Recap on the Adventure of a Lifetime
Would I study abroad again? Without a doubt, yes! This experience has been the most exciting adventure of my young, adolescent- I have yet to turn 20- life. From the people I met in Argentina, to the peaceful getaway in Uruguay, to the breathtaking beauty of Patagonia, I have never felt quite as fortunate as I did these past few weeks on my dialogue. I ate the finest steak my lips have ever touched surrounded by gauchos in northern Buenos Aires. I crossed the Rio de Plata aboard a luxurious Buquebus ferry in business class to visit Montevideo and Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. I lived like a true Porteño in the city itself for three weeks, dining on traditional Argentinian food, speaking Spanish, commuting to school on the Colectivo, shopping for leather at the artisanal fairs, sipping mate through a bombilla in the plaza with friends.
My favorite experience by far was trekking the Perito Moreno Glacier in El Calafate, Patagonia. I have never done anything quite as cool as this. (And what’s cooler than being cool? Ice cold.) In fact, I have never been to a glacier before this trip, so seeing this luminescent mass of ice stretching for miles at the base of the magnificent Andes mountains made my jaw drop in reverent astonishment. Then actually trekking it and drinking whiskey on the rocks- the rocks being ice from the glacier itself- blew my socks off. I cannot believe I was lucky enough to walk on the only glacier in the world that is in a current state of equilibrium, neither retreating or advancing. Viewing a Patagonian sunset behind the soaring Andes each night was quite the spiritual experience as well. Every minute of being in Patagonia was a genuine treat. I try not to revisit the same regions twice because there is so much out there in the world to see but Patagonia is just a place I know have to return to someday.
Aside from the moments of decadent relaxation I was treated to during last week of my dialogue when we left Buenos Aires, I was being challenged each day in the city to cooperate with different groups of people, manage my finances (something I have never been very good at), speak up for myself both in Spanish and in English to communicate what I was trying to accomplish. This trip has changed me for the better. I have become more firm and confident in myself, understanding of people with different backgrounds, and capable of turning my discomfort in a situation to determination.
This was best done through volunteering at the TAMA dog shelter in El Calafate, Patagonia. I have never been exposed to conditions like those in this shelter. What felt like thousands of dogs greeted us with eardrum-blowing barking at the gate of the shelter and we spent the next two hours scooping their soggy and sometimes bloody feces and changing out the soiled cardboard in each of the individual cells. As some vomited and others cried, we continued through this challenging experience as the dogs jumped all over us, staining our clothes with the feces they had tracked into the building and sometimes biting at our legs. I am grateful to have had this experience because it toughened me and opened my eyes to the harsh conditions that people and animals have to face in regions with fewer resources and less funding than we are accustomed to here.
While I feel that I have personally changed, something that didn’t change is my academic goal. I am still keen on studying health sciences and potentially pharmacy down the road. I want to heal the world through medicine so I believe this is currently the best path for me.
Before I sign off on my final blog, some advice to future participants: keep an open mind. Don’t shut yourself out in small groups, unwilling to befriend others. Just be kind to everybody and be genuine in your actions. Eat as many alfajores as possible and bring home cartons of dulce de leche because you will miss it when you come home. If you are feeling nervous and apprehensive prior to the start of your journey, remember that everyone else is probably feeling the same way. Put on your best smile and present yourself as confident and kind. Embrace diversity, savor every new experience, be bold and take risks.
