Columnist Melanie Umbaugh is leaving in two weeks to study in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Read her weekly column to follow her adventure.
Two weeks from now, I’ll be in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I’m studying abroad there for five months, and I’ve never left the country or spoken Spanish for longer than a class period before, so I'm psyched, but also incredibly nervous.
I’m from St. Louis, so the first day I arrived at Ohio University, an out-of-state college where I didn’t know anyone, was terrifying, but that’s proved to be an awesome decision. I’m hoping I’ll have a similarly positive experience with this study abroad trip — albeit through a more difficult process. I’ve added to my list of obstacles a language barrier and the fact that I’m about to be a total outsider in a different culture. Enlightening? I hope so, but isolating as well. Five months apart from my family and all my friends is a pretty long time on top of the culture shock and language barrier.
I’m a theater major, so the rich arts scene that Buenos Aires has to offer was a big draw for me. I’ve read about some interesting avant-garde theater happening there, which sounds exactly like the weird kind of show I’m totally into. Plus, four summers of ushering for an opera company has left me incredibly excited about Buenos Aires' world-class opera productions at Teatro Colón. The city is also home to a number of museums and a ton of art galleries, so the artsy portion of my to-do list is quickly expanding.
I’ve been studying Spanish since my freshman year of high school, and I think I’m ready to try speaking the language full-time, but we’ll see how my five years of classes fare against actual native speakers — Spanish speakers who use Buenos Aires’ beautiful, but totally confusing dialect. My first month in Argentina will consist of intensive language training, and I want to take all my classes in Spanish, so I’m hoping by then I’ll be able to understand what’s going on. Right now, I can order a coffee or ask where the bathroom is no problem, but start using Spanish slang and I’m a very confused girl without a clue as to what’s going on.
If I put my detailed lists of worries and concerns and my extensive collection of travel to-do bookmarks aside, my plan for this semester is pretty simple; speak lots of Spanish, explore the city and try to experience the Argentine way of life. I’ve always wanted to live abroad, and that time is finally here. I think it’s going to be amazing — as I write this I’m picturing a cooler, well-traveled version of myself sipping coffee and reading Borges at a Buenos Aires café, so feel free to picture the same, but the reality is likely going to be a bit trickier and a bit less glamorous. I’ll keep you updated through this column on the culture shock and my attempts at an authentic Argentine lifestyle as I go.
Melanie Umbaugh is a sophomore studying theater. Do you have any advice for her before she leaves? Email her at mu495313@ohio.edu.
