Don’t cry for me, Argentina/ The truth is I never left you.
– “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” Evita
Julie Covington’s voice has played on a loop in my head for the past two weeks. Sometimes, Madonna chimes in, just to keep things fresh.
I said “chau” to Argentina on December 19th. While I cannot claim that the entire country teared up in response, I can affirm that I left a piece of my heart behind.
I’ll begin my reflection by introducing my favorite quote, which reckons that, “A man’s feet must be planted in his country, but his eyes should survey the world.”
I enjoy the quote because it both encourages wanderlust and maintains a regard for the place that one considers foundational and familiar. Studying abroad, in that same vein, heightened my appreciation for the United States, its efficient modes of operation, cultural sensitivity, and entrenched democracy. The experience also tempered my pride with an awareness of the beautiful idiosyncrasies of another country.
I know that at some point, I will be sitting with my friends reminiscing about Argentina and commiserating our great loss. As of now, however, instead of loss, I feel gain. I gained knowledge about a culture, a people, a history. I gained understanding of an alternate worldview. I gained Argentina as a second home for life.
I’d like to share the Top 5 Things Argentina taught me this semester:
- Never take a day for granted: enjoy the sun, parks, people. Try hard to not let stress define your fleeting present.
- Never take democracy for granted: understand the price that people pay when they are without freedom, the gift that it is to have a say in a life not strictly prescribed for you, that political apathy isn’t an option if you believe in community and a common good. Be informed, read the news, wrestle with opinions.
- Take a chance on people: say hello and smile at strangers, turn them into friends. Through conversation, you can experience a world just by standing in one place.
- Work for a cause: Give your life purpose, act on your concerns, measure your success by the goodness that you spread. What you do doesn’t have to make the front-page news. If you’re good at art, paint a mural. If your legs allow, join a march. If you love to talk, talk with passion.
- Embrace a bit of chaos and irregularity: 75% of Argentina functions, the other 25% can throw you for a loop– your bus could be late, your electricity could shut off, a strike could block a street. Go with the flow and watch life happen. Moreover, take on a country’s diverse landscape and take note of its diverse demography.
This last point holds particular salience for me. I came to Argentina to discover what it meant to be “Argentine” and how this term related to being “Latin American.” Instead of the extensive ethnic mixing of the indigenous, the African, and the European that colored my conception of Latin America, Argentina surprised me with more internal variety than I originally fathomed.
Great waves of immigration have birthed a culture that sits astride multiple identities. Blonde, blue-eyed Argentines of German descent fill their steins with artisanal beer in Villa General Belgrano, a town seemingly transplanted from Deutchland. Short-statured, dark-skinned descendants of Amerindian populations in the northern province of Jujuy leave cigarette butts and chewed mounds of coca leaves as offerings to the Pachamama (Mother Earth). Arab-Argentine store owners selling Levantine goods meet Senegalese street vendors in the bustling Once district of Buenos Aires. The estimated six to eight percent of the country’s mestizo population enjoy the wines of Mendoza and preserve gaucho traditions in the grasslands of Patagonia.
The common factor that unites them all is a disposition that a Patagonian native described well when he said, “South of the equator, we are overwhelmingly warm, friendly, open, involved, opinionated, and understanding.”
Thus, whether you or your ancestry hail from a native tribe, Europe, Africa, Asia or a peripheral country; are Jewish or Catholic; a born-and-raised porteño or curious exchange student, you as a member of Argentine society are inclined to be vocal and communal in the public space, share your mate, admire graffiti and love football.
Studying abroad in Argentina was a coming-of-age experience I was oblivious to the entire time. My friend described it as a chance for us to know the best versions of ourselves– the adventure-prone, curious, contemplative, gracious, present-minded, inspired versions.
With that, I invite you to witness the following:
The transformation from girl to gaucho
Location: The provincial fields of Buenos Aires
Special Thanks To: The owners of Caballos “A La Par” for an exceptional afternoon
The passion of Argentine soccer enthusiasts
Location: “El Monumental,” aka River Plate Stadium
Special Thanks To: Ms. Graciela Codas Thompson for her generous assistance
The most breathtaking trip of a lifetime (namely, mine)
Location: San Carlos de Bariloche
Special Thanks To: Julia Feldbaum for sharing in incredible views and a lot of laughter
