Bienvenido a Argentina

Despite a horrendous 7-hour delay and almost 24 hours of traveling with little to no sleep, the trip was well worth it! Upon my arrival, my host family graciously welcomed me to their home with a hug and kiss on the cheek. As I was the last one to arrive, they had been waiting for me all day and were excited to meet me. As soon as I arrived we sat outside on the patio were we ate homemade empanadas, drank glass upon glass of vino (wine), and talked for hours- mostly in Spanish.  For our first night, Carlos and Cristina, my host parents, threw a welcome asado (barbecue) for the four of us. I have never had better food. Everything was delicious, and it never seemed to end! We started with choripan, grilled sausage on toasted bread. Next came the salad, grilled chicken and veggies, and steak. I don’t eat a lot of red meat, but this steak was not on my plate for more than 2 mintues. And to top it off, we had chocolate mousse with dulce de leche. Dulce de leche is a well-known caramel spread that porteños put on everything, from bread to fruit. And let me tell you, it is everything its cracked up to be.

Welcome to mi casa!

My host parents, Carlos and Cristina

Carlos working his grill

Carlos and Cristina are giving us daily lessons on Spanish and how to behave like an Argentine. Last night, Carlos and Cristina demonstrated the Tango for us, and then taught each of us the first steps. We also learned some folk songs while Carlos played his guitar. One goes a little something like this: “Drinking, drinking, drinking, what a pleasure. Water is for drinking and for frogs that can swim well.” Haha. Its also very possible that I will have an English accent by the time I return to the states because Carlos only understands British English, and therefore sometimes we have to speak with an accent!

Backyard- the view from my window

A little tango demonstration