an adjustment, but the quote that “studying abroad is an once in a lifetime experience that will change who you are and how you view the world,” is really accurate. I can already start to see that, from my first two weeks in this wonderful strange city that is Buenos Aires, that this adventure will really change my life.