Some Cabrini students and faculty were part of the school’s first study abroad immersion trip to Argentina this summer. For three weeks, eight Cabrini students and two faculty members lived with the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart in Argentina and spent their days teaching English as a second language in two different schools to students there.
Prior to the trip, during the 2016 spring semester, the students were enrolled in an ECG 300 course entitled Mother Cabrini in Argentina: Transforming the World Through Education, which was co-taught by Dr. Raquel Green, assistant professor in romance languages and literatures, and Dr. Susan Pierson, ESL program coordinator and assistant professor of education.
As part of their preparation, students learned how Catholic Social Teaching principles and Catholic Relief Service’s Integral Human Development framework help us to adequately confront global communities,” Green said. The ECG course taught the students about life in Argentina, the Missionary Sisters’ work there and the best practices for teaching English as a second language overseas.
“The goal of the immersion experience was to accompany the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart in Argentina for three weeks and understand the meaning and responsibility of relationships to advance good in the world,” Green said.
After seeing success in this first year of the study abroad opportunity, this course is set to run on an annual basis spring semester. However, the application process is very selective. “The course will be open to students with a strong background in Spanish and Education and those who want to learn about the challenges of exploring social justice issues in a global context,” Green said.
Sarah Grant, a senior pre-med major and Spanish minor, could not pass up on the opportunity to learn about and visit Argentina. “I chose to attend the trip because I’ve always loved the Spanish language,” Grant said. “When I saw this opportunity for such an amazing language and cultural immersion experience where we would also be connecting with the Cabrini family there, I couldn’t pass it up.”
Grant was honored to be chosen as part of the very first Cabrini group to go to Argentina. “As the first group taking part in this immersion trip, working to build relations with the students, teachers and sisters at the school was really important and I definitely think that it was a success,” she said.
Grant had the opportunity to teach others, but she said she also learned so much herself. “I don’t think I could list all the things I’ve learned, honestly,” she said. “My Spanish has definitely improved and I’ve been enriched by vocabulary that’s more specific to Argentina. I have a better grasp on how to teach and how to manipulate material to help people who are struggling to understand, which, as a peer tutor at Cabrini, will probably wind up being quite useful.”
Samantha Jacobs graduated from Cabrini in May 2016 with a degree in digital communications and social media and not long after she took the trip to Argentina. She decided to attend the trip after her study abroad trip to Guatemala the previous year. “That trip [to Guatemala] really opened my eyes to how different the world can be when you leave America, and I wanted to continue to grow my understanding of the world,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs said she tried to take full advantage of the experience and never waste a moment while in Argentina. “At the school that I was at, I had opted to teach more classes than any other student on the trip in order to fill my day and contribute as much as possible to the experience,” she said.
“I woke up at 6:30 a.m. in order to get to classes by 8 a.m. I would teach from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m., have lunch and then teach again from 2 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.” Jacobs said. “We then had time to ourselves where I usually tried to soak in the day and journal before having dinner.”
After a long day of teaching, Jacobs would prepare lessons for the next day or contact home and share with her family and friends what she had been experiencing. On weekends she and the group would travel through the city and explore the rich culture Argentina had to offer.
Spending time with the kids was Jacobs’ favorite part about her trip. “The second graders I had in the afternoon were always able to make me laugh with their never-ending curiosity about America and I also really loved working with my fifth grade class because they were able to speak enough English that I think we both learned a lot about the other’s language and culture,” she said.
Jacobs also said she gained a unique perspective of her own country while abroad. “I didn’t realize how developed nations still look up to America as a big wealthy giant where no one is poor,” she said. “I can go on for hours about issues in America after making AmericanWealthInequality.com [a website Jacobs and others put together for their senior capstone project], but I was stunned when so many people in Argentina believed that we all lived in our own mansions with giant swimming pools and movie theaters.”
Melissa Matsanka, a senior early education major, is very glad that she attended the school’s first study abroad experience in Argentina. “I met some amazing people and was lucky enough to form lasting friendships with them,” she said.
Swapping stories with people there, learning about their culture, not just from a book but from them, themselves, and practicing her Spanish skills with the Argentina natives was a once in a lifetime experience, Matsanka explained.
Matsanka felt like the group was able to leave a lasting impact on the students and Missionary Sisters and feels that the goals of the trip, to collaborate with the teachers there and build relationships with the sisters and students, was accomplished.
“The most memorable moment for me was saying goodbye to the sisters and the students,” Matsanka said. “Even though it was a sad moment, it made me realize how much of an impact this trip had on them and especially on me.”
Grant said the day of goodbyes was also her most memorable part of the trip.
“I wasn’t really aware of how much of an impact we were having on the students. Maybe I was too preoccupied with the impact they were having on me, but so many of them wanted pictures and hugs and kept asking us if we were coming back next year and that they would miss us,” she said. “It was really moving to see how much they actually appreciated and enjoyed having us there. It reassured me that we made a difference, which is ultimately what we had come to do.”
