Author Archives: Alison Claire Roby

About Alison Claire Roby

Hi! I'm a senior studying biomedical engineering and Spanish. I am a Schreyer's Honors scholar and am in the IUG program to finish a master's degree. My research, which will culminate in my thesis, focuses on the functional connectivity changes associated with nicotine administration in rats. I have participated in outreach events through Discovery Space and the Society of Women Engineers. I look forward to my experience with Haunted-U, and hopefully many more outreach events!

Get ready, get set, go!

State College has not prepared me for Buenos Aires.

In that small college town, trust is ubiquitous. No one checks your ticket to get into the movies. I leave my backpack and my computer on the tables of the dining halls or in a coffee shop downtown without a problem. I never keep my backpack in the front of me in case of pick pocketers. So of course, I have a lot of adjusting to do in a big city like Buenos Aires.

But the cultural change that I have the most trouble with so far is the cultural differences in transportation.

At Penn State, students, wearing headphones and looking at their phones, cross the steret without worrying about traffic. The drivers carefully stop and wait until the students cross. I always wear headphones and listen to music when I walk to class without any problems. I also ride my bicycle with headphones on during rush hour. Of course, sometimes I have to quickly stop to avoid a student, but it never is dangerous to ride by bike with headphones.

Of course, I take more care crossing the street in BA. I try to ignore a million distractions- the stores, the people, the smells, the sounds- to maintain my awareness of the traffic. I still do not know if the right of way for pedestrians exists here. Perhaps, I have only met particularly agressive drivers. For example, I have crossed the street, and the buses trying to turn onto the street I am crossing honk at me and accelerate towards me. It also seems strange to me how the lights turn from red, to yellow, to green here. There is no direct warning that the light is about to turn green in the US. When the bus drivers see this warning, they accelerate through the intersection and do not bother to wait for the light to turn green. This progression of lights makes me think of playing Mario Kart. I expect the bus drivers to get a boost for accelerating during the yellow light. Now I understand why IES prohibits any students driving or riding bikes in the street.

Even more surprising than drivers’ increased aggression is the lack of regularity and order in public transit. In State College, there is a bus stop right outside my dorm. There also is an App where I can see the location of the bus. I do not have to wait at the bus stop when it’s freezing. I can go out when I know the bus is very close. When the bus approaches the stop, I do not need to hail it down as I do in Argentina. I can also see if the bus is really far away, and if I do not want to wait, I can just walk. Of course, it’s not perfect, but yet again this experience has not prepared me for Buenos Aires.

There is also an App here, BA Como Llego (BA How I Arrive), that is a lifesaver. You only need to know your current location and your destination, and the App will tell you what line to take and the approximate duration of the trip. Key word: approximation, and do not even ask about schedules. A friend and I used the bus to travel to el Caminito, an open air museum in La Boca.

Pope Francis in El Caminito

Pope Francis in El Caminito

When we were done taking photos and walking around, we headed back to where we were dropped off by the bus. This bus stop was unmarked; we only knew it was a bus stop because a line of people were waiting.  We waited and we waited, but the bus didn’t come. I finally asked someone if our line came here, and they said no. The bus stops changed, and we had to walk a ways to find the new bus stop. Thankfully the new one was marked. After an hour, we hailed the bus down and headed home.

Although these changes can be frustrating and overwhelming at times, I must admit that somethings are universal when it comes to transportation. For one, there are always crazy taxi drivers no matter where you go. For another, there are always strange people, doing strange things, on the bus. Also in every city, people jaywalk and don’t cross at the corner. So, no matter where you go, you’ll always have a story to share about the crazy traffic.


Location: Avenida 9 de Julio y Santa Fe Buenos Aires, Argentina

All the world is a stage

First impressions

I arrived in Buenos Aires almost a week ago and am very excited to share some of my first impressions with you! Coming from State College- a place where drivers will ensure that distracted, unaware students on cell phones may cross the street safely- I feel bombarded by all  the people, aggressive taxis and buses, and the necessity to look both ways.

The street I walk on everyday to get to IES or to meet with friends

The street outside of my homestay.

While I try to maneuver through the streets, I am awed by the strange mix of French architecture, palm trees, graffiti, and people chatting in cafes.

French architecture in Buenos Aires

At home, my host family is very accommodating and welcoming. They are very kind when I ask them to repeat something or if I don’t understand the Spanish. I am very grateful for their patience and am getting to know them better.

Playing my part

Expressing myself with my host family or in a cafe, I still feel frustrated with my fluency. I do not know the words that I want to express or I make a mistake in conjugation. At school with the other American students, we all speak English and I feel relieved that I can express myself without such difficulty. I can make friends and introduce myself without a language barrier. In this foreign place, all of us cling to what we have in common. Penn State students are excited to meet each other and talk about THON. Whenever we hear another American, we reach out to them, introduce ourselves, and connect with some small part of ourselves.

