Leaving Argentina

Well, that’s it. Five months of confusion, five months of growth, five months of happiness.
Five of the best months of my life.
Last spring, when I decided to go on a five-month exchange program to Salta, Argentina, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. In fact, for a while before I left, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to go, afraid I would miss my friends and family too much.
But right now, looking back, I can’t seem to believe that I ever had a doubt.
During my time here in Salta, I have felt such a mix of emotions — from uncertainty to fear to joy — and now I know that all of it was worth it.
Although I had taken a year and a half of Spanish classes at Davis High School,  I hardly understood anything when I first arrived. I had to ask people to repeat — or say it slower, or explain it in another way — so many times that I wanted to cry. I guess I’m not used to being looked at like an idiot.
That lasted for about two or three months.
And although there were some really fun times mixed in there — like a few fancy birthday parties and just hanging out with my host family — for the most part, those first few months were pretty tough.
But then all of a sudden, I could understand when people talked at a normal speed. I could join in conversations and not have to focus all my attention on not losing track of what people were saying. I could start building relationships and really getting to know people.
It feels amazing to be able to listen to the same sounds I heard five months ago and now understand their significance. When I have something to say, I can go ahead and say it instead of searching for vocabulary I don’t know.
I think this and my relationship with my host family have been the best parts of my trip, along with the suuuuuper good food — like empanadas (pockets of meat, cheese or vegetables), locro (sort of like a stew with beef and vegetables), asado (grilled beef), and Argentinian ice cream — great times with the friends I’ve made here and
Not to mention the confidence I’ve gained from becoming so close with people who don’t even speak my first language.
Before I left Yakima, I knew I was going to be homesick for the U.S.
And now, before leaving Salta, I know I’ll be homesick again.
But this time, I’m going to be homesick for a new home. My home in Argentina.

— Hannah Besso is an incoming junior at Davis High School and a member of the Herald-Republic’s Unleashed journalism program for high school students.

Argentinian Adventure

By the time you read this, I’ll already be in Argentina.
But as I write this, just two days before my Feb. 23 departure date, I can’t imagine what it will be like. One thing’s for sure, though: it will be an adventure.
I’m participating in a five-month exchange program through the American Field Service in the beautiful town of Salta, Argentina.
Salta, located in the northwest part of the country, is warm year around with temperatures usually in the 70s. The city is surrounded by breathtaking hills on one side and scorching desert on the other.
About the size of Seattle, Salta looks like an old Spanish town and was part of the Incan Empire long ago. I hear the people there make a habit of staying up all night and eating high-quality beef at every opportunity.
I will be staying with an Argentinean family while I’m there as well as attending high school in Spanish. My host family has a daughter my age and two boys that are 13 and 11.
Last spring, at the end of my freshman year at Yakima’s Davis High School, I decided I wanted to go on an exchange program sometime during my high school career. My mom went to Brazil when she was 16, and I figured if she could do it, then so could I.
Although many students go abroad during a gap year between high school and college, I decided I didn’t want to miss a year in between.
Right now I’m 16 and still a sophomore. Since I am planning on doing the intensive, full International Baccalaureate program at Davis next year, I figured missing junior or senior year wouldn’t be an option.
And since I want to learn Spanish, I decided Latin America was for me. Argentina looks beautiful, and people who have been there tell me it’s amazing.
I’m looking forward to living in a different country, learning a different language and experiencing a different culture.
And although I’m sure it will be an amazing experience, I know I’m going to miss everyone in Yakima muchisimo.
That’s Spanish for “A LOT.”

— When she’s not studying abroad in Argentina, Hannah Besso is a sophomore at Davis High School and a member of the Herald-Republic’s Unleashed journalism program for high school students.