A look at this awesome city I’ve been strolling around over the past week.

Hello, internet world! It’s been awhile. I’m happy to be back in the field reporting on my new (temporary) residence of Buenos Aires, Argentina!

I’m looking forward to spending the next five weeks living in Buenos Aires on a work assignment with my company. I’ve always wanted to try traveling for work so when this opportunity came up, I couldn’t have been more thrilled.

After rounding out my first full week in Buenos Aires, I finally feel like I have a wee little taste of what this city, country, and continent has to offer (emphasis on the wee little).

Nonetheless, there have been quite a few things to get used to in the past week. From being a lone-wolf business traveler to enduring 90 degree days in December, spending a Christmas away from family, and dipping deep into my reserve of high school Spanish knowledge, I’d be naive and dishonest to say there haven’t been a few road bumps in the past week (as there are when living in any foreign country, regardless of the duration). But fortunately, I’m in a wonderful city full of wonderful people that have made the transition as smooth as could be.

There are plenty of sights to visit in the city, from the beautiful plazas to the iconic Obelisco. But what’s stuck out the most over the past week is the general vibes of this town. It really is nothing but good vibes. Sure, this perception maybe has to do with my intake of sunlight increasing exponentially since boarding my flight on a 20-degree day in Newark, New Jersey…but all in all, this city has a unique spark to it. Simple activities such as walking en-route to my office or stopping for dinner in a cafe have been nothing but absolutely pleasant in this charming city.

The city is completely walkable, allowing you to see all the main sights in one day…all with your own two feet! The streets themselves are lovely to walk down as well, bringing you past an abundance of charming parks, columns, and the occasional cobblestone street. And, of course, locals sitting outside and chatting over an espresso at their favorite cafe. The cafe culture here is incredible – not only are cafes for coffee or tea, but also breakfast, lunch, merienda (the 5pm snack hour), and dinner (usually around 9 or 10pm). I’ve been showing up for dinner around 7, usually finding myself sitting next to locals finishing up their post-work coffee and mediluna (the Argentine croissant). “But if you eat at 7pm, don’t you get hungry later?” a coworker asked. “Yes, but that’s what the midnight snack is for!” And so it was settled: the Argentine merienda is the equivalent of the U.S. midnight snack with a slight difference in timing.

The locals in Buenos Aires (known as porteños) have been nothing short of incredible. From uber drivers to restaurant workers and my coworkers, they have all been so kind, welcoming, and patient with my limited Spanish abilities. It was also a blast (and a blessing) to spend my Christmas Eve with a group of locals and expats, celebrating with a potluck dinner and midnight rooftop champagne toast. Although it’s never fun being away from family on Christmas, this fun evening made the distance that much easier.

And, of course, week 1 wouldn’t be fully complete without me reflecting on the following “wow I can’t believe that just happened, let’s take a minute to chuckle to myself” moments:

• One day, as I was walking home from work, I walked by the entrance to one of BA’s many parks. As I walked by, a girl wearing a graduation cap was getting doused by her friends in flour and various sandwich condiments (a typical occurrence when someone graduates in Buenos Aires). The timing worked out oh-so perfectly that as I walked by, a young Argentine male was gearing up to launch a water bottle full of ketchup onto his friend and I got caught in the backswing. It was an odd feeling at first to have puddles of ketchup on your clothes and in your hair, but within a few minutes, I found myself laughing at the absurdity for the rest of my walk home.
• On my first day of work on Monday, there were protests in Buenos Aires against the government (the government decided to get rid of some of the population’s pension in order to eradicate its deficit). I asked my coworkers about these protests during my first day, and they said they were quite common around this time of the year. A lot of them left early that day so they could get home before the protests shut down public transportation. For 24 hours, all flights in and out of Buenos Aires were cancelled, meaning that I was really lucky that my flight had arrived the day before. I steered clear of the Congress area and have been since then…pretty bizarre, and very different from anything in the states (with the exception of the many protests around inauguration time this year).
• A few days in, I started experimenting with taking the bus to work. I heard people mumbling something to the driver upon boarding the bus, so naturally, I assumed they were mumbling their destination. I told my driver the street I was getting off at, which seemed to do the trick. Later my coworkers informed me that you’re supposed to tell the driver the amount to charge your transit card, not your destination. Bless those bus drivers for nodding along at me saying a blank and out-of-context “Tucuman” to them every morning.

Stay tuned for week 2, where my mom will make her first venture into South America for a visit!