Wild Wild Wharton: Buenos Aires

I've officially completed my first Wharton and Lauder classes! Finals were on Thursday and everyone spent Thursday night either celebrating, packing or flying out of Philly (or all of the above). Here are some pics of my apartment, roommates, Lauder friends, etc. from the past week.

I think I've spent more time in the air than on the ground over the last 3 days . After wrapping up finals, I hung out with some of the other Lauder students to celebrate the conclusion of our first round of classes and then I headed home to pack and clean up my apartment before heading out to the airport at 4:45 am. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep that night.

It was SO nice to be home, even if it wasn't near long enough. I had about 24 hrs with my wife and two little girls. It was harder to leave than I thought it would be. That said, I'm glad I flew home before heading off to the Summer Immersion. It will be a tough two months without them, but I'm also very excited about the experience.

I'm in Buenos Aires! It's hard to believe I'm actually here. My dad and two of my brothers have lived in Buenos Aires, so essentially I've heard about this city since infancy. I can see why this city seems to charm people. It is full of culture and history.

I am rooming with Greg, a fellow Spanish tracker. He worked in the Peace Corp in the Dominican Republic and later worked for a Private Equity group in New York City that focuses on investments in the Hispanic market. He's a great guy and I feel lucky to have him as a friend and roommate. Our apartment is great. We have a spectacular view of the city, overlooking the Botanical Park. I think the closest thing I could compare it to is a NYC apartment overlooking Central Park (but not as expensive). ;) We are on the top floor and have a great balcony, which I'm sure we'd use a little more if the weather were a little better. Of course it is the beginning of winter here, so the highs are in the 60's and the lows in the 40's. Not freezing cold, but cold enough that I don't think we'll be hanging out on the balcony all the time either. Here are some pics:

This is the main hallway/entrance to the apartment. It is on the "penthouse" floor, so it has a spectacular view of the city and the Botanical Park. Nice, but simple apartment.

This is the view from the balcony. Beautiful view of the Rio Del Plata (which blends into the sky in this picture) and the Botanical Park.

Sheynna, Jeff, Greg and I walked around the city a bit this afternoon, which was fun. Jeff and Sheynna have both visited or lived in Buenos Aires before, so they know the city pretty well, so Greg and I went along for the ride.