The End of the Road

I'm writing this final post from the comfort of my very own kitchen, which means that the adventure is finally over. I have lots to say about the end of Global, but I want to make sure I tell you all about our final week in Buenos Aires which was still full of last excursions and experiences.

On the ferry home.

We spent Sunday on the Tigre Delta, a beautiful area where the rivers join and create a whole neighborhood of islands and canals where the only transportation is by boat! We took a ferry down the canals, passing beautiful houses each with their own little dock before arriving at the guest house where we would spend the day. Our day at Tigre was incredibly peaceful. We ate empanadas by the pool, explored the small island's many narrow trails, and even did had a mixed doubles ping pong tournament! We ate a delicious barbecued lunch where we enjoyed homemade chorizo and blood sausage and it was lovely to eat all together, something I have missed since leaving Tanzania all those months ago. As the semester was coming to a close and everyone was starting to miss home and get a little tired, I think this day is just what we needed to get our energy back for the final push of the trip.

1. Our ferry boat. 2. A peaceful moment on the water. 3. Off to explore the island! 4. One of the many homes and individual docks.

Much of our final week was full of preparing for our concluding presentations in art and education class, but we still managed to fit in some more exploring in Buenos Aires. I focused on the cuisine of Buenos Aires and spent lots of time in cafes! Two of my favorites were El Gato Negro and Cafe Tortoni, the oldest cafes in Buenos Aires. Cafe Tortoni was grand and ornate, while El Gato Negro was much more casual, but I loved getting to spend hours sipping on cafe con leche with friends in both historical establishments. Cafe Tortoni is famous for its churros con chocolate, so of course we had to indulge, and it did not disappoint! We also spent lots of time at the St. Nicholas Gastro Market where there were vendors selling fresh fruit and veggies as well as mini restaurants. Our favorite is called Tostado, and they make the best grilled cheese sandwiches and hot dogs that I've ever had in my life! After an entire month of going there for lunches, we were sad to say goodbye to Gonzalo, the Tostado guy, so we made sure to give him an extra good tip as we headed out.

In the flower shop above the bar.

I also made a trip back in time to a speakeasy style bar! Buenos Aires is known for its speakeasies, and I found my way to one hidden below a flower shop in our neighborhood. After perusing the bouquets for a few moments, we slipped through the cooler door and down the stairs to the bar underneath! Floreria Atlantico is nautical/navigation themed, so the cocktail menu had drinks from around the world - very fitting for the theme of my semester! I had a delicious cocktail and it was so fun to feel like I was in on the secret of the speakeasy. It took me quite awhile to adjust to the Buenos Aires night life, which doesn't even start until midnight or later, but I'm glad I made the push to get out and experience it because Floreria Atlantico was definitely one of my favorite nights out of the whole semester!

On our last night in the city we had a big Global Semester gathering in the Leers' hotel room where we could reminisce about our travels together and give each other some gifts for the end of the program. We all wrote each other little notes of love and encouragement to read on the plane home, and Solveig complied playlists for everyone with songs that we submitted for each other. I definitely cried a lot, but because I just feel so lucky to have been able to travel with such an amazing group of people.

When I think about all the things I have learned over my Global Semester, the importance of community is by far one of the strongest lessons that I will with me. My community of travelers was supportive, funny, caring, and has become another family to me in many ways. I knew very few people going into this program, and every single person made sure that we all grew to know each other deeply so that when we go back to campus we will still matter to one another. We were also welcomed so graciously into so many communities around the world who offered us food, company, and the opportunity to learn and grow together.

In Tanzania, Daudi talked to us about what it means to be a host and a guest. He said "When the guest arrives, the host is healed," and I feel that I have experienced first hand the ways in which different people coming together can cause everyone to heal. The beautiful human gesture of inviting someone different than you into your life, into conversation, and into community is the way that we will make this world a better place. It is only by talking to people that we can learn to overcome stereotypes and oversimplifications, discuss the way forward out of challenges, and work together to understand each other more deeply. I don't want to be one of those students who comes home from study abroad claiming to be worldly, or to have a complete view of any of the places I have been, because if anything I am coming home with more questions than answers. However, if I can preach anything as a newly minted world traveler, it is the power of people coming together in conversation. The conversations I had with my peers and people we met across the globe will stay with me always, and I will do my best to share what I have learned in the ways that I am able.

Thank you for sharing in this adventure with me by reading this little blog! I had a lot of fun writing it, and I hope there will be more travels in the future to document in this corner of the internet.

As always, thanks for reading!

-GMH

One last trip to the airport as a group!