Our Final Day

Friday, January 11 came way too soon. It was to be our sixth and last day in Argentina and I don't think any one of us were ready to leave. Despite our best wishes, our final day had to happen. 

We woke up bright and early (which was a feat, considering we had finished supper the night before at 1:30 a.m.) to begin our tour of Buenos Aires. Since Argentina is inhabited by a wide variety of cultures, the architecture varies from one block to the next. One moment we could see architecture that was textbook French and the next we awed at a building that was obviously Italian influenced. 

The Obelisk, so affectionately named

Our tour took us around different parts of Buenos Aires; the rich, the poor; the clean, the dirty. We stopped at the Plaza de Mayo, where many a protest takes place. This is also where the Casa Rosada (Argentine version of the White House) sits.

Casa Rosada with political protest signs in front

After Plaza de Mayo, we ventured down to La Boca to check out the shopping and unique culture of the area. This is one of the poorer neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, but has a lot of culture. 

Some of the colorful buildings and shops of La Boca

In stark contrast to La Boca, we went to a different part of the city which boasted clean, fenced parks, huge exquisite buildings, and the technologically advanced flower statue, whose petals open and close in response to light. (I didn't capture a picture, but I so would have if I could.

We left the city after our tour and left for our lunch venue. Our lunch would take place at a replica estancia (or ranch) where gauchos (Argentine cowboys) greet the guests and women in old-time estancia garb serve the food. We were treated to grass fed beef steaks and wonderful Argentinian bread. After our meal, one of the gauchos got out his accordion while another plucked the guitar. Not soon after, two dancers started to tango and pretty soon the whole place was filled with people dancing. 

The next experience we were treated to was a gaucho show. The gauchos herded horses and caught rings hanging from an arch while riding top speed on their ponies. Soon after the show, our group had the privilege of riding some of the horses. 

One of the gauchos, posing

Me, on horseback!

After our estancia experience, we ventured back to the city and went to one of the more fashionable malls.Way too expensive for my tastes. The airport was our next stop and after three hours waiting in line to get our tickets and to exit the country, we hopped on our plane to get back to the States. After more than twenty four hours in planes/airports, I stepped out onto the jet bridge to Hector International here in Fargo. I was welcomed by a true North Dakota sight: snow in the jet bridge. 

Typical ND. 

I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to travel to Argentina with FFA. I gained so much insight to agriculture in another country and I am inspired to learn more about it. I have been blessed with new friends from across the country and cannot wait to see them again and to see what they accomplish in the future. I want to thank the North Dakota FFA Foundation and the North Dakota FFA Association for helping to support me financially on this trip. Also, thank you to the many family members that have supported me in the same way. I encourage anyone who is presented with the opportunity to go abroad to take it. You might have to forgo other things back home, but what you learn abroad will make up for it in a different way. 

I want to also thank anyone who has been following along with my blog posts. I truly appreciate it and I hope that you learned a thing or two along with me as I traveled to Argentina. I love sharing my story and I hope to inspire others to share their own. 

Thank you and Happy Monday.

Jodi