Holá.
This column series will focus on my experiences abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I plan to discuss the cultural differences between Argentina and the United States, funny personal stories and interesting facts I’ve learned about the country I will be living in for five months. I would also like to discuss the Spanish language and some of the differences between Argentinian Spanish and formal Spain Spanish.
Basically, this column will be like an adult "Dora the Explorer" in which I share my experiences and any problems like getting pickpocketed by Swiper.
I do not leave for Argentina until Jan. 27, so while you are all going through syllabus week and deciding if you should drop that difficult-sounding course, I am preparing to study abroad by looking at maps of the city and watching Netflix.
I have decided to watch as much Netflix as possible since I will not have as much time in Argentina. I am also starting to gather clothes to pack. Besides trying to pack five months worth of clothes into one suitcase, another issue is trying to pack for summer when it is 14 degrees in Ohio. I still need to get some shorts and other summer clothes, but all I want to buy is sweaters and hats.
Another concern I have about studying abroad in Argentina is definitely the language barrier. I finished Spanish 3110 last semester, but I still worry I will not be able to understand a word anybody says. This could be a big problem considering all five of my classes will be taught in Spanish.
For those of you who have some general knowledge of the language, I found out that Argentines do not use the tú form of verbs and instead use the vosotros form. None of my Spanish classes taught the vosotros form because they said nobody actually uses it. This is slightly inconvenient, so I need to brush up on the vosotros form and the language in general.
I understand that when many students first study abroad, they have difficulty understanding the language but by the end they can converse well and are almost fluent. I hope this is the case for me, but I also hope it does not take me until the end of my trip to finally understand what people are saying.
Anyway, thank you for reading my first column, and I hope you stick around for the next one. I hope to share with you some fun experiences and teach you a little bit about a different culture.
Adios.
Jessica Hill is a sophomore studying journalism and global studies: Latin America. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to know more about traveling abroad? Email Jessica at jh240314@ohio.edu or tweet her @jess_hillyeah.
