I feel as though I’m realizing more and more, day by day
what Mr. Carmody meant when he said that if he was forced to leave the United
States forever he would come to Buenos Aires. I am captivated by the city, and
enthralled with every aspect of life here. Completely different from Ireland
(where I last went abroad), in Argentina you fully feel that you are far away
from the United States. Having said that, I believe this is the first weekend
that I am missing my country. However, so as not to bring tears to your eyes
immediately in this blog entry, I wish to discuss this past Friday, Saturday,
and Sunday sequentially.
Friday
was a fairly average day of classes with our host brothers and the new friends
that we’ve made. I cannot speak for the entire group, but personally I am
having a blast talking with the students of Colegio del Salvador. I find them
to be incredibly funny and good guys to hang out with. It’s a strange concept,
but I genuinely feel that the students here are much more friendly than the
students at BC High. At Colegio, you are
openly welcomed and met with expressions of excitement and happiness. I feel
like I have known some of the kids here a life time, as I can’t believe that it
has only been two weeks. My dad always
used to tell me about how when he was my age, kids in his neighborhood would
casually get together to play baseball or basketball with no sense of urgency
or need to plan. I suppose that is the sense I get from the guys here. It is
very hard to explain, but no one is competing to be the alpha male in the
class. There is competitiveness present, but you can tell that it is simply a
group of guys who will be lifelong friends.
On
Friday night, I observed Argentinian teenage culture to its fullest. Relax,
relax. What I mean is that when I got home I trolled the internet for an hour
or so, and then took a siesta of about two hours. When I awoke, we ate dinner
(by now it is about 8:00). After dinner and much waiting around, Lalo, Pedro,
and I headed out to a fiesta. Surprisingly,
I am handling the long nights and sleep deprivation well.
The next day we all went to an
asado with the three foreign exchange groups currently at Colegio (BC High,
Loyola High LA, and Georgetown Prep). Allow me to be completely frank when I
say that I could never, and I mean never in a million years grow tired of asados.
Saturday’s asado, prepared by Pato Bradley and two other students was simply
delicious. Endless meat. Chorizo as far as the eye could see. Succulent. Juicy.
Just plain good. It was nice to mingle with the Georgetown Prep and LA kids as
well. By testimony of Colegio fifth years themselves, the BC High group is the
most engaging and friendly, so I took it upon myself to attempt to make some
new American friends.
When we
arrived home after the asado, Lalo, I, Teddy Patsos, and Matt Doyle all watched
the River football match. In Buenos Aires, you are either a fan of River soccer
club, or Boca soccer club. My family is a fan of River; therefore I am a fan of
River. Also, I am forced to despise Boca. Without getting into the details of
the complex playoff system currently taking place, this was a momentously
important game for River. Essentially, the team is on a quest to reclaim past
glory as they were downgraded recently to the B division as opposed to the A. In
short, River won 2-0. Everybody was happy. The end (if I talk about soccer for
too much longer I’ll fall asleep at my computer I do apologize). As boring as I find the sport though, I have
enormous respect for Lalo as a fan. He is die hard similarly to how I am with
the Patriots. How can that not be revered?
On
Sunday we went to the lone Wendy’s in Argentina, a trip which took about an
hour. I was craving an American style hamburger, so when Lalo burst into my
room at 1:00 PM to wake me up on Sunday and said “Trevor, do you want to go to
Wendy’s?” I screamed for joy. The burger with lettuce and pickles was
satisfying and savored. After Wendy’s we walked around for the day and visited
a number of churches in a different part of Buenos Aires. We then headed to
what I consider to be the central park of Buenos Aires for sunset, concluding a
beautiful day.
Now for
some tear jerking. As we were walking back to the subway station we were
passing by the American Embassy. I looked up and saw our flag set against a
backdrop of a red sky dotted with clouds. My first feelings of homesickness set
in. It is not so much that I miss my good friends or my daily routine, I miss my
country. Being down here has made me realize how vastly different the United States
is to the rest of the world. I miss hearing English speakers 24/7 and seeing my
own people walking the streets. I miss my parents and my two dogs sure, but
what strikes me is that feelings of sadness were evoked by seeing my flag which
I had not seen in weeks. Not that I see an American flag every week back in the
States, but something about that national symbol made me realize how much I
miss my country. 
Like I
said before, Argentina is wonderful and I am making the most of every moment
here. As the days grow fewer, I find myself resisting the urge to think about
saying goodbye to Lalo, and my new family. When that moment comes, I’m sure
that I’ll truly brake down. Until then I do miss America, but I wouldn’t trade
this experience for the world. Sure Argentina
is different from the United States, but to quote Will Ferrell in Kicking and
Screaming, it is “better different. In a different, but better way”...
Trevor Schramn
No comments:
Post a Comment