6-1 The Day Before We Leave Argentina

By: Wynton Wong

It’s our last full day in Argentina, so we had to finish the sightseeing and go back to one of the most fun places in Buenos Aires. We returned to the neighborhood called “La Boca.” La Boca is a colorful neighborhood filled with street vendors and performers. A traditional tourist destination, we had to go back because there were so many different and fun souvenirs to buy for an extremely cheap price. Arriving around 11:30, we had around two hours to shop and eat lunch. Many of us went to a restaurant that had tango and folk dancers in the front and delicious chicken and empanadas inside. At the end of the two hour time limit we had all bought enough souvenirs to last through another year of gift-giving and birthdays.
After La Boca we continued going through the city and went to a gorgeous city park area. Located in the middle of the bustling metropolis that is Buenos Aires, it’s a sanctuary that’s perfect for relaxing and escaping hectic city life. We toured the park, many of us taking pictures of the wonderful scenery and some of us just enjoying nature and running around. Joggers were slightly confused by the rambunctious group that is our Cary Academy group but we continued along our merry way. We even saw the American Embassy; the red, white and blue waving among the skyscrapers of Buenos Aires.
Back in the bus, we went on to the location of our first night in Argentina, the neighborhood of Porto Madiera. Specifically we wanted to see the Puente de Mujer, or the Women Bridge; a wonderful piece of architecture that spans across a wide river. The bridge can actually move when a large boat needs to move through the area. The white spire-like bridge was a great photo-op and many of us had fun taking pictures. We also had the opportunity to tour a traditional boat. The boat was large and it was very easy to get lost in it. Many of us were a little late because we were enveloped in the depths of the ship. A magnificent ship, it ended our little tour of some key spots in Buenos Aires.
Off the bus and back in the hotel, Senor Quesada gave the final directions for the rest of the evening; we need to pack, clean and be ready to get out tomorrow! None of us are ready to go and packing is hectic and quite a chore, seeing as many of us bought a lot of things. We also needed to clean the rooms, we don’t want to be a bother to the hotel staff that has been so welcoming to us!
After a check of the rooms to see if we actually did pack and clean up. Some of us changed because we went to a dinner with the principal of North Hills. The restaurant was in Porto Madiera and was a fantastic little Italian style restaurant. The principal and his wife were very welcoming and very sorry that we could not stay with the families in Pilar, especially because they were one of the families. We all talked about different things and ate great food. The principal paid for the fantastic meal and we cannot give enough thanks to him and all the families in Pilar for even giving us the opportunity to live with them.
The end of the day is here and the last full day in Argentina is over. We are all a little tired, very sad that we could fully experience Argentina with our exchange students, and a little homesick (though we may not admit to it.) We are all grateful and happy for the time we were allowed to spend in Argentina and Buenos Aires. Seeing fantastic sights, eating delicious food, experiencing a Spanish-speaking country and practicing our Spanish; Argentina has been a fantastic adventure. We all wish we could have gone to Pilar, but sometimes things just don’t work out exactly as planned. But regardless we all had a great time in Argentina, learning a lot from the few days we were here. We are grateful and thankful for all the fun times we have had on this trip, and hope that we will be able to have more fun times and experiences with Spanish and maybe even our exchange students! We would like to thank everyone in Pilar and North Hills for giving us this opportunity, and hope that they stay in good health, Vanina and the OnlyTour crew for sticking with us through all the tours and crazy times, we learned a lot! The hotel staff for doing a fantastic job and dealing with our shenanigans, all the street vendors, shop owners for allowing us to practice our Spanish, no matter if it made sense, and creating beautiful objects for us to buy. Senor Quesada and Lee Lao Shi for chaperoning, it’s been a wild and crazy ride! Lastly, we would like to give tons of love and thanks to the people of Argentina and Buenos Aires for being just gorgeous and fantastic.
We will be going to “La Plata”, a different city in Argentina, tomorrow before we go to the Buenos International Airport. Where we will be flying to Miami and back to North Carolina! We all miss our friends and families and can’t wait to come home, but this trip to Argentina, Argentina, and Buenos Aires will forever be cherished.