GRIP, Internships Abroad Colleague Connections

Social Impact in Buenos Aires, Argentina

¿Quieres tomar algo con nosotros? With those five kind words of invitation, I felt welcomed into the fold of my new company. We were leaving the office early to celebrate the 23rd birthday of my supervisor, Cami. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that most of the employees at my internship location had a similar age to my own. Cami had always been smiley and kind to me during my first two weeks in the office, but after that evening I truly felt like a part of the team. We spent an hour or two sharing French fries and stories from our respective upbrings, and I even learned some very useful Argentine slang. As we paid the check, she casually mentioned her birthday party the next weekend.

I was stunned by the kindness of her inclusion – we had known each other for less than 15 days before she offered to welcome me into her home amongst her friends and family. Two nights ago, I attended said party and it was one of my favorite nights of the summer so far. The theme of the party was costumes that begin with the letter C, based on Cami’s name. I dressed as a “cebra” and enjoyed seeing the creativity of others’ costumes. My fellow intern wore blue and white to be the “cielo” or sky, and others dressed as a caballero, Cleopatra, a chef, and Colin Creepy from Harry Potter, to name a few. As I sat at the table with my young colleagues and dined together, I felt so lucky to have found such amazing colleagues. I mentioned a plan to go skiing one of the following weekends in Patagonia. My boss’ face lit up with excitement, and she not only approved my request for a Friday off but practically begged me to take Monday as well, citing the need to fully explore her favorite region of the country. Her family lived there, she told me, and spent the next 45 minutes giving me recommendations for everything from clothing rental shops to the best hidden hikes in the area. It was a wonderful evening, not just because of the great food and Spanish practice, but because it offered me the chance to connect with my colleagues in a new light. Even at a social event, I noticed the conversation often revolved back to work, not for a lack of other topics or an abundance of stress, but instead because each of them feels so passionate about the mission of the NGO that they could not wait to continue helping the rural schools we support. I found myself antsy and excited the next day, Sunday, to return to the office come Monday and spend more time around these people. Strange, I know, to anticipate rather than dread a Monday, but I truly was.