“Ruidosa y Linda”: A Child’s Life in Argentina
Written by Alanna McFadden
Published on May 7, 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.
"Noisy and Beautiful": A Child's Life in Argentina
Introduction:
Greta is 5 years old and is currently in kindergarten. She is intelligent, energetic and creative. Some of her favorite movies are Frozen and Encanto! I asked her about her life in Argentina and this is what she said:
What do you eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner?:
For breakfast Greta usually eats cookies, fruit and/or toast. For lunch she usually eats guiso (a dish that usually consists of meat and lentils cooked in a vegetable sauce). For dinner, her favorite dishes are Milanesa con puré de papa (breaded fried chicken or beef with mashed potatoes) or asado (meats prepared on a barbecue-like grill).
What is your house like?:
Greta lives in a house further away from the city, where people have animals like goats or cows. The houses are more spaced out from each other than in the city, giving children more room to play. She describes her house as medium, cement and gray because they haven't painted it yet.
What chores do you have at home?:
Greta doesn't have chores yet, but she helps around the house sometimes.
What jobs do your parents have?:
Her mother is a kindergarten teacher and her father does business trading.
What time does school start, and what time do you go home?:
Schools in Argentina have two shifts: morning and afternoon. She usually attends the afternoon session from 2:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. because it's easier for her parents to drop her off on her way to work.
How do you get to school? Are you allowed to go to school by yourself?:
Her parents drive her to school and she is not allowed to walk to school by herself.
Where do you eat lunch? What is your favorite food?:
She eats at home with her family before school around 1pm. Her favorite foods are asado (grilled meats) and el chocolate blanco (white chocolate).
What language do you speak at school? How do you say "Hello" in your language?:
At school she speaks Spanish with her classmates. She also started English classes once a week in a separate school. Hola or Holis (a cute and informal way to say hello) are the words for hello in Spanish, but they are not such a common greeting for locals. Popular meetings here include "Buenas" (which is an abbreviated version of Good Morning/Afternoon), "Comó andas? "(How are you doing?) Or "Qué onda? "(What's up?).
What are some common kids' names at your school?:
At school, some popular boy names are Santino, Felipe, and Mateo. Popular girl's names are Lucía, Valentina, and Sofía.
What subjects do you study in school, and which one is your favorite?:
She takes music, theater, physical education and English classes. Her favorite class is physical education because she loves running and playing with her friends.
She also loves to make crafts in her art class.
What is your homework like?:
Children in kindergarten don't have much homework. Sometimes they take home worksheets or crafts that they complete with their parents. At other times, they may have a question to think about at home and discuss in class the next day.
What do you like to do after school? Do you have a favorite sport or game?:
She loves to watch dibujos animados (cartoons), play with muñecos (dolls), pintar (paint), dibujar (draw) and leer libros (read books).
Who is your favorite famous person?:
She had a hard time thinking of a celebrity she liked, but in the end she came up with Sergio Massa, an Argentine politician who served as Minster of Economy in 2022. She said she likes him because "he wanted university to be free for everyone."
What kinds of music do you listen to?:
She likes to listen to música infantil (children’s music in Spanish), Latin pop like reggaeton and cuarteto (a musical genre created in Cordoba, Argentina, inspired by Italian and Spanish dance ensembles).
What would you like to be when you grow up?:
She would love to be a hairdresser and makeup artist. She loves art and makeup, so of course this is the career of her dreams!
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?:
Greta would love to go to Australia! She wants to see Australia's beautiful wildlife and landscapes (like kangaroos!).
What do you know or think about the United States?:
She thinks it's pretty, with lots of oceans, palm trees, and beaches. I asked her what she thinks cities are like in the US and she said "a lot of houses and noisy."
What questions do you have for kids in the United States?:
What is your country like?
Do you eat Takis (if so, what's your favorite flavor)?
What's your favorite song from America?
What is your favorite part of living in the United States?
Location:
Córdoba Argentina
Location Data:
POINT (-64.1887761 -31.4200833)
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