I'm Here!

As my flight touched down at Ezeiza Ministro Pistarini International Airport, I was filled with a mix of fear, hope, and excitement. I still feel these same emotions now as I write this sitting on my new bed in my new room of my new apartment in my new city in my new country. There have certainly been a lot of "news" lately, but I suppose this is to be expected when you travel to a foreign country that speaks a foreign language that you're not familiar with.

My flight over in an American Airlines Boeing 777 was rather uneventful, though I did become friends with a very warm man from Buenos Aires who I was seated next to for the flight. In addition to giving me some restaurant recommendations, he told me about some of the customs and cultural norms that I should be familiar with before my arrival. I was very grateful to him!

When we arrived at customs, I passed through with no problem. Then, I was completely immersed in what seemed to be a completely new, strange, and almost incomprehensible world. The signs were in English (and there was generally no English subtext beneath), the people spoke entirely Spanish (and they generally were not also familiar with English), and all of the measurements I noticed were in metrics. Where was this place where I had landed?

Well actually, it was an airport much like any other. I found my cab, and the man who took my bags to the car complemented me on my Spanish. Perhaps he just wanted a bigger tip... In any case, that one complement gave me the confidence to speak Spanish more readily to my cab driver on the way to my new apartment. He pointed out some of the famous landmarks we passed on the way, and then I arrived at my apartment where I met my new family.

My apartment is located on Sante Fe Avenue, and I seem to be right in the heart of a lot of action here in the city. Below me are tons and tons of storefronts and restaurants and cafes. There is a subway stop only a few blocks away and there are bus lines that run everywhere around this city so getting around should not be difficult.

So far, all is going well here. I have been given a very warm welcome, but I still feel some distance to those around me because of the language barrier. I hope that wall erodes brick by brick, and I intend to do everything in my power to make sure it will. Still, I cannot describe the relief I felt when another US student living in my home stay with me walked into the room with a warm, "Hey, how's it going, man?"


Saludos!