Category: Latin America

Submitted by Chloe Hundley on the 2020 winter session study abroad program in Panama sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures…

During my second week in Panama, we started volunteering at Aldeas, a local shelter for children in need. Everyday, we prepared various activities for the children such as swimming, music, art, and games. In my group, we started out with musical games like musical chairs and freeze dance, but changed our plans as the week went on and we got a better idea of what they were interested in. On Tuesday, we helped kids make friendship bracelets and played different jump rope games with them for a few hours. On Wednesday, I stayed with the younger kids for most of the afternoon and helped them on the swings. At first, it was kind of difficult because they only speak Spanish and they could be hard to understand because of how fast and quiet they talk, but as the days went on, it got easier and we could have better conversations with them. I especially enjoyed talking to the teenagers because I could relate a lot more to them as we had a lot of similar interests and opinions, like the types of music we listen to and the difficulties of learning a second language (theirs being English).

Because of our work at Aldeas, we didn’t have as much free time this week. On Friday, a group of us stayed at a hostel in Casco Antiguo for the night and explored the shops nearby the next day. This was a great way to meet more locals and experience more of a typical Panamanian weekend. Sunday, we went on a group excursion to Portobelo to see the Hispanic ruins from when the conquistadors first arrived in the Americas and got a tour along the way to learn more about the history and culture. After that, we took a ferry to an island to have lunch and practice our Spanish for a few hours. Our professor even gave us an impromptu salsa dancing lesson on the beach, which was something that I definitely didn’t expect. Even though this week was extremely busy, it was great getting to know the kids at Aldeas and keep exploring the country.

Submitted by Regan Pavlock on the 2020 winter session study abroad program in Argentina sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures…

After almost two weeks in the busy city of Buenos Aires, our class took a trip to La Estancia Villa Maria in Las Pampas, about an hour outside of the city. Driving out of the city, you could slowly see the landscape changing, and I began to realize just how bustling and lively my host home in the city was in comparison to the flat, open land. Once we arrived at the estate, the miles of quiet grassy land reminded me of my home in the United States. We were able to ride horses, play games in the grass and relax by the pool, without a set schedule of events and places to see. I realized how desensitized I was to living in a city when I allowed myself to relax and enjoy the free time. This excursion was one of my favorite days of the program, as I got to connect with my classmates and have fun in an environment totally different than Buenos Aires. I found a great balance between the city and the country area, and it was something that I was able to reflect on and appreciate once I was back in my host home.

Submitted by Isiah Hiatt on the 2019 winter session program in Costa Rica sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…

This past weekend, we went to Manuel Antonio, which is one of Costa Rica’s National Parks. At the park, we walked the many trials and relaxed on the beach. During my walk around the trials with one of my friends, we got a chance to see some of the wildlife that live in the park. We saw tapirs, white-headed capuchin monkeys, and the mantled howler monkey. We probably did see more than that, but those are the three names of animals that I saw for sure. One time when I saw the monkeys, I thought that they were going to steal something from someone. The reason I thought this was because the monkey was sitting there while people were taking pictures of it, while another monkey snuck up behind the photographers. The monkey that snucked up behind just ended up walking past the photographers though.

While at Manuel Antonio some of the people from my program and I went on a boat ride. During the ride, we were able to some whales swimming which was really cool because I have never been so close to whales before. The guy who was talking during the ride said the reason why we were able to see them so close to the surface was because they had a baby and the baby can’t hold its breath as long as the adults. So the baby needs to stay near the surface. The adults stay near it in order to protect the baby, which I found really interesting. The second week is done and over with. I honestly have enjoyed my time here so far and have gained a little bit more confidence in my Spanish conversational skills. I hope to gain even more confidence by the time this program ends.

