Hi, everyone! I hope you are doing well and I am excited to talk. I am writing this journal the day before I fly to Argentina, so I am excited and nervous at the same time. Because I will be the only person from my program, and possibly from the United States, living and working in Rosario, I've been trying to think of strategies and ideas for meeting new people, making new friends and finding a community to help support me while I am in Argentina. My program had a call about this a few weeks ago, because we all know how hard it can be to adjust to new situations, especially ones where you are adapting to a new language and culture, and how finding a supportive group can make everything a little bit easier.
Of course, I will be able to call my parents, my brothers and my friends while I am gone. Argentina is only one hour ahead (+1) from Ohio and Kentucky, so I don't have to worry as much about finding a good time to call everyone. Last year in Spain, I was six hours (+6) ahead, so I had to do some math to figure out what time to call the United States, and sometimes it was hard to connect with my community from home.
To think of ways to meet new people in person, I started by making a list of activities I like to do.
