[vc_row full_width=”” parallax=”” parallax_image=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Courtney Ketterman spent her Rotary exchange year in Esperanza, a small city of about 42,000 in the northeast of Argentina. She characterized Argentina as having a relaxed and casual culture with a big Italian influence. The Argentines are very expressive and love to celebrate any and every occasion. Weekend parties with family and friends were frequent and numerous. Fireworks were shot-off at midnight on both Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
The cuisine of Argentina is based on meat, and every Sunday is a day for asado, a term used for a range of BBQ techniques as well as the social event that goes with it. Empanadas—pastries filled with various kinds of meat, cheese, and/or vegetables–are also popular and ubiquitous. A special kind of tea called mate (pronounced “mah-tay”) is drunk alone or with sweet pastries. It is generally consumed hot in the winter and cold in summer.
Soon after arriving in Argentina, Courtney went on a trip with her host family to the north of the country, an area that is very hot and dry. She also travelled on three trips organized by the local Rotary district. On one trip, she spent four days in Buenos Aires and several days each in Bariloche (known for snow skiing), Patagonia, and other areas. She also visited Iguazu Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, Salta, a salt plain in northwestern Argentina, and Mendoza, Argentina’s wine growing region.
While she was there, Courtney made lots of friends, including two other exchange students that were living in Esperanza. She visited Sofi, a former Rotary exchange student from about 10 years ago who recently finished medical school. She attended a private, K-12 Catholic School that closed frequently due to heavy rain and flooding (Esperanza is in a flood plain). Learning the language was a bit of a challenge because Argentines speak a Castilian Spanish dialect called Rioplatense that differs from Spanish spoken in Mexico and taught in the U.S. The girls, especially, speak very rapidly.
Courtney generally enjoyed her host families and learned something different from each one. Her third host family had small children and they did many things as a family. She learned and grew with each experience.
When asked what she thought about Rotary’s “rules for exchange,” Courtney replied that she generally took them to heart. The Rotary admonishment not to talk with your parents for 3 months helped keep homesickness at bay.
At the end of her presentation, Courtney presented the club with a Rotary flag from the Argentine club and thanked everyone for the opportunity to travel abroad.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]