Taking Off

Getting ready to board my flight

I’m off to Argentina today!

When I first came to Duke, I wasn’t sure if I’d want to spend a semester abroad. To take the classes I wanted and make the most of my four years, I figured I should stay on campus. Even more importantly, I didn’t want to leave the friends that I had made during freshman fall. I decided on a compromise: I would take six weeks of summer classes in Alicante, Spain. That way, I wouldn’t miss out on any time at Duke during the school year.

            My summer in Spain didn’t go as expected. I thought it would satisfy my desire to spend time off campus, but instead, it only made me want to travel more. I loved the relaxed pace of life I found in Alicante, which was a welcome change from the constant stream of meetings and classes at Duke. I appreciated getting to know the other students in the program, and I learned a lot about myself when I traveled alone for two weeks after our classes in Alicante ended. I knew I had to spend more time studying abroad.

From July 18 to December 1, I’ll be taking classes through IFSA-Butler, a third-party company that connects American students to Argentine universities in Buenos Aires. One of my classes will be with the other students from the US, where we’ll learn about language and culture. The other courses will be at universities in the city, taught in Spanish with students from Argentina. I won’t register until next week, but I plan to take courses that touch on the country’s history, culture, politics, and economics.

As I board my plane to Buenos Aires, I don’t know what I’ll take away from this semester. Academically and professionally, I’d like to improve my Spanish speaking skills, learn more about Latin American politics, and develop a better idea of what my research interests might be. Personally, I would like to build friendships with people beyond Duke and think more critically about how I spend my time and what I most enjoy doing. Even with these goals in mind, however, I know that the most important lessons and memories from this semester won’t be planned.

I’m excited—and nervous—to be going on this adventure! I’ll update this blog about once every two weeks as I start off the semester, and I’ll add occasional posts after that. Until the next time, chau!