Submitted by Margaret Costello on the 2020 winter session study abroad program in Argentina sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures…

This weekend, we went to Uruguay and visited two cities, Colonia and Montevideo. This was a really cool experience because it was very interesting to see the similarities and differences in these two countries that are very close to one another. For one, Argentina and Uruguay are very similar in a lot of cultural aspects, one being that maté is a widespread drink that almost everyone drinks all the time. It is something that represents friendship which holds true in both countries. Dulce de leche is also a very big sweet treat that is enjoyed by many in both countries. However, there are very big differences, specifically in political terms. Argentina is a very large country with lots of controversy over political issues such as Peronism. As for Uruguay, there is not much political unrest because there is only a population of 3 million people so it is easier to get people to agree on things. There is still a left and a right on the political spectrum in Uruguay, but it is much less polarized than Argentina. Argentina and Uruguay are also both more liberal leaning and progressive countries, however, I would say Uruguay is much more progressive than Argentina. Uruguay has free education and free healthcare for all, similar to Argentina, but they also have the legalization of marijuana, 20 hour work weeks, abortion is legal, very little crime and very little unemployment. It was really cool to be in a country with all of these things that I see to be very beneficial to a nation, while coming from a country that is still lacking in almost all of these areas.

Submitted by Alaina Kurish on the 2020 winter session study abroad program in Argentina sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures…

During my stay in Argentina, I have had a variety of different typical Argentinian foods. One of my favorites is empanadas. There are many types of empanadas, for example, beef, chicken, ham and cheese, vegetable, spinach and cheese, caprese (tomato, cheese and basil) and anything else you can think of. An empanada is kind of like a meat pie. The outside is either dough made of flour like a pie or fried dough which is filled with either a type of meat or vegetable or cheese or a mix of them. They are a common lunch food since most people here do not eat big lunches it is common to get two or sometimes more or less empanadas for lunchtime. My favorite types of empanadas are beef and caprese. I have had beef empanadas both fried and regular baked and I enjoy both. In Buenos Aires specifically, the regular baked flour empanadas are more common. Although you can probably get empanadas in many places in the world, Argentina is said to have some of the best!

Submitted by Elise LaFramboise on the 2020 winter session study abroad program in Panama sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures…

Tomorrow will be two weeks in Panamá! I have been having so much fun and it has been going by so quickly yet so slowly at the same time. One of the best things that has happened on this program so far is that I’ve gotten close with everyone on the program already, and we’ve only known each other for 2 weeks. I was expecting for it to take a while to make friends with everyone, but only two weeks in, I have already had a real conversation with everyone on the program and I feel close with all of them already. We’ve already found some “favorite places” that we always go back to, which is amazing to have. It’s so fun that we already know the city well enough to have some places we like to go. At the same time, we are always discovering new places to go that are even more amazing. It’s also been fun to talk to our professors and my Panamanian neighbors, especially about the differences in culture between America and Panamá. It’s been an amazing two weeks and I can’t wait to discover more!

Submitted by Lawson  Schultz on the 2020 winter session program in Brazil sponsored by the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences…

Although we have only been in Rio de Janeiro for a week now, we have participated in many activities and visited numerous fun locations. In addition to continuing to have field sketching and plants and human culture classes, we have also had two watercolor lessons at Casa Caminhoa. During the first watercolor lesson, we learned basic techniques about how to create a gradient and later practiced painting an image of our choice. A few days later at our second watercolor lesson, we made a color wheel and painted a still life of fruit.

Near the studio that we take the watercolor lessons is Jardim Botanico, the largest botanic garden in Rio, which was established in 1808. In Jardim Botanico there was a sensory garden where we could touch and smell all the plants. Ironically, the sensory garden was located next to the cacti garden. Although we did not get to see every part of Jardim Botanico, we did walk through the iconic allee of palm trees.

Another notable place we have visited so far is Roberto Burle Marx ‘s architect office. Haruyoshi Ono was Marx’s landscape architect partner. Today Isabella, Ono’s daughter, her brother and another partner own the Marx landscape architecture company. While at their office, we were shown many prints from their past projects, and they explained how they go about a project in its many steps. After leaving the office, we went downtown to visit a rooftop garden that had been reconstructed. Tile murals were a main component on each wall.

Yesterday was particularly busy. In the morning, we took the metro for the first time. We got to visit the world’s largest mural created by one person. The mural is bold and colorful and features native people from each continent. We walked to the Museum of Tomorrow. The museum included very large modern installations with the intention of shedding light on environmental issues. That afternoon, we traveled by ferry to Niteroi, across the water from downtown Rio. There we had the opportunity to eat at a fish market where you could buy the fish on the first floor and bring it upstairs to the second floor to have it prepared and cooked. Before heading back on the ferry, we visited the Museum of Modern Art, which was a very interesting building designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer.

