GRIP, Internships Abroad Perfecting My Native Tongue

GRIP: Social Impact in Buenos Aires

This summer, I interned for a non-government organization known as America Solidaria which works to improve the lives of adolescents through numerous projects. Some of the projects range from dealing with bringing education equality to providing access to clean water in disadvantaged communities. Coming from a family of Hispanic immigrants, I grew up speaking Spanish regularly at home. It was my first language. However, nothing could have prepared me for the transition of speaking Spanish in a workplace environment. Despite considering myself fluent, I oftentimes struggled to communicate with my coworkers and other companies. 

One day, my boss instructed me to go to the bank to collect the documents we needed to open up an account for one of our new projects. I thought it was a simple mission. Step 1: Arrive at the bank. Step 2: Pass Security. Step 3: Speak to a representative. Step 4: Obtain the documents. How hard could it be? 

When I arrived at the bank, the security guard asked me what I needed. I explained how I was part of a nongovernment organization that was interested in opening up an account for one of their projects. She looked at me with a puzzled look at first. She could tell I wasn’t from Argentina and I started to feel insecure about my Spanish speaking ability. I didn’t expect to get stuck on Step 2 of my task. No matter how many times I tried to explain that I was there on behalf of my organization, she kept asking if I was at the bank to open up a personal bank account. I repeatedly told her no, but I could feel her getting frustrated as she rolled her eyes at me. I desperately wanted to call my boss and hand the phone to the security guard so that she could explain what I needed in better words, but I was unaware that the use of telephones inside banks is prohibited in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I felt all alone. 

I had never experienced that before. Having it take so long to get my point across. It made me think about my family. I thought about how my grandmother must have felt when she arrived in the United States, not knowing any English at all. As a kid, my grandmother told me about what it was like to feel like no one understood her. However, it only encouraged her to improve her English so that she would never be misunderstood again. In the end, I was finally able to obtain the documents for my organization. While it was difficult, I finally understood how my grandmother felt all those years ago. I began to face the fact that my Spanish wasn’t perfect and that I’m still learning something new every single day. Whether it be teaching me a new vocabulary word or challenging me to help open a bank account, I feel as though my internship helped me become more proficient in a language I once felt I knew everything about.