Students Study Abroad
In Argentina
For over ten years St. John's students have been
traveling to Argentina in a summer study abroad program. This
program offered by the Office of Global Studies, and led by Dr.
Alina Camacho-Gingerich, Professor of Languages and Literatures and
Chair of the Committee on Latin American and Caribbean Studies
(CLACS), is a unique and exciting experience. This past summer
another group of students participated in this successful
multidisciplinary program.
The land of Sarmiento, Borges, Cortazar and the
tango, Argentina, one of the leading countries of MERCOSUR and
South America’s second largest country, is a great place to
study. The program takes place in Buenos Aires and in
Corrientes, thus enabling the participants to experience life in
the capital city as well as in one of its splendid provinces.
Buenos Aires, one of the most beautiful cities in
the world, is an elegant and dynamic cosmopolitan city, which
combines modern construction with charming, old, picturesque
neighborhoods. It offers a vast array of cultural activities,
including good theater, opera, movie houses, museums, excellent
international cuisine, and some of the finest universities and
bookstores in Latin America. The classes are taught at the
Universidad de Buenos Aires Instituto de Literatura Iberoamericana
and at the Universidad de la Cuenca del Plata, in Corrientes.
Students visit historical places, art museums, cultural exhibits,
the theatre, connecting their classes to the real world.
This past summer, Dr. Rafael Javier, Professor of
Psychology, who had previously collaborated in this program, taught
a course in Cross-Cultural Psychology. This combination of
perspectives, gave St. John’s students a more profound look at the
country, its people and its culture. In addition to studying with
Dr. Camacho-Gingerich the major literary figures of Argentina, as
well as its history, culture and politics, the students had a
firsthand experience in the study and implementation of psychology
in Argentina with Dr. Javier. They were able to witness the
people in the trenches and the professionals responsible for the
care of these individuals, a number of innovated programs run or
supported by the most important hospital in Argentina, “Hospital
Dra. C. Tobar- Garcia.” They were also able to visit a program for
autistic children, and the “Cuidar Cuidando” program, where they
witnessed how the experience of working with animals changed these
children, by working as zoo keepers. The students also visited the
JAKAIRÁ program, which offers the opportunity for pregnant
adolescents, to continue their education and work prospect.
Below are some wonderful
personal statements from the students that participated in the
program:
“To me it’s
like fiction, that Buenos Aires was ever founded. I judge her to be
as eternal as eternal as the sea and the wind.” Those are the words
of the internationally renowned Argentinean author Jorge Luis
Borges in “Fervor de Buenos
Aires”, 1923. I understand when Borges expresses
here, his deep bond with Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, his
hometown. Buenos Aires enchants and enraptures. The
metropolis can easily be a source of inspiration for both the
spirit and the intellect.
The Argentina capital can
change lives. I had the privilege of experiencing the rich cultural
and artistic life the city offers, twice! (Julio Paredes was also a
participant in the summer 2011 Argentina program) to explore
language and expressive resources that encases the cultural and
artistic exhibition the city offers. The cultural exhibitions of
the city delve into the universe of the authors we studied in class
with Dr. Camacho-Gingerich: short stories by Borges, el “Martin
Fierro” by
Jose Hernandez, short stories by Julio Cortazar, the novel “La invencion de
Morel” by
Bioy Casares, and other books. The books were made more
relevant by the fact that we studied them in the country where the
authors are from.
To better
understand the history, politics and society of Argentina, the
program includes lectures with Dr. Noe Jitrik, Exceutive Director
of the Instituto de Literatura Hispanoamericana, part of the
University of Buenos Aires and Argentina’s leading intellectual
today. Professor Jitrik is the author of numerous books of
poetry, fiction, and historical literary criticism.
After exploring Buenos Aires, we visited the Pampas, Corrientes,
and Iguazu Falls. The heartland of the country is the Pampas, an
enormous, fertile plain where the legendary gaucho (Pampas’s
cowboy) roams. Corrientes is a province in northeast
Argentina, in the Mesopotamia region. Culture in the region has
been primarily informed and influenced by its European and Guarani
roots. The program also included lectures at the Universidad de la
Cuenca del Plata, and visits to mental health centers as “Crecer
con todos”, a requirement of the psychology course taught by
Dr. Rafael A. Javier this past summer.
One of the magical
and mystical experiences was a visit to Iguazu Falls one of the New
Seven Wonders of Nature. The spectacular Iguazu Falls are created
by the merger of the Iguazu and Parana rivers at border of
Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. The fascinating jungle zone has
more to offer that waterfalls, you can see birds like various
species of parrot and toucans, butterflies of many different
colors, and coatis or snookum bears, members of the raccoon family.
