When I began my Human Rights Internship in Córdoba, I experienced a swathing of cultural shock. Not being a native Spanish speaker was extremely difficult at first because I had to navigate the city alone, ride buses, order for myself, and interact with my Spanish host family. Luckily, my host mom was an English teacher and we were able to converse between Spanish and English well. Learning Spanish was easier than anticipated because of my 4-5 year experience in French. 3 local students in my host house spoke English as well as many other languages. I met so many interesting people my age- from France, Germany, Argentina, Britain, etc. It was so interesting and inspiring to see all of us from different cultural, racial, political, economic, and societal backgrounds coming together to explore this city united under our passion of making lasting change in the world. Specifically, being able to converse together in my native language motivated me to truly engage in learning Spanish and discovering all that Argentina had to offer because these students made the effort to as well. Sharing each other’s cultures and life experiences quickly bonded us into a close family. It illuminated the value of cultural exchange and redefined “community” for me. You can find community anywhere. In Córdoba, it’s sipping mate in a circle around the park, enjoying the vibrant nightlife with your friends, immersing yourself in historical sites, and so much more. As for me after this experience, community can be made anywhere when people have the capacity to sit, listen to each other, and explore all that life has to offer.
HSF House Blogs 