As we settle into our new environment away from home, we carefully observe what is “normal” in Buenos Aires. Although we still jump at the sight of anything close to home, we are trying to learn more about the culture of our temporary home. It’s normal to walk your dog at 11 o’clock at night; you have to beg for the check after you’re finished eating; you don’t go out until midnight. My peers and I try to emulate these norms and try to adapt to Argentine culture. However, we clearly stick out speaking English, and our Spanish language mistakes further identify us as foreigners. When this occurs, the waiter may start pointing at the menu or speaking English. So inevitably, our own personas and our language skills act as antagonists to this process. As I spend more time in Buenos Aires and my Spanish improves, I hope to find a more positive, rewarding balance between seeking out my own culture and adapting to a new one.

 


Location: Recoleta, Buenos Aires

Carambas!

No comprendo…

I was surprised that Spanish-speaking people actually say this phrase that Americans sometimes use. Beyond this, I have learned that no Spanish class could have prepared me for only conversing in Spanish during my trip to Colombia. My first overwhelming language experience was at a party when I first arrived. Thinking they were talking about kittens, I answered a question, but apparently they were asking about two little girls. Gratefully, my hosts enforce Spanish so I can improve, but they also speak English in case I have no idea what they are talking about. We’ll see if this remains true of my hosts in Argentina. But nevertheless, I feel that I am becoming more comfortable surrounded by Spanish. My conjugation of verbs is still rusty but is improving. And words long forgotten (like cucumber) are coming back to me.

Despite my second grade Spanish, the language and its cultural idiosyncrasies enrich my own experience of Bogotá. I was offered a bocadillo. My mind scrambled to translate. Boca? Mouth? What? But it turned out to be a common Colombian dessert of a slice of candied guava with a slice of local cheese on top. Sounds horrible, but in all honesty,  I’d give up ice cream forever and replace it with this dessert.

 

The opposite of expectations

Walking through a Spanish Franciscan church that softens the cries of street vendors, I have arrived in an entirely new place. Compared to my austere Protestant church at home, I am awed by the ornate decoration- silver, gold, carved wood- of the church. I steps echo and I try not to disturb the Colombians kneeling and praying at midday. Religion permeates this country’s culture, but not as I expected. Many people struggle with Catholicism despite its seemingly pervasive nature in South America.

Outside of the churches, the streets are lined with military personnel. Dressed in camouflage and carrying huge guns, their presence makes me want to shriek and run. But the more I experience the city, I question what is this impending threat. As it turns out, Colombia experienced a bombing about a decade ago, and this event initiated the enormous increase in security. It seems radical at first, but is the increased security at my high school in response to Newtown just as ridiculous? What is so different between soldiers guarding Colombian schools and American schools continually being locked down from the outside world? Whether it be ridiculous, radical or rational, our reaction to violence is to arm and secure schools, movie theaters, and airports.

Soldiers by the Plaza de Bolívar

Soldiers by the Plaza de Bolívar

 

So far, I am loving this experience and cannot wait to learn more. ¡Hasta luego!


Location: Calle 73 Bogotá Colombia

¡Nos vemos!

My name is Alison Roby, and I am just starting my blog now because I leave for South America this weekend! Because the seasons are opposite in South America, I do not begin my study abroad in Buenos Aires until February 21. This extra-long winter break allows me to do some traveling before I arrive to Argentina, so I am visiting Colombia for two weeks as well! I am so excited for these experiences and cannot wait to share them with you through this blog.

At Penn State, I study biomedical engineering, but this semester I will be studying Spanish in Buenos Aires, Argentina through IES. I wanted to study abroad in a Spanish speaking country to complete my Spanish minor. I chose to go to South America because I really wanted to immerse myself in a place I may never have the opportunity to go to in the future. In Spanish classes, I love the challenge of trying to articulate my ideas in another language. I am excited, and also anxious, to have to face this challenge when trying to buy lunch, take an exam at a local university, or communicate with my host family. But through these difficulties, I hope to  improve my fluency in Spanish.

After living in State College, I am looking forward to living and learning in an urban environment like Buenos Aires . I can’t wait to explore the markets of San Telmo and experience the bohemian vibe of Buenos Aires.  I am also interested to learn how politics shape Argentine culture, from the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo to the developing investigation into the death of the Argentine prosecutor, Nissman. Overall, I hope studying abroad expands my understanding of Argentina, the rest of the world, and my place within it.

I will be updating this blog weekly to share my academic, cultural, and political experiences and hope you enjoy reading my blog!


Location: Churchville, PA 18966