Argentina: Kamika Patel (Local Interactions)

Local Interactions: People 

It’s heartbreaking to fall in love with a place so easily while knowing that your time there is limited and fleeting by the second.

Argentina, and specifically, the city of Buenos Aires, were matches made for my personality. As a pretty outgoing and extroverted individual, the worry of meeting new people while speaking another language that I would barely consider myself fluent in, never really crossed my mind. I’m appreciative that I spent little to no time considering this potential stressor because I have had a lot of luck in meeting the right people and making new friends that have added so much to my experience studying abroad, thus far.

I have to begin with the person who was awaiting my arrival on the first day, my host mom, Sole. While planning for my four months abroad, I had to choose between the options of living in an apartment or with a host family in their home. Let’s just say that I would not want it any other way besides living with Sole. Given that Sole is a younger host mom and has a son around my age who lives closer to his university, she understands my needs and goals as a student studying abroad who wants to experience the most that I can within four months.

Adding to this understanding that Sole naturally carries, like many other Argentines, my conversations with Sole are very open and direct. It has been this way since we introduced ourselves. After our first hug and exchange of one kiss on the cheek (the normal way to greet someone in Argentina), Sole quickly dove in and asked questions circling many topics, many that would be considered ‘intense’ to ask someone while you are meeting them for the first time in the States.

That being said, as someone who loves to meet new people and get to know them closely upon the first conversation, I was enthralled to answer Sole’s questions and ask her my own. Conversations like these are the norm with most people from Argentina. Porteños (Argentines specifically from the city of Buenos Aires) and their more direct, open, and to-the-point communication style is a sign that they have taken a liking to you. And depending on what province I am in, it is likely to come across people outside of Buenos Aires who are even more open and hospitable to strangers that quickly turn into friends.

One of the most memorable experiences so far was when I met Tere, someone who I now consider one of my best friends in Argentina. How I connected with Tere is a special story to recount.

Tere and I met each other during the weekend I volunteered with Modulo Sanitario, an organization dedicated to building sanitary spaces for families that lack the resources. Volunteering on its own was already an incredible experience as I was helping to construct a literal bathroom and kitchen while following instructions in Spanish. So when I exchanged only a two-minute conversation with Tere while expressing how excited I was to be volunteering and learned a little about her, I was surprised when the invitation I extended to get coffee after we finished volunteering that weekend turned into her inviting me to her home in Bella Vista, a district outside of the city of Buenos Aires.

I have to reiterate that Tere and I only spoke for two minutes. We were on different construction teams, so I was unable to see her throughout most of the weekend, but after having quickly exchanged WhatsApp numbers, we texted during the week to confirm the plans of me taking the train to visit her and her family at their home the next weekend.

In fact, Tere and I knew so little about each other, that she believed my cultural heritage as a second-generation Indian meant that I actually lived in India. This misinformation was quickly sorted out once I arrived at her house the following Friday.

My first time visiting Bella Vista was comprised of several traditional experiences such as attending a Guitarreada (when a group of loved ones sit together singing songs and playing instruments), having a family Asado (a traditional Argentine barbecue), or going on walks with Tere and her friends while sharing mate (sort of like a caffeinated tea). Each person that I met during these activities was so inviting that at the end of my first weekend spent in Bella Vista, I had multiple invites to come to events like birthday parties, future Asados, or staying over at someone else’s house because their family wanted to host me.

I have returned to Bella Vista after my initial visit and have made many new friends through Tere that have visited me in the capital city. This experience is just one of many in which I met someone during my study abroad experience who was so eager and excited to introduce me to their culture.

I have a lot of supportive figures (such as Sole and Tere) in Argentina who make it easier for me to venture out on my own and do things afraid. Doing things afraid means that while there will be several interactions I have had or have yet to have that might be awkward and uncomfortable for a multitude of reasons, all falling under the umbrella of adjusting to a new culture, I should pursue what I want without letting social anxieties or fears limit my experiences.

This approach met with the open attitudes of the people I have met in Argentina, has led me to make friends and form relationships that I believe will be long-lasting. The open attitude in regard to the hospitality of the people in Argentina is met with gratitude and admiration on my part.

Kamika Patel

Major: International Studies & Communications (Certs. in Educational

Policy and Business)

Hometown: Suburbs of Chicago, Illinois

Program: IES Latin American Societies and Cultures; Buenos Aires, Argentina