Buenos Aires: Empanadas, Great people and Great wine

    Last month I went to Argentina to study abroad. While it has been a while since I came back, I still catch myself thinking at least once a day about the amazing experience I had there. I deeply enjoyed my stay in Buenos Aires. The city is full of contrasts, the sober architecture that makes you feel like you are in Europe with the contrast of buildings with striking colors, a more relaxed way of life but with an intense culture. While reflecting upon my time there, I remain thankful for all the wonderful people who we could interview. With such variety in the history, politics and culture of Argentina, each person had their own unique story which made them’s incredibly rich sense of identity. The privilege to directly talk with Argentinians and hear their views is something that is once in a lifetime opportunity unlike any other experience. Our goal was not just tourism but interacting with real locals and listening to their narratives. People were friendly and willing to share honest but fierce opinions on the matter about daily older traditions like inflation along with more passive topics like soccer, family values and argentinian culture. 
    From all the different activities we did, I enjoyed the visit to El Museo de la Casa Rosada, where we had a private tour of the museum, where they showed us Argentina’s political history. We saw Eva Perón’s iconic portrait, historical documents from military regimes, and even the official canes of past presidents. We were able to have a deep look at the country’s complicated political past. This made me think of how we judge a country by their current state but undermine all the personal and unique experiences that a country has gone through and survived. It made me judge the present differently, and how history still shapes what people care about, and how they live.
    Another day, we had the chance to visit Congress and sit down with Congressman Ricardo López Murphy. As a political science major, I never imagined I’d be able to have a face-to-face conversation with someone so directly involved in politics, let alone Argentina’s government. He was very charming and did not sugarcoat anything. It was eye-opening to hear about the country’s current economic and political challenges from someone with firsthand experience and who has been involved in politics for more than 20 years. Whether or not I agreed with everything he said, his words made me think about politics nowadays, comparing Argentina with the US and was a real interesting opportunity to ask deeper questions.
    Between the more serious activities, there were also long dinners, spontaneous tango dances in the middle of the street, and nice walks around the city. One day we walked through San Telmo. It is a beautiful neighbourhood with a huge market where you can get almost anything like Argentine cuisine or leather goods. Later that day, we were invited to visit a private wine cellar in the same neighborhood. The owner, Ami, welcomed us in such a friendly manner. The wine tasting was amazing, Ami had chosen specific wines for us to taste and she narrated each story behind every bottle. For each bottle, she spoke about why each grape came from different places, how she started her winery, and shared her life philosophy about wine that it needs to be savored slowly rather than rushed through. In addition, Ami gave us homemade empanadas that she made from scratch. The dough was soft and the fillings perfectly seasoned. You could tell everything was prepared with care. 
    Overall, I am deeply grateful to have been able to visit Buenos Aires. I have learned so much about Argentinian culture. But also I have met incredible people, whom I was not expecting to meet. Being open to new experiences as such, changes your way of understanding people and opens the door for new experiences. Argentina challenged me, inspired me, and welcomed me. And for that, I’m endlessly grateful.