I thought I was prepared for Buenos Aires

I chose to travel to Buenos Aires five days before the flight itinerary suggested by Kulturstudier.

That meant I had a few days alone in the city before the others arrived, and perhaps that was exactly what I needed to get my first real taste of what it’s like to be far from home—on a new continent.

On the first day, all I really had to do was find somewhere to buy a SIM card. A fairly simple task back home in Norway. In sprawling Buenos Aires without mobile data, it suddenly felt like a little expedition.

Once I finally had the SIM card in place, much of the stress disappeared. At the same time, I began to realize something else: I wasn't going to get by on English alone.

Spanish in real life

I had probably imagined that I would be able to get through the first few days with a little English, some body language, and the little Spanish I already knew. It has turned out to be more challenging than I expected.

I noticed that especially at the grocery store.

I was at the checkout when the cashier started asking me several questions in Spanish. I didn't quite understand what she was asking, and I became quite overwhelmed.

Fortunately, there was an older Argentinian woman nearby who spoke a little English, and she helped me through the situation.

What initially felt like quite a stressful moment ended up becoming one of the nicest encounters I've had so far.

Afterward, we stood outside the grocery store talking. Among other things, she told me a little about what I should be careful about in the city—such as not walking around with my phone visible on the street.

She lived nearby, so I walked her home. There, I met her son, who spoke better English.

Before we parted ways, we exchanged phone numbers and made a tentative plan to meet for coffee. That way, she can practice her English while I get to practice my Spanish.

That may be one of the best things about coming to a new country alone. You have to solve small problems on your own, and sometimes you have to be brave enough to talk to people even if you’re not quite sure what to say.

In return, you may end up meeting people you would never have met back home.

There is a difference between visiting a city and living in one

After just one week, I’ve also started to notice small cultural differences that I hadn’t necessarily thought about before coming here.

In many ways, Buenos Aires feels familiar. The city has old buildings, cafés on almost every corner, and many features reminiscent of major European cities. At the same time, there are plenty of things that remind me I am far from home.

One of the clearest differences is the circadian rhythm.

In Norway, I'm used to having dinner at roughly the same time every day. Here, the rhythm is completely different.

Several restaurants close for a few hours in the afternoon before reopening in the evening, and it is common to eat dinner much later than I am used to.

So far, I've either had the restaurants almost entirely to myself because I've gone out so early, or I've shown up when they've been closed.

It will be interesting to see whether, a few months from now, I'll be back home in Norway thinking that 11:00 p.m. is a perfectly normal time to have dinner!

A city I'm still trying to understand

One of the things I like best about the first week is that I'm constantly discovering new things.

A trip to the store isn't just a trip to the store. It can become a language challenge. A conversation with a stranger can turn into a new acquaintance. And a perfectly ordinary dinner can suddenly make me realize that I have a distinctly Norwegian relationship with time.

I also think something else happens when you travel alone: You become more aware of your own habits.

When everything around you works a little differently, you notice things you would normally never think about at home. How people talk to each other. When they eat. How much Spanish you actually understand when someone speaks quickly.

And how much you yourself are willing to try when you don't have the option of retreating to the familiar.

I've only been here for a week, and I already know that I'm going to learn much more than I had imagined.

I still have a lot to get used to, and I’m sure I’ll make many more language mistakes before the semester is over. But maybe that’s exactly why I chose to come here.

You can read as much as you like about Argentina beforehand. You can plan, pack, and prepare, but some things simply have to be experienced firsthand.

So I’m quite excited to see how Buenos Aires will feel after I’ve been here for a month—and how much more Spanish I’ll dare to speak by then!