By Kendall Lebbin
And Juliana Riverin
Staff Writers
¿Qué hicieron ustedes este verano?
*What did you guys do this summer?*
Mira Costa seniors Brett Davis and Tyler Livingston spent two weeks of their summer with a host family in Córdoba, Argentina, which was set up through involvement with the Projects Abroad program. During their time there, they volunteered at Los Pimpollos school, played soccer with students, went to Spanish classes and immersed themselves in the Argentinian culture.
“My time in Argentina was truly unforgettable,” Davis said. “I was able to meet new people and help out a bunch of less fortunate kids as well as visit a country completely different than the United States, which was amazing.”
The family they stayed with was made up of mother Silvia da Silva and her two children, Ignacio (age 25) and Sophia (age 23). According to Davis and Livingston, they could only communicate with their host mother in broken Spanish, which was a challenge.
“At first, we felt like outsiders living in somebody else’s house, but our host mom was so warm and welcoming, she made us feel at home right away,” Livingston said.
While they were there, Davis and Livingston were put under the care faction, meaning that their primary tasks involved working with children. They volunteered at a school where they repainted walls and painted a mural, taught arts and crafts and played an average of three hours of soccer with the kids at the school per day.
“Being able to create relationships with the kids, even though there was an obvious language barrier, was probably the best part of the trip for me,” Livingston said. “Even though they made fun of our American accents, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
Davis and Livingston were encouraged to go on the trip by MCHS Spanish teacher Felise Shapiro, who has had personal experience with student traveling. As a junior at University of California, Los Angeles, Shapiro spent a year studying in Spain and, as a result, has encouraged her students to visit foreign countries.
“In my experience, any opportunity to study abroad is a good opportunity for students to learn and grow,” Shapiro said. “Thanks to the year I spent in Spain, I became fluent in Spanish and developed a love for Spanish culture.”
According to Davis and Livingston, their summer was not all work. Their free time was spent playing poker with their program, exploring the town and going to local restaurants. Every Tuesday and Thursday, the program set up social events for all the groups, such as tango dancing, zip-lining and bowling.
“I loved our free time because we got to learn about the new people we met and also about the different cultures,” Davis said.
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