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Adventures of the Week

Callan Swaim
March 15, 2015
View From Downtown Buenos Aires

Week three has come to an end in our new country. Life is now starting to seem normal and we are all starting to get into a flow. Today I actually found a cafe without getting lost once! Life is good.

School- which is most of the day- at the IES center is always fun. The classes are super interesting, informative and the professors are always personable and attentive. Especially coming from a small liberal arts school like Wittenberg, I have always been spoiled with personal attention from professors and here -it's no different. Beside the incredible staff, classes are always fun because there are activities to look forward to, or sometimes activities that you are surprised by! Last week, my history professor took us on a surprise field trip to the local museum to see paintings of the people we had been learning about in previous classes. Even in college, one is never too old for a field trip. 

So, now about my first day of class at the local university, UCA. What an experience. Just like in America, the first of class I left feeling overwhelmed and a little nervous. Luckily, this business class seems really cool and I am already learning things about Argentina that I don't think I would have known if I hadn't of taken this course. I am also in a special situation because I am not just the only IES student in this class, but also the only exchange student that is from an English speaking country. Lets just say that most of my responses that day were, "No sé" or "Repite por favor" with sweet smile and bright red face. But I am glad because now that I know what the atmosphere of the classroom will be like and I already feel more prepared for my next class. 

Alright- enough about school- this weekend was one for the books. Originally there was an IES sailing trip that the majority of us were going on, but due to the weather, it was postponed. Instead, we went to one of the local markets ("one of", meaning there are tons). Let me tell you, there were SO many beautiful handmade crafts and food, more than the eye could see. After the market, we went to an area near the main plaza for what we heard was an international food fair thing. We obviously had no clue what it was. When we arrived, all we could see was a massive amount of people, incredible foods and little trinkets from about 30 different countries. Not only did the food look good, but it smelled- absolutely amazing. Our personal favorites you ask? The falafel (Armenia) , the "meat cone" (Nigeria), the Arepa (Peru) and of course, the Paella (Spain). Along with the food, there were live bands and even a pageant show to queen the Porteña Queen of 2015. I guess it goes to show you that there is ALWAYS something happening in Buenos Aires. When 18:00 (6pm) started to turn into 23:00 (11pm) we figured it was time to navigate back home. It's funny thought, time always seems to do that in Argentina- we all swear time goes by twice as fast here. Anyways, what to look forward to in the near future? Uruguay. 

Catch ya on the flip side! 

 

 

 

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Callan Swaim

<p>Hola! My name is Callan Swaim and I am a junior currently studying Business and Spanish. In the United States you can find me either frolicking in the cornfields of Indiana or perhaps strutting to class at Wittenberg University in Ohio, but in Argentina I will experiencing a whole new world. Stay tuned and I will take you on my adventures exploring though the life, streets, and culture of the magical city of Buenos Aires.&nbsp;</p>

Home University:
Wittenberg University
Major:
Business Administration
Spanish
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