Arrival
My arrival could have gone a bit better. There was a miscommunication about when I was arriving, and so the apartment agency that was supposed to meet me to hand off my keys when I arrived actually got to the airport the day before I arrived. So I got in at 7:45am with three bags and nowhere to go, but I was able to get in touch with the apartment agency and they could meet me at my apartment with the keys at 1:30. So my 18 hours of travel led to six more hours of waiting around in the Buenos Aires airport, but as far as mix-ups go this was easily fixable so no big deal. I walked around, watched an episode of West Wing (Let Barlet be Bartlet, in case you're wondering...I mean, could there really have been a more appropriate episode to watch?), and ate some cookies.
Finally got to my apartment in Palermo. It's a beautiful apartment on the 7th floor...
....with a balcony that faces a beautiful church...
...and is lined with plants!
So, yes.
I am happy with my apartment.
A Little Exploration
My first day I was so exhausted and frantic that I never got a chance to appreciate my new surroundings (after the apartment mix-up, I was settled for only twenty minutes before I accidentally blew out my computer charger by messing up the voltage connection. I had about twenty minutes until my computer died, removing my only connection to the outside world, so I had to run out into the city to find another one). Plus, being alone made me realize why I always liked having roommates in new cities- it can be intimidating to have to figure everything out on your own. But, that's also a big part of why I wanted to live abroad.
My first day I was so exhausted and frantic that I never got a chance to appreciate my new surroundings (after the apartment mix-up, I was settled for only twenty minutes before I accidentally blew out my computer charger by messing up the voltage connection. I had about twenty minutes until my computer died, removing my only connection to the outside world, so I had to run out into the city to find another one). Plus, being alone made me realize why I always liked having roommates in new cities- it can be intimidating to have to figure everything out on your own. But, that's also a big part of why I wanted to live abroad.
So! The next morning, I (wo)manned up and set out to explore this beautiful city (and to get groceries).
First, I figured out the subway system (el Subte) that I would have to be taking to work, and did a test run. My office is in downtown, which is famously marked by the Obelisk of Buenos Aires:
(looks suspiciously like the Washington Monument if you ask me)
More buildings should have large dog heads like this on top of them
This fountain is just a few steps from my office
Then I took the subway back up to La Plaza Italia,
view of street, standing on la Plaza Italia
which is in my neighborhood of Palermo. La Plaza Italia is a beautiful area, with lots of greenery. It contains the Buenos Aires Zoo:
and the Botanical Gardens:
The Botanical Gardens, in addition to beautiful plants and flowers, also has some beautiful statues:
and LOTS of stray cats!
The next day, I walked to the neighborhood Recoleta, which is one of the fanciest barrios (neighborhoods), located just southeast of my neighborhood of Palermo. I went to visit the Cementerio de la Recoleta, which is a huge cemetery containing only mausoleums so that it looks like a miniature village. It's both creepy and, being a short person, oddly comforting.
Evita Peron is also buried there
Initial Impressions
Buenos Aires is a beautiful city, filled with friendly and fast-moving people. My closest comparison that comes to mind is New York, though the streets are slightly less crowded and the people more likely to say hello to you in passing. There seems to be a diversity of neighborhoods and feels to this city that I have only begun to explore and understand. I can already tell that this is going to be one of the most exciting and challenging experiences I have yet to get myself into. In the same way that campaigning for twelve hours a day used to make me believe that I could do ANYTHING for a mere eight hours, this experience is already making me feel that I could do ANYTHING so long as I'm able to communicate in English.
I have only had one day of internship, so will wait to share impressions with that until I've had some time to form fair judgments.
All in all, so far I've had highs and lows, but in my few days here, I have felt so lucky. I am loving all the little challenges - from how to order delivery, to finally forcing myself to learn directions, to figuring out what the groceries are in the store - and I am loving the different scenery and architectural landscape that a new country has to offer. I am finally having the opportunity abroad that I've always wanted, but was too consumed by fear (and other internships) to endeavor. Well that's it. No more fear. Buenos Aires, here we go!
Ciao!
