This post is being written while I sit at the dining room table with Sofí sharing some mate. Maté is totally a thing here. It’s a type of tea you drink though a special straw and it’s very very strong with lots of caffeine. I must learn to love it.
Here’s a recap of the first couple of days here in Arg:
The first Argentinian I met was the women sitting next to me on the plane to Buenos Aires. Here name was Virginia, and we became friends before the plane even took off. People are like that in Argentina; you feel like you’ve known them for a long time even if it’s only been a few days. Virginia helped me find my luggage and make it through customs and migrations, then we parted ways so I could find my host family.
Gustavo, Franco, and Sofi Pugnaloni stood waiting for me with a welcome sign. They all gave me hugs, then we went out to their pickup truck. I remember noticing the differences in their Spanish, and that I understood maybe half of what they said. They tried to make jokes and I understood none of them, but I’ve gotten better by now. Also, I definitely had forgotten what winter felt like.
Meeting my new sister.
We drove to Sofi’s Aunt Miriam’s apartment in Buenos Aires. Miriam is a librarian at a school in Buenos Aires, and her home was full of books. We had breakfast, and I tried my first “medialuna,” a famous Argentinian pastry. Think croissant filled with Dulce de Leche. After, Gustavo, Franco, and Sofi took me to explore Buenos Aires. They were all so funny and welcoming, and they immediately felt like family. I did my best to talk with my family and we all discovered that if they speak slow enough and repeat things, I’ll eventually catch on.
My first observation of BS AS: People in the city have zero regard to driving in their lanes. The cars just weave in an out of each other, as close as physically possible, and it’s terrifying.
The architecture in central Buenos Aires is incredible. I did not expect the amount of huge, ornate buildings that I saw there, especially La Casa Rosada, where the president works, and el Teatro Colón, the most famous theatre in South America. We took photos and walked around, visiting a few small museums near la Casa Rosada. Travelers had told me that Buenos Aires feels like Europe, and it’s true.
La Casa Rosada
Franco, Sofía, y yo
El Congresso de la Nación
We spent a few hours touring the city, then apparently I fell asleep in the back of the truck. I slept for four more hours in Miriam’s apartment until around eight, then we went back out. Buenos Aires never sleeps, and all the shops stay open hours into the night. We walked down Calle Corrientes, a center for theatre in Buenos Aires. Everywhere you look is a sign for a new musical, play or concert, and there are book stores on almost every block as well.
Some famous Argentinian comedians.
We stayed out and explored until two in the morning, and my personal highlight of the evening was the ice cream, which is similar to gelato and less expensive. In Argentina, a typical date is to share ice cream and go to a movie. After exploring, we came home to watch a horror movie and finally went to sleep around five. It’s normal here for people to stay out late. The next morning we left BS AS to drive to Daireaux, where Sofí lives. I moved into my new room with Sofí and her sister Estefania, and also met some of Sofí friends.
I can feel that my castellano (the type of spanish spoken here) has improved so much in the last few days, but most of the time I still listen in complete confusion. Sofi If I can get people to slow down a lot when they speak to me, it’s much easier. And when I need someone to talk to about the simple things, like toys, food, and cats, I have Sofí’s little brother, Valentino.
Tomorrow is my first day of school with Sofi, since today was a holiday. I’ll also write a post about my family and home in Daireaux.
At any time in life, your happiness depends a lot upon where you are what you’re doing, and especially who you are with. While Denmark is beautiful and we have been having loads of fun in all of our activities, the wonderful company I have kept here has made my time even better. No matter what we are doing, whether it is yard work or roller coaster riding, I am always in a good mood because I am surrounded by such amazing people.
Here in Denmark, I live with my host parents, Lisbeth and Christian, and my host siblings, Majken and Johan. Aside from those in the house, I have two more siblings, Astrid and Fredrik, who live and study in Copenhagen. Since it is during summer break, there has not been a day where either Astrid or Fredrik weren’t visiting us in Kalundborg, and I am glad I have had the chance to spend time with them along with the rest of my family.
