Summer in winter

By Janice Yi

High up among the rocky ridges of the Andes Mountains, Bethany Six, junior in ACES, gripped firmly onto a rope, standing knee deep amid a forcible river current.

Directly behind her, Gonzalo Barahond, a student of tourism from Mendoza, Argentina, took up the slack. The pair, along with 15 other students and two faculty members from the University, was fording a river in their trek through the mountains.

The group was ACES Global Ambassadors, a registered student organization that takes a two-week trip once a year to a foreign country. In this short-term study abroad program, students explore the country’s agricultural economy, environment and culture.

This year, from Jan. 2-15, the group traveled to the arid climates and diverse terrains of Argentina.

The itinerary included visits to prominent agricultural companies such as Pioneer and Cargill, horseback riding gaucho-style at the base of the Andes, exploring the ruins of Incan settlements, tours of wineries, whitewater rafting down the Mendoza River, delving into a long-abandoned silver mine, and lectures at Belgrano University in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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“It’s hard to believe it was only two weeks long,” said Jenny Miksanek, senior in LAS. “Everyday, no matter what we were doing, we just learned so much . even in just talking with the Argentineans, trying to figure out what they were saying and where we were going.”

Maria Cox, senior in ACES, recalled what was deemed by many in the group as the most memorable event – when a supposed eight-hour overnight ride on a bus named “El Rapido” turned into a 20-hour ordeal of breakdowns and a bus change.

“At one point we were out pushing the bus up the road,” Cox said.

After three breakdowns and 15 hours, the passengers were finally offered a different bus, but there were four students too many. By that time, the Argentineans had befriended the students. They argued for the driver to allow them to sit three to a seat, and cheered when he consented.

“Despite the tension of the trip, we had a great time getting to know everyone on the bus,” wrote Regan Joehl, senior in ACES, in his trip journal, which can be found on the ACES Web site. “By the time we reached our destination four hours later, we were not people from two different cultures but friends getting through a tough situation.”

When they finally arrived at the group’s destination, the remaining passengers waved goodbye through the windows and wished them good luck.

It was through experiences like these with farmers, winegrowers, gauchos, tour guides, professors and fellow travelers that the students came to connect with the people of Argentina. The students learned of Argentina’s agricultural economy through company tours and economics lectures. In whitewater rafting down the Mendoza River, horseback riding at the foot of the Andes and hiking up the rocky slopes the students experienced Argentina’s landscape and environment. And through explorations of a silver mine, Incan ruins and the age-old cities of Buenos Aires and Mendoza the students came to uncover Argentina’s history.

“The trip is designed to give students a broad perspective on agriculture . and also a rich cultural experience,” said the group’s president, Mallory Rahe, senior in ACES.

Rahe, along with the three other student officers, had been planning the trip to Argentina since May 2005.

Since the group is completely student run, the only outside support came from the College of ACES in the form of individual scholarships. Additionally, two faculty members volunteered to escort the group, Assistant Dean of ACES Charles Olson and ACES Professor Robert Skirvin.

Rahe admitted that in running for president of the ACES Global Ambassadors, she had not foreseen the enormous task ahead of her.

“But it turned out to provide so many good memories and good experiences. A two-week trip is a perfect way to get a taste of international travel,” she said. “I encourage everyone to go for things and take chances because this is what college is all about.”