View from the top of the Montevideo Intendencia
Author: Grace Martin | Majors: Chemical Engineering, Food Science | Semester: January Intersession 2024
I had a plethora of reasons for wanting to study abroad in Montevideo, Uruguay and Buenos Aires, Argentina. I wanted to practice Spanish, I wanted to learn Argentine tango, and I wanted to try mate. Most importantly, I wanted to learn about the culture and history of this part of the world in preparation for my service with the Peace Corps in Paraguay, a two-year-term which will begin in five months.
As a Peace Corps volunteer, I’ll live in a rural part of Paraguay and work with local schools and community leaders to encourage health and wellness practices in areas of need as identified by the Paraguayan government. I’ll speak both Spanish and Guaraní, the indigenous language still widely spoken in Paraguay. In order to successfully serve, I’ll need to understand the culture and how it’s evolved and continues to evolve today.
After studying abroad with USAC in Montevideo and Buenos Aires, I feel as though I’m one step closer to being prepared for my Peace Corps term. The class I took, focused on the cultural history of the Río de la Plata region, was co-taught by a Uruguayan political science professor and by an Argentinian anthropology professor. We began the course by learning about the path Uruguay and Argentina took to become modern states, from pre-Columbian times to the military dictatorships in the late 20th century. We also learned about the history of mate, asado, tango, and soccer in the region, four of the most important cultural aspects of the Río de la Plata. In addition to learning about the European side of Montevideo and Buenos Aires, we also learned about the indigenous people and the descendants of African slaves– how they were oppressed in the region, how they influenced the culture, and how they are reclaiming their heritage today.
Over the course of the study abroad experience, I learned that Paraguay is going to be very different than the Río de la Plata. While the Río de la Plata region has been heavily influenced by European conquistadors and immigrants, Paraguay was never home to large Spanish or Portuguese colonies. The nomadic indigenous nation, the Guaraní, continued to thrive in Paraguay while being pushed to the outskirts of Buenos Aires and Montevideo. As a result, Paraguayan culture has a stronger connection to the Guaraní than rioplatense culture, which was the topic of discussion for the course I took.
Despite the differences between the culture that I’ll be a part of for two years and the culture I learned about on this study abroad, there are many similarities I was overjoyed to experience. One of my favorite memories from this study abroad was preparing and sharing mate with the program group in a beautiful green plaza in Buenos Aires. This tradition started with the Guaraní, was shared with the Jesuit missionaries that lived in Paraguay, and eventually spread to the Río de la Plata region. As a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay, it’s expected that I drink mate every day with my host family to show commitment to connecting with the culture. It’s a very bitter infusion, so I was glad to get a jump start on acquiring the taste.
My advice to other students considering this USAC program in Montevideo and Buenos Aires is to practice Spanish before going. I was grateful every day for the time I’d taken to practice the language outside of class, and it helped me connect with my host family and facilitate social interactions. However, even for students not comfortable with Spanish, USAC Montevideo is a well-run program with an excellent support staff. This short-term program was educational, interesting, and safe, and I hope more University of Arkansas students choose to attend future sessions and have as incredible an experience as I did.