- Julio Paredes
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It was an amazing opportunity to be able to
attend a performance in the Teatro Colon and experience one of the
world’s best acoustic opera houses.
I researched Iguazu Falls before the trip and
saw beautiful pictures that got me excited to participate in the
program. However, being able to witness these magnificent
waterfalls in person was a far better experience than I could have
hoped for. It has inspired me to visit all the other wonders
of the world.
While in Argentina I was enrolled in the
Cross-Cultural Psychology course. I would have never imagined
being able to meet professionals in the field of psychology in
Argentina and witness first-hand the programs they have developed
to help their fellow Argentineans. I’ve taken psychology
courses on the Queens campus but nothing compares to the first hand
experience I received while in Argentina.
– Kristina
Hoffman
The trip to Argentina was one of the most
interesting trips that I have gone on in my life. It was an
unforgettable experience. During this time I learned about
the culture of Argentina, Uruguay, and neighboring countries.
I have always wanted to know the land of the tango, of Gardel, of
famous soccer, renowned authors, singers, politicians, etc.
Finally I was able to achieve one of my goals: To be able to attend
one of my classes at the University of Buenos Aires, with an
excellent group of professors: Professor Jitric, Dr. Camacho and
Dr. Javier. We had the opportunity to learn the history, the
geography, and the real culture from this beautiful part of the
continent. – Maria
Garcia
Buenos Aires is a beautiful city, from the
intricate details in the French architecture, to the colorful
buildings of La Boca, and the diverse people of the city. The
bustling city and thriving night life always gave us something to
do in between studying. Although I was initially upset to leave
Buenos Aires to go to Corrientes, I found Corrientes to be the best
part of the trip. Corrientes had a nice mix between the city, the
beach and the country. It also had the nicest people I have ever
met. Everyone from La Universidad de la Cuenca del Plata made us
feel welcome and comfortable in Corrientes. Another truly
remarkable moment of the trip was going to Iguazu Falls! It
is indescribable how beautiful and breathtaking this waterfall in
the world really is. As a Spanish major I hoped that this
trip would help better my language skills, and it did! I have
definitely become more comfortable with speaking and have added a
plethora of new words to my
vocabulary. - Katherine
Hromadka
One of the
highlights of Argentina was related to my Psychology classes with
Dr. Javier. Through this class I was able to have real life,
outside of the classroom, experiences with various programs that
are being held in Argentina to help better the development of
adolescence. I was so impressed with the formative attitudes
of those whose work we were watching and how happy and willing they
were to meet with our group and share their work and their goals
with us.
Another highlight was shopping in the San Telmo market. While
in this market, I got such a great feel for the culture and people
of Argentina. There is music playing, delicious Argentinean
food to be eaten, and so much to buy. I bought stuff from San
Telmo that will last me a lifetime and will always remind me of my
wonderful trip to Argentina. Also, the sheer number of
people that turn out every Sunday for this market is
remarkable.
Another place I loved was Las Pampas! It was
such a fun and carefree day with so much of Argentina’s culture and
history intertwined. Spending time with the Gaucho’s was such
a unique experience. They were so enjoyable to be around and
made such an effort to make sure we were having the best time
possible. Not to mention the enormous feast they prepared for
us, which was delicious, and the entertainment they provided us
with was priceless. And although I swore I would never go
horseback riding again, I couldn’t say “NO” while in Las Pampas. It
was tons of fun! - Hayley
Erickson
The summer program in Argentina was a life
altering experience. It was amazing to learn and experience the
history, literature and culture of Argentina both in the classroom
and in person. The food was amazing, the horseback riding with the
gauchos was so much fun, and dancing and singing were wonderful! I
can't wait to
return!!! - Carolyn
Young
The highlights of studying in Argentina were
visiting the amazing Teatro Colon, shopping in thestreet fair of
San Telmo,and taking in the beauty of Iguazu Falls. Those are
truly experiences that I will never forget and that I will
hopefully return to see
again.
- Emily
Cuadrado
The trip to Argentina was a wonderful
experience! I cannot stop talking about it to my family and
friends. I really felt inspired by the trip; professionally,
academically and personally. The friends I made are long
lasting because they share my appreciation for Latin American
culture, its people, and the language. I also learned a lot
about myself. I am looking forward to going back to South
America and pursuing my educational and professional career
there!
-
PegahEftekharzadeh