Taylor King
Blog Post 5
Viviendo como una Argentina!
I want to get involved in some volunteer
programs near the school but I am not positive on any specific ones as to right
now that would be the best fit for me. I
would love to find a church there to assist in a volunteer way while taking
classes as well as help out in the local jardin de Botanico in Buenos
Aires. It is a small garden but is a
touristy part of the city since it is an all green part of the city. I have had seven years of experience in
working with flowers at Iris City Nursery and would love to volunteer at the
Botanico garden to see how Argentinian plants differ from plants in the
US. One of my main goals while abroad is
to find study groups on campus to join.
I love the way that Maryville has set up tutor sessions every week for
each class. I plan to either join, or
start my own tutor/study session while in Argentina in order to stay up to par
with my classes and work that my professors will give me.
The term, “living like a local” means to
me that I will be fully immersed in that I will not know anyone who speaks English,
I will be on my own to find my way around reading Spanish maps, put in
situations where I might now understand the entire conversations, may have a
hard time finding friends, as well as trying and adjusting to different foods
that I will have to eat for four months.
All of these aspects might be difficult to overcome; however, they are
all crucial and a huge part of why I want as well as need to travel abroad. As a person who is studying the Spanish
language, I want to be able to become fluent and adapt to different lifestyles
so that I can be a better rounded person as Spanish major. If I ever want to pursue becoming a translator,
I will
have to get
used to being put in different situations that I have to adapt to. I can’t get any better practice for that than
going abroad to be cultured.
In what ways
do you plan on fully immersing yourself into the various aspects of your host
culture (to live like a local), both on campus and in the community? I plan on traveling to Uruguay if possible on
my fall break to get a better, broader idea of what Latin America is like and
traveling with my friend there in Montevideo.
I also plan to travel the strip from north to south in Argentina after
my school classes are over. I hope to
travel with either Ben or Stacey so that I will have a safe trip, however these
plans are still in the “planning mode and are not official”. To experience what it is like to be a local,
I plan on buying my lunches at street vendors, and small local
restaurants. I don’t plan on eating out
a lot but I am definitely going to hit up some of the smaller more local restaurants
that offer the traditional Argentine food as well as the coffee shops in the
morning for a shot of espresso!
It is optional to have either a host
family or live on campus of Universidad de Salvador. I plan on having a host family. I plan making local friends by going to local
art showings, wine tastings, joining a study group, going to the local park,
joining any intermural or after school related groups that are of interest, as
well as ?
I imagine that my day to day life will
be very busy. I do not like having
nothing to do and imagine that being a full time student as well as a member of
some groups/volunteer opportunities will take up a good chunk of my time there.
I see myself making
friends and going out at night as well in a larger group setting to clubs and
dinner spots.
I hope to become more fluent in my
language as well as more confident in starting conversations. The goal I want
to reach is to become a “local” in that I understand more about Latin American
culture.
Good ideas. Not sure if FORMAL study groups exist. That would be a great question for your coordinator. Also - facebook Jessi Scarborough. She studied at Salvador too. Good for "girl" perspective.
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