Argentina Community Service and the Great Outdoors

Each student has a unique and individual experience on their Experiment program. The following essay is a single glimpse into a program from one student's perspective.

Cyrus Vandrevala

Argentina Community Service and the Great Outdoors (ARS)

Hello, my name is Cyrus Vandrevala, and I was an Experimenter in Argentina. In the weeks and months leading up to the experience, I was excited and anxious to visit Argentina. I had never traveled away from home on an extended trip and had no idea what to expect. The phrase "expect the unexpected" really defined my summer abroad. As I look back now, I am grateful that I chose to become an Experimenter. It was the most amazing experience of my life.

When I arrived at the airport in Buenos Aires with my group, I had no idea what to expect for the rest of the program. I did not think my current level of Spanish would be sufficient to get me around Argentina effectively. Luckily, orientation in Buenos Aires helped prepare me for the rest of the experience. Orientation was an opportunity to meet our group members and get to know each other. Additionally, our group leader gave us small tasks to do that would help improve our confidence to speak Spanish. We visited cafes and restaurants to buy certain items and explored Buenos Aires asking people about the history and culture of the country. It was a fun way to improve my confidence in a foreign country and improve my Spanish speaking abilities. By the end of orientation, we were all excited to meet our host families.

My homestay in Salta was one of the most memorable experiences of my life and my favorite part of the Experiment. From the moment I met my family, they graciously accepted me into their home. My family consisted of the parents, six children, and two dogs. The family was kind, caring, and very loving. We had many fun experiences such as shopping at the weekly open-air market, walking through downtown Salta, going dancing, and even just listening to music in the living room as a family. As I got to know the family, I found out that we had many things in common -- the oldest sister, Victoria, and I both love Tae Kwon Do and the family and I like similar music. By the end of the homestay, we had grown very attached to each other and have already promised to visit each other again as soon as we have vacation time.

After the homestay in Salta, I traveled to Chicuana with my group to complete the community service portion of our trip. We painted benches at a local school and engaged in small scale construction projects. We helped clean up the town church to prepare it for an annual religious festival. My group definitely made a difference in the town because on the last night, we got to see the fruits of our labor. The church was lit up for the festival and we were able to attend the annual rodeo -- which took place during the festival. It was an enjoyable night filled with good food, a plethora of places to shop, and enjoyable folk music called Zamba that lasted the whole night.

The final part of the Experiment was horseback riding in the mountains, visiting the sand dunes in Cafayate, and trekking. Horseback riding was a new and wonderful experience. We saw the most breathtaking scenery that Argentina had to offer. The sand dunes of Cafayate were fun to play on. We spent hours jumping in the soft sand and climbing up the dunes. Finally, the group went hiking to find a small waterfall in Cafayate. Later we all challenged each other to see who could stay in the freezing water the longest. It was the perfect end to a perfect trip.

This experience was the most amazing experience of my life. As I look back on my journey, I know that the memories from this Experiment will stay with me forever. I would definitely recommend this program to all high school students -- it is vital for everyone to see that the world is not such a big place. We are all not so different after all. Thank you for this wonderful and memorable experience.