Hola! Estamos en Buenos Aries! That is about how intricate our Spanish skills are now, but who knows, by the time we are on the plane back home we could be fluent!
Coming off a nine-hour flight at 7:00 am where we were packed like sardines, it could be reasoned how we might not have been the peppiest group. Even then, a lack of sleep did not stop us from entering Argentina for the first time with a smile on our faces!
We strolled through the airport and approached customs first, we could not help but laugh because every customs agent asked us which hotel we were staying at and no students knew the name of the hotel. Subsequently, all anyone in customs could hear was our group yelling “Melia!” (name of our hotel) across the customs room from station to station.
Once we grabbed our luggage and began to exit the airport, we were then greeted by our lovely guide Sofia! With a big smile and a Bryant University T-shirt on, she gathered us together and introduced herself.
The second we walked out of the airport, that tropical smell hit us like a wall, and we loved it. One of the immediate differences we realized were the whistles. Traffic cops were directing all the cars with whistles and in addition, everyone was using the crosswalks. For anyone who lives in New York or Boston, it is safe to say people do not always tend to follow the traffic laws at airports. None the less, we all made it onto the bus, and we were ready to begin our journey!
As we departed from the airport, some of us tried to fit in as much sleep as possible before the day starts while others had their eyes glued to the windows gazing as we drove through Argentina. Some things caught our eyes, such as a couple of stray dogs running around, or the fact that a litre of gas WAS ONLY $.76! After about thirty minutes we reached the heart of Buenos Aries. To get to our hotel we went down their famous street “9th of July” which Argentinians refer to as the widest road in the world. At the end of the road and a quick left, we finally reached our hotel, Melia.
This was just the first experience of an unforgettable trip! Check-in with us daily to see what we are up to!
Hasta La Vista Baby,
Cole Mitchell
SIE 2020, Latin America 