As my study abroad experience in Buenos Aires, Argentina, comes to a close, I reflect on the different cities I visited and think about how I spent my 21st birthday.
My birthday usually falls on a hot summer day in Texas; this year, I had my first winter birthday in Bariloche, a city in Patagonia. I was lucky enough to have my sister, cousin, and boyfriend visit me, who joined my two friends and me on the trip.
We went to the Cerro Campanario, a mountain that overlooks some of Patagonia's mountain views. The views were beautiful, and while it was freezing, we enjoyed coffee and hot chocolate while taking many photos.
On our second day, we went to the Colonia Suiza (Swiss Colony), a tiny town with a market in the village. When we arrived, we all shared curanto, a stew cooked on hot rocks in the ground that tasted delicious. There was live music and many vendors selling food and artisanal crafts. It was beautiful to see people from all over the world enjoying their weekend there.
Finally, our last day there was my 21st birthday, and we were hoping for snow. There was supposed to be enough snow for us to ski the whole weekend, and there had been none, but we decided to go to the Cerro Catedral on our last day, hoping to catch some snow. We got to the base of the mountain and rented sleds to go up the ski lift, where the mountain was covered in snow, and fresh flurries were falling.
It was a beautiful experience for our group because most of us had never seen snow. My cousin and friend that came with us are from Mexico, and my sister, her best friend, and my boyfriend have lived in Texas their whole lives, none of which had ever seen snow. The second we arrived, everyone's inner child lit up; we started running around throwing snow at each other, taking photos nonstop, FaceTiming our parents, and sledding down the hills. It was unbelievable that for the first time in my life, I was having a birthday in the middle of winter in Argentina, with snow! That was one of my best days studying abroad in Argentina, and I am so happy I could share it with old and new friends.
Emma Ramos
GW Exchange - Universidad Torcuato di Tella
Spring 2023
Elliott School of International Affairs
International Affairs and Spanish and Latin American Languages, Literatures and Cultures Major