1 Month: Social media and getting involved

If we are all going to be honest here, I didn't think I was going to make it this far.  My first week of  exchange was exciting and new, but I still wanted to go home.  It is hard to explain the transition of homesickness my first week to falling in love with the country now because it feels so right here.  One month is a big accomplishment for me because it actually went by fast.  I only have 9 more months here to make the best of my exchange and I intend on savoring every moment of it.

What I've come to realize is that social media now is a huge part of exchange.  This is both a blessing and curse.  On one hand, you are always connected with people around you on exchange.  Whenever you meet another exchange student it is almost a ritual to pull out your phones and exchange Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, twitter and more.  However, social media does have its set backs on exchange.  Trying to be "in the moment" can be difficult and sometimes impossible with a tiny screen sending notifications distracts you from the daily wonders you experience on exchange.  There comes a point on one's exchange that you have to separate yourself from the world you left behind.  It will always be there when you get back.  You are going to be the one that grows in maturity and social media can hinder that growth if not controlled to a certain degree.

I have learned this past month that to be successful on exchange you have to keep yourself busy to be happy. As an exchange student you have the freedom to do what you want in a day, besides the requirement to go to school everyday.  In that free time, you have to be independent and make the most of it.  I have started cross fit at a local gym with one of my friends and I love it.  I try to reach out to my friends as much as possible to hang out or do something after school.  The great part about Argentina is as an exchange student, you instantly make a ton of friends.  At this time now, I am figuring out the group of friends I want to invest my time with. 

There are only about 2 and 1/2 weeks left until my trip to Patagonia with all of the exchange students from my district.  I could not be more excited.

Chau for now 

Ben

My best friend here on exchange 

La Plaza España

Florencia and Mate 

One of the many incredible meals my host mom Stella makes.

Plaza Principal

The view outside of my window

Martina mi amor

When your boyfriend sends you letters 

Muriel

El día de la primavera

La plaza

Week 3: Being happy on exchange

It's crazy how fast all of this is going by. It is getting easier and easier with each week that passes. No, I am not fluent in Spanish and no I don't have everything figured out here. But, it's definitely getting better. I am learning something new everyday. Everything is new, no matter where I go. There is always something new to eat, place to see or a new word to use incorrectly and get laughed at. 

The language is coming easier, but slowly and I still make dumb mistakes everyday. It's just so hard to get used to the accent and bizarre words everyone uses on the daily. 

Last weekend we had our first district conference with all of the other exchange students from my district and a group called "Rotex" that is formed from outbound rotary students that have already gone on exchange. I met some amazing people during the conference. Talking to an exchange student in Argentina is refreshing because they understand everything what you are going through. From the differences in weather to the difficulty of understanding the language, exchange students just understand each other better than everyone during your year abroad. 

This was the first week I felt truly happy on my exchange. Saying that as an exchange student is hard because the first few weeks of exchange can be the most emotional and depressing weeks of your life.  It is such an amazing feeling to go abroad independently and feel confident and a sense of belonging. It's going to be a great 10 months.

I am settling into a routine and looking forward to experiencing new things everyday! I still have a little over a month before in get the opportunity to visit Patagonia and other places in the South of Argentina.

More updates to come.

Chau for now 

Ben

Everything is harder in Spanish

Well I made it.  The first week is done. So far its been scary, exciting, lonely, exhausting, exhilarating and overall pretty hard.  It has definitely been a culture shock.  No matter how much preparation you have before you go on exchange, or into any foreign culture, it is going to be hard.  

This week I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned that taking 4 year of Spanish in the United States does not mean you are fluent or even conversational sometimes.  I’ve learned that immersing yourself in a new culture is hard at first but gets easier with time.  I learned that some physics teachers in Argentina give an exchange student a test on the first day of class and expects them to understand it. 

Every experience and adventure comes with setbacks and difficult situations. The first few days I was very home sick and didn’t want to be here.  However, once I started getting into a routine and meeting more people, it didn’t matter as much what was happening back home.  Of course I miss my family, boyfriend and friends but it got better.  I forgot for those couple of days that I was homesick of how lucky I am to have the opportunity to travel abroad, experience a different culture and learn a new language.  

People: The people of Argentina are so incredibly welcoming and nice to foreigners and always go out of their way to make you feel more comfortable.  

Food: Breakfast is a snack or almost non-existent in Argentina. Lunch is referred to as a “merienda” and is usually later in the day around 2:00 or 3:00pm.  Dinner is the biggest and most sacred meal of the day and usually starts around 9:00 or 10:00pm and doesn’t get over until 11:00 or later.  I am so lucky to have an amazing host mom that is an equally amazing cook.  So far I’ve tried empanadas, milenesa, asado, chorizo seco, and many other foods.  In Argentina, you just have to accept the fact that every meal is going to have meat in it, and even when you think you can’t eat enough you will be served another plate.

Language: I came into my exchange thinking that I was prepared with my Spanish.  I was so wrong.  In the part of Argentina that I live in, they speak Catellano, a type of Spanish that has many different words and a strong accent.  The accent is the hardest thing to get used to. It is a beautiful accent but almost sounds like an italian trying to speak Spanish.  The words are different and hard to get used to because the Spanish we are taught in the United States is from Mexico and Spain.  

School: Schooling is extremely different here as well.  My high school (Escuela Normal) has class from 7:00am to 12:30pm every week day and physical education Tuesdays and Thursdays after school at 4:00.  In class students are basically allowed to do whatever they want.  The teacher doesn’t have that much control of the classroom.  All of my teachers have been very nice and understanding that I am an exchange student that has graduated high school.  So schoolwork isn’t a priority and learning the language is.

Thank you to everyone who has helped me get through this week.  I am so lucky.

Thanks for being the best to me Tanner 

Ben