Sorry I am so late to make my first post while in Argentina, but this is the first day I could access Wi-Fi in the dorms we are staying in while in San Juan, Argentina.  But first, I want to talk about my experience while in Buenos Aires, the first city we went to when we got in Argentina.

While in San Juan, I have learned that Buenos Aires is the New York of Argentina.  I have found that many residents of San Juan don’t necessarily like Buenos Aires.  This is because the pace in Buenos Aires is very fast, everyone walks quickly on the streets, like they have somewhere they need to be, right now, whether they do or not.  San Juan is the opposite, people take time to have conversations and to strengthen connects, and people realize that there are more important things in life than always being on the go.  Personally, I like the pace and importance placed on friends and family that exists in San Juan.

While in Buenos Aires, we went 20 blocks up a single street.  That’s like only going to Wal-Mart while staying in Winona.  We saw many local venders, who were selling handmade art (handpainted t-shirts, paintings, crafts, you name it).  I bought two books writen by famous Latin American authors, for a total of $10.  The prices in Buenos Aires are for the most part the same as in Winona, but there are opportunities to get a good deal sometimes.

The most trying part of the day was when half of our group got lost for one hour.  They were in a seemlying caotic city, but they stayed calm, regrouped, and headed to a marker that we all knew, the center of Buenos Aires where the “Pink House” (the equivalent of the White House) resides.  Though this experience had use worried, it showed us that we were adequately prepared to safely visit a new country, because everyone acted in the best possible way the could.

-Harrisen Ornes