In the five days I have spent with my lovely family, I have learned only a little about each of my family members and I hope to learn so much more. So, for now, here are some miscellaneous and quirky facts about my incredible family including some seriously remarkable adjectives.
Majken:
Majken reading with Hans Christian Anderson
black pants are vital
loves plants
makes great juice
roller coaster fanatic
monumentally likable
Johan:
extremely dapper
soccer (futbol) addict
a man of few words
sick DJ skills
likes silly socks
Astrid:
Astrid and I after a morning swim in the frigid waters of the atlantic
aspiring journalist
delightful company
full of fun facts
master of european geography
likes to chat with the queen
Fredrik:
future lawyer
seasoned ping pong player
enjoys a good schedule
has a slight obsession with L.A.
great at minimizing conflicts between potted plants
Christian:
refrigeration expert
grill master
victorious tennis competitor
has serious tour guide potential
occasionally drowns on chairs
Lisbeth:
Lisbeth looking off into the distance on our boat ride around Copenhagen
Fantastic running partner
incredibly caring
extraordinary chef
keeps her gardens pristine
always knows whats up
For such a playful and fun loving family, I thought that these tidbits would be the best way to show you all a little about who they are. Everyone in this family is kind, caring, and absolutely hilarious. Each busy, silly, or quiet moment I spend with them is a moment I hope to remember for many years to come. I am so lucky to have scored such a wonderful family and I simply cannot wait to spend more time with them. I only wish I could stay here for longer.
Johan, me, Majken, and Christian, on our trip to Tivoli in Copenhagen
I’m writing this from the Atlanta airport. My ten hour flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina leaves in two hours, and I’ve heard that my host family is already there and ready to pick me up in the morning. I can’t wait to meet the Pugnaloni’s! They have been incredibly welcoming in all of our conversations, and I’m grateful to have been matched with them.
It took a week to say goodbye to everyone in Hood River. For some reason I felt the need to go around and tell everyone how important they are to me, as if I’ll never see them again. I’ll miss them all while I’m gone for the next few months, and I’ll miss my hometown. Leaving made me realize how much I appreciate it, especially the sunny days spent outdoors with family and friends.
In honor of my one week of summer vacation, here are some photos:
But enough about what I’m leaving behind. I’m going to take this chance in the airport to write down the reasons why I’m going on summer exchange, so I can keep track of them once I get there and things get crazy.
See a culture from the inside: My experience has always been with traveling through foreign countries, not settling down.
Get out of my comfort zone: I know I have a lot of challenges ahead of me and that is cool.
Become fluent in Spanish: Even though the Spanish in Argentina supposedly sounds more like Italian, I shall do my best.
Gain Independence: This reason has come into affect already. I made it here alive so that’s a good sign.
I’ll end my first blog post of my summer exchange with some advice I received from the guy next to me on the plane to Atlanta. He told me to have fun on my trip and to “Learn as much as you can, and share it with everyone.”
I am currently sitting in the London-Heathrow airport with very mixed emotions. Out the large wall of windows, all I can see are clouds and around me are silver pillars leading up to the rippled ceiling. Though I know I am completely grounded, this futuristic atmosphere combined with my inability to see the the actual ground make me feel like I’m still up in the air, floating.
On my last flight, I was writing in my personal travel journal and I couldn’t figure out what to feel. All I could figure out was that none of this seems real. For all I know, I could be dreaming up this entire thing while sleeping peacefully in my bed at home in Hood River. I do know that I am not dreaming though, which makes it much harder to figure out what to do with myself right now. I just keep thinking that I’m not actually doing this. I’m not halfway across the world on my way to live in a foreign country for a month. Thats crazy, absolutely absurd, simply bonkers. What kind of sixteen year old does this on her own? I guess I do, and there is no turning back now.
Thinking about Denmark, it seems like a whole different world from home. It just doesn’t seem like its one more plane ride away. I am roughly three hours from meeting Majken at the airport, three hours from this other world, three hours from everything I’ve imagined Denmark to be, and I believe that it will exceed my expectations. The excitement is overwhelming.
Home Away From Hood 