Today was the first official day of orientation. Breakfast was a traditional toast with coffee. My housemate, Gia, really confused our host maid/peer when she said she just wanted a glass of water. Raquel, the maid, couldn’t believe it was a real meal if she didn’t have coffee or tea or at least juice. The toast is covered with a type of cream, and on top of that, dulce de leche, a dark spread that looks like nutella and tastes a bit like caramel. There was also a sweet jelly for the bread. So far, almost everything I’ve had in Argentina has been very sweet.
At lunch there was more coffee, which I’m beginning to love. No doubt they need it – Argentineans tend to be up late, having dinner at 9 and going to clubs from 2am-7am. There are a surprising number of vegetarians and vegans on the trip, visiting a province known for beef. I’ve seen precious few vegetables, and Buenos Aires had so much meat that in the older times, even slaves ate beef.
Me and Kiki at a church in San Telmo
We had a tour of the San Telmo neighborhood and orientation informational sessions today. One of our advisors lectured us on pick pocketing, which is apparently incredibly common. You should always keep your bag on you, and between your legs or on your lap at restaurants, and in front of you when walking around or on the subway. If your bag’s zippers are not covered by an arm or a hand, they will be opened. “The Argentineans are very curious”, was how Adrianna put it. Also, apparently Starbucks is an American trap. It is visited by American tourists looking for the familiar, and pickpockets and bag thieves looking for American tourists.
some grafitti
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