By Rachel Danner, CASA Argentina Spring 2019 (Brown '20)
The day I arrived in Buenos Aires I had the best ice cream I’ve had in my life. It was passion fruit flavored (maracuyá in Spanish) and it had the seeds of the fruit included, which added the perfect extra crunch. I was in awe of the culinary prowess and explosion of flavors. I was also terrified. I had just gotten off of an eleven hour flight to Argentina and had arrived at a 8th floor apartment in the heart of the city and met my somewhat (very) eccentric host mother. I knew no one, spoke imperfect Spanish, and had never lived in a city larger than Providence, Rhode Island. It was overwhelming. The thought of leaving my cozy apartment was stressful, to say the least. But then I found on Google Maps a cute little ice cream shop right around the corner, and my semester began.
The CASA Argentina program provided me with a number of incredible opportunities to get to know not just the magnificent city of Buenos Aires, but also many other parts of the country and region. Through official program trips I got a chance to visit the mountain-surrounded city of Cordoba, which is filled with history and adorable shoe stores, and to visit our sister-program in Santiago, Chile. On my own time, and with friends I made during the semester I was able to see the mountains of Patagonia, the waterfall of Iguazú and the incredible salt flats in the northern part of the country. I spent many hours over the course of the semester in awe of the natural beauty that fills Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay.
Of course the heart of the program and of my experience was the unique learning opportunity presented by direct enrollment in the local universities. I took classes at the University of Buenos Aires (an enormous university that hosts more that 300,000 students over its multiple sites and departments) and the National Arts University. My absolute favorite course was Tango 0, which despite its low level turned out to be one of the hardest classes I have ever taken. However the opportunity to learn the national dance of Argentina with other Argentine students and four professors who continually alluded to past fame was something I will never forget. As a Public Health concentrator, I was also fascinated by the country’s healthcare system and was able to take a class on its history and policies and participate in an internship with a family medicine non-profit.
One of the best components of the CASA program, which I would highly recommend to anyone interested, is the Historical Memory Fellowship. Through this opportunity I was able to complete a final project around the theme of historical memory, which involved site visits, interviews, and guest speakers catered to my interests. I decided to write about the role of the Argentine Catholic church in the most recent military dictatorship, and learned more about a topic that was previously unknown to me than I thought was possible. I was able to speak with family members of those affected by the violence of the dictatorship, and gain experience writing an extended research paper that may be submitted for publication.
None of this would have been possible without the support I received from the in country program staff and my wonderful host mother. Although I was super nervous when I arrived in Buenos Aires, over the five months I began to feel absolutely at home as I was embraced warmly by almost everyone I met. This past semester allowed to me learn, travel, and grow to an incredible extent, and I am so thankful that I chose to push through my fears and experience it all.
