Name: Dominique Johnson
Type of Project: Study Abroad
For my STEP signature project, I participated in a study abroad program in Buenos Aires and Salta, Argentina. We studied the history of Buenos Aires as a “global hotspot”, considering it contains two-thirds of the country’s population, and were immersed in the culture and Spanish language. The two-day excursion to Salta was to experience rural Argentina, as opposed to the to a modern city, and traveled through the Andes mountains and the small villages within.
Far above everything I learned about the Buenos Aires and Argentinean culture, this experience changed my perspective of the world. I realized there is so much more of the world that I have yet to see. The summer of 2016 ended up being one of the best summers of my life because of how much I matured and finally realized how much I don’t know. For the first time, I saw a life of endless possibilities. The entire summer I was immersed in Hispanic/Spanish culture. Due to extreme flight days, I spent two days in Miami, Florida and it is truly one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. It is full of so much life and energy. The best part was being able to speak to the people—a moment where a Latina travel guide try to sell me on a $500 jet ski and teach me basic Spanish phrases at the same time. Of course, I did not buy it, but I gained an incredible amount of joy from speaking to her and she told me to take in every moment as a learning experience. I barely knew this women, but somehow she was one of the most memorable people I met this past summer.
I was a little upset that I missed the first day of my study abroad trip, but those two days in Miami were important and I consider them to be a part of my STEP experience. They were important and memorable because of the humility and new sense of liveliness I gained from being around the people there. When I finally made it to Buenos Aires, I was even more excited for the trip and had already transformed from just a student to a young women ready to take on whatever life throws at her. I realized life can’t be planned. The spontaneity of life is what makes it so great. Sometimes in college we get caught up in and stress over the future that we forget to enjoy the journey. The spontaneous music performances in Buenos Aires to pictures with llamas in the Andes mountains taught me to not always worry about tomorrow, but to be in the moment.
Many of my experiences in Buenos Aires and Salta reminded me of some of my roots and some loves of mine. A lot of my experiences brought me back to me. It may sound corny, but it is very true. My entire life I have been an arts-centered person. The creative and performing arts are my first love and those were some of my favorite moments in Buenos Aires and Salta.
We had the chance to take a tango lesson and watch a tango show over dinner. It was an incredible night being able to watch the exquisite art created by the dancers with their body movements. Every dance had a story, without saying a single word. That’s what I love the most about the arts: the stories. Every art form has the purpose of telling a story that could change someone’s life. The tango reminded me of why I trained in dance for twelve years without a single fret. It inspired me to be a better person and taught me discipline. I reflected on passions of mine while watching a dance that was created and cultivated in Argentina.
As an African American woman, I have always felt the effects of the under privileges of my people forced upon us by systemic oppression. This study abroad experience made me appreciate what I do have. Of course, we had to experience the nightlife of Argentina and these kids approached me about my iPhone and asked me if he could touch it. I did not understand. In my eyes, it was just a phone, but I soon realized that it is not a common thing to have in their country. It is considered a luxury, which explains why it is the number one item pickpocketed in their country.
I also felt what it is like to live somewhere the official language is not your first language. There are many Americans who are quick to dismiss someone because of their broken English, which is wrong. Now, I truly understand the struggle of not knowing or being efficient in the native language. I accepted it and took the time to learn their language instead of forcing them to speak English because I was uncomfortable. Now my Spanish has significantly improved, which will definitely be useful in the adventures that are to come. I transformed mentally and spiritually during this trip, while experiencing an inevitable intellectual transformation.
After the study abroad program concluded, I did not go home. I flew straight to Los Angeles for my internship at Paramount Pictures. I went from a huge academic experience to an even bigger professional experience. Once again, this summer was truly on the best of my life. The trip prepared me to take on this internship because I had a new sort of confidence about myself about what I had experienced and it gave me a sense of direction about my goal for that internship—to explore my passion, now that I was reminded what it was. I did not take anything for granted because that can be easy to do. I saw my full potential this summer. I realized I wanted to go all over the world and create stories for the whole world to enjoy. Yes, there are benefits from being able to highlight this experience on my resumes and speak about it to employees, but the personal growth of confidence and re-enlightenment I experienced about my passion for art is the most valuable to me.
