Take a moment to imagine what it would be like if everything that you did were suddenly changed. Almost everything is different. The language you speak, where you put your dirty clothes, and even the times that you eat have been completely distorted into a confusing new matrix of life. You probably think this reshaping of your lifestyle would be totally undesirable, as this is how most people are; humans by nature don’t like change. I went against this habit and ventured out into the unknown. As an exchange student in Argentina, I am experiencing firsthand a new culture, and a new way of life.
Argentina is sixth largest country in the world, located on the eastern seven-eighths of the southern portion of South America. The country spans about 40 degrees of latitude, giving it climates from tropical rainforests in the far north to frigid tundra in the south. I live in the city of Viedma. At the mouth of the beautiful Río Negro, the city is 960km south of the Capital, Buenos Aires. Viedma is very different from most cities in the U.S.. All the houses are much smaller than ours, and the streets and buildings are in rather poor condition, with graffiti almost everywhere and garbage littering the roadsides. But don’t let this mask fool you.
In Argentina, the culture places an emphasis on people and family, instead of having "stuff." This is why the city appears to be in poor condition. Argentineans care about friends much more than they do about cars and buildings and consumer goods. Many things that in the U.S. would be considered unacceptable are perfectly normal in Argentina, such as the poorly maintained streets. This is partly why the people of Argentina are very open and inviting. People here will gladly stop what they’re doing to chat with a friend. The basic rule here is: People matter more than anything else.
The Flores family, who is hosting me, is a wonderful family. They welcome me into their home, and encourage me to do whatever I please. I have a host mother and father, a 17-year-old brother, a 15-year-old sister, and a 6-year-old sister. Ramiro, my host brother, is a really cool guy. He says his life is hanging out, drinking yerba mate (a traditional Argentine tea) and going to the Boliches (Discos) with friends. Victoria, the 15-year-old, goes to my school. She is very nice and patient with me while I learn the language. Rebeca, my other host sister, is a cute little girl in first grade. My host parents are "separated" (I’m not sure exactly what that means, but I think they are still married) and the father sleeps in another house, but is part of the family and spends lots of time at this house. Both are very good parents. I don’t think I could have gotten a better host family. I also thank them for choosing the school I attend.
In my school, which goes from 8:00am to 5:00pm, I have one classroom. I’m with the same group of students for the whole day. Every day there are different classes running on a weekly cycle. The teachers are the ones who change rooms, not the students. The special thing about this school is that it is an agricultural school. In the morning, we have classes outside, in either a greenhouse or a barn. In the greenhouse, we learn about plants and how to grow them. In the barn, we work with chickens. We also worked with a chicken in Biology. The teacher went to the barn, took a (sick) bird, brought it before us, then broke its neck! We then dissected it, right before lunch! The other subjects in my schedule include chemistry, physics, math, language (Spanish), English, geography, history, technical drawing, and psychology (All in the same week!) The first day I had chemistry, which was hard to understand because of all the technical names were different. After that was P.E., where all I did was play soccer with the other boys. The second day I had physics, which was very easy. We copied down a lecture and did a few temperature conversions, from Celsius to Fahrenheit. I also had English, which was obviously my easiest class. It’s a little awkward, because I know more than the teacher, and sometimes I find mistakes in the work she gives out.
I am the first exchange student that the Escuela Secundaria de Formácion Agraria has ever hosted. On my first day of school, I was the center of attraction; everyone wanted to meet me and ask me questions. All the students wanted to know what types of music I liked, what I thought of their school, and what my school was like in the U.S. I couldn’t pay attention to the teachers, because someone was always talking to me. The classes here are much less organized and structured than those of the U.S.; however, I think it will be quite easy to pass all the subjects.
Overall, I think that this year will be the best I have ever had, and that at the end, I will recommend AFS (the program I’m in) to everyone. I know it will be hard at times, but I also know that most of the time, I will be having so much fun that I won’t want to go back to the U.S.