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IIEPassport's Student of the Month
Click here to view previous Students of the Month
By Sara E. Savage
Lizzie Edwards, a senior at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, parlayed her interest in human rights into two exciting experiences abroad. She studied for a year in Argentina, participating in a COPA program through IFSA-Butler in Mendoza. She took classes in Latin American literature, political science, tourism, international affairs, photography and improvisation at la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, as well as at la Universidad de Congreso.
Edwards followed up her study abroad experience with some volunteer work helping needy school children in Peru. She keeps herself busy working toward a double major in Spanish and international affairs, not to mention planning her life after graduation. But Edwards found some time to tell IIEPassport all about her adventures.
Q. Why did you decide to study abroad? Why Argentina of all of the Spanish-speaking nations?
A. I have always been interested in traveling and learning about other cultures, and in high school, I went to Ireland on a trip with my Irish Studies class. I continued learning Spanish from high school, and I am very interested in human rights. Argentina was under a dictatorship in the Seventies, and I first thought I wanted to go to Buenos Aires, but I didn't want a big city. Then I fell in love with Mendoza.
Q. What opportunities did you have to choose from, as part of your program?
A. The program offered many opportunities. We had little non-touristy tours of Mendoza, when we went where the locals go, shopping at the markets and places the tourists don't know about. We also had a night out in Mendoza where we had dinner and went dancing.
Q. How would you compare the two experiences you had abroad in Mendoza and Peru?
A. They are definitely different. The people are very nice in both countries, but in Peru, I couldn't believe how friendly everyone was. I couldn't believe how much the kids there wanted to learn. I saw much more poverty in Peru than in Argentina. In Peru, the kids were playing in the garbage because they have nowhere else to play. We washed their hands, their faces, and gave them breakfast.
Q. How easily did you acclimate to your host family? Was there anything about family life in Argentina that surprised you?
A. I acclimated pretty easily. We were all nervous beforehand, but it was really easy and my host mom was very friendly. As soon as I got into the car with her, she just started talking and asking me about myself. We had a lot in common.
The first day, I didn't understand everything yet, and for a while I was still getting used to Spanish all day, all the time. At first I didn't even understand where my host brother and sister were! They were both away, and I met them a couple of days later. It was really different to see how close the families are in Argentina. Here [in the United States], we can go days without speaking to our families; we go away to college here, while they live at home while they're in college.
Q. How did studying abroad enrich your knowledge of the Spanish language?
A. Beforehand, going into Argentina, I was fine with writing in Spanish. But I never really spoke with a native speaker. I did not have much speaking experience, so at first I wasn't very confident about speaking. I kept a little book of the new words I was learning. Through the program, we all took a mandatory Spanish class while we were there, so after a few weeks I felt more confident.
In the beginning, I was so worried about making a mistake, but it was great living with a family because they will correct your grammar. During the first semester I was in a political science class in which we had to work in groups, and I became good friends with the students in my group. They would tell jokes that I didn't understand, but one day I picked up on a joke and had a witty comeback. My friends said, "Lizzie, you're Argentine now!"
Q. How did you fit in as an American in Latin America?
A. There were definitely things had to get used to. The first thing people usually ask is if you voted for George Bush. But nobody ever gave any of us a hard time. Walking down the street and having guys yell comments was definitely something I had never experienced before.
I also had to get used to the schedule, and I kind of like it better. They eat a small breakfast, and for lunch everyone comes home to eat a big meal with their families. Everything is closed and you can take a nap. Dinner is at 10 at night.
They drink yerba mate every day at six o'clock, which is tea that's drunk with a metal straw. I feel it is very indicative of Argentine culture - everyone shares the mate, and everyone drinks out of the same straw. In Argentina, sharing is assumed. Even when you buy something, it is big because it is meant to be shared.
Q. How do your classes and education at home compare to those in Argentina?
A. The whole education system is different and also something you have to get used to. In the United States, we are used to getting a syllabus at the beginning of a course, but they don't do that in Argentina - it's not as organized. It was hard knowing that your whole grade was coming from a final at the end. Argentine students have to pick a major before going to a college and then they all take the same classes, so they have less of a choice of classes than we do here.
Q. Besides in class, how did you spend most of your time abroad?
A. I took tango classes, traveled a lot and went out dancing with my host sister. I went skiing because the mountains were right there. I did a lot of things with my host family. On Sundays we spent time with the grandparents. I really felt like a part of my host family. I still talk to them, and I'm going back in June to visit.
Q. You traveled around a great deal while studying abroad. Was it part of the program or something you sought out on your own?
A. I mostly did the traveling with other American students or by myself. One of my favorite places I visited was during a trip to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, with my mom when she came to visit. Also, Machu Picchu [an Incan city high in the Andes Mountains] was great. While I was there, it was named one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Q. How did you get involved in volunteering in Peru?
A. My friend and I went to Cusco and stayed at a hostel called Loki. They had a pub quiz there and all the money went to the organization Bruce Peru. At the quiz, we were invited to help the organization to help rematriculate children into schools. Many of them come from broken homes, and the schools give them a safe place to go.
I took one group of kids and did math and read them sentences in Spanish, which they had to spell out. The next week my friend and I did the pub quiz again and went back. I wish I could have stayed longer.
Q. It must have been rewarding to give back, the way you have.
A. Yes, it's especially sad because it is such a tourist area. Most foreigners are tourists and don't connect with the people. They say, "I want to see Machu Picchu," they do and then they just take off and leave.
Q. You worked with children through your volunteer work - do you aspire to a career in education?
A. I am doing enrichment class at a local elementary school now. I've always been interested in children's rights more specifically than human rights. I did a project and research paper on children living on the streets in Latin America even before I went there. In the summer, Argentina is so hot, and they put tables out on the wide streets. It's so sad to see the kids asking for money.
Q. What are your career plans? Do you plan to earn a graduate degree?
A. Right now I'm not sure about graduate school. I'm in the process of joining the Peace Corps. I want to figure out what I want to do before grad school. I can get special internships and scholarships after participating in the Peace Corps. I've also been thinking about international law, so I could even be a lawyer!
Click here to view previous Students of the Month