Preparación para la Segunda Aventura

So the real reason why I'm back at this blog again is that I'm about to embark on my second major trip- this time to Argentina! I'm going abroad through a program called AIESEC which is an organization that provides students with internship and volunteer opportunities in different countries.  I chose to do a Global Community Development program because I want to spend my time helping others while practicing my Spanish at the same time! A win-win situation! I am going to be doing a program called The Andes Way Project, which hosts about 60 different interns from around the world to volunteer in one of three cities (Córdoba, Mendoza, and Tandíl) for the first six weeks and then move to Buenos Aires for the next six weeks. I chose Córdoba because it is the second largest city in Argentina and it is filled with young people (because of the University there). I hope to also travel to Mendoza at some point because it is known as wine country. Sounds pretty great, right?

All I really know so far is that I'm going to be doing Fundraising for NGO (not sure which one yet) in Córdoba for six weeks and Marketing for Circo Social del Sur- a CIRCUS in Buenos Aires for the other six weeks. Once I found out that I will be working at a circus, I was not thrilled to say the least.  But, I read more about it and it actually sounds pretty cool!  It is not your typical circus, with elephants and tigers, etc.  It is more like Cirque du Soleil, focusing more on acrobatics. This circus was designed as an outlet for kids and teens living in low-income neighborhoods to spend their time in a positive manner. Their mission is to keep children off the street and build a network of support for them.  So it's definitely not your typical volunteer project, but I'm keeping an open mind about it!  I'm just happy to have the opportunity to travel one last time before starting my full-time job as well as use the skills that I learned in college to help better the community. I keep telling my friends that I am running away to join the circus, because I had no idea I would ever get matched with such a program!  Laugh all you want (I know I did hahaha). I'm sure I will get some good stories out of it. Maybe I will come back with some trapeze skills or something random like that.

Here is a link to a review about the circus in English if you want to know more about it...

http://www.circosocialdelsur.org.ar/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/The-argentimes-Julio-20081.jpg

I'm a little nervous to say the least right now because I'm supposed to leave in 9 days, and I still don't have a plane ticket!  I have been having some problems finalizing my contract but hopefully it will all work out!

When I tell my friends about what I'm doing this summer, they think I'm a little bit crazy. I'm definitely taking a risk with this trip- going to a country where I know absolutely no one, traveling by myself, speaking a different language, and living in a hostel for 3 months probably does not sound appealing to most people.  I think it will be a great adventure and I'm excited to see what the future holds for me this summer!

Here are some inspirational travel quotes that I found on Pinterest (HAHA)...

Adios amigos! The next time I post, I will be in Argentina! :)