This morning, we arrived at school at 8 and began the day with a traditional Catholic mass in the courtyard which was pretty similar to an American service, despite it being all in Spanish. We then shadowed a class of our choice, and then moved to the lobby to enjoy a tango lesson. This was definitely the highlight of the day. Every girl and boy were paired up (we were partners) and were taught the “passionate” dance of the tango. We all had tons of fun and some of us even figured out how to pick up and toss our partner. The power couple of the day was undoubtedly Stuart and Dillon, whom many believe will get married one day.
After our tango session we went to another class. We both attended different classes – Haley went to a history class to learn about Argentine history and international relations and Will went to a calculus class that would have been difficult even in English! After these classes we all went to lunch and had a rice and chicken dish. After lunch we attended one more class and an art class.
The class we attended was tailored specifically for us. We were all packed into the attic-made-classroom of the school which had a clear lack of air conditioning. Here we learned about various different aspects of argentine culture such as the Asado (a big meat roast) and various dances. One of these dances was similar to a tap dance and we had the opportunity to try it out. We clearly made quite a racket considering a few teachers in classrooms below came up to see what was going on. In the art class we learned how to paint traditional Argentinian designs. Leah and Denzel quickly abandoned this idea and created some wonderful, abstract finger paintings. It was a hot day so after school many of us went to the beach or pool to cool off.
Today when we arrived to school, many of us had one thing on our minds: exchanging our US dollars for pesos. There were so many things we wanted to get but because of the banks closing too early some days, we had yet to exchange. Many of us wanted to buy treats for our families back home, but while we stood around waiting for the bus to pick us up, we found the single greatest use for our new found pesos: chicken nuggets. When we finally left we went to a factory in Mar Del Plata that makes alfajores, a tasty cookie like snack that is very popular in South America. Hair nets on, we took a tour of the factory and saw how the “dulce de leche” was put onto the cookies, watched the conveyor belts carry the cookies all around the factory, saw how they were packaged;it was a very cool experience. These alfajores are very popular in Argentina and the ones from HAVANNA (the factory) are some of the best around. We went to the gift shop and purchased gifts and some cookies for ourselves, and then went back to the school to have lunch.
After a lunch with a severe lack of chicken nuggets (due to our mass consumption earlier) we went out to do community service. Half of us went to an elderly home and half of us went to play with children and help out a group of volunteers who provide necessities to the underprivileged. Luckily for this blog the two of us went to different locations. The elderly attendees are people that from less fortunate families who are dropped off during the day. They play games, eat, and hangout all day until their children pick them up and take them home after work. At the elderly home we sang songs in a group along with one of the ladies from the school. She sang some songs for the elderly in Spanish, but insisted that we sing some in English. Michael and I (Dillon) played the guitar a little and we all sang “wagon wheel” as a group. The abuelos loved it and the hour flew by.
Meanwhile at the other location we were debating the rules of hopscotch and preparing food for the families to take with them. Unfortunately there weren’t many kids there so we did other jobs around the building to help out. We had so much fun and may have snuck a cookie or two. Afterwards we headed to our last stop, an art museum based in a house owned by Victoria Ocampo, a famous author. They let us in before the actual exhibit opened that night, a showcase depicting works from various artists around the idea of a coat hanger. All of the art was so cool and we finished up by watching a video on the house, which seriously tested our Spanish skills. After the museum, we had to walk many blocks back to the school after a very long day…but it was the conclusion of an awesome and unique experience.
