Bienvenida a Bahía Blanca!

In short, I love Argentina. While studying abroad in Buenos Aires two years ago, I became enamored by the people, their accent and complex system of gesticulations, the mate ritual, the parks, and the warmth and energy I encountered all across the country. I was hooked, and left Argentina reluctantly. I was determined to return however, and by the end of my senior year of college, began desperately contemplating potential post-graduation job opportunities in Argentina (Dog walker? Gaucho? Carlos Gardel impersonator?). Deep down though, I knew very well that I cannot control 25 dogs, nor can I ride a horse, nor do I look anything like Argentina’s most famous tango singer.

It came as a huge honor and delight then, to find out that I had received a Fulbright Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State and the Argentine Ministry of Education, to work as an English Teaching Assistant in Argentina. I would go forth not only to teach the English language, but also to share my culture, to show that the U.S. has much more to offer than hamburgers and bad television. Conversely, I would also immerse myself in Argentine culture and society, to then take this knowledge back with me upon my return to the United States. It was my dream job, and I couldn’t have been more thrilled.

This could have been me:



Eight months later, I found out that I would be living in Bahía Blanca for my nine-month grant. When I received the email at 6 a.m. one auspicious November morning (I was expecting the news, and therefore had been obsessively checking my email every seven seconds), I shrieked so loudly that my parents wondered if I had fallen down the stairs and broken my leg. My shout, of course, was one of joy. To be honest, I knew very little about Bahía, this mysterious ‘white bay’ down south, and so naturally, I proceeded to Google my future home. The first hit was a youtube video of a couple dancing to one of my favorite tango songs, ‘Bahía Blanca,’ by Di Sarli. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvQ3wgo9jLc). I sensed in this moment the Argentine tango gods were telling me I was headed to a very special place.

Carlos di Sarli, very happy with my placement in Bahía Blanca:



Here I am at my farewell party at home in Seattle, eager to leave for Argentina!



I had arranged to arrive in Buenos Aires a month earlier than the start of my grant, along with my friend Giulia, another Fulbright grantee working in Paraná. I spent my weeks visiting friends from my semester abroad, meeting new people at my hostel in Palermo, and enjoying the city that had been my home for five months.

Here I am with Natalia, who I lived with during my semester abroad:



Exploring the fair in San Telmo:



At La Bomba del Tiempo drum show:



Dancing tango at a milonga (I learned during my semester abroad!):



With my Fulbright friends during orientation:



By the time the Fulbright orientation started in Buenos Aires, I could hardly wait to get to Bahía Blanca. When I arrived at the bus station in Bahía on March 17th, I couldn’t stop smiling, despite the fact that it was 6 a.m. and people were giving me funny looks. My first night in Bahía, I received a very warm welcome, along with the international students living in el Barrio Universitario. We were greeted by our buddies, and served delicious choripan.

Here I am at the Fiesta de Bienvenida with my buddy Meli:



After less than a day in Bahía, I was already struck by how open and friendly the people here are, how willing and excited everyone is to welcome me to their city. I feel extremely lucky to be living in Bahía Blanca, and am looking forward to an amazing year!