MICAELA GIL-CASAS
Buenos Aires Columnist
It’s the beginning of April, and as students in Malibu start preparing for finals, we in B.A. are just getting back from Spring Break. This tardiness of schedule may well describe the lifestyle of this New York-meets-Paris city where siestas are taken during the day and dinner may last up to two hours because of sobremesa, after-dinner talk.
Life in Buenos Aires is definitely different from the Malibu lifestyle I had been used to. Opposite from when I would see the beautiful, serene ocean every morning on my walk to classes freshman year, I now see huge skyscrapers and taxis as I walk down busy Cabildo Avenue. This hustle and bustle environment of the city gives me a new sense of independence where my means of transportation stretches to walking, bus, taxi or subway – I love it. Also, by not living with all of the other students in the program, I am able to embrace the Argentine culture even deeper by living with a family that makes the transition from being away from home a lot easier.
Before this trip, I had only traveled to Mexico and I had no idea what to expect by living in a different country. I experienced culture shock the first day when I arrived into the Ezeiza international airport and started driving toward Pepperdine’s Casa Holden located in the Belgrano area. I remember driving past run-down apartments with graffiti thinking “What am I getting myself into?”
Then, after being welcomed by first semester students with an asado barbecue, my Argentine parents picked me up and I had to not only deal with the late dinner time at 8:30 p.m., which is relatively early for Argentines, I was given a full plate of pasta, with bread and dessert. After declining my host father’s offer of a glass of whiskey for dinner, I thought “Wow, this is going to be different,” especially after my parents encouraged me to partake in the nightlife, which starts at 2 a.m. and normally ends around 5 a.m.
Walking the streets of Buenos Aires during the first week I noticed a heavy European influence with cafes on every street corner, and people smoking and walking their dogs everywhere. I’m now used to this passionate culture, and just smile at the differences as I walk around the city.
Traveling is unique in South America. Not having cities and countries close to each other as in Europe, most trips require at least three hours for transportation. Also, a lot of the excursions are outdoor, like our educational field trip to Mendoza where we went grape stomping, hiking, camping and rafting. My Spring Break trip consisted of traveling throughout different cities of Peru, exploring the Incan ruins on horseback and hiking Machu Picchu.
The great thing about traveling to these less developed countries was that I was able to value the beauty of different cultures while appreciating my own even more. Although poverty was apparent, there was a tranquility and wonder that could only be found in those areas. In the hillsides of Cuzco, I felt as if I were transported into a different world when I saw a woman washing her clothes in the river and women sitting in a circle talking and weaving rugs and scarves that took more than 30 days to complete. I visited a community that lived without laws or currency, who bartered their goods in marketplaces every Sunday. When my friend was affected by the altitude, a boy ran to the top of a hill to fetch her plant that when she rubbed it together, it healed her sickness. Although the people have much less than we have, they live in more peace and happiness than I could ever imagine.
Life in South America is great. I am so thankful to have the opportunity to experience life here. Learning from daily experiences, I thank God for all that He has created and pray that He continues to mold me into the woman he wants me to be. Two more months to go – I can’t wait to see where He’s going to take me.
04-06-2006
