Starting this past school year, around the months of January and February, students from Nuestra Señora de Las Nieves in Buenos Aires, Argentina, spend two weeks as Cathedral Catholic students. They discover the American culture in none other than San Diego, America’s finest city. Having spent a few weeks of their summer with us, our Argentinean friends went back to school in March. Meanwhile, five Cathedral students signed up for a fifteen-day experience in Buenos Aires. Chaperones Mrs. Doina Harrison and Mrs. Marlena Conroy, along with their husbands, joined the students for the experience of a lifetime.

Greeted with hugs and kisses on the cheek, our students arrived at Nuestra Señora de Las Nieves on June 9th, 2014. Some students recall being worried about speaking Spanish, thinking those two weeks would be the longest of their lives. They soon discovered there was more to get used to than just the language.

Junior Marie Enrique was shocked to find out that cars have the right of way, not pedestrians. “I had some dangerous encounters crossing streets. It almost feels as if they’re trying to run over pedestrians,” she said.

Cultural differences can even be found in the school. Senior Audrey Jawor recalled that at lunchtime, everyone goes home to eat. Students leave school, and adults leave work to spend time together for the midday meal, el almuerzo.

Class rotation also has its differences at Señora de Las Nieves, noted Senior Alex Barone. “I was surprised how different their school is. Unlike at our school, students at their school stay in their classroom all day while the teachers rotate classrooms. Furthermore, all of the students in one class have been together for all of high school. By their last year, the students in a class are best friends.”

This summer, the long awaited World Cup took place, only adding to the vibrant cultural experience. “It was crazy!” said Mrs. Conroy. She remembers a taxi driver with his phone mounted to the windshield, watching the World Cup while driving.

The tudents were not deprived of tourist activities. Each of their host families were excited to take them sightseeing, especially on the weekends. As Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina., the students had the opportunity to visit various government buildings and memorials, much like the sightseeing to be done in our nation’s capital, Washington D.C.. The Argentinean President’s house is La Casa Rosada, or “The Pink House.” Mrs. Harrison explained the reasoning for the rather unexpected color choice. “There were two parties, one was red and the other one was white, and they tried to find a compromise. They took the red, they took the white, they mixed them up, and made the house pink!”

Just outside La Casa Rosada, the students found la Plaza de Mayo. The plaza is located in the center of Buenos Aires, and is often filled with protestors. The students also had the opportunity to visit Teatro Colón, a theatre that is said by Argentineans to have the best acoustics in the world.

Some students visited the Luján Basilica, a Roman Catholic building built in the Neogothic style. The cathedral is dedicated to Our Lady of Luján, the patron saint of Argentina. In fact, speaking of Catholicism, Papa Francisco, or Pope Francis, grew up in Argentina. The religious connection in Argentina is very powerful, and they have established strong ties together as a community. “They talk about Pope Francis like they’re talking about their next door neighbor,” said Mrs. Harrison.

Overall, the students had “a wonderful experience” in Argentina. The anxiety about speaking the language went away entirely. “By the end, I remember I was at dinner with all these people, and I was able to understand everything,” said Audrey. Alex says he still practices his Spanish with his exchange partner, Dylan, via text. Marie also keeps in contact with the friends she made, and said when she was there, “they made me feel as if I had been friends with them my entire life.”

Mrs. Harrison, Spanish and French teacher, encourages students to sign up for the Argentina trip. She said, “You are taking all these (Spanish) classes up to level three, and then what? The biggest reward after years of classroom study is to be able to put your knowledge to work. To communicate with people of another culture, in their own language, is an invaluable experience.” The students of Cathedral Catholic and Nuestra Señora de Las Nieves, Mrs. Harrison said, “learn from each other, and help each other to grow.”