Dreaming in Spanish

A CHS student's last lunch at school before setting off to spend 11 months in Argentina.

Two weeks from now, Nadia Todoroff will be tangoing in the company of two dogs, two cats and a parrot. She won’t go to school and she probably will not understand what anyone is saying. The Community High School junior will be spending 11 months in Rosario, Argentina as an AFS exchange student.
By Kayla Stoler
From print edition 8, 2009
“I’m nervous, but I’m more excited. I’m excited-nervous,” Todoroff says.

She first started thinking about being an exchange student this past summer. “At first I really wanted to go to Spain but when I thought about it more, I decided I wanted to go to South America … Argentina is a very developed country,” Todoroff says.

After months of interviews, applications and recommendations, Todoroff will finally set out on her one-year journey on February 23. She will stay with a “welcome family” for four weeks until she is moved to her permanent family, which will be in the same area.

“I’ll be living with a dad and a 21 year old daughter. They also have two dogs, two cats and a parrot … so it should be interesting,” Todoroff laughs as she describes her welcome family. Rosario is located northwest of Buenos Aires. It is situated right on the Paraná River. Todoroff was ecstatic when she discovered she would be living there.

“It’s kind of like Buenos Aires, but not as touristy,” Todoroff says. “I wasn’t trying to get my hopes up because I could have been put into a city in the middle of a grass field with no people anywhere.”

Todoroff was equally as excited to find that she would have an older sister. “I did not want to have a little sister because I already have a little sister,” she says. “I wanted to have someone my age or older than me.”

Even though Todoroff is excited about becoming a part of an Argentinean family, she also knows that she will be leaving a lots behind. “Whenever I think about leaving I get really sad … leaving all my friends and my family,” she says. “I know it will be different.”

Todoroff’s busy life in Argentina will undoubtedly keep her mind off home. “I’m definitely going to take tango lessons, because that is what Argentina is famous for,” she says.

Todoroff will also be attending a Spanish-speaking school and plans to take many literature classes. But the literature will be in Spanish, which will pose to be a challenge when Todoroff first arrives. Though she is currently a Spanish IV student, it will be difficult to communicate during the first couple months of her stay.

“I’m not really worried because my grade point average won’t change in the U.S. when I’m in Argentina,” Todoroff says. “But I’m still going to do my best.”

Because Todoroff will be gone for second semester of her junior year and the first semester of her senior year, she will have to go through the college application process in Argentina. “I’ve already taken my ACT and SAT and I’m planning to apply to colleges while I’m there, online,” Todoroff says. Though this is somewhat daunting, Todoroff’s excitement transcends any regrets. “That will be so cool when I speak only in Spanish and dream only Spanish…and I can talk to people and they’ll actually understand me,” she says happily.

As Todoroff makes the final preparations before she leaves, she cannot help but think ahead about the kind of person she will be when she returns. “It is a life-changing experience,” Todoroff says. “I’ll be much more worldly because I’ll know what it’s like to live in a whole new culture and society.”

Note: This article was written before Nadia left. As of March, she is in Argentinia, staying with her welcome family.

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