Farewell
Written by Alanna McFadden
Published on May 9, 2024
In 2024, I was awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which allowed me to act as a citizen diplomat during my time abroad. As part of a service project to raise awareness about the scholarship, this article was written to high-school students in Nebraska in collaboration with Reach the World.
Location:
Córdoba Argentina
Latitude/Longitude:
-31.420083300000, -64.188776100000
Journal Entry:
Hi everyone! I want to thank all of you for joining me on this virtual journey around Argentina. I truly enjoyed exploring this beautiful country with you all! I appreciated your curiosity and attentiveness during our video calls and the awesome questions you asked about my blogs. It has been a pleasure showing you what my life is like here in Argentina and I hope that you learned a lot from this experience.
Over the course of this journey, I've had my ups and downs. When I first arrived, I felt like a fish out of water, experiencing a completely different world. It took me a while to get used to relying on my basic Spanish skills to interact with everyone, but I have grown so much in the past 4 months. Studying abroad has made me become more adaptable, improved my communication skills, and allowed me to experience the beautiful culture of Argentina.
With the Gilman Scholarship and Reach the World, I've been able to share the incredible lessons I've learned with you all. Together, we've explored Argentine food, traditions, soccer culture and so much more. However, the things that I will remember most about Argentina can't be found in a textbook. It's not the delicious meals, or the amazing excursions that I'll think back on time and time again.
A weekend hiking trip with friends.
It’s the fun discussions I have with my caring, somewhat quirky professors. It’s the taxi drivers that wait until I’ve made it safely in the house to pull away. It’s the cherished conversations with friends while sipping a cup of mate. It’s Greta's tiny, cute voice saying “Ya está la comida” (The food is ready) every night before dinner. It's learning about my host mom's favorite things, like her fascination for herbal teas, during our quiet dinner conversations. It’s the amazing stories I get to hear when I truly ask a local “¿Cómo estás hoy?” ("How are you doing today?"). It’s waking up in the morning and realizing I'm in Argentina! It's all of these and a thousand more memories I have yet to capture.
I hope you all continue to stay curious, discover new things, and explore the world around you!
Chao,
Alanna McFadden
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