Athena - Argentina - Recoleta: The Rich & the Dead

Recoleta

Today I embraced my inner tourist and visited the well-known area of Recoleta. This area is the wealthiest part of Buenos Aires and is known for its famous cemetery, museums and shopping. I took the subway (see my post about cultural misunderstandings for a funny story about my first subway trip) and then had to walk about 15ish blocks to get to the Recoleta Cemetery.

 (Main entrance to the cemetary. The engraving reads: Rest in Peace)

Athena - Argentina - Oopsies! Language & Cultural Misunderstandings

This is my third day in Argentina so I’ve been here long enough to make several mistakes and get strange looks from the locals. Yeah, it’s been fun. Thought you might get a good laugh over some of my experiences here so far:

·         I go to a café and start to order at the counter. The lady looks at me weird and I’m thinking “Ok, this is simple Spanish, I’m sure I didn’t screw it up”. That’s when she tells me that here you don’t order your food & then grab a table, first you sit down at a table and a waiter comes to you and takes your order.  Oops. They definitely have better service in coffee shops here in Argentina.  Who knew?

Tiffany - USA...for now

Soooo how does one even begin to pack to visit 10 countries across 2 continents over a period of 5 months? I've asked myself that question since I confirmed my attendance for my MBA exchanges but never quite reached an answer. Now here I am....3 days until take off...with 10 items in my suitcase.

Just a short intro before I get too consumed with preparing for my flight to Milan. I'm Tiffany, Jersey girl, daughter, sister, new blogger,

Christian, Attorney turned MBA turned Management Consultant (post-graduation). Over the next 5 months, I will participate in 2 exchanges - at SDA Bocconi in Milan, Italy and at Pontificia Universidad Catolica in Santiago, Chile. I hope to keep you updated as often as possible as I move along and meet up in random countries with some of my other favorite MBA Tar Heels. Please feel free to share your comments, stories and advice. And oh, care packages are also welcome and I would be glad to provide my current address at any time. :)

Reality hasn't hit yet but I'm sure it will soon. T-3 days....*reopens suitcase and sighs*

Athena - USA - Goodbye Party

So I almost forgot to write about my incredible last week in Chapel Hill. Guess you could say that I was distracted by the beauty of Buenos AiresJ. Anyway, my last week in Chapel Hill was way too busy and too much fun as well.

Since I’m leaving UNC a week early I had to cram in all of my assignments that were due the last week into this week, and let’s just say that wasn’t exactly my idea of a good time. Plus packing and figuring out the last minute details of my trip. But the best part of this week was hanging out with my friends. It felt like there was something to do every day and I got a chance to say goodbye in person to most people

Athena - Argentina- Hanging with the housewives y las abuelas

   Today, after a slow start, I walked around the neighborhood and had tea at a café- Café Martinez. Sitting outside was nice, almost like something out of a movie. There was a lot of hustle & bustle around me—people walking their dogs, others walking to work, delivery guys dropping off food, old couples walking hand in hand, a random guy on a jog. I loved sitting outside and just taking it all in. As I looked around me I noticed most of the other people at the café were housewives, usually with a small kid in tow or older ladies- abuelas (grandmothers) I presume. It was very funny that this was the crowd I was hanging out with because I’m neither a housewife nor an abuela, but for now these are my new friends.

Athena - Argentina - Day 1 in Argentina

   I sit on my twin sized bed, in my bedroom for the next 2 ½ months, writing this. My 1^st day in Argentina was an amazing combination of things- excitement, fear, wonder, hunger, curiosity & more. My roommate here, Juliana, and her dog Cairo are very nice. We just got back from walking around the neighborhood, grabbing some ice cream (my personal fav) and stopping by a park so Cairo could play with his friends (yes, her dog has a play group). It was the perfect way to end my first day here.

     I am tired from the overnight flight (didn’t sleep much) and, I think, from the work of finishing my classes in the US early and packing everything. Getting here was a challenge- my flight from Raleigh, NC to Atlanta almost got diverted to Augusta, which would’ve meant missing my connecting flight to Buenos Aires. After some prayer and the weather finally calming down, we were allowed to land in Atlanta. And before that, at the Raleigh airport, I found out that I forgot to bring a copy of my receipt for Argentina’s reciprocity (entry) fee, which I needed to board my flight. Major oops. It’s at home on the end table next to the couch. I didn’t have it with me but could visualize exactly where it was. Thankfully, the airline guy at the front desk was having a good day and decided to take me back to their office to see if I could look it up on the government’s website and reprint it, which thankfully I could. Otherwise I would've had to push my flight back nby a day. My first travel drama was averted! I learned (remembered) that God is watching over me this trip and giving me grace for all my adventures.

Athena - USA - Weekend Retreat

When one of my closest friends, Kumari, texted me with a last minute offer to spend the weekend in the mountains I couldn’t resist. Never mind my super long to do list for my last full weekend in Chapel Hill. Hanging out in the mountains? Of course I’ll go. So a quick packing job and a five hour drive later, I found myself in Skyfall, GA to said hello & goodbye to a friend I won’t see for another six months. Like me, Kumari is in a place of trying to figure out her next step professionally. An amazingly talented surgeon, Kumari is evaluating what to do after finishing her fellowship next year. So when she invited me for a quiet weekend in the mountains, filled with hiking, eating, and some quiet time to pray for guidance I said sure. I’d missed out on several opportunities to go to the mountains earlier this year, so I was excited to finally get there.