La Fase de Luna de Miel en Buenos Aires, Argentina (The Five Senses) L.B

La Fase de Luna de Miel

(The Honeymoon Phase)

Time is arbitrary. The longer that I am away from home and the more that I am consumed by Buenos Aires, I lose more of a sense of what day it is and what time it is. The program directors described our experience as a fish in water. I was in my pond of Meadville and then one day, I was picked up and relocated to the bigger, busier pond of Argentina. I think as of now, I am in a shock and mesmerized by the flashing lights and the hustle and bustle of the city. It is like when you first start knowing someone, the days seem to fly by and before you know it you have been friends for a year.

Sight

There is nothing ugly about this city. Buenos Aires is like Italy's grunge/punk rock cousin. There are beautiful European structure buildings filled with old, classic furniture. There is a lot of color and where there isn't, porteños (locals from Buenos Aires) have gratified their personalities on the porcelain walls. The streets are always packed with cars, buses, taxis and people. Like any cliche movie about a big city, this place NEVER SLEEPS. One of the first things I noticed about the clothing of the locals is that the girls wear platform shoes. Like something out of a 90s Spice Girl music video. Also, body art and piercings are very popular in which tattoos are all over skin and ears and noses are pierced as much as possible. Their style goes with the artsy architecture. It's hard not to stare sometimes. But just as the new age fashion, there is a sense of "classico" in which older men and women dress with trendy suits or dresses. It's so hard not to fall in love with this place.

Taste
If there will be a reason that I don't come home, it will be because of the food. Meat is a large part of Argentine cuisine. AND IT IS DELICIOUS. Everything tastes fresh and there are so many things that the locals press you to try; (i.e. empanadas, submarinos, flan.) Safe to say that my host family feeds me very well and I can never admit to being hungry. Sometimes the language barrier helps in the aspect of me trying things. Reading a menu and just seeing names gives me no direction in what I am going to be trying, but 9/10 I am in love with what I consume. 

(Empanadas and Corona, my first Argentine meal!)

Sound
For it being a city, it is obvious that this place is consistently loud. I got lucky on the fact that I am living on the rough in a little apartment so I do not really hear most of the chaos; however I am convinced that there is an ambulance that passes by every day at 6 am on purpose to deliberately wake me up. I am in love with the people speaking Spanish so casually around me. Strangers will just come up to me and ask questions and begin conversations. Sometimes, I just can't help but get lost in what they're saying and not actually focus on understanding. Also, there are many people that play music on the subway or in the street, begging for money. Sometimes it's beautiful, sometimes I want them to just stop.

Smell

It smells like the beach here for some reason. Like a boardwalk. There are different foods and sometimes foul odors, but whenever I sit on a plaza at night and the breeze is calming, it smells like a city, but with spice and flare.

Touch 

I think the coolest thing about this trip so far is the fact that I have been able to meet my friend from online. Nico and I have been in communication for a year and a half exchanging language and culture through Skype. It is crazy that after all this time I am actually able to have met him in person and now throughout this past week he has shown me the "local side" of Buenos Aires. It helps out when you have someone that is fluent in the native language sometimes.

Nico and I in a cafe in Palermm

For this being my first time out of the country by myself, I feel that this first week couldn't have gone any better. I can't wait to see what else this city has in store for me. But until then, Ciao! 

(Yanki = American)

Too bad I'm not leaving just yet ;)