The following is partly written by Chris Wiggins, Norfolk Academy student participant on the exchange:
We started the day with a walking tour of Mal del Plata led by Mrs. Federica Valenzuela, the Middle School Head and the Exchange Program Coordinator. We started just down the street from school at the city’s beautiful water tower, which provides clean water for the entire city. It was built at one of the highest points in the city so the views from the top were incredible. We watched an informational video before taking the elevator (or the 192 steps!) up to the top. In the video, it was interesting to see images of Mar del Plata decades ago before becoming the city we see today.
Next, we walked through the center of town to visit the school uniform school, where most of us bought parts of the HTC uniform. We had discussions about the merits of wearing an uniform to school, and Deztaney is ready to start a petition at NA to make it happen!
We all needed a bite to eat or caffeine boost, so we made a quick pit stop to “Boston” – a coffee shop a block away from school. Ordering in Spanish was challenging, but it all turned out well. We had delicious milkshakes, pastries, and smoothies.
We rushed back to the school to attend a private geography class to learn about the different regions in Argentina. It was all in Spanish which was challenging, but it was really interesting! We ate lunch in the school dining hall and played fútbol, where I made a ripping longshot.
After lunch, student members of the CAS (Creativity, Action, and Service program) joined us for an afternoon at a local retirement home. We were each matched up with an elderly person and talked to them in Spanish about their lives. Then we played bingo and my partner, Luisito, got second place #represent.
Back at school, we participated in a PE class with the juniors and seniors where they ran down the boardwalk. It wasn’t that much fun seeing as I did not have my gym clothes, and I ran in a collared shirt, dress pants, and tie. Later I went shopping with my host mother for an official Argentine jersey at the town center. For dinner, my host mother made a chicken and cheese pie from scratch. Fue bueno.
We started the day with a walking tour of Mal del Plata led by Mrs. Federica Valenzuela, the Middle School Head and the Exchange Program Coordinator. We started just down the street from school at the city’s beautiful water tower, which provides clean water for the entire city. It was built at one of the highest points in the city so the views from the top were incredible. We watched an informational video before taking the elevator (or the 192 steps!) up to the top. In the video, it was interesting to see images of Mar del Plata decades ago before becoming the city we see today.
Next, we walked through the center of town to visit the school uniform school, where most of us bought parts of the HTC uniform. We had discussions about the merits of wearing an uniform to school, and Deztaney is ready to start a petition at NA to make it happen!
We all needed a bite to eat or caffeine boost, so we made a quick pit stop to “Boston” – a coffee shop a block away from school. Ordering in Spanish was challenging, but it all turned out well. We had delicious milkshakes, pastries, and smoothies.
We rushed back to the school to attend a private geography class to learn about the different regions in Argentina. It was all in Spanish which was challenging, but it was really interesting! We ate lunch in the school dining hall and played fútbol, where I made a ripping longshot.
After lunch, student members of the CAS (Creativity, Action, and Service program) joined us for an afternoon at a local retirement home. We were each matched up with an elderly person and talked to them in Spanish about their lives. Then we played bingo and my partner, Luisito, got second place #represent.
Back at school, we participated in a PE class with the juniors and seniors where they ran down the boardwalk. It wasn’t that much fun seeing as I did not have my gym clothes, and I ran in a collared shirt, dress pants, and tie. Later I went shopping with my host mother for an official Argentine jersey at the town center. For dinner, my host mother made a chicken and cheese pie from scratch. Fue bueno.