Hola from Mendoza!
My very first week here is done and I truly can’t believe how much my life has changed. Since the minute I arrived, I have had a busy schedule that was planned for me filled with seeing old friends, experiencing new places, starting a new job, and eating lots of yummy foods!
Old friends, new friends, & fun places
My first night here, some friends I met during my Maymester here, along with some of their friends, took me to a trampoline park (probably the most American thing they could think of to help me adjust – ha!). I was exhausted, but it was a fun way to spend time here with friends, and I even got to meet some of their friends who are studying abroad here this semester from the US! The next night, I got together with all of the students from here who were in our study abroad program here last May for a traditional Argentine asado! It was so fun to experience these traditions again and reconnect with people who I grew so close with last year. Throughout my entire first week here I was thankful that the people around me kept me busy with picnics in the park, trying lots of ice cream, art shows, movies, and meeting lots of new people!
First week of work!
Walking into my first day of work was intimidating – knowing I would soon be in a room full of important people I didn’t know, speaking a different language, not knowing what to expect – but I was pleasantly surprised! I was greeted at my first meeting of the morning with two leaders from my study abroad program who immediately brought a sense of familiarity and comfortability that was much needed! We spent that time getting to know the people I would be working with, making a schedule for my first few weeks of adjusting, and learning about all of the exciting work they do here. I have the privilege of being able to spend my first few weeks here with different departments within the municipality to learn where I am most interested in working during the majority of my time here. This week I was with the Club de Emprendadores, where I got to learn about the entrepreneurs within their incubator programs, as well as visit some free classes and workshops that they have for community members.
I also had the opportunity to go to an event hosted by the Secretaria de Desarrollo Económico that celebrated women in innovation here in Mendoza! I got to meet a lot of cool people and learn more about the work being done in this community, which was fun and inspiring!
While all of these things made this week fun and exciting, I would be lying if I didn’t say that it was also a really hard week. Being 5,000 miles away from home is hard. Not being able to hug the people you love is hard. Having to communicate with your family over Facetime is hard. Being unable to do things you love or eat your favorite foods is hard. Speaking only in a foreign language is hard. There were so many moments this week that made me second guess what I was doing, that made me want to turn back around and get on a plane to go back home, that made me question whether or not I could really do this.
But, in each of these moments, there was one thing that encouraged me to keep going: someone believes in me. My professors believe in me. My friends believe in me. My parents believe in me. A committee of board members believes in me. The mayor of Mendoza (still crazy!) believes in me. So, even when I don’t believe in myself, even when I don’t feel capable of doing what I am doing, I take their confidence to remind myself that I can do this. There are a whole bunch of people that are the reason I am here that have confidence that I am capable of big things.
There is power in believing in people, and I am so thankful for the ones that believe in me.
With love, Sarah