Today the students of Norfolk Academy spent the full day at Holy Trinity College, shadowing the classes of the seniors at the school. I attended mathematics for the first hour of my day and all of my companions and I were far more advanced in the math material (which was polynomials) that the students were learning. The second hour we had chemistry and besides the first 5 minutes nobody from NA understood anything that the teacher was saying nor the material that was displayed on the board. After chemistry we had a chance to meet the founders of the school by talking to them for 30 minutes in their office. They asked us about the ancestry of our individual families and the similarities and differences between Virginia and Mar Del Plata. We then ate an American lunch of hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and French fries. The best part of the day came when we got to play soccer with all the juniors and sophomores from Holy Trinity. What the Argentinians lacked in skill they made up for in enthusiasm. The students from Mar Del Plata would go into every play not caring if they accidentally injured one of the people they were playing against. After my team lost in fútbol we were given the chance to play rugby and I must say it is not the most graceful sport in the world. We just tried to tap the other players out in rugby while not being allowed to tackle them.
– Keivan Mohammadi
Today was our first full day of school. They split us up into four different groups to attend classes. My group had Literature, History, Chemistry, and Math. During the math class, we had to work Algebra problems on the board and on a worksheet. The worksheet was all in Spanish, but we were able to comprehend enough of it in order to answer the problems. After lunch, we joined the students in PE class. The guys played Rugby and soccer, and the girls played field hockey. Since I have not touched a field hockey stick since November, it was fun to play with the girls from Trinity. During the PE class we also worked on our conditioning by running and doing ab and leg exercises. Senora Fox even joined us! After school, my host mom picked me up and we drove back to our house. There, we had an afternoon snack and tea. In Argentina most families will have tea around 5 which keeps them full until dinner around 9:30. Later, some of us, with our hosts, went to Playa Grande and hung out on the beach, watching the surfers in the ocean. Before dinner, I bonded with my host family by playing with them outside, in their beautiful back yard that has a small soccer field and pool. The food here is delicious and the culture is exciting!
Caio!
What a great day to spend with all the exchange students at the beach! First, we met at Holy Trinity College and waited for our bus. We were very antsy to surf and enjoy the summer weather. We weren’t able to surf right as we got there, so we all decided to play beach volleyball. Even Mr. Merklin and Mrs. Fox joined in along with the students. After about an hour, the game faded off and some of us decided to take a quick dip in the water. Finally, after an hour and a half the five-time national surfing champion, also known as Martin, helped us get a hang of the board. We had to accomplish three obstacles before actually surfing. Let’s just say surfing didn’t come natural for everyone. Afterwards, we all hit the water, and everyone got about five to ten minutes trying to stand on the board. The best part was watching your friends from the shoreline as they struggled to stand and finally bailing off the board.
– Michael Ramirez
Shortly after the surfing lessons, we ate lunch. Once everyone finished eating, we all laid out for a little bit and most of us fell asleep. When we all woke up, we realized we had been in the sun for too long: we were all sunburnt! With about an hour left on the beach, the guys went to play soccer while the girls hung out on the sand. At one point, Martin came up to all the girls and gave us all hugs; it was definitely the highlight of our day. We then packed up our things and made our way over to the bus. Mrs. Fox was very excited to give us some candy called “Bulldogs,” which was similar to Nerds in America. Once she passed those out and we took a picture, we headed back to Holy Trinity College. A little while later, some of us met up by the beach with Mr. Merklin and worked out. We did lots of running up and down stairs! Haley also led us in an ab workout. Although we were all pretty gross and tired from our day at the beach and working out, some of the girls went to watch a dance class, which happened to be taught by the same woman who will be teaching us the Tango on Friday!
After 10 hours of flying and 6 hours on a bus (with a classic stop to McDonald’s along the way) we finally arrived in Mar Del Plata late in the afternoon. Props to Josh Kemp for making it through his first flight! We headed straight to Holy Trinity where we were greeted and taken to a ceremony. There we met our host family and received our schedules. I can personally say that while the ceremony was great, I could not wait to get to the house of my host family and take a shower. A day of traveling makes for a smelly group of 19 teenagers. Our first night in our homes was really unique for each person as we got to know our host families. I knew my host, Paz, from when she came to the United States, so for me it was a great opportunity to catch back up with her and also get to meet her family for the first time. After settling in we headed over to Ivy’s house (Haley’s host) for dinner. There we met up with Mely who I hosted when she came to the U.S. I was so happy to see her again! From what I’ve heard we all ate very good meals the first night. The meat in Argentina is AMAZING. Ivy told me to try something that looked like burnt sausage and didn’t tell me what it was. I ate it and it tasted a little funny and had a weird consistency, but I liked it okay. Later Ivy told me it was concentrated pig’s blood. This immediately cautioned me against eating random meat like substances on this trip without asking first.
