Edith Torres, Argentina
My name is Edith Torres. I am Senior, Social Work major and Spanish
Minor. I had the privilege to study abroad in Argentina for two
months. I had the most amazing time abroad and it is difficult to
summarize everything I lived and learned. First of all, I only decided
to study abroad in Argentina because it was the only program that
would provide me with the credits I needed to fulfill my minor
requirements; for this reason, I would have never guessed that I would
fall in love with Buenos Aires. I spent two months in a beautiful city
that made me feel at home. My host parents, Luis and Nidia were the
most beautiful couple and always looked out for me. I met other
students from the U.S. who I now consider my friends because of how
much we learned and grew together over those months.
My daily routine consisted of going to class in the morning, going to
Norma Café (my favorite café) and having some café con leche y 3
medialunas, and exploring the city’s most important museums and
tourist attractions in the evening. I always had something to do! My
favorite activity though, was when we where dismissed from class very
early so we could watch Argentina’s National Soccer Team play in the
World Cup. I can’t tell you how crazy it gets because they’re so
passionate and it was super fun to cheer for the team.
I also had the opportunity to do some traveling while in South
America. I visited Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. It’s a very small
town in the shores of Rio de la Plata and it reminded me so much of my
hometown in Mexico. I also traveled to Mendoza, Argentina for a
weekend; where I went wine tasting and did some skiing in the Andes.
On my way back I had a layover in Santiago de Chile for a day, and did
some exploring as well.
Finally, I want to share with you what I take from this experience:
Now that I am back, I recognize that no country is perfect, but it
takes education and action to make social change happen. I also
recognize that I am a learning channel for my family, especially my
parents, to learn about the world; my dad did not even know what
continent Argentina is in. Yes, I was there physically, but they have
also benefited from how much this shaped my perspective in life. It
took a lot of trust and support from my parents, as well as generous
support from scholarship donors to have made this dream a reality for
me. For that, and for so much more, I am truly grateful.
