Senior Guetzemany Guardado really kicked  Argentina off her bucket list. This past summer went on a month long trip to Argentina through the program “The Experiment in International Living.” The main requirement was to be under 18 and over 14 years old. She stayed with a host family for about 2 weeks while in Salta,  Argentina.

“Living with my host family was amazing!… I had an older brother, two older sisters, my parents, and a niece. My host sisters and I bonded so much because I spoke Spanish fluently and we all loved baking. Although, before I met them I was nervous because I wasn’t sure what my family members were like,” said Guardado

In Argentina she did a lot of community service and exploring, which was her favorite part of the trip. She got the opportunity to remodel an elementary school and to volunteer at an orphanage. This was a life changing event for Guardado because of  the memories and the bond she built with her team members, students, and the kids at the orphanage.

“The hardest thing about being away for so long was not being able to communicate with my family as much Having to spend most of my summer in a different country with people from all over the U.S. was an amazing experience since we were all there for each other when someone felt homesick, which made us bond better,” said Guardado.

She spoke about the trip as one of the greatest experiences ever, although it was a little hard for her to stay so far from home for a whole month, this allowed her and her group become closer to each other for comfort. Guardado had a few downfalls on the trip, but if she could do it all over again she would. She’d probably just take a better coat though. She said June in Argentina is rough, she would’ve never expected it to be so cold at such a late time of the year.