In our Introductory Course to Global Engagement, the Argentina UCaSal Zoom COIL Story Circle was an activity where I got to hear from college students attending Universidad Católica de Salta (UCaSal) about their intercultural experiences, as well as share my own experiences. Here, I got to dive into our GEM Learning Goals on perspective-taking and empathy as I interacted with a different culture in an intimate and small space.
I really enjoyed my experience with the UCaSal students; they were all so nice and willing to tell me more about themselves. Many of them talked about how their cultural interactions involved some sort of domestic experience—related to the many unique areas of Argentina. There was a student who interacted with a different landscape that has rich biodiversity and rivers. Another student described witnessing a ritual meant to acknowledge the environment. A story that particularly stuck out to me was when a student mentioned their interaction with one of their parent’s coworkers, who was Korean. They mentioned the different customs that they had. The coworker also described their sadness at the separation between North and South Korea. This interaction opened a drastically different culture to the UCaSal student, for Asia was never on her radar before that interaction. This story stuck out to me, for the experience I shared with the group was also related to Korean culture.
As mentioned before, many of their intercultural experiences were fostered in their domestic area, which was similar to my intercultural experiences in LA and Connecticut. Talking with them made me realize the privilege I had, as I had the opportunity to mention an experience abroad. Despite this privilege, they never made envious remarks, but rather had curiosity and admiration in their questions.
Before this interaction with the UCaSal students, I didn’t really know much about current affairs in Argentina. However, this experience pushed me to read more about their presidential elections and watch videos reporting/explaining Argentina’s economic crisis. After meeting these students, I want to learn more about their lifestyles and become well-informed about Argentina.
Date Posted: 16th December 2025