The next morning we woke up early to get to school. The school day began with what I would compare to our chapel at NA. The directors of the school gave their inspirational words at the start of a new school year as a band played different anthems and some students were awarded for their achievements. The director recognized our exchange group. We stood and Señora Fox had the honor of introducing such a fine group of students. She decided to state the obvious and drew attention to the ghostly appearance of our group. Surround yourself with Argentinians fresh out of summer break and suddenly you too will look like an albino. After being sufficiently self conscious of our own skin color, we learned a little bit about the history of the school. The school building is one of the few estates left from the early 1900s, protected under a law passed only recently in 1995. As you can imagine, the school is elegant and beautiful. It is also a fairly new institution, having graduated only 20 classes so far. We were taken on a tour of the school and then separated into groups to attend different classes. Since it was the first day of classes, a lot of the class was orientation material, but in math we did actually get into some polynomials. Dillon, intently listening to the math teacher’s lecture, was answering more questions than all of the students combined. And he calls me a try hard…
One thing I found very interesting was that they are taking all of their math tests and assignments online. They have recently started a Bring Your Own Device Program similar to ours at NA, and it was intriguing to see how they have incorporate that program into their classrooms. After morning classes we all reconnected to attend a class about Argentina. We learned about the 4 different regions of Argentina, the differences between them, and the unique beauty each region has to offer. After a great class, we headed to eat lunch. I did not eat breakfast, so this was my first meal of the day. Good thing they actually eat lunch at a reasonable time, 12:15, because I would not have lasted much longer without a meal. This whole let’s eat dinner at 9:00 deal is a challenging adjustment, but the food is worth the wait. After eating our semi-appetizing lunch, we embarked on a walking tour of Mar Del Plata. After having begged Señora Fox and Mr. Merklin to ditch the tour and take us to the beach instead, our tour guide pulled through and our first stop was the beach. It was very hot and sunny, but after all the snow in Virginia we all loved the natural Vitamin D. Mar Del Plata is a beautiful city, and on a sunny day with clear blue skies there isn’t much you can’t love about it. We climbed onto some rocks to take pictures in front of the ocean. Haley decided to get very close to where the waves were crashing on the rocks and was rewarded with a splash from a wave to cool her down from the scorching heat. While I wouldn’t say she was thrilled about it, she took it like a champ. We continued walking through Mar Del Plata and visited the water tower. When we think of a water tower we envision a big thing that looks like a hot air balloon with legs. This water tower, however, looked more like a castle. We ventured up the elevator to the top of the tower and you wouldn’t believe the views. It was not a bad way to see such a beautiful city. We headed down to the main shopping street in Mar Del Plata and spent 45 minutes on our own exploring. Michael waved at some younger girls, just being a friendly guy like he is, and they seemed to take a keen interest in his gesture. Suddenly we had two Argentinian girls “discretely” following us around the street. After a day of walking some of us (really just me) were not up to walk 30 minutes uphill back to the school. Thankfully, a bus came and got us. We met back up with our hosts at Holy Trinity and headed home. A lot of us went to Denzel’s home with our hosts for a pool party. We were all in need of more sun to take away our pastiness, but unfortunately I ended up looking more red than tan. Around 7:30, after bonding at the pool party, we headed home to spend another night with our hosts. So far the trip has been fun, the food has been great, and the company has been even better! Looking forward to the weeks ahead!
