La Plata

  Well last weekend I got the excited chance to tag along with the other exchange student from my town Olivia and her host family to La Plata. On a side note Olivia is from Redondo Beach, California and La Plata is the Captial of the Buenos Aires Providence with over 736,954 inhabitants and still growing. It will be the home to many of my friends here when they go off to college after summer. It is also the home of Olivia's host sister's Agustina and Manuela who are studying there this year. In fact that was the main reason Olivia's family was traveling to La Plata, there second oldest daughter Manuela was finishing college and my family was going up to celebrate. 
   I spent the night at Olivia's house on Wednesday because we were leaving early on Thursday morning. We left bright and early on what was Thanksgiving Day for Olivia and I and drove for about 7 hours reaching La Plata just in time for some tasty lunch made by Olivia's host dad's grandmother. Olivia's host dad's family lives in La Plata and Tres Arroyos. La Plata was filled with lots of tall buildings and big plazas but did not have quite the same big city feel to me that New York has or anything like that. 
  A little while later we all went to Manuelas Faculdad, or college in the University. There they had one display their final projects. We waited about for a LONG time. First for everyone to view the projects, then for them to grade their projects and finally to hear the results. We waited for numerous hours but I think the wait made it that much more exciting for Manuela when she received her marks. 
   I'm not honestly sure what grades she got but through the door we could see her hug her classmates and she was the first to leave the room into the crowded sidewalk area of anxious parents, friends, and other love ones. She erupted in hugs and tears to all her family and friends. It was a really cool moment to be there and see the important part of their lives. After the hugs Manuela went off to change her clothes.
   While she was changing her clothes the rest of her family and friends gathered their paint, food and other items. As she came across the sidewalk towards the group of us gathered around paint, food, and other items were being thrown on her. It is a custom here that when someone finishes college to cover them in paint, food, and other various items. Even trying to stay at a distance my shoes and shorts where covered with little bits of paint, smeared dulce de leche, and flour (which all washed off when i got back home to Tres Arroyos). A few pictures later and Manuela was sitting in the trunk of the car as my host family drove her all around the streets of La Plata excessively honking their horns along the way (another common tradition of finishing college). 
   After being showcased for the city to see everyone went back and took a shower, especially Manuela and then headed to a restaurant that was set for a little party with pizza and drinks for Manuela. They even set up a screen to Manuela to skype with her sister on exchange in Arizona. 
   The following day was filled with meals at the grandmothers house and lots of sleep. It was too hot in the city to go wandering around but later in the afternoon when it cooled off we went to the giant plaza with the Catedral and the Municipal Building and wandered around. 
   The next day Olivia, Manuela, Olivia's host dad, Olivia's host grandma and I went out of the city into the surrounding areas of La Plata to a GIANT property for their family reunion type of thing. It had a family tree on the wall and lots of people. His family on his mom's side is all vasco's and very proud of it. They brought their own food which they ate with their own families not like at my family reunions when its a big potluck. People watched slide shows of family members, information about their vasco origins, listened to vasco music, danced with and watched traditional vasco dances and more. We spent most of the day at the family reunion. Later that evening Olivia and I went out to dinner and dancing with her sister's and their friends.

The following day we went to las republic de los ninos, which had a big flower exhibit. It was interesting to see but dreadfully hot too. Afterwards we went to a park and then a cafe together. It was a very nice day.
   We then returned home on monday but stopped in Tandil for an hour or so to take pictures and drink mate. The town is surrounded with beautiful little mountains. Where I live its extremely rare to even see a hill most of the Buenos Aires area is completely flat. Very different than from my hilly Ohio.