Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Buenos Aires, Argentina

LINDSAY LEE/THE HOYA
LINDSAY LEE/THE HOYA

I am unashamed to say that I have fallen victim to an issue of repetition. The more I have been telling people about my experience abroad, the more I have found myself beginning to truly believe it, while sometimes forgetting the deeper reality.

As a response to the frequently asked question, “Why did you choose to study abroad in Buenos Aires?” I typically pull out my prepared and eloquent answer: I was drawn to Argentina’s recent history and wanted to experience first-hand the effect it had on the day-to-day culture. In reality, it was much simpler than that: I wanted to be somewhere Spanish-speaking, had already been to Spain and had heard great things about the Buenos Aires program. My decision was made.

I cannot pretend to have had any sort of bold or complicated reasoning behind my decision to study here, nor can I return from this semester claiming to have experienced any major paradigm shifts or life-changing moments. Instead, I have rediscovered my patience for campus life, and I have come away with better-formed ideas about certain world issues. I interpret my experiences here as just one part of another side to a multifaceted story.

B2_ArgentinaIceFall_LindsayLee
LINDSAY LEE/THE HOYA

Since my arrival in July, I have learned a great deal about Argentine culture, which has its own peculiarities despite being a surprising amalgamation of its Latin American location, European historical influence and extensive consumption of American popular culture. It has been interesting to see all these factors at play in such a densely populated city.

I have loved my homestay and classes for the opportunity to speak with the chatty natives about politics, their ineffable economic history, gender roles and a myriad of other topics. My dinner conversations with my host mother, Maruja, a vivacious and wonderful 74-year-old woman, have become some of the best parts of my day.

When I received my acceptance letter from the Office of International Programs, I began fantasizing about the millions of chances and experiences that were now open to me. I have grabbed at those opportunities as much as I have been able to while still maintaining the semblance of being a student. I backpacked through the Argentine and Chilean sides of Patagonia for nine days, took corny photos at the Salt Flats in Jujuy, did a bike tour through the famous wineries of Mendoza and dove into a lake of freezing glacier water, among other adventures.

LINDSAY LEE/THE HOYA
LINDSAY LEE/THE HOYA

However, I would have to say that one of the most important things I gained from my time abroad was some mental breathing room from the Georgetown environment. Even the most devoted lover of Georgetown needs a little dose of “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” I had gotten so bogged down in the hustle and bustle of campus life that I never took the time to appreciate it, and my time abroad has given me some much-needed perspective and the desire to be busy again.

That being said, I doubt that my semester here will greatly change the way I live my life on the Hilltop on a day-to-day basis. I have become accustomed to eating dinner at 9:30 p.m. and returning home on weekend nights at 5 a.m. or later. But, when I come back to campus I will still wolf down a 10-minute dinner at 6 p.m. before running off to class.

I am now used to the politically charged environment of the University of Buenos Aires, with walls that are so plastered with posters urging students to come to a rally that you can’t see the original wall and students walking into the middle of classes to hand out flyers and to passionately discuss issues. But I will definitely still get annoyed with the door-knockers during GUSA season.

Although I enjoy sharing a maté with friends, I cannot wait to get back to my coffee cup-to-go habits.

I can’t pretend that a part of me hadn’t hoped to return from my international semester with a deeper understanding of myself and a new worldview of sorts. However, my semester in Argentina has given me a taste of life without those things which I had taken for granted, which are enjoyable in their own way, and I intend to approach the coming semester with an open mind and an appreciation for Georgetown’s differences.

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LINDSAY LEE/THE HOYA

My remarkable time in Buenos Aires and experiences in the places I travelled to during my time here will stick with me, and I will be forever recounting stories from these five months ad nauseam. When we all flood the Hilltop on Jan. 7 and begin sharing stories from our semesters exploring the world, I will strive to never consider my own experience “less than” those of others. I do not think semesters abroad are in any way comparable or that everyone should take his or her own experiences at face value.

As much as I loved my semester abroad in Buenos Aires and will be devastated to leave South America, I am excited for all that Georgetown has to offer me in my final three semesters. I have been lucky enough to have travelled a significant amount during my short lifetime and to have studied abroad last summer as well, and I intend to continue travelling and living abroad to learn as many sides of the story as I possibly can. My semester in Buenos Aires has helped me immensely toward that goal, but this an exploration that is definitely still in the undertaking.

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