I’m starting a blog

It’s been one month plus two days since I arrived in Buenos Aires. Before leaving the face-numbing cold in Boston this February, I did not know what to expect from this journey. I knew these things for certain: I would leave the only place I have ever lived for the longest time I had ever left, I did not know anyone in this new country and I likely did not know enough Spanish to get by on Spanish alone. Nonetheless, I was thrilled to be leaving the cold and the certainty of my life and thrust myself into what would undoubtedly be an adventure, for better or worse. Though I knew there was little way to prepare myself for such a change, I was ready to make the dive.

I would be lying if I’ve said it’s been smooth sailing from the beginning. I spent the first month sick with God-knows-what and was prescribed a strict diet which mostly consisted of rice cakes and bananas. I am not lying when I tell you that I ate, on average, 10 rice cakes a day. I learned through the process that a large percentage of my happiness is derived from food and that I should likely seek additional sources of joy. Sometime within the first few weeks, I took the bus in the wrong direction and ended up at a shady stop wedged between abandoned buildings, train tracks and rubble and had to rely on my minimal Spanish and the honesty of strangers to get me where I needed to be. Most recently, I misplaced my phone last evening which resulted in the creation of this blog, which will now fill the time I would typically spend idly browsing my social media apps. Living under the supervision of a host parent is a major shift from the independence of apartment living I am used to at school. Despite a few setbacks and life adjustments, I’ve enjoyed my time here and I feel like I’m learning a lot about the city, about myself and about a culture I knew very little about before immersing myself in it. It’s an exciting but trying time to be me. For now, this blog will be a compilation of my thoughts and feelings about studying, learning and living abroad in Buenos Aires. Like I have been in this initial post, I will be honest. I’ll share my experience as it is without avoiding the negatives and emphasizing the positives. Welcome to my rambles!