 

 

Submitted by Niko Reed on the 2020 winter session study abroad program in Chile sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures…

While I love living with my host family, this program is short on opportunities to meet Chilean people outside of that. My favorite way so far has been with Magic the Gathering!

For those who don’t know, Magic is a trading card game. The game has thousands of unique cards, and you build your own unique deck to face off against other players. Each deck has its own unique strategy and style, with the goal to take your opponent life’s before they can do the same to you.

The game is huge, and one of the great things about it is that it extends all over the world. Chile has a vibrant Magic the Gathering scene, and I have been able to find shops to play in during all of our weekend excursions as well as in our home base, Santiago.

For me, Magic is the perfect combination of fun, friendship making, and language practice. I’ve been playing with Spanish cards and the game requires a lot of communication when you play in person. That being said, the structure of the game really helps fill in the gaps in communication.
Everyone I’ve met in local stores has been incredibly nice, and it’s been one of my favorite pastimes on the program. As an additional bonus, the Spanish language cards I open will be great souvenirs I can play with for years to come.

Submitted by Mariapia Scotto Di Carlo on the 2020 winter session study abroad program in Argentina sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures…

This week, I am writing a reflection about when we visited Las Pampas for the day in Argentina! We, in my opinion, had the most relaxing day on the whole program so far while at Las Pampas because it was very relaxed as we weren’t running around all day making sure we were on schedule; rather, we were relaxed and spent the whole day at Estancia Villa María, completely immersed in the Argentine culture. The three biggest culture shocks that I was amazed at being able to witness were eating authentic asada, learning how to ride a horse, and seeing some traditional dances like Zamba. The asada was  an incredible experience because so many different forms of the best meat was cooking in front of us on giant grills and served to us “asada style”. It was so different from anywhere I have ever eaten, let alone cooked meat in the United States. The horses we learned how to ride connected to the gaucho (cowboy culture) in Argentina. In addition, we were able to see the gauchos race and learned of their traditions, like how if two guachos wanted to marry the same woman, they would have to “catch” the wedding ring through a soccer looking goal while riding a fast horse. Whoever caught the ring was allowed to marry the woman.  Finally, we were able to see traditional dances, such as Zamba, be performed. It was so interesting to me as I love dancing and we were able to see two dancers in their dress and attire that held so much culture and tradition move as one to the beat of a drum, or while moving around with a handkerchief. The whole day, while relaxed, was amazing and I couldn’t have asked for a better time!

Submitted by David Haynes on the 2020 winter session study abroad program in Panama sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures…

The second school week in Panama was one of the hardest in my life. A combination of lots of homework and a splash of homesickness and I was starting to countdown the days until I returned. But it all changed once the weekend came around as I had some of the best experiences of my life.

Every year, Panama City hosts a jazz festival that lasts an entire week. Musicians and jazz fans come from all around the world to enjoy concerts every night from professionals and local students, too. Lucky for me, the festival is held every year in January! How could I miss it? Friday night, I bought the tickets and went to a concert highlighting Reggie Johnson and Ravi Coltrane. Then, Saturday night, I went to the last concert of the week—a free show outdoors. This one was even better! There were tons of people there to attend the free concert. The music is a perfect representation of the people of Panama—it’s a mix of everything and it makes you dance like nothing else. Everyone was dancing and having an incredible time. It even ended up going about an hour past the end time because people kept shouting for one more. If you are ever in Panama in January, you really can’t miss this event!

On Sunday, I went on an excursion with the group to a town called Portobelo where we saw incredible sites and took a boat to a tiny island to enjoy the afternoon on the beach. The water of the Caribbean was spectacular! But, I only swam for a little bit as I spent most of the time talking to a family on the beach from Colombia. These people were incredibly nice and had no problem with me joining their family for a couple of hours. We talked about everything from Colombian slang to politics in the United States. It was just another example of how insanely kind the people here are. It is so easy to just walk up to anybody, as I did on the beach, and start a conversation.

Classes are still tough, but I’m really excited to talk to more people and see more of Panama as we head into the second half of the month.