Given Georgetown's international character, the university offers many opportunities for its students to live and study in different countries, whether it be for a summer, one semester or a full year. I am currently abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina for a year and am truly enjoying learning about the country’s history, politics, economics and culture.
While I had previously learned about Argentina in Spanish and Latin American history classes, living in Buenos Aires has taken my knowledge of the country to a whole new level. I am enrolled in the University of Buenos Aires and am taking my classes in Spanish with Argentine classmates. As an International Political Economy major, it is very interesting to learn about economic development in a third-world country that suffered a major crisis less than ten years ago. But in addition to what I have learned in the classroom, conversations with friends and my host family have broadened my understanding of economics and politics in Argentina beyond what I have learned in the United States.
I have also immersed myself in the Argentine culture thanks to my wonderful host family. I am constantly referred to by my host mom as her "American daughter" and have found a second family here in Argentina. In addition to providing me with a welcoming home in a busy city of 13 million people, my host parents and siblings have introduced me to and made me a part of their way of life in Buenos Aires. I’ve come to love the traditional hours-long family lunches on Sunday afternoons and listening to tango and folklore music, whether played on a CD or sung by my host mother and sisters. Given my passion for cooking, I’ve also enjoyed learning how to make several Argentine, Spanish and Italian dishes (Argentina has large Spanish and Italian immigrant populations) from my host mother while baking cookies, brownies and scones in return.
I am very grateful that Georgetown encourages its students to step outside of their comfort zones and view the world from a different perspective. Not only do students gain from their travels, but the entire Georgetown community benefits as well when these students return to the Hilltop and share their knowledge with classmates and friends.
Monica Scheid
SFS ‘11
Shorewood, Wisconsin
