Kate from the U.S. joined us in 2018 for our Intensive Spanish Program. Here is her story…
I heard about Mente Argentina last year through a friend who did the Wine Program. I had been researching Spanish language programs for a while because I thought knowing some basic Spanish would help me at work. I work as an occupational therapist at a hospital in Dallas, Texas and I wanted to be able to better communicate with my Spanish speaking patients. After hearing this, my friend recommended that I look into Mente’s Intensive Spanish Program.
I have to be honest, previously I knew very little about Argentina. I grew up travelling a lot with my parents and I even did two Study Abroad Programs while I was in college, but I have never visited South America. Once I heard about Mente, I started looking into the program and I started asking people I know from work, from college, from high school, if they had ever been to South America. Surprisingly, A LOT of people said they had been to Argentina, and, more specifically, have travelled to or lived in Buenos Aires! Plus, all of these people, every single one, said the same thing to me- “GO!”
I often say that I am ‘a dog with a bone’ and when I get an idea in my head, it is almost impossible for me to let it go. I think this is what eventually lead me to signing up for Mente. I have been looking into this program for months and debating whether or not I should do it. I realized signing up would mean (temporarily) leaving my boyfriend, job, apartment, and cats, but that wasn’t what scared me. I think what kept me from signing up back in September when my friend first told me about Mente, was the fear of the unknown. However, despite my fear, I honestly couldn’t stop thinking about this program and what an amazing, rare opportunity I had to experience and learn while living in a country with a culture so different from my own.
I would describe myself as a fairly adventurous person; however, I’d be lying if I said I took risks often. I like to find my place and get comfortable. However, I feel like I’m at a point in my life where unless I push myself, I will become too comfortable, I will become stagnant. I truly value experiences, I think actually DOING things is what makes a life meaningful. Travelling to Buenos Aires, by myself, knowing virtually no Spanish, was an extreme risk for me and honestly it was making be very uncomfortable. However, I see this program as a major opportunity for personal growth. I wanted to learn about life in Argentina, I wanted to meet new people, and I want to prove to myself that I am more than capable of stepping outside of my comfort zone. In addition, I hoped to learn some Spanish that I can take home with me to Dallas and use to better communicate with people I meet both inside and outside of work.
