Anahi: My Calling To Argentina
Anahi Reatiga Ponce, a US university student at San Diego Mesa College, shares her perspectives on her recent Spanish language and culture program with Expanish in Argentina. Read about how she prepared, what she learned, and how she found her true self in Buenos Aires.
As someone who was born and raised in Mexico, moving to the United States at the tender age of 13 was quite a cultural shock. After living half of my current life in the U.S., I decided to take part in this educational trip to Argentina to reconnect with the comunidad hispanohablante.
The First Step
One of the hardest parts of participating in a study abroad program is taking the first step — deciding whether to go or not. In my case, it was especially tough because I was worried that a Spanish-based course would not be so productive for me as a native speaker already.
Growing up, I made good friends with a couple of people who happened to be from Argentina (one from Buenos Aires and the other from Tucumán), and one thing I always admired about them was the patriotism they constantly displayed. Seeing that kind of behavior piqued my interest in visiting, but it was not enough of a reason for me to travel to the other side of the continent. So I decided to consult a couple of experts (my mom and my older sister) about what to do.
My mom, like any other logical parent, asked me, “What are you going to even do over there? You already speak Spanish.” So, I made the critical choice to call my older sister to get a different perspective. To my surprise, she was very supportive and told me things such as “you only live once” and “money comes and goes, but time doesn’t.” Her words made me feel very hopeful and encouraged me to participate in the program.
Sorting out the paperwork was surprisingly easy, mainly because of how responsive everyone on the Expanish team was. Packing was more difficult, but soon I was actually taking the plane to Buenos Aires, Argentina, determined to face the experience with “an open heart and an open mind”.
Emerging Into the Culture
Although I considered myself a native Spanish speaker, being in Argentina still posed an interesting challenge as I had to adapt to the local dialect. A lot of the words that I was used to saying in Mexican Spanish could have a WHOLE other meaning in Argentina, with some slipups resulting in funny anecdotes. Despite this “language/dialect barrier,” I felt so welcomed by everyone I encountered.
My favorite part the trip was how engaging the academic program was. Per San Diego Mesa College guidelines about contact hours, we would have around two hours of lecture in the morning (with some guest speakers here and there), and then engage in out-of-classroom activities in the afternoon.
I never imagined I would elevate my Spanish the way I did. We were constantly engaged in historical, political, and culinary conversations, while many of the cultural activities put it diverse situations and contexts for using the language. One day we were walking outside the Cathedral with a downtown view of the Obelisk, another day we had an introductory tango dance lesson, and on other occasions, we were in the kitchen making empanadas and chocotorta.
While I may not have expanded my Spanish as widely as some other students that started at a lower level, it was still a great opportunity to learn more about life and even to get to know myself better. For example, during the trip I learned that I am a very social person, and that I really like dancing structured dances such as salsa and bachata (and hopefully tango too, one day!).
Social Life
One aspect that I really liked about the program was that people from around the world were also studying Spanish at the Expanish center in Buenos Aires. So we had the opportunity to meet new people not just locally, but also from Germany, Sweden, Brazil, South Korea, and many more countries!
The school itself was not the only place to meet foreigners; the city of Buenos Aires is quite diverse, and walking down the street, I would often hear other languages such as German, Italian, and Portuguese.
While socializing at a dance studio, I learned about an organized conversation group that drinks mate while practicing the language of their choice. As many locals want to practice their English (or other languages) and many foreigners want to practice their Spanish, the languages will vary depending on who shows up to the event!
In The End...
Being able to participate with Expanish in Buenos Aires, Argentina, through my college was a life-changing experience that I would do all over again if I could. Not only did I expand my Spanish vocabulary, but I also found my true self there and feel more globally aware and politically engaged than before. All while learning new things, eating delicious food, and being surrounded by some incredible individuals.
Find out more about our five different study abroad programs, including our new semester programs, now available in Spain, Argentina and Costa Rica.
